Acclaimed Songwriter Jon Nite Renews Deal With Sony Music Publishing Nashville

/by

Jon Nite

Sony Music Publishing Nashville announced it has renewed its worldwide deal with Grammy-nominated, CMA, and ACM award-winning hitmaker Jon Nite. This agreement extends Nite’s longstanding relationship with the company which began in 2009.

“Jon is a true craftsman of the highest order. Throughout his years of success as one of Nashville’s top songwriters, he has never sacrificed his integrity or work ethic, and he continues to create masterful music that will be appreciated for generations. We are honored to remain Jon’s publisher and look forward to celebrating many more career milestones with him in the coming years,” shares Josh Van Valkenburg, SVP Creative, Sony Music Publishing Nashville.

Texas native Nite is credited for an array of country music hits including “Lady” by Brett Young, “Break Up in the End” by Cole Swindell, “Strip it Down” by Luke Bryan, “Living” by Dierks Bentley, “We Were Us” by Keith Urban and Miranda Lambert, “Beachin” by Jake Owen, “Think a Little Less” by Michael Ray, “Boy” by Lee Brice, and many more.

Over the last year, Nite earned incredible success with his work on Gabby Barrett’s multi-genre, award-winning break-up anthem “I Hope,” which was co-written by fellow SMP songwriters Barrett and Zach Kale. “I Hope” dominated the country charts, breaking airplay and streaming records.

“I’m so thankful to be a part of the Sony Music Publishing family. I’ve been lucky enough to have these friends for the last decade help me take these songs and turn them into a living, breathing American dream,” says Nite. “Josh V, Dane, Tom, Rusty, all the way to Jon Platt have believed in what I’m fighting to create every day, and it has resulted in hits that are heard in places I can’t even pronounce. I hope to keep the bar high and help my team see the success they deserve.”

Throughout his songwriting career, Nite’s songs have been recorded by country superstars Tim McGraw, Blake Shelton, David Nail, Kenny Chesney, Phillip Phillips, Chase Rice, Chris Young, Darius Rucker, and Dustin Lynch, among many others. He has written sixteen No. 1 singles, and earned three CMA Triple Play Awards, an ACM Vocal Event of the Year award, an NSAI Song of the Year Award for Swindell’s “Break Up In The End,” and was named one of Variety’s 2020 hitmakers.

Billy Ray Cyrus Signs With United Talent Agency

/by

Billy Ray Cyrus

Leading global talent, entertainment and sports company UTA has signed Billy Ray Cyrus for worldwide representation in all areas.

Throughout his nearly three-decade career, Cyrus has achieved global success as a singer, songwriter, actor, producer and philanthropist. Most recently, he celebrated the highest RIAA 14x Diamond-certified song in recorded music history with Lil Nas X on the worldwide smash, “Old Town Road (Remix ft. Billy Ray Cyrus).”

The Flatwoods, Kentucky native exploded onto the music scene when his first album, Some Gave All, debuted on the all-genre Billboard album chart at No. 1 and stayed there for a record-breaking 17 weeks in 1992. The lead single, “Achy Breaky Heart,” became a phenomenon and went multi-Platinum. His success continued with dozens more singles including “It Could’ve Been Me,” “She’s Not Crying Anymore,” “Wher’m I Gonna Live When I Get Home?” and “Some Gave All.” He also enjoyed a successful career as an actor in the series Doc and Still The King, as well as the hit Disney Channel series Hannah Montana with his daughter Miley.

Cyrus has been awards at the Grammy Awards, Billboard Music Awards, BET Hip Hop Awards, MTV VMA Awards, Country Music Association Awards, American Music Awards and Canadian Academy of Recording Arts & Sciences Juno Awards, along with many other accolades.

Nathaniel Rateliff & The Night Sweats Announce New Summer Tour, Live Album

/by

Nathaniel Rateliff & The Night Sweats. Photo: Rett Rogers

Nathaniel Rateliff & The Night Sweats are heading back out on the road on a new run kicking off July 20.

The extensive slate of shows includes their annual shows at Red Rocks Amphitheater, as well as performances at Willie Nelson’s Outlaw Music Festival, Nashville’s First Bank Amphitheater, Raleigh’s Red Hat Amphitheater, and more. The band will share the stage with The Marcus King Band, Margo Price, Bahamas, Delta Spirit and Tré Burt.

General on-sale begins on Thursday, May 27 at 10 a.m. local time at nathanielrateliff.com/tour.

In September 2020, Rateliff and his ten-piece folk band played a six-night run at Red Rocks to a reduced capacity crowd of only 125. During the run of socially distanced shows, Rateliff recorded Red Rocks 2020, a new live album that will be released on July 17.

Nathaniel Rateliff & The Night Sweats Live:
July 20—Charlotte, NC—Metro Credit Union Amphitheatre*††
July 21—Raleigh, NC—Red Hat Amphitheater*††
July 27 —Bethlehem, PA—Levitt Pavilion Steel Stacks*††
July 28 —Essex Junction, VT—Midway Lawn at Champlain Valley Exp*††
July 30—Portland, ME—Thompson’s Point*††
August 13—Whitefish, MT— Big Mountain Ranch**
August 14—Missoula, MT—Kettlehouse Amphitheatre**
August 15—Spokane, WA—Spokane Pavilion**
August 17—Bend, OR—Les Schwab Amphitheatre**
August 18—Boise, ID —Ford Idaho Center**
August 20—Park City, UT—Deer Valley**
August 21—Grand Junction, CO—Amphitheatre at Los Colonias Park**
August 23—Morrison, CO—Red Rocks Amphitheatre**
August 24—Morrison, CO—Red Rocks Amphitheatre**
August 25—Morrison, CO—Red Rocks Amphitheatre**
September 22-24—Alpharetta, GA—Outlaw Music Festival
September 28—Richmond, VA—Virginia Credit Union Live‡
September 29—Asheville, NC—Rabbit Rabbit‡
October 1—Franklin, TN—Firstbank Amphitheatre‡††
October 2—Memphis, TN—Mempho Festival
October 9—St. Louis, MO—Saint Louis Music Park†
October 10—Columbus, OH—Express Live†
October 12—Cincinnati, OH—Icon Music Center†
October 13—Cleveland, OH—Jacobs Pavilion at Nautica†
*with The Marcus King Band
†with Margo Price
‡with Bahamas
**with Delta Spirit
††with Tré Burt
BOLD—Sold out

AIMP Partners With EnterGain On New Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion Initiative

/by

The Association of Independent Music Publishers has begun a Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion Initiative working with EnterGain, a strategic HR firm that specializes in the music ecosystem.

This effort will launch with a survey of AIMP membership to get a baseline of the current organization. Key findings will be presented at the AIMP’s Global Music Publishing Summit taking place on June 7. The survey has been emailed to members and will be open for response until May 31. Members who did not receive the survey and wish to participate can email [email protected].

“The AIMP carefully considered the best way to address diversity, equity, and inclusion issues for our organization that would be of real value to our members and make a material difference,” says John Ozier, national chair of the AIMP and Nashville chapter president. “I’ve been fortunate to experience what EnterGain has to offer, and they have been working with music organizations on these issues for a quite some time. Their facilitators are top-notch, and they have given us valuable guidance on how to approach these sensitive and important issues with our members.”

The three 90 minute training sessions are scheduled for June 21, June 28, and July 6. They will be co-led by two executive-level facilitators from EnterGain with virtual session tools and staff to support interactive discussion. Registration will be free to AIMP members and will open shortly at aimp.org.

FirstBank Amphitheater Slates Lady A, Jonas Brothers, More In Inaugural Lineup

/by

Rendering of FirstBank Amphitheater

FirstBank Amphitheater has announced the lineup for the grand opening season of the new open-air venue for this summer and fall.

Greta Van Fleet will be one of the first artists to perform at the brand new venue in Franklin, Tennessee on Aug. 5, along with Lady A, Harry Connick Jr., Jonas Brothers and Kelsea Ballerini, Santana, and Nathaniel Rateliff throughout the following months. More shows will be announced in the coming weeks.

“We could not be more excited to open this incredibly special venue in Tennessee this summer,” says Bob Roux, president of Live Nation Concerts. “This initial lineup of artists performing this year is just the beginning of what fans can expect to see and we can’t wait for artists and fans alike to be able to experience what we’ve been working on.”

Rendering of FirstBank Amphitheater

The new amphitheater resides on a 138-acre site convenient to Nashville and the surrounding cities. Positioned at the base of a limestone rock quarry surrounded by cliffs up to 100 feet tall, the venue will host up to 7,500 concert attendees and also includes a spacious 1.5 acre plaza area for gathering, dining, and merchandise.

In celebration of the opening season, FirstBank has launched a VIP sweepstakes where music fans can enter for a chance to win VIP season tickets to the opening season of the venue. One grand prize winner will receive a FirstBank Amphitheater Season Pass which entitles the pass holder plus one guest access to reserved tickets for every Live Nation produced concert at FirstBank Amphitheater in Franklin, Tennessee in 2021. Find the full sweepstakes details and enter for a chance to win at firstbankamphitheater.com/vipsweeps.

FirstBank Amphitheater Opening Season Schedule:
Aug. 5 – Greta Van Fleet^
Aug. 27 – Lady A*
Aug. 29 – Harry Connick Jr+
Sept. 16 & Sept. 17 – Jonas Brothers with Kelsea Ballerini^
Sept. 29 – Santana+
Oct. 1 – Nathaniel Rateliff^

^On sale starting Thursday, May 27 at 10 a.m. local time at LiveNation.com.
*On sale starting Friday, May 28 at 10 a.m. local time at LiveNation.com.
+ On sale TBA

Industry Ink: Leslie Jordan, Seryn, Billy Blue Records, AGD Entertainment

/by

Leslie Jordan Makes Grand Ole Opry Debut

Leslie Jordan was joined onstage during his Opry debut set by TJ Osborne, Vince Gill, and Charlie Worsham. Photo: Rachael Black

The Grand Ole Opry welcomed actor, writer, comedian, and singer Leslie Jordan for his Opry debut on Saturday, May 22 in front of a full capacity crowd.

Jordan’s performance as well as those by Brothers Osborne, Vince Gill, and Charlie Worsham aired on Opry Live on the Circle Network. Jordan was joined onstage during his set by TJ Osborne, Gill, and Worsham for the Opry standard “Will The Circle Be Unbroken”.

Jordan released his country album Company’s Comin’ in April, which featured duets with Dolly Parton, Eddie Vedder, Brandi Carlile, Chris & Morgane Stapleton, Ashley McBryde, Worsham, Katie Pruitt, Tanya Tucker and Osborne, as well as co-producers, Travis Howard and Danny Myrick. Best known for his roles on Will and Grace and Fox’s Call Me Kat, the Emmy award-winning actor has seen a surge in popularity since his relatable, slice-of-life videos went viral on social media during the pandemic. Continuing his success into 2021, Jordan launched his Apple Music Country radio show Hunker Down Radio with Leslie Jordan, and landed on The New York Times Best Seller list with his book How Y’all Doin’.

 

 

ONErpm Inks Partnership With Indie Folk-Pop Group Seryn

Pictured (L-R): Chase Johnson, Aaron Stoner, Casey Childers, Trenton Wheeler, Nathan Allen and ONErpm’s Jeff Tobias

Seryn—a six-piece, Nashville-based, indie folk-pop ensemble originally formed in Dallas in 2010—has reunited to create new music in partnership with independent digital solutions company ONErpm.

“We are so excited to have found a home in Nashville and at ONErpm,” the band shares. “We are ready to move forward with a great team, with lots of new music on the horizon.”

The band’s latest release, “Figuring Out,” will be available on all platforms Friday, May 28. Seryn will also be performing at Mercy Lounge’s The High Watt with The Hardin Draw and Thomas Dietzel on June 25.

 

 

Australia Native Kristy Cox Signs With Billy Blue Records

Jerry Salley (Billy Blue Records), Kristy Cox, Ed Leonard (Billy Blue Records)

Australia’s “Queen of Bluegrass” Kristy Cox has signed with Nashville’s Billy Blue Records.

Cox has topped the Billboard charts and is a multiple winner of Australia’s CMAA Golden Guitar Awards. She and her growing family made Nashville home just 8 years ago, and she will become a U.S. citizen in October of 2021. When she’s not writing, recording or performing, Cox is one of Nashville’s favorite barista’s as the owner of a mobile Australian coffee van.

“I have known Kristy since she was a very young lady, and she is truly one of the hardest working women I have ever been associated with in the music business,” Creative and A&R Director of Billy Blue Records Jerry Salley says. “We will start recording our 7th bluegrass album together, and her incredible vocal talent is only matched by her ambition and drive to get things done! I am beyond excited to welcome Kristy to Billy Blue Records. She is exactly the kind of artist and person that we want to become a member of this label family.”

“When I first visited Nashville I met Jerry Salley, and since then, he has become not only a huge part of my career through our 6 albums together, but a huge part of my family… He’s the closest thing we have to family on this side of the big pond,” shares Cox. “I am looking forward to this next chapter and joining this amazing label family.”

 

 

AGD Entertainment Announces Winners to ‘Zero To 60’ Scholarship

Nicolas Edgerson “Legendary Nedge” and Damon McKinney “Tae”

AGD Entertainment, a Nashville-based entertainment company specializing in career development in the ever-changing music industry, has announce the winners of their first-ever Zero to 60 (ZT60) Scholarship program designed for developing 16 to 20 year-old artists.

The inaugural recipients include 18 year-old Nicolas Edgerson “Legendary Nedge” from Atlanta, who received the Full Scholarship which covers his nine-month experience with the ZT60 program, and 18 year-old Damon McKinney “Tae” of Nashville, who received a partial ZT60 scholarship.

Full Scholarship recipient Legendary Nedge is a rap artist who counts his major influencers as Drake and 2Pac. He started to use music as an outlet to heal himself from problems like depression and anxiety. Partial Scholarship recipient Damon McKinney “Tae” says he has been greatly influenced by Pharrell Williams, and his sound has evolved from pop into a jazz/hip hop influenced sound over the years. Tae’s proudest moment to date was at his first year at Bonnaroo in 2018, when he had the opportunity to be in the studio with Billie Eilish and Finneas.

“We believe that motivated artists should have the opportunity to succeed,” said Nathan Dohse, president of AGD Entertainment and author of the Zero To 60 Program. “Finances should not be the main cause preventing success as an artist. We are thrilled to be able to offer AGD’s services to Legendary Nedge and Tae and to support them in their creativity to reach their full potential as artists.”

Breakout Artist Breland Announces First-Ever Headlining Tour This Fall

/by

Breland has announced the dates for his first-ever headlining run on the Cross Country Tour. Kicking off on Sep. 5 with his appearance at Bonnaroo, Breland will perform coast-to-coast in major markets including Chicago, New York, Atlanta, Nashville and L.A. through Oct. 27.

“I’m headlining my first ever tour!!!,” Breland shared on Instagram. “I have been waiting for this moment my whole life. I cannot wait to get out on stage and see all of you with my homies Ashley Cooke and Robyn Ottolini, who are incredible artists and performers.”

Spotify pre-sale for the dates begins today (May 25), with venue and artist pre-sale running Wednesday, May 26 through Thursday, May 27. General on-sale starts Friday, May 28 at 10 a.m. local time.

Breland’s latest single “Cross Country,” continues to rack up acclaim, making his national TV debut on The Kelly Clarkson Show with the track. Breland also released a duet version of “Cross Country” with fellow singer-songwriter Mickey Guyton. The multi-talented recording artist has new music on the horizon set for release in the coming months.

John Prine To Be Celebrated With Concert Series, Tribute Album In October

/by

John Prine‘s life and musical legacy will be honored when the Prine family presents You Got Gold: Celebrating the Life & Songs of John Prine, a series of special concerts and events across venues in Nashville running from Oct. 3-10.

The weeklong celebration will include tribute concerts at The Ryman Auditorium on Oct. 6 and 7, the CMA Theater at The Country Music Hall of Fame and Museum on Oct. 8, the Basement East on Oct. 9, and will culminate on Oct. 10—what would have been Prine’s 75th birthday. Each of the shows will include a unique lineup of performers celebrating the legendary singer’s life and songs. Tickets are available for pre-sale beginning May 26, with general on-sale beginning Friday, May 28.

All proceeds from the week will benefit the newly-created Hello In There Foundation, established by Prine’s family to honor his memory. Inspired and guided by Prine’s song title, “Hello In There,” the foundation aims to identify and collaborate with individuals and communities where people are marginalized, discriminated against or are otherwise forgotten. This year’s grant recipients are Nashville-based non-profits Room In The Inn and Thistle Farms.

Along with the special week-long celebration, on Oct. 8 Oh Boy Records will release a new tribute album, Broken Hearts and Dirty Windows: Songs of John Prine, Vol. 2. Each month ahead of the release, Oh Boy will unveil a new artist and song from the record, including the two previously released tracks, “Paradise” performed by Sturgill Simpson and “I Remember Everything” performed by Brandi Carlile.

Date Announced For 34th Annual Music Row Ladies Golf Tournament

/by

This post was updated on July 8, 2021 to reflect a newly-announced date. The Music Row Ladies Golf Tournament will take place Monday, Sept. 13, 2021.

The planning committee for the 34th annual Music Row Ladies Golf Tournament (MRLGT) has announced this year’s event will be held Monday, Sept. 13 at Old Natchez Country Club in Nashville. This year’s proceeds will once again benefit United Cerebral Palsy of Middle Tennessee (UCPMidTN).

As one of Music Row’s longest-running charity events, the MRLGT raised over $70,000 in 2019, for a grand total of $2.3 million raised in the tournament’s 34 year history. The MRLGT is the single biggest fundraiser for UCPMidTN.

UCPMidTN’s mission is to advance the independence, productivity, and full citizenship of people with disabilities. They also aim to provide support for individuals with cerebral palsy and closely related disabilities through the provision of financial assistance for the purchase or repair of adaptive equipment, including wheelchairs, lifts, ramps, communication aides, therapy aides, auto hand controls, special shoes, braces and walkers.

If you are interested in participating this year, please visit mrlgt.com. Registration for the tournament will open in early July, with more details to be announced soon.

For more information, or to become a sponsor or contributor, please email [email protected].

Music Industry Trailblazer Lou Robin Dies At 90

/by

Lou Robin

Beloved music industry veteran Lou Robin died May 18, 2021 at the age of 90.

Born Louis Bernard Robin on May 29, 1930 in Chicago, Illinois, he attended the University of Chicago Elementary and High School before his family moved to Los Angeles during his teenage years. While working towards degrees in economics and accounting at Claremont Men’s College in California, Robin began negotiating and arranging performers like Duke Ellington and Count Basie to come play concerts on his campus. From this, a career was born.

In 1957, with help from his college friend Allen Tinkley, Robin founded Concerts, Inc. which would later become Artist Consultants Productions. Under Lou’s direction, the company produced or promoted over 4,000 concerts worldwide during a 52 year period. The company also produced feature films, theatre in the round, an off-Broadway show in New York with Monty Python, and promoted more than two dozen summer series concerts at The Hollywood Bowl featuring such artists as Barbra Streisand, Judy Garland, Tony Bennett, Sammy Davis, Jr., Janis Joplin, and Jimi Hendrix. Lou also did shows with Chicago, Queen, The Rolling Stones, and The Beatles.

In 1969, Artist Consultants began their longest running and most important relationship, promoting concerts with The Johnny Cash Show. In 1973, Robin began a 30-year run personally managing Johnny Cash and June Carter Cash until their passing in 2003. He continued to supervise the business affairs of the Cash estate, dealing with record companies and music licensing, until he retired at the age of 88.

A tribute to Robin was posted on Cash’s website, saying: “It is with deep sadness and respect that we mark the passing of music industry legend, Lou Robin, at 90. Lou had an amazing 30-year run personally managing Johnny Cash and June Carter Cash from 1973 until their passing in 2003. The friendship and relationships he and his wife, Karen Wilder Robin, had with the whole Cash family were cherished. Our thoughts are with his sons, Michael and Steve Robin, and their families.”

Robin had been a member of the International Entertainment Buyers Association since its inception, and was inducted into its Hall of Fame in 2011. He was a long time resident of Pacific Palisades and most recently of Thousand Oaks, California where he resided with his wife Karen until her passing in 2019. Robin is survived by his sons Michael and Steve Robin, their wives Amy and Jenjer, and his granddaughters Mackenzie & Skylar and Karleigh & Savannah.