Creative Artists Agency (CAA) today (Dec. 12) announced the promotion of 10 trainees to agent or executive nationwide, including two from the company’s Music department in Nashville. Music City-based Bennett Beckner and Madison Lee were promoted to Agents.

Other Music Department promotions include Joseph Harris and Joe Mott, both elevated to the role of Agent in Los Angeles.

Elsewhere in the organization, Austin Denesuk was promoted to Agent in CAA’s Television department. Denesuk is based in Los Angeles, where she serves in the TV Lit group.

Callie Rivers and Maddy Roth have been named Executives in the CAA Foundation, the agency’s philanthropic arm, and are based in CAA’s Los Angeles office.

Jacksonville-based Beth Enstrom has been promoted to Executive in CAA Golf, and Tee Stumb has been promoted to Agent in CAA Sports Talent Sales department. He will continue to be based in New York.

Erik Telford has been promoted to Agent in the Speakers group, and is based in the agency’s Los Angeles office.

Pictured (L-R): Johnny Cloherty, President; Amanda Remo, Treasurer; Nathan Pyle, Vice President; Elise Anderson, Secretary. Photo: Brenton Giesey

The Society of Leaders in Development (SOLID) announced their board election results for the organization’s upcoming 2018 year. The Executive Board includes the following: President Johnny Cloherty (Artist Management and Digital Promotions Consultant), Vice President Nathan Pyle (The Recording Academy), Treasurer Amanda Remo (Martin, Allbee & Associates) and Secretary Elise Anderson (Nashville Music Media).

Committee Chairs for 2018 are as follows:

Communications Chair: Lindsey Hughes (Made In Network)
Communications Co-Chair: Avery King (Nashville Music Media)
Education Chair: Matt Najdowski (Sony/ATV)
Education Co-Chair: Cait Murphy (KP Entertainment)
Social Chair: Rachel Glidden (Universal Music Group/Fame House)
Social Co-Chair: Max Wiebrecht (Paradigm Talent Agency)
Community Outreach Chair: Collin Trudan (TKO Management)
Community Outreach Co-Chair: Bailey Lathem (City National Bank)
University Outreach Chair: Pete Stormer (Vector Management)
University Outreach Co-Chair: Ammie Sortor (APA)
Music Market Chair: Erin Pettit (Flood, Bumstead, McCready & McCarthy)
Music Market Co-Chair: Grayson Flatness (CAA)

“Coming off the heels of our 20th Year Celebration events, SOLID is absolutely on fire,” said incoming president Cloherty. “Going into my third year on SOLID’s board, I have never felt this kind of energy and excitement from the incoming board, members and alumni. If this enthusiasm is any indication of what to expect from SOLID in 2018, it will be our best year to date.”

The SOLID Alumni Board also announced its new president and board members. The board will be led by President Heather Cook (peer Music), and includes the following board members: Amanda Quinton (Quinton Digital), Wes Perry (Live Nation), Eric Griffin (Music City Counsel), and Kelly Gurbisz (Go Big Transportation).

Apple and Shazam confirmed to multiple outlets Monday, Dec. 11, the acquisition of one of iOS’ earliest music discovery apps by the tech giant.

The deal is estimated at $400 million, significantly less than the $1 billion Shazam was valued at during its last funding round. Shazam brought in $54 million in revenue for 2016 and has lately been dabbling in AR technology.

Apple’s full statement from spokesperson Tom Neumayr:

“We are thrilled that Shazam and its talented team will be joining Apple. Since the launch of the App Store, Shazam has consistently ranked as one of the most popular apps for iOS. Today, it’s used by hundreds of millions of people around the world, across multiple platforms. Apple Music and Shazam are a natural fit, sharing a passion for music discovery and delivering great music experiences to our users. We have exciting plans in store, and we look forward to combining with Shazam upon approval of today’s agreement.”

“We are excited to announce that Shazam has entered into an agreement to become part of Apple,” said Shazam’s spokesperson Giovanni Bossio. “Shazam is one of the highest-rated apps in the world and loved by hundreds of millions of users and we can’t imagine a better home for Shazam to enable us to continue innovating and delivering magic for our users.”

The deal should close in the coming weeks pending regulatory approval.

Reba McEntire and 11 other inductees will be honored with the 2018 Horatio Alger Award at a special ceremony in Washington D.C. in April. For more than 70 years, the award has been given annually to exceptional leaders who have succeeded despite facing adversities, and who have remained committed to higher education and charitable efforts in their local communities. Other recipients of the award in 2018 include actor Rob Lowe, Jimmy John’s Gourmet Sandwiches founder Jimmy John Liautaud, former Walmart CEO H. Lee Scott, Jr., and more.

McEntire and the Member Class of 2018 will be formally inducted into the Association on April 5-7, 2018, during the Association’s 71^st Horatio Alger Award Induction Ceremonies in Washington, D.C. The annual three-day event honors the achievements of both Members and National Scholars, affording both groups the opportunity to meet and interact, exchanging stories of hardships and triumphs.

“I always say that you need three things to succeed in life: a wishbone, a backbone and a funny bone. These qualities have served me well in every part of my life, and I have no doubt my fellow honorees would agree,” said Ms. McEntire. “I am honored to be inducted into the Horatio Alger Association, and I can’t wait to meet our 2018 Scholars and help them in any way I can to reach their own dreams.”

Through its Members, the Horatio Alger Association aims to educate young people about the limitless opportunities afforded to them by the free-enterprise system. To further this mission, the organization awards scholarships to outstanding high school students who are committed to pursuing higher education and giving back to their communities. Like Association Members, Horatio Alger Scholars have faced significant adversities, but have also displayed unmatched resilience in overcoming their challenges. Since the scholarship program was established in 1984, Horatio Alger Association has provided more than $125 million to students in need, all of which has been funded solely through the generosity of Association Members and friends.

The latest inductees join an esteemed group of just over 200 living Members, including Oprah Winfrey, Leonardo DiCaprio, Tom Brokaw, and others in the media and entertainment industry.