Kourtney Kirkpatrick & Matt Turner.

Concord Music Publishing has promoted Kourtney Kirkpatrick to Senior Vice President of Synchronization and Matt Turner to Vice President of A&R.

Kirkpatrick currently leads the television division, overseeing series, promos, trailers and sports media, and managing a team of three direct reports in Los Angeles, Nashville and New York. In her new position, Kirkpatrick will continue her work pitching and licensing songs from Concord writers, promoting catalogs such as those by Rodgers & Hammerstein, John Fogerty, Phil Collins and Genesis, Robert Johnson and more. She and her team will focus on reimagining these works to make them suitable for sync placements, with her deep knowledge of the catalog playing a crucial role in revitalizing Concord’s collection through remixes and covers.

During her time at Concord, Kirkpatrick and her team have secured sync placements across a wide range of television series on nearly all major networks and streaming platforms, including The Bear, The Penguin, Shrinking, Hacks, You, Euphoria, Stranger Things, Yellowstone, The Marvelous Mrs. Maisel, Ozark, Big Little Lies, True Detective: Night Country, Ted Lasso and Grey’s Anatomy. Their work also spans trailer placements for studios like FOX, Netflix, Hulu, HBO, Apple, Amazon and Starz, as well as for major brands like Xbox and Microsoft. Over the course of her career, Kirkpatrick has also signed and developed sync-focused artists and writers, including Ruelle, who has been featured on Billboard/TuneFind’s year-end chart of Top Synced Artists multiple times, reaching the top spot in 2018.

Kirkpatrick also leads Concord’s annual sync camp in Nashville, now in its twelfth year. The event brings together over 80 songwriters and several music supervisors for a week of creating original music for all types of media. To date, the camp has resulted in more than 350 sync placements. In addition to the Nashville camp, Kirkpatrick has driven the global expansion of Concord’s sync camps, tailoring them to specific regions and media types. Over the past year, Concord has hosted ten sync-focused writing camps in locations such as Los Angeles, Nashville, Ireland, Dorset, Paris, New Zealand and Mexico City, among others.

Kirkpatrick was recognized on Billboard’s 40 Under 40 list in 2020 and is a member of the Nashville Film Festival. She is also a founding board member of Nashville in Sync, a community-driven organization for sync professionals focused on connecting and growing the music and film industries in Nashville. Before joining Concord in 2018, Kirkpatrick served as Senior Director of Film/TV at Razor & Tie (which was later acquired by Concord) and began her career at the independent publisher Big Yellow Dog Music, where she helped establish the company’s sync department.

In his new position as VP of A&R, Turner will maintain his responsibilities of discovering talent, managing new client negotiations and driving catalog exploitation. This promotion recognizes his commitment and contributions to Concord, particularly his efforts in expanding the company’s roster within the Nashville and country music scenes. Turner works with a wide range of songwriters in the country genre, including recording artists, producers and topliners.

With 18 years of experience in the industry, Turner brings executive-level insights to the team and has helped bring some of the top talent in the industry to the Concord roster, driving success on the country charts. In 2024, songwriters from Concord’s Nashville roster contributed to five Country Radio No. 1s and, within the first month of 2025, they’ve already added more, including Morgan Wallen’s “Lies Lies Lies,” Parmalee’s “Gonna Love You” and Dan + Shay’s “Bigger Houses.” Turner has played a key role in securing publishing deals with writers like Josh Miller, Andy Albert and Abram Dean, all of whom have earned No. 1 hits.

Before joining Concord, Turner worked at the independent publisher Big Loud Shirt, now known as Big Loud, where he collaborated closely with founder Craig Wiseman and writers such as Chris Tompkins, Rodney Clawson, Matt Dragstrem and the Warren Brothers. He was also involved in the early songwriting careers of Morgan Wallen and Chris Lane. After his time at Big Loud, Turner joined Downtown Music Publishing, where he represented their extensive roster of writers, including country music hitmakers Andy Albert, Andrew DeRoberts and Joey Hyde. Turner’s promotion highlights Concord’s continued growth in Nashville and the expansion of its country music roster.

Touring Career Workshop (TCW) has transformed into ECCHO Live, an acronym representing Education, Community, Connection, Health and Opportunity, reflecting the powerful impact of mentorship within the live event industry. For over ten years, the nonprofit has been dedicated to supporting live event professionals at every stage of their careers by offering resources and guidance for both career and personal challenges.

ECCHO Live’s mission remains focused on empowering current professionals, mentoring future talent and encouraging collaboration and stewardship. This rebrand follows a comprehensive year-long process, including research, industry interviews, workshops and member feedback. The rebrand highlights the organization’s continued commitment to providing live event professionals with vital resources, mental health support and career tools, at no charge.

“With our industry’s evolving demands, TCW’s identity needed to adapt,” says ECCHO Live Founder and Executive Director Chris Lisle. “Collaborating with our board, partners, and staff, we developed a name and brand that reflects our current resources and future vision. ECCHO Live supports every aspect of a live event professional’s career.”

ECCHO Live’s outreach includes several key initiatives, such as the All Access Program, which offers four free, confidential counseling sessions with approved therapists to professionals, their spouses or partners and dependents. In 2023, All Access on Site (AAOS) expanded its mental health services to festivals, fairs and large music events, allowing artists, crews and staff to schedule on-site sessions with therapists. AAOS plans to increase its reach from three festivals in 2023 and nine in 2024 to 18 events this year. Additionally, the flagship Touring Career Workshop will return later this year as the ECCHO Live Fall Workshop.

Day Off events take place on the second Monday of every month, offering a relaxed, semi-active setting for industry professionals to connect while enjoying activities such as karaoke, TopGolf, trivia or a chili cookoff. Networking Nights are also held regularly, focused exclusively on fostering industry connections.

Since its inception, over 5,000 individuals have attended the Touring Career Workshop’s annual event, gaining valuable insights from industry leaders on topics such as financial well-being, work-life balance, business planning, resume updates, security concerns and networking.

“Our mission has always been to empower live event professionals,” adds ECCHO Live General Manager Kara Kemp. “The rebrand will strengthen this mission with continuous year-round programming to support our industry.”

ECCHO Live is entirely supported, sponsored and funded by industry professionals. Recently, the organization received a $100,000 donation from the Country Music Association (CMA), as part of the CMA’s commitment to supporting mental health organizations within the music industry.

Goodnight Nashville building exterior. Photo: Andrew Keithly Photography

Jelly Roll’s new venue Goodnight Nashville located on Broadway in downtown Nashville will host a Grand Opening Celebration on Feb. 20.

First floor stage. Photo: Samantha Kunz

The new four-story venue was created in partnership with Arizona-based Evening Entertainment Group and offers a full dining experience, tattoo parlor pop-up and lively nightlife inspired by Jelly Roll’s raw, authentic spirit. The vibrant first floor features a full bar, diverse menu and live music—all under the glow of a massive skull chandelier, drum-head lights and a “Save Me/I’m Fine” art installation.

The second floor pays tribute to Jelly Roll’s wife, Bunnie Xo of the Dumb Blonde podcast, with a larger-than life likeness of her above the bar. Bunnie’s immerses guests in a sultry world, featuring a stage for live DJs and plush booths perfect for nightlife and VIP table reservations.

The third floor offers a more intimate, elevated experience with Buddy’s, a cocktail lounge named in honor of Jelly Roll’s late father. This upscale, speakeasy-style venue serves craft cocktails and a limited, thoughtfully curated food menu in a cozy setting. Reserved mainly for private events and for Jelly Roll’s personal use. Buddy’s will occasionally open its doors to the public for a more exclusive night out. Finally, the top floor is an indoor-outdoor rooftop, offering sweeping views, comfortable booths, space for a DJ, bar fare, and another signature rotating skull chandelier.

Photo: Samantha Kunz

“As we set out to create EEG’s first venue in Nashville, we knew there was no better person to partner with than a true hometown hero like Jelly Roll,” says Les Corieri, co-owner of Evening Entertainment Group. “Goodnight Nashville is more than just a place to grab a drink—it’s an experience where music, culture, and hospitality meet. Nashville has always been a vibrant city of energy and creativity, and we’re excited to be part of that spirit, bringing something new to the scene.”

Mike Curb

Mike Curb, former Lieutenant Governor and acting Governor of California, as well as a music industry veteran, has funded the construction of a new student recording facility at UCLA’s Herb Alpert School of Music, which will begin in 2025. This contribution continues the long-standing philanthropic partnership between the Mike Curb Foundation and the School of Music, which has spanned over ten years. The facility will be housed in the Evelyn and Mo Ostin Music Center.

“I am very pleased to extend my commitment to create a creative lab space that will serve as a training ground for young music professionals to hone their skills and master their craft at The UCLA Herb Alpert School of Music,” shares Curb. “We are proud to be joining our support with philanthropists and music industry pioneers Herb Alpert, Mo Ostin and Berry Gordy.”

The Mike Curb Foundation made its inaugural donation to the UCLA Herb Alpert School of Music in 2012, supporting the establishment of a computer music lab in the Ostin Music Center. This latest gift will fund a full renovation of that space, transforming it into the Mike Curb Student Recording Facility, which will include two new mixing/editing rooms and faculty studios.

“Mike Curb has a passion for educational philanthropy,” says Eileen Stempel, Dean of The UCLA Herb Alpert School of Music. “We are thrilled that he has provided our students with professional-level facilities to foster their development. This will be a significant enhancement for our music industry program.”

Since becoming an independent school in 2016, the UCLA Herb Alpert School of Music has been recognized as one of the top music business schools by Billboard. In 2023, the school launched its own independent music industry program, taught by a faculty of academic researchers and industry professionals. The program leverages the school’s extensive resources, including two large theaters, one of the world’s most comprehensive collections of musical instruments, and the UCLA Music Library, the largest in southern California. In conjunction with the newly established Berry Gordy Music Industry Center, the program supports course development and provides students with internships and professional opportunities in the industry.

“Music industry students require professional level facilities to apprentice in, while also having their own creative space to experiment and explore their musical ideas,” adds Robert Fink, Special Academic Senior Associate Sean and Chair of the music industry program. “We are excited to be opening the Mike Curb Student Recording Facility, so we can provide our students even more opportunities to develop these industry critical skills.”

The Mike Curb Foundation’s donation aligns with its long-standing mission of supporting education and culture. Since its founding more than 20 years ago, the foundation has contributed over $200 million in grants to advance education, the arts, cultural preservation, homelessness relief and various community initiatives. Its charitable efforts reflects Curb’s commitment to giving back to the community and inspiring others to do the same.