Following the announcement of this year’s nominees for the 35th annual MusicRow Awards, we take a closer look at the Breakthrough Songwriter of the Year category.
The Breakthrough Songwriter of the Year is voted by MusicRow’s subscribers to honor a Nashville songwriter who wrote or co-wrote a Top 10 song for the first time during the eligibility period of June 1, 2022 to May 31, 2023. Outside nominations from Nashville’s publishing community are considered for this award.
This year’s winners will be announced online on all MusicRow platforms on Tuesday, Sept. 12. Presenting Sponsor of the 2023 MusicRow Awards is City National Bank.
Click here to see the full list of MusicRow Awards nominees.
Winners are determined solely by MusicRow Magazine subscribers. Voting is now open and closes on Aug. 18 at 5:00 p.m.
To receive a ballot to vote in the MusicRow Awards, become a MusicRow subscriber here.
Trannie Anderson scored her first No. 1 hit this year with Lainey Wilson’s “Heart Like A Truck,” which she co-wrote with the country star and Dallas Wilson. Anderson has also written songs recorded by Tenille Arts, Gabby Barrett, Dan + Shay, Hannah Dasher, Pentatonix, Nate Smith, Noah Thompson and Meghan Trainor.
Rian Ball hit the top of the charts for the first time with “Down Home,” which he co-wrote with Jimmie Allen, Cameron Bedell and Tate Howell, and Allen recorded. Ball has also had songs cut by Chris Young, Michael Ray, Filmore and more artists in other genres.
Cameron Bedell earned his first No. 1 with Jimmie Allen’s “Down Home,” which he co-wrote with Allen, Rian Ball and Tate Howell. Dylan Scott, Hailey Whitters, Lauren Alaina, Seaforth and more have cut Bedell’s songs, and he produces Tiera Kennedy.
Jimi Bell scored his first No. 1 hit with Jon Pardi’s “Last Night Lonely.” He co-wrote the tune with Joe Fox and Dylan Marlowe. Bell’s songs have also been recorded by Brantley Gilbert, Bailey Zimmerman, Kip Moore and more.
Rocky Block notched his first top 10 with Morgan Wallen’s “Man Made A Bar,” featuring Eric Church. He co-wrote the song with Jordan Dozzi, Larry Fleet and Brett Tyler, which is one of four of his credits on Wallen’s third album. Block has also had songs recorded by Breland, Jake Owen, Nelly, Jordan Davis, Chris Lane and more.
Will Bundy hit the top of the charts for the first time with “Half Of Me,” recorded by Thomas Rhett featuring Riley Green. He co-wrote the song with Rhett, Josh Thompson and Rhett Akins. Bundy has also written songs recorded by Keith Urban, Jordan Davis, Parker McCollum, Jon Pardi, Jason Aldean and more.
John Byron had a big hit with Morgan Wallen’s “Last Night,” which he co-wrote with Ashley Gorley, Jacob Kasher Hindlin and Ryan Vojtesak. It is one of nine songs Byron co-wrote for Wallen’s third album. He’s also had songs cut by Chris Lane and Sean Stemaly.
Jamie Davis hit the top of the charts for the first time with Luke Combs’ “The Kind of Love We Make,” which he cowrote with Combs, Dan Isbell and Reid Isbell. Davis has also had songs recorded by Lily Rose, Jenna Paulette, Leith Loftin and others, and is also a member of Combs’ touring band.
Jordan Dozzi co-wrote the Top 10 hit, “Man Made A Bar,” recorded by Morgan Wallen featuring Eric Chruch. Dozzi co-wrote the tune with Rocky Block, Larry Fleet and Brett Tyler. He has also had cuts with Nelly, Jake Owen, Seaforth, Chase Matthew and more.
David Fanning has had lots of success as a producer and manager to Parmalee. He added “hit songwriter” to his resume with “Take My Name,” recorded by Parmalee and co-written with Matt Thomas, Ashley Gorley and Ben Johnson, and “Tennessee Orange,” co-written and recorded by Megan Moroney along with Ben Williams and Paul Jenkins.
Joe Fox topped the charts with the Jon Pardi-recorded “Last Night Loney,” which he co-wrote with Jimi Bell and Dylan Marlowe, whom he produces. Fox has had songs recorded by Blake Shelton and Matt Stell as well.
Jaxson Free celebrated his first No. 1 with “Thank God,” recorded by Kane and Katelyn Brown. He wrote the duet with Christian Davis, Kyle Fishman, Josh Hoge and Jared Mullins. Free also has cuts with Chase Rice, Dalton Dover, Zach Seabaugh and others.
Jacob Hackworth scored a big hit with Bailey Zimmerman’s “Rock and a Hard Place,” which he co-wrote with Jet Harvey and Heath Warren. Hackworth has also had songs recorded by Chase Matthew and Logan Crosby.
Jet Harvey hit the top of the charts with Bailey Zimmerman’s “Rock and a Hard Place,” which he co-wrote with Jacob Hackworth and Heath Warren. The song was Harvey’s first cut.
Styles Haury earned his first hit with Luke Bryan’s “Country On.” He co-wrote the tune with Mark Nesler, Mitch Oglesby and David Frasier. Haury has also written songs recorded by Craig Morgan and Craig Campbell.
Tate Howell earned his first No. 1 with Jimmie Allen’s “Down Home,” which he co-wrote with Allen, Rian Ball and Cameron Bedell. He has also had songs recorded by Nate Smith and LANCO.
Reid Isbell hit the top of the charts with Luke Combs’ “The Kind of Love We Make.” He co-wrote the tune with Combs, Dan Isbell and Jamie Davis. Isbell has also had cuts with Jon Pardi, Lainey Wilson, Kameron Marlowe, King Calaway and more.
Gavin Lucas celebrated his first No. 1 with Bailey Zimmerman’s “Fall In Love,” which he wrote with Zimmerman and Austin Shawn. Zimmerman has cut many of Lucas’ songs.
Austin Shawn hit the top of the charts with Bailey Zimmerman’s “Fall In Love,” which he wrote with Zimmerman and Gavin Lucas. Lucas has also produced Zimmerman’s hits, as well as some work with Chase Matthew.
Christian Stalnecker earned his first No. 1 with “Thank God,” recorded by Kane and Katelyn Brown. He wrote the duet with Jaxson Free, Kyle Fishman, Josh Hoge and Jared Mullins. Stalnecker has also worked with Blake Shelton, Chris Young, T-Pain, Rick Ross and more.
David Ray Stevens celebrated his first rock No. 1 with Jelly Roll’s “Dead Man Walking” and his first country No. 1 with his “Son Of A Sinner,” which he wrote with Jelly Roll and Ernest.
Heath Warren scored a big hit with Bailey Zimmerman’s “Rock and a Hard Place,” which he co-wrote with Jet Harvey and Jacob Hackworth. Warren has also had songs recorded by Waterloo Revival, Colbie Caillat, Josh Ross and more.
Ben Williams earned his first No. 1 with “Tennessee Orange,” recorded and co-written with Megan Moroney as well as David Fanning and Paul Jenkins. He co-wrote seven of the 13 songs on Moroney’s debut album.
2023 MusicRow Awards Category Profile: Breakthrough Songwriter Of The Year
/by LB CantrellFollowing the announcement of this year’s nominees for the 35th annual MusicRow Awards, we take a closer look at the Breakthrough Songwriter of the Year category.
The Breakthrough Songwriter of the Year is voted by MusicRow’s subscribers to honor a Nashville songwriter who wrote or co-wrote a Top 10 song for the first time during the eligibility period of June 1, 2022 to May 31, 2023. Outside nominations from Nashville’s publishing community are considered for this award.
This year’s winners will be announced online on all MusicRow platforms on Tuesday, Sept. 12. Presenting Sponsor of the 2023 MusicRow Awards is City National Bank.
Click here to see the full list of MusicRow Awards nominees.
Winners are determined solely by MusicRow Magazine subscribers. Voting is now open and closes on Aug. 18 at 5:00 p.m.
To receive a ballot to vote in the MusicRow Awards, become a MusicRow subscriber here.
Trannie Anderson scored her first No. 1 hit this year with Lainey Wilson’s “Heart Like A Truck,” which she co-wrote with the country star and Dallas Wilson. Anderson has also written songs recorded by Tenille Arts, Gabby Barrett, Dan + Shay, Hannah Dasher, Pentatonix, Nate Smith, Noah Thompson and Meghan Trainor.
Rian Ball hit the top of the charts for the first time with “Down Home,” which he co-wrote with Jimmie Allen, Cameron Bedell and Tate Howell, and Allen recorded. Ball has also had songs cut by Chris Young, Michael Ray, Filmore and more artists in other genres.
Cameron Bedell earned his first No. 1 with Jimmie Allen’s “Down Home,” which he co-wrote with Allen, Rian Ball and Tate Howell. Dylan Scott, Hailey Whitters, Lauren Alaina, Seaforth and more have cut Bedell’s songs, and he produces Tiera Kennedy.
Jimi Bell scored his first No. 1 hit with Jon Pardi’s “Last Night Lonely.” He co-wrote the tune with Joe Fox and Dylan Marlowe. Bell’s songs have also been recorded by Brantley Gilbert, Bailey Zimmerman, Kip Moore and more.
Rocky Block notched his first top 10 with Morgan Wallen’s “Man Made A Bar,” featuring Eric Church. He co-wrote the song with Jordan Dozzi, Larry Fleet and Brett Tyler, which is one of four of his credits on Wallen’s third album. Block has also had songs recorded by Breland, Jake Owen, Nelly, Jordan Davis, Chris Lane and more.
Will Bundy hit the top of the charts for the first time with “Half Of Me,” recorded by Thomas Rhett featuring Riley Green. He co-wrote the song with Rhett, Josh Thompson and Rhett Akins. Bundy has also written songs recorded by Keith Urban, Jordan Davis, Parker McCollum, Jon Pardi, Jason Aldean and more.
John Byron had a big hit with Morgan Wallen’s “Last Night,” which he co-wrote with Ashley Gorley, Jacob Kasher Hindlin and Ryan Vojtesak. It is one of nine songs Byron co-wrote for Wallen’s third album. He’s also had songs cut by Chris Lane and Sean Stemaly.
Jamie Davis hit the top of the charts for the first time with Luke Combs’ “The Kind of Love We Make,” which he cowrote with Combs, Dan Isbell and Reid Isbell. Davis has also had songs recorded by Lily Rose, Jenna Paulette, Leith Loftin and others, and is also a member of Combs’ touring band.
Jordan Dozzi co-wrote the Top 10 hit, “Man Made A Bar,” recorded by Morgan Wallen featuring Eric Chruch. Dozzi co-wrote the tune with Rocky Block, Larry Fleet and Brett Tyler. He has also had cuts with Nelly, Jake Owen, Seaforth, Chase Matthew and more.
David Fanning has had lots of success as a producer and manager to Parmalee. He added “hit songwriter” to his resume with “Take My Name,” recorded by Parmalee and co-written with Matt Thomas, Ashley Gorley and Ben Johnson, and “Tennessee Orange,” co-written and recorded by Megan Moroney along with Ben Williams and Paul Jenkins.
Joe Fox topped the charts with the Jon Pardi-recorded “Last Night Loney,” which he co-wrote with Jimi Bell and Dylan Marlowe, whom he produces. Fox has had songs recorded by Blake Shelton and Matt Stell as well.
Jaxson Free celebrated his first No. 1 with “Thank God,” recorded by Kane and Katelyn Brown. He wrote the duet with Christian Davis, Kyle Fishman, Josh Hoge and Jared Mullins. Free also has cuts with Chase Rice, Dalton Dover, Zach Seabaugh and others.
Jacob Hackworth scored a big hit with Bailey Zimmerman’s “Rock and a Hard Place,” which he co-wrote with Jet Harvey and Heath Warren. Hackworth has also had songs recorded by Chase Matthew and Logan Crosby.
Jet Harvey hit the top of the charts with Bailey Zimmerman’s “Rock and a Hard Place,” which he co-wrote with Jacob Hackworth and Heath Warren. The song was Harvey’s first cut.
Styles Haury earned his first hit with Luke Bryan’s “Country On.” He co-wrote the tune with Mark Nesler, Mitch Oglesby and David Frasier. Haury has also written songs recorded by Craig Morgan and Craig Campbell.
Tate Howell earned his first No. 1 with Jimmie Allen’s “Down Home,” which he co-wrote with Allen, Rian Ball and Cameron Bedell. He has also had songs recorded by Nate Smith and LANCO.
Reid Isbell hit the top of the charts with Luke Combs’ “The Kind of Love We Make.” He co-wrote the tune with Combs, Dan Isbell and Jamie Davis. Isbell has also had cuts with Jon Pardi, Lainey Wilson, Kameron Marlowe, King Calaway and more.
Gavin Lucas celebrated his first No. 1 with Bailey Zimmerman’s “Fall In Love,” which he wrote with Zimmerman and Austin Shawn. Zimmerman has cut many of Lucas’ songs.
Austin Shawn hit the top of the charts with Bailey Zimmerman’s “Fall In Love,” which he wrote with Zimmerman and Gavin Lucas. Lucas has also produced Zimmerman’s hits, as well as some work with Chase Matthew.
Christian Stalnecker earned his first No. 1 with “Thank God,” recorded by Kane and Katelyn Brown. He wrote the duet with Jaxson Free, Kyle Fishman, Josh Hoge and Jared Mullins. Stalnecker has also worked with Blake Shelton, Chris Young, T-Pain, Rick Ross and more.
David Ray Stevens celebrated his first rock No. 1 with Jelly Roll’s “Dead Man Walking” and his first country No. 1 with his “Son Of A Sinner,” which he wrote with Jelly Roll and Ernest.
Heath Warren scored a big hit with Bailey Zimmerman’s “Rock and a Hard Place,” which he co-wrote with Jet Harvey and Jacob Hackworth. Warren has also had songs recorded by Waterloo Revival, Colbie Caillat, Josh Ross and more.
Ben Williams earned his first No. 1 with “Tennessee Orange,” recorded and co-written with Megan Moroney as well as David Fanning and Paul Jenkins. He co-wrote seven of the 13 songs on Moroney’s debut album.
GMA Announces Nominees For 54th Annual Dove Awards
/by Caela GriffinThe Gospel Music Association (GMA) has revealed the nominees for the 54th annual GMA Dove Awards.
The top male nominees include Brandon Lake, Jeff Pardo, Jason Ingram and Kirk Franklin. The top female nominees are Katy Nichole, Lauren Daigle, Naomi Raine and Tasha Cobbs Leonard. Country stars Dylan Scott, Tyler Childers and Walker Hayes each earned first-time nominations.
Jason Crabb, Jordan Feliz, Danny Gokey, Natalie Grant and JJ Hairston announced the nominees today (Aug. 9) via YouTube live stream.
GMA’s Professional Membership chose this year’s nominees from over 2,046 submitted entries. The final round of voting will run from Aug. 17 to Aug. 24. The GMA Dove Awards event will take place live in Nashville on Oct. 17, before airing exclusively on TBN and the TBN app on Oct. 20 at 7 p.m. and 9 p.m. CT.
“I want to congratulate this year’s wonderful list of Dove Awards nominees,” says Jackie Patillo, GMA President. “Each year, we choose a theme to represent our community and why we celebrate. Today we announced this year’s theme, Joyful Echo. Like it says in Isaiah 42:12 from The Message, ‘Make God’s glory resound, echo His praises from coast to coast.’ We expect and believe this year’s show will be a joyful echo of the love of Jesus.”
For the complete list of nominees, click here.
Neon Union Inks With CAA
/by Lorie HollabaughNeon Union
Red Street Records’ rising country duo Neon Union, made up of Leo Brooks and Andrew Millsaps, has signed with CAA.
Brooks is a Grammy-winner who spent over a decade as the bass player and Musical Director for multi-Platinum artist Pitbull, and has collaborated with Lauren Hill, Rick Ross and more. When Brooks and his musical talent united with Millsaps and his distinct vocals and evolving writing style, the duo found success as country newcomers. With more than 50 dates under their belt this year alone, they recently released their debut EP Double Wide Castle Sessions.
“I couldn’t be more thrilled that Neon Union is now represented by the wonderful team at CAA,” says Red Street Records CEO Jay DeMarcus. “It’s another vital piece that’s now in place for these boys that are poised to take the next big step in their careers.”
2023 MusicRow Awards Category Profile: Producer Of The Year
/by LB CantrellFollowing the announcement of this year’s nominees for the 35th annual MusicRow Awards, we take a closer look at the Producer of the Year category. This visionary class of nominees created up some of country music’s most innovative projects during the eligibility period of June 1, 2022 to May 31, 2023.
This year’s winners will be announced online on all MusicRow platforms on Tuesday, Sept. 12. Presenting Sponsor of the 2023 MusicRow Awards is City National Bank.
Click here to see the full list of MusicRow Awards nominees.
Winners are determined solely by MusicRow Magazine subscribers. Voting is now open and closes on Aug. 18 at 5:00 p.m.
To receive a ballot to vote in the MusicRow Awards, become a MusicRow subscriber here.
Zach Crowell lent his production talent to Cole Swindell for his award-winning, multi-week No. 1 “She Had Me At Heads Carolina,” in addition to other hits by the artist over the past year. He produced Dustin Lynch’s record-breaking duet with MacKenzie Porter, “Thinking ‘Bout You,” which was the No. 1 song on the Mediabase 2022 Year-End Country Chart. Crowell’s work can also be heard on Sam Hunt’s rising new single “Outskirts,” Russell Dickerson’s “God Gave Me A Girl” and Conner Smith’s “Creek Will Rise,” as well as music from Jelly Roll and Madeline Merlo.
Dan Huff continued his legacy of producing hit records over the past year. Continuing his long-standing relationship with Kane Brown, he lent his talents to his Different Man album, producing No. 1 hits “Like I Love Country Music,” “Thank God,” “One Mississippi” and “Bury Me In Georgia.” Huff also produced Thomas Rhett’s recent hits “Slow Down Summer” and “Half Of Me,” Keith Urban’s “Brown Eyes Baby” and Brett Young’s “Dance With You,” to name a few. His work can also be heard on music from Darius Rucker, Russell Dickerson, Brian Kelley, Kameron Marlowe, Restless Road, Caylee Hammack, Tiera Kennedy and more.
Jay Joyce helmed the production on longtime client Lainey Wilson’s fourth studio album, Bell Bottom Country, which won the ACM’s Album of the Year prize and secured Wilson more hits with its “Heart Like a Truck” and “Watermelon Moonshine.” He also produced another longtime collaborator Eric Church’s 2021 triple album Heart & Soul, containing recent hits such as “Hell Of A View,” and Corey Kent’s major label debut album Blacktop and new music from LANCO.
Shane McAnally was celebrated for his production credits on projects from Carly Pearce, Sam Hunt, Old Dominion, Kelsea Ballerini and more over the past year. Alongside Josh Osborne, McAnally worked on Pearce’s 29: Written In Stone album, containing hits “What He Didn’t Do,” “Next Girl” and “Never Wanted To Be That Girl.” He also lent his production skills to Old Dominion’s Memory Lane project, Ballerini’s Subject To Change album as well as singles for Hunt, Walker Hayes and Kylie Morgan.
Joey Moi is the production architect for Morgan Wallen’s record-breaking projects Dangerous: The Double Album and One Thing At A Time, both of which stayed in the top echelons of the country albums chart since their respective releases. Released in March, the record-shattering One Thing At A Time album has yielded hits such as “Last Night,” “You Proof,” “Thought You Should Know,” “Don’t Think Jesus” and “Thinkin’ Bout Me.” Moi also contributed to Hardy’s The Mockingbird & The Crow album, as well as projects from Jake Owen, Lauren Alaina, Ernest and more.
In addition to recent production credits with Russell Dickerson, Chase Matthew and more over the past year, Alysa Vanderheym really impressed with her work with Kelsea Ballerini. Vanderheym co-produced Ballerini’s lauded Rolling Up The Welcome Mat EP, which has become some of the star’s most well received work to date by both fans and critics. Vanderheym’s talents can also be heard on music from Tyler Rich, Joy Oladokun, Fancy Hagood and more.
SMACK Launches SMACKRecords With Flagship Artist Jenna Davis [Exclusive]
/by LB CantrellJenna Davis, SMACKRecords’ flagship artist. Photo: Lily Nelson
SMACK has officially launched a record label branch, SMACKRecords, as its next endeavor. The company’s flagship signing is the multi-faceted artist Jenna Davis.
SMACKRecords is now the fourth enterprise to launch under SMACK, which is also home to the highly successful publishing house SMACKSongs as well as SMACKManagement, which represents Walker Hayes and Kylie Morgan, and SMACKTok, which specializes in digital marketing. Under the helm of Shane McAnally, SMACK has celebrated more than 60 No. 1 songs and 3 Grammy Award wins.
“Cultivating and developing creatives is what we pride ourselves on here at SMACK, so extending that to developing artists through SMACKRecords is an endeavor that we’re really excited to launch with Jenna,” says SMACK President Robert Carlton. “She’s blown us all away with her talent and work ethic.”
With her pop-country sound, Davis will build on the millions of streams she has already garnered independently. In addition to being a singer-songwriter, she is a successful actress, having recently voiced the titular character in the hit horror-thriller M3GAN. She has over 9 million follows across her social platforms and her music videos have garnered over 70 million views.
Announced today, Davis was named to Variety’s Power of Young Hollywood Impact Report List 2023, which recognizes young artists in the worlds of film, television, music and digital. She was the only other country artist named to the list alongside Bailey Zimmerman.
In addition to becoming SMACKRecords’ flagship artist, Davis will also be represented by SMACKManagement.
“When I met 17-year-old Jenna what struck me most was how poised, professional and well-spoken she was,” shares SMACK’s Marissa Turk, who will manage Davis. “We obviously knew who she was as an actress, but when she came to us with new music what excited me most was the way in which she knew exactly who she was and what she wanted to say. To say we’re jacked for the opportunity to introduce Jenna to the country music community is an understatement.”
Davis will released her debut single, titled “DiCaprio,” for SMACKRecords on Friday (Aug. 11). The tune was co-written by Hayes, Kelsea Ballerini and Ross Copperman.
To contact SMACKRecords, reach out to Molly Bouchon, Director of Marketing + Artist Development at label@smacksongs.com.
Industry Ink: Mark Wills, The American Country Network, King Calaway
/by Lorie HollabaughMark Wills Turns 50 With Star-Studded Grand Ole Opry Bash
Pictured (L-R): Sonya Isaacs, Ben Isaacs, Lee Greenwood, Mark Wills, Lily Isaacs, Vince Gill, Amy Grant and Eddie Bayers
Noah Gordon, Tommy Snyder Launch American Country Network
Former CEO of The Country Network Tommy Snyder and Noah Gordon, President of 8 Track Entertainment, have partnered to launch the American Country Network, a new national country music television network based in Nashville. In addition to over-the-air broadcast, the new network will launch a streaming platform in Q1 of 2024 to include ROKU, Sling TV, LG TV, STIRR, Freebie TV, Amazon TV, Apple TV, IOS and Android. ACN will launch with the Chad Brock Show on Wednesday nights at 8 p.m. CT and a hosted ACN Video Countdown show in the first quarter of 2024.
Keith Chester joins the network as Chief Information Officer with over 25 years in the entertainment industry, managing and producing artists, actors and TV personalities. Jeff Goodwin, a marketing industry executive with 40 years experience in corporate partnerships and marketing, will be ACN’s Chief Marketing Director.
King Calaway Celebrates New Album Launch With Opry Appearance
Pictured (L-R): Caleb Miller, Simon Dumas, Grand Ole Opry member Connie Smith, Chad Michael Jervis, Chris Deaton
King Calaway celebrated the launch of their new album Tennessee’s Waiting on Friday night (Aug. 4) with a three-song set at The Grand Ole Opry. Before their performance, the band spent time backstage with Grand Ole Opry member Connie Smith.
Bobby Bones Continues Relationship With iHeartMedia
/by Lorie HollabaughBobby Bones. Photo: Robby Klein
Award-winning radio personality Bobby Bones, host of the hit national country radio program The Bobby Bones Show, has renewed his relationship with iHeartMedia.
Reaching nearly 10 million people monthly with The Bobby Bones Show and Country Top 30 with Bobby Bones, while collecting over seven million monthly downloads of his morning show podcast, Bones will continue his current role as host of both radio programs as well as his popular BobbyCast podcast.
Bones will also remain Vice President, Creative Director of iHeartCountry, the largest country radio group in America, which reaches more than 100 million country listeners every month. In this role, he will continue working with iHeartMedia on a variety of joint ventures and new creative programming initiatives, participating in iHeartMedia’s marquee live events such as the iHeartRadio Music Festival and the iHeartRadio Music Awards and hosting the iHeartCountry Festival.
Originating from iHeartRadio’s WSIX in Nashville, The Bobby Bones Show is nationally syndicated by Premiere Networks on 200 radio stations across the United States and Canada, in addition to airing on the iHeartRadio app. Country Top 30 with Bobby Bones is heard on nearly 240 stations in North America and the United Kingdom.
“Country music continues to be an enormously popular force in radio for listeners, and we’re thrilled to extend our relationship with one of the top personalities in the genre,” says Bob Pittman, iHeartMedia Chairman & CEO. “Bobby brings a captivating blend of talent, knowledge, humor and relatability that makes him one of the best voices on air, driving incredible results for our advertising and partners. We’re proud to partner with Bobby to create even more unforgettable opportunities for our loyal and growing country music audience.”
“This year marks a career milestone of 10 years of The Bobby Bones Show in Nashville,” says Bones. “I’m proud of what we’ve built over the last decade and I’m looking forward to extending this partnership and having continued success together.”
Voting Now Open For 35th Annual MusicRow Awards
/by LB CantrellVoting for the 35th annual MusicRow Awards begins today, Wednesday, Aug. 9 and runs through Friday, Aug. 18 at 5:00 p.m. CT.
This year’s winners will be announced online on all MusicRow platforms on Tuesday, Sept. 12. Presenting Sponsor of the 2023 MusicRow Awards is City National Bank.
To receive a ballot to vote in the MusicRow Awards, become a MusicRow subscriber here.
The nominees for the MusicRow Awards were revealed yesterday. Click here to view the full list.
Nominees for the MusicRow Awards are determined by a committee. For the categories of Breakthrough Songwriter and Breakthrough Artist-Writer, outside nominations are also considered. For the Male and Female Songwriter of the Year categories, nominees are based on data from MusicRow’s Top Songwriter Chart. All nominations are based on projects that were active between the period of June 1, 2022 through May 31, 2023.
Top 10 Album All-Star Musician Awards for Bass, Drums, Engineer, Fiddle, Guitar, Keyboards, Steel, and Vocals will also be announced on Tuesday, Sept. 12, recognizing the studio players who performed on the most albums reaching the Top 10 of Billboard’s Top Country Albums chart during the eligibility period.
Back Blocks Music Hires Autumn Ledgin & Elizabeth Cook
/by Liza AndersonAutumn Ledgin & Elizabeth Cook. Photos: Anna Schaeffer
Back Blocks Music has added Autumn Ledgin as Sr. Director, A&R and Elizabeth Cook as Creative Coordinator.
The Nashville-based publishing and artist development company, founded and helmed by Rakiyah Marshall, boasts a roster of Ashley Cooke, Blake Pendergrass, Lily Rose and Tucker Wetmore.
Ledgin brings with her significant entertainment industry experience. In her new role, she will oversee all publishing and artist development efforts for Back Blocks Music, working closely with the entire roster and scouting new talent. A former NCAA Division 1 student-athlete and civil engineering major, the University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign graduate’s journey began in 2018 at Good Company Entertainment (GCE) as their first employee. During her tenure at GCE, the Boca Raton native played a vital role as day-to-day manager for the company’s roster including Jake Owen and Larry Fleet. Her passion led her to thrive as an internal A&R creative, while serving as a Board member and Planning Coordinator for the Jake Owen Foundation.
Cook joins the company as a senior at Belmont University. The songwriting major has previously spent time at Creative Nation and King Pen as an intern, and will now support the Back Blocks Music team as Creative Coordinator. The Nashville native will be responsible for catalog management, calendars and office management, while acting as an executive assistant to Marshall.
“I’m incredibly proud to expand the team at Back Blocks Music,” Marshall shares. “Autumn and Elizabeth both bring a wide range of valuable skill sets to the table. Their relationships and experience really feel like the missing puzzle pieces to our growing company. I’m thrilled to have their support, passion and drive to continue championing our roster of artists and songwriters.”
Ledgin can be reach at autumn@backblocksmusic.com, and Cook can be reached at elizabeth@backblocksmusic.com.
Tom Becci Named Chief Executive At Concord Label Group
/by LB CantrellTom Becci
Music industry veteran Tom Becci has been appointed to a newly created role, leading Concord Label Group as its Chief Executive. Effective Aug. 14, Becci will oversee Concord’s entire recorded music division, inclusive of global frontline label and catalog operations.
A New Jersey native, Becci got his start in the music business as the manager of special projects for EMI North America and comes to Concord with over 30 years of industry experience, most recently a more than seven year tenure at independent music management agency Red Light Management.
While at Red Light, he worked directly with founder Coran Capshaw on organizational structure and planning, vetted and advised on new business opportunities, and negotiated and advised on artist contracts as well as the development of the artist roster, which included Dierks Bentley, Luke Bryan, Lady A, Sam Hunt, Chris Stapleton and more. Becci also monitored investments made by Red Light Management, involving the development of yearly business plans, cash funding requirements and strategic and financial reviews. He was instrumental in the company’s label development and investments with the launch of LEO33 in Nashville as well as Chess Club Records and AMF Music in the UK.
Prior to Red Light, Becci was the COO of Universal Music Group Nashville, and was responsible for the signing of Brothers Osborne.
Becci will now be based in Concord’s Los Angeles office, home to most of Concord’s labels, and will report to CEO Bob Valentine.
“Having admired the work of Concord for years, I am thrilled to join this incredible company,” says Becci. “It is abundantly clear that the Label Group’s passionate, dedicated team works day in and day out in service of its artists and has built something truly unique. With the help of the label presidents, the entire Concord staff, and inimitable artists like Pierce the Veil, Killer Mike, Thirty Seconds to Mars, Allison Russell and so, so many more, I can’t wait to continue building on what has been established and usher Concord Label Group into a new era.”
“Concord is at a pivotal point in its company story. We have assembled an incredible and diverse roster of artists and a terrific, artist-centric staff around the world…and we are not slowing down,” stated CEO Valentine.
He adds, “Tom has spent his career helping to operate and lead some of the most important recorded music and artist management groups in the U.S. He knows what it takes to keep a music enterprise culturally, financially, and operationally healthy and I am eager to work with him as we continue to bolster our global footprint in support of artists and creators, as well as their legacies. As we enter this next chapter for Concord Label Group, I am thrilled to have him at the helm along with our label presidents and Concord’s senior team.”