Steve Schnur
With immensely popular games like Madden, FIFA, NHL, The Sims, Need For Speed, Battlefield, Apex Legends, and dozens of others, Electronic Arts (EA) has cemented itself as one of the leading gaming companies in the world. As it constantly tries to up the ante and keep its thumb on the pulse of culture, EA and its team are always looking for ways to bring new innovations and experiences to their millions of worldwide players.
As the No. 1 PC game played by female gamers and one of the best selling video games of all time, The Sims has been a major part of pop culture over the past 21 years. In the games’ newest creative endeavor, The Sims 4 will be offering an exclusive limited-time only, in-game musical performance. In a fantasy world where there’s always something to explore, curating in-game concerts through The Sims connects real-world fandoms to a place where gamers can express themselves in a way that is most authentic and meaningful to them. The fully immersive, first of its kind event will be headlined by Grammy nominated pop artist Bebe Rexha with opening acts Glass Animals and Joy Oladokun. The event will be available from June 29 – July 7.
EA’s President of Music Steve Schnur, a Nashvillian, spoke to MusicRow to discuss this new wave of live in-game music programming, the future of Sims Sessions, and EA’s ability to influence and introduce artists to new listeners.
MusicRow: What role do you specifically play in the EA world as President of Music? What does that entail for you?
Schnur: I’m responsible for every note that goes in every one of our games. That could be the music that gets curated into FIFA, Madden, NHL, The Sims, Need For Speed, and everything else, but it’s also all the music that I produce orchestrally for games like Battlefield, Star Wars, and Mass Effect. It also includes all of the marketing, so every note in every trailer, whether it’s orchestral or a licensed music selection, music marketing activities like Sim Sessions, appearances at our events, running our music publishing company, running our music production company, and running our record soundtrack label. All things to do with music, and everything to do with the cultural impact.
We made a commitment 20 years ago to launch brands that we thought could move the needle on people’s lives. Now we see it taken even further, for instance, when I consult the NFL (National Football League) or the MLS (Major League Soccer). The sports now are starting to sound more like us. There’s no Queen, Bon Jovi, or ACDC. To make it local, Nashville SC’s theme song was written and performed by Judah & the Lion. I’m the guy that brought that in and had them write it. I’m the guy that works with the Titans in town to decide the tone of what next generation football sounds like.
Leagues are working with us now because they recognize that the future sound of their sport cannot lie in the hands of 50 and 60 year olds. We have to pay attention to the next generation of 10-25 year-olds who are learning these sports through a virtual experience. What we had when we were kids and how we discovered the tone of our sports was through what played in the stadium or on TV, but that game is over. These soundtracks live beyond the game themselves.
All of that to say, my responsibility isn’t simply curation of music in the game, but it’s setting a tone that will go well beyond the game.
What was it like to work with Judah & the Lion on the Nashville SC theme song?
I sat with the team and the band and we had lengthy discussions on what we were trying to say and how we were trying to be truly “Nashville.” Not the typical Nashville, but we were trying to represent the broader Nashville and the next generation of Nashville since soccer is such a next generation sport in this country. Just go to any MLS game and you’ll see the demographic difference. So the question was how do we appeal to that generation?
I get why Tim McGraw’s song comes on every time the Predators score a goal. The MLS team, though, was about the next generation. They wanted to find out what Nashville means to the world. Soccer is a global sport, it’s not a local or even national sport. So what does Nashville mean to somebody in Germany or London or Los Angeles?
It could mean Margo Price or Judah & the Lion. It could mean Blake Shelton or The Black Keys. It could mean so many different things, so we needed to represent the team in that way. It was a clear distinction that we had to make at the very beginning. Our soccer team had to represent everyone because it’s an inclusive sport, and the music had to represent it that way.
Joy Oladukon, Bebe Rexha, and Glass Animals Sims characters.
As far as the Sims announcement, what does this new feature mean for both the players and for artists who are going to be featured?
The Sims is an asynchronous game, not just because it’s not built that way, but also because it reflects the way younger people use media–when, how, if, and when they want. It’s all about creative expression: who you are, who you want to be, and who you envision yourself to be with no judgment.
Music has always been a critical part of The Sims. I was a little nervous 15+ years ago to have artists re-record their songs in Simlish, the language of The Sims, because I thought it might be offensive to ask an artist to re-sing a song in a foreign language that many people considered to be gibberish. However, to the hundreds of millions of Sims fans around the world, it has meaning and it has its own self-expression. Once I did it a few times, I became much bolder and we started creating packs. We’ve done ’80s packs, heavy metal packs, country packs with artists like Luke Bryan, Martina McBride, LeAnn Rimes, and even Lady A doing “Need You Now” in Simlish before they put it out in English. Over the years, we have nearly 500 artists that have recorded in Simlish. So you go to an area in the game and listen to these new artists that you don’t know yet, and later on you realize, “Oh my god! That person became a superstar and they sang in Simlish!”
The question was, “How do we create a self-expressive, true Sims type of festival while also being completely unique and not typical as to things you’ve seen in the last couple of years?” We made it very intimate and I think intimacy is key. You don’t show up with 40 or 50 million of your friends at once, but you show up in a small group of friends to an event that you couldn’t ever see in the real world. In the case of the first Sim Sessions, with Bebe Rexha, Glass Animals, and Joy Oladokun, you go to your local park, gazebo, or other intimate settings, and you see these artists perform for you in Simlish. It’s not a typical broadcast of something that maybe you see during COVID, but next year you’ll see it at the Ascend Amphitheater. It retains the intimate, self-expressive world of the hundreds of millions of people around the world who play The Sims.
It’s limited in the sense that it will only be available for a certain amount of time, but you go when you want to go whether it’s 11 p.m. on Friday or 2 a.m. on Sunday morning. I’m hoping that this really sets off the trend for Sims fans around the world to experience something that they will never experience anywhere else. Over 300 million people have bought The Sims, so this is not a small audience or a small feat. It’s an experience that we hope to bring somewhat regularly to Sims fans and expand upon these concepts so that people can continuously feel that they’re a part of The Sims community.
When a music supervisor is working on a film, they often read a scene and try to find a song to compliment it. How does that happen in the game world? What guides your decision on what songs to place where?
I do music supervision for films as well and it’s very different. Since there’s no scene, so we’ve come up with our own format when we pick songs. I stand by what I promised to do 20 years ago when I joined EA, which is that if we have a game called Madden 22 or FIFA 22, every piece of music in that game is going to point forward. It’s going to be something that launches or continues to launch through the season ahead of you.
Because of that, most of the music we curate in our games is music that is being recorded or has just been recorded. I’m very proud when we go to get our license from our label and publishing partners that so much of the music that we’re selecting isn’t even in their systems yet because it hasn’t even been submitted. My team and I have a pretty good idea as to what is or isn’t going to culturally move the needle in a year or two and what artists are going in the studio so that we can go in and be a part of that. We’re in the studio constantly working with artists to make sure that their music is a part of our franchises.
Essentially, you’re not just predicting culture, you’re creating culture. The amount of plays that a song gets in one game of FIFA or Madden is equivalent to almost a billion hours, if not more. Everybody isn’t going to like every single song, but if we can move the needle on someone’s musical taste and get them to fall in love with a new artist or song then I’m pretty happy about that. It’s really a combination of A&R, curation, gut, know-how, and deep relationships in the music community, whether it’s with labels, publishers, artists, or songwriters worldwide.
If I can give so many impressions of a song to that many people, we can affect research at radio stations and the familiarity of an artist. I remember we put Lee Brice in Madden about four years ago, and he told me that he has fans that would never normally be fans coming to him saying, “Who are you? You’re amazing,” but they don’t listen to country. The same thing happened with Lady A in The Sims. Dave Haywood would tell me they got requests for “Need You Now” in Simlish from people who don’t listen to country radio.
That doesn’t just apply to country, though. I can’t say we don’t lay heavily into certain genres in certain franchises. However, we definitely go out of our comfort zone as often as possible. I don’t look at Brandy Clark or Lee Brice as being country. Rather, I just look at them as being great artists, and if they fit musically in an NHL game then wonderful!
Some of the questions I had before this conversation had to do with what country songs bring to games or if there were any games that require more country music, but clearly there isn’t a one size fits all or a cookie cutter that you’re trying to fill. Is that right?
It is. I’m a very proud Nashvillian, and I moved here in 1994 before this town was cool. My heart is in this town and I am a country music fanatic, but I’m not in the country, hip hop, or rock business, I’m in the music business.
I believe wholeheartedly that country belongs in games. That doesn’t mean it naturally fits into everything we do, but when I can, I go out of my way to make it happen. We have had a lot of representation of country music in our games over the years from Blake Shelton, Lady A, Martina McBride, Brandy Clark, Ruthie Collins, and Luke Bryan among others. We also have a lot of non-country country-based Nashville artists represented, like Judah & the Lion, Kings of Leon, and The Black Keys.
Our heart is deeply in Nashville, and our heart is exclusively in Nashville when it comes to all the orchestral sessions for Star Wars, Madden or FIFA and our scores for Mass Effect. I, with great humility, take so much pride that this town has become one of the two most important towns in the world when it comes to film, television, game, and score recording along with London.
When it comes to Nashville music, I’m in 100% of the time. I’m filled with gratitude to be a core part of the music business in this town.
Warner Chappell Music Nashville Inks Publishing Deal With Alexander Palmer
/by Lydia FarthingAlexander Palmer
Warner Chappell Music Nashville has inked a worldwide deal with chart-topping songwriter, producer, and classically-trained pianist Alexander Palmer.
Palmer has landed two No. 1 hits at country radio, including Jason Aldean’s “Got What I Got,” which has garnered over 350 million streams, and Dierks Bentley’s 2x Platinum “Somewhere on a Beach,” which was named ASCAP’s 2017 Song of the Year.
Born and raised in Berlin, Germany, Palmer’s craft blends elements of R&B, hip hop, and country. As a BMI songwriter, he currently splits his time between Nashville and LA. Palmer has also seen multi-genre success with credits on Jason Derulo’s 5x Platinum hit “Whatcha Say” and Chris Brown’s 2x Platinum hit “Turn Up the Music.”
“Alexander brings a unique perspective having lived and worked outside of Nashville,” says President & CEO, WCM Nashville Ben Vaughn. “We’re all excited to welcome him to the Chappell family and watch him continue to put his own stamp on the music scene.”
“I’m excited to join such a major player in both country music as well as internationally across the board. Ben and Will Overton made me feel right at home and we hit the ground running,” shares Palmer.
Steve Schnur, EA’s President Of Music, Reveals Heart Behind Music In Video Games [Interview]
/by Lydia FarthingSteve Schnur
With immensely popular games like Madden, FIFA, NHL, The Sims, Need For Speed, Battlefield, Apex Legends, and dozens of others, Electronic Arts (EA) has cemented itself as one of the leading gaming companies in the world. As it constantly tries to up the ante and keep its thumb on the pulse of culture, EA and its team are always looking for ways to bring new innovations and experiences to their millions of worldwide players.
As the No. 1 PC game played by female gamers and one of the best selling video games of all time, The Sims has been a major part of pop culture over the past 21 years. In the games’ newest creative endeavor, The Sims 4 will be offering an exclusive limited-time only, in-game musical performance. In a fantasy world where there’s always something to explore, curating in-game concerts through The Sims connects real-world fandoms to a place where gamers can express themselves in a way that is most authentic and meaningful to them. The fully immersive, first of its kind event will be headlined by Grammy nominated pop artist Bebe Rexha with opening acts Glass Animals and Joy Oladokun. The event will be available from June 29 – July 7.
EA’s President of Music Steve Schnur, a Nashvillian, spoke to MusicRow to discuss this new wave of live in-game music programming, the future of Sims Sessions, and EA’s ability to influence and introduce artists to new listeners.
MusicRow: What role do you specifically play in the EA world as President of Music? What does that entail for you?
Schnur: I’m responsible for every note that goes in every one of our games. That could be the music that gets curated into FIFA, Madden, NHL, The Sims, Need For Speed, and everything else, but it’s also all the music that I produce orchestrally for games like Battlefield, Star Wars, and Mass Effect. It also includes all of the marketing, so every note in every trailer, whether it’s orchestral or a licensed music selection, music marketing activities like Sim Sessions, appearances at our events, running our music publishing company, running our music production company, and running our record soundtrack label. All things to do with music, and everything to do with the cultural impact.
We made a commitment 20 years ago to launch brands that we thought could move the needle on people’s lives. Now we see it taken even further, for instance, when I consult the NFL (National Football League) or the MLS (Major League Soccer). The sports now are starting to sound more like us. There’s no Queen, Bon Jovi, or ACDC. To make it local, Nashville SC’s theme song was written and performed by Judah & the Lion. I’m the guy that brought that in and had them write it. I’m the guy that works with the Titans in town to decide the tone of what next generation football sounds like.
Leagues are working with us now because they recognize that the future sound of their sport cannot lie in the hands of 50 and 60 year olds. We have to pay attention to the next generation of 10-25 year-olds who are learning these sports through a virtual experience. What we had when we were kids and how we discovered the tone of our sports was through what played in the stadium or on TV, but that game is over. These soundtracks live beyond the game themselves.
All of that to say, my responsibility isn’t simply curation of music in the game, but it’s setting a tone that will go well beyond the game.
What was it like to work with Judah & the Lion on the Nashville SC theme song?
I sat with the team and the band and we had lengthy discussions on what we were trying to say and how we were trying to be truly “Nashville.” Not the typical Nashville, but we were trying to represent the broader Nashville and the next generation of Nashville since soccer is such a next generation sport in this country. Just go to any MLS game and you’ll see the demographic difference. So the question was how do we appeal to that generation?
I get why Tim McGraw’s song comes on every time the Predators score a goal. The MLS team, though, was about the next generation. They wanted to find out what Nashville means to the world. Soccer is a global sport, it’s not a local or even national sport. So what does Nashville mean to somebody in Germany or London or Los Angeles?
It could mean Margo Price or Judah & the Lion. It could mean Blake Shelton or The Black Keys. It could mean so many different things, so we needed to represent the team in that way. It was a clear distinction that we had to make at the very beginning. Our soccer team had to represent everyone because it’s an inclusive sport, and the music had to represent it that way.
Joy Oladukon, Bebe Rexha, and Glass Animals Sims characters.
As far as the Sims announcement, what does this new feature mean for both the players and for artists who are going to be featured?
The Sims is an asynchronous game, not just because it’s not built that way, but also because it reflects the way younger people use media–when, how, if, and when they want. It’s all about creative expression: who you are, who you want to be, and who you envision yourself to be with no judgment.
Music has always been a critical part of The Sims. I was a little nervous 15+ years ago to have artists re-record their songs in Simlish, the language of The Sims, because I thought it might be offensive to ask an artist to re-sing a song in a foreign language that many people considered to be gibberish. However, to the hundreds of millions of Sims fans around the world, it has meaning and it has its own self-expression. Once I did it a few times, I became much bolder and we started creating packs. We’ve done ’80s packs, heavy metal packs, country packs with artists like Luke Bryan, Martina McBride, LeAnn Rimes, and even Lady A doing “Need You Now” in Simlish before they put it out in English. Over the years, we have nearly 500 artists that have recorded in Simlish. So you go to an area in the game and listen to these new artists that you don’t know yet, and later on you realize, “Oh my god! That person became a superstar and they sang in Simlish!”
The question was, “How do we create a self-expressive, true Sims type of festival while also being completely unique and not typical as to things you’ve seen in the last couple of years?” We made it very intimate and I think intimacy is key. You don’t show up with 40 or 50 million of your friends at once, but you show up in a small group of friends to an event that you couldn’t ever see in the real world. In the case of the first Sim Sessions, with Bebe Rexha, Glass Animals, and Joy Oladokun, you go to your local park, gazebo, or other intimate settings, and you see these artists perform for you in Simlish. It’s not a typical broadcast of something that maybe you see during COVID, but next year you’ll see it at the Ascend Amphitheater. It retains the intimate, self-expressive world of the hundreds of millions of people around the world who play The Sims.
It’s limited in the sense that it will only be available for a certain amount of time, but you go when you want to go whether it’s 11 p.m. on Friday or 2 a.m. on Sunday morning. I’m hoping that this really sets off the trend for Sims fans around the world to experience something that they will never experience anywhere else. Over 300 million people have bought The Sims, so this is not a small audience or a small feat. It’s an experience that we hope to bring somewhat regularly to Sims fans and expand upon these concepts so that people can continuously feel that they’re a part of The Sims community.
When a music supervisor is working on a film, they often read a scene and try to find a song to compliment it. How does that happen in the game world? What guides your decision on what songs to place where?
I do music supervision for films as well and it’s very different. Since there’s no scene, so we’ve come up with our own format when we pick songs. I stand by what I promised to do 20 years ago when I joined EA, which is that if we have a game called Madden 22 or FIFA 22, every piece of music in that game is going to point forward. It’s going to be something that launches or continues to launch through the season ahead of you.
Because of that, most of the music we curate in our games is music that is being recorded or has just been recorded. I’m very proud when we go to get our license from our label and publishing partners that so much of the music that we’re selecting isn’t even in their systems yet because it hasn’t even been submitted. My team and I have a pretty good idea as to what is or isn’t going to culturally move the needle in a year or two and what artists are going in the studio so that we can go in and be a part of that. We’re in the studio constantly working with artists to make sure that their music is a part of our franchises.
Essentially, you’re not just predicting culture, you’re creating culture. The amount of plays that a song gets in one game of FIFA or Madden is equivalent to almost a billion hours, if not more. Everybody isn’t going to like every single song, but if we can move the needle on someone’s musical taste and get them to fall in love with a new artist or song then I’m pretty happy about that. It’s really a combination of A&R, curation, gut, know-how, and deep relationships in the music community, whether it’s with labels, publishers, artists, or songwriters worldwide.
If I can give so many impressions of a song to that many people, we can affect research at radio stations and the familiarity of an artist. I remember we put Lee Brice in Madden about four years ago, and he told me that he has fans that would never normally be fans coming to him saying, “Who are you? You’re amazing,” but they don’t listen to country. The same thing happened with Lady A in The Sims. Dave Haywood would tell me they got requests for “Need You Now” in Simlish from people who don’t listen to country radio.
That doesn’t just apply to country, though. I can’t say we don’t lay heavily into certain genres in certain franchises. However, we definitely go out of our comfort zone as often as possible. I don’t look at Brandy Clark or Lee Brice as being country. Rather, I just look at them as being great artists, and if they fit musically in an NHL game then wonderful!
Some of the questions I had before this conversation had to do with what country songs bring to games or if there were any games that require more country music, but clearly there isn’t a one size fits all or a cookie cutter that you’re trying to fill. Is that right?
It is. I’m a very proud Nashvillian, and I moved here in 1994 before this town was cool. My heart is in this town and I am a country music fanatic, but I’m not in the country, hip hop, or rock business, I’m in the music business.
I believe wholeheartedly that country belongs in games. That doesn’t mean it naturally fits into everything we do, but when I can, I go out of my way to make it happen. We have had a lot of representation of country music in our games over the years from Blake Shelton, Lady A, Martina McBride, Brandy Clark, Ruthie Collins, and Luke Bryan among others. We also have a lot of non-country country-based Nashville artists represented, like Judah & the Lion, Kings of Leon, and The Black Keys.
Our heart is deeply in Nashville, and our heart is exclusively in Nashville when it comes to all the orchestral sessions for Star Wars, Madden or FIFA and our scores for Mass Effect. I, with great humility, take so much pride that this town has become one of the two most important towns in the world when it comes to film, television, game, and score recording along with London.
When it comes to Nashville music, I’m in 100% of the time. I’m filled with gratitude to be a core part of the music business in this town.
Hunter Phelps Heads Into Top Five On MusicRow Top Songwriter Chart
/by LB CantrellSongwriter Hunter Phelps moves up several slots to No. 5 on the MusicRow Top Songwriter Chart this week.
Phelps is a co-writer on six charting songs, including “Cold Beer Calling My Name” (Jameson Rodgers feat. Luke Combs), “Drinkin’ Beer. Talkin’ God. Amen.” (Chase Rice feat. Florida Georgia Line), “Give Heaven Some Hell” (Hardy), “That Ain’t Me No More” (Matt Stell), “Thinking ‘Bout You” (Dustin Lynch feat. MacKenzie Porter), and “The Worst Country Song Of All Time” (Brantley Gilbert, Hardy, Toby Keith).
Corey Crowder remains at No. 1 for the fifth week, with a co-writer credit on “Drinkin’ Beer. Talkin’ God. Amen.” (Chase Rice feat. Florida Georgia Line), “Famous Friends” (Chris Young and Kane Brown), and “Minimum Wage” (Blake Shelton).
The weekly MusicRow Top Songwriter Chart uses algorithms based upon song activity according to airplay, digital download track sales, and streams. This unique and exclusive addition to the MusicRow portfolio is the only songwriter chart of its kind.
Click here to view the full MusicRow Top Songwriter Chart.
Recording Academy Bolsters Membership With 2,710 Music Professionals
/by LB CantrellIn an effort to grow and diversify its membership body, the Recording Academy recently invited 2,710 music creators and professionals to be members.
According to the press release, the invitations were extended to members of “wide-ranging backgrounds, genres and disciplines.” The 2021 class of invitees is 48 percent female, 32 percent Black or African American+, 13 percent Hispanic or Latino/a/x+, and four percent Asian or Pacific Islander+.
The Academy’s existing membership represents 26 percent female and 27 percent from traditionally underrepresented groups. Since setting the goal of adding 2,500 women voting members by 2025, 831 women have joined the Academy’s voting membership, putting the organization 33 percent closer to reaching that milestone.
“Membership is the Academy’s change agent — our members drive everything we do,” says Ruby Marchand, Chief Industry Officer at the Recording Academy. “I’m inspired by the potential for each invited music creator and business professional to lend their creativity and passion to our organization. We are immensely proud of our accomplishments and the strides we’ve made toward equitable representation. We look forward to welcoming our new invitees as they help us shape the future of the Academy and the music industry.”
Riley Green Goes ‘Behind The Bar’ On New Album Out July 2
/by Lorie HollabaughRiley Green is offering up some new music to fans this Friday, July 2, with Behind The Bar, a seven-song collection on BMLG Records.
The Alabama native co-wrote each track on the new set, which also features writers Randy Montana, Bobby Pinson, Jonathan Singleton, Thomas Rhett, and more. Opening with the rowdy “Behind The Bar” before transitioning to the life lessons in “That’s What I’ve Been Told,” Green also gets nostalgic with his current single “If It Wasn’t For Trucks.” The project also includes “Put ‘Em On Mine” and a Jessi Alexander duet “That Was Us,” as well as “That’s My Dixie,” and “I Let A Damn Good Woman Leave,” a fan favorite since Green debuted the unreleased track during his Golden Saw Series last fall.
“I’ve always enjoyed writing songs and one of the biggest tools I’ve used over the years to shape my songwriting is playing those songs on the road for fans and gauging their reactions,” Green explains. “I’m looking forward to releasing Behind The Bar and getting to play those songs on the road this summer.”
Celebrating the release in partnership with BRUT, Green will be hosting a livestream of his sold-out show Thursday, July 1 at Joe’s on Weed Street in Chicago. To watch the show, click here.
1. Behind The Bar (Riley Green, Erik Dylan, Randy Montana)
2. That’s What I’ve Been Told (Riley Green, Chris Dubois, Bobby Pinson)
3. If It Wasn’t For Trucks (Riley Green, Erik Dylan, Randy Montana)
4. Put ‘Em On Mine (Riley Green, Wyatt McCubbin, Jonathan Singleton)
5. That Was Us (featuring Jessi Alexander) (Riley Green, Jessi Alexander, Thomas Rhett)
6. I Let A Damn Good Woman Leave (Riley Green, Brent Cobb, Adam Hood, Scotch Taylor)
7. That’s My Dixie (Riley Green, Jessi Alexander, Randy Montana)
Industry Member Ben Ewing Passes
/by LB CantrellBen Ewing
Music industry member Ben Ewing passed away on Sunday (June 27), according to a post on his Facebook. He was 67.
He was General Manager at Plowboy Records, the Nashville-based label established in 2012 to promote and further the legacy of the late singer Eddy Arnold. Plowboy has released projects by Country Music Hall of Fame member Bobby Bare, as well as JD Wilkes & The Dirt Daubers, Buzz Cason, The Ghost Wolves and more. Ewing most recently oversaw management of punk artists The Dead Boys/Cheetah Chrome and The Bad Signs, and guided Plowboy Records releases from The Kentucky Headhunters, Chuck Mead, Paul Burch, Smoky White Devils and Richard Lloyd of Television.
Before joining Plowboy Records, he owned and operated Ewing Management, where he managed the careers of Brandon Jenkins, Johnny Solinger, Michael Lattanzi, and more. Prior to that Ewing was General Manager at the artist management, music publishing, and record distribution company, Red Dirt Music Company.
He also spent time at Progression Music Group and Artist Envoy Agency in Nashville, and was CEO of the radio and television broadcasting company South Eastern Communications in Bowling Green, Kentucky for 10 years.
Ewing was a veteran of the Vietnam War and got his start in the music business working for Phil Walden at Capricorn Records.
A memorial service will be held Monday, July 12 at 6 p.m. at Sellars Funeral Home at Mt. Juliet. Visitation with the family will be held on Monday, July 12 from 4-6 pm.
Weekly Register: Luke Combs’ ‘Forever After All’ Stays On Top
/by Lydia FarthingLuke Combs. Photo: Zack Massey
River House/Columbia Nashville’s Luke Combs keeps the top spot this week on the top country song streaming chart with “Forever After All,” garnering 9.6 million streams this week and 282 million RTD, according to Nielsen. On the all-genre chart the song is at No. 25.
Following Combs in the second position on the country streaming songs chart is “Lil Bit'” from Nelly & Florida Georgia Line with 7.4 million streams this week, and “Famous Friends” by Chris Young & Kane Brown is in third with 6.5 million streams. Gabby Barrett sits at No. 4 with her hit “The Good Ones” at 5.5 million, while Chris Stapleton re-enters the top 5 with his 2015 smash single, “Tennessee Whiskey,” at 5.3 million streams.
On the top country albums chart, Morgan Wallen continues to dominate the chart with Dangerous: The Double Album on Big Loud Records. This week the album, which ranks No. 5 overall, racked up 48,000 streams contributing to an overall 58 million RTD, according to Nielsen. Wallen also maintains his fourth spot on the chart with If I Know Me gaining 15,000 streams. What You See Is What You Get and This One’s For You by Combs stay in the second and third spots this week with 28,000 and 18,000 streams, respectively. Meanwhile, making her return to the top five, Taylor Swift gains 14,000 streams on Fearless (Taylor’s Version) putting her squarely at No. 5.
‘CMT Music Awards’ Moving To CBS In 2022
/by LB CantrellViacomCBS has announced that the CMT Music Awards will have its global premiere exclusively on the CBS network starting in 2022.
The annual ViacomCBS owned event will broadcast live from Nashville on CBS on a date to be announced. It was also revealed that for the 2022 event, CMT will kick off the company’s first ever Country Music Week by hosting week-long special programming and events capped by exclusive director’s cut airings of the CMT Music Awards later on CMT and various ViacomCBS platforms.
The CMT Music Awards, as country music’s only entirely fan-voted award show, have aired live since 2005. The 2021 show, hosted by superstars Kelsea Ballerini and Kane Brown, featured the most ever first-time collaborations and blended-genre pairings in show history. Standout performances included H.E.R. and Chris Stapleton; Gladys Knight, Mickey Guyton and Breland; and Needtobreathe and Carrie Underwood. The 2021 show saw more than a 10% increase in total viewers and was the No. 1 most social program across all of television for the night.
Industry Ink: Brooke Eden & Trisha Yearwood, Dailey & Vincent, Steve Dorff, Eddie Garcia
/by Lydia FarthingBrooke Eden Surprises Opry Crowd With Special Trisha Yearwood Duet
Brooke Eden & Trisha Yearwood at the Grand Ole Opry on June 25, 2021. Photo: Ford Fairchild
Country singer-songwriter Brooke Eden surprised a packed Opry House last Friday, June 25, with a guest appearance from Trisha Yearwood during her set.
After a performance of her latest songs, “No Shade” and “Sunroof,” Eden began her performance of her country classic pick, “She’s In Love With The Boy.” After the first chorus, Yearwood appeared and suggested they do a gender flip of the song to highlight Pride month and Brooke’s recent engagement to Hilary Hoover, a radio representative for Yearwood and Garth Brooks. Eden and Yearwood continued their duet as “She’s In Love With The Girl.”
“Never in my wildest dreams did I imagine I’d ever share the stage with one of my heroes, Trisha Yearwood,” said Eden. “Her idea of changing the words of ‘She’s In Love With The Boy’ to include Hilary and my love story is such a beautiful way of putting action behind the quote, ‘Love Is Love.’ Thank you to Trisha and the Opry for helping to create a community of love and acceptance. This is country music.”
Eden made her triumphant return to country music earlier this year. Marking the end of her four-year hiatus, she shared three new songs—“No Shade,” “Sunroof,” and now “Got No Choice.” Collaborating with director Ford Fairchild, Eden was able to incorporate her fiancée, her hometown, and even the bar she grew up singing at, into the music videos that give the viewer a glimpse into Eden’s world.
Dailey & Vincent To Be Recognized At 50th Annual Smithville Fiddlers’ Jamboree
Dailey & Vincent
Multi-Grammy nominated duo Dailey & Vincent will be recognized at the 50th Annual Smithville Fiddlers’ Jamboree and Crafts Festival for their contributions as one of the most popular bands in contemporary American music, embracing bluegrass, country, and gospel. The festival is set to take place on Saturday, July 3 in Downtown Smithville, Tennessee.
Darrin Vincent will be celebrated by the State of Tennessee with an unveiling of his “Tennessee Music Pathways” marker on the square in his hometown during the event. Launched by the Tennessee Department of Tourist Development in 2018, Tennessee Music Pathways is an online planning guide that connects visitors to the state’s rich musical heritage. Tennessee Music Pathways stretches across all 95 counties and features hundreds of landmarks from the seven genres of music that call Tennessee home.
Jamie Dailey will also be honored at the event as the recipient of the Fiddlers’ Jamboree’s 2021 Blue Blaze Award. The Blue Blaze Award is designed to honor an individual or group that keeps the embers of bluegrass music burning for future generations. The Blue Blaze Panel Committee voted unanimously for Dailey’s nomination citing his long-running contributions to bluegrass music. Following the presentations, Dailey & Vincent will perform a mini-concert on the main stage.
Although the pair only began performing regularly as a duo in 2008, they’d both had extensive careers in bluegrass and had sung together informally since 2001. Their first show together was at the Grand Ole Opry, staged at the Ryman Auditorium, on Dec. 29, 2007. Their debut self-titled album was released in January 2008 and won Entertainer of the Year, Vocal Group of the Year, Emerging Artist of the Year, Album of the Year, and Gospel Recorded Performance of the Year award at the 2008 IBMA Awards. In March 2017, Dailey and Vincent were inducted as the 213th members of the Grand Ole Opry. As of 2021, they have received five Grammy Awards individually, three Grammy nominations collectively, six Dove Awards from the Gospel Music Association, and 35 IBMA Awards altogether.
Steve Dorff Elected To Songwriters Hall Of Fame Board Of Directors
Steve Dorff
Demolition Music Publishing’s Steve Dorff has been elected to the board of directors for the prestigious Songwriter’s Hall of Fame. Dorff, an inductee to the Songwriters Hall of Fame himself, will serve a three year term on the board.
Dorff will serve alongside other elected board members Desmond Child, Paul Williams, Hal David Starlight Award Recipient Ne-Yo, Martin Bandier, Caroline Bienstock, Donna Caseine, Samantha Cox, Charlie Feldman, Fletcher Foster, Pete Ganbarg, Randy Grimmett, John Josephson, Jody Klein, Evan Lamberg, Carianne Marshall, Nancy Munoz, Jon Platt, Irwin Z. Robinson, Patrice Rushen and John Titta.
The Bobby Bones Show’s Eddie Garcia Completed 100-Mile Walk For Charity
Eddie Garcia on the 100-mile walk for National Angels
Eddie Garcia of iHeartRadio’s The Bobby Bones Show completed a nearly 100 mile walk from Bluefield, West Virginia to Bristol, Tennessee on Wednesday, June 23. The four day journey was part of a fundraiser for National Angels, a national non-profit organization dedicated to supporting children, youth, and families in the foster care community. To date, listeners of The Bobby Bones Show have donated more than $275K in support of National Angels.
“I did it! I walked all the way from West Virginia down to Tennessee,” shares Garcia. “We raised so much money for National Angels and met a ton of great humans out here. Thank you for all the support and encouragement along the way. I didn’t do this alone!”
Garcia, who is a foster parent to two young children and is on the National Advisory Council for the non-profit organization, was inspired by the George Strait song, “Carrying Your Love With Me,” in which he sings: “‘Cause I’m carryin’ your love with me, West Virginia down to Tennessee…”
“Eddie did it! The Bobby Bones Show did it. The more than 8,800 contributors did it. Together, people from all over our country collectively came together and said, ‘We can make a difference and we can be a part of the change!’ The response and support have been nothing short of a miracle!” says Susan Ramirez, founder and CEO at National Angels.
Alabama To Kick Off 50th Anniversary Tour At Nashville’s Bridgestone Arena
/by Lorie HollabaughAlabama. Photo: Alan Messer
Alabama‘s long-awaited 50th Anniversary Tour, which was mostly delayed due to COVID-19, is picking back up after nearly two years. Nashville will be the first stop on the milestone tour, which kicks off July 2-3 at Nashville’s Bridgestone Arena. These two concerts mark the band’s first arena performance in Nashville in nearly two decades, and will be the first full-capacity concerts held at Bridgestone since the start of the pandemic in early March of 2020.
The 25-date arena and amphitheater tour will take place throughout 2021 and early 2022, and will feature special guests Martina McBride, The Marshall Tucker Band,Travis Tritt, Sara Evans, America, Grits & Glamour (Lorrie Morgan and Pam Tillis), Tracy Lawrence, The Beach Boys, The Frontmen of Country, and Jake Hoot on select dates.
“We are very thankful that we can play our music for our loyal fans of the past 50 years and introduce our songs to a new 3rd and 4th generation of new fans,” says Alabama lead singer Randy Owen. “We have rehearsed an all-new show that we are having fun performing, but you never know, we might even take requests from time to time. There’s nothing like the roar of the crowd, and we can’t wait to get back on the road.”
“This tour, that we are blessed to have, has the most amazing group of musicians and vocalists that we have ever had on the road,” explains Alabama bass player/vocalist Teddy Gentry. “In addition, we wanted to bring along some special friends to join us on tour each night. From The Marshall Tucker Band to Travis Tritt and Martina McBride to The Beach Boys, what a party we are going to have. I can’t tell you how ready we are to see and play for you.”
Tickets for the tour are on sale now and information can be found on the band’s official website thealabamaband.com. Previously purchased tickets for rescheduled dates will be honored at each show, and fans who are now unable to attend may request a refund. Eligibility for a refund requires a previous purchase through Ticketmaster—tickets that were transferred, posted, or sold will not be honored.
*More dates to be announced