MusicRow is proud to reveal the honorees for its 10th annual Rising Women on the Row celebration. This year’s ceremony will honor six female executives who are making a significant impact on Nashville’s country music industry.
City National Bank and Loeb & Loeb are Presenting Sponsors for the 2023 Rising Women on the Row, which will take place at the Omni Nashville Hotel on the morning of March 23.
River House Artists President & Founder, Lynn Oliver-Cline, will be the featured speaker at the event. Attendees will be treated to insights from Oliver-Cline during an on-stage interview with MusicRow Owner/Publisher Sherod Robertson.
Tickets are now closed and will not be sold at the door.
This year’s honorees include:
Stacy Blythe
Stacy Blythe – SVP of Promotion, Big Loud Records
Leading Big Loud Records in achieving 14 No. 1 singles in seven years of business, Stacy Blythe is a vital part of the ever-changing game of radio promotion, storming right out of the gate in 2015 with the label’s first-ever single release, and driving it to the top of the charts for then-newcomer Chris Lane’s Gold breakout, “Fix.” As SVP of Promotion, she spearheads a team of 10, securing and maximizing airplay for the label’s roster, including Morgan Wallen, Jake Owen, Lauren Alaina, Hardy, MacKenzie Porter, Ernest, Hailey Whitters, Ben Burgess, Larry Fleet, Lily Rose, Ashley Cooke, and Jake Worthington. She has contributed to the Big Loud roster earning multiple Gold, Platinum, and multi-Platinum certifications and accounting for more than 17 billion global streams to date, making Big Loud Records the Billboard Hot Country Songs label of the year for the last two years. The Pittsburgh native is a graduate of Middle Tennessee State University with other notable career stops at Category 5 Records, 1720 Entertainment, and Stoney Creek Records.
Martha Earls
Martha Earls – Owner and Manager, Neon Coast
Martha Earls founded and leads entertainment company Neon Coast. Through its management division, Neon Coast represents a diverse slate of multi-Platinum selling, critically acclaimed talent including Kane Brown, Restless Road, Dylan Schneider, Nightly, Feather and others. Its in-house production company—Demasiado—has been honored with CMT and ACM Awards and produced content for top entertainment brands. The company also oversees 1021 Entertainment—a joint label venture between Neon Coast, client Kane Brown and Sony Music Nashville—which serves as an incubator where developing artists can grow within a supportive environment. Earls started her career with a successful run in music publishing. Alongside Mike Molinar, the Pennsylvania native helped start the company that would become Big Machine Music. From there she went on to work with and learn from some of the biggest names in the industry, both execs and artists, before discovering Kane Brown online and beginning her work in artist management.
Beth Hamilton
Beth Hamilton – Agent, WME
Beth Hamilton is a seasoned veteran in the music industry and has been with WME since 2016. In her role as an agent, she manages the daily touring opportunities for multiple artists, including Chris Stapleton, Eric Church, Luke Bryan, Dierks Bentley, Brothers Osborne, Ashley McBryde, The Cadillac Three, Caylee Hammack, Caitlyn Smith and others. Prior to being an agent, Hamilton began her career working at music venues—notably the Lucas Theatre in Savannah, Georgia—before joining the former William Morris Agency as an assistant booking the Northeast territory. In 2008, she transitioned into artist management at Modern Management working with Josh Turner, Sara Evans and Diamond Rio before returning to the agency side of the business in 2016 to work alongside WME Nashville office co-head Jay Williams. Outside of being a respected agent, she actively volunteers her time supporting the Women of Endeavor mentorship program and offering career guidance to young females aspiring to make an impact in the music business.
Jackie Jones
Jackie Jones – SVP, Artist and Industry Relations, RIAA
Jackie Jones is the SVP, Artist and Industry Relations for the Recording Industry Association of America (RIAA) and serves as the organization’s chief representative in Nashville. Bringing together artists, managers, labels, venues, and creator advocacy groups, Jones works every day to deepen, understand and enrich personal and professional ties throughout every segment of the music community. Jones not only works to elevate creators across genres nationwide, but also serves as a conduit for the D.C. world of copyright reform, trade negotiations, and local creative industry policymaking. Just as RIAA’s D.C. team builds consensus and forges ahead for a unified music community approach to industry policy challenges and a healthy long-term music ecosystem, Jones does the same throughout the music community. She regularly produces educational and music community outreach events, as well as national Gold & Platinum certification plaque presentations that recognize artist and label excellence. Jones also works closely with St. Jude Children’s Research Hospital, Musicians On Call, Family Alliance in Music (FAM) and the TSU Music Business Accelerator program. Prior to joining the RIAA, Jones was Director of Music and Talent for CMT.
Brittany Schaffer
Brittany Schaffer – Head of Nashville Label Partnerships, Music Strategy, Spotify
As Head of Nashville Label Partnerships, Music Strategy, Brittany Schaffer co-leads Spotify’s Music Team in Nashville, with responsibility for setting the vision of the team and cultivating and nurturing industry partnerships across the greater Nashville market. Schaffer co-leads the development and execution of Spotify’s global strategy to grow the country, Christian/Gospel, and Americana genres, and has been a leader in an era-defining shift in country music consumption habits. Her work includes the transformation and marketing of the flagship playlists Hot Country and Indigo, bringing country music to fans through Spotify’s annual four-day activation at CMA Fest, extending the St. Jude t-shirt campaign into streaming, and ongoing global artist marketing campaigns. Schaffer has also been instrumental in strategically acquiring and retaining an impressive team to meaningfully bolster Spotify’s presence in the Nashville market and has built a culture of teamwork and collaboration that fuels Spotify’s partnerships across Nashville. Outside of Spotify, Schaffer is a highly engaged board member of CMA, CRB, and St. Jude Country Cares. Prior to joining Spotify in January 2018, Schaffer spent more than seven years practicing law in the Entertainment Department of Loeb & Loeb, LLP, where she was Senior Legal Counsel.
Anna Weisband
Anna Weisband – VP of A&R, Sony Music Publishing
As VP of A&R at Sony Music Publishing, Anna Weisband manages the daily songwriting strategy for a stellar roster including Miranda Lambert, Kelsea Ballerini, Cole Swindell, Chris Young, Lainey Wilson, Emily Weisband, Josh Kear and MacKenzie Porter. A graduate of Belmont University, Weisband began her career as a THiS Music intern, and quickly established herself as a young executive on Music Row. Later in her career, Weisband began carrying out A&R duties including talent discovery, collaboration creation, artist management, and song placement for the company’s roster of 14 award-winning songwriters, producers, and artists, including two-time ASCAP Songwriter of the Year Ben Hayslip, Hall of Fame songwriter Tim Nichols, and Emily Weisband. In 2017 Weisband was promoted to Vice President at THiS Music at the age of 23, a position she earned after five years at the Warner Chappell joint venture, led by co-owner/General Manager Rusty Gaston. When Gaston joined Sony Music Publishing in 2020, Weisband followed, becoming VP of Creative.
Penny Gattis Named Chair Of 2023 Music Row Habitat For Humanity Build
/by Lorie HollabaughGattis has been championing songwriters for over a decade as General Manager, Publishing at Eclipse Music Group, where she oversees all aspects of the company including the careers of its writers/artists. In her new role as Chair, she will be in charge of fundraising for the 2023 home and for the Music Row Build fund.
Currently in Nashville, 70 percent of low-income renters are cost burdened and according to the National Association of Realtors, approximately 56 percent of all homes listed in Nashville are only affordable to households with an annual income of more than $100,000.
“I’m honored to Chair the 2023 Music Row Build,” says Gattis. “To witness firsthand the life-changing impact that occurs when the music community comes together to help a hardworking and deserving Nashvillian achieve home ownership is really special.”
The 2023 build will be in support of a single mother of four children, LaShawnda, ranging in ages from 6 to 16. The build is set for May 13 and Gattis will be announcing upcoming events throughout the year to support the build fund.
Music industry veteran Renee Bell started the Music Row Build in 2003, joining forces with Ree Guyer in 2005. Together, they helped nine local families purchase affordable homes before it ended in 2012. In 2022, Guyer donated $100,000 to establish the Music Row Build fund, with the goal of raising $500,000. To date the group has raised more than $160,000 and helped 11 families purchase affordable homes. Mark Brown reignited the build in 2020 and guided the initiative through 2022.
Concord President Bob Valentine To Rise To CEO In July
/by Lorie HollabaughPascucci will remain a member of Concord’s Board of Directors and both Pascucci and Whalley will be inaugural members of a newly-formed Concord Advisory Board along with Jake Wisely, Concord’s former Chief Publishing Officer. Whalley will also continue his day-to-day involvement in Loma Vista Recordings, his label joint-venture with Concord.
Valentine joined Norman Lear’s Act III Communications in 1999 when it acquired Concord Records. In 2001, he left Act III to join Fox Entertainment’s television business development group, focusing on corporate M&A and business development initiatives at Fox and its parent company News Corp. In 2005, Valentine returned to Concord to fulfill the role of CFO and served in that capacity until 2021, when he was named President. He started his career as a Financial Analyst in Morgan Stanley’s Investment Banking division, and received his M.B.A. from UCLA’s Anderson School of Management and his undergraduate degree from the University of Notre Dame.
“The Concord Executive Team of 2023 is the most experienced in the company’s history, with the deepest bench of future leaders, making the 10th anniversary of our commitment to the company the ideal time for this leadership transition,” says Concord Vice Chairman Alex Thomson. “Bob Valentine is an inventive and resourceful executive, uniquely qualified to both embrace the company’s legacy and navigate its vast future potential as the next Chief Executive of Concord.”
Hit Songwriter Pat Bunch Passes
/by Robert K OermannAward-winning lyricist Pat Bunch died last week at age 83.
She is best known for co-writing such hits as “I’ll Still Be Loving You” by Restless Heart (1987), “Safe in the Arms of Love” by Martina McBride (1995) and “Wild One” by Faith Hill (1993). More than 100 other artists have recorded her songs.
Patricia Karen Bunch Price was a native of Zanesville, Ohio. She began her songwriting career in Nashville in the 1970s when she was approaching her 40th birthday.
Bunch’s first single as a writer was with Lynn Anderson, who released “Last Love of My Life” in 1978. Connie Smith and David Houston charted with Bunch co-written songs in 1979. Later that year, the songwriter scored her first top 10 hit via “Holding the Bag,” recorded by Moe Bandy and Joe Stampley.
Her top 10 hits of the 1980s included Crystal Gayle’s “Me Against the Night” in 1984 plus Janie Fricke’s “The First Word in Memory Is Me” and “Somebody Else’s Fire,” both in 1985. “I’ll Still Be Loving You” topped the country charts and crossed over to become an A/C and pop hit as well. The 1987 hit won awards from both BMI and ASCAP and was nominated for a Grammy.
Ty Herndon had huge successes with her “I Want My Goodbye Back” in 1995 and “Living in a Moment” in 1996. McBride’s 1995 hit “Safe in the Arms of Love” was recorded by eight other artists. Similarly, “Wild One”(sometimes listed as “She’s a Wild One”) had six cover versions.
Among those scoring top 40 country hits with Bunch’s lyrics were Baillie & The Boys (1987’s “He’s Letting Go”), Collin Raye (1995’s “What If Jesus Comes Back Like That”), Terri Clark (2005’s “She Didn’t Have Time”), and Steve Holy (2006’s “Come On Rain”). Others who did so included Herndon (1997’s “I Have to Surrender”), BlackHawk (2000’s “I Need You All the Time”) and Chris Janson (2013’s “Better I Don’t”).
Other notable cuts included Suzy Bogguss’ single of “You Wouldn’t Say That to a Stranger,” Carlene Carter’s version of “Love Like That,” the John Michael Montgomery treatment of “Even Then,” Keith Harling’s holiday release “Santa’s Got a Semi” and Kenny Rogers’ performance of “Slow Dance More.”
Early in her career, Bunch’s most frequent songwriting collaborators were Pam Rose and Mary Ann Kennedy. These two recorded songs co-written with Bunch during their stints as members of the bands Calamity Jane and Kennedy Rose. Later, Bunch often collaborated with Doug Johnson. Other songwriting partners included Shane Teeters, Nicole Witt, Dan Mitchell and Buck Moore.
Her lyrics were particularly favored by female country artists. Patty Loveless, Reba McEntire, Tammy Wynette, Juice Newton, The Forester Sisters, Lacy J. Dalton, Judy Rodman, Barbara Mandrell, Michelle Wright, Dottie West, Pam Tillis, Shelby Lynne, Sylvia, Lauren Alaina and Mary Chapin Carpenter are among those who recorded her songs. Bunch’s male-country song clients included Don Williams, Billy Dean, Lee Greenwood, Charley Pride, Gene Watson, Mark Wills, The Gatlins, George Strait, Sammy
Kershaw, Clay Walker and The Oak Ridge Boys.
The songwriter was not limited to the country scene. Among the non-country artists who recorded her works were Glenn Frey, Jill Sobule, Art Garfunkel, Percy Sledge, Joan Baez, Soul Sistas and Petula Clark.
Pat Bunch died on Jan. 30 at her home in Cross Plains, Tennessee. She is survived by her husband of 45 years, James Price, as well as by sons Randy Archer, Robin Archer and Rusty Archer, plus nine grandchildren.
There are no services or visitation planned. Arrangements are entrusted to Austin & Bell, 533 Highway 76 White House, Tennessee, 37188, (615- 672-5000, austinandbell.com).
MusicRow Announces 2023 Rising Women On The Row Honorees
/by LB CantrellMusicRow is proud to reveal the honorees for its 10th annual Rising Women on the Row celebration. This year’s ceremony will honor six female executives who are making a significant impact on Nashville’s country music industry.
City National Bank and Loeb & Loeb are Presenting Sponsors for the 2023 Rising Women on the Row, which will take place at the Omni Nashville Hotel on the morning of March 23.
River House Artists President & Founder, Lynn Oliver-Cline, will be the featured speaker at the event. Attendees will be treated to insights from Oliver-Cline during an on-stage interview with MusicRow Owner/Publisher Sherod Robertson.
Tickets are now closed and will not be sold at the door.
This year’s honorees include:
Stacy Blythe
Stacy Blythe – SVP of Promotion, Big Loud Records
Leading Big Loud Records in achieving 14 No. 1 singles in seven years of business, Stacy Blythe is a vital part of the ever-changing game of radio promotion, storming right out of the gate in 2015 with the label’s first-ever single release, and driving it to the top of the charts for then-newcomer Chris Lane’s Gold breakout, “Fix.” As SVP of Promotion, she spearheads a team of 10, securing and maximizing airplay for the label’s roster, including Morgan Wallen, Jake Owen, Lauren Alaina, Hardy, MacKenzie Porter, Ernest, Hailey Whitters, Ben Burgess, Larry Fleet, Lily Rose, Ashley Cooke, and Jake Worthington. She has contributed to the Big Loud roster earning multiple Gold, Platinum, and multi-Platinum certifications and accounting for more than 17 billion global streams to date, making Big Loud Records the Billboard Hot Country Songs label of the year for the last two years. The Pittsburgh native is a graduate of Middle Tennessee State University with other notable career stops at Category 5 Records, 1720 Entertainment, and Stoney Creek Records.
Martha Earls
Martha Earls – Owner and Manager, Neon Coast
Martha Earls founded and leads entertainment company Neon Coast. Through its management division, Neon Coast represents a diverse slate of multi-Platinum selling, critically acclaimed talent including Kane Brown, Restless Road, Dylan Schneider, Nightly, Feather and others. Its in-house production company—Demasiado—has been honored with CMT and ACM Awards and produced content for top entertainment brands. The company also oversees 1021 Entertainment—a joint label venture between Neon Coast, client Kane Brown and Sony Music Nashville—which serves as an incubator where developing artists can grow within a supportive environment. Earls started her career with a successful run in music publishing. Alongside Mike Molinar, the Pennsylvania native helped start the company that would become Big Machine Music. From there she went on to work with and learn from some of the biggest names in the industry, both execs and artists, before discovering Kane Brown online and beginning her work in artist management.
Beth Hamilton
Beth Hamilton – Agent, WME
Beth Hamilton is a seasoned veteran in the music industry and has been with WME since 2016. In her role as an agent, she manages the daily touring opportunities for multiple artists, including Chris Stapleton, Eric Church, Luke Bryan, Dierks Bentley, Brothers Osborne, Ashley McBryde, The Cadillac Three, Caylee Hammack, Caitlyn Smith and others. Prior to being an agent, Hamilton began her career working at music venues—notably the Lucas Theatre in Savannah, Georgia—before joining the former William Morris Agency as an assistant booking the Northeast territory. In 2008, she transitioned into artist management at Modern Management working with Josh Turner, Sara Evans and Diamond Rio before returning to the agency side of the business in 2016 to work alongside WME Nashville office co-head Jay Williams. Outside of being a respected agent, she actively volunteers her time supporting the Women of Endeavor mentorship program and offering career guidance to young females aspiring to make an impact in the music business.
Jackie Jones
Jackie Jones – SVP, Artist and Industry Relations, RIAA
Jackie Jones is the SVP, Artist and Industry Relations for the Recording Industry Association of America (RIAA) and serves as the organization’s chief representative in Nashville. Bringing together artists, managers, labels, venues, and creator advocacy groups, Jones works every day to deepen, understand and enrich personal and professional ties throughout every segment of the music community. Jones not only works to elevate creators across genres nationwide, but also serves as a conduit for the D.C. world of copyright reform, trade negotiations, and local creative industry policymaking. Just as RIAA’s D.C. team builds consensus and forges ahead for a unified music community approach to industry policy challenges and a healthy long-term music ecosystem, Jones does the same throughout the music community. She regularly produces educational and music community outreach events, as well as national Gold & Platinum certification plaque presentations that recognize artist and label excellence. Jones also works closely with St. Jude Children’s Research Hospital, Musicians On Call, Family Alliance in Music (FAM) and the TSU Music Business Accelerator program. Prior to joining the RIAA, Jones was Director of Music and Talent for CMT.
Brittany Schaffer
Brittany Schaffer – Head of Nashville Label Partnerships, Music Strategy, Spotify
As Head of Nashville Label Partnerships, Music Strategy, Brittany Schaffer co-leads Spotify’s Music Team in Nashville, with responsibility for setting the vision of the team and cultivating and nurturing industry partnerships across the greater Nashville market. Schaffer co-leads the development and execution of Spotify’s global strategy to grow the country, Christian/Gospel, and Americana genres, and has been a leader in an era-defining shift in country music consumption habits. Her work includes the transformation and marketing of the flagship playlists Hot Country and Indigo, bringing country music to fans through Spotify’s annual four-day activation at CMA Fest, extending the St. Jude t-shirt campaign into streaming, and ongoing global artist marketing campaigns. Schaffer has also been instrumental in strategically acquiring and retaining an impressive team to meaningfully bolster Spotify’s presence in the Nashville market and has built a culture of teamwork and collaboration that fuels Spotify’s partnerships across Nashville. Outside of Spotify, Schaffer is a highly engaged board member of CMA, CRB, and St. Jude Country Cares. Prior to joining Spotify in January 2018, Schaffer spent more than seven years practicing law in the Entertainment Department of Loeb & Loeb, LLP, where she was Senior Legal Counsel.
Anna Weisband
Anna Weisband – VP of A&R, Sony Music Publishing
As VP of A&R at Sony Music Publishing, Anna Weisband manages the daily songwriting strategy for a stellar roster including Miranda Lambert, Kelsea Ballerini, Cole Swindell, Chris Young, Lainey Wilson, Emily Weisband, Josh Kear and MacKenzie Porter. A graduate of Belmont University, Weisband began her career as a THiS Music intern, and quickly established herself as a young executive on Music Row. Later in her career, Weisband began carrying out A&R duties including talent discovery, collaboration creation, artist management, and song placement for the company’s roster of 14 award-winning songwriters, producers, and artists, including two-time ASCAP Songwriter of the Year Ben Hayslip, Hall of Fame songwriter Tim Nichols, and Emily Weisband. In 2017 Weisband was promoted to Vice President at THiS Music at the age of 23, a position she earned after five years at the Warner Chappell joint venture, led by co-owner/General Manager Rusty Gaston. When Gaston joined Sony Music Publishing in 2020, Weisband followed, becoming VP of Creative.
2nd Annual ‘Breland & Friends’ Benefit For Oasis Center Set For April 4
/by Lorie HollabaughSpecial guests Alana Springsteen, Ashley Cooke, Avery Anna, Danielle Bradbery, Gary LeVox, Ingrid Andress, K. Michelle, Nate Smith, Temecula Road, Tenille Townes, X Ambassadors and more will join Breland for the show, which raised $140,000 last year for the Oasis Center. The Oasis Center helps young people and their families navigate the complex challenges of today, with over 20 programs and services to help respond to the area’s diverse needs.
Tickets are available for presale now through Thursday, Feb. 9 with the password OASIS23 via the ticket link here. Public on-sale will begin this Friday, Feb. 10.
Breland has also teamed up with Alana Springsteen for a new duet version of his single “For What It’s Worth,” dropping Feb. 17. This new collab features a never-before-heard verse penned by Springsteen and Liz Rose. He released a stripped-down, acoustic version of the fan favorite last Friday, Feb. 3.
Mitchell Tenpenny Sells Out The Ryman With Back-To-Back Shows
/by LB CantrellMitchell Tenpenny performs at the Ryman Auditorium.
Mitchell Tenpenny took over the Ryman stage this past weekend for two sold-out nights.
Friday night’s show featured Tenpenny owning his lane in the sub-genre he affectionately calls “Farm Emo.” Armed with a drum set featuring a bird finger flashing the crowd and plenty of loud guitar moments, he thrilled the crowd with his fusion of country and punk on songs such as “Good Place,” “Happy and I Hate It,” “We Got History” and “Good And Gone.”
The Nashville native was joined by several surprise guests throughout both evenings.
Tyler Braden and Mitchell Tenpenny
On Friday night, Steven Curtis Chapman made a surprise appearance and joined him on stage to perform their new version of the Christian music icon’s hit, “Don’t Lose Heart.” The song, about never giving up and not losing hope, has special meaning to Tenpenny, as his mother is currently battling breast cancer. The tune is set for release on Feb. 17.
Tenpenny’s wife, singer-songwriter Meghan Patrick, made guest appearances during the two shows to sing “Long As You Let Me.” Alana Springsteen was also in attendance both nights to perform soon-to-be-released track featuring Tenpenny, “Goodbye Looks Good On You,” that the two co-wrote.
Tenpenny was also joined by opener Tyler Braden to perform Seaforth’s parts on their 2019 collaboration, “Anything She Says.” Braden served as the perfect act to get the crowd ready for Tenpenny, rocking hard throughout his rousing set.
Mitchell Tenpenny with Sony Music Nashville team.
In addition to some tracks from his recently released album This Is The Heavy, Tenpenny made sure to play his hits. The Ryman crowd sang along loudly to “Bucket List,” “At the End of a Bar,” “Alcohol You Later,” “Truth About You” and his breakout smash, “Drunk Me.”
At one point during the Friday night show, Sony Music Nashville Head Randy Goodman and some select staff joined Tenpenny on stage to present an RIAA Platinum certification plaque for his No. 1 song “Truth About You.”
Tenpenny will continue his “This Is The Heavy Tour” on Feb. 10 in Columbus, Ohio before wrapping with another sold-out show in Atlanta at the end of the month.
Weekly Register: Tyler Hubbard Scores Top Debut On Country Albums Chart
/by Liza AndersonTyler Hubbard. Photo: John Russo
Tyler Hubbard secures the top debut on the country albums chart this week.
His self-titled, first solo collection lands at No. 8 on the top country albums chart and No. 40 overall. The album debuted with 15K in total consumption (5K album only/12 million song streams) according to Luminate data.
Morgan Wallen‘s Dangerous: The Double Album reclaims the No. 1 spot on the top country albums chart with 42K in total consumption (1.5K album only/52 million song streams) and lands at No. 6 overall. Zach Bryan ‘s American Heartbreak reclaims No. 2 with 31K (1.7K album only/38 million song streams). Hardy‘s The Mockingbird & The Crow moves to No. 3 with 27K (5.4K album only/26 million song streams). Bailey Zimmerman‘s Leave The Light On stays at No. 4 with 20K (825 album only/24 million song streams), and Luke Combs‘ Growin’ Up remains at No. 5 with 19K (1.5K album only/22 million song streams).
Wallen, Bryan, Zimmerman and Combs have also secured the top five spots on the country songs chart this week.
Bryan’s “Something In The Orange” continues its reign as No. 1, collecting another 14 million streams. Zimmerman’s “Rock and A Hard Place” remains at No. 2 with 11 million streams. Wallen’s new tune “Last Night” rises to No. 3 with 11 million streams, moving “You Proof” down to No. 4 with 9.8 million. Combs’ “The Kind Of Love We Make” lands at No. 5 with eight million streams.
Kacey Musgraves Organizes Show To Benefit Markland Family
/by LB CantrellKacey Musgraves
Kacey Musgraves is throwing a benefit show she’s dubbed Markland Fam Jam to raise money to support Steve and Deb Markland, who lost their Nashville home in a fire recently.
Taking place at Brooklyn Bowl Nashville on Feb. 13, Musgraves will be joined by Brothers Osborne, Randy Houser, Allison Moorer, Carolyn Dawn Johnson, Caylee Hammack, Fancy Haygood, Hayes Carll, Jeffery Steele, Jillian Jacqueline, Kendell Marvel, Kimberly Kelly and Brett Tyler, Lucie Silvas, Madi Diaz, The Brummies and more. Tickets are available here.
In a social media post about the event, Musgraves writes, “Nashville is a very tight-knit community and we are coming together to sing some songs and raise some help for these wonderful people as they start to rebuild their lives. If you can’t make it in person maybe you could snag a ticket and be there in spirit.”
A nearly 30-year veteran of the music business, Steve Markland is VP of Nashville Operations at Utopia Music. Prior to his current role, he served as Executive Vice President, Creative in the Nashville office of Downtown Music Publishing for over seven years. He also spent time as VP of A&R at Warner Chappell Music, as well as stops at Windswept Music Publishing and Patrick Joseph Music.
Deb Markland helped establish Thirty Tigers alongside David Macias in 2002. In addition to Thirty Tigers, she spent time at Arista Records Nashville, Thistle Farms, and other philanthropic organizations in marketing roles. Deb now serves as a Life Coach & Recovery Coach, as well as a marketing consultant.
There is also a GoFundMe set up for the Markland family.
Kylie Morgan Plots ‘Independent With You Tour’ For April
/by Lorie HollabaughKylie Morgan. Photo: Katie Kauss
Kylie Morgan is hitting the road this spring on her first-ever headlining “Independent With You Tour.”
The trek is a nod to Morgan’s viral track, “Independent With You,” on her EP P.S. that turned heads with its empowering message of individuality. The new tour kicks off in San Diego, California on April 6 and will make stops in Tampa, Chicago, Omaha, Indianapolis and more through April 29. Tickets and VIP packages for all dates are on sale now at KylieMorgan.com.
“This still doesn’t feel real,” says Morgan. “I’m calling this the ‘Independent With You Tour’ because of all of YOU (the fans) believing in this independent, small town Oklahoma girl. You’ve been on this journey with me every step, and every lyric, and I am where I am because of you. I can’t wait to squeeze you and sing OUR songs together.”
P.S. continues to make waves with its coming-of-age revelations and fun up-tempo anthems, each co-written by Morgan, including her debut single, “If He Wanted To He Would.” The rising young artist has already surpassed 100 million global streams with her music.
Drew Kennedy Extends Global Deal With BMG Publishing
/by Lorie HollabaughPictured (L-R): Chris Oglesby, Drew Kennedy and Kelsey Niccoli (Worley)
Drew Kennedy has extended his global publishing deal with BMG Publishing.
A lyricist versatile in both the pop and country spaces, Kennedy’s ever-expanding circle of collaborators and the list of artists who have recorded his songs includes Keith Urban, RaeLynn,Callum Beattie, Forest Blakk, The Wolfe Brothers, King Calaway, Ben Chapman, Patrick Droney, Nate Smith, Canaan Smith and more.
Additionally, Kennedy has released nine albums as an artist, penned a novel and created two annual songwriter festivals.
“Drew is a songwriter in every sense of the word,” says Chris Oglesby, BMG VP, Creative. “The way he approaches a lyric gives a listener a beautiful picture filled with emotion. He does it in a way that all of us have to engage. I could not be more excited to continue our relationship with Drew Kennedy.”
“BMG has been an incredible place for me to learn and grow as a songwriter, and I’m thankful that journey will continue,” shares Kennedy. “BMG loves songs and the people who write them, and I can’t tell you how lucky I feel to work with them. Whether we’re talking shop or just life in general, they are two important and trusted voices in my life. BMG feels like family.”