Anna Vaus Signs With Black River Publishing

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(L-R:) Belmont University’s Drew Ramsey, Black River’s Gordon Kerr, Attorney Lauren Kilgore, Anna Vaus, Black River’s Dave Pacula, Black River’s Katie Barolak, Attorney Tiffany Dunn and Attorney Mary Lauren Teague)  Photo Credit: Courtesy of Black River Entertainment

Singer/songwriter Anna Vaus has signed with Black River Publishing.

The Poway, California native was chosen in 2016 by Miranda Lambert as the first recipient of the Miranda Lambert Women Creators Fund, awarding a female singer/songwriter a scholarship to attend Belmont University. Vaus is a seasoned performer who has opened for acts like Hunter Hayes and regularly performs at venues around Nashville, including the Bluebird Café.

“I knew immediately I had to invite her over to Black River and hear more songs,” said VP of Publishing Dave Pacula. “That meeting led to co-writes and then a songwriting internship, and now we are thrilled to officially welcome Anna to the Black River family! Her songs draw you in and make you feel like you’ve been told the truth in the most interesting way possible, and we can’t wait for everybody to fall in love with them the way we have.”

“I’m already so grateful that I get to write songs every day, but to get to do that surrounded by the team of people at Black River, is just so dang exciting!” said Vaus.

Exclusive: Clint Lagerberg Talks Career And Smash Hit “Blue Ain’t Your Color”

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Clint Lagerberg is a co-writer of Keith Urban’s massive hit “Blue Ain’t Your Color.” He penned the song with Steven Lee Olsen and Hillary Lindsey, and also produced Olsen’s version of the song.

“Blue Ain’t Your Color” was voted Song of the Year at the recent MusicRow Awards. Lagerberg called from his studio in Thompson’s Station to discuss the win. Read more in the new issue of MusicRow magazine, or subscribe to MusicRow today.

Tell me about your career as a producer.

I’ve been in town about 12 years. I’ve been playing guitar forever. Early on, I started recording myself on a four-track so that I could critique my playing.

I’m not the typical Nashville track guy. It’s become part of my process but the song is most important for me. The track is the easy part.

My production process is I don’t want to use stock sounds, I want everything to be unique. We’re creating a sonic vibe that totally fits what the artist is about and we search for it.

In addition to co-writing “Blue…” you produced Steven Lee Olsen’s recording of it, which ultimately ended up being pitched to Keith Urban. How did you approach the recording?

“Blue…” came at the end of the record. The recording of it was cool because we knew it needed to be very sparse and the song kind of has the production in it already. You really need to step out of its way, and not do too much. But we had to do something to make it fit more sonically with the rest of the record. It was so cool to see what Keith did with it. He took it even further back with simplicity, which to me was so cool. I loved hearing it that way.

How have you handled all the success this year?

While Keith was taking “Blue… “ to No. 1, I was building a studio at our new house. I was working around the clock to finish the studio because I had a deadline for a record with the band Everett, so they could pitch it to a label. Meanwhile “Blue…” is climbing the charts and we are getting award nominations.

I’m a little bummed that I didn’t get to fully immerse myself in the excitement of it all, because I was so tired from working. My wife and I went to the Grammys, and that was the first moment I got to soak it up a little.

Then it really hit me at the No. 1 party. I had just finished the EP for Everett. I probably slept 15 hours in two weeks. When I got to the mic at the party it all hit me. Everything I might have missed. All the emotions, the celebrations, seeing my wife and daughter in the audience. It was so hard to talk. It was very powerful. And to be standing up there with great friends, Hillary and Steven. And also Missi Gallimore and Keith. It was very cool to be there in that moment.

Now I’m rested and getting back to work in the studio with Everett. It was all worth it, because there are major offers.

What have you learned as a songwriter?

To get a “yes” in a “no” town really helps. You’ll get 1,500 “no’s” but one “yes” will make up for that and more. It prepares you for the next round of “no’s.” Part of you wonders, “How can I recreate this?” There’s no way to choreograph this kind of thing. We couldn’t make it happen again. It was so organic. And that’s the answer: just keep making the best music you can. Dive in deep as you can and then let whatever is going to happen, happen.

Chris Bandi Signs With BMG

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Front row (L-R): Kos Weaver- BMG, Chris Bandi, Sara Knabe- BMG; Back Row (L-R): Bradley Collins- BMI, Chris Olgesby – BMG, Scott Safford – Safford Motley, Brendan Rich – UTA, Daniel Lee – BMG

Artist/songwriter Chris Bandi has signed a worldwide publishing deal with BMG.

Bandi is currently making a splash on Spotify with his song “Man Enough Now” which has soared above 12 million streams and continues climbing. His followup song “Gone Girl” just surpassed one million streams this week.

“We are so excited to have Chris join the BMG family. He is an incredible artist and an equally talented songwriter; a combination we love,” said Sara Knabe, VP, Creative, BMG Nashville.  “Chris has been fine tuning his brand of country music and building his fan base throughout the US and Canada, thanks to a healthy dose of work ethic and his dedicated partners at UTA.  We are honored to join the team!”

2017 ‘MusicRow’ Awards Winners Revealed

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MusicRow honored the songwriters, publishers and artists behind some of the year’s top hits and breakthrough songs during the 29th annual subscriber-voted MusicRow Awards on Wednesday, June 28, during a private ceremony hosted for the first time by SESAC, and sponsored by Anderson Benson insurance in the CMA’s event space.

Winners included producer Jay Joyce, who earned his second MusicRow Award win in this category for his work with Eric Church, Brandy Clark, Little Big Town, Carrie Underwood, Brothers Osborne, Devin Dawson, LANCO, The Wild Feathers, and more.

Eleven all-star musicians were honored for their work on the most Billboard Top 10 album credits in eight categories over the past 12 months. Winners included: Jimmie Lee Sloas (bass), Justin Niebank (engineer), Aubrey Haynie (fiddle), Ilya Toshinskiy (guitar), Charles Judge (Keyboards), Russell Terrell (vocals) and a tie for Fred Eltringham and Greg Morrow (guitar), and Dan Dugmore, Paul Franklin and Russ Pahl (steel).

Maren Morris, who has previously earned MusicRow‘s Breakthrough Songwriter honor, was honored this year as Breakthrough Artist, while Lauren Alaina was honored with MusicRow’s inaugural Artist-Writer category, for co-writing her first Top 10 hit, the No. 1 single, “Road Less Traveled.”

Parallel Music Publishing’s Jesse Lee was honored as this year’s Breakthrough Songwriter.

This year’s MusicRow Awards recognized Song of the Year “Blue Ain’t Your Color,” recorded by Keith Urban and written by Hillary Lindsey, Clint Lagerberg and Steven Lee Olsen.

The 2017 MusicRow Awards June/July print issue was also revealed at the ceremony. The new issue features SESAC’s Kelli Turner and Dennis Lord, with the Creative Services team on the cover.

Mark Nesler Inks With SNG Music

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SNG’s Gary Reamey, Steve Leslie, Marty Dodson, Mark Nesler (seated)

SNG Music has signed Mark Nesler to its roster of writers. Nesler has penned No. 1 hits for Tim McGraw (“Just To See You Smile”), George Strait (“Go On,” “Living and Living Well”), Keith Urban (“You Look Good In My Shirt”) and Darryl Worley (“I Miss My Friend”), among others.

“We are so thrilled to have Mark Nesler joining our publishing family,” says SNG Music Partner, Marty Dodson. “Over the course of my career, I have never worked with a more talented, hard-working writer, and for 17 years he has inspired me to elevate my game as a lyricist, to write words worthy of the beautiful melodies he creates.”

SNG’s roster also includes SNG Music partners Steve Leslie, Gary Reamey and Dodson, along with Zarni DeVette and SNG Songwriter Emeritus, Bobby Fischer.

Josh Phillips Signs With Warner/Chappell And Write Or Die Music

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Pictured Back row (L-R): Back: Ben Vaughn (WC), Alicia Pruitt (WC), Will Overton (WC), Chris Kappy (Make Wake Artists). Front row (L-R): Brantley Gilbert (Write or Die), Josh Phillips, Rich Egan (Write or Die)

Warner/Chappell Music and its publishing partner, Brantley Gilbert’s Write Or Die Music, have signed a worldwide co-publishing agreement with songwriter Josh Phillips.

Phillips has already performed nearly 400 shows over the course of his four-year career, opening for acts including Cole Swindell, Chris Janson, Sam Hunt, and Tyler Farr. He’s had songs recorded by Luke Combs and The Voice’s Warren Stone, and has collaborated with Randy Montana, Jonathan Singleton, Love & Theft, Channing Wilson and Kemo Forrest, among others.

Currently touring the country, Phillips is also working on his debut album. He is managed by Make Wake Artists, and booked by WME.

David Renzer Elevated To CEO At Spirit Music Group

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Photo credit: Peter Bohler

David Renzer has been promoted to Chairman/CEO of Spirit Music Group. Renzer was previously Chairman of the company, which is currently enjoying the global success of the No. 1 Ed Sheeran album, with eight songs co-written by Spirit- B Unique/Polar writer Johnny McDaid. Other recent successes include cuts on albums by Rag N Bone Man, Chris Stapleton, and various No. 1 country singles, among many others.

As Chairman of Spirit, Renzer has spearheaded the expansion of the company’s global activities through a variety of acquisitions, including the establishment of its successful Spirit Music Nashville office, the establishment of UK company Spirit/B-Unique Music, as well as new divisions including Spirit Music Latino and Spirit Production Music/Spirit Music Collective.

In his position, Renzer will continue to oversee the independent publisher’s global activities, expansion plans, and its 75,000 song catalog spanning seven decades across every musical genre. Renzer will work closely with the company’s financial partners, strengthen the company’s global platform, grow the catalog, expand A&R outreach, and along with his team at Spirit develop and implement the company’s strategic objectives.

“Spirit has been one of the fastest-growing independent music publishing companies and I’m thrilled with the progress that we have made and am proud of the team that we have built. We are also excited about the future of our company as we continue our ambitious growth. Spirit is truly a great home for songwriters, composers, and artists and an innovative home equipped to manage all music rights. A special thank you to our Board and financial partners for believing in our vision,” said Renzer.

Prior to joining Spirit, Renzer was Chairman/CEO of Universal Music Publishing Group, where he was responsible for overseeing the activities of the company’s 57 offices in 47 countries. Under his leadership, Universal Music Publishing Group grew through signings and catalogue acquisitions, including the BMG Music Publishing, Zomba, Polygram, and Rondor catalogues. UMPG also became the global leader in the areas of Production Music, Christian, and Classical Music.

Renzer was recently re-elected to serve on the board of the National Music Publishers Association, and also serves on board of the Foundation for Ethnic Understanding, and co-founded the Creative Community for Peace. He has also served as the Chairman of the Music and Entertainment Division of the City of Hope, and founded Songs of Hope, raising over $3 million for the City of Hope. He is based out of both Spirit’s New York and Los Angeles offices.

Three Hounds Music Opens Nashville Office

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Three Hounds Music, a new independent music publishing and artist development company, has officially opened an office in Nashville, while maintaining an office in Houston, Texas.

Houston-based entrepreneur, musician and music publisher Tom Harrison joined forces with Tyler Bell, an artist/writer manager, publisher and audio engineer, and Bobby Terry, a studio and live musician, songwriter and producer, to form Three Hounds Music.

The Three Hounds family includes songwriters David Tolliver (Tim McGraw, Jerrod Neiman, Brantley Gilbert) of duo Halfway To Hazard, Sarah Beth Terry, Chris Cavanaugh (Kip Moore, Lonestar, Steve Holy) and Kevin Brandt (Montgomery Gentry, Travis Tritt, Randy Travis) in addition to Bobby Terry (Faith Hill, Trace Adkins, Gretchen Wilson) and new Americana duo Fleener.

 

Duo Haley & Michaels Ink Publishing, Label Deals With Sony/ATV

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Pictured (L-R): Ryan Michaels, Danny Strick, Shannon Haley, Rick Stone. Photo: Sony/ATV

Country duo Haley & Michaels have signed publishing and label deals with Sony/ATV Music Publishing and New York-based Sony/ATV label imprint Hickory Records, respectively.

“We both learned to write songs in Nashville,” the duo tells MusicRow of the signing. “The songwriting community is the reason each of us decided to move here. In addition to country, we have rock and pop influences and our music is a blend of all of that. Right after we had finished our latest recording session, our good friend Rick Stone called to tell us he had played the unreleased music for Danny Strick at Sony ATV in New York and that he wanted to meet us. That was the best phone call ever! When we sat down with Danny and played him our music, we could feel right away that we were speaking the same language about the songs, sound, and direction.”

“I am excited to work closely with Haley & Michaels,” said Sony/ATV Music Publishing U.S. co-president Danny Strick. “I believe that they have the potential to cross genres, both Country and Pop, and I look forward to providing opportunities to bring that to fruition.”

Haley & Michaels recently released their music on Spotify, where it was featured on the New Music Friday, New Boots, and Wild Country playlists, accompanying their breakout single “Giving It All (To You).”  The duo has accumulated over 10 million streams on Spotify.

NSAI’s ‘Songs I Wish I’d Written’ Voting Begins Next Week

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The voting is set to begin for the Nashville Songwriters Association International’s 10 “Songs I Wish I’d Written” awards next Monday (June 26).

The 165-song ballot is comprised of Nashville-associated songs that charted in Billboard Airplay Top 20 on the Alternative, Christian, Country, Pop and Rock charts between July 1, 2016 and June 30, 2017 and must not have been awarded the previous year. The song that receives the highest number of votes will be NSAI’s 50th Song of the Year.

Voting is open to current Professional Songwriter Members of NSAI and will run from Monday, June 26 through Sunday, July 9.

NSAI will recognize the 10 Songs I Wish I’d Written, NSAI Song of the Year, Songwriter of the Year and Songwriter-Artist of the Year awards at the Nashville Songwriters Hall of Fame Gala on Sunday October 23, 2017.

For more information on voting or NSAI Professional Membership please contact Shelby Yoder at [email protected].