Ben Vaughn
At three separate No. 1 parties recently, there has been a recurring sentiment made by all three artists—“I should cut more outside songs.”
When songwriters Jesse Frasure and Josh Thompson celebrated their outstanding song “Whiskey & Rain,” which is performed by Michael Ray, the artist-writer said, “I love writing songs. I feel like I’m getting into my best years of writing; I feel like I know who I am as an artist, and I know what I want to say. That being said, we wouldn’t have the foundation of Nashville if it wasn’t for songwriters, and I feel like they’re the last person on the totem pole a lot of times.”
Ray added, “When I go back to my heroes—Kenny Chesney, George Strait, Jason Aldean, Lee Brice, and Merle Haggard—they cut outside songs. My heroes cut outside songs. We’re a town that was built on songwriters. It means more to me than y’all know to say that I did not write this song.”
I’ve heard a similar sentiment from Maren Morris, who along with her hubby Ryan Hurd, delivered “Chasin’ After You” to the world. The well-traveled Music Row song and masterpiece written by Jerry Flowers and Brinley Addington rose to No. 1 and became Hurd’s very first chart-topping hit as a recording artist.
At the No. 1 party for “Chasing After You,” Morris said, “Once in a blue moon, an outside cut will go No. 1. I need to listen to this advice, too: artists can write songs, but every once in a while, for God’s sake, can you just let the professionals do it for you?”
As a long-time publisher, I will give a “Hallelujah and an Amen” to that statement.
Nashville is Music City USA—home of the best songwriters in the world. That has always been Nashville’s identity and a big part of Music Row’s legacy—the Songwriter is King & Queen here.
I vividly remember the days of tracks coming together after thousands and thousands of songs were pitched to create the perfect project for that artist. “Best song wins” was a phrase on everyone’s lips. Landing that perfect pitch and listening to the finished record while driving around Music Row was about the best high you could get as a publisher.
If you look at the charts, you’ll see that over the last few years, about 75% to 80% of the singles released in country music were co-written with the artist. Now, obviously Nashville is blessed with tremendous artist-writers that have strong voices and something to say, but it does seem that the ecosystem is out of balance.
To all industry friends—you wanna talk consumption?
Hurd & Morris’ “Chasin’ After You,” written by Flowers and Addington, earned more than 500 million streams. Jon Pardi’s “Dirt On My Boots,” written by Rhett Akins, Jesse Frasure and Ashley Gorley, notched over 800 million streams. Morgan Wallen’s “Whiskey Glasses,” written by Ben Burgess and Kevin Kadish, garnered over 1 billion streams. And of course, the biggest streaming song in country music is an outside song—artfully chosen and performed by one of the best songwriters ever—Chris Stapleton’s “Tennessee Whiskey,” written by Dean Dillon and Linda Hargrove, has achieved over 2 billion streams. Yes, those are billions with a B, and guess what? All of these songs are still racking up impressive consumption numbers years after their initial release.
It’s not easy to make a living as a songwriter these days. You are depending on your words and your music only—there are no ticket sales, merchandise or sponsorships providing you with income like an artist has.
If you really want to think about what it’s like to be a songwriter, imagine that every day when you show up for work you are tasked with creating something completely original… every damn day. The men and women that unlock this mystery are some of the most uniquely gifted human beings walking this planet. Period. End of sentence.
Cody Johnson understands. He was effusive in his praise of the Ben Stennis and Matt Rogers-penned mega hit “‘Til You Can’t.”
“Thank you for writing it,” Johnson said at the No. 1 party. “There are thousands of people out there that it’s changed. I realize that I got to be the microphone for it, but it’s changed me. It changed who I am at my core—the way I view my stress, the way I view my anxiety or whatever is going on in my career.”
Michael, Maren, Ryan, Cody and their teams, thanks for digging deep and finding these great songs. The Songwriters and Publishers of Music City appreciate you.
*Streaming Data from Luminate of total On-Demand + Programmed Audio Streams
Anna Vaus Inks With Big Machine Music
/by Lydia FarthingPictured (L-R): Big Machine Music’s Mike Molinar and Lizzy Rector, Anna Vaus, Big Machine Music’s Tim Hunze, Longshot Management’s Rob Baker. Photo: Courtesy of Big Machine Music
Big Machine Music (BMM) has signed rising singer-songwriter Anna Vaus to an exclusive songwriting agreement.
A graduate of Belmont University, Vaus was the first-ever recipient of the Miranda Lambert Women’s Creator Fund. She has had songs recorded by reigning CMA/ACM Awards Female Vocalist/Artist of the Year Carly Pearce (“Lightning In A Bottle”) and Abby Anderson (“Bad Posture”), among others. Her frequent collaborators include Jessie Jo Dillon, Brandy Clark and Luke Laird.
“We have admired Anna’s unique songwriting from afar for years and are so excited for the opportunity to work together directly,” says BMM General Manager Mike Molinar.
Vaus recently penned her latest single, “Didn’t Even Date,” alongside Steve Moakler and Mark Trussell. She also co-produced the track with Laird and Trussell. Her third EP, Younger Version of Myself, is due later this year.
“Songwriting is such a foundational part of my artistry and I’m thrilled to get to work with the Big Machine Music team,” Vaus adds. “I’m incredibly excited to have Mike, Tim [Hunze] and Lizzy [Rector] and rest of the team alongside me as I continue to grow as a songwriter.”
Kenny Rogers Estate Auction To Benefit Music Health Alliance
/by Lorie HollabaughAn auction of property from Kenny Rogers‘ estate will take place live in a three-day event from Oct. 21–23 at Julien’s Auctions in Beverly Hills and online on julienslive.com. A portion of the proceeds of the auction will benefit Music Health Alliance.
Presented by Julien’s Auctions, the unique collection features over 1,200 lots of the country and pop icon’s awards, wardrobe, equipment and memorabilia from his recordings, live performances and films, as well as furnishings, artwork, jewelry, household and personal items from his home in Sandy Springs, Georgia, and more.
“Kenny Rogers connected millions of people around the world with his distinctive voice, boundary transcending chart toppers, indelible performances and universally loved personality,” notes Martin Nolan, Executive Director/CFO of Julien’s Auctions. “His classic hits ‘Lucille,’ ‘Islands in the Stream,’ and ‘The Gambler’ are part of the great American music canon and serve as cornerstones of his distinguished legacy as a global superstar, pop culture icon and one of the most successful cross-over artists of all time who helped propel country music to the mainstream. We are honored to work with the Kenny Rogers Estate in offering this exclusive collection featuring hundreds of his most cherished artifacts and personal mementos amassed throughout his groundbreaking six-decade career.”
Registration is required to bid in the online auction and can be done in person at the exhibition, or online before the sale.
Weekly Register: ‘You Proof’ Continues Its Run On The Country Streaming Songs Chart
/by Lydia FarthingMorgan Wallen. Photo: John Shearer
This week’s country consumption charts feature the usual suspects as of late, with Morgan Wallen continuing his charge on both the top country streaming songs and top country albums charts.
Wallen’s “You Proof” adds another week at the top of the songs chart with 11 million streams, contributing to a total of 137 million streams RTD. The Big Loud singer-songwriter also bookends the top five on the country albums chart as Dangerous: The Double Album maintains its spot at No. 1 with 49K in total consumption (1.3K album only/60 million song streams) and If I Know Me takes No. 5 with 17K.
Elsewhere on the albums chart, Zach Bryan claims the second spot as his American Heartbreak record adds 23K in total consumption. Luke Combs earns the remaining spots with Growin’ Up in third at 21K and This One’s For You in fourth at 17K, according to Luminate data.
Filling out the remaining spots on the top country streaming chart are “The Kind Of Love We Make” (Luke Combs) at No. 2 with 10.5 million streams, “Something In The Orange” (Zach Bryan) at No. 3 with 9 million streams, “Rock And A Hard Place” (Bailey Zimmerman) at 8.7 million streams, and “She Had Me At Heads Caroline” (Cole Swindell) sealing the top five with 8.5 million streams.
Inside Music Publishing Nashville & Kobalt Form Global Partnership
/by Lorie HollabaughPictured (L-R, seated): Kory Caudill; Stephanie Cox, GM/SVP, Creative – Kobalt Nashville; Marc Costanzo; (L-R, standing): Matt Williams; Martin “Bucky” Seja; Morgan Brasfield; Craig Campbell. Photo: Haley Schattschneider
Inside Music Publishing Nashville President Kory Caudill and executive Craig Campbell have entered a worldwide publishing partnership with Kobalt Music.
Marc Costanzo and Matt Williams will serve as Co-Heads of creative, writer/producer development, and talent signing under the new global partnership.
The Inside Music Publishing creative team includes multi-Platinum production/writing team Bucky & Marc; producer, engineer, and mixer Nick Gibbens; songwriter and producer Steen; producer and engineer Adam Newcomb; producer, mixer and engineer Semaj Forman; engineer, mixer and producer Sean Truskowski; songwriter Craig Brooks; and songwriter Camm Hunter.
“We’re so excited to work with the whole team at Inside Music Publishing Nashville,” says Morgan Brasfield, Kobalt Creative Manager. “From the first meeting we were drawn in and can’t wait to show Music Row what they’re up to.”
“The passion Stephanie [Cox], Morgan and the entire Kobalt team have for songs, songwriters and artists is exactly what we were looking for in a partnership,” adds Campbell. “Their presence in multiple genres is perfect for our team’s country roots here in Nashville and the creative team’s pop music history in LA and the UK.”
Inside Music Publishing currently has vested interest and ownership of catalogue publishing rights totaling more than 35 million albums sold. Recent syncs and television placements for the company include Hulu’s Pam & Tommy, Amazon’s Lovestruck High, NASCAR, Love Island, South Park, Hulu’s The Dropout, America’s Got Talent, American Dad, Hampton Inn, Wild ‘N Out, CTV’s Children Ruin Everything, and more.
Rodney Crowell & Emmylou Harris Team For Virtual Book Launch Event
/by Lorie HollabaughRodney Crowell will celebrate the release of his upcoming book, Word For Word, with a special in-depth, virtual conversation with longtime pal Emmylou Harris on Sept. 13.
The BMG Books project gathers 150 of Crowell’s most impactful songs in a collector-sized compilation of lyrical poetry and artwork, and features 50 pages of prose from Crowell’s own pen, plus vibrant photos and handwritten lyrics. Within its pages, the Grammy award-winning singer-songwriter describes his early days in Nashville and the backstory of selected songs.
The book also features a cover photo taken by Marty Stuart, and includes contributions from everyone from Wilco’s Jeff Tweedy to broadcast journalist Ted Koppel.
“Emmylou Harris is like the sister I never had growing up,” shares Crowell. “It isn’t lost on me that in the beginning she was the very lifeblood of my songwriting career. We’ll talk about that on September 13, the release date of my book, Word for Word.”
The virtual event will begin at 6 p.m. CT, co-hosted by independent booksellers Gramercy Books in Columbus, Ohio; Blue Willow Bookshop in Houston, Texas; Bookends & Beginnings in Evanston, Illinois; and Literati in Ann Arbor, Michigan. Viewers may visit these stores websites for the links to attend the event.
Following the virtual release party, Crowell will launch his tour of music and memories with more than a dozen shows, including a hometown event in Nashville on Sept. 23 at Parnassus Books and AmericanaFest on Sept. 15.
Taylor Edwards Signs With EMPIRE, Dreamcatcher Management, CAA
/by Lydia FarthingPictured (L-R): Meredith Jones (CAA), Taylor Edwards, Heather Vassar (EMPIRE), Powell Hedley (Dreamcatcher Management). Photo: Jessica Steddom
Rising singer-songwriter Taylor Edwards recently signed with EMPIRE, Dreamcatcher Management and CAA.
The Arkansas native left home following high school, enrolled in Belmont University’s songwriting program, and immersed herself in the creative community.
After releasing her single, “Call Your Sister,” last year, Edwards amassed millions of listeners and social media followers. Written with Megan Redmond, Emily Falvey and Chris Ganoudis, the track is about her sister, who is 17 years younger. The song garnered over 100,000 TikTok videos using the audio and was featured on CMT.com.
“I’m really excited about partnering with EMPIRE, CAA, and Dreamcatcher,” Edwards notes. “Nothing feels better than finding a team that understands my vision as an artist.”
Edwards’ Born in July (The Album) is set for release in early fall, and she will be hosting an exclusive listening event on Thursday, Sept. 8. To RSVP, click here.
Kameron Marlowe Announces ‘We Were Cowboys Tour’
/by Lorie HollabaughKameron Marlowe will embark on his headlining “We Were Cowboys Tour” this fall.
The tour will kick off in Nashville at the Brooklyn Bowl on Sept. 8, and singer-songwriter Wyatt McCubbin will join Marlowe on most dates. Tickets for the trek, which includes stops in New York City, Indianapolis, Baltimore, Little Rock, Chicago and more, can be purchased here.
The tour comes on the heels of the release of Marlowe’s debut album We Were Cowboys, out Aug. 26. Produced by Dann Huff and Brad Hill, the album features 16 tracks including his current, Gold-certified single “Giving You Up” and advance release “Girl on Fire.”
“I’m incredibly proud of this album and getting to hit the road in the fall to play them live is going to be so rewarding,” shares Marlowe. “I can’t wait to see y’all out there!”
Marlowe continues to achieve streaming and radio success, surpassing 350 million on-demand career streams. “Steady Heart,” Marlowe’s fastest-growing track to date, continues to gain traction on social media and reached No. 6 on SiriusXM The Highway’s Top 30 Countdown.
Ernest Is A ‘Sucker For Small Towns’ On Upcoming Fall Tour
/by Lorie HollabaughErnest. Photo: Delaney Royer
Ernest is set to launch his first-ever headlining “Sucker For Small Towns Tour” this October. Jake Worthington, Lauren Watkins, and Noah Hicks will open the dates on the fall run.
Kicking off in Birmingham, Alabama on Oct. 6 and running through mid-November, the singer-songwriter will bring tracks from Flower Shops (The Album) and more to multiple college towns in Alabama, Georgia, Mississippi, Illinois and Ohio.
Concertgoers can join Ernest’s community to receive a code for tomorrow’s (Aug. 9) pre-sale by texting (615) 235-5823. General on-sale begins Aug. 12. Pre-show VIP Experience Packages are also available, including VIP early entry, a Q&A and photo, a pre-show performance, signed merchandise, and more.
“I’m stoked to get out there and take the ERN show on the road,” Ernest shares. “Gonna be playin’ to rooms I think we can pack! It’s an experience we put together specifically for the fans and I think it’s going to be special for them to be able to say they were there for it!”
Ernest just clinched his sixth No. 1 as a songwriter with Morgan Wallen‘s multi-week chart topper “Wasted On You.” The hitmaker is on the road now opening select dates of Wallen’s sold out “Dangerous Tour” and playing fairs and festivals nationwide.
Ben Vaughn Calls For Cutting More Outside Songs, And He Brings The Receipts (Opinion)
/by Ben VaughnBen Vaughn
At three separate No. 1 parties recently, there has been a recurring sentiment made by all three artists—“I should cut more outside songs.”
When songwriters Jesse Frasure and Josh Thompson celebrated their outstanding song “Whiskey & Rain,” which is performed by Michael Ray, the artist-writer said, “I love writing songs. I feel like I’m getting into my best years of writing; I feel like I know who I am as an artist, and I know what I want to say. That being said, we wouldn’t have the foundation of Nashville if it wasn’t for songwriters, and I feel like they’re the last person on the totem pole a lot of times.”
Ray added, “When I go back to my heroes—Kenny Chesney, George Strait, Jason Aldean, Lee Brice, and Merle Haggard—they cut outside songs. My heroes cut outside songs. We’re a town that was built on songwriters. It means more to me than y’all know to say that I did not write this song.”
I’ve heard a similar sentiment from Maren Morris, who along with her hubby Ryan Hurd, delivered “Chasin’ After You” to the world. The well-traveled Music Row song and masterpiece written by Jerry Flowers and Brinley Addington rose to No. 1 and became Hurd’s very first chart-topping hit as a recording artist.
At the No. 1 party for “Chasing After You,” Morris said, “Once in a blue moon, an outside cut will go No. 1. I need to listen to this advice, too: artists can write songs, but every once in a while, for God’s sake, can you just let the professionals do it for you?”
As a long-time publisher, I will give a “Hallelujah and an Amen” to that statement.
Nashville is Music City USA—home of the best songwriters in the world. That has always been Nashville’s identity and a big part of Music Row’s legacy—the Songwriter is King & Queen here.
I vividly remember the days of tracks coming together after thousands and thousands of songs were pitched to create the perfect project for that artist. “Best song wins” was a phrase on everyone’s lips. Landing that perfect pitch and listening to the finished record while driving around Music Row was about the best high you could get as a publisher.
If you look at the charts, you’ll see that over the last few years, about 75% to 80% of the singles released in country music were co-written with the artist. Now, obviously Nashville is blessed with tremendous artist-writers that have strong voices and something to say, but it does seem that the ecosystem is out of balance.
To all industry friends—you wanna talk consumption?
Hurd & Morris’ “Chasin’ After You,” written by Flowers and Addington, earned more than 500 million streams. Jon Pardi’s “Dirt On My Boots,” written by Rhett Akins, Jesse Frasure and Ashley Gorley, notched over 800 million streams. Morgan Wallen’s “Whiskey Glasses,” written by Ben Burgess and Kevin Kadish, garnered over 1 billion streams. And of course, the biggest streaming song in country music is an outside song—artfully chosen and performed by one of the best songwriters ever—Chris Stapleton’s “Tennessee Whiskey,” written by Dean Dillon and Linda Hargrove, has achieved over 2 billion streams. Yes, those are billions with a B, and guess what? All of these songs are still racking up impressive consumption numbers years after their initial release.
It’s not easy to make a living as a songwriter these days. You are depending on your words and your music only—there are no ticket sales, merchandise or sponsorships providing you with income like an artist has.
If you really want to think about what it’s like to be a songwriter, imagine that every day when you show up for work you are tasked with creating something completely original… every damn day. The men and women that unlock this mystery are some of the most uniquely gifted human beings walking this planet. Period. End of sentence.
Cody Johnson understands. He was effusive in his praise of the Ben Stennis and Matt Rogers-penned mega hit “‘Til You Can’t.”
“Thank you for writing it,” Johnson said at the No. 1 party. “There are thousands of people out there that it’s changed. I realize that I got to be the microphone for it, but it’s changed me. It changed who I am at my core—the way I view my stress, the way I view my anxiety or whatever is going on in my career.”
Michael, Maren, Ryan, Cody and their teams, thanks for digging deep and finding these great songs. The Songwriters and Publishers of Music City appreciate you.
*Streaming Data from Luminate of total On-Demand + Programmed Audio Streams
Brice Long Releases ‘Stampede’ Ahead Of Nashville Stampede’s August Event
/by Steven BoeroPictured (L-R): Kaique Pacheco, songwriter Wynn Varble, Stampede coach Justin McBride, and country artist Brice Long. Photo: Courtesy of Josh Vaughn Photography
As the Professional Bull Riders (PBR) Team Series season kicks off, the Music City-based team–the Nashville Stampede–is preparing for its home event at Bridgestone Arena on Aug. 19-21. Gearing up for the upcoming festivities, the Nashville Stampede now has its own theme song. “Stampede,” written and performed by country artist Brice Long, debuted on all streaming platforms on Friday, July 22.
Long’s songwriting hits include the No. 1 singles “Heartache On The Dance Floor” (Jon Pardi) and “Nothing On But The Radio” (Gary Allan), along with Randy Houser’s “Like a Cowboy,” which garnered a nomination for CMA Song of the Year.
Stampede Head Coach and former two-time PBR World Champion Justin McBride met Long in 2006 when traveling to Nashville to work with songwriters Tim DuBois and Wynn Varble. The pair had mutual friends as Long had grown up roping and in the western lifestyle. As their friendship grew, Long went on to write a few songs that McBride cut and was tapped to tour with him, playing guitar and doing a few songs on his own.
When McBride found out he was coaching the Stampede, he reached out to Long and explained what the Stampede meant and what he wanted its theme song to convey. Long is the sole writer on the track.
Throughout a 10-event regular-season, each PBR team will compete in 28 five-on-five bull riding games. The winner of each game will be the team with the top aggregate score. During the regular-season, each team will host a three-day homestand, with the Nashville Stampede scheduled to host their first home event Aug. 19-21.
Fans interested in ticket packages for the team series and or the full weekend can gets tickets on Ticketmaster.