Jim Catino
When Jim Catino left his position as Executive Vice President of A&R at Sony Music Nashville after 20 years with the company, many in the industry were wondering what he would do next.
Prior to his exit, Catino has spent the majority of his career working in the major label ecosystem, as well as some time at MCA Music Publishing, Giant Records & Publishing and DreamWorks Publishing. One could have assumed that Catino was tired of “the system,” working with and for a big corporation.
But as Catino shared with MusicRow, that isn’t the case—the reality is quite the opposite.
Jim Catino & Dalton Dover
“My history has been at major record labels. My dad was in the music business. He worked at Capitol for decades and was always working with major record labels, so I’m kind of a major label baby,” he says. “[Now at my new company,] I’m a friend to major labels. The goal for the record label side of my company is for my artists to be courted and upstreamed to a major label. I believe in what majors can bring to the table to create superstars.”
Catino’s company is split by his passions for both recording artists and songwriters. On Droptine Recordings, Catino works with buzzy newcomer Cody Hibbard and breakout starling Dalton Dover, who aligned with UMG Nashville late last year.
On the publishing side, via Droptine Music, Catino is partnered with Sony Music Publishing and shares office space with the publishing giant on Music Row. He works with Dover and Hibbard as well as songwriter Tommy Karlas, who has hits with Blake Shelton, Montgomery Gentry and more, and Russell Sutton, who has written two recent No. 1s, Elvie Shane‘s “My Boy” and Nate Smith‘s “Whiskey On You.” With Sony Music Publishing, Catino also works with Kent Earls and Kane Brown‘s Verse 2 Music on Alex Maxwell. He’s partnered with Warner Chappell on songwriter Wesley Davis.
Through both sides of his business, Catino is able to focus on his favorite part of the job: artist development.
“I left Sony because things had changed so much [in the music business], but also because I was hungry to do something different and hungry to do what I really love to do. As an executive at that level at a major corporate label, I was pulled away from a lot of the day-to-day rituals of A&R: finding new talent, diving into the music and really helping build not just momentum, but the foundation of an artist’s career.”
Catino’s first victory for his company came with a pop artist he met during the end of his tenure at Sony, Thomas Day.
“I had my eye on this guy and had created a really good rapport with him and his family. He’s from Brentwood, Tennessee, which is where I grew up,” Catino says. “When I announced that I was leaving Sony, the family was urging me to [work with him].
“I started fishing around with some of the New York labels to see if there was any interest. There was a little bit of bubbling interest, but nothing solid. [Sony Music Nashville Chairman & CEO] Randy Goodman was cool enough to say, ‘Let’s make a deal and we’ll upstream this to one of the New York labels. We’ll fund it for you and help get you started. We want to do business with you down the road, so this could be a good way to start it.'”
Pictured (L-R): Rusty Gaston, Jenna Heideman, Cody Hibbard, Jim Catino, Molly Shehan and Cass Scripps. Photo: Courtesy of Droptine Records
Day is now aligned with Arista out of New York, has nearly seven million followers on TikTok and will hit the road with David Kushner in August.
Next came Dover, who met Catino through producer/songwriter Matt McV. With their heads together, the three began independently releasing Dover’s music, which caught the attention of other industry members. When he aligned with UMG Nashville in October of 2022, Dover had earned a place on Spotify’s Hot Country 2022 Artists To Watch list, along with a spotlight as Billboard’s February Country Rookie of the Month and a nod for MusicRow’s 2022 Discovery Artist of the Year.
After success with tracks “You Got a Small Town” and “Baby I Am,” Dover is currently working his first radio single, “Giving Up On That,” which was the most added song at country radio with 60 first-week stations. The track also garnered over a million streams in the first two weeks of its release.
“Honestly, I didn’t call one record label [about Dalton]. Every label called me once they saw the numbers growing. That’s the goal—to have labels excited and passionate,” Catino says. “I want to help build enough momentum and a good foundation where they’re getting an artist that has the knowledge and the experience to go walk into a radio station or a bigger media look. I want them to understand enough about digital campaigns and socials to jump right into a real business plan at a major record label, so they’re not doing that development time [after they get to] a major.”
With two success stories and bubbling new act, Catino is starting to get calls about Hibbard, who he discovered while diving into streaming services on the lookout for new artists.
Hibbard is a former pipeline worker from Adair, Oklahoma who has made waves with tracks “We Speak Country” and “Looking Back Now.” After aligning with Catino’s Droptine Recordings, he signed a publishing deal with Droptine Music and Sony Music Publishing earlier this year.
“Cody is a fantastic live entertainer and has a really consistent streaming base. [He’s having success] with multiple tracks. It’s not just about one viral moment,” shares Catino.
Two years into this career chapter, Catino is feeling recharged and eager to get to work each day.
“I’m super happy. I’m rejuvenated and excited to be part of young artists’ careers. It’s always been my main passion,” he says. “It’s the most fun when you find something new and help it get to a place where it starts to really take off and grow with the fans. That’s why we all get in the music business at the end of the day.”
Darrell Scott Reflects On His Roots On Latest Project, ‘Old Cane Back Rocker’
/by Lorie HollabaughThe Darrell Scott String Band. Photo: Gabriel Scott
Darrell Scott is paying homage to his deep Kentucky roots on his latest album, Old Cane Back Rocker, set for release Aug. 11 via Soundly Music.
The project is the Nashville Songwriter Hall of Fame nominee’s first full-length studio album since 2016’s Couchville Sessions, and was created in conjunction with The Darrell Scott String Band. The collection is filled with originals and fully reformed covers like “Southern Cross,” “Banjo In The Holler” and more.
Leading the collection is the first single, “Kentucky Morning,” which tells the story of many a southern family’s migration to the north, where factory work held promises of a good living. Penned from the perspective of the one who stayed behind, “Kentucky Morning” reflects the pride of being both a southerner, and more specifically, a Kentuckian.
Old Cane Back Rocker was developed over two consecutive weekend gigs in Arkansas and Colorado. Rather than sending the entire band back home in between weekends, Scott kept everyone out the following weekdays in a band house in Louisville, Colorado to record the new project.
“It’s literally my family’s story,” Scott explains. “There’s a bit of fiction there because, at the end of the day, I’m a songwriter. I can make up stuff. But I start, in this case, from a factual view. It happened across the south—folks chasing work. There were car factories and steel mills near Chicago, and my dad worked in both. Two brothers were born in Dearborn, Michigan, and two in the Chicago area. So many people left, yet there was a part of my family that never did.”
He adds, “That’s the thread that says, ‘Home is home. It’s not Chicago or Akron or anywhere else. I am proud of this band, this recording and these stories of real people in this unreal time. Love and hope and goodness and simplicity still exists, folks. We are still here.”
Scott will be busy touring on the road with dates in August, September and October including shows in Asheville, Louisville, Baton Rouge, Pittsburgh, Cleveland and more.
Old Cane Back Rocker Track Listing:
Kentucky Morning
Red Bird
Charlie and Ruby
Southern Cross (feat. John Cowan)
This Weary Way
One Hand Upon The Wheel
Banjo In The Holler (feat. Shad Cobb)
Cumberland Plateau (feat. John Cowan)
Great Day
Fried Taters (feat. Shalom Aberle)
The World Is Too Much With Me (Inauguration Day)
Raji’s Romp (feat. Matt Flinner)
Jon Langston To Release Debut Album
/by LB CantrellJon Langston. Photo: Eric Ryan Anderson
After 10 years in music, Jon Langston will release his anticipated debut full-length album, Heart On Ice, on Sept. 8 via 32 Bridge Entertainment/EMI Records Nashville.
To celebrate, the singer-songwriter is sharing the project’s title track. Langston revealed the album’s track list and title Thursday night (July 27) with a self-penned poem and cryptic trailer.
Langston co-wrote 11 of the album’s 14 tracks. Jody Stevens, Brad Wagner and Jacob Rice produced the project that includes previously released tracks “Whiskey Does” and “Ain’t No Cowboy.” Fellow Georgia native Travis Denning joins Langston on the album’s only collaboration, “I ain’t Country.”
Langston shares, “Finally. It’s time. My debut album. This album tells the story of my life the past 10 years. What I’ve been going through, and how I’ve grown in my life. The title track ‘Heart On Ice’ was the missing puzzle piece to this album and was the perfect song to kick it off. I am so proud of this album and can’t wait for everyone to hear it.”
Heart On Ice Track Listing:
**Produced by Jacob Rice and Jody Stevens
***Produced by Jody Stevens
1. “Heart On Ice” (Nick Columbia, Jordan Gray, Jake Mitchell, Hunter Phelps)
2. “Beer In A Bar” (Jon Langston, Sam Carter, Jody Stevens, Jordan Walker)
3. “I ain’t Country” (Feat. Travis Denning) (Jon Langston, Brad Clawson, Jordan Rager, Brad Wagner)*
4. “Whiskey Does” (Jon Langston, Jordan Gray, Cole Taylor, Brad Wagner)*
5. “Where’s That Girl” (Jessi Alexander, Jordan Gray, Ben Hayslip)
6. “Never Left Me” (Josh Dorr, Jordan Gray, Nate Jones)
7. “Dirt Roads & Diamonds” (Jon Langston, Brad Clawson, Jordan Rager, Brad Wagner)**
8. “Granddaddy’s Watch” (Jon Langston, Jeb Gipson, Lynn Hutton)
9. “Day In The 90’s” (Jon Langston, Chris Miller, Jody Stevens, Jordan Walker)
10. “Ain’t No Cowboy” (Jon Langston, Jordan Gray, Brad Wagner)**
11. “Better Off” (Jon Langston, Jordan Gray, Nate Jones)*
12. “If You Ever Leave Atlanta” (Jon Langston, Brent Anderson, Lynn Hutton)***
13. “Wrong Side Of The Bottle” (Jon Langston, Benjy Davis, Jody Stevens, Jordan Walker)***
14. “May Magnolia” (Jon Langston, Jordan Fletcher, Austin Nivarel)*Produced by Jody Stevens, Jacob Rice and Brad Wagner
Walker Hayes Partners With Monument Records & RCA Records
/by LB CantrellWalker Hayes. Photo: Robert Chavers
Longtime Monument Records artist Walker Hayes has started a new partnership with the label, now also bringing in RCA Records to expand the dynamic artist’s reach. Hayes and his team previously worked with RCA Records on the version of his mega-hit “Fancy Like” that featured Kesha, making it a natural fit.
To celebrate the partnership, Hayes has released a new, 2-track bundle, Strait Two Stepping. The project features country-infused dance tracks “Stetson” and “Show Me The Country.”
“Couldn’t be more excited to continue working with RCA. Since my music is all over the map, I’m really looking forward to this next chapter with them and seeing how we can spread the bass/808’s. Can’t wait to dance with the world to these,” shares Hayes.
Hayes’ new music follows his 2022, Gold-certified Country Stuff the Album, which contained the five-time Platinum “Fancy Like.” The tune was the song of 2021, spending more than 6 months at the No. 1 spot on the Billboard Hot Country Songs Chart. It also reached the top five on Billboard’s all-genre Hot 100 Songs and No. 1 at country radio, was featured in a nationwide Applebee’s commercial and gave Hayes his first Grammy Award nomination for Best Country Song.
This summer, Hayes has been on his headlining arena tour, “The Duck Buck Tour,” stopping in Oklahoma City, Jacksonville, Nashville, Raleigh and more through October.
Tim McGraw Plots ‘Standing Room Only Tour’ For 2024
/by Caela GriffinThree-time Grammy Award-winning superstar Tim McGraw will hit the road in 2024 on his “Standing Room Only Tour.” He announced the new tour live at a fans-only sneak preview concert at Los Angeles’ famed The Whisky a Go Go nightclub earlier this week.
Named for McGraw’s upcoming 17th studio album, the tour will hit arenas in over 30 cities beginning March 14, 2024. Grammy Award-winning singer-songwriter Carly Pearce will join on all dates as direct support.
“I always want to deliver the best possible concert I can for the fans,” says McGraw. “We’ve got some really special plans to make this the biggest and the best tour we’ve ever done.”
Produced by Live Nation, the “Standing Room Only Tour” will feature huge production elements, McGraw’s biggest hits and songs from the upcoming album. All tickets—including VIP packages—will be on sale starting Aug. 4 at 10 a.m. local time in each market. VIP packages and experiences will include a variety of offerings from an exclusive gift item to meeting McGraw.
On Aug. 25, McGraw will release his new album Standing Room Only via Big Machine Records and McGraw Music. The album’s title track is currently top 15 at country radio and marks McGraw’s 92nd career chart entry. He released an acoustic version of the track on July 14. The previously released album tracks “Hey Whiskey” and “Remember Me Well” offer a preview of what’s to come on McGraw’s first new record since 2020’s Here On Earth.
Throughout his career, McGraw has amassed 68 top 10 hits and holds the Mediabase record for the most weeks at No. 1 with all titles, totaling 73 weeks. He also holds the record for second-most No. 1 albums in the U.S. just behind George Strait.
For Pearce, the tour announcement comes on the heels of her acclaimed new single “We Don’t Fight Anymore” (feat. Chris Stapleton). With four No. 1 hits, the 2022 ACM Awards Female Artist of the Year continues to resonate with her honesty and musicality.
Tim McGraw’s “Standing Room Only Tour” 2024 Dates:
Date – City – Venue
March 14 – Jacksonville, FL – VyStar Veterans Memorial Arena
March 15 – Tampa, FL – Amalie Arena
March 16 – Orlando, FL – Amway Center
March 21 – Des Moines, IA – Wells Fargo Arena
March 27 – Vancouver, BC – Rogers Arena
March 29 – Seattle, WA – Climate Pledge Arena
March 30 – Eugene, OR – University of Oregon – Matthew Knight Arena
April 4 – Denver, CO – Ball Arena
April 5 – Salt Lake City, UT – Delta Center
April 6 – Boise, ID – Boise State University – ExtraMile Arena
April 13 – Tulsa, OK – BOK Center
April 18 – Indianapolis, IN – Gainbridge Fieldhouse
April 19 – Milwaukee, WI – Fiserv Forum
April 20 – Saint Paul, MN – Xcel Energy Center
April 25 – Nashville, TN – Bridgestone Arena
April 26 – Knoxville, TN – Thompson-Boling Arena
May 9 – Belmont Park, NY – UBS Arena
May 11 – Wilkes-Barre, PA – Mohegan Sun Arena
May 16 – Greenville, SC – Bon Secours Wellness Arena
May 17 – Charlotte, NC – Spectrum Center
May 18 – Charleston, WV – Charleston Coliseum & Convention Center
May 30 – Toledo, OH – Huntington Center
May 31 – Chicago, IL – United Center
June 1 – Grand Rapids, MI – Van Andel Arena
June 6 – Sioux Falls, SD – Denny Sanford Premier Center
June 7 – Omaha, NE – CHI Health Center
June 8 – Kansas City, MO – T-Mobile Center
June 13 – Biloxi, MS – Mississippi Coast Coliseum
June 15 – Lexington, KY – Rupp Arena at Central Bank Center
June 20 – Philadelphia, PA – Wells Fargo Center
June 21 – Baltimore, MD – CFG Bank Arena
June 22 – Raleigh, NC – PNC Arena
June 27 – Phoenix, AZ – Footprint Center
Josh Ross Makes Grand Ole Opry Debut
/by Lorie HollabaughJosh Ross during his Grand Ole Opry debut. Photo: Rachael Black
Singer-songwriter Josh Ross made his Grand Ole Opry debut Wednesday night (July 26), stepping into the circle for the first time in front of a packed house filled with family, friends and fans.
Opening with “First Taste Of Gone,” the ballad that kicked off his whirlwind journey in Nashville, Ross then performed his debut single “Trouble.”
“It’s special when people connect to your music, and feel the same way you’re feeling,” said Ross to the crowd following a standing ovation. “It’s amazing to see what songs can do. Honestly music has saved me, and songwriting has saved me.”
Finding acclaim in both the U.S. and Canada, Ross is the most-nominated artist at this year’s CCMAs, with six nods. The UMG Nashville/Universal Music Canada artist has racked up more than 140 million streams across his catalog, which includes “On A Different Night,” “First Taste of Gone,” country-rock anthem “Ain’t Doin’ Jack” and the emotional “Red Flags.” He’s currently on the road with Nickelback and Brantley Gilbert for the “Get Rollin’ Tour” across North America, and will join Bailey Zimmerman on his “Religiously. The Tour.” in 2024.
Kane Brown’s ‘Bury Me In Georgia’ Returns To The Top Of The MusicRow Chart
/by LB CantrellKane Brown. Photo: Diwang Valdez
After topping the MusicRow CountryBreakout Radio Chart two weeks ago, Kane Brown‘s “Bury Me In Georgia” has returned to the No. 1 spot.
Brown co-wrote “Bury Me In Georgia” with Matt McGinn, Jordan Schmidt and Josh Hoge. It appears on his third studio album, Different Man, which also contains hits “Like I Love Country Music,” “One Mississippi” and “Thank God” with Katelyn Brown.
The song currently sits at No. 9 on the Billboard Country Airplay chart and No. 6 on the Mediabase chart.
Click here to view the latest edition of The MusicRow Weekly containing the MusicRow CountryBreakout Radio Chart.
The Chicks Postpone Bridgestone Arena Show
/by Liza AndersonThe Chicks. Photo: Robin Harper
The Chicks have announced via Instagram that they must postpone tonight’s (July 27) show at Nashville’s Bridgestone Arena due to illness, and apologize for any inconveniences this may cause.
An official statement has also been released, encouraging fans to hold on to their tickets for the newly scheduled date.
Rhiannon Giddens Shares New Single From Forthcoming Album, ‘You’re The One’
/by Lorie HollabaughRhiannon Giddens has shared a new single, “Yet To Be,” from her latest upcoming album You’re the One, due out Aug. 18 on Nonesuch Records.
Featuring Jason Isbell, “Yet to Be” tells the story of a Black woman and an Irish man falling in love in America. Giddens chose to collaborate with Isbell due to his steadfast advocacy and support for Black women in the industry, and her admiration of him as a person of great character.
You’re the One features twelve songs written over the course of Giddens’ career bursting with life-affirming energy and drawing from the folk music she knows so deeply. It was recorded with a band composed of her closest musical collaborators from the past decade, alongside musicians chosen by producer Jack Splash, topped off with a horn section.
Collaborators on the album include Italian multi-instrumentalist Francesco Turrisi plus multi-instrumentalist Dirk Powell, bassist Jason Sypher and Congolese guitarist Niwel Tsumbu. The album features electric and upright bass, conga, Cajun and piano accordions, guitars, a Western string section and Miami horns, among other instruments, capturing the inclusive spirit that channels through all of Giddens’ work.
Giddens has had a busy 2023 so far. The Grammy winner and MacArthur fellow was recently awarded the Pulitzer Prize in Music for her collaborative opera, “Omar.” Giddens is also featured on Fast Company‘s Most Creative People in Business list and is a host on Arts Talk, a new PBS program on which she, Elvis Costello and Brian Stokes Mitchell discuss their careers.
You’re the One Track List:
1. Too Little, Too Late, Too Bad
2. You’re the One
3. Yet to Be (feat. Jason Isbell)
4. Wrong Kind of Right
5. Another Wasted Life
6. You Louisiana Man
7. If You Don’t Know How Sweet It Is
8. Hen in the Foxhouse
9. Who Are You Dreaming Of
10. You Put the Sugar in My Bowl
11. Way Over Yonder
12. Good Ol’ Cider
Emmylou Harris, Del McCoury Band, More Set For Earl Scruggs Music Festival
/by Lorie HollabaughEmmylou Harris, Greensky Bluegrass, Del McCoury Band, The Infamous Stringdusters, and dozens more are set to perform at the Earl Scruggs Music Festival Sept. 1-3 in Mill Spring, North Carolina this Labor Day Weekend.
The festival has revealed its full 2023 schedule, which includes a newly-minted lineup of exclusive workshops featuring members of Della Mae, The Earls of Leicester, and others. Five free festival workshops taking place on the intimate Legends Stage offer fans a chance to hear stories and deep background from top stars, as well as some grassroots figures.
A biographer of Earl Scruggs, journalist and musician Thomas Goldsmith has assembled a docket of discussion topics, including “Secrets of Scruggs Style,” featuring Tony Trischka, top-rank five-string men Charlie Cushman of The Earls of Leicester, and Pete Wernick, co-founder of Hot Rize; “High Lonesome and Beyond: The Evolution of Bluegrass Songwriting,” accompanied by songwriter and educator Louisa Branscomb, featuring Grammy-winning songwriter Jon Weisberger and Della Mae’s Grammy-nominated vocalist and songwriter Celia Woodsmith; plus more.
Last year, Earl Scruggs Music Festival debuted the first-ever Earl Scruggs Revue tribute set, hosted by Fireside Collective. Presented by The Bluegrass Situation, the 2023 installment will feature Tony Trischka Band & Friends delivering The Earl Scruggs Revue’s 1977 Live! From Austin City Limits recording, alongside festival host and artist-in-residence Jerry Douglas, plus a slew of surprise cameos. The not-to-be-missed event takes place at 3:30 p.m. Saturday afternoon (Sept. 2) on the Foggy Mountain Stage.
Produced in collaboration with the Earl Scruggs Center, WNCW 88.7, and Isothermal Community College, the event supports a two-fold mission to underwrite educational programming and community outreach in Scruggs’ home region while carrying his legacy into the context of modern culture.
Jim Catino On New Venture: ‘I’m A Friend To Major Labels’ [Interview]
/by LB CantrellJim Catino
When Jim Catino left his position as Executive Vice President of A&R at Sony Music Nashville after 20 years with the company, many in the industry were wondering what he would do next.
Prior to his exit, Catino has spent the majority of his career working in the major label ecosystem, as well as some time at MCA Music Publishing, Giant Records & Publishing and DreamWorks Publishing. One could have assumed that Catino was tired of “the system,” working with and for a big corporation.
But as Catino shared with MusicRow, that isn’t the case—the reality is quite the opposite.
Jim Catino & Dalton Dover
“My history has been at major record labels. My dad was in the music business. He worked at Capitol for decades and was always working with major record labels, so I’m kind of a major label baby,” he says. “[Now at my new company,] I’m a friend to major labels. The goal for the record label side of my company is for my artists to be courted and upstreamed to a major label. I believe in what majors can bring to the table to create superstars.”
Catino’s company is split by his passions for both recording artists and songwriters. On Droptine Recordings, Catino works with buzzy newcomer Cody Hibbard and breakout starling Dalton Dover, who aligned with UMG Nashville late last year.
On the publishing side, via Droptine Music, Catino is partnered with Sony Music Publishing and shares office space with the publishing giant on Music Row. He works with Dover and Hibbard as well as songwriter Tommy Karlas, who has hits with Blake Shelton, Montgomery Gentry and more, and Russell Sutton, who has written two recent No. 1s, Elvie Shane‘s “My Boy” and Nate Smith‘s “Whiskey On You.” With Sony Music Publishing, Catino also works with Kent Earls and Kane Brown‘s Verse 2 Music on Alex Maxwell. He’s partnered with Warner Chappell on songwriter Wesley Davis.
Through both sides of his business, Catino is able to focus on his favorite part of the job: artist development.
“I left Sony because things had changed so much [in the music business], but also because I was hungry to do something different and hungry to do what I really love to do. As an executive at that level at a major corporate label, I was pulled away from a lot of the day-to-day rituals of A&R: finding new talent, diving into the music and really helping build not just momentum, but the foundation of an artist’s career.”
Catino’s first victory for his company came with a pop artist he met during the end of his tenure at Sony, Thomas Day.
“I had my eye on this guy and had created a really good rapport with him and his family. He’s from Brentwood, Tennessee, which is where I grew up,” Catino says. “When I announced that I was leaving Sony, the family was urging me to [work with him].
“I started fishing around with some of the New York labels to see if there was any interest. There was a little bit of bubbling interest, but nothing solid. [Sony Music Nashville Chairman & CEO] Randy Goodman was cool enough to say, ‘Let’s make a deal and we’ll upstream this to one of the New York labels. We’ll fund it for you and help get you started. We want to do business with you down the road, so this could be a good way to start it.'”
Pictured (L-R): Rusty Gaston, Jenna Heideman, Cody Hibbard, Jim Catino, Molly Shehan and Cass Scripps. Photo: Courtesy of Droptine Records
Day is now aligned with Arista out of New York, has nearly seven million followers on TikTok and will hit the road with David Kushner in August.
Next came Dover, who met Catino through producer/songwriter Matt McV. With their heads together, the three began independently releasing Dover’s music, which caught the attention of other industry members. When he aligned with UMG Nashville in October of 2022, Dover had earned a place on Spotify’s Hot Country 2022 Artists To Watch list, along with a spotlight as Billboard’s February Country Rookie of the Month and a nod for MusicRow’s 2022 Discovery Artist of the Year.
After success with tracks “You Got a Small Town” and “Baby I Am,” Dover is currently working his first radio single, “Giving Up On That,” which was the most added song at country radio with 60 first-week stations. The track also garnered over a million streams in the first two weeks of its release.
“Honestly, I didn’t call one record label [about Dalton]. Every label called me once they saw the numbers growing. That’s the goal—to have labels excited and passionate,” Catino says. “I want to help build enough momentum and a good foundation where they’re getting an artist that has the knowledge and the experience to go walk into a radio station or a bigger media look. I want them to understand enough about digital campaigns and socials to jump right into a real business plan at a major record label, so they’re not doing that development time [after they get to] a major.”
With two success stories and bubbling new act, Catino is starting to get calls about Hibbard, who he discovered while diving into streaming services on the lookout for new artists.
Hibbard is a former pipeline worker from Adair, Oklahoma who has made waves with tracks “We Speak Country” and “Looking Back Now.” After aligning with Catino’s Droptine Recordings, he signed a publishing deal with Droptine Music and Sony Music Publishing earlier this year.
“Cody is a fantastic live entertainer and has a really consistent streaming base. [He’s having success] with multiple tracks. It’s not just about one viral moment,” shares Catino.
Two years into this career chapter, Catino is feeling recharged and eager to get to work each day.
“I’m super happy. I’m rejuvenated and excited to be part of young artists’ careers. It’s always been my main passion,” he says. “It’s the most fun when you find something new and help it get to a place where it starts to really take off and grow with the fans. That’s why we all get in the music business at the end of the day.”