Kameron Marlowe Takes The MJ&M Stage in Texas

Kameron Marlowe performed at the VIP Spotify Reception at Mack, Jack & McConaughey (MJ&M) in Austin, Texas, this weekend.

MJ&M is the annual joint fundraising effort of Academy Award-winning actor Matthew McConaughey, ACM Award-winning recording artist Jack Ingram, and ESPN analyst and Texas coaching legend Mack Brown. MJ&M celebrates its eleventh year this year.

 

Warren Zeiders Earns RIAA Platinum for “Ride The Lightning”

On Sunday (April 30), rising country artist Warren Zeiders received a RIAA Platinum certification for his standout single, “Ride The Lightning.” Zeiders was surprised with the plaque by SiriusXM’s Storme Warren at Stagecoach Festival in Indio, California. Zeiders’ Sunday Stagecoach performance on the T-Mobile Mane Stage also marked his 100th career show.

“Ride The Lightning” was released with Warner Records in 2021 as part of Zeiders’ 717 Tapes. Zeiders most recently released his Pretty Little Poison (Sampler) EP with its powerful title track and Chris Stapleton-penned breakup ballad “Inside Your Head.” His “Pretty Little Poison Tour” extends through this fall, including a headlining stop at Nashville’s historic Ryman Auditorium.

 

Chayce Beckham Hits American Idol Stage, Celebrates RIAA Gold

Chayce Beckham performed his latest single, “Till The Day I Die,” on American Idol on Monday (May 1). Long-time host Ryan Seacrest and the judges—Lionel Richie, Katy Perry and Luke Bryan—surprised Beckham on-air with a RIAA Gold-certified plaque celebrating his smash hit “23.”

Beckham was crowned winner of American Idol’s 19th season in 2021.

 

“Country Music for Covenant” Raises $18,000 For Community

Music industry members recently partnered with the Kiwanis Foundation of Nashville to host “Country Music for Covenant,” a songwriters night benefitting members of the Covenant School community. The event, which brought a sold-out crowd of over 250 to The Local, raised over $18,000 for the cause. Almost two dozen songwriters played hits through the night. A silent auction raised additional funds, all of which will directly be donated to the students and community members.

“The Kiwanis Foundation of Nashville was honored to partner with ‘Country Music for Covenant’ and the best talent on Music Row for an evening of healing and inspiration for Covenant School and the entire Nashville community,” says Chris Tasik, Treasurer, Kiwanis Foundation of Nashville.

“I am touched by the overwhelming response to ‘Country Music for Covenant,'” shares Ava Boney, the event’s organizer. “Nashville is such a generous and compassionate community that lifts each other up in times of need. I want to extend my heartfelt thanks to all the songwriters, sponsors, donors, and everyone who worked tirelessly behind the scenes to make the event a success. It would not have been possible without their support.”

Operation Song Awarded $3,000 Grant For Songwriters

Operation Song, the non-profit that pairs veterans and songwriters to turn stories of service into song, was recently awarded $3,000 by the Sertoma Club of Nashville. This amount, along with all donations, helps cover compensation for songwriters who volunteer with the organization.

Additionally, Operation Song’s founder Bob Regan—an 11-time recipient of ASCAP’s Most Performed Song Award—and Executive Director Mike Byer received the Sertoma Club Service To Mankind Award.

Regan founded OpSong in 2012 and has created partnerships between Music City’s top songwriters and veterans around the country. By turning memories into lasting mementos, veterans can begin to share their emotional stories of bravery, camaraderie and valor. Participating veterans write with songwriters, see their stories performed in public and receive a recorded copy of their songs, at no cost to the veteran.

The Sertoma Club was established in 1948 to improve the quality of life for those at risk or impacted by hearing loss and/or communication disorders.

Chief Executive Officer of the Country Music Association, Sarah Trahern, was honored this weekend by JDRF, the leading global organization harnessing the power of research, advocacy and community engagement to advance life-changing breakthroughs for type 1 diabetes. Trahern was honored by country superstar Trisha Yearwood, who presented her with the honor at the organization’s annual Promise Gala.

Trahern is a longtime supporter of JDRF, as she herself was diagnosed with type 1 diabetes in June of 2019, just days before hosting the annual CMA Fest. During Saturday night’s gala, Trahern spoke about the strength of the type 1 community and celebrated technological innovation related to the disease.

JDRF Tennessee hosted three simultaneous Promise Gala events in Nashville, Knoxville and Memphis on Saturday night, raising more than $2.5 million to improve lives and find cures for type 1 diabetes.

Blackbird has launched a new streaming subscription service, Inside Blackbird, featuring a curated selection of exclusive interviews and educational content from the best producers, musicians and engineers in the world.

The new network will take viewers deep inside the process of recording, producing, creating and songwriting as well as live sound and production. Designed with everyone in mind from complete beginners to control room gurus, the service features educational videos and interviews with artists including Billy Corgan, Garth Brooks, Yelawolf, Aly + AJ, Young The Giant, Vince Gill and more, speaking in depth about how they made it and lessons they learned along the way.

The lessons being offered on Inside Blackbird cover a variety of topics across audio engineering, music production, recording, songwriting, mastering and live audio, each taught by a seasoned professional renowned in their field providing unique insights and real-world experience. Among the more than 200+ hours of content offered on Inside Blackbird are “Comping A Vocal” with Grammy-winning producer Nathan Chapman, “EQing the PA” with Paul McCartney’s Front of House Engineer, “Acoustic Guitar 101” with Grammy-winner Bryan Sutton, “Building a Song From Start To Finish” with session player Tom Bukovac, and “The Art of Bringing Up an Idea in a Session” with producer Dann Huff.

“Anyone with an interest or curiosity about music will benefit from Inside Blackbird,” says Blackbird Studio founder John McBride. “Learn more about instruments, gear, plugins, the recording process and live touring from the best in the business. Find out how artists start their careers and what it takes to succeed. If we don’t have the answer, we know someone who does, and that is who you will find at Inside Blackbird.”

The platform will be available to users beginning on May 3 at insideblackbird.com for $15.99 per month and $9.99 per month for students, with further discounts available with an annual subscription. New videos will be added to the platform every week.

Inside Blackbird is also partnering with Save the Music, one of the nation’s largest nonprofits for music education, by donating a portion of each subscription to the organization. Save the Music helps students, schools and communities reach their full potential through the power of making music by advocating for music education, donating instruments and providing support services for teachers.

Blackbird is helmed by John McBride and wife, country star Martina McBride. John opened Blackbird Studio in 2002, and the facility quickly became a favorite of artists, musicians, producers and engineers worldwide including Kings of Leon, Queen, Taylor Swift, Ed Sheeran, Garth Brooks, Buddy Guy, Yelawolf, Alison Krauss, Keith Urban and many more. In 2013, the McBrides opened The Blackbird Academy, dedicated to advancing the quality of recording education through a hands-on, professional training curriculum. Many Blackbird Academy students have gone on to have successful careers in the recording industry and include Grammy winners.

Morgan Wallen persists atop the country charts this week as “Last Night” stays at No. 1 on the country streaming songs chart with 27 million new streams, adding to 359 million RTD. His One Thing At A Time album maintains its No. 1 position on the country albums chart with 149K in total consumption (5.3K album only/180 million song streams) according to Luminate data.

Luke Combs‘ “Fast Car” cover claims No. 2 once again on the country streaming songs chart with 15 million streams, adding to 60 million RTD. Wallen’s “Thinkin’ Bout Me” rises to No. 3 with 12.7 million streams adding to 117 million RTD. “You Proof” follows close behind at No. 4, adding 12.7 million streams to its 557 million RTD. Zach Bryan‘s “Something In The Orange” rests at No. 5 with 11 million streams adding to 619 million RTD.

The top five country albums stay the same again this week.

Wallen’s Dangerous: The Double Album continues at No. 2 with 48K (1.7K album only/59 million song streams), followed by Combs’ Gettin’ Old at No. 3 with 39K (3.6K album only/44 million song streams). Bryan’s American Heartbreak remains at No. 4 with 27K (1.8K album only/32 million song streams) and Taylor Swift‘s Red (Taylor’s Version) holds No. 5 with 22K (4.8K album only/23 million song streams).

Cam Montgomery has signed a global publishing deal with Sony Music Publishing Nashville and Relative Music Group.

Montgomery has made a name for himself as an in-demand hitmaker across a wide range of genres, penning songs for artists including Kane Brown, Morgan Wallen, 24kGoldn, Hardy, Winona Oak, Nelly, Walker Hayes, Kira Kosarin, Justin Moore and others.

Some of his recent cuts include Morgan Wallen’s Billboard Hot 100 hit “I Wrote The Book,” as well as Hardy’s “.30-06” featured on his album The Mockingbird & The Crow, which reached No. 4 on the Billboard 200 chart.

“We are already rocking with Cam and can’t wait to hear the next song,” says Founder, Relative Music Group Dennis Matkosky. “His integrity and skill set enables him to cross genres with a consistent emotional thread and he’s a great human!”

“The first time I wrote with Cam and he sent me the track I thought to myself, ‘Damn, this kid is good.’ A couple of years later he moved to L.A. and I was worried I wouldn’t get to work with him much anymore,” says Hardy. “But by the grace of god, he’s back working in Nashville and I am so honored to be able to sign a producer/writer as talented as Cam. He’s the nicest guy you’ll ever meet and he’s willing to work hard. We’re excited to watch him grow and can’t wait to hear what he turns in. Welcome back to town Cam.”

“I’m thrilled to be joining the Relative Music and SMP family, and for the opportunity to work alongside Dennis, Jesse [Matkosky] and Hardy,” says Montgomery. “I’m very lucky to be a part of a team that wants to help foster my growth as a writer/producer in both Los Angeles and Nashville. Hardy and I have also been longtime friends and collaborators so this feels like a very full circle moment. Can’t wait for what’s ahead with this team.”