Tyler Farr performed this past Saturday (Jan. 3) during halftime of the NFL Wild Card Game of the Carolina Panthers vs. Arizona Cardinals at the Bank of America Stadium in Charlotte, N.C.

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Josh Abbott Band kicked off 2015 with two back-to-back shows at the World’s Largest Honky-Tonk, performing new music from their forthcoming full-length album for over 5,000 eager fans each night at Billy Bob’s in Fort Worth, Texas.

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An American flag flown over special forces base, Camp Montrond, in Bagram, Afghanistan has returned to its homeland after being purchased by William Morris Endeavor’s Greg Oswald to benefit Charlie Daniels‘ Journey Home Project. 

More news rolls out of Las Vegas’ CES convention, this time concerning Comcast’s Internet speed.

Broadcom, a leader in semiconductors announced the world’s first DOCSIS 3.1 cable modem system-on-a-chip (SoC). With it, home speeds could increase to faster than a Gigabit per second (Gbps). Video speeds are said to see a 50 percent increase in efficiency. Downstream speeds will probably be about four times that of upstream speeds, notes PCworld.

Comcast currently advertises the “fastest Internet download speed” of up to 505 Mbps, at $400/mo. Google Fiber offers gigabit speeds in specific markets, and AT&T’s GigaPower is also expected in the city soon. Comcast executive vice president Tony Werner estimates that the Internet service provider will service 1 Gbps speeds to customers in 2015 and beyond. Liberty Global, the London-headquartered broadband provider, also spoke within the same timeframe.

“DOCSIS 3.1 is a critical technology for Comcast to provide even faster, more reliable data speeds and features such as IP video to our subscribers’ homes by harnessing more spectrum in the downstream,” said Werner.

In a recent WPLN article, Emily Siner interviewed Todd Oney with Nashville Electric Service who noted the fiber optic cable Nashville began laying in the 90s is theoretically capable of supporting 50 terabits per second (50,000 times faster than a gigabit), but equipment to convert that data is not yet capable of handling those speeds.

Nashville Songwriters Hall of Fame member Gretchen Peters will offer stories and songs during the Country Music Hall of Fame series Poets and Prophets: Legendary Country Songwriters. Peters will perform at the Country Music Hall of Fame and Museum on Saturday, Jan. 24 at 2 p.m.

Museum editor Michael Gray will host the 90-minute program, which will include recordings, photos and film clips from the museum’s Frist Library and Archive. The Poets and Prophets series is included with museum admission, and is free to museum members. The interview and performance will be streamed live on the museum’s website. Following the program, Peters will sign limited edition, commemorative Hatch Show Print posters.

The Bonnaroo Works Fund (BWF), the charitable arm of the Bonnaroo Music & Arts Festival, is accepting online applications for the 2015 grant cycle beginning today. The Fund gives back to communities that need it the most by awarding funding to arts, education and environmental nonprofits.

Those interested should visit bonnarooworksfund.org for more information or apply directly online at app.wizehive.com/appform/menu/Bonnaroo. The deadline is March 15, 2015, and grants will be announced in May 2015.

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ASCAP will present a DIY-U course on health insurance on Tuesday, Jan. 13 from 5:30 p.m.-7 p.m. ASCAP has partnered with Music Alliance for the informational workshop, which is aimed at helping songwriters and industry members understand their options for health insurance, and how to navigate the healthcare system.

To reserve a spot, email awhite@ascap.com.

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Debbie Z Entertainment will be representing the catalog of songwriter David Kent. A writer of Blake Shelton’s No. 1 hit “Austin,” Kent moved to Nashville to focus on songwriting in 1990 after being on the road with Hall & Oats playing keyboards.

Kent has had top 10 hits and cuts with Martina McBride, Rodney Atkins, Neal McCoy, Tracy Lawrence and others.

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paNASH Style LLC continues to grow its staff with the hiring of Associate Stylist Mackenzie “Teddy” Robert.

Robert has experience in styling and artist brand development, and has styled artists from Kacey Musgraves to Hunter Hayes. She most recently worked on the brand development behind Meghan Trainor’s “All About that Bass” release. She has also held positions with the Annie Moses Band, Big Yellow Dog Music, Sony RED Music, Show Dog – Universal Music, and 12 South Entertainment.

“I am excited about the expertise Mackenzie brings to the table, including her knowledge and experience in branding for recording artists,” says Lori Bumgarner, owner of paNASH Style.