Nicole Hunt has been appointed Director, Marketing, Sony Music Nashville, effective immediately. Hunt will report directly to Senior Vice President of Marketing Jennifer Way.

In her new role, Hunt will oversee the strategy, development, and execution of targeted marketing campaigns to drive consumption and audience growth for her portion of the Sony Music Nashville artist roster.

“Nicole brings a wealth of marketing knowledge and experience to our team, along with an infectious energy and collaborative spirit that will suit her well in this role,” comments Way. “I’m excited to watch her grow with our team and I am delighted that she chose to write her next chapter with Sony Music Nashville.”

Since 2016, Hunt had worked at Big Machine Label Group, most recently in the role of Project Manager, Big Machine Records. Prior to that, she served as Promotion Coordinator, Big Machine Records.

A 2015 magna cum laude graduate of Suffolk University, Hunt received a Bachelor’s Degree in Advertising. While in school, she began working with iHeartMedia, Live Nation Entertainment, WKLB-FM, and local stints with entertainer Andy Grammer.

“I am more than thrilled to join Sony Music Nashville in this new role. I’m so thankful to Jen and the SMN leadership team for believing and investing in me, and I’m excited to grow with the entire team and help share the visions and extraordinary music of our artists,” Hunt shares.

Hunt can be reached at [email protected].

Everclear, Lit, and Saliva have all joined the expansive and diverse Reliant Talent roster.

“Everclear, Lit, and Saliva have impacted millions of fans worldwide and accomplished significant success,” says Reliant’s Steve Lassiter. “Our team is energized by these bands and we look forward to many shows and tours together.”

Reinforcing Reliant’s vision for representing artists across the musical spectrum, the company’s roster includes talent in Americana, Comedy, Country, Rock, Jazz, and more. Travis Tritt, Kenny Loggins, Rodney Carrington, Phil Vassar, Yacht Rock Revue, Take 6, Average White Band, and Sister Hazel are among other artists signed. Additional artists will be announced in the coming weeks.

Maren Morris’ “The Bones” Certified 4x Platinum

Grammy-winning recording artist Maren Morris recently celebrated her smash hit, “The Bones,” being certified 4x Platinum.

The song, which lives on her 2019 LP Girl, saw incredible success in 2020, topping the Billboard Hot Country Songs chart for 19 consecutive weeks and becoming the first solo female multi-week No. 1 at country radio since 2012.

The reigning Female Vocalist of the Year earned three nominations for this year’s 55th Annual CMA Awards, including Female Vocalist of the Year, and Musical Event of the Year and Music Video of the Year for “Chasing After You,” her first official duet with husband Ryan Hurd.

 

 

Carly Pearce & Ashley McBryde Team Up For “Never Wanted To Be That Girl”

Two powerful songstresses, Carly Pearce and Ashley McBryde, have combined forces on their brand-new single “Never Wanted To Be That Girl.” The third track from 29: Written In Stone, which expands Pearce’s original seven-song 29, hits country radio today (Sept. 15) via Big Machine Records and Warner Music Nashville.

Written by Pearce, McBryde and Shane McAnally, the track is sung from the perspective of two women–the single girl thanking the guy who helped change her flat tire and the wife at home–discovering the man they’re involved with has someone else. The truth of the situation finds the two reeling as they consider the sobering moments.

“Carly isn’t afraid to face the less potable subjects,” McBryde offers. “As a writer she’s willing to get in there and get very honest. Writing this song together with Shane strengthened our friendship and taught us more about one another and ourselves. Seriously, nobody wants to be the other woman. And when you find you are… damn. It’s such a gut punch.”

“Ashley is such a great drop-into-the-moment writer, she was able to bring that reality bomb truth to what we were doing,” says Pearce. “She’s fearless, and she understands human nature in a way that let us both really write to the hurt of realizing we’ve been lied to by someone we’re intimate with.”

The full 29: Written In Stone project releases worldwide on Friday (Sept. 17) via Big Machine Records.

 

 

The Isaacs Become Newest Grand Ole Opry Members

The multi-Grammy-nominated family band, The Isaacs, were officially inducted into the Grand Ole Opry last night (Sept. 14) by Opry members Ricky Skaggs and The Whites: Buck, Sharon and Cheryl.

Comprised of Becky, Ben, Lily, and Sonya, the family closed their set with a rendition of “It Is Well With My Soul” and were joined at the end of the show in an all-cast performance of “Will The Circle Be Unbroken.”

“When we think of all the people there are in the whole world, we feel we must be the most loved by God because this is such a wonderful night,” said Sonya. “We’ve already felt like family in our hearts and tonight it becomes an official wedding.” Mother Lily expressed, “What more could we ever ask for than to become a part of this family” and later Ben shared his gratitude for parents who brought them up in music. “The Isaacs are so much better at giving than receiving so this night is so humbling,” said Becky.

“The Isaacs have brought so many great performances and so much joy to the Opry over the course of the 25 years they’ve been visiting us,” said Dan Rogers, Opry vice president and executive producer. “Whether they are sitting in the auditorium, standing on stage, or watching from the wings, every single person here tonight is thrilled they’ve come home to the Opry to stay.”

The Mayor of the Isaacs’ hometown of Hendersonville, Tennessee, Jamie Clary, recently declared Sept. 14 “The Isaacs Day.”

The Women’s Music Business Association (WMBA) is hosting its first annual WMBA Fun Day at Edwin Warner Park in Nashville to kick off its recruitment season. The event will be held on Oct. 2 at 4 p.m. CT in Pavilion 9.

The afternoon will be filled with food, games, and prizes from stores and artists in Music City. The event is open to all members, alumni, and women in the music industry who are interested in joining or learning more about the organization.

Due to the pandemic, masks are advised to be worn in order to keep everyone safe. RSVPs for WMBA Fun Day are open through Sept. 28.

Additionally, applications to join the WMBA for 2022 open on Monday, Oct. 3. For more information, click here.

The nonprofit organization is dedicated to fostering opportunities for women within the music industry through education, networking, industry involvement, and community service. The WMBA is led by Chairwoman Brandi Simms (MooTV, Moo Creative & The Steel Mill), Lindsey Clark (DeatonFlanigen Productions), Amery Fridenstine (Above Board Consulting), Cameo Carlson (Mtheory Nashville), Mary Catherine Kinney (Spotify), and Legal Counsel Lauren Spahn (Shackelford, Bowen, McKinley, & Norton LLP).

Country recording artist Kenny Chesney is dipping his toes into the SEC original show SEC Storied as an executive producer for its “More Than a Voice” episode that spotlights iconic football play-by-play voices from around the SEC. “More Than a Voice” kicks off the the 11th season of SEC Storied which begins Sunday, Sept. 26 at 6 p.m. CT on the SEC Network.

The show focuses on the SEC’s original rise to becoming a cultural institution in the south. In the early days of television, the announcers’ calls of the games became synonymous with the teams themselves, and those announcers also became part of the fabric of the conference. Among them are John Ward at Tennessee, Larry Munson at Georgia, John Forney and Eli Gold at Alabama, Mick Hubert at Florida, Jim Fyffe and Rod Bramblett at Auburn and many more

“It was important for me to be a part of this film, because John Ward was such a big part of my life growing up and loving sports in east Tennessee,” says Chesney. “With his voice and his words, he painted a picture of Tennessee football that captured my imagination and the imaginations of so many. Meeting him was one of the highlights of my life–and I’m thrilled to be a small part of this film that sheds light on his genius and so many of the other voices who have made the Southeastern Conference really special.”

The eight-time Entertainer of the Year’s passion for how people connect in the moment was forged as a youngster listening to Ward’s play-by-play of University of Tennessee football on WIVK. An athlete who often trained with various college and professional teams, Chesney holds the record for the most Billboard No. 1 country songs, has sold over 30 million albums and topped the all-genre Billboard 200 nine times.

This is Chesney’s fourth film in association with ESPN Films, following “Boys of Fall,” “The Color Orange: The Condredge Holloway Story” and “The Believer” on legendary former SEC football coach and 1966 Heisman Trophy winner Steve Spurrier.