Pictured (L-R): Ashley Nite, Garrett Stephenson, Brad Kennard, Matt Turner, Tofer Brown, Lauren Hungate, Melissa Spillman, Courtney Allen, Jen Hubbard

Concord Music Publishing has launched a new creative joint venture, Chromatic Music.

The new venture was founded by chart-topping songwriter Tofer Brown, who has had success as a songwriter and producer across genres. Among other career achievements, Brown penned the title track on Lady A’s Ocean, as well as Little Big Town’s Platinum single “Wine, Beer, Whiskey” and Jon Pardi’s award-winning hit “Night Shift.”

Brown and Chromatic Music aim to develop and mentor talent of all kinds by partnering with creators of all genres. Chromatic’s first signing, in partnership with Concord, is Nashville-based songwriter Lauren Hungate. The worldwide publishing deal will cover Hungate’s full catalog.

“I first became aware of Lauren over a year ago, and the second I heard her songs I thought ‘Who is Lauren Hungate and why is she writing all of the songs I wish I’d written?’” shares Brown. “I can honestly say after writing a lot together in 2021, Lauren is without a doubt one of the best writers in Nashville. She writes well beyond her years and quickly becomes fast friends with every collaborator she works with in town. I can think of no one else I’d rather have as the first writer signed to Chromatic Music and I’m grateful for Concord’s belief in Lauren and me in this next chapter of both of our careers.”

Hungate’s credits include Ashland Craft’s “When a Cowboy’s Heart Breaks,” Gray Robinson’s “Damsel In This Dress,” and several tracks on Rachael Neimroff’s upcoming EP. She has also frequently collaborated with Republic Records/Big Loud artist Lily Rose, including on Rose’s viral single, “Overnight Sensation.”

“I’m so excited to be the first signing to Chromatic,” says Hungate. “Tofer is such a champion, and it was evident upon meeting him that he is the kind of person and writes the kind of songs I want to be associated with. I am also so grateful to be joining the Concord team. They have felt like fast family, and their staff has been such a godsend in making me feel taken care of in my first deal.”

“Tofer has been an amazing creative partner with Concord for many years. He is as passionate about songwriters as we are, and we’re so proud to expand our partnership, as we work together to identify and empower the next generation of creators,” adds Brad Kennard, Sr. VP, A&R in Nashville. “We’re incredibly excited to welcome Lauren as the first signing to this collaborative venture. She is a brilliant writer who is already blazing her own trail to huge success!”

Anna Lee (Crenshaw) Williams. Photo: Gina Binkley

Anna Lee (Crenshaw) Williams has been promoted to Director of Marketing at the Americana Music Association. In her new role, she will report to Executive Director Jed Hilly.

Williams marks her sixth year with the Association this month, formerly serving as Manager of Marketing and Member Relations for the nonprofit. After starting her career interning for AmericanaFest in 2013, she subsequently worked at BAM! Social Business as Social Strategist and Product Manager. There she led a team that managed the festival’s social media channels during the event week in 2015 and 2016. She returned to the Americana Music Association full-time in 2017.

During her tenure, Williams has been responsible for managing the Association and festival’s social media presence. She has also created “How To” educational guides containing advice from industry experts, oversees monthly Zoom mixers to keep membership connected throughout the pandemic, and is responsible for registration and ticketing for AmericanaFest and the Americana Honors & Awards.

“Anna Lee is a born leader and her value to the association cannot be understated,” says Hilly.  “She has consistently performed not just as a consummate professional, but also a true team player. She is a huge asset to the community.”

“Over these last five years, I’ve been fortunate enough to get to know our incredible community as I’ve grown within the association,” adds Williams. “It’s always been a privilege to advocate for this music, and I’m looking forward to my new position and continuing to elevate what we can do together.”

Williams can be reached at annalee@americanamusic.org.

Tyler Rich. Photo: Zack Napier

Tyler Rich is heading back out on the road this spring on his “Two Thousand (More) Miles Tour,” which launches March 10 in Springfield, Missouri. SixForty1 will open the first half of the dates in March, with Robyn Ottolini joining for the April shows.

Tickets for the tour, which runs through April 30 and visits Lexington, Buffalo, Wichita, and more, go on sale this Friday (Jan. 14) at 10 a.m. CT.

“The overwhelming response from so many of you who’ve connected on socials made it a no brainer,” shares Rich. “Thank you for asking for a new run of the ‘Two Thousand Miles Tour!’ We started on the West Coast where I grew up and head towards my new home in Nashville with this run. We’re bringing our friends SixForty1 and Robyn Ottolini, and we’re all so excited to see you this spring.”

Rich has amassed over 339 million total global streams with his debut album, Two Thousand Miles, as well as his Gold-certified hit “The Difference,” and latest releases “Better Than You’re Used To” and  “A Little Bit of You.”

See the full dates below:

Katie Jelen

Katie Jelen has exited her role as Creative Sync Executive to launch a new boutique music licensing company, Honestly Good Music. There she will offer a variety of services, including synch representation and consulting around music licensing, creative synch development, and catalog viability in the synch space.

“After nearly five years at Warner Chappell, I’m incredibly excited to return to my indie roots with the launch of Honestly Good Music,” said Jelen. “I’ve learned so much along the way and am so grateful for the projects that I’ve had the privilege of being a part of. I look forward to representing the Nashville community in new ways through film, TV and advertising opportunities while focusing on creating a culture of honesty, integrity and goodness.”

As the first-ever creative sync executive on the ground for Warner Music Group in Nashville, Jelen spent the last five years growing Warner Chappell and Warner Music Nashville’s synch business across film, TV and advertising opportunities.

In 2019, Jelen spearheaded a multi-year partnership with Norwegian Cruise Line for Warner Chappell songwriters to create custom songs for the brand’s online ad campaigns. Most recently, she worked alongside songwriting duo Outskrts on a custom song for the Tennessee Titans, called “Get Loud (Titan Up),” for use both on and off the field. In addition to placing music in campaigns for Target, Peloton, Facebook, Hershey’s, Walmart, Macy’s, and Coca-Cola, she has grown opportunities for country across brands such as Ford and Old Navy, and in TV shows including Yellowstone, The Ranch and 9-1-1 Lonestar.

Prior to her time at Warner Music Group, Jelen got her start at Secret Road Music Services in Los Angeles where she helped to grow the management team, assist in the launch of Secret Road’s publishing division, and launch the Nashville operations for the company. She is an alumni of the Leadership Music program (2020), a member of the Nashville Film Fest music committee, and the Nurturing Outstanding Women (NOW) mentoring program.