Sea Gayle Music Ups Brandon Gregg To Senior Director Of Operations, Artist Services

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Brandon Gregg

Sea Gayle Music has promoted Brandon Gregg to Senior Director of Operations, Artist Services. In this new role, he’ll be working closely with CEO Chris DuBois, helping to oversee day-to-day operations and business affairs.

“I’ve had the privilege of working with tremendous talent and friends at Sea Gayle Music,” says Gregg. “I look forward to stepping into this new role and accomplishing great things with our writers and staff.”

A graduate of Middle Tennessee State University, Gregg has been with Sea Gayle Music for 19 years. He first joined the company as a Catalog Manager and most recently served as Director, Artist Services. He previously spent time at EMI Music Publishing before leaving in 2003.

“Brandon has been instrumental in the daily functions and growth of Sea Gayle over the past 19 years. I am thrilled to promote him to a new role,” Dubois adds. “I would also like to thank former Executive Vice President/General Manager Marc Driskill for his hard work and leadership over the past nine years. Marc’s contributions on both the creative and business sides have played a crucial role in the growth and success of our company. As difficult as it is to lose someone like Marc, his departure has created exciting new opportunities within the company.”

Driskill exited his role at Sea Gayle earlier this year to join the team at FirstBank as Sr. VP. In his new role, he will be helping to further expand the bank’s footprint in Nashville

Gregg can be reached at brandon@seagayle.com.

Sea Gayle was founded in 1999 by DuBois, Brad Paisley and Frank Rogers. The company represents the song catalogs of Paisley, Chris Stapleton, Brandy Clark, Jerrod Niemann and Bobby Pinson, among many more.

Jimmie Allen Adds Dates To ‘Down Home Tour 2022’

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Jimmie Allen. Photo: Shea Flynn

Jimmie Allen has added dates and announced the supporting acts for his upcoming “Down Home Tour 2022.” Madeline Merlo and Chayce Beckham will join Allen alongside previously announced Neon Union on the tour, which kicks off Feb. 3 at the Troubadour in LA.

Artist pre-sales for the new dates will run from Jan. 25-27, and general tickets go on sale Jan. 28 at jimmieallenmusic.com.

Allen will also host the 2nd Annual Bettie James Fest at Hudson Fields in his hometown of Milton, Delaware on Aug. 13. Allen established the festival last year in honor of his late grandmother, Bettie Snead, and late father, James Allen. Details on tickets for this year’s festival will be announced at a later date.

In 2021, Allen received the only country nomination in an all-genre category for the 2022 Grammy Awards; released his latest star-studded collaboration album, Bettie James Gold Edition; published his first children’s book, My Voice Is a Trumpet; took home the trophies for New Artist of the Year at The 55th Country Music Association Awards & Male Artist of the Year at The 56th Academy of Country Music Awards; reached the quarterfinals of the 30th season of Dancing With The Stars; served as Executive Music Producer for the Netflix series Titletown High; performed at the Kennedy Center Honors in tribute to Garth Brooks; and appeared on Elton John’s newest album, The Lockdown Sessions, with the track “Beauty In The Bones;” among other highlights.

Tyler Rich Announces First Fan-Focused NFT

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Tyler Rich. Photo: Zack Napier

Rising country artist Tyler Rich has unveiled his newest fan-focused endeavor: his very own NFTs (non-fungible tokens). The unique 3D Cards with 30-second audio clips will serve to enhance listener engagement and amplify his latest track “A Little Bit of You.” With this announcement, Rich becomes the first Big Machine Label Group artist to create an NFT.

The NFTs will feature one of several images of the singer-songwriter and will offer fans access to limited edition assets, unreleased material, tickets to upcoming concerts, and meet and greet opportunities. Rolled out over four weeks through Sweet, an NFT platform, a total of 10,000 of these free assets will be delivered with each set becoming more limited and rare. Special rewards will also be available that grant some owners added benefits, such as concert tickets, exclusive Zoom meetings, and more.

“We are excited to launch the first Tyler Rich NFT alongside Sweet. This is also a great extension of our relationship with SiriusXM’s The Highway who have been there since day one for Tyler,” says Mike Rittberg, Big Machine Label Group Exec. VP – Label Operations.

A preview of Tyler Rich’s upcoming NFT release.

“My fans deserve unique ways to connect, and I know they’ll love swapping these digital assets with each other along the way,” shares Rich. “My team, together with Sweet, is helping us bring this fantastic idea to all of you who have supported me over the years. I look forward to expanding my relationship with my fans in this exciting new world of technology!”

This collaboration comes as part of Sweet’s vision of making digital assets as easy to access as possible, while also connecting name brands with their fans.

Peter Keiser, Exec. VP of Client Services at Sweet, comments: “We’re thrilled to be working with Tyler Rich to help show a whole new generation of fans what NFTs do–they can open up doors to entirely new experiences and augment what brand engagement is really about. Best of all, nobody needs to learn the intricacies of blockchain, they just need to click on a link, and boom, they’ve got one.”

Amassing over 339 million global streams with his debut album, Two Thousand Miles, Rich will join Chris Lane’s upcoming “Fill Them Boots Tour,” while also extending his own “The Two Thousand (More) Miles Tour” with shows across the country this spring. For a full list of upcoming dates, click here.

Weekly Register: Kane Brown’s ‘Whiskey Sour’ Makes Top Country Debut

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Kane Brown takes the title as the week’s top debut on the country streaming song chart. His newest release, “Whiskey Sour,” received 3.2 million first-week streams, placing it at No. 31, according to MRC data. The RCA Nashville recording artist’s current single, “One Mississippi,” also continues to rise this week, moving up to the fourth spot and adding 5.3 million streams.

Walker Hayes‘ “Fancy Like” continues to dominate the top country streaming songs chart. This week the viral hit adds 6.2 million streams, contributing towards its 317 million streams RTD. Taylor Swift follows in second as “All Too Well (Taylor’s Version)” gains another 6 million streams. Jordan Davis & Luke Bryan take third with “Buy Dirt” earning 5.8 million streams, and Maren Morris seals the top five with “Circles Around This Town” garnering 5 million streams.

Once again, Morgan Wallen‘s Dangerous: The Double Album was the week’s most consumed album at 41K in total consumption (1.9K album only and 49 million song streams), according to MRC data. Swift keeps her position at No. 2 with Red (Taylor’s Version) earning 30K in total consumption. Luke Combs takes the third spot with What You See Is What You Get adding 17K in total consumption, as well as the fifth spot as This One’s For You adds 14K in total consumption. Chris Stapleton‘s 2015 album, Traveller, hits No. 4 as it gains 14K in total consumption.

2nd Annual Conservation AID Live Concert To Feature Craig Morgan, Chris Janson, More

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Craig Morgan. Photo: Nate Griffin

The National Wild Turkey Federation (NWTF) Foundation’s 2nd Annual Conservation AID live concert is set for Feb. 16 at the Grand Ole Opry House in Nashville.

The show will feature some of the top artists in country music, including Craig Morgan, Chris Janson, Tyler Farr, Travis Denning, Elvie Shane and more.

Other performers include Chuck Wicks, Drew Baldridge, Dillon Carmichael, Meghan Patrick, Caleb Lee Hutchison and Lucas Hoge.

The event, which kicks off NWTF’s Convention & Sports Show, helps support wildlife and wild land conservation efforts throughout the year. Tickets to the live concert event are available now.

Founded in 1973, the NWTF is focused on the future of hunting and conservation through its Save the Habitat. Save the Hunt. initiative. This charge mobilizes science, fundraising and devoted volunteers to conserve or enhance more than four million acres of essential wildlife habitat, recruits at least 1.5 million hunters, and opens access to 500,000 acres for hunting.

CJ Solar Joins EMPIRE’s Growing Country Roster

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Pictured (L-R): Eric Hurt, VP A&R, Publishing, EMPIRE and CJ Solar. Photo: Thomas Chi

Rising singer-songwriter CJ Solar has signed with EMPIRE. His first single on the label, “The Future’s Neon,” is set for release Feb. 11. Solar’s first full-length album of the same name will be available later this spring.

Written alongside fellow Louisiana natives Blake Griffith and Jim McCormick, Solar produced the track with Nick Gibbens. With a co-writing credit on all nine cuts on The Future’s Neon, Solar also collaborated with Devin Barker, Kenton Bryant, Bart Butler, Frankie Courtney, Corey Crowder, Jackson Dean, Bob DiPiero, Aaron Eshius, Jeff Garrison, Hardy, Jason Lehning, Lynn Hutton, Joey Hyde, Billy Montana, and Lydia Vaughan throughout the project.

The Baton Rouge native and Belmont University graduate recently signed an exclusive writing agreement with Edgehill Music Publishing. He has penned No. 1 singles for Morgan Wallen (“Up Down” featuring Florida Georgia Line) and Jameson Rodgers (“Some Girls”). He has won ASCAP Awards for both songs and also co-wrote Jason Aldean’s “I Don’t Drink Anymore,” Justin Moore’s “Between You & Me,” Jerrod Niemann’s “The Regulars” and Top 30 “Blue Bandana,” among others.

As an artist, Solar has released three EPs, yielding Top 15 hits such as “American Girls” and “Airplane,” and the Top 10 “Coming My Way.” He has garnered over five million overall streams, and received the MusicRow Independent Artist of the Year Award in 2019. Solar hit the road earlier this month on the “Nashville Hits The Roof” concert tour with upcoming stops in Orlando on Feb. 3, Delray Beach on Feb. 4 and Birmingham on Feb. 25.

“With EMPIRE continuing our expansion into the country market, we’re excited to partner with hit songwriter and artist CJ Solar on his upcoming artist releases. His album is fantastic, and we’re thrilled to be a part of his story,” says EMPIRE VP, A&R, Publishing Eric Hurt.

“Every artist wants to find a label that’s passionate about their music and career, and I’ve definitely found that with everyone at EMPIRE,” adds Solar. “I’m as excited about this relationship as I’ve ever been and can’t wait to get this new music out to the world!”

CRS 2022 Updates COVID-19 Protocols For Upcoming, In-Person Event

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CRB Inc. has announced it will move forward with CRS 2022 as a live, in-person event from Feb. 23-25 at the Omni Nashville Hotel.

The decision was made after careful and thorough consultation with attendees, panelists, performers, sponsorship partners, vendors, event staff, and CRB Board leadership. The CRB’s top priority is to provide a safe, comfortable atmosphere for CRS 2022 attendees, sponsors, staff, and volunteers.

Everyone attending CRS 2022 will be required to provide documentation of full COVID-19 vaccinations or a negative COVID test result obtained within 48-hours of arrival at the event. If attendees cannot provide either, rapid antigen and PCR tests will be available upon arrival and conducted on-site at no cost to attendees.

Additionally, voluntary testing (rapid antigen and PCR) will be available to all attendees throughout CRS, courtesy of CRB. Complimentary tests will also be available on Saturday, Feb. 26 for both local and out-of-town attendees before returning home.

CRB has engaged the services of 3P America for end-to-end digital compliance, using its mobile-based, proprietary application, 3P Smart Verify.  The platform will administer and conduct the following:

  • Safe Document Collection
  • Secure Vaccine Verification
  • Health Screenings
  • FDA-Approved Testing
  • Discreet, HIPAA-compliant notification

Prior to the event, all CRS 2022 registered attendees will receive a link to 3P Smart Verify to establish a profile and submit the necessary documentation. Users will be able to upload vaccination documentation or a negative COVID-19 test. All attendees will be required to have completed the 3P Smart Verify profile to receive their CRS registration packet.

Additional safety protocols set forth for CRS week are:
  • CRB will supply and require masks in all CRS event spaces at the Omni Nashville Hotel: meeting rooms, performance halls, plus Legends and Broadway pre-function areas.
  • All meeting room seating areas will be configured to provide adequate social distancing.
  • Hand sanitizer stations will be located throughout the CRS event space.
  • Traffic patterns in hallways surrounding the CRS footprint will be routed to avoid close contact in advance of all Broadway Ballroom performances (Warner Music Nashville Luncheon, BMLG Luncheon, New Faces of Country Music Showcase) and “Bob Kingsley’s Acoustic Alley” in Legends Ballroom.
  • CRB is recommending attendees limit close personal contacts such as full, close contact embraces, and handshakes.
  • CRB strongly encourages all members of our industry to exercise personal responsibility: CRB urges attendees to monitor their health daily, and anyone experiencing any symptoms of illness or not feeling 100% well to please refrain from attending the event. If this is the case, CRB will extend the refund policy set forth at the time of registration.

Reservoir Acquires Travis Tritt Publishing, Recorded Music Catalogs

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Travis Tritt

Reservoir Media, Inc. has acquired Travis Tritt‘s publishing and recorded music catalogs. The deal includes shares of Tritt’s entire body of work, excluding his most recent album, Set In Stone.

A 2x Grammy winner, Tritt has seven Platinum or multi-Platinum album certifications and more than 30 million in career album sales. He has earned five No. 1s and twenty Top 10 hits, including “Help Me Hold On,” “Anymore,” and “Here’s a Quarter (Call Someone Who Cares).” Tritt has also won four CMA Awards, was named Top New Artist at the Billboard Music Awards, and is a member of the Grand Ole Opry.

“Travis is a pillar of the ‘90s country movement, and his influence continues to impact the genre and its chart resurgence today,” says Reservoir Executive Vice President of Creative, John Ozier. “The Reservoir team is so happy to be supporting both his publishing and master recordings, and building on our foundation of Country catalog classics with more of the genre’s biggest songs.”

Tritt was represented by Jordan Keller and Sarah Smith from Keller Turner Andrews & Ghanem, PLLC.

Nominees Revealed For 2022 ACM Radio Awards

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The Academy of Country Music has announced its Radio Awards nominees for The 57th Academy of Country Music Awards.

Among this year’s nominees are double nominations for KCLR-FM in Columbia, Missouri; KHAY-FM in Ventura, California; KXKT-FM in Omaha, Nebraska; KYGO-FM in Denver, Colorado; WFMS-FM in Indianapolis, Indiana; WHKO-FM in Dayton, Ohio; WUBE-FM in Cincinnati, Ohio; WUSY-FM in Chattanooga, Tennessee; WYCD-FM in Detroit, Michigan; and WYCT-FM in Pensacola, Florida.

One MusicRow reporting panel station is among the nominees, with WXFL in Florence, Alabama vying for Small Market Radio Station Of The Year.

The 57th Academy of Country Music Awards will take place Monday, March 7, 2022, at Allegiant Stadium in Las Vegas. The show will stream live on Prime Video in the U.S., Canada, Australia, New Zealand, and the UK, marking the first time a major awards show has livestreamed exclusively.

Winners of the Radio Awards will be announced ahead of The 57th ACM Awards.

The full list of ACM nominations will be announced in the coming weeks, as will talent bookings for the show itself, including hosts, performers, and presenters.

The 57th ACM Radio Awards Nominees are:
National Daily On-Air Personality of the Year:
Buzz Brainard and Ania Hammar – The Music Row Happy Hour with Buzz Brainard
Cody Alan – CMT After MidNite
Derek Haskins, Sean Powell, Patrick Thomas, Carsen Humphreville – The Big D & Bubba Show
Jerry Broadway, Tim Wall, Mitch English, Becca Walls – The Bud And Broadway Show
Katie Neal – Katie & Company

National Weekly On-Air Personality of the Year:
Bryan “B-Dub” Washington – B-Dub Radio
Lon Helton – Country Countdown USA
Michael Knox, Shalacy Griffin – Knox Country 360
Terri Clark – Country Gold
Tracy Lawrence, Patrick Thomas – Honky Tonkin’ with Tracy Lawrence

On-Air Personality of the Year – Major Market:
Danny Dwyer – KUPL-FM – Portland, OR
Josh, Rachael & Grunwald In the Morning – Josh Holleman, Rachael Hunter, Steve Grunwald – WYCD-FM – Detroit, MI
Paul Schadt, Sarah Lee & Geof Knight – WKKT-FM – Charlotte, NC
Scotty Kay – WUSN-FM – Chicago, IL
Tracy Dixon – KYGO-FM – Denver, CO

On-Air Personality of the Year – Large Market:
The Big Dave Show – ‘Big Dave’ Chandler, Chelsie Shinkle, Jason Statt and Ashley Dawn – WUBE-FM – Cincinnati, OH
Jim, Deb, and Kevin in the Morning – Jim Denny, Deborah Honeycutt, Kevin Freeman – WFMS-FM – Indianapolis, IN
The Wake Up Call – Kelli Green, David Bugenske – KFRG-FM – Riverside/San Bernardino, CA
Wake Up With The Wolf Show – Dale O’Brian, Annie Camp, Chase Matthews – WPAW-FM – Greensboro, NC
Wayne D Show – Wayne Danielson, Tay Hamilton – WSIX-FM – Nashville, TN

On-Air Personality of the Year – Medium Market (6 Final Nominees Due to Tie)
Julie and DJ in the Morning – Julie Kansy, Dale Sellers – WPCV-FM – Lakeland, FL
Kenn McCloud – KUZZ AM/FM – Bakersfield, CA
Mo & StyckMan – Melissa “Mo” Wagner, Greg “StyckMan” Owens – WUSY-FM – Chattanooga, TN
New Country Mornings with Nancy and Woody – Nancy Wilson, Aaron Woods – WHKO-FM – Dayton, OH
Scott & Sarah in the Morning – Scott Wynn, Sarah Kay – WQMX-FM – Akron, OH
Steve Lundy & Gina Melton – KXKT-FM – Omaha, NE

On-Air Personality of the Year – Small Market:
Adam & Jen in the Morning – Adam Lamberd, Jen Little – KIOK-FM – Kennewick, WA
Liz and Scotty in the Morning – Liz DelGrosso and Scotty Cox – KCLR-FM – Columbia, MO
Morning Wake-Up Call With Dave Daniels – Dave Daniels – KHAY-FM – Ventura, CA
The Cat Pak Morning Show – Brent Lane – WYCT-FM – Pensacola, FL
The Philip Gibbons Show – Philip Gibbons – WGSQ-FM – Cookeville, TN

Radio Station of the Year – Major Market:
KSCS-FM – Dallas-Fort Worth, TX
KSON-FM – San Diego, CA
KYGO-FM – Denver, CO
WXTU-FM – Philadelphia, PA
WYCD-FM – Detroit, MI

Radio Station of the Year – Large Market:
KNCI-FM – Sacramento, CA
KSOP-FM – Salt Lake City, UT
KUBL-FM – Salt Lake City, UT
WFMS-FM – Indianapolis, IN
WUBE-FM – Cincinnati, OH

Radio Station of the Year – Medium Market:
KIZN-FM – Boise City-Nampa, ID
KXKT-FM – Omaha, NE
WGKX -FM – Memphis, TN
WHKO-FM – Dayton, OH
WUSY-FM – Chattanooga, TN

Radio Station of the Year – Small Market
KCLR-FM – Columbia, MO
KHAY-FM – Ventura, CA
WXBQ-FM – Bristol, VA
WXFL-FM – Florence, AL
WYCT-FM – Pensacola, FL

Brown Sellers Brown Launches Stone Country Records, Signs Easton Corbin & Ben Gallaher

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Pictured (L-R, top row): Ron Bradley & Gwen Foster; (L-R, bottom row): Matt Galvin & Traci Hite

Brown Sellers Brown, helmed by industry veterans Benny Brown, Paul Brown and Jason Sellers and home to Brown Sellers Brown (BSB) Management and Quartz Hill Records, has announced the launch of a second record label, Stone Country Records.

Country music entertainer Easton Corbin is the label’s first artist signing. Known for No. 1 singles “A Little More Country Than That” and “Roll With It,” Corbin’s inaugural single for Stone Country Records will release in early 2022. Additionally, guitarist, songwriter, and artist Ben Gallaher also makes a shift from Quartz Hill Records to the new entity, with new music expected in early 2022.

In addition to signings, the label also announces a string of staff changes, hires, and promotions.

Quartz Hill Records National Director of Promotion & Marketing, Matt Galvin, has been elevated to VP of Promotion & Marketing for Stone Country Records. Prior to joining Quartz Hill in October 2020, he spent 15 years as the Director of RCA Promotion & Marketing for Sony Music Nashville where he worked to develop the careers of Kane Brown, Miranda Lambert, Old Dominion, Martina McBride, Chris Young and more. Galvin began his career in radio promotion with Sony Music Entertainment’s Arista Records. He will report to Brown Sellers Brown Sr. VP of Promotion & Marketing, April Rider. He can be reached at Matt@stonecountryrecords.com

Ron Bradley has been named Director of Promotion for Stone Country Records. Bradley’s career stops include Director of West Coast Promotion/Marketing for UMG/EMI Records Nashville where he was instrumental in the success of hit singles by Eric Church, Brothers Osborne, Eric Paslay and Alan Jackson. He also owned and operated independent record promotions company R. Bradley Artist & Project Development. Bradley most recently served as the Director of West Coast Promotions/Marketing for Show Dog Nashville. He can be reached at Ron@stonecountryrecords.com

BSB Management Director of Promotion & Marketing, Gwen Foster, has shifted to Director of Promotion for Stone Country Records. With over 25 years in the industry, Foster has worked with Luke Combs, Aaron Watson, Montgomery Gentry, Colt Ford, Don Henley and more. She previously served as the Director of West/Southwest Promotion for Big Label Records; the Director of Midwest Promotion for Thirty Tigers; and in West Coast Promotion for I.R.S./Capitol Records, Average Joe’s Records and Treehouse Records. Foster began her career in country radio having worked in the Phoenix, Dallas and San Diego markets. She joined BSB Management in July 2021 and can be reached at Gwen@stonecountryrecords.com

Radio promotion executive, Traci Hite, has been named Director of Promotion for Stone Country Records. She joins Stone Country from Curb|Word Entertainment where she most recently served as the Director of National Promotion. Her previous experience includes radio promotion at Capitol Christian Music Group. Hite also spent four years in radio as the Promotion Director at WAY-FM and KCBI-Dallas. She can be reached at Traci@stonecountryrecords.com

Bradley, Foster, and Hite report directly to Galvin.

As previously announced, BSB Management and Quartz Hill Records Promotion Coordinator, Denise Miller, also expands her duties to include Stone Country Records. Miller can be reached at denise@brownsellersbrown.com