Tin Roof has sat on Demonbreun Hill since 2002, housing songwriter rounds and live music for nearly two decades.
The company has grown significantly over the past few years and now has 17 locations across the US, supporting a lot of new talent out of Nashville. In addition to its two Nashville locations, Tin Roof has establishments in in Alabama, South Carolina, Indiana, Florida, North Carolina, Michigan, Kentucky, California, and more. Tin Roof’s inside stage capacities range from 300-1,200 (pre-pandemic), and most of the locations do outdoor concerts ranging from 600-2,500 pre-pandemic capacities.
Artists including Luke Bryan, Florida Georgia Line, Luke Combs, Dustin Lynch, and many more have made fans out of patrons on Tin Roof’s circuit.
The CEO of Tin Roof, Bob Franklin, recently spoke with MusicRow to discuss the growth of the circuit over the last 19 years.
MusicRow: Tell me about starting the Tin Roof brand.
We just celebrated our 19th anniversary last month in February, so we’re on year 20 right now. The original spot is on Demonbreun close to Music Row. It was never created as something we were going to expand on or build a brand around, it was just like our tagline says: a live music joint. That’s what it is: it’s a joint, it’s a restaurant, it’s a bar and it’s all centered around live music. We just had really good feedback. The customers loved it, the musicians loved it, and we have always had a great crew. So we started expanding in 2008 and it’s just opened up a couple of years since then. We’re up to 17 locations in 16 cities.
When did you guys start putting together the Tin Roof tours?
The thing about Tin Roof is we’re not a touring venue, we’re not a concert venue and we’re also not just a restaurant. We do a little bit of everything, but ever since we really opened the second spot, we’ve had friends, musicians and Music Row [industry members] hit us up saying, ‘Hey man, what about this show here and there?’ So it’s organically grown as we’ve opened more spots. We’ve now got a nice routing system [across the United States.] Although it’s not our core focus of the concept since we’re a full service bar and restaurant, we have live music every single night regardless if we have a tour coming through or not, we’re open.
More stages equal more opportunities for the music community—and that’s not just tours. It’s also about the locals, the local sound engineers get to work and get a full-time job so they’re available when the tourists and the festivals come through, the local musicians get stages to play on a lot. They get better, they build their own music community. Then we’ve got the folks from Nashville and other cities that connect the dots so they can go tour and build a fan base.
How has the pandemic affected Tin Roof’s growth?
It all comes down to everything we did for those 18 years before the pandemic is what allowed us to survive the pandemic. And by that I mean, hiring really good people, having good people that work for us, a good organizational culture, good relationships with musicians, good relationships with our landlords and everyone else; that has allowed us to stretch into those relationships and pull together. But it’s been our managers and our bartenders, servers, sound engineers, cooks and chefs. That’s it. If we didn’t have the team that we have, I don’t know how we would’ve made it through.
When it came time to bring live music back, we have great relationships with musicians who wanted to come out and play and understood that things would be a little bit different than it was before, so they worked with us on a few things.
At what point in an artists career can they really benefit the most from the Tin Roof circuit and community?
You think of Florida Georgia Line, they played eight or nine Tin Roof locations before they were hitting the radio. Buzz was really building for them when they were hitting the different Tin Roof cities, but all of a sudden we’re going, ‘Oh my gosh, these guys sold out every single one of our rooms on this tour.’ It helped get their name out, it helped them play. They were going to break it big no matter what, they were building a fan base when they came into the room, but I do think getting a little geographic exposure helps.
Luke Combs did a similar run through. By about that second show—and this is all credit to him and his team—he had built such a demand that he was selling out these shows before he hit radio. Having places and stages to play and connect those dots helps build upon some of the work that acts like that have already done, combined with great music of course. Luke Combs was going to be a superstar and Florida Georgia Line were going to be superstars with or without the Tin Roof, they earned it, but I think having places to get out there and play and connect the dots to get on the road does help. Artists that are on the cusp like that, it can help them by getting out there at the right times in a lot of cities.
And then the artists that are maybe a few stages behind that and might be breaking big in a little bit, it helps give them road time, practice time, stage time. It helps them organically connect with people on the ground. We bring in a lot of people and really, since we’re not a touring venue, what we do bring in is new eyeballs. If they’re going out and selling tickets just to their own shows, they’re strengthening their crowd and building upon it, but if they come into our room, all of a sudden they played to 100-200 people that maybe were there just to have a drink and a meal and they go, ‘Man, who is that?’ We see that a lot as well.
How can the Tin Roof help artists connect the dots?
Artists that put together a tour, but really need to connect the cities together [benefit from Tin Roof]. If they’re missing a few places that would help them stay out longer, it can help them be more efficient with their touring. They look at us and go, ‘Hey, I need a couple of these dates here.’ We’re a friendly stage, a friendly concept, a place to get you from A to C when you need B in the middle.
You spoke a little about FGL and Luke Combs, but of all the Tin Roof alumni, what are some of your favorite Tin Roof success stories?
At one point pre-pandemic, I looked at the top 40 on the Billboard charts for country music, 35 had played at Tin Roof at that point. It makes you proud to feel part of a community and help artists. I’m not one to take any credit for anyone else’s success—that’s not our role. These artists are talented and they’re going to break it big, but they do need stages. I’m proud of the consistency and the credibility over the years of having hosted some of these acts that are now playing stadiums and arenas. We’re just a small part of it, but it makes you feel good. We do live music every single night in 17 places. We probably end up producing over 10,000 music performances and sets a year.
Guys like Luke Bryan, I can remember when he did the Capitol Street Pub Crawl Insider Event. He played to a small crowd for a free show and he was an unsigned artist. Then all of a sudden, a year later we book him in our back parking lot and he’s playing to 1,500 people and that seemed like a pretty big deal. Then he played our Columbia, South Carolina parking lot and played the 5,000, which seemed like a big deal. And now of course, he’s playing to arenas and stadiums.
It’s also the people behind the scenes, the tour managers that get to share in that and to everyone else. [Rob Snyder], the guy who does our Revival 615 songwriter night on Tuesday nights had cut with Luke Combs that went to No. 1. That was a big deal for him. That’s the Nashville story: a guy grinding it and out networking, putting people together for writer’s nights and all of a sudden he gets his own cut and it goes No. 1.
What do you want the music industry to know about Tin Roof and its opportunities?
One thing about Tin Roof’s concept is that we approach the music industry with a little bit of humility. We appreciate the artists and the musicians coming through and being able to add to what we can. We’ve always been a pretty easy crew to work with.
We’re not a touring venue, so it’s not as easy as a plug-and-play route on these shows, so there’s a little bit of flexibility, but the network is out there and the ability to reach people. And we want to see people succeed. One of the things I’ll tell artists when they come through and play us for the first few times is I hope you outgrow us. My biggest hope for any artists is that someday they’ll go, ‘Remember when I used to have to play that small little joint right there. I can no longer play it. I’ve outgrown it.’ We can obviously never have Florida Georgia Line again, or Luke Combs, Luke Bryan, or Dierks Bentley because they’ve gotten so big, but it’s nice to know that they played our rooms.
UMG Nashville & Interscope Partnering For Kacey Musgraves Album
/by LB CantrellKacey Musgraves. Photo: Catherine Powell
UMG Nashville and Interscope Records have announced a unique partnership under which the two labels will jointly release the forthcoming new album by multi-Grammy Award winning singer-songwriter Kacey Musgraves. Under the new partnership agreement, both labels will collaborate together on marketing, radio promotion and international marketing for Musgraves’ upcoming release, which is set for later this year.
“I have never worked with anyone whose cultural reach is so vast,” says UMG Nashville CEO & Chairman, Mike Dungan. “This artist and her music have thrived in so many diverse environments. Kacey, the music, and the career deserve the broadest base of experience and expertise. We have discussed some type of cross label partnership for her music for a couple of years now and this is the perfect fit. We’re excited to partner with our friends at Interscope on the next chapter of Kacey Musgraves.”
“Kacey’s music has never had boundaries,” adds UMG Nashville President, Cindy Mabe. “Her clever songwriting, adept storytelling, vulnerable and real emotional delivery, and her overall ‘take me or leave me’ spirit have translated through genre, time, space and culture. She simply connects. As we begin to set up her new music, it made sense to once again push the boundaries to reach more fans around the world as we continue to serve the fans who have been here from the beginning.”
“Kacey is one of the most powerful storytellers in music today, a true albums artist who creates potent song collections that are timeless,” says Interscope Geffen A&M Chairman & CEO John Janick. “We are truly delighted to have her as part of our Interscope Records family and look forward to working alongside the UMG Nashville team and her manager Jason Owen to deliver this important project to audiences around the world.”
Musgraves’ 2018 album Golden Hour earned her third No. 1 debut on Billboard’s Top Country Albums chart and distinguished her as the third artist ever to take home Album of the Year at the Grammy Awards, CMA Awards, and ACM Awards. In support of the album, Musgraves played the biggest venues of her career, including New York City’s Radio City Music Hall and her first headlining arena show at Nashville’s Bridgestone Arena. She also became the first-ever female country artist to play Coachella.
Brad Paisley To Headline Music City’s July 4th Celebration
/by Lorie HollabaughBrad Paisley. Photo: Justin Kaicles
Brad Paisley will headline the return of Nashville’s giant July 4th celebration on Lower Broadway this year following its cancellation in 2020 due to the pandemic. The Let Freedom Sing! event, presented by Dr Pepper, will feature the largest fireworks show in Nashville history with the pyrotechnics synchronized to a live performance by the Nashville Symphony. Paisley was previously scheduled to headline in 2020, and agreed to perform this year instead.
The free, family-friendly event has regularly drawn more than 200,000 and as many as 343,000 in 2019, and 250,000 in 2018. This will be the 18th annual celebration produced by the Nashville Convention & Visitors Corp and the 37th in the city. The concert stage will be located at First and Broadway, and the Nashville Symphony will perform at Ascend Amphitheater at the conclusion of the multi-genre concert. Additional acts will be announced in the coming weeks.
“After the year that Nashville has had, from a tornado to a bombing, Nashvillians deserve something to look forward to coming out of the pandemic,” says Butch Spyridon, President and CEO, Nashville Convention & Visitors Corp. “More than ever, we want to deliver a world-class concert and fireworks show to commemorate July 4th and give back to our community. As well, our visitors have always supported us through challenges, and this is the perfect way to welcome them back and welcome live music back to Music City.”
Let Freedom Sing! is expected to be Nashville’s first major post-pandemic event. The NCVC is being guided by the Mayor’s Office and Metro Public Health on health and safety measures. Due to COVID-19, last year’s event was reworked as a television show with no public concert, spectators or fireworks.
Tin Roof’s Bob Franklin Talks The Spirit Of The ‘Live Music Joint’ [Interview]
/by LB CantrellTin Roof has sat on Demonbreun Hill since 2002, housing songwriter rounds and live music for nearly two decades.
The company has grown significantly over the past few years and now has 17 locations across the US, supporting a lot of new talent out of Nashville. In addition to its two Nashville locations, Tin Roof has establishments in in Alabama, South Carolina, Indiana, Florida, North Carolina, Michigan, Kentucky, California, and more. Tin Roof’s inside stage capacities range from 300-1,200 (pre-pandemic), and most of the locations do outdoor concerts ranging from 600-2,500 pre-pandemic capacities.
Artists including Luke Bryan, Florida Georgia Line, Luke Combs, Dustin Lynch, and many more have made fans out of patrons on Tin Roof’s circuit.
The CEO of Tin Roof, Bob Franklin, recently spoke with MusicRow to discuss the growth of the circuit over the last 19 years.
MusicRow: Tell me about starting the Tin Roof brand.
We just celebrated our 19th anniversary last month in February, so we’re on year 20 right now. The original spot is on Demonbreun close to Music Row. It was never created as something we were going to expand on or build a brand around, it was just like our tagline says: a live music joint. That’s what it is: it’s a joint, it’s a restaurant, it’s a bar and it’s all centered around live music. We just had really good feedback. The customers loved it, the musicians loved it, and we have always had a great crew. So we started expanding in 2008 and it’s just opened up a couple of years since then. We’re up to 17 locations in 16 cities.
When did you guys start putting together the Tin Roof tours?
The thing about Tin Roof is we’re not a touring venue, we’re not a concert venue and we’re also not just a restaurant. We do a little bit of everything, but ever since we really opened the second spot, we’ve had friends, musicians and Music Row [industry members] hit us up saying, ‘Hey man, what about this show here and there?’ So it’s organically grown as we’ve opened more spots. We’ve now got a nice routing system [across the United States.] Although it’s not our core focus of the concept since we’re a full service bar and restaurant, we have live music every single night regardless if we have a tour coming through or not, we’re open.
More stages equal more opportunities for the music community—and that’s not just tours. It’s also about the locals, the local sound engineers get to work and get a full-time job so they’re available when the tourists and the festivals come through, the local musicians get stages to play on a lot. They get better, they build their own music community. Then we’ve got the folks from Nashville and other cities that connect the dots so they can go tour and build a fan base.
How has the pandemic affected Tin Roof’s growth?
It all comes down to everything we did for those 18 years before the pandemic is what allowed us to survive the pandemic. And by that I mean, hiring really good people, having good people that work for us, a good organizational culture, good relationships with musicians, good relationships with our landlords and everyone else; that has allowed us to stretch into those relationships and pull together. But it’s been our managers and our bartenders, servers, sound engineers, cooks and chefs. That’s it. If we didn’t have the team that we have, I don’t know how we would’ve made it through.
When it came time to bring live music back, we have great relationships with musicians who wanted to come out and play and understood that things would be a little bit different than it was before, so they worked with us on a few things.
At what point in an artists career can they really benefit the most from the Tin Roof circuit and community?
You think of Florida Georgia Line, they played eight or nine Tin Roof locations before they were hitting the radio. Buzz was really building for them when they were hitting the different Tin Roof cities, but all of a sudden we’re going, ‘Oh my gosh, these guys sold out every single one of our rooms on this tour.’ It helped get their name out, it helped them play. They were going to break it big no matter what, they were building a fan base when they came into the room, but I do think getting a little geographic exposure helps.
Luke Combs did a similar run through. By about that second show—and this is all credit to him and his team—he had built such a demand that he was selling out these shows before he hit radio. Having places and stages to play and connect those dots helps build upon some of the work that acts like that have already done, combined with great music of course. Luke Combs was going to be a superstar and Florida Georgia Line were going to be superstars with or without the Tin Roof, they earned it, but I think having places to get out there and play and connect the dots to get on the road does help. Artists that are on the cusp like that, it can help them by getting out there at the right times in a lot of cities.
And then the artists that are maybe a few stages behind that and might be breaking big in a little bit, it helps give them road time, practice time, stage time. It helps them organically connect with people on the ground. We bring in a lot of people and really, since we’re not a touring venue, what we do bring in is new eyeballs. If they’re going out and selling tickets just to their own shows, they’re strengthening their crowd and building upon it, but if they come into our room, all of a sudden they played to 100-200 people that maybe were there just to have a drink and a meal and they go, ‘Man, who is that?’ We see that a lot as well.
How can the Tin Roof help artists connect the dots?
Artists that put together a tour, but really need to connect the cities together [benefit from Tin Roof]. If they’re missing a few places that would help them stay out longer, it can help them be more efficient with their touring. They look at us and go, ‘Hey, I need a couple of these dates here.’ We’re a friendly stage, a friendly concept, a place to get you from A to C when you need B in the middle.
You spoke a little about FGL and Luke Combs, but of all the Tin Roof alumni, what are some of your favorite Tin Roof success stories?
At one point pre-pandemic, I looked at the top 40 on the Billboard charts for country music, 35 had played at Tin Roof at that point. It makes you proud to feel part of a community and help artists. I’m not one to take any credit for anyone else’s success—that’s not our role. These artists are talented and they’re going to break it big, but they do need stages. I’m proud of the consistency and the credibility over the years of having hosted some of these acts that are now playing stadiums and arenas. We’re just a small part of it, but it makes you feel good. We do live music every single night in 17 places. We probably end up producing over 10,000 music performances and sets a year.
Guys like Luke Bryan, I can remember when he did the Capitol Street Pub Crawl Insider Event. He played to a small crowd for a free show and he was an unsigned artist. Then all of a sudden, a year later we book him in our back parking lot and he’s playing to 1,500 people and that seemed like a pretty big deal. Then he played our Columbia, South Carolina parking lot and played the 5,000, which seemed like a big deal. And now of course, he’s playing to arenas and stadiums.
It’s also the people behind the scenes, the tour managers that get to share in that and to everyone else. [Rob Snyder], the guy who does our Revival 615 songwriter night on Tuesday nights had cut with Luke Combs that went to No. 1. That was a big deal for him. That’s the Nashville story: a guy grinding it and out networking, putting people together for writer’s nights and all of a sudden he gets his own cut and it goes No. 1.
What do you want the music industry to know about Tin Roof and its opportunities?
One thing about Tin Roof’s concept is that we approach the music industry with a little bit of humility. We appreciate the artists and the musicians coming through and being able to add to what we can. We’ve always been a pretty easy crew to work with.
We’re not a touring venue, so it’s not as easy as a plug-and-play route on these shows, so there’s a little bit of flexibility, but the network is out there and the ability to reach people. And we want to see people succeed. One of the things I’ll tell artists when they come through and play us for the first few times is I hope you outgrow us. My biggest hope for any artists is that someday they’ll go, ‘Remember when I used to have to play that small little joint right there. I can no longer play it. I’ve outgrown it.’ We can obviously never have Florida Georgia Line again, or Luke Combs, Luke Bryan, or Dierks Bentley because they’ve gotten so big, but it’s nice to know that they played our rooms.
A2IM Announces Keynote Speakers For Indie Week 2021
/by Lorie HollabaughThe American Association of Independent Music will host its annual conference, A2IM Indie Week presented by SoundExchange, as a virtual global conference this year. The largest independent music conference in the world, Indie Week runs from June 14 to June 17, featuring four days of keynotes, workshops, panels, and international networking opportunities.
Keynote speakers for this year’s event include U.S. Rep. Hakeem Jeffries; Marian Lee Dicus and Jeremy Erlich, VPs, Global Co-Heads of Music, Spotify; and Pat Chin, Co-Founder of VP Records (a member of A2IM). The leaders will offer perspectives on the organization’s three key pillars—advocacy, education, and community—in discussions that span across the key role that streaming plays for artists, the struggles faced by creatives over the past year due to the pandemic, diversity in independent music, and how support from legislators is essential in empowering and protecting independent.
Congressman Jeffries has been the U.S. Representative for New York’s 8th Congressional district since 2013 and is a co-author of the Music Modernization Act. As Vice Presidents & Co-Heads of Music at Spotify, Dicus and Erlich lead a global team focused on delivering a best-in-class experience for both Spotify users as well as artists and their teams. A 60-year veteran in the music industry, Chin was the first woman to receive a Lifetime Achievement Award at the A2IM Libera Awards and as co-founder of the Queens, NY-based reggae label VP Records, nurtured the careers of artists such as Bob Marley & the Wailers, Elephant Man, Estelle, Junior Reid, Raging Fyah, and many more.
Featuring keynotes, panels, exclusive networking sessions, and more, A2IM Indie Week has historically drawn an attendance of over 1,200 participants from more than 30 countries. A2IM Indie Week 2020 was slated to take place in New York City, but in response to COVID-19 lockdowns, A2IM took Indie Week 2020 online. A2IM Indie Week 2021 will feature innovative and seamless ways for attendees to network and connect in the virtual environment. On its final day, A2IM Indie Week 2021 will culminate in the capstone event—the 10th Anniversary A2IM Libera Awards.
A2IM Indie Week is presented by SoundExchange, and sponsored by Bandcamp, Ingrooves, Merlin, Musiio, Qobuz, Songtrust, Spotify, and Vydia. Tickets are available now.
Brent Cobb Set To Publish Children’s Book ‘Little Stuff’
/by Steven BoeroBrent Cobb with his two children. Photo: Andrew Hutto
Country artist and Grammy Award nominee Brent Cobb will be publishing his first ever children’s book Little Stuff on Father’s Day, June 20.
Cobb’s book was inspired by his song “Little Stuff” off of his critically acclaimed record Keep ‘Em On They Toes. In conjunction with the book, an animated music video for the song has been released.
“Each album I’ve made since Shine On Rainy Day has been written with my kids in mind,” says Cobb. “I’ve always wanted to make sure they knew where daddy’s heart was in the event something happened and I wasn’t around anymore. It was that same inspiration that inspired this book to come to be. Also, we were all children once upon a time. Can’t you still remember when all that really mattered was just the little stuff?”
The book is published through Cobb’s Ol’ Buddy Publishing and is animated by Delaney Royer. Little Stuff is available for preorder now, in addition to variety of merchandise bundles including t-shirts, koozies, baby onesies and more.
Mechanical Licensing Collective Completes First Royalty Distribution
/by Lorie HollabaughThe distribution process started in February, and the royalty pool for all usage data reported to The MLC totaled more than $53 million when calculated at the applicable statutory rates. The MLC was then able to match approximately 80 percent of the royalties reported to musical works registered in its public database, a figure in line with industry benchmarks for initial matching results. Once the matching work was completed, The MLC established which uses were covered by voluntary licenses between the DSPs and copyright owners – a substantial portion in this case – and thus needed to be carved out of each DSP’s blanket license.
After carving out the matched uses covered by voluntary licenses, The MLC determined that the remaining amount of mechanical royalties owed by DSPs to the MLC totaled more than $40 million. Those royalties were collected and then included in the monthly distribution process, the results of which are:
All of the royalties currently pending distribution will accrue interest until they are distributed, as required by the MMA.
“The completion of The MLC’s first monthly processing of royalties and the payment of more than $24 million in royalties directly to rightsholders represents another step toward realizing the promise of the Music Modernization Act,” said Alisa Coleman, Chair of The MLC’s Board of Directors.
Kris Ahrend, The MLC’s CEO, added: “Thanks to the hard work and diligence of our team, and the cooperation and support of our many partners, we have now begun fulfilling our important mission of ensuring that rightsholders receive their proper share of the blanket mechanical royalties paid by DSPs.”
ACM Awards Ratings Slip, But Still Top Sunday Night’s Programming
/by Steven BoeroCBS’ coverage of Sunday night’s ACM Awards saw its ratings at the top of all broadcast for the evening with a rating of 0.8 in the adults 18-49 demographic, drawing nearly 6.08 million viewers and beating out 60 Minutes (.06 rating; 8.17 million viewers) and American Idol (0.7 rating; 4.64 million viewers), according to Deadline.
Though topping all programs on Sunday night, the annual award show’s ratings were at an all-time low. Last year’s show drew in 6.60 million viewers and garnered a rating of 1.0, which was down from 2019’s ACM Awards which drew 9.9 million viewers (and a 1.6 rating in the 18-49 demo).
The ACM Awards featured performances from Miranda Lambert, Luke Combs, Chris Stapleton and more at some of Nashville’s most legendary venues: Grand Ole Opry House, Nashville’s historic Ryman Auditorium, The Bluebird Cafe, Broadway, Riverfront and the Station Inn.. American Idol judge Luke Bryan also walked away with the prestigious Entertainer of the Year award.
On social media, the show led as the No. 1 trend on Twitter and drove more than 9.7 billion potential impressions. The 2021 Awards were the most social ACM Awards of the last few years, beating the 2020 ACM Awards (4.1 billion) last September and the 2019 ACM Awards (3.8B billion) on April 7, 2019. Last night, the ACM Awards trended within the top 10 in the US on Twitter—#ACMAwards trended for 9 hours and peaked at No. 1 according to NetBase.
Big Yellow Dog Music Promotes Three In Sync Department
/by Steven BoeroAlex Stefano, Sophie Hopkins, Nicole Rhodes
Big Yellow Dog Music has announced the promotion of three members of their Sync Department including Alex Stefano to Vice President, Sophie Hopkins to Director, and Nicole Rhodes to Senior Coordinator.
Stefano joined BYDM full-time in 2015 and was previously the general manager of creative in the sync department. Over the past year, Stefano has led BYDM’s sync department to major placements such as Leah Nobel’s “Beginning, Middle, and End” in Netflix’s To All The Boys (Always + Forever), and film placements in Land, Finding Ohana, Promising Young Woman, and more. The team has landed TV placements including Grey’s Anatomy, Station 19, How To Get Away With Murder, Love Island US, and Good Trouble, as well as ad placements for companies such as Motorola, Microsoft, Google Chromebook, and more. In her new role Stefano will oversee the company’s sync department in signing and developing writers, artists and producers, and landing sync placements across all mediums.
“Don’t mess with Alex Stefano, she can beat you at Broadway Trivia! Her skills at creating songs for sync run deep,” says BYDM Co-Owner and CEO Carla Wallace. “She has a keen ear for what works in her market, combined with her passion, this is a great win for BYD. Congrats Alex.”
Hopkins joined BYDM in 2018 and previously worked as the creative manager of sync. In her new role, she will continue to nurture success for BYDM writers/artists by focusing on sync across all mediums, as well as signing and developing new writers, artists and producers. Rhodes joined full-time in 2019 and worked previously as the creative coordinator of sync. She will continue to work on behalf of BYDM writers, producers, and artists, to book them in sessions and find sync opportunities across all mediums.
“Sophie and Nicole bring such confidence and infectious energy to our team,” says Stefano. “They are passionate and dedicated to seeing our writers succeed and bring a lot of ideas to the table that elevates our department and the company.”
Artist Action: Blake Shelton, Mitchell Tenpenny, Willie Jones
/by Lorie HollabaughBlake Shelton Celebrates Ole Red Orlando With Full Band Show
Blake Shelton. Photo: Matt Jylha.
Blake Shelton recently marked his first visit to Ole Red Orlando with a full band performance for a limited number of frontline workers and special guests.
“I wanted to come here and do a proper grand opening,” said Shelton. “Even if it’s not the same as having this whole room full of people, we are going to pretend it is tonight. If you haven’t been to Ole Red before, hopefully by the end of tonight you’ll know that’s what this is all about: having fun and seeing live music.”
The fourth Ole Red location opened at Orlando’s ICON Park last Summer, and Shelton called the night an unofficial rehearsal for his performance on Sunday’s ACM awards. Earlier in the day, Shelton was joined by Ryman Hospitality Properties Chairman and CEO Colin Reed for a press event hosted by WSM and Circle TV’s Bill Cody where they discussed the recovery of the music and hospitality industries, the inspiration behind the Ole Red brand, and Blake’s first full-band performance in more than a year. Shelton also presented Ole Red Orlando with a special outfit he wore on NBC’s The Voice along with an outfit worn by fiancé Gwen Stefani. Both outfits are now on display at the venue.
Mitchell Tenpenny Joins Music City Baseball Music Industry Advisory Board
The singer showcased his involvement through a newly-released video for the piano version of his song “Bucket List.” The song currently has over 18 million on-demand streams and features Tenpenny rocking his vintage Nashville Stars jersey, which pays homage to the legendary Negro Leagues teams who played in Nashville in the 1940s prior to the integration of Major League Baseball.
Tenpenny hopes to encourage his fans to broaden their yearly resolutions into life goals, and live every day to the fullest. While filming the song’s original video in Arizona, Tenpenny was able to check off a few of his bucket list items and now he’s adding a major item to the list – bringing Major League Baseball to his hometown! “Growing up in Nashville, it’s always been a dream to have a Major League team here. This city is perfect for it. I am excited to get involved and actively pursue this item on my bucket list,” says Tenpenny.
Tenpenny joins Justin Timberlake, Darius Rucker, Kane Brown, Bobby Bones and Luke Combs, among others, in providing strategic counsel and generating community excitement around Nashville being home to a Major League Baseball team.
Willie Jones Teams With Spotify For Rodeo-Inspired Short Film
The film celebrates the release of his enigmatic debut album Right Now, and was directed by NY-based director Luis Santos. The film also highlights Jones’ genre-bending sound, his positive messages of being present and right now in the moment, and the enduring spirit of cowboy and rodeo culture which infuses his music and inspired the film. Set on a ranch outside of Nashville, the film also features a diverse cast of cowboys and cowgirls who were enlisted in partnership with the Bill Pickett Rodeo, a well-respected collective in the rodeo community that celebrates and honors Black cowboys and cowgirls and their contributions to building the west.
“Some characteristics aligned in rodeo culture that I think align with myself—having a good time,” says Jones. “They are rockstars in their own right. If you’re getting put up against bulls and horses, you know what I’m saying, you have to love that. And I love what I do and I like to have a good time doing it.”
The film is available to watch now.
Taylor Swift Makes Top Five On MusicRow Top Songwriter Chart
/by LB CantrellWith her songs “Love Story,” “Mr. Perfectly Fine,” and “You All Over Me” performing exceptionally well on the country charts, Taylor Swift jumps to No. 4 on the MusicRow Top Songwriter Chart.
Jesse Frasure spends his fifth week at No. 1 this week as a co-writer on Jordan Davis’ “Almost Maybes,” Blake Shelton’s “Minimum Wage,” Thomas Rhett’s “What’s Your Country Song,” and Michael Ray’s “Whiskey And Rain.” Corey Crowder and Josh Osborne round out the top three on the MusicRow Top Songwriter Chart.
The weekly MusicRow Top Songwriter Chart uses algorithms based upon song activity according to airplay, digital download track sales and streams. This unique and exclusive addition to the MusicRow portfolio is the only songwriter chart of its kind.
Click here to view the full MusicRow Top Songwriter Chart.