Payton Smith Extends Publishing Agreement With Eclipse Music Group

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Pictured (L-R): Clay Bradley (Vice President of Creative, BMI); Penny Gattis (General Manager, Eclipse Music Publishing); Payton Smith; Jamie Bruno (Creative Manager, Eclipse Music Publishing); Melissa Sacripanti, (Administration Manager, Eclipse Music Publishing); Eric Smith (Manager, AMG).

Payton Smith has renewed his exclusive worldwide publishing deal with Eclipse Music Group.

The 21-year-old self-taught musician has always dreamt of playing his own brand of country music, one influenced by ’90s country and guitar rock. With influences stemming from the likes of Pearl Jam and Eric Church, Smith composed and played every string instrument on each track of his debut 2019 EP.

His single, “Like I Knew You Would,” charted as the No. 7 song of the year on Spotify’s Hot Country in 2020 and has been streamed over 40 million times. He was also country radio’s most added new male artist of 2020 as well as recognized in CMT’s Listen Up Class. Smith was also chosen as on one of MusicRow‘s Next Big Thing Artists in he class of 2020.

“Payton is a triple threat and an undeniable talent. It’s been an honor for Eclipse to partner with Payton early on in his career and especially rewarding to see him come into his own in a way that moves audiences so powerfully,” says General Manager of Eclipse’s Publishing division, Penny Gattis. “His dedication to the craft of songwriting is inspiring and, coupled with his guitar skills and live performances, he’s a world-class entertainer. We are thrilled to continue on this journey with him at Eclipse Music as his publishing home.”

“Eclipse Music Group has had an everlasting effect on the way that I approach songwriting and my artistry,” adds Smith. “From when I first started working with Clay Bradley at BMI in 2014, signed with Eclipse in 2018, and re-signed with Penny Gattis in 2021, the passion at Eclipse has always been SONG driven. I’m so excited to continue this relationship with Penny, Kurt, and the whole team at Eclipse. Here’s to new chapters.”

Jessie James Decker Celebrates ‘The Woman I’ve Become’ EP Release, Announces 2022 Tour

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Jessie James Decker

On the heels of her The Woman I’ve Become EP release, singer-songwriter Jessie James Decker has announced her headlining “The Woman I Am” Tour will kick off this spring.

Beginning on April 14 in Detroit, the run will span over 20 dates, including stops at Nashville’s historic Ryman Auditorium, The Rooftop at Pier 17 in New York, and The Novo in Los Angeles. Rising country artist Adam Doleac will support Decker on the upcoming dates. Tickets go on sale Friday, Oct. 29 at 10 a.m. local time.

Along the way, she will perform her newest seven-song collection which celebrates her own personal growth and marks her first Big Yellow Dog / Atlantic Records / Warner Music Nashville project.

Pictured (L-R): Torie Mason (SVP Strategic Marketing & Analytics, WMN); Kristen Williams (SVP Radio & Streaming, WMN); Fletcher Foster (F2 Entertainment); Ben Kline (EVP / GM, WMN); Jessie James Decker; Stephanie Davenport (Director, A&R, WMN); Missy Iredell (Sr. Director, Artist Development, WMN); Cris Lacy (EVP A&R, WMN); Matt Musacchio (Champ Management); Tim Foisset (SVP Commercial Partnerships, WMN). Photo: Alan Poizner

“The Woman I’ve Become is unlike any record I’ve ever created,” shares Decker. “It’s a true transition from the young girl I was to the woman I have become. I’ve never been this vulnerable before. I think life changes and growth have made me confident enough to show that vulnerable side.”

Decker celebrated the EP launch in Nashville last night (Oct. 21) alongside friends, family and team members from across the industry. She took the stage on The Twelve Thirty Club rooftop to showcase some of her never-before-performed songs.

Since the release of her self-titled debut in 2009, Decker has accumulated more than 100 million on-demand streams and amassed over five million fans across her social media platforms.

“The Woman I Am” Tour Dates:
Thursday, April 14, 2022 // Detroit, MI // The Fillmore Detroit
Friday, April 15, 2022 // Columbus, OH // Express Live! Indoor Pavilion
Saturday, April 16, 2022 // Toronto, ON // HISTORY
Thursday, April 28, 2022 // Nashville, TN // Ryman Auditorium
Friday, April 29, 2022 // Rosemont, IL // Joe’s Live
Saturday, April 30, 2022 // Minneapolis, MN // Palace Theatre
Sunday, May 1, 2022 // Milwaukee, WI // The Rave
Thursday, May 5, 2022 // Jacksonville, FL // Florida Theater
Friday, May 6, 2022 // Clearwater, FL // Ruth Eckerd Hall
Saturday, May 7, 2022 // Atlanta, GA // Tabernacle
Thursday, May 12, 2022 // Glenside, PA // Keswick Theatre
Friday, May 13, 2022 // New York, NY // The Rooftop at Pier 17
Saturday, May 14, 2022 // Boston, MA // House of Blues
Sunday, May 15, 2022 // Washington, DC // Warner Theatre
Thursday, May 19, 2022 // Baton Rouge, LA // The Texas Club Baton Rouge
Friday, May 20, 2022 // Houston, TX // House of Blues
Saturday, May 21, 2022 // Dallas, TX // AT&T Performing Arts Center
Sunday, May 22, 2022 // Kansas City, MO // Arvest Bank Theatre at The Midland
Thursday, May 26, 2022 // Tempe, AZ // Marquee Theatre
Friday, May 27, 2022 // Las Vegas, NV // Brooklyn Bowl
Saturday, May 28, 2022 // Los Angeles, CA // The Novo
Sunday, May 29, 2022 // San Diego, CA // Humphreys Concerts by the Bay
Friday, June 3, 2022 // Sandy, UT // Sandy Amphitheater
Saturday, June 4, 2022 // Denver, CO // Mission Ballroom

Chart Action: Miranda Lambert Impacts Country Radio

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Miranda Lambert impacts country airwaves this week with her new single, “If I Was A Cowboy.” Lambert claims both the most-added and highest spin gainer distinction across the Billboard, Mediabase, and MusicRow CountryBreakout Radio charts.

On the Billboard chart, “If I Was A Cowboy” received 81 new station adds and +1,419 spins. On Mediabase, she earned 102 new adds and a +1,512 spin gain and, on MusicRow, she saw +350 spins from 28 stations.

This is Lambert’s first new solo release since 2019 and she co-wrote the single with Jesse Frasure. Lambert is also releasing her first ever fragrance–Idyllwind Eau De Parfum by Miranda Lambert. Combining her favorite scents, the perfume includes notes of Georgia sweet peach blossoms and musky golden sandalwood that stirs memories of the piney woods of East Texas.

For more chart data, view the latest edition of The MusicRow Weekly.

Zach Williams Puts Fame Studio Spin On Some Holiday Favorites

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Zach Williams

Zach Williams is offering fans a helping of Southern holiday cheer this year with his first-ever full-length Christmas album, I Don’t Want Christmas To End, available now on Provident Label Group/Sony Music.

The ten-track project, produced by Jonathan Smith, was recorded at the legendary Fame Studios in Muscle Shoals, Alabama, which inspired the crew to add some Southern soul and sass to the holiday tracks. The legendary studio where The Gregg Allman Band, Aretha Franklin, Little Richard and many more have recorded, in all of its 1960’s rock glory, was a key component in capturing the sound for I Don’t Want Christmas To End. Featuring his penned title track, along with classics like “Christmas Time Is Here” and “This Christmas,” Williams also covers favorites such as “Merry Christmas Baby” and “Run Run Rudolph.”

Recorded in the round, Williams and his band turned “White Christmas” into an Elvis “Blue Christmas” tribute, updated with Williams’ Arkansas and Tennessee roots. “Merry Christmas Baby” was reimagined as a Van Morrison classic, and “Run Run Rudolph” became a Ray Charles-inspired piano rocker. “Mary Did You Know” morphed into an entirely new song with a “Mustang Sally” 60’s vibe.

“We knew we wanted it to have a rock and roll edge, a southern rock feel. That’s when we got the idea to go down to Muscle Shoals. We got down there and all the original gear is still there from the Sixties: the original rooms, the original console,” Williams shares. “Recording there really made the songs come alive even more than I thought it was going to.”

Williams is taking the holiday songs live on the road on his 11-city “I Don’t Want Christmas To End” Tour, that runs through December and features special guest Anne Wilson. For a full list of tour dates and to purchase tickets, click here.

I Don’t Want Christmas To End Track List:
Christmas Time Is Here
Merry Christmas Baby
Mary Did You Know
White Christmas
Go Tell It On The Mountain
The Spirit Of Christmas
Silent Night
This Christmas
Run, Run, Rudolph
I Don’t Want Christmas To End

Abby Anderson Re-Emerges With New Single, Forthcoming Album

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Abby Anderson. Photo: Alex Berger

Abby Anderson has been through a personal reboot following her debut on the Nashville music scene back in 2018 with her first EP, ironically titled I’m Good.

The singer-songwriter says she realized she wasn’t being her most authentic self with the image she was projecting, so she listened to her heart and made some changes. Those changes shined through in the music she was creating, and are reflected in a new track, “Bad Posture,” the first single from her new album due out early 2022 via Stem.

Written with Anna Vaus and produced by Marshall Altman, “Bad Posture” showcases Anderson’s appreciation for the experiences and early life lessons that have helped her recognize and accept happiness. It also embraces her past and her present with a sound that fully captures who she is as an artist, songwriter and woman who isn’t afraid to stand up tall and say what she stands for.

YouTube video

“I found this photo of me, and don’t get me wrong, I was smiling and the right weight for my frame, dressed the way people thought a girl like me should dress,” Anderson shares. “But it wasn’t me. I felt like I was looking at someone else. I asked, ‘why don’t I recognize this person?’ So, I made some changes. I gave myself permission to be happy, to eat what I wanted and make the music I wanted without trying to fit into some preconceived notion of what a woman should be. Somewhere along the way, I started standing up taller and actually smiling, not just the controlled grin that portrayed a happy version of my best in photos. And when the outside started to reflect what I was feeling inside, it also came out through the music I was writing.”

Along with her album news, Anderson is also celebrating on the personal front, having wed her fiancé Tyler Graham at Saddle Woods Farm in Murfreesboro, Tennessee earlier this month in a ceremony surrounded by family.

Patrick Droney Inks With Mick Management, Plays Hometown Show In Nashville

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Pictured (L-R): Jessica Swan, Genevieve Thompson, Patrick Droney, Michael McDonald. Photo: Catherine Powell

Warner Records’ Patrick Droney has officially signed with Nashville-based Mick Management.

Droney’s career began at age 13 after he won a Robert Johnson New Generation Award as Best Young Blues Guitarist. He began sharing stages with the likes of B.B. King, James Brown, The Roots, Taj Mahal, Macy Gray, and Elvis Costello, and eventually attended the Clive Davis Institute of Recorded Music at NYU.

He later moved to Los Angeles and signed a publishing deal, and in 2018 relocated to Nashville to craft a self-titled EP. After signing to Warner Records in 2019, Droney appeared at Bonnaroo and ACL, collaborated with Kygo, and recently reached the 90 million streams milestone.

Following the release of State of the Heart: The Deluxe Edition, Droney played sold out shows in Los Angeles and New York City, as well as a special homecoming show at Nashville’s Brooklyn Bowl on Oct. 20. He will wrap up his fall tour with a sold-out show at Chicago’s Schubas Tavern on Nov. 1.

His upcoming 26-city “State of the Heart Tour” launches on Feb. 11 in Dallas.

Warren Zeiders Leverages TikTok Stardom, Releases Debut EP, ‘717 Tapes’

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Warren Zeiders

Rising country singer-songwriter Warren Zeiders has released his debut EP, 717 Tapes, available everywhere now.

Zeiders’ music has resonated with country audiences, amassing more than 200 million views and 1.3 million followers on TikTok, and over 85 million streams across platforms. His song “Ride the Lightning” is currently at No. 38 on Billboard‘s Hot Country Songs Chart and No. 18 on its Country Digital Songs Sales Chart.

The 22-year-old’s sound—comparable to that of Tyler Childers, Zach Bryan, Morgan Wallen, and Whiskey Myers—taps into the country and Americana sound that the Hershey, Pennsylvania native grew up on.

On the 717 Tapes EP, Zeiders collaborates with some of country music’s most in-demand songwriters, including Eric Paslay, Tim Nichols, Randy Montana and Justin Ebach. “Boys for Life” finds Zeiders knocking back cold ones with his ride-or-die brothers, while he pays tribute to his roots on “Dirt Road Don’t.” Zeiders also walks the line between damnation and salvation on his viral hit, “Ride the Lightning.”

717 Tapes Track List:
1. Never Look Back – Eric Paslay, Lindsay Rimes, Tim Nichols, Warren Zeiders
2. Boys for Life – Justin Walker, Randy Montana, Warren Zeiders
3. Dirt Road Don’t – Erik Dylan, Randy Montana, Warren Zeiders
4. Loving & Hating You – Justin Ebach, Warren Zeiders
5. Ride the Lightning – Eric Paslay, Rob Crosby, Warren Zeiders

Tenille Arts Talks ‘Girl To Girl’ On New Album, Available Now

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Tenille Arts has released her third full-length album, Girl to Girl, available everywhere now on 19th & Grand Records. “Back Then, Right Now,” the album’s debut single, is currently rising up the country charts and is already approaching Top 30 in Arts’ home country of Canada. The track is currently at No. 29 on the MusicRow CountryBreakout Radio Chart.

Arts co-wrote all 13 tracks on Girl to Girl with Ray Fulcher, Alex Kline,  MacKenzie Porter, Brandon Ratcliff, Matt Stell, Ben Stennis, Allison Veltz-Cruz, Parker Welling, and more. The 2021 MusicRow Breakthrough Artist of the Year is also joined by Callista Clark and Matt Stell on “Breakup Songs” and “Over You Is You,” respectively, and AJ Babcock, Nathan Chapman, Kline, and Dave Pittenger share production credits on the project.

“These 13 songs were written as letters to my current and younger self,” Arts shares. “They are songs I wish I had when I was 15 and 16 years old. I wanted to write these like a big sister and share my experiences in hopes that people would feel less alone. Whether you’re 15 years old, my age, or older, I want you to feel seen. I want you to dance to these songs, cry to them, and feel all the feels!”

Girl to Girl follows Arts’ Love, Heartbreak, & Everything in Between album, which yielded her first No. 1 single “Somebody Like That.” The song made history as the first song written, produced and performed by all females to hit No. 1 on the country charts. Tenille was also the first Canadian artist to reach No. 1 in the U.S. since 2007 and first Canadian female to hit No. 1 since Terri Clark in 2004.

2021 kicked off strong for Tenille, who was voted as one of the CRS New Faces of Country Music and was inducted into the CMT Next Women of Country Class of 2021. In February, she received her first award show nomination for the ACM New Female Artist of the Year, and she is also nominated for Amazon Music and Alexa Fans’ Choice and Female Artist of the Year awards at next month’s CCMA Awards in London, Ontario, Canada.

Arts will be performing at the Grand Ole Opry on Saturday, Oct. 23 and at her Girl to Girl release party at 3rd & Lindsley in Nashville on Tuesday, Oct. 26.

Girl to Girl Track List:
1. Back Then, Right Now (Tenille Arts, Dave Pittenger, MacKenzie Porter, Parker Welling) Produced by: Dave Pittenger
2. That’s My Friend You’re Talkin’ About (Tenille Arts, Allison Veltz-Cruz, Alex Kline) Produced by: Alex Kline
3. One Bedroom Apartment (Tenille Arts, Alex Kline, Palmer Lee) Produced by: Alex Kline
4. Breakup Songs (feat. Callista Clark) (Tenille Arts, Jason Massey, Nick Wayne) Produced by: Nathan Chapman
5. Life Goes Like That (Tenille Arts, Allison Veltz-Cruz, Alex Kline) Produced by: Alex Kline
6. Girl to Girl (Tenille Arts, Ben Goldsmith, Trannie Anderson) Produced by: Nathan Chapman
7. Heartbreak Regulars (Tenille Arts, Holden James, Palmer Lee) Produced by: Alex Kline
8. Mama’s Boy (Tenille Arts, Alex Kline, Dave Pittenger, Allison Veltz-Cruz) Produced by: Alex Kline & Dave Pittenger
9. Over You is You (feat. Matt Stell) (Tenille Arts, Alex Kline, Matt Stell, Ben Stennis) Produced by: Alex Kline
10. Give It to Me Straight (Tenille Arts, Dave Pittenger, Allison Veltz-Cruz) Produced by: Dave Pittenger
11. High School Sweetheart (Tenille Arts, AJ Babcock, Brandon Ratcliff) Produced by: AJ Babcock
12. Sweet Sixteen (Tenille Arts, Alex Kline, Allison Veltz-Cruz) Produced by: Alex Kline
13. Growing Old Young (Tenille Arts, Ray Fulcher, Shane Sniteman) Produced by: Nathan Chapman

Brooklyn Basement Records Expands With New Management Division

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Pictured (top row, L-R): Blair Clark, Ron Pope; (bottom row, L-R): Miko Marks, Emily Scott Robinson

Nashville-based record label and marketing agency, Brooklyn Basement Records, has expanded their newly formed management division roster, which will be led by CEO Blair Clark.

Brooklyn Basement Records will manage the careers of Ron Pope, Miko Marks (Redtone Records), and Emily Scott Robinson (Oh Boy Records).

“I am thrilled to be expanding Brooklyn Basement once again,” says Clark. “It feels like a natural evolution to work with Miko and Emily on a more consistent basis. The manager/artist relationship is so personal and I am extremely passionate about doing all I can to help these amazing women in their careers. After managing Ron Pope for a decade, I’m excited to round out my roster and take everyone to the next level.”

The Brooklyn Basement roster has a busy season ahead. Robinson’s upcoming Oh Boy debut, American Siren, will be available on Oct. 29; Marks is currently recording the follow up to her critically acclaimed Our Country; and Pope will be releasing new music starting in January 2022.

Clark co-founded Brooklyn Basement Records in 2015 after a decade-long career in the independent music space.

Luke Combs Takes “Cold As You” To No. 1 For The Second Time On MusicRow CountryBreakout Chart

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After already reaching No. 1 in August, Luke Combs’ single “Cold As You” makes a triumphant return to the top spot this week on the MusicRow CountryBreakout Radio Chart. The single has earned a cumulative 21,180 spins in 16 weeks on the chart. This is his second two-week No. 1 following “Forever After All.”

“Cold As You” was co-written by Combs, Shane Minor, Randy Montana, and Jonathan Singleton. Singleton is at No. 8 on the MusicRow Top Songwriter Chart for his credit on this single as well as last week’s No. 1 “Same Boat” by Zac Brown Band. Combs appears at No. 14, Montana at No. 53 and Minor at No. 54.

Click here to view the latest edition of The MusicRow Weekly containing the MusicRow CountryBreakout Radio Chart.