Hardy, Ernest, Cooper Alan Perform At Ashley House During Super Bowl Week

Hardy, Ernest and Cooper Alan performed nightly during Super Bowl week (Feb. 7-11) at the Ashley House, a free and open-to-the-public music and brand experience in Las Vegas. Ashley Furniture took over DawgHouse Saloon’s bar, restaurant and Sportsbook area inside Resorts World offering fans a destination for live music and comfort. In addition to the music, guests could test and live shop Ashley products via QR codes.

Following Big Game Weekend, Ashley donated all furniture from Ashley House to local Las Vegas first responders, refreshing their shared living facilities at their respective stations as a thank-you for sacrificing their Super Bowl Sunday to keep fans safe.

 

Flatland Cavalry Goes Gold With “A Life Where We Work Out” Feat. Kaitlin Butts

Flatland Cavalry’s fan-favorite song, “A Life Where We Work Out” featuring Kaitlin Butts, has been certified Gold, marking their first RIAA certification.

In celebration of the milestone, the band was surprised with a plaque during their sold-out headline debut at Nashville’s Ryman Auditorium last Saturday (Feb. 10). The certification adds to a landmark year for the band, who released their acclaimed new album Wandering Star this past fall via Interscope Records—their first release in partnership with the label.

 

Nathan James Promoted To Operations Manager At DBC Radio

Nathan James has been promoted to Operations Manager for DBC Radio’s six-station cluster in the Savannah/Hilton Head market, effective immediately. James will oversee all programming strategy as well as retain his Program Director/Afternoon Drive on-air duties for Country WUBB-FM (Bob 106.9) and add Program Director duties for CHR/Mainstream WGCO-FM (Hot 98.3), which he has been handling on an interim basis since June 2023.

“Since Nathan joined our team in 2022, he has proven himself to be strategic, innovative and creative earning him this promotion,” says Jason Goodman, Vice President of Programming, DBC Radio. “He is committed to keeping our brands local and community focused, while implementing his experience in programming, promotions, marketing and digital. Under his leadership, we will have the opportunity to grow our footprint in the South Carolina Lowcountry and Southeast Georgia Region.”

“We have a passionate and dedicated team here at DBC Savannah,” says James. “Thank you to Jason Goodman and Aaron Wilborn for allowing us to showcase creativity, encourage professional growth and providing leadership that has afforded me this opportunity.”

UMPG has signed esteemed singer/songwriter/producer Dan Wilson to an exclusive, global publishing agreement. Under the new agreement, UMPG will represent Wilson’s future works, effective immediately.

A highly accomplished musician and lead member of famed band Semisonic, Wilson is a three-time Grammy winner. He recently took home the Grammy alongside Chris Stapleton for Best Country Song with Stapleton’s “White Horse.” He has also been awarded Song of the Year for co-writing The Chicks‘ “Not Ready to Make Nice” and Album of the Year for Adele‘s 21, which featured three of his co-writes including “Someone Like You.”

“I consider it a true gift to work alongside a person who is so storied and accomplished, and yet so open to new experiences and collaborations. Dan trusted UMPG in this vital chapter of his career and we could not be more excited,” shares Jennifer Knoepfle, UMPG Executive Vice President and Co-Head of A&R.

Wilson says, “This publishing relationship with UMPG begins a whole new chapter in my musical life. Jenn and the UMPG team are brilliant and inspire confidence. We’ve hit the ground running, to say the least. I’m very excited to be working with them.”

Wilson’s writing credits are diverse, ranging across genres. Among his collaborators are Carole King, Celine Dion, Preservation Hall Jazz Band, Florence + The Machine, Tenille Townes, Noah Cyrus, Alec Benjamin, Mitski, Claud, My Morning Jacket, Phantogram, Leon Bridges, Tom Morello, Joy Oladokun, P!nk, Halsey, Weezer, Panic! at the Disco, Dierks Bentley, John Legend, Laufey, Vance Joy, Jason Mraz and many more.

He has earned Grammy nominations for Song of the Year with Jon Batiste’s “Butterfly,” Best Rock Song for Semisonic’s “Closing Time” as well as Album of the Year for Taylor Swift’s Red, on which he co-wrote the track “Treacherous” in 2012. He also worked with Swift on re-producing co-writes for Red (Taylor’s Version), and received his first ever Oscar nomination for co-writing and producing Batiste’s “It Never Went Away.”

Kip Moore and Zac Brown Band are set to headline the inaugural Cape Town Country Festival (CTC) Oct. 26-27 at DHL Stadium in Cape Town, South Africa.

The lineup also includes Darius Rucker, Brothers Osborne, Cam, James Johnston, Morgan Wade and Craig Morgan as well as South African artists Ricus Nel, Riaan Benade, Demi-Lee Moore, Juan Boucher, Appel, Ruhan du Toit, Brendan Peyper, Ivan Roux, West & Cheree and Roan Ash, who will return to his hometown after moving to Nashville in 2022 and share his new music at the event.

“When we went to SA for the first time last year, the surprising part was it felt like a grass roots fan base that had been with us all along. There was a spark in that audience that I’ve been itching to light again. We are more than excited to see the South African fan base again,” shares Kip.

“I absolutely love Africa and try to visit every year,” adds Zac Brown. “We’re so excited that we get to perform at South Africa’s first-ever country music festival in October.”

DHL Stadium will be transformed into a 60,000 capacity, Nashville honky-tonk with American food, drinks, boots and hats. Heroes Events and Bok Radio’s Wimpie van der Sandt, who brought Kip to South Africa last year, will produce the festival with Red Light Management’s Gaines Sturdivant serving as Executive Consultant.

“The success we had last year with Kip Moore in South Africa proved there’s a vibrant and healthy country music scene over here. People in the music industry were skeptical when we explored the market, but we proved the concept and that gave us confidence to build the biggest country festival in the world outside the U.S.,” van der Sandt states.

“Wimpie and I dreamt up this idea together on a napkin after watching Kip’s jaw-dropping success in South Africa last year. I am incredibly proud of the new ground Kip has plowed for country music and music in general. We all took a chance on each other, Kip delivered colossal performances, and the fans poured in. CTC ’24 is the next iteration, and the door is now wide open for the entire country music genre,” notes Sturdivant.

Ticket go on sale this Friday (Feb. 16). Special payment plans that allow fans to pay over the course of three, six or eight months are available. For more information, click here.

Raj Kapoor will return as Executive Producer and Showrunner for the 59th Academy of Country Music Awards this May. Patrick Menton will serve as Co-Executive Producer, bringing the two together again after their success working on this year’s Grammy Awards.

The ACM Awards are set for May 2024 from Ford Center at The Star in Frisco, Texas on Prime Video. Additional details including hosts, nominees, performers and ticket details will be announced in the coming months.

“We have a true love for country music and its continued expansion and recognition around the world,” Kapoor and Menton share. “It’s an absolute privilege to create a show that celebrates the astounding talents that bring our country music family together to honor their remarkable achievements.”

“We’re thrilled to have Raj back at the helm of May’s 59th Academy of Country Music Awards, following his stellar work on last year’s show, the No. 1 most watched country music awards show of 2023,” ACM CEO Damon Whiteside says. “With his creative vision and passion for innovating the ACM Awards, along with support from Patrick’s talent and production expertise, we produced a show unlike any other, packed with monumental performances and unforgettable moments, bringing a global audience closer than ever before to the biggest stars in country music. We can’t wait to see all that Raj and Patrick have in mind for 2024, and I am sure it will continue to raise the bar!”

Kapoor is a six-time Emmy nominee and the winner of Outstanding Variety Special (Pre-Recorded) for executive producing Adele: One Night Only. His credits include showrunner and executive producer for The 66th Academy Awards and the past three Grammy Awards. His distinguished work also includes the Latin Grammy Awards, Emmy Awards, Beauty and the Beast: A 30th Celebration, Norman Lear: 100 Years of Music and Laughter and The Disney Family Singalong specials.

Menton is an Emmy-nominated producer whose career is marked by some of music’s most celebrated award ceremonies, including the Grammy Awards, Billboard Music Awards, American Music Awards and other distinguished music series and specials. Among these, notable projects include Christmas at Graceland, Hannah Waddingham: Home for Christmas, The X Factor, Miley Cyrus Presents Stand By You, We Love NYC: The Homecoming Concert Live from Central Park and TikTok’s In The Mix.

The 59th Academy of Country Music Awards is produced by Dick Clark Productions with Barry Adelman serving as Executive Producer for DCP, and Whiteside serving as Executive Producer for the Academy of Country Music. John Saade will also continue to serve as Consulting Producer for Amazon MGM Studios.

Kelsea Ballerini and Jon Pardi are slated to headline Coca-Cola’s Sips & Sounds Summer Festival in Austin, taking place June 29-30.

Additional artists set to take the stage at the Circuit of The Americas infield include Maren Morris, Marcus King, Charles Wesley Godwin, Paul Cauthen, Tanner Usrey, The War and Treaty, charlieonnafriday, Josiah and the Bonnevilles, Devon Gilfillian, Drayton Farley, Myron Elkins, DJ Mel and Sammy Arriaga.

“We are thrilled to return to Austin—the live music capital of the world—to celebrate summer and togetherness with an exciting lineup of musical performances,” says Derek Alexander, VP of Marketing and Commercial Operations at Coca-Cola Southwest Beverages, the local bottler for The Coca-Cola Company. “Sips & Sounds Summer Festival is our way to connect with fans of the brand and music lovers alike.”

For fans looking to cool off, kick back and explore between sets, Sips & Sounds Summer Festival will offer activations and experiences such as the Coca-Cola Ice House for a refreshing beverage and a Coke Studio footprint for an immersion into the world of Coca-Cola and music. Cinemark Theaters will host a pop-up theater where guests can immerse themselves in the magic of the movies with movie snacks. Fans will also spot the ICEE Igloo, an air-conditioned lounge with various ICEE frozen beverages available for purchase.

Tickets include 2-Day General Admission, 1-Day General Admission, 2-day VIP and 1-Day VIP. General Admission includes entrance, complimentary parking at Circuit of the Americas, and access to exciting fan experiences such as the Coca-Cola Ice House, ICEE Igloo and more. The VIP ticket includes premium benefits including unlimited access to the shaded VIP Lounge with premier viewing deck, VIP viewing area at Main Stage, upgraded restrooms, relaxing seating, complimentary non-alcoholic beverages and more.