John Prine, Sturgill Simpson

A new version of John Prine’s beloved song, “Paradise,” performed by Sturgill Simpson, is out now on Oh Boy Records.

Simpson’s version of “Paradise” is the last song recorded at The Butcher Shoppe—the studio Prine founded with Grammy Award-winning producer and engineer David Ferguson—before the building’s demolition later this year.

Reflecting on Prine’s influence, Simpson shares, “For myself along with many others, he was a mentor. He was very giving with his time and wisdom, and we were all grateful to get to know him.”

The song—whose proceeds benefit UNICEF USA’s Covid-19 Relief Fund—will be featured on the forthcoming Prine tribute record, Broken Hearts and Dirty Windows: Songs of John Prine, Vol. 2, which is set for release on October 8.

Each month ahead of the October release, Oh Boy will unveil a new artist and song that is featured on the tribute album. “Paradise” is the second track released, following Brandi Carlile’s rendition of “I Remember Everything,” which she performed during the 63rd Grammy Awards where the song won two awards: Best American Roots Song and Best American Roots Performance. Written by Prine and his longtime collaborator Pat McLaughlin, “I Remember Everything” is Prine’s first No. 1 single and was recorded by Grammy Award-winning producer Dave Cobb and engineer Gena Johnson.

Oh Boy Records, Nashville’s oldest artist-owned label, celebrates its 40th anniversary this year. Founded in 1981 by Prine and his longtime manager Al Bunetta, the label has since gone on to release more than fifty audio and video recordings while continuing to be a vital part of Nashville’s independent music community.

Genies, one of the world’s largest avatar technology companies, and Warner Music Group (WMG) have established a global partnership to develop avatars and digital wearable NFTs for WMG’s artists.

Genies recently launched their new 3D Avatar and Digital Wearables NFT SDK, which allows talent to sell exclusive limited edition digital wearables—such as clothing, accessories, and tattoos—to their fans’ Genies avatars. This allows fans to memorialize key life defining moments in the artist’s career, such as single or album releases.

“Both music and avatars provide humans with the ability to fully express their authentic personalities. Cultural icons and figures are some of the most expressive people on earth and they should not be constrained by real world limitations,” says Genies CEO Akash Nigam. “This partnership allows the leaders of culture to fully immerse themselves into the fantastical realm of the metaverse and build new, direct, and authentic connections with their respective followings and fanbases.”

Through this new partnership, WMG’s artists will be able to produce and distribute virtual beings that facilitate fan reach across immersive platforms and metaverses. WMG’s artists and songwriters will also be able to turn their favorite cultural moments or latest artistic endeavors into exclusive “Digital Wearables Drops” that their fans can own and use on their Genie avatar.

“As avatars and their customization become an increasingly relevant avenue for self-expression and merch generates diversified sources of revenue, WMG’s partnership with Genies will enable our artists and songwriters to tap into a new form of self-expression and audience reach,” says Chief Digital Officer at Warner Music Group, Oana Ruxandra.

Chris Lane. Photo: John Shearer

Chris Lane is following up his recently-certified Platinum hit “Big, Big Plans” with more music, releasing his second song in the last week.

The Big Loud Records artist has garnered 1.2 billion on-demand streams and three No. 1 hits—“Fix,” “I Don’t Know About You,” and “Big, Big Plans”—since he came to Nashville from Kernersville, North Carolina.

His new single “Fill Them Boots” is a twangy tune about picking someone up after a breakup. “It’s time to move on, scoot on over, you lookin like a you could use a brand new shoulder,” Lane sings.

Lane co-wrote the song with Josh Miller, Ernest Keith Smith and Mark Trussell on his Big, Big Plans Tour.

“I’ve only had the writers out on the road with me for two separate weekends out of my whole career, just because I’ve been on one bus for so long. I finally moved to a second bus for my Big, Big Plans Tour and that allowed me to take out some writers. But on both weekends, I ended up writing a song that I ended up recording,” Lane says. “‘Fill Them Boots’ was a song that we started super late one night in Grand Rapids after a show. I’ve had this idea in my phone for a minute. Everyone liked the idea, so we just sat down and wrote it, finished it the next day in Detroit. It was a song that honestly just held on for so long for me. I played it a million times and never got tired of it.”

Just a week later, Lane has released another song, “Summer Job Money,” penned by John Byron and Blake Pendergrass.

“Heck, I’ve been trying to write this kind of song for a while. Always got a good version of it, but never a great version of it. I had been telling my team to find me a nostalgic, summertime, throwback kind of song, I’m a huge Kenny Chesney fan and he’s the king of these. This song came in and I listened to it for the first time and knew I wanted to record it,” Lane says.

The new music has a decidedly more country sound than the pop country hits Lane has previously released.

“I think it’s honestly just a natural progression,” Lane says. “I didn’t do it on purpose, but now that I’m in the room writing a lot more—in my young artist career, I didn’t write a whole lot because I was constantly out doing radio shows during the week and then playing shows on the weekend and then you get a day off and you’re exhausted, it’s hard to sit down and write and be great at it. So this quarantine has really given me an opportunity to sit down and write as many songs as possible. And I feel like I’m growing so much every day when I go in to write. I’m enjoying it so much.”

With more new music on the horizon, Lane is set to hit the road again this summer, and will join Kane Brown for The Worldwide Beautiful Tour’s remaining stops in September.

Capitol CMG recording artist Riley Clemmons has announced her much anticipated sophomore album, Godsend, will be released on June 4.

The collection of songs represents a season of change and growth for the 21-year-old Nashville native, tackling the multitude of feelings and emotions that come entering a new stage in life. To celebrate the upcoming album, Clemmons also released a song from the album early.  “I’m Not Alone” serves as a reminder that all people go through periods of loneliness and are not isolated in that experience.

“As I was writing this record, there was never a plan to create anything but honest music, born from hurting, growing, and healing,” shares Clemmons. “I collected these songs much like I collected every experience I found myself in over the last few years. The music that ultimately created the record tells the stories of my highest and lowest thoughts and emotions with the common thread that maybe ‘every broken place I’ve been was a Godsend.’ My hope is that anyone who listens can find themselves in these melodies and be reminded that the pain, healing, and joy we experience is so much more common and unifying than we could ever imagine.”

To coincide with this announcement, Riley has also launched a custom line of Godsend themed merchandise including a collectible CD with web store exclusive album artwork.

Brett Young‘s latest single, “Not Yet,” received a cumulative 118 new station adds across the Billboard, Mediabase, and MusicRow Charts. The single debuted on the charts at No. 37, No. 48, and No. 61 respectively.

Co-written by Young, Kelly Archer, and Justin Ebach, “Not Yet” will appear on Young’s upcoming album, Weekends Look A Little Different These Days, set for release on June 4 via BMLG Records.

“It’s hard to describe just how ready I am to finally get to share this new project with everyone,” says Young. “With so many special moments over the last year-and-a-half and creative jolts translating to writing so many different songs, it was important for me to pick the right ones to reflect where I am right now. I’m grateful and can’t wait to share everything we have planned!”