CMA Pledges $100,000 To Music Health Alliance In Honor Of Naomi Judd

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The Country Music Association (CMA) has donated $100,000 to Music Health Alliance (MHA), in honor of Country Music Hall of Fame member Naomi Judd.

The Nashville-based nonprofit offers access to mental health services, including counseling, psychiatrist visits and screenings, for qualified industry professionals through their Mental Health Fund. Since 2021, the fund has provided more than 1,700 counseling sessions for the music industry.

This pledge follows the organization’s previous financial support to MHA over the past several years. Throughout the pandemic, CMA took action to support not only its membership and country music base but those in the music business severely affected by the health crisis through its Music Industry Covid Support (MICS) initiative, specifically prioritizing mental health resources.

“We often hear firsthand from CMA members and our music industry partners that mental health remains a critical issue for individuals within our business,” says Sarah Trahern, CMA CEO. “While touring and other sectors have bounced back following the pandemic, we cannot underestimate the ongoing need to support those who are struggling. It was only a few months ago we lost the legendary Naomi Judd to suicide, a loss that affected our country community deeply. We applaud the essential work that Tatum [Allsep], Shelia [Shipley Biddy] and the entire team at Music Health Alliance continues to provide to our industry, and we encourage anyone who might be struggling to reach out to their team.”

“Because of its creativity and unique pressures, mental health has always been a challenge facing the music business,” says Allsep, MHA Founder/CEO. “The pandemic elevated the awareness and importance of mental health care for everyone, especially within our industry. Since 2020, MHA has had a 300% increase in requests for mental health support. In honor of our beloved Naomi Judd, we are so thankful for CMA’s pledge of support in addressing this most pressing and continuing need. Now more than ever before, mental health resources and access are critical.”

To make a donation to MHA, click here.

Preston James Inks With Warner Chappell Music & King Pen Music

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Pictured (L-R, back row): Kelly King (King Pen), Leslie Roberts (BMI), Christina Wiltshire (WCM), Harrison Sokoloff (King Pen); (L-R, front row): Ben Vaughn (WCM), Preston James

Rising singer-songwriter Preston James has signed with Warner Chappell Music and King Pen Music.

Born and raised just outside of Nashville in Cheatham County, James’ father is a former tour manager and his mother was a country music publicist, allowing him to grow up surrounded by some of the top recording artists in country, such as Naomi Judd, Dixie Chicks, Miranda Lambert, George Strait and Joey & Rory, to name a few. Since he was 14, James has been performing around Music City, and has taken the stage with some of his personal heroes, including Delbert McClinton and Vince Gill.

“Preston has a wealth of experience for someone so early in their career,” notes Ben Vaughn, President & CEO, WCM Nashville. “He is incredibly talented on the guitar and has a voice that beautifully combines old school country sounds with the passion of the blues and classic rock.”

“We couldn’t be more excited to have Preston join our roster,” adds Kelly King, President, King Pen Music. “We have been following him for a while watching him grow as a songwriter. Once we saw his live performance, we were knocked out by his amazing charisma on stage, vocals, and guitar playing. He is the real deal, and we feel like we have found a diamond in the rough. We are thrilled to be a part of his journey as an artist and writer.”

Luke Bryan Wraps Successful Six-Show ‘Farm Tour 2022’

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Luke Bryan. Photo: Ethan Helms

Luke Bryan wrapped his 13th annual “Farm Tour 2022” Saturday night (Sept. 24), ending a run of six shows across family farms in Indiana, Ohio, Michigan, Nebraska, Iowa, and Minnesota. The tour, which sets up stages in the fields of farmers in small towns across the country, also featured Riley Green, Jameson Rodgers, the Peach Pickers, and DJ Rock as special guests.

More than 100,000 fans have attended the tour each year since its inception in 2009, and Bryan gives back to the farmers by awarding college scholarships to students from farming families who are attending the local college or university near the tour stops. To date, 78 scholarships have been granted through the tour proceeds.

Pictured (L-R, back row): DJ Rock, Rhett Akins, Riley Green, Ben Hayslip, Jameson Rodgers; (L-R, front row): Dallas Davidson, and Luke Bryan. Photo: Ethan Helms

Bayer, who sponsored the tour, teamed up with Bryan to help fight hunger through its #HerestotheFarmer campaign. The campaign asks fans across the country to share the hashtag #HerestotheFarmer on their socials to show their gratitude to America’s farmers. Through Oct. 31 for every share, Bayer will provide one meal to a person in need through Feeding America. Since the partnership’s inception, 6 million meals have been donated and more than $180,000 has gone to Feeding America member food banks and local farmers at each of the tour cities.

Bryan also partnered with the National Pork Board in their ongoing campaign to dispel common misconceptions about modern pig farming. They, in turn, partnered with Farmland, a brand of Smithfield Foods, to donate a truckload of protein to local food banks in each of the states that hosted the six Farm Tour stops. Farmland also donated $9,000 to each state’s FFA Association.

Farm Tour sponsor Fendt also created Luke Bryan’s Boldly Grown Popcorn, and through proceeds donated $25,000 to the National FFA Organization.

Chris Janson Signs With Big Machine Label Group

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Pictured (L-R, back row): Kelly Janson, Big Machine Label Group’s Julian Raymond, Big Machine Label Group’s Megan Joyce; (L-R, front row): Big Machine Label Group’s Scott Borchetta, Chris Janson, BMLG Records’ Jimmy Harnen. Photo: Nick Rau

Chris Janson has signed with Big Machine Label Group Records, in partnership with Janson’s Harpeth 60 Records.

Janson’s breakout No. 1, debut single “Buy Me A Boat” claimed iHeartRadio Music Awards’ Country Song of the Year, and was certified triple Platinum. The multi-instrumentalist followed that success with a string of Gold No. 1s, including “Fix A Drink,” “Good Vibes” and “Done,” as well as his award-winning “Drunk Girl,” which was voted MusicRow Song of the Year and received the ACM Video of the Year trophy. Janson has earned more than 7.4 billion airplay impressions to date, and racked up more than 1.7 billion career streams.

Also an avid outdoorsman, Janson was presented with The Tennessee Wildlife Federation’s Dan and Cherie Hammond Sharing the Harvest Award for outstanding volunteer service. He has also partnered with Bass Pro Shops to find ways to give back to meaningful causes.

“Chris has always been a force of nature and he’s coming to BMLG at the perfect time to take his career next-level,” shares Big Machine Label Group Chairman & CEO Scott Borchetta. “His experience, determination, and vision for what he wants to do next completely aligns with our long-term label group ideal and continued artist development. Did I mention he blows a mean harp?”

“I am so proud to be teaming up with Scott Borchetta, Jimmy Harnen and the team at Big Machine Label Group. This opportunity is an absolute dream come true and I’m honored to be working with such a talented crew and roster of artists,” says Janson. “Julian Raymond and I are hitting the studio for this first album, and we are on the fast track for great new music! This whole partnership just feels right, and I couldn’t be happier.”

The entertainer joins the imprint alongside other BMLG roster artists such as Lady A, Brett Young, Riley Green and Janson’s protégé, Shane Profitt.

Jody Williams Songs Adds Two To Publishing Roster, One To Writer Management

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Pictured (L-R): Andy Austin, Harper O’Neill, and Trent Dabbs

Jody Williams Songs (JWS) has signed three new creators to its growing roster. Andy Austin and Harper O’Neill have inked publishing deals with JWS and Warner Chappell, while Trent Dabbs joins JWS as a writer management client.

“As songwriters Andy, Harper and Trent occupy completely different lanes and bring exciting opportunities to our company,” notes Nina Jenkins Fisher, Sr. Director, Creative. “We are fortunate to be working with them.”

A Kannapolis, North Carolina native, Austin has been writing and performing in Nashville since 2018. His music embodies neotraditional sensibilities reminiscent of 80’s and 90’s country music. Austin is also a member of a trio with Dan Alley and Sam Banks, and their performances at The Scoreboard Bar & Grill have become a must-see weekly event.

O’Neill is a writer-artist from Richardson, Texas who has been pursuing a career in Nashville for the past four years. As a writer, she collaborates with a tribe of like-minded writer-artists, such as Meg McCree, Ben Chapman, Collin Nash, and Aaron Raitiere. The first single from her debut EP, produced by Jake Gear, will be released this fall.

Dabbs is a writer, producer and artist. He’s has cuts on Kacey Musgraves’ Grammy award-winning album, Golden Hour (“High Horse”), as well as in hundreds of films and TV shows, including Grey’s Anatomy, Love is Blind, Vampire Diaries, Nashville and more. Coin, Anderson East, Caylee Hammack, Natalie Hemby, Lady A, Little Big Town, Ingrid Michaelson, and Needtobreathe are among the artists who have co-penned and recorded Dabbs’ songs.

These three join a roster of artists, writers and producers represented by JWS, including Greg Bates, Nathan Chapman, Vince Gill, Natalie Hemby, Peytan Porter, Jason Nix, Jeremy Spillman, Driver Williams and Ashley McBryde.

In Pictures: Pilgrimage Music & Cultural Festival Returns To Franklin

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Pilgrimage Music & Cultural Festival 2022. Photo: Terry Wyatt/Getty Images.

This past weekend (Sept. 24-25), Pilgrimage Music & Cultural Festival made its way back to Harlinsdale Farm in Franklin, Tennessee. Over 17,000 attendees packed the grounds, enjoying a full slate of music as well as incredible meals and shopping.

Brandi Carlisle performing at Pilgrimage Music & Cultural Festival 2022. Photo: Erika Goldring/Getty Images.

Musical talent infused the event as Brandi Carlile and Jon Batiste led the weekend lineup. They energized the crowd while the crowd simultaneously energized them with happy faces and positive vibes.  

The talent continued to flow with performances from Lake Street Dive, Elle King, Lennon Stella, Trampled by Turtles, Dawes, Better Than Ezra, Marty Stuart, Celisse, Molly Tuttle and Golden Highway, Butch Walker, Brittney Spencer, Black Joe Lewis & The Honeybears, Adia Victoria, Bones Owens, Jensen McRae and more. 

Pilgrimage festival went out with a bang, closing the weekend with a free and easy set from The Avett Brothers and a country-rock performance by Chris Stapleton.

Lake Street Dive performing at Pilgrimage Music & Cultural Festival 2022. Photo: Erika Goldring/Getty Images.

Alongside its variety of musical offerings, the event, founded by Better Than Ezra singer and Franklin residents Kevin Griffin, W. Brandt Wood and Michael Whelan, seeks to support all kinds of local creators.

Throughout the weekend, crowds enjoyed eats and treats at the Farm-to-Turntable Food Truck Park and wet their whistles in the Craft Beer Hall. In between shows, attendees shopped wares from 40 local artisans and retailers including jewelry, hats, clothing, home decor and more in Makers Village.

Chris Stapleton closing out Pilgrimage Music & Cultural Festival 2022. Photo: Erika Goldring/Getty Images.

Better Than Ezra’s Kevin Griffin giving a guitar to a fan during Pilgrimage Music & Cultural Festival 2022. Photo: Terry Wyatt/Getty Images.

Nashville Industry Members Celebrate Scotty McCreery, ‘A Country Song’s Best Friend’

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Pictured (L-R): Kevin Herring (Triple Tigers), Rusty Gaston (Sony Music Publishing), Producer Aaron Eshuis, BMI songwriter Trent Tomlinson, Scotty McCreery, BMI songwriter Jim Collins, Producer Derek Wells, Brooke Burrows (Mucho Love Publishing), BMI’s David Preston. Photo: Steve Lowry for BMI

Industry members gathered in the BMI lobby on Monday afternoon (Sept. 26) to celebrate Scotty McCreery‘s Gold-certified No. 1 song, “Damn Strait,” which pays homage to some of country icon George Strait‘s masterful hit songs.

Notching the Triple Tigers recording artists’ fifth trip to the top, BMI’s David Preston also noted that the track is the second longest run at the top of the Billboard Country Airplay chart at three consecutive weeks behind Luke Combs’ 14 weeks. Written by Trent Tomlinson and Jim Collins, the song also marks another outside cut that has skyrocketed to the peak at country radio.

Hosted by Preston, the celebration kicked off with CEO of Mucho Love Brooke Burrows taking the stage to share her thanks for Collins, Tomlinson and McCreery, as well as Triple Tigers’ SVP, Promotion Kevin Herring and his team for getting the song all the way to the top.

“We are so proud to be a part of ‘Damn Strait’ with Trent and Jim. Thank you so much, Scotty, for making it a big ole hit for us,” Burrows offered. “We’re just so proud to be a part of this.”

Pinnacle Bank’s David DeVaul was also on hand to offer his congratulations to McCreery. On behalf of Pinnacle, he also shared that they would be making a donation to St. Jude’s Children’s Hospital in honor of the song.

Herring took the microphone next to dote on his history with Tomlinson, noting that the pair first met when the Arkansas native was signed to Lyric Street years ago. “We got a couple of hits, but we never made it to the pinnacle so it’s really special that Trent played this song for me and we were able to take it all the way,” he explained. “It’s really special for me to get to have a No. 1 record with Trent.”

Herring gave a shoutout to McCreery’s management team at Triple 8, including founder George Couri and day-to-day manager Scott Stem. He also thanked the Triple Tigers promotion staff and the label’s President Norbert Nix. Finally, he turned his attention to the man of the hour.

“Scotty, you’re the greatest. We always ask and you always say yes.” He added, “Back in the ‘60s and ‘70s, Conway Twitty was a country song’s best friend. I think that in the 2020s, you are a country song’s best friend,” to which the room happily agreed.

Next, it was time to hear from the writers.

Collins opened the floor, thanking McCreery and the record’s producers, Frank Rogers, Derek Wells and Aaron Eshuis. The Texas Songwriter Hall of Fame member then made note of all the writers of the songs mentioned in “Damn Strait” that contributed to its storyline, including Bob DiPiero, John Jarrard, Mark Sanders, Aaron Barker, Bill Anderson, Buddy Cannon, Jamey Johnson, Gary Harrison, Keith Stegall, Frank Dycus and Dean Dillon.

The two-time Grammy nominee also took a moment to honor his attorney Mike Milom and Wayne Milligan who helped track down all of those writers and get the licenses needed to use them in “Damn Strait.”

“The writers gave us permission to use their songs in our storyline. I wanted to recognize them, but in order to do that, I had to get a little help so I have a couple of plaques I want to give out. The first one is to Wayne Milligan, who helped me put my company together.” Collins continued, “[The second person] has been my attorney since I moved to town. [Mike] was a big part of this whole thing and made sure that we could do all this stuff.”

Tomlinson followed, first offering his sentiments to McCreery for believing in the song and singing “his butt off on it.” He then turned the attention to his co-writer, sharing how sweet it is for one of their songs to finally have its day in the spotlight. Tomlinson echoed Collins’ thanks to the original Strait songwriters, saying “I want to thank all the songwriters that wrote the songs that we weaved into our storyline to make this work. If it wasn’t for those songs, there wouldn’t be this one.”

Tomlinson also thanked Herring for his continuous belief in him over the years, and for finally achieving their first No. 1 together after 20 years. He also thanked his BMI family for their support and for all the work they do on behalf of songwriters.

Finally, McCreery addressed the writers, thanking them for writing an amazing song.

“Nashville is a songwriter’s town and I felt so honored to get to sing this. I’ve recorded a lot of songs in the last 11 years and this is right up there with my favorites that I’ve done,” he recalled. “I’ve been fortunate to have songs that have worked on the radio in the last few years, but this one is different.”

McCreery then moved to his team, starting with BMI and rolling through his label, management, his publicists at EBM, the Universal Publishing team, his attorney David Crow, FBMM, his producers, his wife, and his band and crew.

“It takes a village. I’ve always said that, and I have the best village in Nashville,” he said with a smile. “But again, today is Jim and Trent’s. Thank you for writing an awesome song and thank you for sending it to me. I’m looking forward to singing this song for many, many years to come.”

The MLC Unveils New Portal For Independent Music Distributors

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The MLC has created a new portal for distributors called the Distributor Unmatched Recordings Portal (DURP).

DURP will allow users to see the publicly available data for the unmatched recordings they’ve released, allowing them to work with customers to register their songs with The MLC and claim unmatched royalties. This new feature joins the growing suite of tools that leverage The MLC’s publicly available data to improve data quality and pay rights-holders their mechanical royalties accurately and on time. The MLC hopes that, by using this feature, more distributors will share this information with their customers and encourage those customers to make sure their works are properly registered with The MLC.

Once a distributor sets up a DURP account, they will get access to a custom dashboard that shows them the publicly available data for sound recordings they have distributed that The MLC has accrued unmatched mechanical royalties for. The information about these recordings is derived from usage reports from DSPs, which generally include the name of the sound recording distributor along with the other metadata.

“Our data has identified millions of dollars in unmatched digital audio mechanical royalties due to creators for songs they’ve recorded and released through more than 1,800 independent music distributors, aggregators and labels around the world,” explains project lead Dae Bogan, The MLC’s Head of Third-Party Partnerships. “By giving these companies visibility into the data, we can help them serve their customers better and help The MLC reduce unclaimed royalties.”

The MLC will be offering an informational webinar for distributors led by Bogan on Oct. 14 to give prospective users an inside look into how they can use DURP to better serve the creators who use their distribution services. Distributors can sign up for this free webinar here.

For more information about DURP and to request access, click here.

Anne Wilson To Release New Book Based On Hit Single ‘My Jesus’

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Anne Wilson. Photo: Cameron Powell

Rising Christian artist Anne Wilson will release her new book, My Jesus: From Heartache To Hope from Thomas Nelson, on Oct. 25.

Based on her No. 1 Christian song of 2021, My Jesus is a message of hope in the midst of tragedy. Wilson grew up in Kentucky with her siblings Jacob and Elizabeth. When Jacob died in a car accident, she was thrust into a painful journey of grief and soul-wrestling that led to God calling her to write songs that glorified Him.

My Jesus weaves together Wilson’s personal story with an encouraging message to anyone longing
for healing and a message of hope.

“Whatever you are feeling, God can handle it—all of it,” says Wilson. “The tears, screams, and questions. God invites you to let Him tend to your heart.”

Wilson’s debut single, “My Jesus,” became the No. 1 Christian song of 2021 and won the Breakout Single of the Year at the 2022 K-LOVE Fan Awards, where she also won Female Artist of the Year.

Dreamcatcher Entertainment Expands Brand With Dreamcatcher Artists Label

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Dreamcatcher Entertainment is launching Dreamcatcher Artists, a new label arm of the company, with Tenille Arts as its flagship artist.

With worldwide distribution through Stem, Dreamcatcher has plans to release the next single from Arts,  “Jealous of Myself,” produced by Nathan Chapman and written by Emily Weisband, Trevor Rosen, and John Byron. The label has acquired Arts’ entire catalog, which will also be housed through Stem.

Tenille Arts. Photo: Rachel Deeb

“I am honored to be the first artist to sign with Dreamcatcher Artists, and to have the opportunity, for the first time, to participate in the ownership of my music,” Arts shares. “I have been able to have a hand in helping build this incredible team of hard working people who never stop believing in me. I want to thank each and every one of you, you know who you are, for empowering me to continue to chase my wildest dreams. We have already been able to achieve so much together, and I cannot wait to share my new music with the world.”

Powell Hedley will serve as the CEO of Dreamcatcher Entertainment Group, overseeing both the management and record company. Debbye Scroggins will be promoted to Director of Operations for the Entertainment Group. Jim Mazza will be on board as Co-Founder.

The company also adds Jim Dandy as VP/Promotion, Kellie Longworth as National Director/Promotion, Charlie Dean as Promotion Manager and Rick Young as Promotion Manager. It will also continue its partnership with Girlilla Marketing for digital marketing, along with publicists Craig Campbell and Jill Fritzo. Carole Ann Mobley will continue to be on board in an A&R capacity.

“The opportunity to work with Tenille Arts has been the blessing of a lifetime,” Hedley adds. “The amount of mutual trust we have established over the past 7 years is special. We are so fortunate to be able to have Tenille as the first artist on our label. Jim Mazza founded this company with Kenny Rogers inspired by the same spirit of independence and excellence. Tenille is a world class talent, coupled with a phenomenal team we have built together. We are so excited for what the future will bring for all of us. Onward and Upward.”