Little Big Town
On Tuesday (April 25), the Grand Ole Opry’s backstage area was transformed into a party space filled with twinkling lights, crawfish, wine and whiskey bars, an airstream and plenty of southern charm as Opry Entertainment celebrated its exclusive, artist-curated merchandise line with Grand Ole Opry members Little Big Town.
The collection’s title, Boondocks, is taken from the group’s first hit and is the first of four capsule collections Little Big Town and Opry Entertainment plan to release this year. Other Little Big Town songs will similarly inspire the three additional collections.
“This looks like a dream Saturday night,” said Karen Fairchild as she took in the surroundings. “I wish this was my backyard, with a wine bar and a whiskey bar, and an airstream trailer.”
The Boondocks line incorporates southern, woodsy elements into pieces such as greeting cards, wine tumblers, shirts, coffee mugs, totes, guitar straps, and clothing pieces, all emblazoned with lyrics from Little Big Town’s songs, especially “Boondocks.”
The capsule includes a red lacy jacket from Fairchild’s separate Fair Child clothing line, as well as denim and camo jackets. The capsule collection also offers fun patches emblazoned with Little Big Town song titles such as “Girl Crush” and “Happy People” to accessorize clothing.
The collection expands on the ties between Little Big Town and Opry Entertainment. Earlier this year, Little Big Town launched the Ryman Auditorium’s first residency.
“It’s like a tasting room tonight,” said Fairchild, who revealed they were quite thorough in testing products from the Boondocks line. “The wine glasses in the Boondocks collection, we practiced to see if they really will break or scratch. We bounced them off the floor several times, and the Opry knows how to make a good wine glass.”
A leather journal has the set list of the first night of the Ryman residency in the back of it and the chorus to “Boondocks” in the front.
“Hopefully it will inspire everyone to journal and maybe write some songs,” said Fairchild.
“Their vision and love of putting beautiful things together, their creativity, their passion for reaching their fans through merchandise and every form possible, has made this a beautiful collection,” said Kim O’Dell, VP of Retail for Opry Entertainment Group. “It was each of them giving me feedback for months on end to find things they want to get to fans.”
Fairchild and her fellow Little Big Town members Kimberly Schlapman, Phillip Sweet, and Jimi Westbrook each spoke of their favorite pieces from the Boondocks capsule. Sweet favored the leather journal, while Fairchild preferred a sturdy water bottle. Westbrook favored a coffee mug, while Schlapman also claimed a coffee mug emblazoned with the lyrics Old Camp Creek as her favorite.
“We live and die by coffee. I have a newborn,” said Schlapman, who recently announced she and her family had adopted a new baby girl. “I grew up on Camp Creek Road and that’s why we put that line in ‘Boondocks,’” said Schlapman.
“When we wrote [“Boondocks”], we were in a place in our musical journey, that we wanted to speak about our lives and who we were,” Sweet said. “That really was a defining moment for us. We had just been dropped from a major label, but then that was the first song we had success with. It took us to the party.”
“It was the perfect song to launch a lifestyle collection,” remarked Fairchild. “Our days start, because we have babies, with a cup of coffee— “
“Lots of coffee,” Westbrook interjected.
“And because we [also] have babies, it ends with a glass of wine,” said Fairchild. “All of that in between, from things that are fashionable to the jewelry to the journals because we are songwriters, Boondocks was the perfect correlation to show fans how we live our lives through really beautiful things.”
The evening also featured merchandise from the group’s recent retail ventures.
The backstage area at the Grand Ole Opry offered turkey sliders and Crazy Daisy bars from Schlapman’s cookbook Oh Gussie, as well as red wine and chardonnay from the group’s new line 4 Cellars, a partnership with Browne Family Vineyards in Walla Walla, Washington. Schlapman, in 2015, partnered with Cracker Barrel for a product line as well.
Previously, Karen Fairchild spun her love of fashion into the clothing line Fair Child. In addition to Schlapman’s cookbook Oh Gussie, she has a new kitchen line, dubbed Love & Daisies, in the works with the Home Shopping Network. Fairchild said those previous business experiences allowed them to come into the new project with wisdom about the retail process.
“It influences us by knowing what a cohesive collection feels like, down to the way the leather feels on the leather guitar strap. The colors of the bracelets match The Breaker album. We are kind of crazy control freaks, but if you are going to do something like this, you have to be or it’s not cohesive. When you pick up some of those items, you think, ‘Yeah, this a whiskey glass Phillip would have in his house.’ That’s how I’ve learned. And the Opry/Ryman team has been incredible to work with.”
The Boondocks collection marks the second time Opry Entertainment Group has partnered with an artist to launch a line of merchandise, following their work on the Selma Drye by Kellie Pickler line of home goods that launched with Pickler in 2015.
“We did research to find those attributes that fans most relate to,” says O’Dell. “Once we defined those attributes, we started to build lifestyle products inside our stores that gave fans who come through our doors an opportunity not just to buy a memento of their trip here, but the opportunity to incorporate themselves into a country lifestyle and take a piece of it home with them that they couldn’t find anywhere else.”
O’Dell says fans can expect Opry Entertainment collaborations on new collections from additional country artists in the near future.
“We are looking at making sure we grow this to include up and coming artists, A-list artists like Little Big Town and legacy artists. We are working on that simultaneously and every year will include a mix of that.”
The Little Big Town Boondocks collection is exclusively available on Opry Entertainment websites (ryman.com and opry.com) and in Opry Entertainment retail stores in Nashville.
Exclusive: Reba Teams With Clarence Spalding, Maverick For Management
/by Jessica NicholsonMcEntire will still serve as president of Reba’s Business, Inc. Her team includes Carolyn Snell (Associate Manager / Tour Manager), Justin McIntosh (VP, Creative & Marketing), Leslie Matthews (Brand Manager) and Eric Steiger (Executive Assistant).
Spalding also oversees the careers of Jason Aldean, Rascal Flatts, Kix Brooks, Darius Rucker, Brooks & Dunn, Terri Clark and Seth Alley.
Little Big Town and CMA Recognize Local Music Teachers
/by Lorie HollabaughLittle Big Town (center) join CMA and CMA Foundation Board members at CMA Music Teachers of Excellence Wednesday at Nissan Stadium. Back (l-r): Victoria Shaw; Kix Brooks; Ron Samuels; Blair Garner; Sally Williams, CMA Board Chairman; Frank Bumstead; John Marks; Everett Lybolt; Bob DiPiero; Rob Potts; Biff Watson; John Huie; Jim Beavers; Mike Dungan; and Sarah Trahern, CMA Chief Executive Officer. Front (l-r): Tiffany Kerns, CMA Director of Community Outreach; Little Big Town’s Phillip Sweet, Kimberly Schlapman, Jimi Westbrook, and Karen Fairchild; Jennie Smythe; and Joe Galante, CMA Foundation Chairman. Photo: Dusty Draper / CMA
Little Big Town and the CMA honored local Metro Nashville educators as the CMA Music Teachers of Excellence Wednesday night (4/26) at a special ceremony at Nissan Stadium. More than a dozen artists were on hand to celebrate with the teachers, as well as CMA Board members, community leaders, and CMA Foundation beneficiary programs.
Twenty-five Metro Nashville Public School teachers were recognized during the ceremony, along with six recipients from other cities, who were acknowledged by the Give a Note Foundation’s “Music In Our Schools Tour” presented by Radio Disney. Each honoree receives a stipend from the CMA Foundation in recognition of their commitment and teaching excellence.
“These educators are building and inspiring a generation, equipping students with tools they will continue to use throughout their lives,” said Joe Galante, CMA Foundation Chairman.
In a special pre-event gathering, Little Big Town were surprised with an emotional reunion with their childhood music teachers Sarah Glover and Jim Walker of Alabama (Jimi Westbrook), Billy Jack Green of Georgia (Karen Fairchild), and Julia Lansford of Arkansas (Phillip Sweet). Earlene Rentz of Kentucky and Robert Ivey of Georgia, who taught Kimberly Schlapman, shared heartfelt video and written messages in their absence. Fairchild serves on the CMA Foundation Board of Directors.
Entertainers also shared videos of well-wishes throughout the evening, with Cam, Brad Paisley, Cassadee Pope, Darius Rucker, Zac Brown Band, and ABC’s “Jimmy Kimmel Live!” announcer Dicky Barrett and musical director Cleto Escobedo III all sending messages of support.
The City of Nashville also showed its support for the special event by lighting up downtown landmarks Ascend Amphitheater, Bridgestone Arena, Korean Veterans Boulevard Bridge, Omni Hotel, and the Westin Hotel in CMA blue lights.
“Music City is Music City because of the Country Music Association,” said Dr. Shawn Joseph, MNPS Director of Schools. “[The CMA Foundation] has set the bar high and established new standards for public/private partnerships between Metro Schools and business partners in Nashville and Davidson County.”
Now in its second year, the CMA Music Teachers of Excellence program honors music educators and their indelible impact on students and school communities. The program was created in partnership with Metro Schools’ “Music Makes Us” initiative, which was formed as a result of a 2015 study that highlighted the challenges of local music teachers.
musical.ly Integrates With Apple To Allow Full Song Streaming
/by Lorie HollabaughSince debuting in 2014, musical.ly has grown to over 200 million users.
The company recently launched the #FirstListen and #FirstLook series featuring exclusive sneak peeks of songs and videos. Its popularity among 13 to 25-year-olds has made musical.ly one of the leading destinations for fans to discover new music and for creators to launch careers. Among the stars who have already been created via the musical.ly platform are 15-year-old Baby Ariel who began uploading videos to songs by Justin Bieber and Drake and now has nearly 19 million followers, and 14-year-old Jacob Sartorius, who has garnered 16 million musical.ly fans.
Weekly Chart Report (4/28/17)
/by Troy_StephensonClick here or above to access MusicRow‘s weekly CountryBreakout Report.
Kobalt Adds Kevin Lane As Director, Creative
/by Jessica NicholsonKevin Lane
Kevin Lane has joined Kobalt Music Publishing as Director, Creative. In his new role, Lane will be responsible for pitching songs, setting up co-writes, developing and signing talent.
Lane spent the last seven years at BMG, functioning as a Creative Manager at BMG Chrysalis, and Creative Director at BMG, The New Music Company. Lane worked with the following catalogs while at BMG: Hillary Lindsey, Gordie Sampson, Tony Lane, and Will Hoge. Lane personally worked with and developed writers like Jamie Moore, Andrew DeRoberts, Russell Dickerson, Jason Mizelle, and John Paul White.
Lane will be responsible for handling Kobalt’s catalog, while working creatively with publishers and directing writers in various capacities. He will be overseeing calendar management, co-writing opportunities, and pitching songs while focusing on developing and signing new talent.
“I’m a big fan of Kobalt’s work and progress as a major disruptor in the music industry, and I know this is the case because of the artistic talent that Kobalt attracts,” said Lane. “I’m excited to begin working as a Creative Director with a company that truly values creativity, artistic independence, and integrity.”
Jesse Willoughby, GM of Kobalt Nashville, said, “I’m very excited to have Kevin joining the Kobalt team. Kevin has an incredible passion and knowledge of songs and the creative community, he’ll be a perfect addition to the creative team we’re building at Kobalt.”
Little Big Town, Opry Entertainment Celebrate ‘Boondocks’ Merchandise Collection Launch
/by Jessica NicholsonLittle Big Town
On Tuesday (April 25), the Grand Ole Opry’s backstage area was transformed into a party space filled with twinkling lights, crawfish, wine and whiskey bars, an airstream and plenty of southern charm as Opry Entertainment celebrated its exclusive, artist-curated merchandise line with Grand Ole Opry members Little Big Town.
The collection’s title, Boondocks, is taken from the group’s first hit and is the first of four capsule collections Little Big Town and Opry Entertainment plan to release this year. Other Little Big Town songs will similarly inspire the three additional collections.
“This looks like a dream Saturday night,” said Karen Fairchild as she took in the surroundings. “I wish this was my backyard, with a wine bar and a whiskey bar, and an airstream trailer.”
The Boondocks line incorporates southern, woodsy elements into pieces such as greeting cards, wine tumblers, shirts, coffee mugs, totes, guitar straps, and clothing pieces, all emblazoned with lyrics from Little Big Town’s songs, especially “Boondocks.”
The capsule includes a red lacy jacket from Fairchild’s separate Fair Child clothing line, as well as denim and camo jackets. The capsule collection also offers fun patches emblazoned with Little Big Town song titles such as “Girl Crush” and “Happy People” to accessorize clothing.
The collection expands on the ties between Little Big Town and Opry Entertainment. Earlier this year, Little Big Town launched the Ryman Auditorium’s first residency.
“It’s like a tasting room tonight,” said Fairchild, who revealed they were quite thorough in testing products from the Boondocks line. “The wine glasses in the Boondocks collection, we practiced to see if they really will break or scratch. We bounced them off the floor several times, and the Opry knows how to make a good wine glass.”
A leather journal has the set list of the first night of the Ryman residency in the back of it and the chorus to “Boondocks” in the front.
“Hopefully it will inspire everyone to journal and maybe write some songs,” said Fairchild.
“Their vision and love of putting beautiful things together, their creativity, their passion for reaching their fans through merchandise and every form possible, has made this a beautiful collection,” said Kim O’Dell, VP of Retail for Opry Entertainment Group. “It was each of them giving me feedback for months on end to find things they want to get to fans.”
Fairchild and her fellow Little Big Town members Kimberly Schlapman, Phillip Sweet, and Jimi Westbrook each spoke of their favorite pieces from the Boondocks capsule. Sweet favored the leather journal, while Fairchild preferred a sturdy water bottle. Westbrook favored a coffee mug, while Schlapman also claimed a coffee mug emblazoned with the lyrics Old Camp Creek as her favorite.
“We live and die by coffee. I have a newborn,” said Schlapman, who recently announced she and her family had adopted a new baby girl. “I grew up on Camp Creek Road and that’s why we put that line in ‘Boondocks,’” said Schlapman.
“When we wrote [“Boondocks”], we were in a place in our musical journey, that we wanted to speak about our lives and who we were,” Sweet said. “That really was a defining moment for us. We had just been dropped from a major label, but then that was the first song we had success with. It took us to the party.”
“It was the perfect song to launch a lifestyle collection,” remarked Fairchild. “Our days start, because we have babies, with a cup of coffee— “
“Lots of coffee,” Westbrook interjected.
“And because we [also] have babies, it ends with a glass of wine,” said Fairchild. “All of that in between, from things that are fashionable to the jewelry to the journals because we are songwriters, Boondocks was the perfect correlation to show fans how we live our lives through really beautiful things.”
The evening also featured merchandise from the group’s recent retail ventures.
The backstage area at the Grand Ole Opry offered turkey sliders and Crazy Daisy bars from Schlapman’s cookbook Oh Gussie, as well as red wine and chardonnay from the group’s new line 4 Cellars, a partnership with Browne Family Vineyards in Walla Walla, Washington. Schlapman, in 2015, partnered with Cracker Barrel for a product line as well.
Previously, Karen Fairchild spun her love of fashion into the clothing line Fair Child. In addition to Schlapman’s cookbook Oh Gussie, she has a new kitchen line, dubbed Love & Daisies, in the works with the Home Shopping Network. Fairchild said those previous business experiences allowed them to come into the new project with wisdom about the retail process.
“It influences us by knowing what a cohesive collection feels like, down to the way the leather feels on the leather guitar strap. The colors of the bracelets match The Breaker album. We are kind of crazy control freaks, but if you are going to do something like this, you have to be or it’s not cohesive. When you pick up some of those items, you think, ‘Yeah, this a whiskey glass Phillip would have in his house.’ That’s how I’ve learned. And the Opry/Ryman team has been incredible to work with.”
The Boondocks collection marks the second time Opry Entertainment Group has partnered with an artist to launch a line of merchandise, following their work on the Selma Drye by Kellie Pickler line of home goods that launched with Pickler in 2015.
“We did research to find those attributes that fans most relate to,” says O’Dell. “Once we defined those attributes, we started to build lifestyle products inside our stores that gave fans who come through our doors an opportunity not just to buy a memento of their trip here, but the opportunity to incorporate themselves into a country lifestyle and take a piece of it home with them that they couldn’t find anywhere else.”
O’Dell says fans can expect Opry Entertainment collaborations on new collections from additional country artists in the near future.
“We are looking at making sure we grow this to include up and coming artists, A-list artists like Little Big Town and legacy artists. We are working on that simultaneously and every year will include a mix of that.”
The Little Big Town Boondocks collection is exclusively available on Opry Entertainment websites (ryman.com and opry.com) and in Opry Entertainment retail stores in Nashville.
TuneIn Partners with Heard Well to Launch 24/7 Station Powered By Music Influencers
/by Dan_StrassbergMusic label Heard Well and audio network TuneIn have partnered for exclusive creation of Heard Well Radio, a 24-7 radio station powered by influencers. The station, which is now live to TuneIn users in the U.S and Canada, features new music, picked by popular social figures.
Launched in 2015 by Connor Franta, Jeremy Wineberg and Andrew Graham, Heard Well is a music label made up of social influencers. In just two years, its creators and their social community have elevated awareness of artists like Odesza, Bastille and more.
“Over the past two years, Heard Well has built a successful model giving emerging artists a platform to be discovered through social influencers. As we evolve as a company, our goal is to give our listeners various options to consume content,” said Heard Well Co-Founder Wineberg. “Heard Well Radio will give us the opportunity to curate more playlists and original programming in a 24/7 platform. We will be the first to create a radio station that is exclusively powered by creators in the digital space and TuneIn is the perfect partner to build this with. With over 100M installs and Heard Well’s social reach of 10’s of millions, we’re so excited to welcome this new and exciting endeavor to our listeners!”
The Heard Well station will be available as part of TuneIn’s free level of service.
“The addition of Heard Well Radio to TuneIn’s lineup of curated music stations serves a dynamic demographic that is vitally important to TuneIn’s growth,” said TuneIn Chief Content Officer Kevin Straley.
Heard Well Radio will feature 11 hours of live content each week, lead by signature show “Heard Well Live,” airing Monday through Friday from 6–8 p.m. ET. “Heard Well Live” will be hosted by Josh Fisher, who will be joined by a rotation people including Franta and Mikey Murphy that give listeners music and interviews with artists like Betty Who, Aaron Carter, Starley, and San Holo.
Other Heard Well Radio live programs in regular rotation include: You Heard It First Live, highlighting new and emerging artists. Common Culture Hour a one hour live mix of music picked by Connor Franta. Love is All We Need Live, a live show playing a mix of music with love and togetherness as the theme, and Friday Live a two-hour live variety-style show highlighting the weekend and what to watch out for.
Shows on Heard Well Radio will also include live interaction with listeners through Heard Well Radio and Heard Well influencer’s social media feeds.
Listeners can access Heard Well Radio on TuneIn via TuneIn.com, or by downloading the TuneIn app for iOS or Android devices. Heardwell.com will also host an embed player for Heard Well Radio on TuneIn.
Creative Artists Agency (CAA) facilitated the relationship between clients Heard Well and TuneIn.
Industry Ink: CMA, SESAC, WMN, AIMP, Riser House Records, ShowHope
/by Lorie HollabaughOld Crow Medicine Show Visits CMA
Pictured (L-R): Kevin Hayes (OCMS), Chance McCoy (OCMS), Angela Roland (CMA, Awards & Industry Relations Assistant), Critter Fuqua (OCMS), Brandi Simms (CMA, Sr. Director of Awards & Industry Relations), Ketch Secor (OCMS), Cory Younts (OCMS), Morgan Jahnig (OCMS), Joe Andrews (OCMS), Brenden Oliver (CMA, Manager of Awards & Industry Relations). Photographer Credit: Christian Bottorff
Old Crow Medicine Show visited the CMA for the first time ever and performed to help kick off their 50 Years of Blonde on Blonde album release week on April 24. The band performed songs from the new project, which releases on April 28, for staffers.
Rick Monroe Performs At SESAC
Pictured (L-R): Cristina Wheeler (SESAC Manager, Creative Services); Lydia Schultz (SESAC Manager, Creative Services); Rick Monroe, ET Brown (SESAC Manager, Creative Services) and Shannan Hatch (SESAC VP, Creative Services) Photo: Sydney Scaggs
Songwriter/singer and SESAC affiliate Rick Monroe recently stopped by SESAC’s Nashville office for a pop-up concert. He performed songs from his album Gypsy Soul, which is due out May 12.
Warner’s Sound In The Round Features Cale Dodds
Pictured (L-R): Lisa Ray (WMN, VP Head of Brand Management), Peter Strickland (WMN, CMO), Matt Signore (WMN, COO), Wes Vause (WMN, SVP Publicity), Megan Joyce (WMN, VP Head of Business & Legal Affairs), Narvel Blackstock (Starstruck Entertainment), Cale Dodds, John Esposito (WMN, Chairman & CEO), Kristen Williams (WMN, SVP Radio & Streaming), Chad Schultz (WMN, VP Original Content & Radio Marketing), Kelli Haywood (Starstruck Entertainment), Justin Luffman (WMN, VP Brand Management)
Cale Dodds brought the first season of the “Warner Sound in the Round” concert series to a close Wednesday night with a seven-song set featuring some new songs and tracks from his EP People Watching, which boasts over 10 million streams on Spotify. The packed crowd on hand for the show included friends, family, Warner Music Nashville staff and industry guests.
AIMP Shares “Exploring The Publishing Legal Landscape” Panel
Pictured: Brad Peterson (Regions Bank),Tim Hunze (Parallel Entertainment), John Ozier (AIMP Ex. Director, ole), Chip Petree, Austen Adams, Scott Safford, David Crow, Dale Bobo (Big Deal Music)
The Association of Independent Music Publishers and Regions Bank recently hosted an “Exploring The Publishing Legal Landscape” panel. Held at ASCAP and moderated by Tim Hunze and John Ozier, panelists Austen Adams (Dickinson Wright PLLC), David Crow (Milom Horsnell Crow Rose Kelley PLC), Chip Petree (Ritholz Levy), and Scott Safford (Safford Motley PLC) gave their perspectives on the changes and trends in songwriter deals and artist agreements.
Riser House Records Previews Mitchell Tenpenny Album In Nashville
L-R: Kristen Ashley/Riser House Records; Mitchell Tenpenny/artist; Jennifer Johnson-Williamson/Riser House Records + The Song Factory; Jason VanAuken/Riser House Records; Paige Paxton Pugh/Riser House Records
Mitchell Tenpenny recently performed at a listening event at his label Riser House Records for friends and industry members. The Nashville native will be releasing a new EP in July, Linden Ave, on Riser House, and is booked by WME. His new single, “Alcohol You Later” was just released.
Show Hope Names New VP, Assistant Executive Director
Show Hope was founded by Mary Beth and Steven Curtis Chapman in 2003. The organization is committed to the holistic care of waiting children around the world. ShowHope has helped provide homes through Adoption Aid grants for more than 5,500 children from more than 50 countries, including the U.S.
Jack White Signs First Global Publishing Deal With UMPG
/by Jessica NicholsonJack White. Photo: Jo McCaughey
Jack White has signed a first-ever global, multi-year agreement with Universal Music Publishing Group (UMPG) to administer the iconic artist’s entire song catalog.
Effective immediately, UMPG is responsible for servicing and administering White’s song catalog with The White Stripes, The Raconteurs, The Dead Weather, his chart-topping solo albums Blunderbuss and Lazaretto, as well as collaborations and future projects.
With the agreement, UMPG will work closely with White and his Third String Tunes and Peppermint Stripe Music publishing companies to develop creative and commercial outlets for his new projects and existing songs. The deal marks the first time a single publisher will administer rights around the world for White’s song catalog.
“Jody and the entire UMPG team uphold a culture that fosters creativity. They are continually at the forefront of the industry,” said Ian Montone, founder of Monotone, Inc. and Jack White’s long time manager. “We are excited to be part of the UMPG family.”
Jody Gerson, Chairman and CEO of UMPG, said, “Jack White is a brilliant and prolific performer, songwriter and producer, whose immense artistry, talent, dedication and uncompromising approach to songwriting have found a new home at UMPG. I’m looking forward to putting the entire global resources of UMPG to work on expanding the popularity and commercial opportunities for his music. I’m thankful to my team for making this agreement a reality and for the passion, focus and meticulous care they bring every day to making UMPG a premiere destination for the world’s most successful songwriters.”
In addition to a 20-year musical career that has seen White garner 170 songwriting credits, 12 Grammy awards and 35 Grammy nominations, as well as gold and platinum albums, White opened Third Man Records in 2009 in Nashville. The company combines work of a record store, record label, distribution center, photo studio and live music venue (with the world’s only direct-to-acetate recording capabilities). Recently White founded Third Man Books, dedicated to poetry, fiction and non-fiction, as well as Third Man Pressing, a new vinyl pressing plant at Third Man Records in Detroit.
White is starring in and executive producing American Epic, the four-part television event airing on PBS in May 2017 about the roots of music in America.
UTA Adds Nick Barnes As Digital Strategy Agent
/by Jessica NicholsonNick Barnes
Nick Barnes has joined United Talent Agency as a Digital Strategy Agent, based in UTA’s Nashville office.
Barnes has spent the last three years as Director of Fan Engagement and Digital for Eric Church, while a member of global management firm Q Prime. Barnes oversaw Church’s growing fan club model, global digital strategy, and built proprietary technology to identify and mitigate ticket brokers’ activity on the secondary market – with the goal of putting all tickets in the hands of Eric’s real fans at face value. In addition to supporting Church’s touring and music career, Barnes has helped launch other verticals of the artist’s business, such as Highway To Home with Rooms to Go, and These Boots by Lucchese.
Prior to Church and Q Prime, Nick spent three years as Manager of Digital Marketing at Sony Music Nashville and Arista Records, working with such artists Carrie Underwood and Brad Paisley. Barnes graduated from Samford University in Birmingham, AL with a B.A. in Music. While a student at Samford, he co-founded Brier & Moss Clothiers.
In his new role, Barnes will help build and execute digital and direct-to-audience strategies for clients across the agency, with a specific emphasis on music artists and the agency’s growing Nashville presence. Barnes is the latest addition to the agency’s Digital Strategy team, which also boasts full time executives in Los Angeles, New York and London.
UTA Nashville co-head Nick Meinema said, “As the agency continues to expand our suite of services across all areas, Nick will help bring our digital strategy practice to the next level, and give us true digital boots on the ground in Nashville. His expertise at the intersection of music, digital and marketing will serve as an invaluable tool as we continue to create new and innovative opportunities for our clients.”
Barnes said, “I’m elated to join the team at UTA and enter into a new chapter in my career. UTA’s commitment to digital growth is forward-thinking and progressive. With the constantly changing digital landscape, I look forward to keeping the company ahead of the curve and using my experience to attract new talent in Nashville and beyond.”