Ben Vaughn
At three separate No. 1 parties recently, there has been a recurring sentiment made by all three artists—“I should cut more outside songs.”
When songwriters Jesse Frasure and Josh Thompson celebrated their outstanding song “Whiskey & Rain,” which is performed by Michael Ray, the artist-writer said, “I love writing songs. I feel like I’m getting into my best years of writing; I feel like I know who I am as an artist, and I know what I want to say. That being said, we wouldn’t have the foundation of Nashville if it wasn’t for songwriters, and I feel like they’re the last person on the totem pole a lot of times.”
Ray added, “When I go back to my heroes—Kenny Chesney, George Strait, Jason Aldean, Lee Brice, and Merle Haggard—they cut outside songs. My heroes cut outside songs. We’re a town that was built on songwriters. It means more to me than y’all know to say that I did not write this song.”
I’ve heard a similar sentiment from Maren Morris, who along with her hubby Ryan Hurd, delivered “Chasin’ After You” to the world. The well-traveled Music Row song and masterpiece written by Jerry Flowers and Brinley Addington rose to No. 1 and became Hurd’s very first chart-topping hit as a recording artist.
At the No. 1 party for “Chasing After You,” Morris said, “Once in a blue moon, an outside cut will go No. 1. I need to listen to this advice, too: artists can write songs, but every once in a while, for God’s sake, can you just let the professionals do it for you?”
As a long-time publisher, I will give a “Hallelujah and an Amen” to that statement.
Nashville is Music City USA—home of the best songwriters in the world. That has always been Nashville’s identity and a big part of Music Row’s legacy—the Songwriter is King & Queen here.
I vividly remember the days of tracks coming together after thousands and thousands of songs were pitched to create the perfect project for that artist. “Best song wins” was a phrase on everyone’s lips. Landing that perfect pitch and listening to the finished record while driving around Music Row was about the best high you could get as a publisher.
If you look at the charts, you’ll see that over the last few years, about 75% to 80% of the singles released in country music were co-written with the artist. Now, obviously Nashville is blessed with tremendous artist-writers that have strong voices and something to say, but it does seem that the ecosystem is out of balance.
To all industry friends—you wanna talk consumption?
Hurd & Morris’ “Chasin’ After You,” written by Flowers and Addington, earned more than 500 million streams. Jon Pardi’s “Dirt On My Boots,” written by Rhett Akins, Jesse Frasure and Ashley Gorley, notched over 800 million streams. Morgan Wallen’s “Whiskey Glasses,” written by Ben Burgess and Kevin Kadish, garnered over 1 billion streams. And of course, the biggest streaming song in country music is an outside song—artfully chosen and performed by one of the best songwriters ever—Chris Stapleton’s “Tennessee Whiskey,” written by Dean Dillon and Linda Hargrove, has achieved over 2 billion streams. Yes, those are billions with a B, and guess what? All of these songs are still racking up impressive consumption numbers years after their initial release.
It’s not easy to make a living as a songwriter these days. You are depending on your words and your music only—there are no ticket sales, merchandise or sponsorships providing you with income like an artist has.
If you really want to think about what it’s like to be a songwriter, imagine that every day when you show up for work you are tasked with creating something completely original… every damn day. The men and women that unlock this mystery are some of the most uniquely gifted human beings walking this planet. Period. End of sentence.
Cody Johnson understands. He was effusive in his praise of the Ben Stennis and Matt Rogers-penned mega hit “‘Til You Can’t.”
“Thank you for writing it,” Johnson said at the No. 1 party. “There are thousands of people out there that it’s changed. I realize that I got to be the microphone for it, but it’s changed me. It changed who I am at my core—the way I view my stress, the way I view my anxiety or whatever is going on in my career.”
Michael, Maren, Ryan, Cody and their teams, thanks for digging deep and finding these great songs. The Songwriters and Publishers of Music City appreciate you.
*Streaming Data from Luminate of total On-Demand + Programmed Audio Streams
Rodney Crowell & Emmylou Harris Team For Virtual Book Launch Event
/by Lorie HollabaughRodney Crowell will celebrate the release of his upcoming book, Word For Word, with a special in-depth, virtual conversation with longtime pal Emmylou Harris on Sept. 13.
The BMG Books project gathers 150 of Crowell’s most impactful songs in a collector-sized compilation of lyrical poetry and artwork, and features 50 pages of prose from Crowell’s own pen, plus vibrant photos and handwritten lyrics. Within its pages, the Grammy award-winning singer-songwriter describes his early days in Nashville and the backstory of selected songs.
The book also features a cover photo taken by Marty Stuart, and includes contributions from everyone from Wilco’s Jeff Tweedy to broadcast journalist Ted Koppel.
“Emmylou Harris is like the sister I never had growing up,” shares Crowell. “It isn’t lost on me that in the beginning she was the very lifeblood of my songwriting career. We’ll talk about that on September 13, the release date of my book, Word for Word.”
The virtual event will begin at 6 p.m. CT, co-hosted by independent booksellers Gramercy Books in Columbus, Ohio; Blue Willow Bookshop in Houston, Texas; Bookends & Beginnings in Evanston, Illinois; and Literati in Ann Arbor, Michigan. Viewers may visit these stores websites for the links to attend the event.
Following the virtual release party, Crowell will launch his tour of music and memories with more than a dozen shows, including a hometown event in Nashville on Sept. 23 at Parnassus Books and AmericanaFest on Sept. 15.
Taylor Edwards Signs With EMPIRE, Dreamcatcher Management, CAA
/by Lydia FarthingPictured (L-R): Meredith Jones (CAA), Taylor Edwards, Heather Vassar (EMPIRE), Powell Hedley (Dreamcatcher Management). Photo: Jessica Steddom
Rising singer-songwriter Taylor Edwards recently signed with EMPIRE, Dreamcatcher Management and CAA.
The Arkansas native left home following high school, enrolled in Belmont University’s songwriting program, and immersed herself in the creative community.
After releasing her single, “Call Your Sister,” last year, Edwards amassed millions of listeners and social media followers. Written with Megan Redmond, Emily Falvey and Chris Ganoudis, the track is about her sister, who is 17 years younger. The song garnered over 100,000 TikTok videos using the audio and was featured on CMT.com.
“I’m really excited about partnering with EMPIRE, CAA, and Dreamcatcher,” Edwards notes. “Nothing feels better than finding a team that understands my vision as an artist.”
Edwards’ Born in July (The Album) is set for release in early fall, and she will be hosting an exclusive listening event on Thursday, Sept. 8. To RSVP, click here.
Kameron Marlowe Announces ‘We Were Cowboys Tour’
/by Lorie HollabaughKameron Marlowe will embark on his headlining “We Were Cowboys Tour” this fall.
The tour will kick off in Nashville at the Brooklyn Bowl on Sept. 8, and singer-songwriter Wyatt McCubbin will join Marlowe on most dates. Tickets for the trek, which includes stops in New York City, Indianapolis, Baltimore, Little Rock, Chicago and more, can be purchased here.
The tour comes on the heels of the release of Marlowe’s debut album We Were Cowboys, out Aug. 26. Produced by Dann Huff and Brad Hill, the album features 16 tracks including his current, Gold-certified single “Giving You Up” and advance release “Girl on Fire.”
“I’m incredibly proud of this album and getting to hit the road in the fall to play them live is going to be so rewarding,” shares Marlowe. “I can’t wait to see y’all out there!”
Marlowe continues to achieve streaming and radio success, surpassing 350 million on-demand career streams. “Steady Heart,” Marlowe’s fastest-growing track to date, continues to gain traction on social media and reached No. 6 on SiriusXM The Highway’s Top 30 Countdown.
Ernest Is A ‘Sucker For Small Towns’ On Upcoming Fall Tour
/by Lorie HollabaughErnest. Photo: Delaney Royer
Ernest is set to launch his first-ever headlining “Sucker For Small Towns Tour” this October. Jake Worthington, Lauren Watkins, and Noah Hicks will open the dates on the fall run.
Kicking off in Birmingham, Alabama on Oct. 6 and running through mid-November, the singer-songwriter will bring tracks from Flower Shops (The Album) and more to multiple college towns in Alabama, Georgia, Mississippi, Illinois and Ohio.
Concertgoers can join Ernest’s community to receive a code for tomorrow’s (Aug. 9) pre-sale by texting (615) 235-5823. General on-sale begins Aug. 12. Pre-show VIP Experience Packages are also available, including VIP early entry, a Q&A and photo, a pre-show performance, signed merchandise, and more.
“I’m stoked to get out there and take the ERN show on the road,” Ernest shares. “Gonna be playin’ to rooms I think we can pack! It’s an experience we put together specifically for the fans and I think it’s going to be special for them to be able to say they were there for it!”
Ernest just clinched his sixth No. 1 as a songwriter with Morgan Wallen‘s multi-week chart topper “Wasted On You.” The hitmaker is on the road now opening select dates of Wallen’s sold out “Dangerous Tour” and playing fairs and festivals nationwide.
Ben Vaughn Calls For Cutting More Outside Songs, And He Brings The Receipts (Opinion)
/by Ben VaughnBen Vaughn
At three separate No. 1 parties recently, there has been a recurring sentiment made by all three artists—“I should cut more outside songs.”
When songwriters Jesse Frasure and Josh Thompson celebrated their outstanding song “Whiskey & Rain,” which is performed by Michael Ray, the artist-writer said, “I love writing songs. I feel like I’m getting into my best years of writing; I feel like I know who I am as an artist, and I know what I want to say. That being said, we wouldn’t have the foundation of Nashville if it wasn’t for songwriters, and I feel like they’re the last person on the totem pole a lot of times.”
Ray added, “When I go back to my heroes—Kenny Chesney, George Strait, Jason Aldean, Lee Brice, and Merle Haggard—they cut outside songs. My heroes cut outside songs. We’re a town that was built on songwriters. It means more to me than y’all know to say that I did not write this song.”
I’ve heard a similar sentiment from Maren Morris, who along with her hubby Ryan Hurd, delivered “Chasin’ After You” to the world. The well-traveled Music Row song and masterpiece written by Jerry Flowers and Brinley Addington rose to No. 1 and became Hurd’s very first chart-topping hit as a recording artist.
At the No. 1 party for “Chasing After You,” Morris said, “Once in a blue moon, an outside cut will go No. 1. I need to listen to this advice, too: artists can write songs, but every once in a while, for God’s sake, can you just let the professionals do it for you?”
As a long-time publisher, I will give a “Hallelujah and an Amen” to that statement.
Nashville is Music City USA—home of the best songwriters in the world. That has always been Nashville’s identity and a big part of Music Row’s legacy—the Songwriter is King & Queen here.
I vividly remember the days of tracks coming together after thousands and thousands of songs were pitched to create the perfect project for that artist. “Best song wins” was a phrase on everyone’s lips. Landing that perfect pitch and listening to the finished record while driving around Music Row was about the best high you could get as a publisher.
If you look at the charts, you’ll see that over the last few years, about 75% to 80% of the singles released in country music were co-written with the artist. Now, obviously Nashville is blessed with tremendous artist-writers that have strong voices and something to say, but it does seem that the ecosystem is out of balance.
To all industry friends—you wanna talk consumption?
Hurd & Morris’ “Chasin’ After You,” written by Flowers and Addington, earned more than 500 million streams. Jon Pardi’s “Dirt On My Boots,” written by Rhett Akins, Jesse Frasure and Ashley Gorley, notched over 800 million streams. Morgan Wallen’s “Whiskey Glasses,” written by Ben Burgess and Kevin Kadish, garnered over 1 billion streams. And of course, the biggest streaming song in country music is an outside song—artfully chosen and performed by one of the best songwriters ever—Chris Stapleton’s “Tennessee Whiskey,” written by Dean Dillon and Linda Hargrove, has achieved over 2 billion streams. Yes, those are billions with a B, and guess what? All of these songs are still racking up impressive consumption numbers years after their initial release.
It’s not easy to make a living as a songwriter these days. You are depending on your words and your music only—there are no ticket sales, merchandise or sponsorships providing you with income like an artist has.
If you really want to think about what it’s like to be a songwriter, imagine that every day when you show up for work you are tasked with creating something completely original… every damn day. The men and women that unlock this mystery are some of the most uniquely gifted human beings walking this planet. Period. End of sentence.
Cody Johnson understands. He was effusive in his praise of the Ben Stennis and Matt Rogers-penned mega hit “‘Til You Can’t.”
“Thank you for writing it,” Johnson said at the No. 1 party. “There are thousands of people out there that it’s changed. I realize that I got to be the microphone for it, but it’s changed me. It changed who I am at my core—the way I view my stress, the way I view my anxiety or whatever is going on in my career.”
Michael, Maren, Ryan, Cody and their teams, thanks for digging deep and finding these great songs. The Songwriters and Publishers of Music City appreciate you.
*Streaming Data from Luminate of total On-Demand + Programmed Audio Streams
Brice Long Releases ‘Stampede’ Ahead Of Nashville Stampede’s August Event
/by Steven BoeroPictured (L-R): Kaique Pacheco, songwriter Wynn Varble, Stampede coach Justin McBride, and country artist Brice Long. Photo: Courtesy of Josh Vaughn Photography
As the Professional Bull Riders (PBR) Team Series season kicks off, the Music City-based team–the Nashville Stampede–is preparing for its home event at Bridgestone Arena on Aug. 19-21. Gearing up for the upcoming festivities, the Nashville Stampede now has its own theme song. “Stampede,” written and performed by country artist Brice Long, debuted on all streaming platforms on Friday, July 22.
Long’s songwriting hits include the No. 1 singles “Heartache On The Dance Floor” (Jon Pardi) and “Nothing On But The Radio” (Gary Allan), along with Randy Houser’s “Like a Cowboy,” which garnered a nomination for CMA Song of the Year.
Stampede Head Coach and former two-time PBR World Champion Justin McBride met Long in 2006 when traveling to Nashville to work with songwriters Tim DuBois and Wynn Varble. The pair had mutual friends as Long had grown up roping and in the western lifestyle. As their friendship grew, Long went on to write a few songs that McBride cut and was tapped to tour with him, playing guitar and doing a few songs on his own.
When McBride found out he was coaching the Stampede, he reached out to Long and explained what the Stampede meant and what he wanted its theme song to convey. Long is the sole writer on the track.
Throughout a 10-event regular-season, each PBR team will compete in 28 five-on-five bull riding games. The winner of each game will be the team with the top aggregate score. During the regular-season, each team will host a three-day homestand, with the Nashville Stampede scheduled to host their first home event Aug. 19-21.
Fans interested in ticket packages for the team series and or the full weekend can gets tickets on Ticketmaster.
Music Health Alliance To Collect Recipes For 2nd Fundraising Cookbook
/by Lorie HollabaughMusic Health Alliance is collecting recipes for its second cookbook installment, titled Thyme to Celebrate: A Collection of Recipes from the Music Industry Worth Celebrating.
The cookbook, made in part to celebrate the organization’s 10th anniversary, is a followup to All the Thyme in the World, which was released in 2020 as a fundraising effort for MHA’s COVID-relief fund.
Those wanting to submit a recipe to be included in the cookbook, which is due out in 2023, can do so here. Submissions close Sept. 15.
2020’s cookbook, All the Thyme in the World, raised over $50,000 for Music Health Alliance. Heavy hitters such as Dolly Parton, Jon Batiste, Emmylou Harris, Bob Boilen, Elizabeth Cook, Dave Schools, and hundreds more contributed to the first cookbook.
MHA aim to raise $100,000 with Vol. 2, and proceeds go towards providing life-saving healthcare resources. To pre-order Thyme to Celebrate, click here.
Inaugural Jamboree In The Mountains Festival Set For September
/by Lorie HollabaughCraig Morgan, David Lee Murphy, Ty Herndon, Drake White and more are set to perform at the inaugural Jamboree In The Mountains festival in Pennsboro, West Virginia at the Pennsboro Speedway on Sept. 8-10.
The festival will offer up fifteen acts over the span of three days in Pennsboro with five acts per night on the entertainment-packed bill. Three day festival tickets are available now.
“I was born in Charleston and have deep roots in the West Virginia area. I have worked with so many of these great artists over the years and wanted to bring an event to the area that would be celebrated not tolerated,” says Dustin Knowlton, Big Time Entertainment President. “After talking with all the local officials and venue team, we decided this was the perfect location for a three-day festival that would offer up camping, shower facilities, food vendors, and, of course, great country music.”
“We are excited to be performing at this festival,” says Heath Wright of Ricochet. “Doing events like this is so much fun because we, as artists, don’t always see each other when we are home so we get to spend time catching up on the road. Sometimes we even jump on stage together and do impromptu jam sessions and just have fun like we did when we were having hit records. This one is gonna be a lot of fun.”
Jamboree In The Mountains Lineup:
Thursday, Sept 8
3:00 Davisson Brothers Band
4:30 Ricochet
6:00 Love & Theft
7:30 Jamie O’Neal
9:00 Drake White
Friday, Sept 9
3:00 Ray Scott
4:30 Southerland
6:00 Sammy Kershaw
7:30 David Lee Murphy
9:00 Craig Morgan
Saturday, Sept 10
3:00 Nick Davisson
4:30 Ty Herndon
6:00 Chris Cagle
7:30 Mark Wills
9:00 Darryl Worley
Mitchell Tenpenny Reveals Track List From Upcoming Album
/by Lorie HollabaughMitchell Tenpenny. Photo: Matthew Berinato
Mitchell Tenpenny has revealed the track listing for his upcoming album, This Is The Heavy, due out Sept. 16 through Riser House/Columbia Nashville/Sony Music Nashville. A new song from the album, “Always Something With You,” is out now.
The powerhouse vocalist co-wrote every song on the project and co-produced it with Jordan M. Schmidt. Writers contributing to the album include Josh Kear, Devin Dawson, Chris DeStefano, J.T. Harding, and more. The songs are inspired by stories behind both exciting times in Tenpenny’s life, and tough ones. With this album, he finds himself grown up and in a new phase of life as a touring musician, family man and soon-to-be married.
The album includes his hit single, “Truth About You,” that debuted on TikTok and instantly became the highest streaming debut of his career with 2.5 million streams in the first three days, now tallying over 125 million on-demand streams.
Tenpenny revealed details about the new project during a celebration earlier this week where he was honored for amassing over one billion streams, his first triple-Platinum debut single “Drunk Me,” his Gold debut album Telling All My Secrets, and his current Gold top 10 smash single “Truth About You.”
1. “This Is the Heavy” (Mitchell Tenpenny, Zach Kale, Josh Kear, Jordan Schmidt, Michael Whitworth)
2. “Good Place” (Tenpenny, Kale, Kear, Whitworth)
3. “Always Something with You” (Tenpenny, Ashley Gorley, Matt Rogers, Schmidt)
4. “We Got History” (Tenpenny, Andy Albert, Devin Dawson, Schmidt)
5. “Truth About You” (Tenpenny, Matt Alderman, Thomas Archer)
6. “Sleeping Alone” (Tenpenny, Brad Clawson, Rodney Clawson, Schmidt)
7. “More Than Whiskey Does” (Tenpenny, Albert, Kyle Fishman, Jordan Schmidt)
8. “Obsession” (Tenpenny, Daniel Ross, Whitworth)
9. “Good and Gone” (Tenpenny, Zach Abend, Seth Ennis, Geoff Warburton)
10. “Do You” (Tenpenny, Chris DeStefano, Claire Douglas, Whitworth)
11. “Bucket List” (Tenpenny, DeStefano, Laura Veltz)
12. “Cry Baby” (Tenpenny, Will Weatherly, Dallas Wilson)
13. “Miss You Cause I’m Drinking” (Tenpenny, Jesse Frasure, Emma-Lee)
14. “Elephant in the Room” (Tenpenny, Christian Griswold, Sean Small, Sam Sumser, Jaten Dimsdale)
15. “Happy and I Hate It” (Tenpenny, Schmidt, Warburton)
16. “Now We’re Talking” (Tenpenny, Albert, Schmidt, Warburton)
17. “Losers” (Tenpenny, Albert, J.T. Harding, Daniel Ross)
18. “Still Thinkin’ ‘Bout You” (Tenpenny, Archer, Fishman)
19. “Long as You Let Me” (Tenpenny, Archer, Fishman, Schmidt)
20. “That’s How She Goes” (Tenpenny, Brett Warren, Brad Warren)
Chart Action: Hayes Most Added, Bentley Debuts
/by Alex ParryMonument Records artist Walker Hayes is the most added this week on the Mediabase chart, earning 69 new station adds. His single, “Y’all Life,” is the follow up to his viral hit “Fancy Like” and is his highest streaming debut to date.
“We’ve been at this a long time, and I’ve never had this many stations add one of my songs on day one,” says Hayes. “Thanks to my team for busting it out there and thank you to all the stations spinning my songs. If your local station is on the song give ‘em a shout!”
“Y’all Life” was written by Hayes with Pete Good, Josh Jenkins, Cornell Haynes Jr. (Nelly), and Jason Epperson. It continues Hayes’ tradition of releasing songs that reflect his personal experiences. “I’ve found the more I show people the ‘real,’ the more relatable it seems to be, so here’s to more stories about how y’all are livin’, too!”
“2020 was a chance for me to give my guitar and the road a little rest. It gave me the chance to spend a lot more time adventuring outdoors with family and friends, but also alone. It also gave me time to reset and rekindle my love of country music and a lot of the types of songs and sounds that I fell in love with when I first got to Nashville,” Bentley explains. “I think you’ll hear that in this first track, but it carries across the whole album.”
For more chart data, click here to view the latest edition of The MusicRow Weekly.