CAA has announced the in-person return of The Hubb, the third edition of its networking and professional development summit designed to provide diverse internship and career-ready college students with the resources necessary for a successful music business entrance.

The summit first launched in 2018 and is named after industry legend Barbara “Mother” Hubbard, Executive Director of the American Collegiate Talent Showcase (ACTS), whose program provides scholarships to students pursuing careers in the performing arts, whether on stage or off.

“We launched The Hubb four years ago because we saw two things–there wasn’t a robust student conference that covered all aspects of music, and there was a lack of BIPOC and LGBTQ+ representation on teams in the industry,” ntoes CAA Music Agents and co-creators of The Hubb, Sabrina Butera and Meredith Jones. “As Nashville continues to be a breeding ground for a range of musical genres, we want to not only educate, but create networking opportunities for diverse college students who are eager to break into the industry.”

Hosted at CAA’s Nashville office from Sept. 24-26, over 30 college students will have the opportunity to interact with established music executives, participate in professional development workshops and gain further knowledge on how to prepare for and jumpstart their careers within the music world.

“I benefited so much from The Hubb, gaining an invaluable amount of knowledge and exposure to the music industry over the course of the summit,” recalls Yusef Yoba, The Hubb 2019 participant and current member of the Music Brand Partnerships team at CAA. “From the amazing guest speakers, experiential learning and new relationships I’ve taken with me beyond the program, The Hubb has it all. I’m so excited to now have the opportunity to be a resource for students, as previous agents and industry executives have been for me.”

The event will kick off with Soulcare Chat, an exclusive Q&A experience with Grammy award-winning artist Alicia Keys. Participants will also have the opportunity to visit leading companies and meet with major executives from CAA, Columbia Records, BMG, Motown/Quality Control Entertainment, Kobalt Music, Nixon Peabody, FBMM, Amazon Music and more.

CAA seeks to ensure that students leave the summit with a deeper understanding of multiple industry sectors, such as label operations, business management, A&R, marketing, artist management, touring and live production. Recruiters will also host workshops, giving attendees insight into the tools and skills needed in today’s job market.

The Recording Industry Association of America (RIAA) has reported some positive results for 2022, showing strong U.S. recorded music revenue of $7.7 billion.

As detailed in the report, streaming revenues from paid subscriptions, ad-supported services and other formats grew 10 percent to $6.5 billion during this period with the number of paid subscriptions topping 90 million for the first time. Vinyl sales also remained strong, increasing 22 percent.

The report also made mention of the recent growth for songwriters and publishers from PROs, such as ASCAP and BMI, who have reported record payments, as well as 2022 signaling one of the strongest years ever for live music as touring continues to return post-pandemic and the increase in new innovations, such as Web3, NFTs, spatial audio and more. Mitch Glazier, Chairman and CEO of the RIAA, also noted the continued efforts to ensure artists get paid for their work everywhere and for every way it’s used, including global anti-piracy efforts and protect artists’ rights across all platforms.

The RIAA also took time to discuss the celebration of all styles and genres of music, which is noted by the continued growth in Latin music. This will be further documented in the coming weeks with an RIAA Latin-music focused report. Finally, Glazier focused on the commitment from labels in the diversity, equality and inclusion space as meaningful progress has been show in hiring and elevating leaders from underrepresented groups.

“Today’s report is good news for artists, songwriters, streaming services and fans—everyone with a stake in music’s future. We truly are seeing the power of recorded music’s rising tide to lift all boats across the music family,” notes Glazier. “We are proud of the creative and commercial accomplishments reflected in the strong results reported today. But to achieve true success, we must go beyond the balance sheet and work to advance fundamental music community values.”

Matthew West will release a new double album, My Story Your Glory, on Feb. 17, 2023. The project’s title track is available now.

The new anthem and project as a whole embodies the countless stories fans have shared with the songwriter over the years, and his message of the importance of keeping God at the forefront.

The Grammy-nominated artist has had a monumental year, celebrating the last couple of days with back-to-back honors from NSAI and ASCAP. Tuesday night (Sept. 20), West was honored with the coveted NSAI Songwriter-Artist of the Year Award, becoming the first predominantly Christian artist to win the award in over 20 years.

The following night (Sept. 21), the genre hitmaker received seven ASCAP Christian Music Awards, including Songwriter of the Year, Song of the Year for his work on Anne Wilson’s breakout smash “My Jesus,” and was recognized for his five most performed cuts.

West’s current single “Me On Your Mind” is his most recent No. 1, spending six weeks atop the Mediabase Christian Airplay chart and gracing the top of the Billboard Christian Airplay Chart for five weeks.

Earlier this month, West released his sixth book, The God Who Stays, an engaging and thoughtful exploration that helps us reconnect to the Biblical truth that God is with us.

The Women Music Business Association (WMBA) has opened its applications for the Class of 2023 now through Oct. 28.

Applicants must have a full year of work experience in the music industry, including as an artist or musician, along with one recommendation letter. For more information on WMBA, applicant qualifications and to apply, click here.

The Women’s Music Business Association is a nonprofit membership organization that is dedicated to fostering opportunities for women within the music industry through education, networking, industry involvement and community service.

The WMBA is led by Chairwoman Brandi Simms (MooTV, Moo Creative & The Steel Mill), Lindsey Clark (DeatonFlanigen Productions), Amery Fridenstine (Above Board Consulting), Cameo Carlson (Mtheory Nashville), Mary Catherine Kinney (Spotify) and Legal Counsel Lauren Spahn (Shackelford, Bowen, McKinley & Norton, LLP).

Miranda Lambert’s MuttNation Foundation Provides 2 Million Pet Meals

Reigning ACM Entertainer of the Year Miranda Lambert’s MuttNation Foundation, in partnership with Greater Good Charities’ Goods Program, is providing 2 million pet meals to help families facing economic hardships. The Goods Program delivers product to pre-vetted and trained Ambassador groups who distribute the product to local end recipient groups in need. This donation will be delivered to more than 30 Goods Ambassadors with pet food pantries in over 30 cities.

“During times of crisis, it’s important to keep families and their pets together,” Lambert explains. “We are proud to partner with Greater Good Charities and hope our GOODS Program donation will help families and their pets stay united in their homes during these challenging times.”

In August, MuttNation provided financial support to more than a dozen animal shelters that took in nearly 4,000 beagles removed from a research facility in Virginia, and assisted with medical bills to help shelters ready the beagles for adoption.

 

 

BMI Kicks Off AmericanaFest With Special Rooftop Show

BMI threw their annual AmericanaFest KickOff Party on the rooftop of their Nashville offices last week (Sept. 13). The evening featured performances from the retro-inspired rock band The Heavy Heavy and contemporary blues and soul musician Christone “Kingfish” Ingram.

The Heavy Heavy opened up the night and performed some tunes from their EP Life and Life Only. The five-member band is currently on tour across the U.S. and Germany, and is expected to release their first album in 2023. Grammy-nominated Kingfish followed, giving a bluesy, soulful performance to the AmericanaFest audience. The 23-year-old artist has headlined two national tours and performed with Jason Isbell, Vampire Weekend, and Buddy Guy.

BMI’s next rooftop event will be held Sept. 27 as part of the Rooftop on the Row series.

 

 

Studio2Bee & John Shomby’s Country Radio’s Coach Join Forces

Nashville-based artist development firm Studio2Bee Entertainment has aligned with John Shomby’s Country Radio’s Coach, Inc. Both firms will maintain their separate imprints, yet share services, strategies and staff.

“It’s a growth maneuver for both organizations that puts symbiotic missions under one roof,” notes Skip Bishop, CEO and Co-Founder of Studio2Bee along with Butch Waugh. “We were using John’s expertise and services with our clients and decided to join forces. For decades we’ve been great friends with John. Besides being brilliant he’s darn fun to be around,” Bishop continues. “He is a tsunami of creative, positive energy and a welcomed addition to our leadership team.”

“It was a no-brainer to get involved with Skip, Butch and the crew at Studio2Bee,” adds Shomby. “They are super creative, forward-thinking and I really need to make up for all those years I was late on their music.”

Before starting Country Radio’s Coach, Inc., Shomby programmed multiple-format major market radio positions and most recently held an executive programming position with Cumulus Media in Nashville. Meanwhile, Studio2Bee was created in 2014 by former Sony executives Bishop and Waugh.

 

 

Adam Hood Rings In The Release Of Bad Days Better At Bobby’s Idle Hour

Adam Hood recently celebrated his fifth studio album release with a full band show at Bobby’s Idle Hour in Nashville following a packed AmericanaFest.

Bad Days Better is currently ranked No. 14 on the Americana Albums Chart. The album’s “Harder Stuff” featuring Miranda Lambert and “Flesh and Blood” are No. 26 and No. 58, respectively. The Lambert-graced track is also No. 11 on the Texas Radio chart.