Cole Swindell. Photo: Robby Klein
In just 12 weeks, Cole Swindell has brought his nostalgic hit, “She Had Me At Heads Carolina,” to the top of the charts. It’s the Warner Music Nashville star’s 12th career No. 1 hit.
Produced by Zach Crowell, the track samples Jo Dee Messina‘s 1996 hit “Heads Carolina, Tails California,” written by Mark D. Sanders and Tim Nichols. The 2022 song finds Swindell in a bar on karaoke night, charmed by a woman singing Messina’s enduring classic up on stage.
Swindell co-wrote the hit song with Ashley Gorley, Jesse Frasure, and Thomas Rhett, with Sanders and Nichols also credited as writers. The artist-writer says that writing “She Had Me At Heads Carolina” was the most unique songwriting process he’s ever been through.
“It’s crazy how it all happened,” Swindell tells MusicRow. “I was talking to Rusty [Gaston] and Anna [Weisband] over at Sony about how inspired I’ve been by them since I’ve been working with them. We were talking about songs and what I was looking for for my next album.
“We got to talking about what if we took a ’90s song that I loved and put a different spin on it. That was how the idea came together,” Swindell says.
Gaston adds that, with Swindell’s genuine love for Messina and ’90s country, it was the perfect storm for a re-imagined hit.
“I was thinking about how we could find ways to create new value for Sony’s catalog—more than just getting a hot new artist to re-record a Merle Haggard song. I believe ‘Heads Carolina, Tails California’ is the number one most popular female country karaoke song in the world. Thinking of that and knowing that that song was in this catalog, I talked to Cole,” Gaston says.
“Additionally, normally whatever we see happen in popular music will make its way to country music five to 10 years later. Popular music today is hip-hop. In hip-hop, it’s very common to have features and it’s very common to have interpolations,” Gaston adds. “I brought this up to Cole and said, ‘These interpolations are coming. This is the perfect song to do it.’ Cole immediately got it, loved the idea, and pulled the writers together.”
Gaston adds, “Cole loves ’90s country music. He should be the face of the resurgence of ’90s country music.”
Before Swindell could put his spin on the iconic hit, he had to get the blessing of Sanders and Nichols.
“We knew that before anything, we had to reach out to the original songwriters,” Swindell points out. “They could have easily said ‘No’ and the thing would have never happened, but they were cool enough to want to do it.”
While out on the road, Swindell and co-writer Thomas Rhett came up with a concept and brought it back to Gorley and Frasure in Nashville to write. Swindell believes the next step was adding the line, “Maybe she’ll fall for a boy from south Georgia,” a line that would come naturally for both him and Rhett, two Georgia natives.
“It was a pressure situation. You don’t want to mess up one of your favorite songs of all time,” he adds.
Once the song was written, Swindell’s manager Kerri Edwards and Warner Music Nashville’s Cris Lacy knew they had a hit on their hands. They added “She Had Me At Heads Carolina” to Swindell’s Stereotype album—which was already done.
“When they sent the work tape, I was immediately freaking out about it,” Edwards says. “We were like, ‘We have to cut this now.'”
Lacy first heard “She Had Me At Heads Carolina” after a day full of meetings for the WMN executive staff.
“We had just finished an all day offsite, preparing for the next six months and talking about records that were coming. Cole texted me [the work tape] right at the end of that. It had been a long day and everybody was getting ready to go. I listened to it and I was like, ‘You guys have to stay. I’m going to end this on an amazing note. We’re talking about what the future is going to look like? Let me play this.’
“Everybody in the room was like, ‘Oh my God, that is so fun! That is such a hit,'” Lacy shares.
Once released, just 12 weeks ago, the tune immediately began its swift ascent to the top of the charts. It was his fastest-rising single at country radio to date.
The tune also became an instant crowd-favorite at Swindell’s shows.
“Cole will put a couple of new songs in his set during a live show, but artists don’t typically put a lot of new ones in because the crowd hasn’t had time to get familiar,” Edwards says. “But I’m not joking, people will sing it as if they’ve heard it a thousand times when he plays that song. It just kept doing that [at live shows] over and over again to the point where me, Cris and Cole were like, ‘I don’t think we have a choice on making this single three from Stereotype. Everyone’s screaming what they want next.’”
Now a certified country radio No. 1 hit, the tune has brought a resurgence of popularity for Messina’s rich catalog of music—as well as a friendship between the two artists. She even appears in the video for the track.
“I was so excited when I got the chance to talk to Jo Dee and let her know that I’ve been a fan of hers for a long time. Now I to get to call her a friend,” Swindell says. “We wouldn’t have this song without her.”
BMI Celebrates Record-Breaking Fiscal Year With All-Time High Revenue & Royalty Distributions
/by Lydia FarthingBMI reported record-setting revenue and royalty distributions for its fiscal year ending June 30, 2022.
According to its report, the company distributed and administered $1.471 billion to its songwriters, composers and publishers, marking an increase of $136 million or 10% over last year. Additionally, BMI set revenue records with $1.573 billion, notching an increase of $212 million or 16% compared to last year.
“We had an exceptionally strong year thanks to the incredible popularity of the BMI repertoire, allowing us to deliver the highest royalty distributions in BMI’s history,” Mike O’Neill, President & CEO, BMI shares. “Providing this financial stability to our outstanding creative community is a gratifying culmination of BMI’s efforts every day on behalf of our songwriters, composers and publishers. Moving forward, we will continue to maximize the value of our affiliates’ music and ensure that our company is well positioned to deliver growth for our creators and copyright owners well into the future.”
Revenue from digital sources represented 48% of BMI’s domestic total with $572 million, an increase of $149 million or 35%, compared to last year. Growth was seen across all digital sectors, with notable increases in subscription video-on-demand services such as Netflix, Disney+, AppleTV+ and Peacock, as well as new digital audiovisual agreements with Roku, Vudu, Equinox+ and Snapchat, among others.
Total domestic media licensing revenue—comprised of cable, satellite, broadcast television and radio—came in at $479 million, an increase of $7 million or 2%, over last year. Cable and satellite-derived revenue totaled $270.3 million and broadcast television revenue came in at $94.3 million, both holding steady with last year. Radio revenues totaled $114.2 million, an increase of 6%.
General Licensing, along with other income, was up 10% year-to-year with $140 million. Driven by the strength of BMI’s repertoire overseas, the company’s international revenue grew to $382 million, up $43 million or 13%, over last year.
This year, BMI processed approximately 2.23 trillion performances, up 13% over last year. Of that, 2.21 trillion were digital performances and over 260 billion were digital audio-visual performances, a 7% increase over last year. BMI’s number of licensed musical works grew by 10% this year, bringing the total to 20.6 million.
BMI also celebrated over 100,000 new songwriters, composers and publishers joining the company, putting affiliate membership to more than 1.3 million.
Vince Gill Celebrates 30th Anniversary Of Award-Winning LP ‘I Still Believe in You’
/by Lorie HollabaughPictured (L-R): Cindy Mabe (Universal Music Group Nashville), Vince Gill, Tony Brown (Producer), Larry Fitzgerald (Gill’s Manager). Photo: Jason Davis/Getty Images
Vince Gill was recently celebrated backstage at the taping of his CMT Giants: Vince Gill special, where he was presented with a plaque in honor of the 30th anniversary of his I Still Believe in You album.
The classic project made its debut in September of 1992, and produced five singles, four of which went to No. 1, including “I Still Believe In You,” “No Future In The Past,” “Tryin’ To Get Over You,” and “One More Last Chance.” The fifth single from the album, “Don’t Let Our Love Start Slippin’ Away,” peaked at No. 2 on the charts. The album is certified 5x Platinum.
Four videos created from songs from the album have now been remastered. “Don’t Let Our Love Start Slippin’ Away” and “One More Last Chance” are freshly remastered for the album’s anniversary, and “Tryin’ To Get Over You” and “I Still Believe In You” have been previously remastered in HD.
CMT Giants: Vince Gill premieres this Friday (Sept. 16) at 8 p.m. CT on CMT. The special brings together Gill’s friends, collaborators, and some of the biggest names in music to honor him with performances of his most legendary hits, including Brad Paisley, Carrie Underwood, Chris Stapleton, Cody Johnson, Luke Combs, Maren Morris, Ricky Skaggs, Sting and more. Emmylou Harris, Keith Urban, Reba McEntire, Rodney Crowell will also appear as special guests to share personal stories, reflect on their time working with Gill and speak to his impact on country music.
Co-Host Tenille Townes Brings Home Five Wins At 2022 CCMA Awards
/by Liza AndersonTenille Townes. Photo: Corey Kelly.
Songwriter and two-time ACM winner Tenille Townes had her hands full at the 2022 Canadian Country Music Association Awards, taking home five trophies.
Townes, who co-hosted the awards alongside Blanco Brown, won Entertainer of the Year, maintained her reign as Female Artist of the Year, and landed Single of the Year for “Girl Who Didn’t Care,” as well as Songwriter of the Year for the same track, along with co-writers Steph Jones and David Pramik.
The artist also snagged another Ford F-150 Album of the Year award for her project Masquerades, which she dropped earlier this year via Columbia Nashville/Sony Music Nashville in partnership with RCA Records. The EP includes features from multi-genre standout Breland and hit singer-songwriter Wrabel, who accompanies Townes on the single “When You Need It.”
During the award show, Townes made the debut television performance of her newly released song “The Last Time,” which talks about the universal nostalgia felt after the realization that a life occurrence has happened for the last time.
This year, Dallas Smith, The Reklaws and Mitch Jay all walked away with two wins at the CCMA Awards. Smith held on to the title of Male Artist of the Year and was named Amazon Music and Alexa Fans’ Choice. The Relaws took home Group or Duo of the year yet again as well as Top Selling Canadian Single of the Year for “What the Truck,” alongside Sacha. Jay was proclaimed Specialty Instrument Player of the Year and Steel Guitar Player of the Year.
For the full list of the 2022 CCMA Award Winners, click here.
Matt Stell Announces Headlining ‘Man Made Tour’
/by Lorie HollabaughMatt Stell. Photo: Midtown Motion
Matt Stell will kick off his headlining “Man Made Tour” later this month. George Birge and Kyle Clark will appear as special guests on the dates.
The 17-city tour kicks off Sept. 30 in Tuscaloosa and runs through Dec. 3 in Medina, Ohio, with stops in Baton Rouge, Tampa, San Bernardino, and more. Tickets for the dates go on sale beginning this Friday (Sept. 16) at MattStell.com.
“The boys and I are fueling up the bus and taking the show on the road this fall,” shares Stell. “The ‘Man Made Tour ‘22’ is coming close to you so get your tickets and come party with us!”
Stell’s current single, “Man Made,” the follow-up to his No. 1s “Prayed For You” and “Everywhere But On,” is the lead track from his forthcoming new project, due later this year. Written by Brett Sheroky and Ian Christian and produced by Stell and Ash Bowers, “Man Made” acknowledges how man might have made a lot of things, but it is a woman who made the man.
Ashley McBryde Takes Us To ‘Lindeville’ With Upcoming Project
/by Lydia FarthingAshley McBryde. Photo: Katie Kauss
Ashley McBryde is bursting back onto the scene later this month with the release of her highly anticipated new project, Ashley McBryde Presents: Lindeville, on Sept. 30 via Warner Music Nashville.
Two years since her Grammy-nominated Never Will, McBryde teamed up with a handful of her favorite collaborators on a weeklong songwriting retreat in a cabin outside of Nashville. Tipping its hat to the writing methods of legendary songwriter Dennis Linde, the project encompasses a distilled version of McBryde’s signature honest, specific portraits of small-town America, and the many characters that you may encounter in them.
Pictured (L-R, top row): Connie Harrington, Pillbox Patti (Nicolette Hayford), Caylee Hammack and TJ Osborne; (L-R, botton row): Aaron Raitiere, Brandy Clark, Ashley McBryde, John Osborne and Benjy Davis. Photo: Katie Kauss
Created alongside Aaron Raitiere, Nicolette Hayford, Connie Harrington, Brandy Clark and Benjy Davis, Lindeville blends familiar characters, moral ambiguity and a dose of gallows humor to make the town feel like home. Produced by John Osborne, the 13-track record features performances from McBryde, Brothers Osborne, Clark, Raitiere, Hayford’s artist moniker Pillbox Patti, Caylee Hammack and Davis.
“A few years ago, Aaron Raitiere, Nicolette Hayford and I were on a write,” shares McBryde. “We wrote this song called ‘Blackout Betty,’ and I realized we had written previous songs called ‘Shut Up Sheila’ on Never Will and ‘Livin’ Next to Leroy’ on Girl Going Nowhere. Aaron had a song called ‘Jesus, Jenny,’ and I thought, ‘We should keep these characters together and give them a place to live!’” She continues, “Not long after that, I thought, ‘What if we call it Lindeville?’ in honor of Dennis Linde. I want to lock six writers in a house and just spend six or seven days writing. We stayed in Tennessee in this little house close to a lake. It was eight bottles of tequila, two cartons of cigarettes, one kitchen table and six individuals out of their minds.”
McBryde adds, “I just hope that when a few, even just a handful, of people listen to the record and it ends with the line ‘Nothing but stars over Lindeville,’ they put their hands over their heart and say, ‘What a nice trip that was.’ And for the whole running time of the record, nothing else had to matter. You got to focus on other people’s drama and other people’s problems and got the reminder that everything’s all right.”
Ashley McBryde Presents: Lindeville Track List:
All songs written by Ashley McBryde, Aaron Raitiere, Connie Harrington, Brandy Clark, Benjy Davis and Nicolette Hayford unless noted otherwise.
Brenda Put Your Bra On feat. Caylee Hammack & Pillbox Patti
Jesus Jenny feat. Aaron Raitiere (Aaron Raitiere and Jon Decious)
Dandelion Diner
The Girl In The Picture feat. Pillbox Patti
If These Dogs Could Talk feat. Brandy Clark
Play Ball feat. Brothers Osborne
Ronnie’s Pawn Shop
The Missed Connection Section of the Lindeville Gazette feat. Brandy Clark & Aaron Raitiere
Gospel Night At The Strip Club feat. Benjy Davis
Forkem Family Funeral Home
When Will I Be Loved feat. Brandy Clark, Caylee Hammack, & Pillbox Patti (Phil Everly)
Bonfire At Tina’s feat. Caylee Hammack, Brandy Clark, & Pillbox Patti
Lindeville
The Story Behind Cole Swindell’s New No. 1 Hit, ‘She Had Me At Heads Carolina’ [Interview]
/by LB CantrellCole Swindell. Photo: Robby Klein
In just 12 weeks, Cole Swindell has brought his nostalgic hit, “She Had Me At Heads Carolina,” to the top of the charts. It’s the Warner Music Nashville star’s 12th career No. 1 hit.
Produced by Zach Crowell, the track samples Jo Dee Messina‘s 1996 hit “Heads Carolina, Tails California,” written by Mark D. Sanders and Tim Nichols. The 2022 song finds Swindell in a bar on karaoke night, charmed by a woman singing Messina’s enduring classic up on stage.
Swindell co-wrote the hit song with Ashley Gorley, Jesse Frasure, and Thomas Rhett, with Sanders and Nichols also credited as writers. The artist-writer says that writing “She Had Me At Heads Carolina” was the most unique songwriting process he’s ever been through.
“It’s crazy how it all happened,” Swindell tells MusicRow. “I was talking to Rusty [Gaston] and Anna [Weisband] over at Sony about how inspired I’ve been by them since I’ve been working with them. We were talking about songs and what I was looking for for my next album.
“We got to talking about what if we took a ’90s song that I loved and put a different spin on it. That was how the idea came together,” Swindell says.
Gaston adds that, with Swindell’s genuine love for Messina and ’90s country, it was the perfect storm for a re-imagined hit.
“I was thinking about how we could find ways to create new value for Sony’s catalog—more than just getting a hot new artist to re-record a Merle Haggard song. I believe ‘Heads Carolina, Tails California’ is the number one most popular female country karaoke song in the world. Thinking of that and knowing that that song was in this catalog, I talked to Cole,” Gaston says.
“Additionally, normally whatever we see happen in popular music will make its way to country music five to 10 years later. Popular music today is hip-hop. In hip-hop, it’s very common to have features and it’s very common to have interpolations,” Gaston adds. “I brought this up to Cole and said, ‘These interpolations are coming. This is the perfect song to do it.’ Cole immediately got it, loved the idea, and pulled the writers together.”
Gaston adds, “Cole loves ’90s country music. He should be the face of the resurgence of ’90s country music.”
Before Swindell could put his spin on the iconic hit, he had to get the blessing of Sanders and Nichols.
“We knew that before anything, we had to reach out to the original songwriters,” Swindell points out. “They could have easily said ‘No’ and the thing would have never happened, but they were cool enough to want to do it.”
While out on the road, Swindell and co-writer Thomas Rhett came up with a concept and brought it back to Gorley and Frasure in Nashville to write. Swindell believes the next step was adding the line, “Maybe she’ll fall for a boy from south Georgia,” a line that would come naturally for both him and Rhett, two Georgia natives.
“It was a pressure situation. You don’t want to mess up one of your favorite songs of all time,” he adds.
Once the song was written, Swindell’s manager Kerri Edwards and Warner Music Nashville’s Cris Lacy knew they had a hit on their hands. They added “She Had Me At Heads Carolina” to Swindell’s Stereotype album—which was already done.
“When they sent the work tape, I was immediately freaking out about it,” Edwards says. “We were like, ‘We have to cut this now.'”
Lacy first heard “She Had Me At Heads Carolina” after a day full of meetings for the WMN executive staff.
“We had just finished an all day offsite, preparing for the next six months and talking about records that were coming. Cole texted me [the work tape] right at the end of that. It had been a long day and everybody was getting ready to go. I listened to it and I was like, ‘You guys have to stay. I’m going to end this on an amazing note. We’re talking about what the future is going to look like? Let me play this.’
“Everybody in the room was like, ‘Oh my God, that is so fun! That is such a hit,'” Lacy shares.
Once released, just 12 weeks ago, the tune immediately began its swift ascent to the top of the charts. It was his fastest-rising single at country radio to date.
The tune also became an instant crowd-favorite at Swindell’s shows.
“Cole will put a couple of new songs in his set during a live show, but artists don’t typically put a lot of new ones in because the crowd hasn’t had time to get familiar,” Edwards says. “But I’m not joking, people will sing it as if they’ve heard it a thousand times when he plays that song. It just kept doing that [at live shows] over and over again to the point where me, Cris and Cole were like, ‘I don’t think we have a choice on making this single three from Stereotype. Everyone’s screaming what they want next.’”
Now a certified country radio No. 1 hit, the tune has brought a resurgence of popularity for Messina’s rich catalog of music—as well as a friendship between the two artists. She even appears in the video for the track.
“I was so excited when I got the chance to talk to Jo Dee and let her know that I’ve been a fan of hers for a long time. Now I to get to call her a friend,” Swindell says. “We wouldn’t have this song without her.”
‘Monarch’ Makes A Splash With Fox Network Premiere, Pulls Over 5 Million Combined Viewers
/by Lydia FarthingSusan Sarandon and Trace Adkins in the series premiere of Monarch. Photo: FOX © 2022 FOX Media LLC.
Monarch, Fox’s new country music drama, made its television debut on Sunday night (Sept. 11) following the weekend’s NFL doubleheader. The Susan Sarandon and Trace Adkins-led program landed the network its most watched fall, scripted premiere since 2019’s Prodigal Son, according to Variety.
Airing in tandem with the NBC broadcast of the Dallas Cowboys vs. Tampa Bay Buccaneers Sunday Night Football game, Monarch, which also featured an encore airing, debuted to a combined 1.0 rating (0.8 for the original airing and 0.2 for the encore) among adults in the 18-49 age demographic, according to initial Nielsen data.
The broadcast racked in a combined viewership of 5.3 million (3.8 million for the original airing and 1.5 million for the encore).
Throughout the show, the Roman family is headed by the “Queen of Country Music,” Dottie Cantrell Roman (Sarandon), and her beloved husband Albie Roman (Adkins). The pair have created a country music dynasty, but the foundation of their success is a lie. When their reign as country royalty is put in jeopardy, heir to the thrown Nicolette “Nicky” Roman, played by Anna Friel, will stop at nothing to protect her family’s legacy and ensure her own quest for stardom.
The second episode of Monarch will make its time period premiere on Tuesday, Sept. 20 at 9 p.m. following The Resident. This will be the show’s time slot for the remainder of its inaugural season.
Records Nashville Adds David ‘Bubba’ Berry, And Elevates Jamice Jennings
/by Lydia FarthingDavid “Bubba” Berry
David “Bubba” Berry has joined Records Nashville as Senior Director of National Promotion.
Berry brings thirty years of experience in the music industry, including a wealth of knowledge from his previous roles at Sony Music Nashville, Giant/Reprise, Atlantic Records and more. In this role, his primary focus will be building and fostering relationships with Records Nashville radio partners across the country.
“I am ecstatic to be joining Records Nashville and to work alongside the legendary Barry Weiss and his team,” Berry shares. “My goal is to help bring the music of our artists to the audience that I have worked alongside for over thirty years and to make sure country radio has a direct line to the amazing music coming out of Records Nashville.”
Additionally, Jamice Jennings will be elevated to Senior Director of National Promotion & Commercial Strategy. Her responsibilities will now include assisting all of Records Nashville’s commercial strategy on a national level.
“I love our Records Nashville team, thus I am extremely excited to assist Records Nashville’s overall commercial strategy as well as continue to expand our reach across the nation at country radio. The future of this label is exciting.” Jennings notes.
“I’m beyond thrilled to reunite with Bubba and add him to our team, and to formally include commercial strategy to Jamice’s role,” notes Josh Easler, EVP of Promotion & Commercial Strategy. “Both of them bring tremendous skill sets to help navigate the ever-changing world that is music promotion.”
Both Berry and Jennings will report to Easler.
Georgia Webster Unveils ‘Chapter 1’ Of New Music
/by Lydia FarthingGeorgia Webster. Photo: Miranda McDonald
Sony Music Nashville/River House Artists’ Georgia Webster will release her new EP, Chapter 1: Things We’re Not Saying, on Sept. 23.
The EP will feature previously released tracks “I Hate Phone Calls (Long Distance Sucks)” and “Risk” ft. Jonathon Hutcherson as well as four additional tracks.
Webster will be joining Kelsea Ballerini as direct support on the 10-night-only “Heartfirst Tour.” The jaunt launches on Saturday, Sept. 24 and plans to make stops at Radio City Music Hall in New York and The Greek Theater in Los Angeles. For a full list of dates, click here.
“I’m beyond excited to finally be putting out the music I’ve been working on this first year in Nashville,” says Webster. “These were some of my first co-writes ever and I’m honored to have gotten to work with Josh [Kerr] and everyone else on the project! I also can’t believe that I get to tour with one of my favorite artists in country music. To be able to tour with and learn from Kelsea is a dream come true.”
Last month, Webster launched her 4-part web-series that highlights who she is, how she got her start in music and where she is today. To watch the first episode, click here.
I Hate Phone Calls (Long Distance Sucks)
Risk feat. Jonathan Hutcherson
X’s
John Mayer Songs
Not Sayin’
Tattoos
NOW OPEN: Applications For MusicRow’s 2023 N.B.T. Music Industry Directory
/by LB CantrellApplications are now open for the N.B.T. (Next Big Thing) Music Industry Directory, which will be featured in MusicRow‘s Touring/N.B.T. print issue, which releases on Nov. 29.
MusicRow‘s N.B.T. Music Industry Directory is the first and only list of its kind, showcasing Nashville music business professionals who are rising through the ranks. This class of industry members occupy mid-level roles at their respective companies, and are on a trajectory of excellence to become future leaders in the Nashville music industry. Applicants should ideally have a minimum of 5 or more years experience in the music industry.
This Touring/Next Big Thing print edition also includes the annual Next Big Thing artists listing, with editorial features focused on the touring segment of our industry.
To apply for inclusion in this year’s edition of the N.B.T. Music Industry Directory, please click here to access the application form. (Please note that not all submissions are guaranteed to be listed in the directory.)
Note: If you are submitting multiple candidates, you will need to click on SUBMIT at the bottom of the form before entering another candidate. Head shots can be sent to art@musicrow.com.
New submissions for the directory close on Friday, September 23, 2022. For questions, email lbcantrell@musicrow.com.