An ‘Evening With Operation Song’ To Feature Brett James, Jim Collins, Bob DiPiero

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Operation Song will host its its “Evening with Operation Song” event at the Richland Country Club in Nashville on June 14. Hosted by Storme Warren of SiriusXM’s The Highway, the live concert will feature hit songwriters Brett James, Jim Collins, and Bob DiPiero.

Operation Song is a non-profit organization that pairs accomplished Nashville songwriters with the military community to help them tell their stories through song.

James is a Grammy-winning songwriter who was recently inducted into the Nashville Songwriters Hall of Fame. He boasts 19 No. 1 songs recorded by artists such as Kenny Chesney, Carrie Underwood, Tim McGraw, Bon Jovi, Backstreet Boys and Kelly Clarkson. Collins is a Texas Songwriters Hall of Fame member, whose song “The Good Stuff” was a seven-week No. 1 for Chesney. DiPiero is also a Nashville Hall of Fame songwriter with 15 No. 1 hits. He was just recently honored with the inaugural CMA Songwriter Advocate Award and has had multiple Songwriter of the Year awards, CMA Triple Play Awards and was honored with the BMI Icon Award.

Showcasing Operation Song’s mission to support the military community will be an Afghanistan citizen, Massoud Rezai. He worked alongside the US as an Afghanistan interpreter with 5th Special Forces Group to help fight the Taliban for many years. Massoud’s song, “Anything it Takes” which he cowrote with hit songwriter Jason Sever, will be introduced for the first time at the event.

“We’re beyond proud to connect these storied songwriters with our veterans, active military and their family members to bring healing through music,” says Bob Regan, founder of Operation Song.

Tickets can be purchased here. Net proceeds from the event go directly to Operation Song’s programs and services for veterans, active-duty military, and their families.

Symphonic Distribution Elevates Michael Burrows In Nashville Office

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Michael Burrows

Independent music distributor Symphonic Distribution has elevated Michael Burrows to Vice President of Client Marketing & DSP Relations in its Nashville office.

Originally brought to Symphonic in 2019, Burrows has helped restructure the company’s artist marketing department by enhancing Symphonic’s relationships with DSP’s and marketing partners while assembling the company’s growing international team in the US, Colombia, Brazil, South Africa and Canada. Prior to joining Symphonic, the 15-year industry veteran has led marketing and creative teams at Capitol Records, Caroline Music, UMG Nashville and more.

“Michael has been an integral member of this team and has built an incredibly impressive marketing department in his time here. His contributions to Symphonic’s operations and our growing presence here in the Nashville music community have been formative and impactful,” shares GM of Nashville Office and Chief Creative Officer, Randall Foster.

Symphonic Distribution is a fully independent music technology, data and services company headquartered in Tampa, Florida, with significant presences in Nashville, New York, Los Angeles, Africa, Brazil, Colombia, Dominican Republic, Spain and more. Founded in 2006 by producer Jorge Brea, Symphonic provides global digital music and video distribution; analytics; marketing planning and strategy, including playlist support; and a comprehensive suite of services for artists, record labels, managers, and other distributors.

Burrows’ promotion accompanies an expansion of the company’s artist-facing teams and areas of expertise across the globe.

John Esposito To Be Honored With 2022 CRB President’s Award

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John Esposito, Chairman & CEO of Warner Music Nashville, will receive the 2022 CRB President’s Award at the Country Radio Hall of Fame Induction Ceremony on June 30 at Virgin Hotel Nashville.

Since Esposito joined the label in 2009, Warner Music Nashville’s market share has quadrupled. Its artists have spent more than 107 weeks at No. 1, earning 74 chart-topping singles; multiple Gold and Platinum certifications; and Grammy, CMA, ACM, Billboard, AMA, and People’s Choice awards ranging from New Artist to Entertainer of the Year. Esposito and his team oversee a roster that includes Blake Shelton, Kenny Chesney, Dan + Shay, Zac Brown Band, Brett Eldredge, Cole Swindell, Cody Johnson, Ashley McBryde, Ingrid Andress, and Gabby Barrett, to name a few.

Esposito has been chairman of the board of the CMA, governor of the Nashville Chapter Board of NARAS, and an Executive Committee board member of the Country Radio Broadcasters Association. He is vice-chairman of the T.J. Martell Foundation National Board and currently serves on the CMA Foundation board. The Music Business Association awarded Esposito its Presidential Award for Outstanding Executive Achievement in 2016, and in 2017 he was named the inaugural recipient of the Innovation in Music Awards’ Innovator of the Year Award and received an honorary doctorate of music from Monmouth University.

“John Esposito is well-known as a music business visionary, a leader, a mentor. He’s true friend to artists and to country radio,” shares CRB/CRS Board President, Kurt Johnson. “It’s hard to adequately capture the impact Espo’s had on Music Row over the past twelve years. But we will try. This will be a singularly special evening. Join us as we raise a toast to an icon.”

The CRB President’s Award is presented to an individual who has made a significant contribution to the marketing, production, growth, and development of the Country Radio Seminar and the multiple services that Country Radio Broadcasters provide to the country radio and music communities. Previous CRB President’s Award recipients include Beverlee Brannigan, Sarah Trahern, Mike Dungan, Charlie Morgan, Bob Kingsley, Joe Galante, Erica Farber, and more.

The Country Radio Hall of Fame will be held on June 30 at Virgin Hotel Nashville. Inductees will be honored at the event, including off-air honorees Becky Brenner and Barry Mardit and on-air honorees Whitney Allen, Debbie Conner, Cathy Martindale, and Rachel & Grunwald. Individual tickets are available for purchase here.

Kyle Petty & Big Kenny Return To Circle Network This Summer

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Circle Network is set to premiere the sophomore seasons of two summer shows, Dinner Drive with Kyle Petty and Big Kenny’s Crank It Up Garage, on Thursday, June 16.

Dinner Drive with Kyle Petty will feature 12 30-minute episodes with guests from sports and entertainment hand-selected by NASCAR driver Kyle Petty himself. Each guest takes Petty for a spin in a special car to one of their favorite local restaurants. This year, Petty will visit Olympian Shawn Johnson and her husband Andrew East, World Series baseball champion Chipper Jones, musicians John Oates and Lyle Lovett, NASCAR legend Jeff Gordon, and more.

Circle Network will also debut season two of Big Kenny’s Crank It Up Garage, which follows Big Kenny as he travels the country to discover some of the most mind-blowing vintage automobiles alongside his wingman, Charlie Pennachio. Big Kenny will kick off season two in California, exploring the iconic Glamis Dune Buggy. The pair will travel through Arizona, Nevada and Florida checking out new inventions before wrapping up the season in their home of Nashville.

“After successful premiere seasons of both Dinner Drive with Kyle Petty and Big Kenny’s Crank It Up Garage, we’re really excited to bring our viewers a fresh season of both shows,” shares Evan Haiman, SVP of Content at Circle Network. “Circle viewers that are fans of everything from NASCAR to country music will find an episode that’s right up their alley.”

Chase Rice Announces 2nd Welcome to the Farm Location In Florida

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Chase Rice. Photo: Mike Lerner

Chase Rice has partnered with Forward Hospitality Group to open a second location of his Welcome to The Farm entertainment venue.

The brand-new Florida location, set to open in late July, joins the flagship location in Cleveland, Ohio which opened in December 2021. Rice has been an integral part of the design process and location selection for both venues, which offer live music, drinks and food in an environment representing the lifestyle behind his music.

“It was incredible to see the response to Welcome to The Farm up in Ohio,” shares Rice. “I learned so much through that process and I’m excited to keep growing this project together with the great people at FHG. I’m a North Carolina guy through and through, but I was born in Florida and spent a lot of my childhood there,” he continues. “It’s one of my favorite places to visit and to find inspiration for my music–so it seemed only fitting to bring Welcome to The Farm there, too.”

The renovated building is located in the heart of St. Pete’s Central Arts District near the coast of Tampa Bay. Anchored by a stage which will play host to frequent live music, the space also offers both indoor and outdoor space to enjoy the bar menu.

“St. Pete has been on our radar for over a year,” notes Forward Hospitality Group COO Bobby Rutter. “The growth in the market coupled with the area’s love for live music is extremely exciting.”

Margo Price & Jeremy Ivey Sign Joint Pub Deal With Reservoir, One Riot

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Jeremy Ivey & Marco Price. Photo: Lauren Napier

Margo Price and Jeremy Ivey have signed a worldwide publishing deal with Reservoir in a joint venture with One Riot. The deal includes global rights to their entire catalogs and future releases.

A 2018 Best New Artist Grammy nominee and Americana Music Honors & Awards winner, Price released her hit single “Hurtin’ (On The Bottle)” in 2015. Her 2016 debut album, Midwest Farmer’s Daughter, topped the U.K.’s Country Album Chart. That year, she also took home the Emerging Artist of the Year prize at the Americana Music Honors & Awards. Price later released albums All American Made and That’s How Rumors Get Started, with a deluxe version of the latter released in April 2022. In addition to touring this year, Price will be publishing her memoir, Maybe We’ll Make It, in October with a new album planned for 2023.

While coming up in the early 2000s in Nashville, Price and Ivey formed several bands including Secret Handshake, Buffalo Clover, and Margo and the Pricetags, which at various times consisted of stars like Sturgill Simpson and Kenny Vaughn. Buffalo Clover featured an eclectic mix of artists coming together on their 2014 album, Test Your Love.

Ivey has also co-written and co-produced many of Price’s songs, with the two releasing a joint effort single “All Kinds of Blue” in 2020. As a solo artist, Ivey has also released three albums, with the latest, Invisible Pictures, released in March of 2022 on ANTI- records. Ivey has recently toured as support for singer-songwriter Ian Noe, as well as with former Heartbreakers guitarist Mike Campbell.

“We are excited to continue diversifying our Nashville roster with an artist as accomplished as Margo, who transcends the industry with her well-established brand, and an incredible talent like Jeremy,” notes Reservoir EVP of Creative, John Ozier. “We look forward to helping them both continue to flourish.”

One Riot General Manager Amy Patton adds, “We’re thrilled to be the publishing home for Margo and Jeremy as their brand and songwriting careers continue to grow. Having been a fan of them since the days of ‘Hurtin’ (On The Bottle),’ we’re excited to be a part of the team and hope to help them both reach new heights.”

“I’m beyond thrilled to announce that my life partner/co- writer, Jeremy Ivey, and I have signed a new publishing deal with One Riot and Reservoir,” Price shares. “In this season of my life, I feel more inspired than ever to write songs and am grateful that One Riot/Reservoir recognized the value in a couple of misfits like us. It is the perfect fit, and we feel at home already.”

Industry Ink: Don Schlitz, Craig Morgan, Doug Hall

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Copyright Society Of The South Celebrates Songwriter Don Schlitz

Pictured (L-R): Janice Bane, Kari Barnhart, Brian Buchanan, Christy Robinson, John Barker, Marghie Evans, Don Schlitz, Tim Wipperman, Colin Rushing, and Aaron Hartley. Photo: Catrina Engelby

The Copyright Society of the South celebrated a special evening with songwriter Don Schlitz recently at Studio Bank in Nashville. He performed several of his songs and told the stories behind the tunes.

Schlitz was inducted into the Country Music Hall of Fame in 2017 and his chart-topping songs include “The Gambler,” “On the Other Hand,” “Forever and Ever, Amen,” “He Thinks He’ll Keep Her,” “The Greatest,” and “When You Say Nothing At All,” among others. His works have been recorded by Kenny Rogers, Randy Travis, The Judds, The Nitty Gritty Dirt Band, Tanya Tucker, Mary Chapin Carpenter, Keith Whitley, Alison Krauss, and more.

Of his fifty top 10 singles, 24 of them are No. 1 country hits. Schlitz has won three CMA Song of the Year awards, two ACM Song of the Year prizes, two Grammy Awards, and four consecutive ASCAP Country Songwriter of the Year trophies (1988-91). He was inducted into the Nashville Songwriters Association Hall of Fame in 1993 and the Songwriters Hall of Fame in 2012.

 

 

Craig Morgan Inducted Into The U.S. Field Artillery Hall Of Fame

Craig Morgan. Photo: David Herrera

Country music entertainer and 17-year Army and Army Reserves veteran Craig Morgan was recently inducted into the U.S. Field Artillery Hall of Fame. The ceremony took place at Fort Sill, Oklahoma, where Morgan was previously stationed during his military service.

The Hall recognizes a wide array of Field Artillery men and women who have contributed greatly to the branch. The United States Field Artillery Association [USFAA] class of 2022 included 33 past honorees of the USFAA Music Tattoo and four living Medal of Honor Awardees who served in the Field Artillery. In addition to those 37 individuals, eleven inductees were chosen for this new distinction.

Morgan shares stories from all aspects of his life, including serving at Fort Sill, in his personal memoir releasing Sept. 27 in partnership with Blackstone Publishing.

 

Big Feat PR CEO Doug Hall Wins Clio Music Award

Doug Hall, CEO of Big Feat PR, has been awarded a Clio Music Award for Yola‘s Stand For Myself album publicity campaign. The award acknowledged the PR campaign’s creativity and impact, helping spotlight the breakout album which received two Grammy nominations.

Hall states: “It is truly an honor to be acknowledged for the love and passion put into the publicity for Yola’s remarkable Stand For Myself album. It is a masterpiece and I’m so grateful that it was praised highly and received the attention it deserved.”

Big Feat PR, a Nashville-based boutique artist, event and brand music PR agency, also represents artists including Marcus King, Afghan Whigs, Robert Finley, S.G Goodman, and Christone “Kingfish” Ingram, and works with labels including Universal Music Group, Verve, Decca, Concord, Easy Eye Sound, Rounder, Fantasy, Thirty Tiger, Oh Boy and New West.

The company was founded in 2018 by Hall, a Nashville-based British music publicist. He previously worked at agencies including LD Communications, working with bands such as The Rolling Stones. In 2014, Hall founded D Digital PR, where he managed successful UK campaigns for high profile artists and events including Chris Stapleton, Alison Krauss, The Lumineers, Gregory Porter, Melody Gardot, and more.

Niko Moon Sails Into Summer With New Tunes On ‘Coastin”

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Niko Moon. Photo: Matthew Berinato

Multi-Platinum artist Niko Moon is releasing his new Coastin’  EP on June 10. Moon’s upbeat new track, “Easy Tonight,” is out now and was co-penned by Moon and wife Anna alongside co-producer Joshua Murty, Wyatt Durrette, Levi Lowrey, Patrick Davis, and Kevin Mac.

The new project from the emerging RCA Nashville/Sony Music Nashville star features five songs co-written and co-produced by Moon himself, and once again highlights the same sunshine-and-gravel vocal that is front and center on his double-Platinum, No. 1 debut single “Good Time.”

The rising hitmaker just finished his headlining “Good Time Tour” and will continue bringing his live show to fairs and festivals across the country this summer, including appearances at CMA Fest, Pepsi Gulf Coast Jam, Riverbend Festival, Summerfest, Windy City Smokeout, Boots and Hearts, Country Thunder, and more. He’ll also take the stage at CMC Rocks QLD 2022 in Australia, marking his first show down under.

Maren Morris & Zedd’s Smash Hit ‘The Middle’ Certified Six-Times Platinum

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Maren Morris. Photo: Harper Smith

Maren Morris’ 2018 hit single, “The Middle” with Zedd, has been certified six times Platinum, and the track has accumulated more than one billion audio and video on-demand streams. Morris and Zedd performed the tune at Hangout Fest in Gulf Shores this past weekend.

Morris’ headlining “Humble Quest Tour” will kick off in June with stops at Nashville’s Bridgestone Arena, New York’s Radio City Music Hall, Los Angeles’ Hollywood Bowl, Red Rocks Amphitheater and more. Tickets for the dates are on sale now.

Her new album Humble Quest was released in March via Sony Music Nashville’s Columbia Nashville imprint, and debuted at No. 2 on Billboard’s Top Country Albums chart. The project also broke the record for most first-day and first-week streams globally on Amazon Music for a country album by a female artist.

Brandon Day Inks Publishing Deal With EMPIRE, Warner Chappell Music Nashville [Exclusive]

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Pictured (L-R): BJ Hill (VP of A&R – Warner Chappell), Christina Wiltshire (Director of A&R – Warner Chappell), Jason Turner (Attorney: Keller, Turner, Andrews & Ghanem, PLLC.), Ben Vaughn (President & CEO, Warner Chappell Nashville), Brandon Day, Al McLean (SVP, A&R Publishing – EMPIRE), Vinny Kumar (SVP, Legal & Business – EMPIRE) , Eric Hurt (VP, A&R Publishing – EMPIRE), Sarah Beth Gerlecz (Counsel, Nashville – EMPIRE)

EMPIRE’s Publishing division, in partnership with Warner Chappell Music Nashville, has signed Nashville-based producer and songwriter Brandon Day.

Day has production credits with artists including Brantley Gilbert, Plain White T’s, Austin Burke, and Steven Lee Olsen, as well as writing credits with artists such as Gilbert, Jimmie Allen, Granger Smith, and Eli Young Band. He also lent his skills to Brett Kissel’s recent hit, “Make A Life, Not A Living,” which was nominated for Single of the Year at the 2022 Juno Awards.

“I’ve been a fan of Brandon Day for a long time and am very excited to add him to our EMPIRE Publishing roster,” notes Eric Hurt, VP of A&R Publishing, EMPIRE. “His growing success in the country market along with his songwriting and production versatility will be a great fit for EMPIRE Publishing as we continue to grow our Nashville division and work across multiple genres. When Ben Vaughn called about exploring this deal between Warner Chappell and EMPIRE, it felt like a no-brainer. We are thrilled to have Warner Chappell as partners.”

“Brandon Day is a rising star-a songwriter we really wanted at EMPIRE,” adds Al McLean, SVP, A&R Publishing, EMPIRE. “Together with Warner Chappell, we feel Brandon will navigate the broad creative frontier of songwriting by being able to cross several genres. Needless to say, we feel Brandon will utilize his broad writing ability so we can maximize various co-writing, placement and synchronization opportunities.”

“Brandon is extremely gifted in all aspects of music, from producing and playing guitar, to writing lyrics and crafting melodies, he’s a true master of his craft,” says Christina Wiltshire, Senior Director, A&R, WCM. “He knows how to see a song through, from the initial writing session, to the final mix, and we can’t wait to get started with him alongside EMPIRE.”

“I couldn’t be more excited to have such an amazing team behind my songs,” Day shares. “There’s such a wide variety of opportunities when working with companies as diverse and experienced as EMPIRE and Warner Chappell. I’m grateful for them putting their talents to work for me.”