SOURCE Hall Of Fame Awards Set For August

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The 18th Annual SOURCE Hall of Fame Awards have been set for Tuesday, Aug. 25, 2020 at the Musicians Hall of Fame and Museum in the Municipal Auditorium in Nashville.

The annual awards honor and induct a select group of women into the SOURCE Hall of Fame who have made a significant impact on the Nashville entertainment industry. Inductees for 2020 will be announced soon. Info on how to purchase tickets, partnerships, and program ads will be released in the upcoming weeks.

The SOURCE Awards were established in 2003 to honor and pay respect to the women who helped shape and build upon Nashville’s entertainment industry. Founded in 1991, SOURCE is the longest running organization for females in the music industry in Nashville and is dedicated to fostering relationships and opportunities for its members through continuous education, networking, and community service initiatives.

Mary Forest Findley Returns To BBR Music Group

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Pictured (clockwise from top left): Findley, Coen, Powers, Peoples, Corrado

BBR Music Group/BMG Nashville has promoted one staffer and hired four new employees.

Mary Forest Findley has returned to the label group, as Director, Southeast Promotion for Stoney Creek Records.

Additionally, Jen Coen has been named Director, Brand Partnerships, while Tyler Corrado joins as Manager, Social Media and Fan Engagement, and Kelsey Peoples joins as Office Manager for the Nashville office. Sarah Powers has been named Executive Assistant to Jon Loba.

Findley previously worked as a manager at Red Light Management. She also served as VP, Sales/Marketing for Country Aircheck, and previously worked at BBR Music Group from 2013-2015 as VP, Marketing. She reports to Byron Kennedy, VP, Promotion for Stoney Creek Records.

Corrado previously worked in independent artist management/development/strategy, and was the co-founder and Chief Business Development Officer for a Nashville-based fan engagement platform. Corrado reports to BBR Music Group’s VP of Marketing, JoJamie Hahr.

Peoples joins BBR Music Group/BMG Nashville serving as the newly appointed Office Manager for the Nashville office. For the past five years, Peoples worked independently for clients in New York City, Kansas City, and Nashville providing office management, HR and accounting services. Peoples will report directly to BMG, VP of Operations, Ulrike Benn.

Powers is a recent graduate from MTSU where she earned a B.A. in Marketing. While attending MTSU, she interned with Lightning 100 and Live on the Green’s Marketing, Promotion, and Strategic Partnership departments. Additionally, she assisted Scott McGhee at One Degree Entertainment, as well as interning under Brooke Sanders for the CRB team focusing on Strategic Partnerships.

Jay DeMarcus’ Red Street Records Hires Mark Lusk, Promotes Don Koch

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Mark Lusk, Don Koch

Jay Demarcus‘ Red Street Records has announced a round of hirings and promotions.

Mark Lusk has joined as President/General Manager, while Don Koch has been promoted to Exec. VP, Creative/A&R.

Prior to his work at Red Street Records, Lusk served as President/General Manager for INPOP Records, where he oversaw projects including the Gold-selling Newsboys: God’s Not Dead, Newsboys Greatest Hits, and other top projects. Lusk is a partner with INPOP Studios. He spent six years with Warner Music Group, first as VP, Marketing for Atlantic Records in Nashville. He then took the reins as Sr. VP for Marketing for Word/Curb/Warner Brothers, where he helped spearhead Randy Travis’ 2003 chart-topping single “Three Wooden Crosses” and Travis’ album Rise and Shine, which earned a Grammy for Best Country Gospel Album. Lusk also served as Director, Marketing for Lifeway’s Broadman & Holman.

“We are bursting at the seams here at Red Street Records, and we are growing faster than I ever could’ve imagined,” DeMarcus says. “With that, I am so excited to have Mark Lusk enter into his new role as our President/General Manager. Mark is a proven veteran of the music industry, and his vast knowledge and expertise will be an exciting, extraordinary addition to our executive team. We are honored to have him. With these changes, Don Koch is promoted to Executive Vice President of Creative/A&R.”

Lusk says, “I’m proud to be joining the entire Red Street team. I’ve known Jay DeMarcus for many years and have always admired the way he walks out his faith in the public arena. And Don is an iconic producer and songwriter with an impressive legacy for writing and creating great music. The possibilities of this label are limitless and I’m grateful for the opportunity to contribute.”

Cambria Mackey, Taylor Day, Mary Thorsby

Additionally, the label has added several support staff, including Cambria Mackey, who will lead the Social Media and Digital Marketing department, and will also serve as Artist Development Manager. Taylor Day has been added as Marketing & Media Buying coordinator, and Mary Thorsby has joined as Executive Assistant.

DeMarcus launched Red Street Records in 2018; the label has since signed artists including Avalon, Lauren James, Reagan Strange and Cade Thompson.

Dierks Bentley, Sam Hunt, Lady A, Kane Brown Among iHeartCountry Festival Lineup

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Dierks Bentley, Sam Hunt, Lady Antebellum, Dustin Lynch, Kelsea Ballerini, Kane Brown, Jon Pardi, Chase Rice, Bentley’s ’90s country-immersed group Hot Country Knights, Bobby Bones and more will perform on the upcoming iHeartCountry Festival May 2. The one-day festival held at Frank Erwin Center in Austin will livestream exclusively on livexlive.com and broadcast live across iHeartMedia’s country stations in their local markets and at iHeartRadio.com.

“Now in its seventh year, the iHeartCountry Festival has undoubtedly become one of the most anticipated nights in country music,” said Rod Phillips, EVPP of iHeartCountry. “With an incredible roster of country music’s most popular artists, this year’s show will once again exceed listeners and viewers expectations, as the event broadcasts across our iHeartCountry stations nationwide and livestreams exclusively on LiveXLive.”

Tickets go on sale to the general public on Friday, Feb. 7 via TexasBoxOffice.com.

Laura Veltz Surpasses Ashley Gorley On MusicRow Top Songwriter Chart

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Laura Veltz has passed Ashley Gorley to hit the top spot on the MusicRow Top Songwriter Chart this week, with co-writer credits on “The Bones” (Maren Morris), “To A T” (Ryan Hurd) and “What If I Never Get Over You” (Lady Antebellum). Gorley occupies the No. 2 position.

Josh Osborne moves up to No. 3, Luke Combs advances to No. 4 and Jimmy Robbins to No. 5.

The weekly MusicRow Top Songwriter Chart, published every week, uses algorithms based upon song activity according to airplay, digital downloaded 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.

Weekly Register: Little Big Town’s ‘Nightfall’ Dawns At No. 1

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With the group’s latest full-length album, Nightfall, Little Big Town has debuted at No. 1 on the Top Country Albums chart, with the project moving 31K in total consumption in its debut week, according to Nielsen Soundscan.

Powerhouse Luke Combs takes the No. 2 and No. 3 spots, with What You See Is What You Get moving 23K and This One’s For You moving 16.5K, respectively.

Dustin Lynch‘s latest, Tullahoma, debuts at No. 4 this week, with 16.4K. Blake Shelton‘s Fully Loaded: God’s Country rounds out the Top 5 with 16K.

Recent Grammy winners Dan+Shay continue to dominate the country on-demand streaming chart this week with their Justin Bieber collab, “10,000 Hours.” The track earned 10.9 million streams in the past week.

The remainder of the Top 5 on-demand streaming country songs also remains the same as last week.

Maren Morris‘ “The Bones” stays at No. 2 again this week, earning 7.4 million streams. Old Dominion‘s “One Man Band” is at No. 3, with 6.4 million streams this week. Luke Combs’ “Even Though I’m Leavin'” is at No. 4 with 5.9 million streams this week, and Gabby Barrett‘s “I Hope” is at No. 5 with 5.6 million streams.

SOLID Elects New Board

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Pictured (L-R, back row): Amanda Quinton, Sean Fallon, Ryan Cunningham, Matt Alese, Jordan Lipsey, Rachel Guttmann, Darcie Van Etten, Amy Kadish, Lisa Peterson, Justin Tomlinson; (L-R, front row): Ellen Larson, Luke Pierce, Avery King, Nathan Pyle, Victoria Chaitoff, Brian O’Neil

The Society of Leaders in Development (SOLID) has announced its board for the organization’s 23rd year. The Executive Board will be comprised of President Nathan Pyle (Monument Records), Vice President Avery King (Elicity Public Relations), Treasurer Luke Pierce (WORKS Entertainment), and Secretary Victoria Chaitoff (Warner Music Nashville).

Committee Chairs for 2020 are as follows:
Ambassadorship Chair: Skyler Clark-Hamel (WME)
Ambassadorship Co-Chair: Sean Fallon (Indian Moon)
Communications Chair: Jordan Lipsey (615 Strategy & Leverage)
Communications Co-Chair: Matt Alese (Grayscale Marketing)
Community Outreach Chair: Ellen Larson (APA)
Community Outreach Co-Chair: Lisa Peterson (Collective Artist Management)
Education Chair: Amanda Quinton (Quinton Digital)
Education Co-Chair: Justin Tomlinson (RCA Inspiration)
Music Market Chair: Amy Kadish (Wiatr & Associates)
Music Market Co-Chair: Rachel Guttmann (Stephanie Taylor Law, PLLC)
Music Market Co-Chair: Darcie Van Etten (Country Radio Broadcasters)
Social Chair: Ryan Cunningham (NSAI)
Social Co-Chair: Mollie Jones (Paradigm)

“The excitement continues in 2020 following two consecutive record-breaking years,” said Pyle, who is serving his third term on the Executive Board and his first as president. “Not only are we taking on the challenge of meeting the achievements of the previous two years, but we’re continuing to expand all SOLID has to offer with the introduction of SOLID Shares.”

The SOLID Alumni Board also announced its new president and board members. The board will be led by President Brian O’Neil (Constellation Management) and includes the following members: Liz Rogers (Anacrusis Songs), Rachel Glidden (WMA), Sam Alex (Sam Alex Productions) and Collin Trudan (Ramsey Solutions).

Vince Gill, Ricky Skaggs, Dan Tyminski Among Bluegrass Nights At The Ryman Summer Lineup

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Vince Gill, Ricky Skaggs and Kentucky Thunder, The SteelDrivers, Dailey & Vincent, and more are set to perform at this Summer’s Springer Mountain Farms Bluegrass Nights at the Ryman series. The weekly Thursday night music shows will kick off on June 18 featuring a performance by the Del McCoury Band with The Lil Smokies.

Depending on weather, all performances will follow a pre-show “Pickin’ on the Plaza” event presented by Farm Bureau Health Plans on the Ryman’s 4th Avenue plaza that will feature live music from local bluegrass artists and bands presented by 650 AM WSM, food and drink specials from Cafe Lula, and giveaways and raffles.

Series passes and individual show tickets go on sale Saturday, Feb. 1, at 10 a.m. and will be available at ryman.com/bluegrass.

Springer Mountain Farms Bluegrass Nights at the Ryman 2020 Lineup:
June 18 – Del McCoury Band with The Lil Smokies
June 25 – Dan Tyminski and Molly Tuttle
July 2 – The SteelDrivers
July 9 – Ricky Skaggs and Kentucky Thunder
July 16 – Dailey & Vincent
July 23 – Vince Gill

Dewayne Brown Joins Copperline Music Group As Head of A&R And Label Acquisitions

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Dewayne Brown has been appointed Head of A&R and Label Acquisitions for Copperline Music Group.

Formerly in Label & Artist Development at The Orchard/Sony Music Entertainment, Brown began his career in 1979 working for CBS Records while he was a sophomore at Belmont University. Years later he found his niche under the Sony Music Entertainment umbrella, where he worked for over 25 years. During his tenure, Brown was instrumental in creating and developing distribution deals to multiple independent labels including Broken Bow Records (Jason Aldean), Black River Records (Kelsea Ballerini), Thirty Tigers (Sturgill Simpson) and many more.

“First and foremost, Dewayne is a record guy,” says Rusty Harmon, Partner/ Copperline Music Group. “Dewayne’s knowledge and experience in growing labels, distribution and building rosters are already proving to be a game-changer for CMG. We are proud and honored to call Dewayne a member of our team.”

“I am extremely thankful for the many years I’ve had working for so many ground-breaking artists and record labels,” says Brown. “I am honored to now be given the ability to focus on my deep passion for finding new talent, and developing label partnerships with the great folks at Copperline Music Group.”

Brown’s first artist signing is the Davisson Brothers Band. Straight from the hills of West Virginia, the band is composed of brothers Chris Davisson and Donnie Davisson, with Aaron Regester and Gerrod Bee. Featuring an authentic country sound rooted in time-honored Appalachian tradition and infused with Southern-rock energy, the band established themselves on tour around the nation with acts like Chris Janson, and also penned the theme song to ESPN’s Baseball Tonight. Their reflective single “Jesse James” was released in 2015, and played extensively on SiriusXM’s “The Highway.” The band made their Grand Ole Opry debut in 2019. They are managed by the Erv Woolsey Management Company.

Dan+Shay Earn Second Grammy Win

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Dan + Shay

Dan + Shay won their second Grammy for Best Country Duo/Group Performance on Sunday (Jan. 26) for “Speechless,” marking their second win in the category, following last year’s win for “Tequila.”

The duo’s Dan Smyers said, “This is one of the coolest moments ever,” before thanking his wife Abby. “Thank you Abby for inspiring this song and every song we write. Shay’s wife Hannah, who is home in Nashville, we love you.”

The duo thanked their label Warner Music Nashville, and managers Sandbox Entertainment mogul Jason Owen and SB Projects powerhouse Scooter Braun.

The win is the latest milestone for the duo, who recently topped four charts simultaneously with their Justin Bieber collaboration “10,000 Hours.” The duo is gearing up for their first U.S. arena headlining tour this year, featuring Ingrid Andress and The Band Camino.

“This is a dream come true,” Smyers summed.