Reservoir Media, Inc. has signed songwriter and producer Travis Heidelman to his first-ever publishing deal that includes his full catalog and future works.

The Los Angeles-based creator began honing his writing and production skills at a young age. After connecting with rising country artist Dasha, he co-wrote and produced her viral tune “Austin,” which reached No. 18 on Billboard‘s Hot 100 chart and No. 3 on its Hot Country Songs chart. The country-pop track has continued to climb MediaBase’s Top 40 and Country Airplay charts as well as Billboard‘s Country Airplay chart while rising overseas, claiming top-five slots on U.K. and German charts in addition to a three-week reign at No. 1 on the Dutch Nationale Airplay Top 50.

Tied to a line dancing trend started by Dasha on TikTok, “Austin” has generated over one million creations on the platform with over 10 billion views. It has also accumulated over 490 million streams on Spotify. Heidelman also co-wrote and produced two other songs off her 2024 album, What Happens Now?, called “Even Cowboys Cry” and “Share This City.”

Additionally, he has collaborated with Annie Schindel, Arden Jones, Claire Rosinkranz, Taylor Bickett, Whitney Phillips, Noah Floersch, Rollo, Greyson Chance and Jimmy Robbins, among others, and landed sync placements on popular television networks like TLC and Bravo.

“Travis has demonstrated what a keen sense he has for pushing the boundaries of country music while still delivering hits. We are proud to bring his multi-genre talent to Reservoir and connect him with other creators across our roster, while also supporting his ongoing success as a songwriter and producer,” says John Ozier, Reservoir Executive Vice President of Creative.

“Reservoir has shown unparalleled passion and initiative, which every person I’ve met at the company embodies,” shares Heidelman. “They came in swinging and delivered on all of their promises, which is exactly what I seek in a new partner.”

WHY&HOW Founder & CEO Bruce Kalmick has launched a new independent record label, Wyatt Road Records, in partnership with Firebird, who will provide distribution and label services.

Its roster already consists of independent band Whiskey Myers, who signed a distribution deal with the label, as well as Angel White and Southall, among other acts set to join soon. Day-to-day operations will be overseen by industry veteran Laura Bender in Nashville.

Wyatt Road Records aims to focus on creators in the contemporary western rock & roll space, with a holistic approach to artist development fueling every project. The label also hopes to build an artist-first environment beyond the development side and is committed to creating deals where artists realize robust royalty payouts exceeding industry averages. Signees will have the opportunity to profit share in streaming royalties once they’ve hit certain milestones and the majority will retain ownership in their masters.

“The current label system is broken, where shareholders matter more than the artists and the music they put out into the world. This conflict of interests has effectively removed the essential work needed to truly develop artists and cultivate new acts,” expresses Kalmick. “With a pioneering approach and forward-thinking partnership with Firebird, we are able to put the artists first every step of the way. We are excited to work hand-in-hand with artists to ensure they not only experience commercial success, but also stay true to their artistry.”

“Firebird is excited to expand our relationship with Bruce Kalmick by partnering on Wyatt Road Records, building on our established collaboration via WHY&HOW/Red Light Management/Firebird Music on the artist management front,” says Kenny Weagly, VP/Head of Artist & Label Services, Firebird. “This allows us a greater opportunity to apply our complimentary artist-first mentality, global distribution, recorded-music muscle and wide array of internal resources via Firebird Label Services. Wyatt Road serves as another example of Firebird partnering with respected industry creatives to better grow artist and writer careers within their genres of expertise, in this case the contemporary sound of western rock & roll.”

The Core Entertainment has added Jackie Gomez and Brittani Johnson to their artist management team as Day-To-Day Managers. Both will be based in the company’s Nashville office.

“We are thrilled to welcome Brittani and Jackie to The Core Entertainment as day-to-day managers,” says Chief Zaruk and Simon Tikhman, Co-Founders and CEOs of The Core Entertainment. “Their multifaceted backgrounds and impressive track records in the music industry make them the perfect fit for our team. We’re excited for them to bring their expertise to the company, where they will play a key role in helping take our developing artists to the next level.”

Gomez brings a remarkable background in entertainment and music management to the role. A Houston native, she earned her Radio-Television-Film degree from the University of Texas at Austin. She began her career in New York City, where she worked for entertainment law firm Grubman Shire Meiselas & Sacks, P.C. While there, she supported deals for A-List actors and musicians. Gomez then worked closely with David Massey, playing an important role in relaunching and growing Arista Records. She joins The Core Entertainment after her most recent role as Charlie Puth’s day-to-day manager at Friends at Work, where she also worked as an A&R.

“I’m so excited to join The Core and start the next chapter of my career with a company so dedicated to innovation and artist development,” shares Gomez. “I can’t wait to contribute to the success of our talented roster and be part of this dynamic team. I am grateful to work under the leadership of Chief and Simon, two true leaders and trailblazers in the music industry, whose vision and guidance have shaped so many successful careers.”

Nebraska native Johnson brings a noteworthy background and wealth of music industry experience to her new role. She moved to Nashville in 2017, where she started as an intern at Rebel Engine (now Big Sky Music Group). Afterwards, she joined Stephanie Quayle’s team, where she sharpened her skills and passion for artist management. In 2019, Johnson joined Big Loud as Promotion Coordinator, before advancing to Director, Southwest Promotion. As Director, she played a key role in advocating for artists such as Morgan Wallen, Ashley Cooke, Hardy and Charles Wesley Godwin.

“I’m thrilled to join The Core team and work alongside Chief and Simon,” adds Johnson. “Moving into management has been a goal of mine since the day I moved to town and I’m honored to dive in and grow with this powerhouse company.”

In a city like Nashville, talented musicians are not hard to find. Nearly every person you meet is musically inclined or knows someone who is.

The musically inclined can make a good living in the studios of Nashville, out on the road with touring artists and in the bars of the lively lower Broadway. While a Nashville-based musician can certainly thrive here, one Nashville resident noticed an area where players were getting the short end of the stick: private events.

When planning his own wedding, Justin de Graaf, 20-year touring musician who currently backs Seaforth and Madeline Merlo, was flabbergasted by how expensive a generic wedding/corporate event band could be. Being a musician, he also knew first-hand that the musicians were likely not seeing the majority of the money.

This inspired him to use his experience and connections in the industry to make a difference.

Justin and with his wife, music business professional Care de Graaf, launched Only Bands Live Entertainment in 2021 to help bridge the gap between musicians and clients, paying musicians a generous rate while delivering high quality entertainment to Nashville’s private event sector. Focused on weddings, parties, corporate events and other gatherings, the company aims to bring a concert-level experience to private events with Nashville touring musicians and artists who are in between gigs, need to spend more time at home or just want to make some extra money.

“When my wife and I started planning our wedding back in early 2021, it was important to us to have a band for our entertainment, as we are both in the music industry and music is quite literally our lives,” Justin tells MusicRow. “It was even more important to me that the quality of the band matched the caliber of artists that are here. The more I looked at the many local party bands, I just wasn’t finding the unique Nashville feel I wanted our guests to experience. Being a hired touring musician for 20+ years, I decided to hire my previous band mates that met my own personal expectations of what a Nashville Party Band should be.”

After forming the company’s initial band, Party Down Live, Justin and Care started forming other groups to please a variety of genres as offerings for their clients.

“Party Down Live was the start of what later became Only Bands Live Entertainment,” he says. “Our catalog now features multiple party bands made up of seasoned touring musicians, who have toured with artists such as Billy Joel, Guns N’ Roses, Keith Urban, One Direction, Kelly Clarkson and so many more.”

When booking with Only Bands, there’s no middleman like an agent or manager. You book directly with the musicians you want to hire. That ease of communication has led to Only Bands being recognized by wedding planning giants like The Knot and Wedding Wire. They also believe they are the highest-paying private event gig in Nashville.

“The concept of a band designed for weddings and private events is not unique. I have seen it done plenty of times over. What is unique here is Nashville. The music and entertainment in Nashville are unlike anywhere else,” Justin shares. “In a city like Nashville, it’s essential to have a level of consistency that can be brought to all events–private or public–to reflect the true caliber of talent and energy at the fingertips of this town. Only Bands Live Entertainment was built to bring customization and uniqueness of Nashville to our clients, while providing our musicians with the same level of consideration and respect.”

Justin and Care are focused on growing both the clientele and their book of available musicians for Only Bands.

“Over the past three years we have traveled outside of Tennessee and even out of the country for multiple corporate events. The number of clients from other states that reach out wanting us to come bring a bit of Nashville music to their wedding, or event is such an honor,” Justin says. “It has also provided incredible experiences for our bands and their own exposure. My plan is to continue cultivating those opportunities and honor the music scene in Nashville on a much larger scale.”

When asked what he wants musicians to know about the platform, Justin shares that first and foremost, he knows their value.

“While my sole priority is providing the most genuine, authentic and energetic entertainment experience in the private sector, I know that the caliber of musician required for that is not cheap and shouldn’t be compensated as such. That’s why Only Bands is one of the highest paying gigs in town,” he says. “This entire industry is built on the backs of musicians, we all know it, but it’s brushed over more times than not.

“Only Bands is my way of giving back to the city, the industry and my people. To me, it’s so much more than a catalog of bands. It’s more than a memorable and quality experience. It is recognition of years and years of long hours, tireless work, and the uniqueness of what musicians bring to the stage here and everywhere.”

BMI has named Martijn Tel as its Chief Financial Officer (CFO).

Based in the PRO’s New York office, Tel joins its executive leadership team alongside Chief Technology Officer Tom Kershaw and Chief Transformation Officer Justin Rohde, whose appointments were announced in July, and will report to President & CEO Mike O’Neill.

He brings experience serving in senior financial positions at both public and private companies to his new role. Most recently, Tel served as CFO of Gerson Lehrman Group, a global data & information services provider backed by the private equity firm SFW Capital Partners. During his time there, he worked to lead a finance transformation that enabled the leadership team to better understand performance across different businesses, regions and clients while enhancing automation and upgraded systems, including the implementation of an enterprise data management system. Tel also previously served in CFO and operating positions at a number of companies in the information services industry and has worked with several private equity sponsors. A native of the Netherlands, he has two finance degrees from Vrije Universiteit in Amsterdam.

“Martijn’s wealth of experience, particularly working with companies with ambitious growth plans, makes him a perfect fit for BMI now,” says O’Neill. “I look forward to working with him and our team as we continue to implement strategic initiatives designed to fulfill BMI’s mission to grow the value of music for our creators and copyright owners.”