Pictured: Carrie Underwood accepting The Country Artist of 2022 award on stage during the 2022 People’s Choice Awards held at the Barker Hangar on Dec. 6, 2022 in Santa Monica, California. Photo by Rich Polk/E! Entertainment/NBC via Getty Images
This article also appears in the 2023 MusicRow Awards Issue, published earlier this month.
NBCUniversal is bringing a new party to Nashville with the premiere of the People’s Choice Country Awards. Airing live on NBC and Peacock from the Grand Ole Opry House on Thursday, Sept. 28, this expansion of the People’s Choice Awards brand will be one of country music’s only fan-voted awards shows.
The original People’s Choice Awards program launched in 1975 with producer and creator Bob Stivers at the helm. The program aired annually on CBS with a ceremony in January to celebrate the previous year of pop culture. In the early years, Gallup polling determined the results of the categories. Prior to 1982’s Country/Western Musical Performer award, the Awards did not have an accolade specifically for country music.
For the 31st Awards in 2005, the franchise moved to an online voting system, allowing fans to cast 25 votes per day per category. Then, in 2018, the NBCUniversal-owned E! Entertainment Network became the new home for the 44th Awards ceremony, and the annual date moved to November in celebration of pop culture from each current year.
As the annual categories continued to evolve, they awarded wins for Favorite Country Performer, Favorite Male and Female Country Artist, and, most recently, Country Artist of the Year. Reba McEntire, Garth Brooks, Carrie Underwood, Blake Shelton and Taylor Swift are multi-award winners across the country-specific categories, as well as the general music categories such as Favorite Male or Favorite Female Musical Performer.
The 47th annual ceremony in 2021 aired live simultaneously on E! and NBC, ushering in a new era and shifting towards a December slot. With the 49th People’s Choice Awards already scheduled, NBCUniversal turns their eyes to expanding in a new direction—country music.
Pictured: Cassandra Tryon. Photo: Courtesy of NBCUniversal
Cassandra Tryon, the Senior Vice President of Entertainment Live Events, NBCUniversal Television and Streaming, led a team in revamping the People’s Choice Awards, and expanding the franchise to launch the upcoming People’s Choice Country Awards.
“The People’s Choice Awards [awarded] in movies, TV, social media categories, comedy, sports, etc. and music is just one component, but it is always the most voted—and country [is represented] through that,” she says. “We’ve had an overwhelming response. That gave us the first hint that this was a good extension for us.”
Tryon shares with MusicRow that after NBCUniversal acquired the rights to the People’s Choice Awards back in 2017 and aired their first show on E! in 2018, its evolution has been a journey of
transformation.
“We really tore it down to the studs and rebuilt it. It’s an awards show that’s been around since the ‘70s and was ready for a refresh, in our minds,” Tryon shares. “At the heart of it was ‘how do we best represent the voice of the fans?’
“[The People’s Choice Country Awards are] really a celebration of music with country at its heart,” she explains about the new special, adding that the team took a fan-focused approach as they created the show, from the crafting of the lineup to the voting procedures to the event itself.
“It’s about reflecting on the biggest moments in country music of the year. So, so many artists have had such incredible years, tours, songs and albums, so it’s really about ‘what is the best celebration of that music and how many performances can we pick?”
To get to the heart of one of the most anticipated new events in country music this year, the People’s Choice Country Awards narrows in on various sources throughout the media landscape. To keep the nominees as recent and relevant as possible, the PCCAs limits its eligibility year to each calendar year.
“We have a proprietary system that ingests data from sources like Spotify and Billboard, and all the usual sources like social media, etc., so when we announce the nominees, we know they’re truly reflective of what the fans are consuming and talking about in country music.”
Previously, NBCUniversal announced that the Grammy Award-winning group, Little Big Town, will be hosts for the inaugural show as well as featured performers leading the impressive lineup. They will present the night’s honors to the first class of People’s Choice Country Awards winners.
“The lineup is about the best celebration, and what the fans want to see as they celebrate the year in country music,” Tryon notes. While careful not to give away any more details about the performers for the evening, she was able to provide more insight into the award categories slated for celebration.
“Our big fan-voted category is the People’s Artist. That is the ultimate fan-voted award that covers every category. We have the Male Artist, Female Artist, the New Artist, the Duo/Group, the Song, the Album, the Collaboration Song, the Crossover Song, the Music Video, the Concert/Tour and the Social Country Star [of 2023 awards].”
She adds, “I would say Social Country Star and Crossover Song are probably the most unique and different categories than we’re used to from some of the other award shows out there. It’s really trying to celebrate the best in country music, including new artists and up-and-comers.”
The Social Country Star category is a new nod to the rising trend of artists using their social media platforms to actively engage with fans. This category will reflect the country stars that not only have the biggest followings, but also have high fan engagement rates.
Given the growing popularity of country artists collaborating with musicians from various genres, two categories reflect the trend and specifically highlight those efforts. “We feel like this is a great opportunity to showcase the genre-blending collaborations that are out there,” Tryon says.
“We have a category that is Collaboration Song, which is two country artists coming together, but the Crossover Song is a country artist collaborating with an artist from another genre. Even in our categories, we’re really trying to be not just your traditional country awards show.”
Beyond the named categories, the People’s Choice Country Awards will also extend honors to a chosen few of the genre’s leaders through special award recognition.
“The Country Icon is Toby Keith. Blake Shelton will be presenting him with that award, as well as a Country Champion, [Wynonna].”
While these categories are set for this first show, the future list of categories is flexible. Tryon says evolution is natural for an awards show—changes occur often to reflect the industry landscape and cater to the fans.
“We always tweak the categories every year or two. We want to keep everything as relevant as possible.”
In the same vein as the Social Country Star award, this new show is leaning into the elevated levels of social media interaction with fans and viewers in anticipation of the show. Given that this program will air on NBC network television, with streaming on their OTT platform Peacock, Tryon understands that other segments of the audience may tune in elsewhere.
Using the past tactics from the People’s Choice Awards and the shift to engage more with online communities in the past years, the People’s Choice Country Awards is adopting a multi-platform approach from the onset.
“Over the years, we’ve really tried to make it a full, 360 experience for our fans, whether they’re tuning into a livestream on Peacock or one of our social networks, or they’re viewing clips of performances and acceptance speeches,” Tryon says.
Fans’ online engagement with their favorite nominees fuels the social media success for this Awards show. Now that the PCCAs have announced this year’s nominees in all categories, they welcome and encourage artists to promote voting to their audiences.
Tryon says, “So many of the artists that [we nominate] have such big fandoms and are in great touch with their fans. There’s a steady drumbeat of social activity that really starts with voting and goes all the way through the night of the show and beyond.”
The shimmering night of the event will spotlight an elegant red-carpet walk-in for all the evening’s biggest stars. The People’s Choice Country Awards will use their social media platforms to cover the on carpet interviews, an exclusive pre-show and the ceremony with peeks at the stars behind-the-scenes.
The new Awards launched its first voting window on Aug. 16 with another change from the original show. Where past People’s Choice Awards ballots have allotted voters 25 votes per category per day, new changes going forward reflect a recent increase in fan voting.
“We have such an overwhelming response to voting that we just [do not] need it anymore. We’ve moved to one vote per category per day.” Tryon assures that this will be more than enough, as she notes the previous 25-vote limit became unwieldy.
People’s Choice Country Awards will still retain the Turbo Voting day where each vote cast will count twice towards the nominee. The races may be close until the very end of voting, especially in this inaugural selection.
“Anything can happen with the People’s Choice Country Awards. With the voting, there’s always surprises. It’s truly all about the fans. I think it’s going to be quite a rabid voting fanbase.
“We have such a great fandom of country fans across NBC with our The Voice audience and with Sunday Night Football,” Tryon explains. This vibrancy in viewership led them to program the Awards for a slot in late September.
“We wanted to put this one in a place where it could live for a long time. We thought September, in the landscape of other country music awards that are out there, was good timing. And also, on our own air because it aligns with [NBCUniversal’s] fall premiere week and premiere schedule, as well as Sunday Night Football.”
She adds, “This also gives us the premiere of primetime shows. The Voice—with Reba [as a coach]—is a big country tie-in. [There are] lots of great opportunities there within our network and keeping it [before] the big holiday window that kicks in for us in the November timeframe.”
With Carrie Underwood kicking off another year of Sunday Night Football, Blake Shelton’s longstanding run that ended this year as a coach on The Voice and now with Reba McEntire and Dan + Shay slated to coach upcoming seasons, country music fans consistently tune into NBC programming during the fall.
“We felt like it would give it the biggest marketing platform and align with a lot of great, related programming that’s out on our networks,” Tryon shares. “We wanted to give it the biggest push we could and secure that home for it now, and for the future as well.”
This fan-focused event also brings business benefits as it highlights a new partnership. The inaugural show marks a major iteration of the investment partnership between Atairos, NBCUniversal and the OEG Attractions Holdings LLC, which owns the assets that comprise Opry Entertainment Group under Ryman Hospitality Properties. Going forward, the goal is to strengthen fans’ connection to the music and become a major player in the country lifestyle, live entertainment and media content fields.
“It’s a partnership that actually goes beyond live events and specials, across our whole portfolio of brands. This is really the ideal show to kick it off—it’s a long-term investment.”
Tyron adds, “The Opry is the heart and soul of country, and such an iconic venue, so we couldn’t be prouder to be partnering and hosting the show there. We do plan to make it the venue—country artists have such reverence for being at the Opry. We very much want to make it a part of our show.”
On Sept. 28, as the artists gather to receive new awards and glamorously celebrate a wonderful year of country music, fans are welcome to join the night’s fun at the Grand Ole Opry.
“We want this show to really be inclusive, like a fun party in Nashville,” says Tryon. The inaugural People’s Choice Country Awards invites country music’s biggest fans to celebrate the stars they helped create.
Country Music Gets A New Awards Show: A Look At The ‘People’s Choice Country Awards’
/by Caela GriffinPictured: Carrie Underwood accepting The Country Artist of 2022 award on stage during the 2022 People’s Choice Awards held at the Barker Hangar on Dec. 6, 2022 in Santa Monica, California. Photo by Rich Polk/E! Entertainment/NBC via Getty Images
This article also appears in the 2023 MusicRow Awards Issue, published earlier this month.
NBCUniversal is bringing a new party to Nashville with the premiere of the People’s Choice Country Awards. Airing live on NBC and Peacock from the Grand Ole Opry House on Thursday, Sept. 28, this expansion of the People’s Choice Awards brand will be one of country music’s only fan-voted awards shows.
The original People’s Choice Awards program launched in 1975 with producer and creator Bob Stivers at the helm. The program aired annually on CBS with a ceremony in January to celebrate the previous year of pop culture. In the early years, Gallup polling determined the results of the categories. Prior to 1982’s Country/Western Musical Performer award, the Awards did not have an accolade specifically for country music.
For the 31st Awards in 2005, the franchise moved to an online voting system, allowing fans to cast 25 votes per day per category. Then, in 2018, the NBCUniversal-owned E! Entertainment Network became the new home for the 44th Awards ceremony, and the annual date moved to November in celebration of pop culture from each current year.
As the annual categories continued to evolve, they awarded wins for Favorite Country Performer, Favorite Male and Female Country Artist, and, most recently, Country Artist of the Year. Reba McEntire, Garth Brooks, Carrie Underwood, Blake Shelton and Taylor Swift are multi-award winners across the country-specific categories, as well as the general music categories such as Favorite Male or Favorite Female Musical Performer.
The 47th annual ceremony in 2021 aired live simultaneously on E! and NBC, ushering in a new era and shifting towards a December slot. With the 49th People’s Choice Awards already scheduled, NBCUniversal turns their eyes to expanding in a new direction—country music.
Pictured: Cassandra Tryon. Photo: Courtesy of NBCUniversal
Cassandra Tryon, the Senior Vice President of Entertainment Live Events, NBCUniversal Television and Streaming, led a team in revamping the People’s Choice Awards, and expanding the franchise to launch the upcoming People’s Choice Country Awards.
“The People’s Choice Awards [awarded] in movies, TV, social media categories, comedy, sports, etc. and music is just one component, but it is always the most voted—and country [is represented] through that,” she says. “We’ve had an overwhelming response. That gave us the first hint that this was a good extension for us.”
Tryon shares with MusicRow that after NBCUniversal acquired the rights to the People’s Choice Awards back in 2017 and aired their first show on E! in 2018, its evolution has been a journey of
transformation.
“We really tore it down to the studs and rebuilt it. It’s an awards show that’s been around since the ‘70s and was ready for a refresh, in our minds,” Tryon shares. “At the heart of it was ‘how do we best represent the voice of the fans?’
“[The People’s Choice Country Awards are] really a celebration of music with country at its heart,” she explains about the new special, adding that the team took a fan-focused approach as they created the show, from the crafting of the lineup to the voting procedures to the event itself.
“It’s about reflecting on the biggest moments in country music of the year. So, so many artists have had such incredible years, tours, songs and albums, so it’s really about ‘what is the best celebration of that music and how many performances can we pick?”
To get to the heart of one of the most anticipated new events in country music this year, the People’s Choice Country Awards narrows in on various sources throughout the media landscape. To keep the nominees as recent and relevant as possible, the PCCAs limits its eligibility year to each calendar year.
“We have a proprietary system that ingests data from sources like Spotify and Billboard, and all the usual sources like social media, etc., so when we announce the nominees, we know they’re truly reflective of what the fans are consuming and talking about in country music.”
Previously, NBCUniversal announced that the Grammy Award-winning group, Little Big Town, will be hosts for the inaugural show as well as featured performers leading the impressive lineup. They will present the night’s honors to the first class of People’s Choice Country Awards winners.
“The lineup is about the best celebration, and what the fans want to see as they celebrate the year in country music,” Tryon notes. While careful not to give away any more details about the performers for the evening, she was able to provide more insight into the award categories slated for celebration.
“Our big fan-voted category is the People’s Artist. That is the ultimate fan-voted award that covers every category. We have the Male Artist, Female Artist, the New Artist, the Duo/Group, the Song, the Album, the Collaboration Song, the Crossover Song, the Music Video, the Concert/Tour and the Social Country Star [of 2023 awards].”
She adds, “I would say Social Country Star and Crossover Song are probably the most unique and different categories than we’re used to from some of the other award shows out there. It’s really trying to celebrate the best in country music, including new artists and up-and-comers.”
The Social Country Star category is a new nod to the rising trend of artists using their social media platforms to actively engage with fans. This category will reflect the country stars that not only have the biggest followings, but also have high fan engagement rates.
Given the growing popularity of country artists collaborating with musicians from various genres, two categories reflect the trend and specifically highlight those efforts. “We feel like this is a great opportunity to showcase the genre-blending collaborations that are out there,” Tryon says.
“We have a category that is Collaboration Song, which is two country artists coming together, but the Crossover Song is a country artist collaborating with an artist from another genre. Even in our categories, we’re really trying to be not just your traditional country awards show.”
Beyond the named categories, the People’s Choice Country Awards will also extend honors to a chosen few of the genre’s leaders through special award recognition.
“The Country Icon is Toby Keith. Blake Shelton will be presenting him with that award, as well as a Country Champion, [Wynonna].”
While these categories are set for this first show, the future list of categories is flexible. Tryon says evolution is natural for an awards show—changes occur often to reflect the industry landscape and cater to the fans.
“We always tweak the categories every year or two. We want to keep everything as relevant as possible.”
In the same vein as the Social Country Star award, this new show is leaning into the elevated levels of social media interaction with fans and viewers in anticipation of the show. Given that this program will air on NBC network television, with streaming on their OTT platform Peacock, Tryon understands that other segments of the audience may tune in elsewhere.
Using the past tactics from the People’s Choice Awards and the shift to engage more with online communities in the past years, the People’s Choice Country Awards is adopting a multi-platform approach from the onset.
“Over the years, we’ve really tried to make it a full, 360 experience for our fans, whether they’re tuning into a livestream on Peacock or one of our social networks, or they’re viewing clips of performances and acceptance speeches,” Tryon says.
Fans’ online engagement with their favorite nominees fuels the social media success for this Awards show. Now that the PCCAs have announced this year’s nominees in all categories, they welcome and encourage artists to promote voting to their audiences.
Tryon says, “So many of the artists that [we nominate] have such big fandoms and are in great touch with their fans. There’s a steady drumbeat of social activity that really starts with voting and goes all the way through the night of the show and beyond.”
The shimmering night of the event will spotlight an elegant red-carpet walk-in for all the evening’s biggest stars. The People’s Choice Country Awards will use their social media platforms to cover the on carpet interviews, an exclusive pre-show and the ceremony with peeks at the stars behind-the-scenes.
The new Awards launched its first voting window on Aug. 16 with another change from the original show. Where past People’s Choice Awards ballots have allotted voters 25 votes per category per day, new changes going forward reflect a recent increase in fan voting.
“We have such an overwhelming response to voting that we just [do not] need it anymore. We’ve moved to one vote per category per day.” Tryon assures that this will be more than enough, as she notes the previous 25-vote limit became unwieldy.
People’s Choice Country Awards will still retain the Turbo Voting day where each vote cast will count twice towards the nominee. The races may be close until the very end of voting, especially in this inaugural selection.
“Anything can happen with the People’s Choice Country Awards. With the voting, there’s always surprises. It’s truly all about the fans. I think it’s going to be quite a rabid voting fanbase.
“We have such a great fandom of country fans across NBC with our The Voice audience and with Sunday Night Football,” Tryon explains. This vibrancy in viewership led them to program the Awards for a slot in late September.
“We wanted to put this one in a place where it could live for a long time. We thought September, in the landscape of other country music awards that are out there, was good timing. And also, on our own air because it aligns with [NBCUniversal’s] fall premiere week and premiere schedule, as well as Sunday Night Football.”
She adds, “This also gives us the premiere of primetime shows. The Voice—with Reba [as a coach]—is a big country tie-in. [There are] lots of great opportunities there within our network and keeping it [before] the big holiday window that kicks in for us in the November timeframe.”
With Carrie Underwood kicking off another year of Sunday Night Football, Blake Shelton’s longstanding run that ended this year as a coach on The Voice and now with Reba McEntire and Dan + Shay slated to coach upcoming seasons, country music fans consistently tune into NBC programming during the fall.
“We felt like it would give it the biggest marketing platform and align with a lot of great, related programming that’s out on our networks,” Tryon shares. “We wanted to give it the biggest push we could and secure that home for it now, and for the future as well.”
This fan-focused event also brings business benefits as it highlights a new partnership. The inaugural show marks a major iteration of the investment partnership between Atairos, NBCUniversal and the OEG Attractions Holdings LLC, which owns the assets that comprise Opry Entertainment Group under Ryman Hospitality Properties. Going forward, the goal is to strengthen fans’ connection to the music and become a major player in the country lifestyle, live entertainment and media content fields.
“It’s a partnership that actually goes beyond live events and specials, across our whole portfolio of brands. This is really the ideal show to kick it off—it’s a long-term investment.”
Tyron adds, “The Opry is the heart and soul of country, and such an iconic venue, so we couldn’t be prouder to be partnering and hosting the show there. We do plan to make it the venue—country artists have such reverence for being at the Opry. We very much want to make it a part of our show.”
On Sept. 28, as the artists gather to receive new awards and glamorously celebrate a wonderful year of country music, fans are welcome to join the night’s fun at the Grand Ole Opry.
“We want this show to really be inclusive, like a fun party in Nashville,” says Tryon. The inaugural People’s Choice Country Awards invites country music’s biggest fans to celebrate the stars they helped create.
Darius Rucker To Perform As Part Of The ‘Recorded Live At Analog’ Series
/by Steven BoeroAward-winning artist Darius Rucker is set to perform at Analog at the Hutton Hotel ahead of the release of his first solo project in six years, Carolyn’s Boy, on Oct. 6.
Named for his late mother as an “homage to the greatest woman [he’s] ever known,” Carolyn’s Boy features Rucker as a cowriter on 11 of the 14 tracks, with recent release “Southern Comfort” joining current single “Fires Don’t Start Themselves” as well as No. 1 hit “Beers And Sunshine” and recent release “Have A Good Time.”
“I’m so excited to finally share this album with our fans after working on it for so long,” says Rucker. “It’s a really joyful album that celebrates the most joyful woman; the woman who was always in my corner and is the reason I am where I am today. I can’t think of a better way to celebrate than this special show right here in Nashville.”
The songwriter-style event will be recorded as part of the “Recorded Live at Analog” series supported by Heaven’s Door and debuting on PBS in early 2024. Limited tickets are available. For more information, click here.
“Recorded Live at Analog” is produced by iMaggination, Inc. and also features the recently-recorded “Bruce Springsteen’s Nebraska: Celebrating A Rough Masterpiece,” which included performances by Emmylou Harris, Noah Kahan, Lyle Lovett, The Lumineers, Lucinda Williams and surprise guest Eric Church, with additional shows in the series to be announced soon.
In addition, Rucker has been sharing full-band performances of the new music with fans across the country all summer on his “Starting Fires Tour,” which wraps its stateside run on Oct. 14 at Nashville’s Ascend Amphitheater, and will take his hits across the pond with a run of European dates in early 2024.
He will also celebrate the album’s release during the second year of his personally-curated Riverfront Revival Music Festival set for Oct. 7-8 in his hometown of Charleston, SC. In addition to Rucker himself, fans will be treated to performances by Turnpike Troubadours, Lainey Wilson, Band of Horses and more.
NSAI Notches Another Epic Nashville Songwriter Awards Show [Recap]
/by LB CantrellPictured (L-R, front row): David Israelite (2023 NSAI Advocacy Award recipient), Sonya Isaacs, Steve Bogard (NSAI, Board President), Bobby Braddock (2023 NSAI Kris Kristofferson Lifetime Achievement Award recipient), Nicolle Galyon, Emily Shackelton, Ashley Gorley (2023 NSAI Songwriter of the Year recipient), Megan Moroney, Trannie Anderson (NSAI 2023 Song of the Year recipient), Ben Burgess and Jennifer Turnbow (NSAI Chief Operating Officer); (L-R, back row): Jimmy Yeary, Bart Herbison (NSAI, Executive Director), Ben Johnson, Dallas Wilson (NSAI 2023 Song of the Year recipient), Ben Williams, Mark Holman, Hunter Phelps, David Fanning and Paul Jenkins. Photo: Jason Davis
“This is becoming my favorite industry awards show.” That statement was shared among throngs of songwriters, publishers and other industry members at last night’s (Sept. 26) sixth annual Nashville Songwriter Awards, put on by Nashville Songwriters Association International (NSAI) with presenting partner City National Bank.
And for good reason. The night was full of epic performances, tender speeches and shared congratulations. As it has been since the beginning: it was a love fest.
Songwriter and producer Bobby Braddock, NSAI’s 2023 Kris Kristofferson Lifetime Achievement Award honoree, pictured with Tracy Lawrence, Blake Shelton, and Garth Brooks (2022 NSAI Kris Kristofferson Lifetime Achievement Award recipient). Photo: Jason Davis
Throughout the night, the winning songs in the “10 Songs I Wish I’d Written” category were performed, as were tributes to some of the night’s esteemed honorees, Bobby Braddock, David Israelite and Tim McGraw.
The show opened with talented vocalists Jimmy Yeary and Sonya Isaacs singing a medley of “Golden Ring,” “The Jet Set” and “D-I-V-O-R-C-E,” as one of many musical moments tributing the incomparable Braddock.
Later in the show, Garth Brooks appeared to a hooping and hollering house. He was tasked with presenting Braddock with the Kris Kristofferson Lifetime Achievement Award, but he wasn’t alone. Tracy Lawrence soon joined the stage to perform the Braddock-penned classic, “Time Marches On.” A highlight of the evening was when Blake Shelton, whom Braddock discovered, appeared to perform the iconic “He Stopped Loving Her Today” that Braddock penned alongside Curly Putman for George Jones. Toby Keith got a huge applause when he appeared to sing “I Wanna Talk About Me,” on which he sounded as stellar as ever.
When Braddock made his way to the stage, he insisted that the award was an honor to all of the songwriters who had written with him over the years. The songwriter—who has had chart-topping hits in five decades—was incredibly humble, thanking his family, publishers and the Nashville community.
“I love country music. I’m fortunate to play a small part in it,” Braddock shared. “Long live country music!”
2023 NSAI President’s Keystone Award recipient Tim McGraw. Photo: Jason Davis
Lori McKenna was on hand to honor McGraw, who was being presented with the NSAI President’s Keystone Award. She played her epic “Humble And Kind” that McGraw sent into the stratosphere. “Tim McGraw always makes me cry,” McKenna said.
The President’s Keystone Award recognizes significant contributions to the betterment of all songwriters. In a video that played with messages for McGraw, almost all participants spoke about his commitment to cutting the best songs—no matter if he had a hand in writing them. For McGraw, the best song wins.
“You are the songwriters. The corner stone of Music Row,” McGraw said to the crowd.
“I listen to hundreds of your songs as I’m trying to record what I’m hearing in my head. I consider it one of the most precious and awesome things I get to do, listening to your demos,” he added. “I heard your song and I fell in love with it. Thank you for trusting me with your songs.”
Israelite, the Chairman & CEO of the National Music Publishers’ Association, was given the NSAI Advocacy Award for his significant service to the songwriting community. Brett Young performed a cover of Israelite’s favorite song, “Hallelujah” by Leonard Cohen. When Israelite got up to speak, he said Young’s cover was now his favorite version.
Israelite spoke about the work NMPA and NSAI had done together for the betterment of songwriters. “Songwriting is a collaborative exercise. As you’ll see tonight, most great songs are the result of a team effort,” he said. “The same is true in my world.”
Ashley Gorley was the night’s Songwriter of the Year, an award he has taken home a record seven times. He was treated to performances of “God Gave Me A Girl” by Russell Dickerson and “She Had Me At Heads Carolina” by Cole Swindell as an example of two of his hits from the past year.
2023 ‘Songwriter of the Year’ Ashely Gorley with NSAI’s Lindsay Glover. Photo: Kristen Kelly / NSAI
When Gorley spoke, the chart-topper with over 60 No. 1 hits shared something that he had found himself telling rising songwriters lately.
“I’ve been in Nashville a long time and this past year was the biggest year I’ve had,” Gorley shared. “To anyone that’s out there that is digging in, just be patient, keep being you and do what you do best.”
In between in awards, the “10 Songs I Wish I’d Written” were revealed through videos from the creators about the song’s writing process. Then, the artist or songwriter(s) behind the song would perform them.
Josiah and the Bonnevilles performed a folky version of Taylor Swift‘s “Anti-Hero” (Swift, Jack Antonoff); while Megan Moroney thrilled the audience with her breakout hit “Tennessee Orange” (Moroney, David Fanning, Paul Jenkins, Ben Williams).
Tony Lane and Travis Meadows played their hit with Cody Johnson, “Human,” while Nicolle Galyon performed Morgan Wallen‘s “Thought You Should Know” (Galyon, Wallen, Miranda Lambert). Emily Shackelton sounded beautiful on Carly Pearce‘s “What He Didn’t Do” (Shackelton, Pearce, Gorley). Hardy and Renee Blair brought the house down on “Wait In The Truck” (Hardy, Blair, Jordan Schmidt, Hunter Phelps.)
Pictured (L-R): Jill Moody (NSAI, Director of Membership), Jennifer Turnbow (NSAI, Chief Operating Officer), Song of the Year Winners Trannie Anderson and Dallas Wilson, Steve Bogard (NSAI, Board President). Photo: Jason Davis
Gorley, Phelps and Ben Johnson performed another winner they wrote with Hardy, “Give Heaven Some Hell.” The ever-charming Ernest appeared a few times throughout the night to perform winners “Flower Shops” (Ernest, Ben Burgess, Mark Holman) and “You Proof” (Ernest, Wallen, Gorley, Charlie Handsome), with Handsome in tow for accompaniment.
The top-voted of the “10 Songs I Wish I’d Written” is named Song of the Year. That honor went to Lainey Wilson, Trannie Anderson and Dallas Wilson for Wilson’s “Heart Like A Truck.” Trannie and Dallas performed the tune—Lainey couldn’t be there as she had sold out Red Rocks that night.
Chuck Aly Named President/COO Of ‘Country Aircheck’
/by Liza AndersonChuck Aly
Chuck Aly, VP/GM of Country Aircheck, has now been named President/COO of the music industry trade publication and will continue to report to Lon Helton, Publisher/CEO.
Aly helped to establish Country Aircheck in 2006, marking over a decade with the publication. His previous career stops include Radio & Records, MusicRow and Shock Ink/Force.
“Butch had Sundance. Rachel had Monica. John Dutton has Rip. For the last 17 years I’ve been incredibly fortunate to have Chuck by my side,” says Helton. “He took a huge chance when he left Radio & Records 17 years ago following its purchase by Billboard to join me on this little escapade called Country Aircheck. I couldn’t have done it without him; I wouldn’t have done it without him. So earned, so deserved. Hopefully this new title will keep him around another 17 years.”
“The nationwide community around country music – as a business and an artform – inspires me greatly. I’m incredibly grateful to Lon, the talented Country Aircheck team and everyone in the industry for letting me be a part of telling this story,” Aly adds.
He can be reached at chuck@countryaircheck.com.
Zandi Holup Inks With Big Loud Records
/by Lorie HollabaughPictured (L-R): Big Loud’s Sara Knabe, Greg Thompson, Stacy Blythe, Candice Watkins, Patch Culbertson, Zandi Holup, Big Loud’s Nate Yetton, Seth England, Joey Moi and Austen Adams. Photo: Brayln Kelly
Zandi Holup has signed a label deal with Big Loud Records.
Holup’s first single, “Gas Station Flowers,” arrives Oct. 6, and was produced by Al Torrence, producer and guitarist in Charles Wesley Godwin‘s backing band, The Allegheny High, who also played on the recording.
A Pennsylvania native, Holup began writing songs when she was 12. She spent time in the Northeast and on the west coast before relocating to Nashville six years ago to pursue her musical dreams. Inspired by the folk singer-songwriter movement of the 1960s, her true-to-life lyrics and affinity for melancholy are no surprise, citing trailblazers Joan Baez, Bob Dylan, Joni Mitchell and Dolly Parton as her musical heroes.
“After no more than 10 seconds into hearing Zandi sing for the first time, I knew in my bones that I had to find a way to support, champion and collaborate with her,” shares Nate Yetton, Big Loud VP of A&R. “We are so thrilled that she’s chosen to entrust her prolific artistry and treasure trove of repertoire to us here at Big Loud.”
“Finding and developing great talent is critical to the Big Loud way,” says Seth England, Big Loud CEO/Partner. “Zandi has a truly unique voice and sharp pen. We’re honored and excited to invest in her development and help bring her songs and her perspective to the world.”
“I feel blessed to be working with a record label that doesn’t try to intervene with my creation but gives me the tools to create my art in a larger way,” shares Holup. “From the beginning, Big Loud has seen me for who I am, my vision and never asked for me to change, but to keep going while they support me.”
Pilgrimage Music & Culture Festival Sells Out For Second Time In Event History
/by Steven BoeroPictured (L-R): Zach Bryan. Photo: Courtesy of Jason Kempin/Getty Images For Pilgrimage Music & Cultural Festival. Ashley McBryde. Photo: Alive Coverage.
Pilgrimage Music & Cultural Festival packed The Park at Harlinsdale Farm in Franklin, Tennessee celebrating its ninth year with a sold-out event this past weekend (Sept. 23-24). Across three stages, two days and thousands of fans, the music and arts festival put on a knock-out show with performances from Zach Bryan, Ashley McBryde, The Black Crowes and so many more.
During the festival, fans filled the farm from stage to stage, selling out the event for the second time in Pilgrimage Festival history.
“We were absolutely blown away by the performances we witnessed this weekend and are grateful to all the artists for making this a really special year. We want to thank the fans for being here and for their enthusiasm and passion for this festival. They show up ready to have a great time and their energy is one of the reasons we can attract such top tier talent,” shared festival producers Michael Whelan, Better Than Ezra’s frontman Kevin Griffin and W. Brandt Wood.
Pilgrimage Music & Cultural Festival 2023. Photo: Courtesy of Alive Coverage
Highlights from Saturday (Sept. 23) included comedian and podcaster Theo Von joining Better Than Ezra on stage to gift the iconic Pilgrimage Festival Gibson Guitar to a lucky fan in the crowd, which has become a festival tradition, as well as a hometown performance from rising Nashville artist Hailey Whitters and a memorable moment from headliner The Lumineers, who rocked-out from their very own satellite stage. The Black Crowes, Yola and The Head And The Heart closed out the first night.
Additionally, Franklin Fun Farm captivated guests with high-flying aerialist acts on the first day.
On Sunday ( Sept. 24), the Midnight Sun stage was filled with fans by 3 p.m. Nathaniel Rateliff & The Night Sweats kicked things off in the afternoon. The fun continued when Griffin joined Tigirlily Gold for a fun performance of their top-40 hit song “Shoot Tequila” that he co-wrote with the duo.
More major moments included Dierks Bentley’s pop-up at Charlie Worsham’s set for “Things I Can’t Control.” Nashville-based producer/songwriter of The Cadillac Three, Jaren Johnson and country artist Ian Munsick also made appearances in Worsham’s set.
Charlie Worsham & Dierks Bentley. Photo: Courtesy of Jason Kempin/Getty Images for Pilgrimage Music & Cultural Festival
Sunday night headliner Zach Bryan continued the party with stellar guests, starting off with an appearance from The War And Treaty, who also graced the Midnight Sun stage earlier in the day, to perform their collaboration “Hey Driver.” Noah Kahan hit the stage with Bryan to perform their song “Sarah’s Place” from Bryan’s surprise EP Boys Of Faith.
The Lumineers and Bryan both returned for an encore Sunday night for their never-performed recent duet “Spotless.” Bryan even stopped the show to bring a fan on stage to sing and play guitar during his popular hit “Heading South.”
Pilgrimage Music & Cultural Festival has established itself as a leader in the music and arts festival business. Beyond the music, the festival creates a space for community to join together and celebrate. Football fanatics were able to watch their teams live on LED screens at The Beer Hall, and Makers Village provided attendees with a place to peruse and shop.
The War And Treaty. Photo: Courtesy of Jason Kempin/Getty Images for Pilgrimage Music & Cultural Festival
2023 Nashville Songwriter Award Winners – Complete List
/by LB CantrellDavid Israelite, and Tim McGraw
Songwriters and publishers were celebrated Tuesday night (Sept. 26) at NSAI’s 6th annual Nashville Songwriter Awards, presented in partnership with City National Bank.
At the Ryman Auditorium, dozens of performers honored a great group of award-winning songwriters.
Ashley Gorley was honored as Songwriter of the Year for a record seventh time. Gorley was honored with performances of “God Gave Me A Girl” by Russell Dickerson and “She Had Me At Heads Carolina” by Cole Swindell.
Song of the Year was awarded to Trannie Anderson, Dallas Wilson and Lainey Wilson for their hit “Heart Like A Truck,” recorded by Wilson. Nine additional songs and their writers were celebrated as winners in the peer-voted “10 Songs I Wish I’d Written” award category.
Previously announced honorees, David Israelite (Chairman & CEO of the National Music Publishers’ Association) and Tim McGraw, were both celebrated with special performances for their achievements. Brett Young honored Israelite with a performance of his favorite song, “Hallelujah.” Lori McKenna took the stage to honor McGraw with a performance of her own “Humble And Kind.”
Garth Brooks presented Bobby Braddock with the 2023 Kris Kristofferson Lifetime Achievement Award. He was honored with multiple performances from Jimmy Yeary and Sonya Isaacs, Tracy Lawrence and Blake Shelton.
Click here to read MusicRow‘s full recap of the 6th annual Nashville Songwriter Awards.
Complete List Of Award Winners Below:
SONG OF THE YEAR
“Heart Like A Truck” Written by Trannie Anderson, Dallas Wilson, Lainey Wilson
SONGWRITER OF THE YEAR
Ashley Gorley
SONGWRITER-ARTIST OF THE YEAR
Morgan Wallen
KRIS KRISTOFFERSON LIFETIME ACHIEVEMENT AWARD
(Given in recognition to a songwriter whose works have made a significant contribution to the American songbook and who has inspired the careers of others.)
Bobby Braddock
NSAI PRESIDENT’S KEYSTONE AWARD
(Given in recognition of significant contributions to the betterment of all songwriters, chosen by the current NSAI President.)
Tim McGraw
NSAI ADVOCACY AWARD
(Bestowed by the NSAI Board of Directors to an individual who has significantly served the American songwriting community.)
David Israelite – Chairman & CEO of the National Music Publishers’ Association (NMPA)
“10 Songs I Wish I’d Written” Award Winners:
Each year, the highly-coveted “10 Songs I Wish I’d Written Awards” are voted on by Professional Songwriter Members of NSAI honoring the work of their songwriter peers. Songs eligible for the award have at least one Nashville-based writer and charted in the Top 20 of Billboard Airplay chart in the Christian, country, mainstream top 40, and/or rock genres between May 1, 2022, and April 30, 2023. The NSAI Song Of The Year is the highest vote-getter.)
“Anti-Hero”
Written by: Jack Antonoff, Taylor Swift (recorded by: Taylor Swift)
“Flower Shops”
Written by: Ben Burgess, Mark Holman, Ernest Keith Smith (recorded by: ERNEST feat. Morgan Wallen)
“Give Heaven Some Hell”
Written by: Ashley Gorley, Michael Hardy, Ben Johnson, Hunter Phelps (recorded by: HARDY)
“Human”
Written by: Tony Lane, Travis Meadows (recorded by: Cody Johnson)
“Tennessee Orange”
Written by: David Fanning, Megan Moroney, Paul Jenkins, Ben Williams (recorded by: Megan Moroney)
“Thought You Should Know”
Written by: Nicolle Galyon, Miranda Lambert, Morgan Wallen (recorded by: Morgan Wallen)
“wait in the truck”
Written by: Renee Blair, Michael Hardy, Hunter Phelps, Jordan Schmidt (recorded by: HARDY feat. Lainey Wilson)
“What He Didn’t Do”
Written by: Ashley Gorley, Carly Pearce, Emily Shackelton (recorded by: Carly Pearce)
“You Proof”
Written by: Ashley Gorley, Charlie Handsome, Ernest Keith Smith, Morgan Wallen (recorded by: Morgan Wallen)
CMA Makes Expansive Changes To The CMA Touring Awards Honors
/by Steven BoeroThe 2022 CMA Touring Awards Winners at the 2022 CMA Touring Awards on Monday, January 30, 2023. Photo: Hunter Berry/CMA
The Country Music Association has announced expansive changes to its CMA Touring Awards, which recognize behind-the-scenes members of the country music touring community.
New this year, the 2023 CMA Touring Awards will add five categories to its current 15 categories. CMA members will soon have the opportunity to vote for Crew, Backline Technician, Stage Manager, Support Services Company and Unsung Hero of the Year. Additionally, a CMA Touring Lifetime Achievement Award is determined each year by CMA’s Board of Directors.
“So often, those within our hard-working touring community are the unsung heroes of our business,” says Jay Williams, WME Nashville Partner/Co-Head and CMA Awards & Recognition Committee Chair. “As CMA honors excellence within the genre throughout the year, we recognize the Touring Personnel category of CMA’s membership is the second largest within the organization. I’m thrilled that our Board has unanimously made the decision to expand our support with the addition of these new categories and processes.”
New CMA Touring Awards Categories:
In addition to these new categories, the balloting process for the 2023 CMA Touring Awards has also been updated. A Nomination Round will take place between Friday, Oct. 6 and Thursday, Oct. 19, allowing eligible CMA Professional voting members in the select categories of membership the opportunity to nominate individuals/companies in all 20 categories while providing a brief explanation for their nomination.
A CMA Touring Awards Nominations Task Force will then review the top 20 nominated individuals/companies in each category and determine the finalists. The task force is comprised of individuals who are knowledgeable in the field of country music touring. A Final Round of voting between Wednesday, Dec. 13 and Thursday, Dec. 28 will allow eligible CMA Professional voting members to cast their vote amongst the top 5 to 8 finalists in each category. CMA members are encouraged to keep an eye on their inbox for balloting information.
The 2023 CMA Touring Awards ceremony is expected to be held in Nashville in early 2024. More details will be announced soon.
Chris Stapleton Confirms 2024 U.K. & Ireland Arena Tour
/by Lorie HollabaughChris Stapleton‘s “All-American Road Show” will head across the pond next fall for a series of arena shows in the U.K. and Ireland.
The overseas trek will include stops at Manchester’s AO Arena, Glasgow’s OVO Hydro Arena, Dublin’s 3Arena, Birmingham’s Utilita Arena and London’s The O2. The shows will feature special guest Marty Stuart. Tickets will be available for pre-sale starting tomorrow (Sept. 27), with general on-sale following this Friday (Sept. 29). For more information, click here.
Stapleton will continue his “All-American Road Show” through this fall, and join George Strait for several stadium shows next year. The performances will support Stapleton’s upcoming new album, Higher, which will be released on Nov. 10 via Mercury Nashville. Two of the project’s tracks, “Think I’m In Love With You” and “White Horse,” are out now.
Make Wake Artists & WME Sign The Castellows
/by Caela GriffinPictured L-R: Kevin Falck, Kanan Vitolo, Ellie, Lily, Powell, HB Riordan, Chris Kappy
The Castellows, a country music trio of sisters, has signed with Make Wake Artists for management and WME for global representation.
Featuring Ellie on acoustic guitar, Powell on banjo and Lily on lead vocals, The Castellows are from a small southern town where they grew up on a farm, honing their classic sound. The women vowed to continue using the family name “Castellow” in honor of their great-grandmother. After a year of posting videos of their rich harmonies online, The Castellows have built a fanbase of more than 1 million followers across multiple social media platforms.
“We are so excited and honored to make this announcement,” say The Castellows. “Both Make Wake and WME have shown that they see our vision for the music we want to create. Everyone on both of these teams is so amazing and we are so excited to take this next step in our careers with them.”
At Make Wake, The Castellows will be working with Chris Kappy as their manager and HB Riordan as their day-to-day.
“When we first met ‘The Girls’ we were blown away with their authenticity, humor, and creativity,” says Kappy. “Even at this stage in their career, they feel like seasoned veterans when they hit the stage. The sound is there, the chops are there, now we can’t wait to get their music to the fan’s ears and let the magic take place. Happy to be a part of the team!”
At WME, the band will be working with Nashville office Co-Head and Partner Joey Lee and agents Kanan Vitolo and Kevin Falck.
“Lily, Powell, and Ellie captivated us with their incredible harmonies and genuine personalities instantly,” their agent team shares. “They are authentically country and bring a fresh sound to the genre. We couldn’t be more excited to have them at WME and work with them as they embark on the next chapter of their career.”
The trio spent the summer writing, recording and touring, including an opening slot with Turnpike Troubadours in early September.