Chase Rice Brings ‘I Hate Cowboys & All Dogs Go To Hell’ To Sold-Out Ryman Auditorium

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Chase Rice performs for a sold-out Ryman Auditorium. Photo: Evan DeStefano

Diamond-certified songwriter Chase Rice brought his album I Hate Cowboys & All Dogs Go To Hell to a sold-out Ryman Auditorium last night (April 11), playing all 13 songs off the new project along with his decade-plus catalog of fan-favorites and chart-topping hits.

In addition to sharing an unreleased song, “Church,” the first he’s written since releasing the new project, Rice was joined onstage for album track “Oklahoma” by surprise guest Read Southall, who also appears alongside him on the recorded version of the song. He also invited a special guest onstage for the poignant “Bench Seat,” as Rice’s beloved dog Jack appeared to the delight of fans for his performance of the powerful song about the companionship a dog can offer.

Rice will continues his “Way Down Yonder Tour” throughout the summer.

Chase Rice with Read Southall at the Ryman Auditorium. Photo: Evan DeStefano

Chase Rice performs for a sold-out Ryman Auditorium. Photo: Courtesy of Evan DeStefano

Chase Rice performs for a sold-out Ryman Auditorium. Photo: Evan DeStefano

Brandon Lake Signs With Provident Entertainment

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Pictured (L-R): Ron Hill, Holly Zabka, John Loessy, Bethany Kimes, Brandon Lake, Brandon Breitenbach, Todd Stepp and Joshua Carpenter.

Grammy-winning singer-songwriter Brandon Lake has signed with Provident Entertainment.

Lake has released two studio albums since 2020. His most recent album HELP!, a project in response to mental health awareness, was released in 2022 and includes songs “Fear Is Not My Future (feat. Chandler Moore)” and “Don’t You Give Up On Me.” His first album House of Miracles includes the single ‘Gratitude,” which has held the No. 1 spot at Christian radio for the past six weeks. Lake will release a live version of “Gratitude (Live from Miracle Nights)” this Friday, April 14. He is also known for his collaborations with Elevation Worship, Bethel Music and Maverick City Music.

“Very rarely do you get to come alongside an artist like Brandon whose songs, music, and ministry are already having such a significant impact around the world,” says Holly Zabka, President of Provident Entertainment. “His passion for the Gospel and desire for teamwork has been evident each time we met about this new partnership.  We are thrilled to welcome Brandon, his family, and the entire Brandon Lake team as new members of the Provident Entertainment family.”

“I couldn’t be more excited to partner with Provident and for what’s to come,” exclaims Lake. “With their team, I feel a genuine friendship and partnership, and know that there is a united goal of wanting to serve. This isn’t just about success, or trying to get the next No. 1; it’s about people, and serving people well.”

Lake is preparing new music set for release later this year. He is currently on the road on his sold-out, 26-city “Miracle Nights Tour” with special guest Benjamin Williams Hastings. In August, he is set to co-headline the “Summer Worship Nights Tour” with Phil Wickham hitting arenas in 12 cities.

New Kenny Rogers Album Of Unreleased Tracks, ‘Life Is Like A Song,’ Due In June

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A new Kenny Rogers album filled with previously unreleased gems and rare tracks, Life Is Like A Song, will be released June 2 via UMe.

Curated and executive produced by the late Country Music Hall of Famer’s widow, Wanda Rogers, the collection features eight never-before-heard recordings from 2008-2011, including interpretations of Eric Clapton’s “Wonderful Tonight” and Lionel Richie’s “Goodbye,” as well as a duet with Dolly Parton, “Tell Me That You Love Me.” A digital deluxe edition includes two bonus tracks—a cover of the Etta James standard, “At Last,” and the Buddy Hyatt-penned original, “Say Hello to Heaven.”

Beginning today, fans can stream two selections from the album, including opener “Love Is A Drug” a hard-driving, country rock anthem co-written by Rogers’ longtime musical partner and former New Christy Minstrels bandmate, Kim Carnes, and the Motown classic, “I Wish It Would Rain,” originally made a hit by The Temptations.

Also on the album is “Catchin’ Grasshoppers,” a personal ode to Rogers’ twin sons with Wanda Rogers, Justin and Jordan, that finds Rogers reveling in the quiet, precious memories made with his young children, now aged 18. In a similar vein, “Straight Into Love,” a duet with Jamie O’Neal, speaks to cherishing time together with the one you love.

The Parton collab, “Tell Me That You Love Me,” originally appeared on a 2009 compilation helmed by veteran producer and record exec Tony Brown. Long out-of-print, a never-before-released, remixed version of the rarity will now be available on digital platforms and vinyl for the very first time, as well as on CD for the first time in this form.

Those sessions with Brown also spawned Rogers’ rendition of “Goodbye,” written by good friend and frequent collaborator, Lionel Richie. The song has long been a fan favorite after first appearing on the same 2009 anthology, and a touching lyric video for the song was played at Rogers’ memorial in 2022.

“Am I Too Late,” written by Larry Keith and Jim Hurt, is one of Rogers’ self-proclaimed favorite songs of all time. Originally cut for Rogers’ 1977 hit album, Daytime Friends, the song is reimagined here as a duet with vocalist Kim Keyes.

“I think the record is fabulous, and it is going to make Kenny so proud,” shares Wanda Rogers. “These songs are such a beautiful reminder of his love ‘for the feelings a song can make’ for a person. He would often say that he wanted his songs to be ‘what every man wants to say, and every woman wants to hear.’ I think there are a lot of those moments on this album. This is a very special record to me and our family because it really tells the story of our life together, and I feel his fans will also relate to it in a big way because it walks the listener through the seasons of life that we all experience in one way or another. There is joy, there is love, there is family, there is uncertainty, there is pain, there is faith… it’s emotional and real. This is the kind of music Kenny loved to make.”

Life Is Like a Song Track List:
1. Love Is A Drug
2. I Wish It Would Rain
3. Am I Too Late (with Kim Keyes)
4. Tell Me That You Love Me (with Dolly Parton)
5. Straight Into Love (with Jamie O’Neal)
6. Wonderful Tonight
7. Catchin’ Grasshoppers
8. That’s Love To Me
9. I Will Wait For You
10. Goodbye

Carly Pearce Receives Platinum Surprise At 100th Opry Performance

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Pictured (L-R): Big Machine Records’ Jay Cruze, Grand Ole Opry’s Dan Rogers, Starstruck Entertainment’s Mike Blong, RIAA’s Jackie Jones, Big Machine Records’ Clay Hunnicutt, Carly Pearce, Big Machine Records’ Kris Lamb and Erik Powell, Big Machine Label Group’s Allison Jones and Andrew Kautz. Photo: Alexa Campbell

Carly Pearce marked her 100th performance at the Grand Ole Opry last night (April 11) since her debut on the hallowed stage in 2015.

The special celebratory set featured several surprise guests. Ashley McBryde joined Pearce to perform their Grammy-winning hit “Never Wanted To Be That Girl,” while fellow Kentucky native Ricky Skaggs, who inducted Pearce into the Kentucky Music Hall of Fame last year, performed a rendition of Bill Monroe’s “Blue Moon of Kentucky.”

The Isaacs’ Ben and Sonja Isaacs lent their voices on Pearce’s performance of “Easy Going,” and Lady A’s Charles Kelley joined Pearce for her second No. 1 and now three-time Platinum hit “I Hope You’re Happy Now.” The two first performed the song together at the 54th Annual CMA Awards in November 2020.

Pearce performed her most recent No. 1 “What He Didn’t Do,” and was also honored with multiple plaques backstage before her set by executives from Big Machine Label Group, Opry Entertainment and RIAA, commemorating the song’s RIAA Platinum certification as well as a second plaque celebrating Pearce’s career-to-date accomplishments including her four ACM Awards, three CMA Awards, 2022 CMT honor for Artist of the Year, four No. 1 singles, multiple RIAA certifications, over two billion global streams and more.

In tandem with her Opry milestone, Pearce launched a personally-curated exclusive merchandise line with Opry Entertainment, available for purchase on Opry Entertainment websites and in Opry Entertainment retail stores in Nashville.

Pearce’s Opry performance is set to air on Opry Live on Circle Network on Saturday, April 22.

WinSongs Music Signs Jason Duke

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Pictured (L-R, back row): Chip Petree (Ritholz Levy Fields, LLP), Duane Hobson (ASCAP) and Jason Turner (Keller Turner Andrews & Ghanem, PLLC); (L-R, front row): Erin Kidd (WinSongs), Jason Duke and Chris DeStefano (WinSongs)

WinSongs Music Publishing has signed chart-topping songwriter Jason Duke to an exclusive publishing deal.

Originally from Hendersonville, Tennessee, Duke is best known for co-writing the No. 1 hit “Dibs” with Kelsea Ballerini, along with many other notable cuts for artists including Keith Urban (“That Could Still Be Us”), Chris Bandi (“Man Enough Now”), Ryan Griffin, RaeLynn, LoCash, Meghan Patrick, Hannah Ellis and others.

“I am so excited to open a new songwriting chapter with Erin [Kidd], Chris [DeStefano], and the rest of the WinSongs family! I can’t think of a better home of which to continue to grow and chase the dream! Also, big thanks to every guiding hand along the way over the years that helped me get to here,” says Duke.

“The Winsongs Team is so excited to welcome the immensely talented Jason Duke to our family.” says DeStefano, WinSongs Music Founder & Owner. “Jason has already established himself with cuts and hits with some of the top names in the business and we are looking forward to growing that momentum.”

“Jason’s genuine character and glowing writing reputation precedes him. Not to mention the quality of work and intentionality he brings to each session is a dream. We’re teeing up for major future success together!” adds Kidd, WinSongs Creative Director.

In Pictures: T.J. Martell Foundation Holds 21st Annual Nashville’s Best Cellars Dinner

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Pictured (L-R): Chairman of the T.J. Martell Foundation’s Board of Trustees, John Esposito, with Reba McEntire. Photo: Alan Poizner

The T.J. Martell Foundation held its 21st annual Nashville’s Best Cellars Dinner at the Loews Vanderbilt Nashville Monday night (April 10).

Those  in attendance included new Chairman of the T.J. Martell Foundation’s Board of Trustees, John Esposito, the evening’s presenting sponsor John Sanzo and country artists such as Reba McEntire, Rex Linn, Martina McBride, Cole Swindell, Michael Ray, Ingrid Andress, Old Dominion band members Trevor Rosen and Brad Tursi, Roan Ash, Big Kenny, Danielle Bradbery, Chris Bandi, Elle King, Jared Gudstadt, Kat & Alex and more.

The T.J. Martell Foundation for Cancer Research was founded by record executive Tony Martell in 1975 following the death of his son, T.J., from leukemia. the foundation holds multiple annual charity events and campaigns with the music communities in Los Angeles, New York, Nashville, Miami and more. They have raised more than $280 million in support of medical research grants and helped secure more than one billion dollars in research funding.

Pictured (L-R): John McBride, John Esposito, Martina McBride, Joe Galante, Wendy Buck. Photo: Alan Poizner

Pictured (L-R): John Esposito, Michael Ray. Photo: Alan Poizner

Bailey Zimmerman Continues To Top Charts & Break Records

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Bailey Zimmerman. Photo: Spidey Smith

Bailey Zimmerman‘s “Rock and A Hard Place” is officially No. 1 on the Country Aircheck/Mediabase Chart, and now holds the title of most-played record across the country in one single week since the Mediabase chart’s inception. The smash hit also landed atop the Billboard Country Airplay chart for the third consecutive week.

Additionally, “Rock and A Hard Place” has made its way into the Top 100 on the all-genre Billboard Global 200 chart once again, recently becoming Zimmerman’s first Top 10 hit on their all-genre Hot 100 chart. The track landed in the Top 10 in its 41st week on the Hot 100—breaking yet another record for the longest climb to the Top 10 for a song by a soloist in the chart’s history—and continues its reign as one of the Top 4 most-streamed country songs in the nation, totaling more than 550 million global streams to date.

Zimmerman’s debut EP, Leave The Light On, made history upon release as not only the most-streamed all-genre debut of 2022, but also the largest streaming country debut of all time. With over 1.5 billion career streams to date, he was the only country artist to receive two Platinum certifications from the RIAA last year, beginning with his No. 1 debut single “Fall In Love,” which was the fastest debut single to reach No. 1 at country radio since 2015 as well as the first debut hit to make it all the way to No. 1 on the Billboard Country Airplay chart in 2022.

The Warner Music Nashville artist is set to release his first full-length project, Religiously. The Album., on May 12, and will continue serve as support on Morgan Wallen‘s 2023 “One Night At A Time World Tour” as the U.S. leg kicks off this Friday, April 14.

Fix The Mix Unveils First Annual Report On Gender Representation In Engineering, Production

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The Fix the Mix initiative has released its first annual report on gender representation in audio production and engineering roles today, “Lost In The Mix: An Analysis of Credited Technical Professionals in the Music Industry Highlighting Women and Non-Binary Producers and Engineers Across DSP Playlists, Genres, Awards, and Record Certifications.”

Released in conjunction with We Are Moving the Needle, Jaxsta, Middle Tennessee State University and Howard University, the report confirms that women and non-binary people are vastly underrepresented in audio production and engineering roles across genres, the most-streamed songs of 2022 and of all time. It also concludes that women and non-binary people are more likely to be credited in junior roles in the technical fields, while senior studio roles are still out of reach.

The Fix The Mix report analyzed data from 2022 across a total of 1,128 songs (757 top streamed songs), 30 Grammy-winning albums, the Top 50 songs from the Spotify Billions Playlist, the Top 50 songs from the RIAA Diamond Certified Records List, and a breakdown of technical creator roles by distributor. The song and album data used in the report were sourced from major DSPs, the published list of the 65th Grammy winners, and the RIAA.

The report dives deeper into USC’s Annenberg Inclusion Initiative’s findings that only 2.8% of producers and engineers are women by untethering those two groups of professionals and looking at each role—producing and engineering—separately. Fix the Mix drills down to compare the number of women and non-binary people credited in senior studio roles versus those credited in junior studio roles. Additionally, it analyzes data by the 14 most popular genres and finds that the levels of representation for women and non-binary individuals vary significantly, ranging from 0% to 17.6% in specific genres.

Among the interesting facts from the report is that Electronic music stands out as a genre for its relatively high representation of women and non-binary people in producer roles, accounting for 17.6% of all producer credits on the Top 50 songs of 2022. Folk & Americana is close behind at 16.4%. When considering both key technical roles of producer and engineer, Folk & Americana arguably has the best gender representation, as it holds the second highest percentage for women and non-binary people in both producer roles and engineering roles. The report also revealed looking at how women and non-binary people show up in engineer credits, Folk & Americana (6.4%) is second only to R&B (7.2%).

The Fix the Mix report closes with suggestions that are, “meant to empower both major music industry players and individuals to drive measurable change,” including a call for the major music companies to extend their well-funded DEI initiatives beyond full-time employees to also include the hiring of more women and non-binary producers and engineers for their releases.

“This study confirms what I’ve known after spending decades behind the board in the recording studio—women are not being given the same opportunities as men in production and engineering roles,” says co-author Emily Lazar, a Grammy award-winning mastering engineer and founder of We Are Moving The Needle. “Ensuring that there is more gender and racial diversity among music’s creators is not actually a complex problem if you want to solve it. The most important step is for artists and record labels to be able to hire from a more diverse pool of producers, mixers and engineers, but it’s exceedingly hard to hire people when you can’t find them. We hope this report will give decision makers the motivation and tools they need to make real change in their hiring practices so we can achieve gender parity in production, engineering and mastering roles.”

“We’ve got such a long way to go to reach parity in the studio, but I know we can get there,” says Brandi Carlile, a We Are Moving the Needle soundBoard member. “This is a systemic problem in the recording industry that we cannot ignore any longer. I’m not sure everyone knows exactly where to start…but it begins with the courage to take a chance on someone who may not be getting recognized regularly in the field. We have to start somewhere. It’s no one’s fault and everyone’s fault at the same time. Even me. I urge my fellow artists and producers to make hiring decisions that work toward a more equitable future.”

“While this research notes the genres that have the best and worst gender representations, it is important to note that every genre needs improvement in representation of women and non-binary people. It is difficult to fathom that representation remains so pitifully low in 2023. In any other industry, these low percentages of the genres that have the best gender representation would be an embarrassment, so I hope these ‘high achievers’ are not resting on their laurels. There should be no pride in being the best of the worst. It should go without saying that the genres with the lowest representation should convene their leaders to quickly develop solutions to this problem,” adds co-author Beverly Keel, Dean of Middle Tennessee State University’s College of Media and Entertainment, Co-founder of Change the Conversation and Co-founder of Nashville Music Equality.

Fix the Mix was launched in 2022 by We Are Moving the Needle and Jaxsta, the world’s largest database of official music credits, along with other organizations focused on closing the enormous gender gap in the music industry, particularly in behind-the-scenes roles. The authors of the study are Grammy Award-winning mastering engineer and We Are Moving the Needle founder, Emily Lazar; Jaxsta CEO, Beth Appleton; Dean of MTSU’s College of Media and Entertainment, Beverly Keel; data scientist, audio engineer and assistant professor at Berklee College of Music, Meghan Smyth; mix engineer, producer, Grammy-nominated artist and educator Carolyn Malachi, who teaches audio production courses in the Cathy Hughes School of Communications at Howard University; producer and engineer and Recording Academy Trustee, Jordan Hamlin; We Are Moving the Needle’s program director, Jasmine Kok and project manager Gabriela Rodriguez Bonilla.

Read the full Fix The Mix report here.

CRB Opens Applications For CRS 2024 Agenda Committee

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Country Radio Broadcasters (CRB) has officially opened applications for the Country Radio Seminar (CRS) 2024 Agenda Committee, the group responsible for helping to develop and organize events for the upcoming year’s CRS.

Industry professionals who want to be considered to serve on the committee must attend in-person agenda meetings in Nashville on July 10 – 12, 2023. Applicants must attend CRS 2024, from Feb. 28 – March 1, 2024. Committee members receive a complimentary registration to CRS; however, all other travel is their responsibility.

The deadline to apply for the 2024 Agenda Committee is April 19, 2023. Interested parties can submit their application at countryradioseminar.com. Questions can be directed to Sheree Latham at [email protected] or the CRB office at (615) 327-4487.

Opry NextStage Class Of 2023 Unveiled, Live Concert Set For May

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The Grand Ole Opry has revealed its latest lineup of artists for the Opry NextStage program, which spotlights country’s rising talent on the Opry stage and across Opry Entertainment Group platforms.

The Opry NextStage Class of 2023 includes Ashley Cooke, Jackson Dean, Ernest, Chapel Hart, Corey Kent, Kameron Marlowe, Megan Moroney and Ian Munsick.

“Opry NextStage is a testament to the Grand Ole Opry’s longstanding reputation as a trusted curator in country music and its commitment to nurturing and showcasing exceptional new talent, as it has done for almost a century,” says Jordan Pettit, Director of Artist Relations & Programming Strategy for Opry Entertainment Group. “This year’s new artist class, much like previous classes, showcases exceptional creativity across various musical styles, and we are excited to carry on the Opry tradition by introducing this exciting group of rising artists to fans.”

They will be officially introduced with an Opry NextStage Live concert at Lava Cantina in The Colony, Texas on May 10 at 2:30 p.m., preceding the ACM Awards on May 11. Tickets will be available through an exclusive presale this Thursday, April 13 and general public sales will begin this Friday, April 14 at 10 a.m. CT. For more information, click here.

The 2023 NextStage artists will also receive dedicated support all year through featured original content across select Opry Entertainment platforms, including the Opry, WSM Radio and Circle Network as well as through Opry performances.

Since 2019, the NextStage program has introduced new talent to country music fans and featured artists such as Riley Green, Parker McCollum, Tenille Townes, Lainey Wilson, Priscilla Block, Breland, Callista Clark, Travis Denning, Tegan Marie, Niko Moon, Restless Road, Jameson Rodgers, Elvie Shane, Nate Smith, Morgan Wade, Hailey Whitters and Yola.