Music Row Madness 2024 Photo: Morgan Jergens

The Society of Leaders In Development raised $15,614 at its annual Music Row Madness event. The proceeds from this friendly bowling competition, held at Eastside Bowl, support SOLID Shares Partners Brooklyn Heights Community Garden, Hope On the Row, Musicians On Call, Nashville Launch Pad and Special Olympics Tennessee.

“This year marks the fourteenth year of our Music Row Madness fundraising event,” shares SOLID President Rio Van Risseghem. “Our organization takes great joy in choosing our annual SOLID Shares partners, and I am especially excited by the diversity of non-profit missions we are supporting both in financial assistance and volunteer hours. Our Community Outreach Chairs Guy Evans and Becky Parsons have been integral in keeping members engaged with our SOLID Shares partners, and have also done an amazing job rallying the support of our wider music community.”

In addition to Music Row Madness, SOLID hosted its annual Student Scholarship Competition, recognizing outstanding music business and marketing students. This year’s competition tasked students with creating a campaign for artist Sam Williams. The winning team received prize money, and all participants were given a professional development toolkit.

“It was such an incredible experience to get to be a part of the SOLID Marketing Plan Competition for college students in Middle Tennessee,” says Williams. “I was pleasantly surprised with the amount of creative ideas expressed and professionalism executed by the students. Some of the ideas shared within the projects are planning to be incorporated within our album release timeline for this upcoming year. I am so thankful and excited to connect with young minds and to have shared a reciprocal motivating experience. Seeing the students excited about my project makes me more thrilled to deliver it to the world! I hope to maintain some of the relationships with members in SOLID and am excited for their futures in the music industry!”

The Country Music Association has revealed 30 performances set to be featured in the CMA Fest television concert special. Hosted by Jelly Roll and Ashley McBryde, the special will air Tuesday, June 25 at 7 p.m. CT on ABC and next day on Hulu.

Filmed during the 51st annual CMA Fest, the three-hour event will include performances by Jelly Roll, McBryde, Kelsea Ballerini, Big & Rich, Clint Black, Brothers Osborne, Luke Bryan, Terri Clark, Jordan Davis, Jackson Dean, Billy F Gibbons, Hardy, Cody Johnson, Little Big Town, Lynyrd Skynyrd, Parker McCollum, Megan Moroney, Jon Pardi, Carly Pearce, Post Malone, Shaboozey, Blake Shelton, Brittney Spencer, The War And Treaty, Thomas Rhett, Keith Urban, Gretchen Wilson, Lainey Wilson and Bailey Zimmerman.

“Stepping onto the stage in front of 50,000 people to host CMA Fest at Nissan Stadium in my hometown in Nashville was indescribable,” shares Jelly Roll. “The magnitude of the moment really hit me, to be across the street from the juvenile detention center I was in and to now be on stage hosting—how do you describe being in the same exact place while being in a place that couldn’t be more different, at the same time.”

“When my buddy Jelly Roll and I walked out into this massive crowd and felt the electric energy for the first time, it felt important,” says McBryde. “We were nervous! But it also felt good, because at the root of it all, it’s just me and my pal cutting up, only we’re doing it on national television for CMA Fest.”

Jake Owen with his Pandora Billionaires Plaque

Country music star Jake Owen was presented with a celebratory plaque from Pandora honoring his two billion streams on the platform. This award came as Owen kicked off SiriusXM’s CMA Fest party during The Highway’s Music Row Happy Hour at Margaritaville on June 6.

The hardware was presented by SiriusXM/Pandora’s Johnny Chiang, VP Music Programming, Country, Alina Thompson, Associate Director, Strategy & Operations/Artist & Industry Relations, Victoria Alfonso, Coordinator, Artist & Industry Relations, and The Highway Hosts Ania Hammar and Ashley Till. The artist boasts an array of Gold and Platinum albums, billions of streams across multiple platforms and ten No. 1 songs, including “Barefoot Blue Jean Night,” “Made For You,” and “I Was Jack (You Were Diane).”

“It’s truly an incredible feeling to reach two billion streams on Pandora,” expresses Owen. “Knowing that our music is resonating with so many people is deeply gratifying. As artists, we simply hope to connect with listeners, and seeing this kind of support is humbling and heartwarming.”

“We are thrilled to congratulate Jake on this remarkable achievement,” says Chiang. “Reaching over two billion spins on Pandora is a testament to Jake’s incredible talent and the deep connection he has with his fans. Everyone at SiriusXM Pandora looks forward to celebrating many more successes with him.”

Additionally, Owen is currently preparing to hit the road with duo Dan + Shay on “The Heartbreak On The Map Tour,” which kicks off July 18 in Cincinnati, Ohio and continues through the United States until the end of September.

Pictured (L–R): Dream 3’s Laurel Kittleson-Cobb, Greg Hill, Kobalt’s Kevin Lane, Dream 3’s Emily Olson and Trent Fisher

Trent Fisher has inked an exclusive publishing agreement with Dream 3 Publishing and Kobalt.

The California native was born into a football family. He eventually walked onto the team at Auburn University, while also playing music and leading worship at church on Sunday mornings. Fisher moved to Nashville in 2017 and worked various jobs, but remained committed to developing his songwriting skills. He began teaching history and psychology at his former high school in 2019, and had his first cut with Pryor & Lee’s “Good Ol’ Dogs and God” in 2021.

Fisher joins Ben Caver, Jon Stark and Dawson Edwards on the Dream 3 roster.

“So many people around town know and love Trent, but not many know what an incredible songwriter he is,” says Emily Olson, Partner & Creative Director, Dream 3 Publishing. “He’s been quietly writing amazing songs and working at his craft over the years. We are so excited to help take him and his songs to the next level, and for him to be a part of the Nashville songwriting community.”

“It’s an honor to join the team at Dream 3. Not only do Greg [Hill], Laurel [Kittleson-Cobb] and Emily bring a wealth of experience from different facets of the industry, they’re also incredible people who have felt like family since our first meeting,” shares Fisher. “I want to thank them for believing in me and for the love and support they’ve shown my family and I since day one.”