Runaway June’s Natalie Stovall Honored For Hosting 50th Opry Live

This past Saturday (Jan. 22), Circle Network aired a special episode of Opry Live where two-time CMA award winner and Opry member Kelsea Ballerini surprised country artist Natalie Stovall with a milestone print honoring her 50th time hosting the livestream.

A vocalist and multi-instrumentalist, Stovall has been performing professionally since she was ten. She made her Grand Ole Opry debut at the age of 12 and has performed everywhere from the White House to The Oprah Winfrey Show. In addition to a solo career where she was named as one of CMT’s Next Women of Country, Stovall is also a member of the country band Runaway June.

“When we began the Opry livestream during the pandemic in 2020, we had no idea how important Natalie would be to it and in keeping the Opry tradition of live Saturday nights going, doing so with a vibrancy that has endeared her to Circle fans,” says Drew Reifenberger, Circle Network’s General Manager.

 

Recording Academy And GLAAD Form New Partnership For LGBTQ+ Inclusion In Music

The Recording Academy has donated $150,000 to GLAAD, the world’s largest LGBTQ+ media advocacy organization. This donation will go towards supporting its work to diversify the music industry and champion musicians in the LGBTQ+ community.

Additionally, the pair announced a partnership for 2022 to further promote inclusion in this space through various initiatives, including: editorial content spotlighting LGBTQ+ music artists on Grammy.com and GLAAD.org, as well as each organization’s social media channels; support from the Recording Academy for the 33rd Annual GLAAD Media Awards in Los Angeles on April 2, 2022 and New York City on May 6; LGBTQ+-focused DEI training sessions hosted by the GLAAD Media Institute for Recording Academy elected leaders and staff to learn more about LGBTQ+ people and issues; and participation from key GLAAD executives in the Recording Academy’s DEI speakers series throughout the upcoming year.

“We’re thrilled to double-down on our commitment to LGBTQ+ inclusion in partnership with GLAAD to inspire a culture of belonging and respect within the music industry,” says Recording Academy Board of Trustees Chair Tammy Hurt. “This partnership embodies our joint commitment to accelerate progress for LGBTQ+ voices and ensure that the music community is representative of the many diverse artists who contribute to and call this industry home.”

“The music industry is one of the most powerful avenues for bringing cultural conversations around diversity and inclusion to the forefront,” adds GLAAD President and CEO Sarah Kate Ellis. “Our new partnership with the Recording Academy will shape the future of LGBTQ+ inclusion in music and uplift underrepresented voices within the industry who have been overlooked for far too long.”

 

YellowHeart Teams Up With Daniel Donato For Cosmic Country Club NFT Collection

YellowHeart, the NFT marketplace for music, ticketing and community tokens, has teamed up with Nashville’s indie music artist Daniel Donato to create the Cosmic Country Club NFT Collection. Donato is the first of many upcoming partnerships with emerging indie artists as YellowHeart expands their music family in 2022.

The collection features a limited edition of 66 Members Only digital tour laminates, which includes a hand numbered and hand signed Cosmic Country Club laminate by Donato, a pair of tickets to any show of choice in 2022 with access to sound check, and first priority access to all other NFT releases such as music releases, digital hangout sessions, and more.

“Daniel Donato is one of my favorite artists coming out of the bustling Nashville music scene,” says Josh Katz, CEO and Founder of YellowHeart. “He is a phenomenal guitar player, singer and songwriter and we are thrilled to be welcoming him into the YellowHeart family and to offer music fans new ways to enjoy Daniel’s unique musical sound and style.”

Founded in 2017 by music blockchain innovator Josh Katz, YellowHeart has worked with artists such as Kings of Leon, Maroon 5, XXXTentacion, Brandi Carlile, The Disco Biscuits, ZHU, Burnley F.C., and more.

 

Dustin Collins Taps Buddy Cannon, Bill McDermott For Upcoming Album

Singer-songwriter Dustin Collins has enlisted industry veterans Buddy Cannon (Kenny Chesney, Willie Nelson, Reba McEntire) and Bill McDermott (Tim McGraw, Martina McBride, Brad Paisley) to produce his upcoming album, Working Man. The 11-track project is slated for release this summer from DCDL Entertainment.

“Working with Buddy Cannon and my longtime producer, Bill McDermott, is a dream come true. For a kid from Kentucky who grew up playing a lot of the songs that Buddy has written or produced, this was truly a humbling and life making experience. I can’t say enough about how grateful I am to have gotten to make a record with such wonderfully talented people,” shares Collins.

A portion of proceeds from the project will benefit GUMI (Glad You Made It) Camp USA, which provides U.S. veterans with the tools they need to help them heal after deployment overseas and enable them to re-enter society.

Working Man follows Collins’ latest album, It’s Been Awhile, which debuted at No. 1 on the Billboard Heatseekers South Central Albums chart. His independent single, “Cold Dead Hands,” ascended to No. 1 on the Billboard Singles Sales chart. The Kentucky native also earned a slot on Aaron Watson’s “Vaquero Tour” and has opened for Tanya Tucker, Clay Walker, Chris Janson, Granger Smith, Kane Brown and more.

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.

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!”

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.