Jake Owen’s Latest Album ‘Loose Cannon’ To Fire Off June 23

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Jake Owen. Photo: Matt Paskert

Jake Owen is celebrating summer with the release of his seventh studio album, Loose Cannon, due out via Big Loud Records on Friday, June 23.

Owen is dropping four new songs from the album this Friday, May 26, including “On The Boat Again,” “Solo, Solo,” “Nothing” and “Hot Truck Beer.” The upcoming 16-track album offers fans a collection of summertime staples penned by some of Nashville’s best writers including Ashley Gorley, Brent Cobb, Rodney Clawson, Jessie Jo Dillon, Luke Laird and more, as well as a collection of artist-writers including Jordan Davis, Devin Dawson, Walker Hayes, Jordan Fletcher, Hunter Phelps and more.

“I can’t wait to share this new wave of music with my fans,” Owen says. “This album is a long time coming and feels like the best version of me. Grab your buddies, put the boat in the water, pour a cold one out, and we’ll catch y’all out on the lake. It’s the best time of year and we’re ready to celebrate.”

One of the four new instant-grat tracks, “On The Boat Again” interpolates the familiar chorus of Willie Nelson‘s classic “On the Road Again” and adapts it for boating season. To help put everyone in a summer mood, Owen will perform “On The Boat Again” this Memorial Day on ABC’s Good Morning America. He’ll also host a special fan album preview pop-up show that evening at The Rockaway Hotel in New York City.

Owen is also set to perform this Saturday, May 27, at Charlotte Motor Speedway following the Coca-Cola 600 qualifying and the ALSCO Uniforms 300 Xfinity Series.

Loose Cannon Tracklist:
“Hot Truck Beer” (Jordan Fletcher, Jim McCormick, Austin Nivarel)
“Go Getter” (Brent Cobb, Jake Mitchell, Aaron Ratiere)
“Solo Solo” (Ashley Gorley, Ben Johnson, Blake Pendergrass, Hunter Phelps)
“On The Boat Again” (Willie Nelson, Devin Dawson, Kyle Fishman, Rocky Block, Blake Pendergrass)
“Hearts and Habits” (Thomas Archer, Jamie Moore, Jared Mullins, Ben Stennis)
“When It All Shakes Out” (Jacob Davis, Jordan Dozzi, Josh Jenkins)
“Hope Less” (Jared Mullins, Ben Stennis)
“It Don’t, He Won’t and You Do” (Jordan Dozzi, Justin Ebach, Chase McGill)
“Friends Don’t Let Friends” (Jessie Jo Dillon, Hunter Phelps, Ben Stennis)
“Boy In The Chevrolet” (Ashley Gorley, Taylor Phillips, Bobby Pinson)
“Shrank” (Lalo Guzman, Walker Hayes, Hunter Phelps)
“Nothing” (Dallas Davidson, Kyle Fishman, Earle Hagen, Reid Haughton, Herbert Spencer, Cole Taylor)*
“Somewhere South With Rum” (Jacob Davis, Jordan Davis, Josh Jenkins, Matt Jenkins)
“The Ending” (Rodney Clawson, Luke Laird, Chris Tompkins)
“Hey Can I Buy You A Beer” (John Byron, Rocky Block, Travis Wood)
“Loose Cannon” (Matt Roy)

All songs produced by Joey Moi
* co-produced by Kyle Fishman

Spencer Crandall Inks With Warner Chappell & Stem

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Pictured (L-R): Hudson Hill Management’s Jeff Cherry, Warner Chappell’s Sara Latimer and Christina Wiltshire, Spencer Crandall, Stem’s Alison Junker and Jeff Tobias, Lewis Brisbois’ Matt Cottingham, Warner Chappell’s Ben Vaughn. Photo: Nina Long

Rising country artist Spencer Crandall has added to his team, signing with Warner Chappell Music for publishing and Stem for distribution and label services.

Crandall has earned more than 300 million global streams since breaking onto the scene in 2016 with tunes such as “Made,” “My Person” and “Girls Like You.” His most recent project, Western, has already notched over 60 million streams since its October 2022 release.

“The partnerships with Warner Chappell and Stem make so much sense for us right now. These teams are made up of some of the hardest working people in country music,” says Crandall. “I really respect how these teams grow artists, especially independently, and I couldn’t be more excited to do this next chapter with them.”

“I’ve never met an artist as business-focused, goal-oriented and driven as Spencer,” shares Christina Wiltshire, Sr. Director, A&R at Warner Chappell. “His fan club is called the Stadium Gang because he won’t stop until he’s playing stadiums. I want to help him get there.”

Crandall’s alignment with Stem follows the company’s recent expansion into Nashville. Stem provides a financial platform for artists to run their own businesses. With its innovative technology, artists can track, divide, disperse and even donate revenue to various recipients, designating percentages and simplified splits in real-time.

“Stem is incredibly thrilled to be working with Spencer Crandall, a wildly talented artist who has proved himself to be a powerhouse in the independent space,” shares Stem’s Jeff Tobias and Alison Junker. “We look forward to supporting Spencer in this exciting new chapter of music!”

Crandall recently joined forces with another country riser, Shaylen, to release a new track, “To Be Continued… feat. Shaylen.” He also just wrapped his 36-stop “Western Tour” and will perform at CMA Fest on June 11.

CRB Issues Initial Determination For Phonorecords III Appeal

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The Copyright Royalty Board has issued its initial determination in the remand/appeal of Phonorecords III, which upheld the 15.1% headline rate increase that was determined in 2018.

Now, a 15-day window opens for rehearing motions. Then the U.S. Copyright Office also must undertake a legal review for error, which they have up to 60 days to complete.

Following those steps, a determination will be published, starting a clock of at most 6 months for DSPs to make retroactive adjustments/arrearage payments, meaning the arrearage payments would come early next year.

National Music Publishers’ Association (NMPA) President & CEO David Israelite says, “We are pleased the court finally has confirmed the result of Phono 3, a case which was decided in 2018. This initial remand decision upholds the 15.1% headline rate increase we fought for, however the length of time we have waited for this decision proves the Copyright Royalty Board system is woefully flawed. Now songwriters have some certainty about their rates, and we will ensure they receive the hundreds of millions of dollars that digital streaming companies owe them during this adjustment period.”

Of the initial determination, Nashville Songwriters Association International (NSAI) Executive Director Bart Herbison shares, “The testimonies of the three songwriter witnesses in this trial were powerful, convincing and illustrated the difficulty of songwriters earning a living in the streaming era—as well as the importance and value of the composition in the commercial music process. Steve Bogard, Liz Rose and Lee Miller, all NSAI board members, were moving and informative and played a huge role in the historic increase.”

Herbison adds, “The process is long and difficult requiring time and preparation. We are thankful to these songwriters and to the NMPA.”

Colbie Caillat Makes Solo Grand Ole Opry Debut

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Photo: Grand Ole Opry/Chris Hollo

Singer-songwriter Colbie Caillat made her solo debut at the Grand Ole Opry on Saturday, May 20.

Caillat performed three songs during her segment, including her current single “Worth It” as well as her Platinum-selling hits “Bubbly” and “Try.” She was joined backstage during the evening by “Worth It” co-writers Liz Rose and AJ Pruis, who came to show support on her special night.

Produced by Jamie Kenney, “Worth It” was released last month and has already racked up over 3.5 million streams across all platforms. Caillat will also perform “Worth It” at the National Memorial Day Parade this Monday, May 29, at 1 p.m. CT live nationwide across ABC, CBS, NBC, Fox and the CW stations.

Grand Ole Opry Salutes The Troops At Special Tuesday Night Celebration

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Pictured (L-R): Locash’s Chris Lucas, William Lee Golden of The Oak Ridge Boys, Michael Trotter Jr. of The War And Treaty, John Conlee, Tanya Trotter of The War And Treaty, Rhonda Vincent, Duane Allen of The Oak Ridge Boys, Jason Crabb and Locash’s Preston Brust. Photo: Chris Hollo for Grand Ole Opry

The Grand Ole Opry honored our service men and women with a special Tuesday Night Opry Salute The Troops performance.

The red carpet was led by a drumline and special guests including Richard Casper, a United States Marine Veteran, Purple Heart recipient, artist and CreatiVets co-Founder/Executive Director, as well as retired Army General Keith Huber, who served 38 years as an Infantryman and Green Beret with tours in Panama, Nicaragua, El Salvador, Saudi Arabia, Iraq, Haiti, Honduras, Kosovo and Afghanistan. Huber is a senior advisor for the veterans and leadership initiatives at MTSU and was a guest announcer representing The Charlie and Hazel Daniels Veterans and Military Family Center at MTSU.

Performers for the special evening included Opry members John Conlee, The Oak Ridge Boys and Rhonda Vincent as well as Craig Campbell, Jason Crabb, Locash and The War And Treaty—the husband-and-wife duo of U.S. Army veteran Michael Trotter Jr. and Tanya Trotter.

The Opry and sponsor Humana partnered with CreatiVets to invite men and women of the U.S. military and CreatiVets members, as well as spouses, children and parents of service members to walk the red carpet into the Opry House for the evening’s show.

Highlights of this year’s Opry Salute the Troops will air as a special Opry Live on Memorial Day weekend (Saturday, May 27) on the Opry’s TV broadcast home, Circle Network, Circle All Access Facebook, Twitter and YouTube.

DeFord Bailey Avenue Unveiled In Nashville

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DeFord Bailey Ave. street sign is unveiled. Photo: Ramona Whitworth Wiggins

The city of Nashville renamed Horton Avenue to DeFord Bailey Avenue, to honor “harmonica wizard” DeFord Bailey, one of the original stars of the Grand Ole Opry and its first African American performer.

The new street name was officially unveiled on May 20 in a public ceremony, immediately followed by a free outdoor concert. The dedication and celebration was held at the north end of the William Edmondson Homesite Park, which borders on Horton Avenue, and featured country and R&B performances by two of Bailey’s grandsons, Carlos DeFord Bailey and Herchel Bailey, along with guest artist Smokin’ Otis.

DeFord Bailey was one of the most popular performers on WSM’s Grand Ole Opry radio program from its early days in 1926 until 1941, when he was abruptly dismissed by WSM management. Bailey was born in 1899 in rural Smith County, eventually moving to Nashville, where he lived in the Edgehill neighborhood until his death in 1982. In 2005, Bailey was posthumously inducted into the Country Music Hall of Fame.

Invited speakers and special guests at the event included members of the Bailey family, the Mayor’s office, Metro Council sponsors, the Country Music Hall of Fame and Museum, National Museum of African American Music, and the Grand Ole Opry.

DeFord Bailey biographer David C. Morton also also attended. The Country Music Hall of Fame and Museum recently reissued the long-out-of-print biography DeFord Bailey: A Black Star in Early Country Music, written by Morton with Charles K. Wolfe.

Big Machine Label Group Partners With Hard 8 Working Group For New Label Venture

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Pictured (L-R, back row): Big Machine Label Group’s Mike Rittberg, The Hard Working Record Company’s LJ Stoll, Big Machine Label Group’s Andrew Kautz; (L-R, front row): Hard 8 Working Group’s Dirk Hemsath, Big Machine Label Group’s Scott Borchetta and Hard 8 Working Group’s Rich Egan. Photo: Nick Rau

Big Machine Label Group (BMLG) has partnered with renowned management company Hard 8 Working Group (H8WG) to form a new venture, The Hard Working Record Company.

The new label venture will focus on discovering, developing and publishing pop acts as well as other genres, and will be helmed by BMLG’s President/CEO/Founder Scott Borchetta and H8WG’s Co-Founders Dirk Hemsath and Rich Egan, along with partners David Conway and Mike Bachta.

The venture is a progression of the relationship between BMLG and H8WG, which started when the two entities worked together on Brantley Gilbert and Kidd G. Based in Nashville, the new imprint will fall under the BMLG umbrella. The Hard Working Record Company has brought on LJ Stoll to serve as General Manager and VP of A&R.

“Our continued growth and dominance depend on quality and visionary A&R in all genres,” says Borchetta. “Rich, Dirk and the Hard Working team live for artist discovery and development and they’re bringing in heat from the onset.”

“Rich and I had been toying with the idea of starting a label again, since that’s the world we both came from. We had been working closely with Scott and Big Machine on the artist Kidd G and Scott mentioned he wanted to start a more pop-leaning imprint, and that’s the world we’ve been in heavily for the last few years most recently building pop star Tate McRae,” says Hemsath.

H8WG was founded in 2017 when Hemsath and Egan combined their management companies, The Working Group and Hard 8 Management. Both entities had a huge impact on the careers of artists such as The Working Group’s Billie Eilish, Morgan Wallen and Daughtry and Hard 8’s Jakob Dylan, Mac Miller and Gilbert.

The Hard Working Record Company joins other enterprises Borchetta has recently invested in. He chartered his rock imprint, Big Machine/John Varvatos Records, in 2017, and established a partnership with Blac Noize! to sign and develop hip-hop and R&B acts in 2022.

NMPA To Honor Brandi Carlile, Ashley Gorley At Annual Meeting In June

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Brandi Carlile, Ashley Gorley

The National Music Publishers’ Association has announced the honorees and keynote for its Annual Meeting at Lincoln Center’s Alice Tully Hall on June 14.

Nine-time Grammy-winning singer, songwriter and producer Brandi Carlile will receive this year’s NMPA Songwriter Icon Award. Warner Music Group CEO Robert Kyncl will deliver a keynote conversation, and the event will also feature the first-ever NMPA Non-Performing Songwriter Icon Award presented to mega hit-maker Ashley Gorley. RIAA Chairman and CEO Mitch Glazier will also be presented with the NMPA Industry Legacy Award.

The event will feature surprise tribute performances and in-depth panels. An impactful lawmaker will be presented with the NMPA President’s Award, which this year will go to Senator Dick Durbin (D-IL) for his leadership on the Music Modernization Act and CASE Act. This year’s State of the Industry address will examine the new streaming rates which recently went into effect.

“Brandi Carlile is in a class of her own,” says NMPA President & CEO David Israelite. “A critical success who has become a cultural and commercial force, she consistently has delivered stunning lyrics and vocals that cut to the heart of the human experience. We are thrilled to celebrate what she has given and continues to give to the craft of songwriting.”

He adds, “We are also honored to celebrate the success of Ashley Gorley, a singular talent in songwriting. A recipient of an astonishing 210 Gold & Platinum songwriting certifications, he is easily the most successful songwriter in country music. His dominance comes from honing influences from hip hop to rock and incorporating them into his unique style. He is responsible for widening and growing the entire genre.”

Save The Date: Recording Academy’s 22nd Annual Nashville Chapter Block Party

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The Nashville Chapter of the Recording Academy will host its annual Block Party on Wednesday, May 31, 5 p.m. at Nashville’s 6th & Peabody.

The Block Party is a private, industry-only event, providing members an experience that helps preserve the sense of community that is unique to the Nashville music industry by bringing back the “block party” tradition. Members gather for a night filled with food, drinks and extraordinary music from Nashville’s numerous musical genres.

Breland, Brothers Osborne and Blessing Offor will perform at this year’s Music City event. Guests will also be treated to a 50th Anniversary Hip-Hop tribute by Tim Gent, Chuck iNDigo and Daisha McBride as well as special guests DJ, Megan Coleman, and the TSU Aristocrat of Bands. Party host Wendy Moten will round out the celebration.

In addition to the performances, guests will enjoy tasty food and beverage offerings at the private, invitation-only event for Recording Academy Nashville Chapter Voting and Professional Members.

Spotify House Returns To 2023 CMA Fest With Star-Studded Lineup

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Spotify is returning to CMA Fest with their four-day Spotify House event from June 8-11 at Ole Red in downtown Nashville.

Spotify House will kick off on Thursday, June 8 and will present a daily and nightly lineup on the main stage featuring a mix of emerging artists, top country stars, exclusive late-night jam sessions and surprise special performances throughout the weekend.

Fan favorites who will perform on the main stage throughout the weekend include Brad Paisley, Brothers Osborne, Dierks Bentley, Hailey Whitters, Ingrid Andress, Jordan Davis, Luke Grimes, Mickey Guyton, Old Dominion, Lady A and Ruston Kelly.

The full main stage lineup will include Alana Springsteen, Ashley Cooke, Avery Anna, Brett Young, Brian Kelley, Chase Rice, Chayce Beckham, Chris Young, Colbie Caillat, Conner Smith, Dalton Dover, Danielle Bradbery, Dylan Marlowe, Dylan Schneider, Ella Langley, Ian Munsick, Jon Pardi, Josh Ross, Kameron Marlowe, Kylie Morgan, Lily Rose, Mackenzie Carpenter, Mitchell Tenpenny, Restless Road, Riley Green, Sam Hunt, Tanner Adell, Tenille Arts, Warren Zeiders, and 49 Winchester.

Spotify House will also treat fans who want to show off their latest country dance moves to several exclusive late night DJ sets including Diplo Presents Thomas Wesley and Cheat Codes + Friends. As part of Spotify’s commitment to supporting rising talent and music discovery, fans will be able to see new acts from the Fresh Finds Country playlist perform live throughout the weekend.

“The Spotify House has become a CMA Fest staple and we couldn’t be more excited to be returning to Ole Red again this year,” says Jackie Augustus, Lead, Country & Folk, Artist Partnerships at Spotify. “As always, we wanted the lineup to reflect the trends and discoveries that listeners have been making on platform. Every year the genre expands into new influences and sounds, so we’re looking forward to giving the fans an opportunity to experience 2023 country in its fullest. And as always, we have a few surprises up our sleeves, so you never know who might show up on our stage.”

Country fans can stop by Spotify House Thursday, June 8-10 from 11 a.m. to 2 a.m. CT daily, and Sunday, June 11 from 11 a.m. to 6 p.m. CT. All shows will be open to the public, and space will be limited to first-come, first-served.