Bob Valentine, Kent Hoskins
Concord CFO Bob Valentine has been promoted to President of the company and current Concord Music Publishing CFO Kent Hoskins is rising to Concord CFO. Both Valentine and Hoskins are assuming their new responsibilities immediately and report to Concord CEO Scott Pascucci.
In his new role, Valentine will continue to work closely with Pascucci to guide the company’s overall business strategy and in tandem with the rest of the senior executive team, will lead Concord’s efforts to grow via additional acquisitions, furthering the interests of Concord’s artists, writers, composers, playwrights and partners and helping expand its reach into new markets centered around music and music-related IP.
Nashville-based, Valentine began his association with Concord in 1999, when he worked as Vice President of Business Development for Norman Lear’s Act III Entertainment. In 2001, he joined the business development department of Fox Entertainment’s television division. Four years later he returned to Concord as CFO of the newly-formed Concord Music Group, Inc. When Concord merged with Village Roadshow Entertainment Group, in 2008, he subsequently served dual roles as CFO of Concord and SVP of Business Development for Village Roadshow. Upon Village Roadshow’s decision to divest of Concord in 2013, he helped manage its sale and stayed with the company as CFO and COO. In 2015, Concord Music Group merged with Bicycle Music, and rebranded as Concord in 2019, and Valentine was named CFO of the overall group upon the merger. During his career Valentine helped deploy over $1.5 billion of equity and debt capital to acquire music and theatrical rights and was a key contributor in driving Concord’s growth from an $8 million/year jazz record label to a $500 million + revenue global company. Before joining Act III, Valentine received his M.B.A. degree from U.C.L.A.’s Anderson School of Management. He began his career as a financial analyst in investment banking at Morgan Stanley.
“Bob has been a key contributor to Concord’s evolution and growth over the better part of twenty years. He takes great pride in the history and culture of the company and understands as well as any of us the work and dedication that our entire team has invested in the dramatic evolution of Concord. This is a well-deserved promotion in recognition of his invaluable contributions to the future vision of Concord,” says Pascucci. “He will be replaced by Kent Hoskins, another extraordinary executive who has been serving as CFO of both Concord Music Publishing and Concord Theatricals. His transition to CFO of the entire company will be seamless and the entire Board looks forward to working even more closely with Kent in the coming years.”
“I’m extraordinarily proud and humbled by the growth and success of Concord, and even more thankful for the many, many people who have worked so hard to make Concord what it is today. Scott, our Board and I have developed an outstanding working partnership and I look forward to continuing our collective mission to make Concord the leading independent, worldwide leader in the music industry,” says Valentine.
A New Zealand native, Hoskins was a Chartered Accountant with PricewaterhouseCoopers. He joined Boosey & Hawkes Music Publishers as Group Financial Controller in 2001, working on both the public to private transaction, and the subsequent sale to the Dutch national pension fund backed Imagem in 2008. Hoskins was made Imagem UK CFO and in 2015 was promoted to the global board with the new position of Global Head of Finance. In 2017, following the acquisition of Imagem by Concord, he was promoted to CFO of Concord Music Publishing. He has successfully completed a number of catalogue and company acquisitions, including Samuel French, Pulse Music Group and Sikorski.
“Having worked in the music industry for almost 20 years, I am honored and delighted to be taking up the Concord CFO role,” says Hoskins. “The team at Concord persistently delivers the creative passion and stewardship of their artists, writers and authors with an astute and highly successful growth strategy. I look forward to Concord continuing that success and thank Scott Pascucci and Bob Valentine for their continued support.”
B.J. Thomas Battling Stage Four Lung Cancer
/by Lorie HollabaughB.J. Thomas
B.J. Thomas has revealed he has been diagnosed with stage four lung cancer. The Grammy, CMA, and Dove award-winning pop, country, and gospel artist is currently receiving treatment in a Texas health care facility, and is hopeful for a complete recovery.
“I just wanted to take this unique opportunity to share my gratitude to Gloria, my wonderful wife and my rock for over 53 years, my family, friends, and fans. I’m so blessed to have had the opportunity to record and perform beautiful songs in pop, country, and gospel music, and to share those wonderful songs and memories around the world with millions of you. I ask all of you for your prayers during this time and that my music can live on with you,” Thomas says.
Thomas has sold over 70 million albums worldwide and achieved eight No. 1s and 26 Top 10s throughout his 50 year-career in the music industry. He is ranked as one of Billboard’s Top 50 Most Played Artists Over The Past 50 Years, and is known for hits like the classic “Raindrops Keep Fallin’ On My Head,” “Hooked On A Feeling,” “I’m So Lonesome I Could Cry,” “I Just Can’t Help Believing,” “(Hey Won’t You Play) Another Somebody Done Somebody Wrong Song,” and “Don’t Worry Baby.” Thomas plans to continue to interact with industry colleagues and fans, and remains optimistic about his availability to make public appearances.
Taylor Lindsey Appointed As Head Of A&R At Sony Music Nashville
/by LB CantrellTaylor Lindsey. Photo: Jessica Amerson
Sony Music Nashville has announced the appointment of Taylor Lindsey to oversee the company’s A&R Department as Senior Vice President, A&R. In her new post, Lindsey will work with the label’s roster, and she will continue to sign and develop talent. She will report to Randy Goodman, Sony Music Nashville’s Chairman and CEO.
The news follows the announcement that Jim Catino would be leaving his post as Executive Vice President of A&R when his contract ends on July 1, 2021.
“It is not often that we can so quickly and naturally look to an internal candidate to succeed a notable executive but there was never any doubt that Taylor Lindsey should fill this role. Since I arrived at Sony Music Nashville, Taylor has become a crucial part of our company. Her early and on-going work with Maren Morris, Luke Combs, Old Dominion, Mitchell Tenpenny and most recently Niko Moon gives me great confidence that she is the right executive at the right time to lead Sony Music Nashville’s A&R team to the next level,” Goodman says.
“I’m very excited to step into this new role and am so grateful for the opportunity to further the legacy of A&R at Sony Music Nashville. None of this would be possible without the mentorship and guidance I’ve received from Jim Catino over the course of my career. We have an amazing A&R team and a unique approach to artist development that offers our gifted artist roster unmatched commitment for the next evolution in their careers,” says Lindsey.
Lindsey joined the SMN A&R department in 2013. Prior to taking on this current expanded role, Lindsey was directly involved with the development of artists such as Old Dominion, Luke Combs, Maren Morris, Ryan Hurd and Mitchell Tenpenny among others. She has been instrumental in working with Niko Moon on his Platinum-certified “Good Time” and Jameson Rodgers on his Gold-certified “Some Girls Do.” Before joining Sony Music Nashville, Lindsey was at BMG where she signed and developed the careers of songwriters and artists; she pitched the catalogs of 13 chart-topping songwriters, including her award-winning sister, Hillary Lindsey. Moving to Nashville following four years at the University of Georgia, the sister team created Raylene Music which was later acquired by BMG.
Lindsey resides in Nashville with her husband, Grammy nominated songwriter Derrick Southerland, and their daughter, Lyle.
Weekly Register: Morgan Wallen’s ‘Dangerous’ Scores 10th Week Atop The Charts
/by Lorie HollabaughMorgan Wallen. Photo: John Shearer
Morgan Wallen’s Dangerous: The Double Album project has set up camp at the top of the all genre and country album charts for a 10th consecutive week. The album is the top album this year to date on the all genre chart as well, with 1.2 million in total consumption according to Nielsen.
Luke Combs continues to hold steady in the No. 2 and No. 3 spots on the albums chart with What You See Is What You Get earning 27K total this week and This One’s For You earning 17K. Wallen reappears at No. 4 with his If I Know Me and Chris Stapleton rounds out the top five with Starting Over.
Wallen’s single “Wasted on You” also remains the top country streaming song (No. 38 overall) at 7 million this week and 101 million RTD. Gabby Barrett is in second position with “The Good Ones” racking up 6.6 million streams, and Niko Moon comes in at No. 3 with his “Good Time” at 6.5 million. Stapleton’s “Starting Over” and Wallen’s “Sand In My Boots” round out the Top 5 on the chart at 6.2 million and 5.8 million streams, respectively.
Global Music Provider ONErpm Expands Operations To Nigeria
/by Lydia FarthingOsagie Osarenz. Photo: Mayor Otu
ONErpm, one of the world’s fastest growing independent music companies, announced today (March 23) that it will be opening its new office in Lagos, Nigeria. The Lagos office will join ONErpm’s existing offices in over 20 territories around the globe that have been in operation since the company’s founding in 2010, including New York City, Nashville, Atlanta, Miami, Los Angeles, Sao Paulo, Rio de Janeiro, Buenos Aires, Bogota, Mexico City, Madrid, Moscow, Lagos and Kingston.
“We are pleased to introduce our current African roster—which includes Flavour, Timaya, Laycon, Ada Ehi, Bella Shmurda, Reminisce, YCee, Umu Obiligbo, Kcee to name a few—and will continue adding artists under the direction of country manager Osagie Osarenz,” says Martin Price, director of A&R, North America and Afro-Caribbean operations. Osarenza adding, “These artists deserve to be heard. The goal is to consistently and innovatively add value to the African music industry.”
“These artists deserve to be heard,” Osarenz adds. “The goal is to consistently and innovatively add value to the African music industry.”
ONErpm has also recently announced a new, proprietary platform that aims to streamline user interface while also combining daily performance statistics and demographic consumption data. With three levels of service, ranging from DIY to professionally assisted support, the new website allows users to create advertising campaigns on social media and DSPs like Spotify and YouTube.
“With our renewed focus on direct to fan, combined with improved real-time data, we are preparing our company and our clients for what we believe is the next big wave of music consumption.” says ONErpm founder Emmanuel Zunz.
Average Joes Entertainment And The Real Regulators Form New Imprint
/by Lorie HollabaughAverage Joes Entertainment has partnered with TikTok creators @The_Real_Regulators to form the new imprint Regulators Entertainment. The comedy duo will release their debut mixtape, In A World Of OSHA Violations, on April 1.
The new project features songs from a lineup of Average Joes’ new country rap artists interspersed with comedic skits. Skit collaborators include fellow TikTok creators @TheyCallMeToby2, @OG_Taco, @SilverbackMel, @Rebel.The.Scum and @Sloowmoee. The mixtape was curated by Eddie Brown and Bobby Johnson of @The_Real_Regulators, and incorporates some of their favorite country rap songs that resonate with their diverse audience. Featured on the project are Average Joes’ country rappers Camo Brian, Charlie Farley, Austin Tolliver, Shelbykay, Tommy Chayne, Cypress Spring and J Rosevelt.
“We formed this partnership to empower TikTok creators like Eddie and Bobby to connect our music to their rapidly growing diverse audience. The partnership will also accelerate the reach of the brand,” stated Nathan Thompson, Head of Business Development for Average Joes.
In A World Of OSHA Violations Track List:
Brent Cobb And Kendell Marvel To Embark On Country Music For Grown Folks Tour
/by Lydia FarthingBrent Cobb, Kendell Marvel. Photo: Andrew Hutto
Brent Cobb and Kendell Marvel are heading out on the road this spring on the Country Music For Grown Folks Tour. This string of 12 acoustic shows kicks off May 6 at Tulsa, Oklahoma’s Cain’s Ballroom and will include stops in Alabama, Arkansas, Missouri, North Carolina, Tennessee, and Texas.
“Well, the time has finally come. Looking forward to getting back out to y’all with my ol’ buddy Kendell Marvel,” says Cobb.
Marvel adds, “There ain’t a better singer/songwriter than my buddy Brent Cobb. Can’t wait to hit the highway with him in May and throw some country on ‘em!”
Each of these shows will feature acoustic solo sets from both Cobb and Marvel as well as a collaborative stage showcasing songs they’ve written for other artists, such as Miranda Lambert, Luke Bryan, Little Big Town, Chris Stapleton, George Strait, and many more.
Tickets go on-sale this Wednesday, March 24 at 11 a.m. CST. All health and safety protocols are available at each venue’s website.
Country Music For Grown Folks Tour Confirmed Dates:
May 6—Tulsa, OK—Cain’s Ballroom
May 7—Kansas City, MO—Knuckleheads
May 8—Fayetteville, AR—George’s Majestic Lounge
May 9—Fort Smith, AR—Majestic
May 13—Austin, TX—Antone’s Nightclub
May 14—Houston, TX—The Heights Theater
May 15—New Braunfels, TX—Gruene Hall
May 16—Dallas, TX—The Kessler Theater
May 20—Decatur, AL—Princess Theatre Center
May 21—Chattanooga, TN—The Signal
May 22—Asheville, NC—Grey Eagle
May 23—Nashville, TN—City Winery
‘ACM Wine Down Wednesday’ Weekly Series To Return With New Performers
/by Lydia FarthingThe Academy of Country Music has announced the return of the ACM Wine Down Wednesday Series presented by 1000 Stories Bourbon Barrel-Aged Wine, the Academy’s official wine partner since 2019.
This virtual three-part series is set to stream every Wednesday from March 24 through April 7 and will include wine provided by 1000 Stories Wine, conversations, and intimate performances. These episodes will also highlight stories of the 56th ACM Awards New Artist nominees Jimmie Allen and Tenille Arts, as well as rising country music artist Kameron Marlowe.
Episodes will be available to stream live on the Academy of Country Music and 1000 Stories Wine official Facebook pages at 6 p.m. CST each week. These episodes will also be available for playback on ACM: The Hub for 30 days following the broadcasts.
On behalf of each artist, 1000 Stories Wine will be contributing a $2,000 donation to the ACM Lifting Lives COVID-19 Response Fund for individuals in the country music community who are currently on the waitlist for pandemic relief assistance.
Since its launch in July 2020, the ACM Wine Down Wednesday Series has featured Lindsay Ell, Caylee Hammack, Nicolle Gaylon, Maddie & Tae, Carly Pearce, Cassadee Pope, MacKenzie Porter, Tenille Townes, Hailey Whitters, and Lainey Wilson.
The upcoming ACM Wine Down Wednesday Presented by 1000 Stories Wine artist schedule is as follows:
Kameron Marlow – Wednesday, March 24 at 6 p.m. CST
Jimmie Allen – Wednesday, March 31 at 6 p.m. CST
Tenille Arts – Wednesday, April 7 at 6 p.m. CST
Industry Ink: John R. Miller, H.E.R. And Tauren Wells, EmiSunshine
/by Lorie HollabaughJohn R. Miller Inks With Rounder Records
“This song appears from the perspective of somebody who returns to a small hometown after some time away, attempting to avoid contact with an old flame while revisiting places they used to haunt together,” said Miller. “Ostensibly it was through the narrator’s own actions that the relationship soured, and he remembers it bittersweetly, if regretfully. Out of sight, out of mind, but it only works for so long, as sometimes we are inevitably drawn back to places that contain painful memories for us.”
Tauren Wells And H.E.R. Duet On New Single ‘Hold Us Together” (Hope Mix)’
Platinum artists Tauren Wells and H.E.R. have teamed up to release a new single “Hold Us Together (Hope Mix),” in a co-artist release by the RCA and Provident Entertainment artists. The two acclaimed singer-songwriters united their talents on H.E.R.’s song “Hold Us Together,” to create an empowering duet on this new rendition. Previously released as an original solo song by H.E.R. featured on the soundtrack of the Disney+ film Safety, the new single “Hold Us Together (Hope Mix)” will be released to radio on March 26. The fresh blend of their voices carry the words that shine a light and bring comfort to hold on through rocky times, written by H.E.R. and Josiah Bassey.
EmiSunshine Forms New Group Strong Armed Robbers
Strong Armed Robbers
EmiSunshine and her father, Randall Hamilton, have teamed up with singer-songwriter Fish Fisher to form new group Strong Armed Robbers. The trio’s debut single, “Judgement Day,” was recently released, with an album coming in late April. EmiSunshine appeared on American Idol on Sunday (March 21), where she made it to Hollywood week.
“The project reflects more of our ‘outlaw’ side within the Americana and country market,” Fisher says. “The song ‘Judgement Day’ is one of my favorites we’d ever written. It’s an insider’s look at the many pressures and rewards within the music industry. We gripe a little bit at first but also tap into the good things and people that keep you going in this wacky industry.”
Big Machine Label Group And Jaren Johnston Announce Unique Partnership
/by LB CantrellJaren Johnston. Photo: Kit Wood
Songwriter, producer, and The Cadillac Three frontman Jaren Johnston is partnering with Big Machine Label Group to collaborate on developing artists, as well as work with the label’s current roster. The unique partnership gives BMLG the first look at artists Johnston is developing, as well as lends his expertise on in-house projects for both A&R and production.
“Jaren is a favorite artist, writer, producer and person. When he rang me up about doing this together it was an immediate ‘yes’. He has free rein to go absolutely crazy and I can’t wait to see what he finds,” says BMLG Founder/CEO Scott Borchetta.
Johnston, who fronts the ACM nominated Group of the Year The Cadillac Three, has earned multiple awards nominations and written several No. 1 songs for other country artists. He was nominated for a Grammy award for Best Country Song with “Meanwhile Back At Mama’s” (Tim McGraw ft. Faith Hill), as well as ACM Awards Song of the Year for “Raise ‘Em Up” (Keith Urban ft. Eric Church), a track that added to his CMA Triple Play accolade for three chart-toppers in a 12-month period. The accomplishment also celebrated “Beachin’” (Jake Owen) and “Sunshine & Whiskey” (Frankie Ballard). He has also served as producer for Keith Urban, Steven Tyler, Darius Rucker, Sam Williams and Drake White, among others.
“I’ve been part of the Big Machine family for six years. Scott has always been a champion of me and my band, The Cadillac Three. This partnership made total sense as yet another creative outlet for me, and I’m excited to be working with him and his team on this new project. I’m stoked to discover, develop and produce some bad ass new talent,” says Johnston.
Concord Promotes Bob Valentine to President; Kent Hoskins Steps Into CFO Role
/by Lorie HollabaughBob Valentine, Kent Hoskins
Concord CFO Bob Valentine has been promoted to President of the company and current Concord Music Publishing CFO Kent Hoskins is rising to Concord CFO. Both Valentine and Hoskins are assuming their new responsibilities immediately and report to Concord CEO Scott Pascucci.
In his new role, Valentine will continue to work closely with Pascucci to guide the company’s overall business strategy and in tandem with the rest of the senior executive team, will lead Concord’s efforts to grow via additional acquisitions, furthering the interests of Concord’s artists, writers, composers, playwrights and partners and helping expand its reach into new markets centered around music and music-related IP.
Nashville-based, Valentine began his association with Concord in 1999, when he worked as Vice President of Business Development for Norman Lear’s Act III Entertainment. In 2001, he joined the business development department of Fox Entertainment’s television division. Four years later he returned to Concord as CFO of the newly-formed Concord Music Group, Inc. When Concord merged with Village Roadshow Entertainment Group, in 2008, he subsequently served dual roles as CFO of Concord and SVP of Business Development for Village Roadshow. Upon Village Roadshow’s decision to divest of Concord in 2013, he helped manage its sale and stayed with the company as CFO and COO. In 2015, Concord Music Group merged with Bicycle Music, and rebranded as Concord in 2019, and Valentine was named CFO of the overall group upon the merger. During his career Valentine helped deploy over $1.5 billion of equity and debt capital to acquire music and theatrical rights and was a key contributor in driving Concord’s growth from an $8 million/year jazz record label to a $500 million + revenue global company. Before joining Act III, Valentine received his M.B.A. degree from U.C.L.A.’s Anderson School of Management. He began his career as a financial analyst in investment banking at Morgan Stanley.
“Bob has been a key contributor to Concord’s evolution and growth over the better part of twenty years. He takes great pride in the history and culture of the company and understands as well as any of us the work and dedication that our entire team has invested in the dramatic evolution of Concord. This is a well-deserved promotion in recognition of his invaluable contributions to the future vision of Concord,” says Pascucci. “He will be replaced by Kent Hoskins, another extraordinary executive who has been serving as CFO of both Concord Music Publishing and Concord Theatricals. His transition to CFO of the entire company will be seamless and the entire Board looks forward to working even more closely with Kent in the coming years.”
“I’m extraordinarily proud and humbled by the growth and success of Concord, and even more thankful for the many, many people who have worked so hard to make Concord what it is today. Scott, our Board and I have developed an outstanding working partnership and I look forward to continuing our collective mission to make Concord the leading independent, worldwide leader in the music industry,” says Valentine.
A New Zealand native, Hoskins was a Chartered Accountant with PricewaterhouseCoopers. He joined Boosey & Hawkes Music Publishers as Group Financial Controller in 2001, working on both the public to private transaction, and the subsequent sale to the Dutch national pension fund backed Imagem in 2008. Hoskins was made Imagem UK CFO and in 2015 was promoted to the global board with the new position of Global Head of Finance. In 2017, following the acquisition of Imagem by Concord, he was promoted to CFO of Concord Music Publishing. He has successfully completed a number of catalogue and company acquisitions, including Samuel French, Pulse Music Group and Sikorski.
“Having worked in the music industry for almost 20 years, I am honored and delighted to be taking up the Concord CFO role,” says Hoskins. “The team at Concord persistently delivers the creative passion and stewardship of their artists, writers and authors with an astute and highly successful growth strategy. I look forward to Concord continuing that success and thank Scott Pascucci and Bob Valentine for their continued support.”