Twelve exemplary tunesmiths have been revealed as the 2019 nominees for the Nashville Songwriters Hall of Fame (NaSHOF)—eight in the Songwriters category and four in the Songwriter/Artists category.

All nominees experienced their first significant (Top 20) songs at least 20 years ago. Two songwriters and one songwriter/artist, elected by their professional songwriter peers, will be inducted at the 49th Anniversary Nashville Songwriters Hall of Fame Gala on Monday, Oct. 14, at the Music City Center.

The three will be joined by a veteran songwriter and a veteran songwriter/artist elected by a separate body of veteran voters. Those nominees experienced their first significant (Top 20) songs at least 30 years ago. Nominees are not announced in these categories. All inductees will be announced later this summer, preceding the annual gala.

This year’s nominees in the Songwriter category are:
Shawn Camp
Ed Hill
Marcus Hummon
Archie Jordan
Kostas
Rivers Rutherford
Ronnie Rogers
Jerry Salley

The nominees in the Songwriter/Artist category are:
Toby Keith
Brad Paisley
Eddy Raven
Dwight Yoakam

The gala is the primary annual fundraiser for the nonprofit Nashville Songwriters Hall of Fame, whose mission is to honor Nashville’s rich legacy of songwriting excellence through preservation, celebration and education.

For information on seating and sponsorships, contact Reservations Coordinator Adria Keuning at Adria@nashvillesongwritersfoundation.com.

The fifth-annual Country LakeShake “Cheers-ed to Five Years” this weekend on the shores of Lake Michigan at Huntington Bank Pavilion at Northerly Island, offering fans a three-day, music-filled event, and earning a record high for attendance numbers in the process.

The festival welcomed an all-female performer lineup on Friday night (June 21), as artists including Miranda Lambert, Ashley Monroe, Angaleena Presley, Lindsay Ell, Maren Morris, Miranda Lambert, Cassadee Pope, and Lauren Alaina performed.

Others on the bill included Luke Bryan, Brett Young, Keith Urban, Midland, Morgan Evans, Ryan Hurd, Jon Langston, Mitchell Tenpenny, Clint Black and Granger Smith featuring Earl Dibbles Jr.

The DISH Presents Next From Nashville Stage offered performances from newcomers including Caylee Hammack, Rachel Wammack, Rita Wilson, Seaforth and Travis Denning.

Morris Higham Management is adding publishing to its list of client services, which already include music management, booking and production. Through a joint venture among MHM President Clint Higham, Kobalt Music and recent addition to MHM, publishing industry veteran and manager Robert Filhart, newly established Toby and Molly Music, LLC creates unique opportunities for writer/artist-friendly deals. The venture’s first signee is 22-year-old songwriter Chase Wright.

“It’s challenging for new artists to focus on their art when the stress of commerce and business occupies their days,” Higham says. “Logically it was the next step in the full-service model we offer our clients, intended so they have the freedom to focus on the music. We all benefit when that happens.”

Filhart first introduced Wright to MHM for management following months of development during his previous tenure at ASCAP.

“Chase’s voice paired with his work ethic and drive for entertaining really stuck out to me when we were first introduced to him over a year ago. This new publishing venture further enhances the artist/management experience while providing added value to their creative services needs.” Filhart says. “The names ‘Toby and Molly’ are to honor my father’s legacy as they were the first team of draft horses we had on our farm in Michigan. It represents a work ethic we should all strive to achieve in life.”

Known for creating unique models to further develop and benefit their roster, MHM’s Dale Morris and Higham recently partnered with Paradigm Talent Agency to expand the services previously included under their sister company, Dale Morris & Associates. For decades, MHM has guided the careers of iconic artists including trailblazers Alabama and eight-time Entertainer of the Year Kenny Chesney, to recent successes of clients ranging from reigning ACM/CMA Group of the Year Old Dominion, as well as Michael Ray, Brantley Gilbert, Carly Pearce, and more.

Los Angeles-based attorney Jeff Biederman of Manatt’s law firm brought Kobalt into the partnership and oversees legal for Toby and Molly Music, LLC. Kobalt will oversee all administration services for the publishing company.

Leadership Music celebrated its 30th birthday in a big way last Thursday night (June 20) with more than 500 music industry execs and their guests from around the country gathering at Nashville’s War Memorial Auditorium to celebrate the occasion.

Leadership Music alumni from the past 30 years attended the event, which began with acknowledgments of the organization’s Founding Council, past presidents and executive directors, and a video montage of highlights of the past three decades set to a special rewrite of Phil Vassar’s song “My Next 30 Years,” performed by Vassar.

The evening’s keynote featured SiriusXM CEO Jim Meyer interviewed by Billboard magazine’s Melinda Newman. Meyer fielded questions about the future of digital music and the ever-changing landscape of issues affecting royalties paid to artists and songwriters. Afterward, War Memorial was transformed into a Vegas-style casino with poker and craps tables and roulette wheels, and attendees gambled with play money for a chance to win prizes.

“Last night hundreds of Leadership Music alumni from three decades celebrated, reminisced, and revisited all that is extraordinary about our first 30 years,” Executive Director Debbie Linn said. “A total of 920 days of meetings, phone calls and sweat equity from an amazing committee, led by co-chairs Linda Bloss-Baum and Neal Spielberg, went into planning an event worthy of a landmark anniversary. Members of our Founding Council were in attendance to be applauded and honored, as were the past presidents, facilitators and executive directors. Alumni from Montana to California to New York representing the very first class of 1990 and beyond partied alongside the incoming Class of 2020. We couldn’t be more pleased, humbled and gratified with the amazing turnout. It was definitely a one-of-a-kind moment. We can’t wait to see what’s up ahead as we begin our next 30 years.”

Founded in 1989 by 12 of the music industry’s top executives, Nashville-based Leadership Music is a non-profit educational organization providing programs designed to further communications and understanding among facets of the entertainment industry and to assist established leaders in their roles as decision makers. Leadership Music is designed to promote teamwork, camaraderie and dialogue among industry leaders, expand the talent pool of leadership in the community, and expose class participants to varying points of view and philosophies.