Industry veteran Rusty Harmon has launched a new Nashville-based label services company, Vere Music.

In addition to traditional label services, Vere offers artists global distribution, partnering with ADA Worldwide, Warner Music Group’s independent label and artist services arm, to distribute music globally; as well as marketing campaigns that range from brand partnerships to full-blown advertising campaigns.

Harmon, whose experience includes time at Average Joe’s Entertainment and work with artists such as Hootie & the Blowfish, Jason Michael Carroll and Reckless Kelly, has also brought on A&R executive Alyssa Logan to the Vere team.

Since launching, Vere has released 70 projects. The company’s current roster boasts more than 15 artists across genres, including David Nail, TRACE, Andrew Duhon, Joey Lawrence, Dan Rodriguez, Cody Webb, Alissa Moreno, and others. Vere also partners with labels, maximizing their distribution and marketing efforts. Its current label roster includes Clearwater Records, Gray Vonne Records, and TAOL Recordings.

“The music industry has undergone radical changes in the last several years. Distribution has increased in accessibility as digital platforms have grown,” says Harmon. “What remains consistent, however, is the key to reaching the masses. That key is the right marketing strategy, designed for each artist’s specific goals, and for each stage of growth. Vere, through its relationship with ADA, offers access to a major distributor while delivering the right marketing drivers to achieve next level growth for an artist. Most importantly, Vere thrives on customer service. We are here to serve the artists.”

“We’re happy to welcome Vere to the ADA family, and Rusty’s illustrious past of artist development will surely make this a great partnership,” adds Marcus Siskind, Head of U.S., ADA Worldwide.

Cody Johnson Celebrates Two Gold Certified Singles

Platinum-selling COJO Music/Warner Music Nashville recording artist Cody Johnson has added new RIAA Gold certifications for his smash single “‘Til You Can’t” and “Dear Rodeo.” With these new additions, Johnson notches 12 career certifications from the RIAA.

Last week, “‘Til You Can’t” moved into the Top 10 on the country singles charts and hit No. 1 on SiriusXM’s Hot 30 Weekend and the MusicRow CountryBreakout chart. It also continues its reign at No. 1 on Shazam’s Country Chart for the third consecutive week. To date, the single has garnered nearly 150 million global streams.

Johnson launched the first half of his 2022 touring calendar in late January with two sold-out shows and has since added an additional nine concerts all posting sell-outs ahead of the dates. For a full list of upcoming dates, click here.

 

The Mavericks Honored With Official Mavericks Day Proclamation In Nueces County, Texas

While bringing their “En Español Tour” to The Selena Auditorium in Corpus Christi on Feb. 5, The Mavericks were honored with the proclamation of The Mavericks Day in Nueces County, Texas.

Though they may have been formed in Miami, and long based in Nashville, a major part of The Mavericks’ sound has been their strong Tex-Mex/Tejano music foundation and ongoing support for Texas Musicians. Ahead of their show in McAllen, Texas, on Feb. 6, band members Raul Malo & Eddie Perez paid a visit to TIME 100 honoree Sister Norma Pimentel at the humanitarian respite center. While there, the pair delivered personal hygiene products for families at the border area migrant shelter.

“On Sunday in McAllen, Texas, we visited Sister Norma at the Catholic Center in downtown McAllen. Their charity work with immigrant families has been and continues to be instrumental in uniting immigrants with their families. As you can imagine, this work is difficult. It’s exhausting. And it never ends. The people at this center do everything possible to restore some dignity to those that come through their doors,” shares Malo through Instagram. “We originally just went to visit and observe. Of course, we got caught up in the energy that Sister Norma and her staff project every day. Eventually the conversation led to what could we do, is there anything you need, etc… So off we went to Sam’s Club to get supplies. I realize that these posts can be self-serving and ultimately misconstrued. This post has nothing to do with politics. It has to do with our humanity and doing what you can to help those in need.”

 

Tristan Tritt Joins Reliant Talent Agency’s Artist Roster

Reliant Talent Agency has added Tristan Tritt to its growing roster of artists.

Tritt, the son of country artist Travis Tritt who is also a member of Reliant’s roster, worked as a production assistant on his father’s tour before venturing into audio engineering training and tour management. After deciding two years ago that he wanted to make music, Tritt booked his own shows and entirely ran his own operation until recently.

The 22-year-old signed with Dan Lavery and Patra Sinner at Vista 22 Entertainment for management earlier this year and was slated to record new music in collaboration with Leroy Powell. Reliant’s Steve Lassiter and fellow Reliant agent Seth Meganck, already have a run of shows in the works for Tritt in support of his forthcoming EP.

The first single from the EP, a guitar-driven rock track titled “Oblivion,” was written by Tritt and showcases his vocals alongside the talents of Powell, his brother Chris Powell and Tom Bukovac. The single is expected to release in March, with another single to follow in late May.

Rising music business professional Blair Miller has launched Chaos Creators, an entertainment marketing agency focused on disrupting traditional artist development and fan engagement in the digital space.

Before launching Chaos Creators, Miller was the Creative Director of Jonas Group Media, an entertainment marketing agency she founded with Kevin Jonas, Sr. While there, Miller oversaw the marketing strategy for artists and creators such as Frankie Jonas, Lanie Gardner, Public, Melanie Pfirrman, Livvia, and Lucy Cloud. She also launched social campaigns with influencers such as Charli D’Amelio, Bella Poarch, Avani, Lil Huddy, and Madi Monroe.

Throughout her career, Miller has guided Frankie Jonas’ TikTok growth and limited edition merch drop, capitalized on Public’s viral song “Make You Mine,” led campaign ideation and execution for Melanie Pfirrman’s “Suda” featuring Pitbull, and sustained Lanie Gardner’s viral “Dreams” by Fleetwood Mac cover video and surprise remix release with David Guetta. In just two years at Jonas Group Media, her clients amassed over 405 million Spotify streams, 2.3 million user generated TikTok videos, 226 million YouTube views, and 19 million social media followers.

“Creativity is at the core of everything I do. With the launch of Chaos Creators, I am able to add value to my clients’ music careers by bridging the gap between creativity and forward thinking strategy across new platforms and technologies,” says Miller. “I am excited for this new chapter, especially as I set out to build a diverse roster and amplify the voices of all minorities in the entertainment industry,” the recent Nashville Briefing 30 Under 30 honoree adds.

Miller earned her degree in Music Business from Belmont University. During her time there, she honed her marketing skills through stints with Scooter Braun Projects, Atlantic Records, Universal Music Group, Warner Music Nashville, The Recording Academy, CMA, and Crowd Surf. After graduating, Miller began her career as a Digital Marketing Manager at Thinkswell where she supported the social media efforts of clients such as Brad Paisley, Chris Young, Vince Gill, Randy Houser, Chase Bryant, and Country Radio Seminar.

She can be reached at blair@chaoscreatorsent.com.

The 33rd annual Pollstar Awards, presented by Live Nation, returned to their in-person format last night (Feb. 8) at the Beverly Hilton’s International Ballroom. Hosted by comedian Steve Treviño, the night recognized the most successful artists, venues, and executives on both artistic and commercial levels.

Representing Nashville and country music, Chris Stapleton‘s “All American Road Show,” which set up camp for two back-to-back nights in Nashville in December, took home the honor for Best Country Tour. Elsewhere, Billy Strings earned the award for Best New Headliner/Artist Development Story.

On the venues front, Music City demonstrated how it got its namesake with wins for Theatre of the Year going to the historic Ryman Auditorium and Best New Concert Venue – Small Venue being awarded to the city’s coolest new venue Brooklyn Bowl Nashville. Bridgestone Arena’s Executive Vice President of Entertainment and Venues, David Kells, walked away with Venue Executive of the Year.

“2021 will be remembered as the year that artists were able to once again connect with fans at live events around the world, and Pollstar is thrilled to be able to recognize the artists, venues, events and executives who were able to make that happen at the highest level, as determined by their peers,” said Ray Waddell, President of Media & Conferences for Oak View Group, Pollstar’s parent company. “This year’s Pollstar Awards is a celebration of live entertainment, and we salute the winners, nominees and all who participate in the greatest business there is.”

Among the other top honors, Harry Styles won the award for Major Tour of the Year; Foo Fighters for Best Rock Tour; J. Cole for Best Hip-Hop Tour; Earth, Wind & Fire for Best R&B Tour; Maroon 5 for Best Pop Tour; and Enrique Iglesias and Ricky Martin for Best Latin Tour.

Additional awards from the night honored venues and venue executives, talent buyers, promoters, agents and agencies, talent managers, tour managers, and more. To see the full list of winners click here.

Partial List of 33rd Annual Pollstar Awards Winners:
Best Country Tour – Chris Stapleton, Chris Stapleton’s All-American Road Show Tour
Best New Headliner/Artist Development Story – Billy Strings
Theatre of the Year – Ryman Auditorium, Nashville, Tenn.
Best New Concert Venue – Small Venue – Brooklyn Bowl, Nashville, Tenn.
Venue Executive of the Year – David Kells, Bridgestone Arena