Sony/ATV Nashville Signs Publishing Deal With Filmore

Pictured (Back row, L-R): Josh Van Valkenburg (SATV), Katie Kerkhover, Chris Perkins (Victory Entertainment), Josh Tomlinson (BMI), Anna Weisband (SATV), Mya Hansen (SATV), Tom Luteran (SATV); (Front row, L-R): Rusty Gaston (SATV), Filmore, Dane Schmidt (SATV).

Rising artist Filmore has inked a global publishing deal with Sony/ATV Music Publishing Nashville. Filmore’s songs, including “Love That About You,” “Blue Skies,” and “Other Girl,” have earned 21 million on-demand streams to date. He’s also toured with Lauren Alaina, Sam Hunt, Russell Dickerson and more.

He will release his debut album, State I’m In, on Sept. 25. The 18-track album was produced by Zach Abend. Missouri native Filmore moved to Nashville after graduating college in 2011 and later released several EPs including 2016’s Proof. “Slower” proved to be his breakthrough song, earning more than 26 million streams. To date, he’s earned more than 146 million on-demand streams and made media appearances on The Bobby Bones Show and NBC’s TODAY.

Filmore is the definition of a true hustler—his drive, passion and love for music continues to inspire me daily,” said Dane Schmidt, Director of Creative at Sony/ATV Nashville. “We’re thrilled to welcome Filmore and his team to Sony/ATV, and we look forward to achieving great success together.”

Filmore said, “I’m beyond excited to be a part of the Sony/ATV family. Telling my story through songwriting has helped build my career, and for Sony/ATV to put their support and belief in me is such an incredible honor. I can’t wait to see what we all do together!”

Easton Corbin Signs With UTA

Easton Corbin. Photo: Thomas Crabtree

Easton Corbin has signed with UTA for exclusive booking representation in all areas.
“2020 has brought a lot of changes for everyone but it’s also brought a lot of opportunities. I’ve taken time to work on my team and I’m really excited to be working with UTA,” Corbin said. “Their eagerness and expertise impressed me from the beginning and I’m looking forward to working together which is essential to getting back on the road.”

Corbin released his previous single “Turn Up” earlier this summer, and his second collaboration with EDM star Lost Frequencies, “One More Night,” has already earned over 3 million Spotify streams. He recently performed the song “Didn’t Miss A Beat” during an appearance on NBC’s TODAY Show on Sept. 3. Corbin co-wrote the song alongside Brad Clawson, Shane Minor and Wade Kirby, who also produced the track.

Reservoir Inks Deal With Sorted Noise

Pictured (Top, L-R): Scott Cresto (Reservoir EVP Synch & Marketing), Spek (Reservoir EVP International and Emerging Markets), Beatchild (Reservoir writer), Hannah Miller (artist), French Braids (Reservoir writer), Jason Collum (Co-founder & Partner, Sorted Noise), Perrin Lamb (Head of A&R & Partner, Sorted Noise); (Bottom, L-R): Josh Collum (Co-founder & Partner, Sorted Noise), Holley Maher (artist), CAMM (artist), Jim Beanz (Reservoir writer).

Reservoir has inked a deal with synch-focused music company Sorted Noise to acquire their catalog of masters and publishing copyrights. As part of the deal, Sorted Noise will run synch-focused songwriting bootcamps featuring Reservoir songwriters, as well as camps dedicated to creating fresh covers of classic Reservoir catalog copyrights.

Copyrights for classic songs including “Jungle Boogie,” “(Your Love Keeps Lifting Me) Higher & Higher,” and “Oh, Pretty Woman,” have already been covered, while Reservoir songwriters Jim Beanz, Beatchild, BEXAR, Tristan Bushman, Noby Sidez, and French Braids have participated in Sorted Noise-led camps, including the last in-person camp held in February before the company moved to virtual to accommodate safe social distancing practices. Though based in Nashville, Sorted Noise and Reservoir plan to expand camps to London and Copenhagen, among other locations, in the coming year.

Mississippi natives Josh Collum, Jason Collum, and Perrin Lamb founded Sorted Noise in 2008. The company’s bootcamps in Nashville earned a more than 70% success rate for placing music written by their community of over 50 artists, producers, and musicians in a variety of film, TV, and ad campaigns, including TV shows such as Breaking Bad, Mad Men, This Is Us, Big Bang Theory, Grey’s Anatomy, Glee, American Horror Story, and in ads for brands such as Chase, IKEA, DKNY, HBO, and Nutella, among others.

Sorted Noise partnered with the music team behind NBC’s hit series This Is Us to craft the song “We Can Always Come Back To This,” which peaked at No. 29 on the Billboard Rock Charts and went on to earn a nomination for Best Original Song in TV at the Guild of Music Supervisors Awards.

“Sorted Noise’s creative approach to the synch market and incredible track record speaks for itself. Their innovation in this space is exactly the kind of forward-thinking approach that we look for in a partner and we’re proud to be bringing this value-add to our songwriters and catalog,” said Rell Lafargue, Reservoir President and COO.

Scott Cresto, Reservoir’s EVP of Synch and Marketing, who previously worked with Sorted Noise in his capacity as President of synch agency Music Alternatives, added, “We had great success with the Sorted Noise crew at Music Alternatives the past several years. We’re looking forward to continuing and expanding upon that success now that they have been brought into the Reservoir fold.”

“Synch camps themselves aren’t unique, but what is unique, is a company like Reservoir bringing a team on board to exclusively focus on their roster and catalog,” said Sorted Noise Co-Founder and Partner Josh Collum. “It allows us to truly get to know their artists, writers, producers, and songs, and this better understanding ultimately leads to better art. It’s strategic and forward-thinking, and we’re excited to be a part of it.”

Sam Hunt, Kane Brown, Kelsea Ballerini Set For Virtual iHeartCountry Festival On Oct. 23


This year’s iHeartCountry Festival, which was originally slated for May 2 in Austin, Texas, before it was postponed, will be held as a virtual streaming and on-air radio special on Oct. 23 beginning at 7 p.m. CT.

Dierks Bentley, Lady A, Sam Hunt, Kane Brown, Kelsea Ballerini, Dustin Lynch, Jon Pardi, Riley Green, Morgan Evans, and Gabby Barrett are among the performers, with a guest appearance by Bobby Bones. The festival, presented by Capital One, will be recorded live on one stage in Nashville and will stream exclusively on livexlive.com and broadcast live across iHeartMedia’s more than 150 country music radio stations in local markets and at iHeartRadio.com.

“Despite this year’s pandemic, we are honored to still be able to host one of country music’s most anticipated nights with an iconic lineup of the genre’s biggest artists,” said Rod Phillips, Executive Vice President of Programming for iHeartCountry. “Although fans won’t be able to celebrate in person, the show will be available to our millions of listeners across our iHeartCountry stations nationwide and through the exclusive stream on LiveXLive.”

Other festival partners include Country Crock, Jane, Progressive Insurance, Tito’s Handmade Vodka and St. Jude Children’s Research Hospital as the exclusive charity partner.

Weekly Register: Gabby Barrett, Luke Combs Top Sales Charts

Gabby Barrett. Photo: Robby Klein

Gabby Barrett tops this week’s Country On-Demand Streaming Songs chart with “I Hope,” which was streamed 7.8 million times this week, according to Nielsen. Morgan Wallen‘s “7 Summers” lands at No. 2 this week, with 7.5 million streams, followed by Jason Aldean‘s “Got What I Got” at No. 3 with 7.3 million streams. Lee Brice‘s “One Of Them Girls” is at No. 4 with 6.8 million streams this week, with Wallen’s “Chasin’ You” at No. 5 with 6 million streams.

Luke CombsWhat You See Is What You Get is at No. 1 on the country albums chart this week, with 23K in total consumption. Wallen’s If I Know Me is at No. 2 with 20K, followed by Combs’ This One’s For You at No. 3 with 19K. Kane Brown‘s Mixtape Vol. 1 is at No. 4 with 15K, followed by Chris Stapleton‘s Traveller at No. 5 with 11K.

Industry Ink: Michael Ray, FBMM, ‘Meet Music Row’ Silent Auction, Chad Jeffers

Michael Ray Shares Cocktails And Conversation During Virtual Chat

Pictured: Cris Lacy and Michael Ray.

Michael Ray and Warner Music Nashville EVP A&R Cris Lacy held a virtual chat with nearly 150 guests from across the industry on Sept. 15. During the conversation with Lacy, Ray revealed that he has new music on the way, beginning with “Whiskey And Rain” due out Sept. 25. The two closed the evening with Lacy presenting Ray with a plaque commemorating five RIAA Gold-certified tracks (“Her World Or Mine,” “One That Got Away,” “Get To You,” “Think A Little Less,” “Kiss You in the Morning”) and three chart-topping singles.

Jason Leiss Elevated To Associate Business Manager At FBMM

Jason Leiss

Jason Leiss has been promoted to Associate Business Manager for FBMM, working with Scotty McCreery, John Hiatt, Tenille Townes, and Sam Hunt. Leiss joined FBMM in 2010 and was upped to Account Executive in 2012. In 2015, he qualified for Account Manager status and in 2018, achieved the requirements for Senior Account Manager. Leiss graduated from MTSU with a major in Business and a concentration in Entrepreneurship.

“When your clients are creative, every day is an adventure, and no two days are exactly alike. Nothing is more rewarding than reminiscing with a client about a goal they established in the past and knowing I helped empower them to accomplish it,” Leiss said. “My wife and three young daughters are my motivating force; I aspire to be the best business manager in the universe!”

Chad Jeffers And Greg Cooley Partner For Encore Home Group

Pictured (L-R): Greg Cooley and Chad Jeffers

Chad Jeffers, one of Nashville’s most respected and in demand musicians, has partnered with one of the area’s most successful Luxury Homes realtors, Greg Cooley, to form The Encore Home Group. The company will specialize in catering to high profile clients searching for a home in the Middle Tennessee area, with a special emphasis on artists and music industry executives who are considering the Nashville area.

Jeffers has spent the past 13 years on the road with Carrie Underwood, performing for a global audience on some of the world’s largest stages. Cooley is a founding member and principal broker with Compass Nashville, where he leads the local Sports and Entertainment division and has more than 13 years of experience in his profession.

For more information contact Jeffers at 615.414.7959 or chad.jeffers@compass.com and Cooley at 615.628.7141 or greg.cooley@compass.com.

Meet Music Row Silent Auction Raises $52,000 For Second Harvest


This year’s Meet Music Row Silent Auction raised $52,000 for Second Harvest Food Bank of Middle Tennessee. The auction featured sessions with producer Dann Huff, CMT Senior V.P. of Music Strategy and Talent Leslie Fram, Make Wake Artists’ Chris Kappy (Luke Combs), Broken Bow Records Music Group VP of A&R Sara Knabe, Sony/ATV CEO Rusty Gaston, the Nashville Pandora team, and more.

“I am overwhelmed by the generosity of everyone who stepped up to make this a success. Because of the industry professionals who donated their time, the people who helped us spread the word, and the bidders who dug deep, Second Harvest will be able to keep a lot of people from going hungry,” said auction organizer and Bluebird Cafe Open Mic night host Barbara Cloyd.

Austin City Limits Teams With Asleep At The Wheel For Retrospective Episode


Asleep at the Wheel will team with Austin City Limits on Oct. 31 for ACL Presents: 50 Years of Asleep at the Wheel, a retrospective of the band’s appearances on Austin City Limits, which will premiere on PBS.

Asleep at the Wheel has appeared on 11 ACL episodes, including the series’ inaugural episode. Other footage includes the band’s collaborative performances with Willie Nelson, the Avett Brothers, and Lyle Lovett.

This past week, Asleep at the Wheel’s leader and founder Ray Benson took part in “Thriving Roots,” AMERICANAFEST’s virtual conference, announcing the coming special and screening an hour-long interview and documentary produced by the Texas Music Office for all digital festival attendees to enjoy. Additionally, Benson and Asleep at the Wheel are currently being featured in the Country Music Hall of Fame’s Outlaws and Armadillos exhibit and as part of the Whitliff Collection at Texas State University’s museum.

ACL Presents: 50 Years of Asleep at the Wheel setlist:
“The Letter That Johnny Walker Read” – 1976
“Ain’t Nobody Here But Us Chickens” – 1978
“Get Your Kicks on Route 66” – 1996
 “Roly Poly” ft. The Texas Playboys – 1993
“Hesitation Blues” ft. Willie Nelson – 2009
“Nothing Takes The Place of You” – 1976
“Blues for Dixie” ft. Lyle Lovett – ACL Hall of Fame 2015
“Let Me Go Home Whiskey” – 1976
“After You’ve Gone” ft. Willie Nelson, Freddy Powers, and Johnny Gimble – 1981
“I Can’t Give You Anything But Love ”- 2015
“Boogie Back to Texas” – 1988
“Milk Cow Blues” – 2015
“Miles and Miles of Texas” – 1996, 2002, and 1980
“Choo Choo Boogie” – 1978, 1988, and 1996
“Pancho and Lefty” ft. Willie Nelson – 2009
“Take Me Back to Tulsa” ft. The Avett Brothers and Vince Gill – 1996, 2015, 1978, and 1976
“Cotton Eye Joe” – 1980

BMI, Beasley Media, Xperi HD Radio Launch New ‘100 Years Of Hit Makers’ Series


BMI, Beasley Media Group, and Xperi’s HD Radio are launching a new series called “100 Years of Hit Makers,” which is part of a year-long campaign to celebrate the 100th Anniversary of the first commercial radio broadcast in the U.S., and to highlight the continuing importance of radio, especially in our current climate.

The series will take noted songwriters from the country, rock, R&B, and hip-hop genres and offer fans a behind the scenes glimpse into the writing of their hits. Among the writers included in the series are John Oates, Ed Roland of Collective Soul, Jesse Frasure, Daniel Tashian, and many others as well as up-and-coming writers from the genres. “100 Years of Hitmakers” will air on 33 Beasley Media Group radio stations, as well as on demand at bbgi.com/hitmakers.

“After years of close partnership, we’re thrilled to celebrate this landmark anniversary with our friends at Beasley Media Group and Xperi’s HD Radio,” said Mason Hunter, AVP, Creative, BMI Nashville. “Songwriting and the radio have been deeply intertwined throughout the last century. Songs find new life on the radio and we’re honored to help elevate the significant connection between the art of songwriting and radio in this series.”

“Many of us in radio, including myself, pursued a career in broadcasting because of our passion for music,” said Beasley Media Group Chief Content Officer Justin Chase. “As we celebrate the centennial of radio, it is an honor to be part of such a great tribute to the hit makers who have helped shape the course of the entertainment business throughout the last 100 years.”

“Radio has never been more important as a source of information, breaking news, and entertainment, than it is today,” said Joe D’Angelo, Xperi’s Senior Vice President Radio.  “Xperi’s HD Radio is proud to continue its mission of amplifying consumers’ enjoyment of radio as it moves into its next 100 years.  We are delighted to join BMI and Beasley Media Group to celebrate this radio milestone with some of the most exciting songwriters and hitmakers making music today.”

Xperi’s HD Radio is the most successfully deployed digital radio system worldwide, with 2,500+ stations and 70 million receivers in the market.

HARDY Roars To The Top Of The MusicRow Top Songwriter Chart


Artist-writer HARDY roars to the top of the MusicRow Top Songwriter Chart this week, with Morgan Wallen’s “More Than My Hometown,” Cole Swindell’s “Single Saturday Night,” Jameson Rodgers’ “Some Girls,” and Robert Counts’ “What Do I Know,” as well as his own “One Beer,” “Give Heaven Some Hell,” and “Truck.”

Josh Thompson moves down one slot to No. 2 this week, Josh Osborne remains at No. 3 and Thomas Archer remains at No. 4.

Jake Mitchell moves into the top five with HARDY’s “One Beer,” Jameson Rodgers’ “Some Girls,” and Robert Counts’ “What Do I Know.”

The weekly MusicRow Top Songwriter Chart uses algorithms based upon song activity according to airplay, digital downloaded 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.

Ingrid Andress Slates Deluxe Album For October


“More Hearts Than Mine” hitmaker Ingrid Andress will release a deluxe version of her debut full-length album Lady Like on Oct. 2, featuring three previously-unreleased tracks.

In addition to her latest song, “Feeling Things,” the album will feature Andress collaborating with Little Big Town on a rendition of her No. 1 hit “More Hearts Than Mine,” as well as a cover of “Boys,” which Andress originally penned for Charli XCX.
“My love life and emotions are always all over the place,” Andress says. “And with the new songs as a part of the deluxe, I felt like this special track listing was a perfect way to let fans inside my head a little bit more.”

Earlier this month, the Platinum-selling artist was nominated for a CMA Award in the New Artist category and Song of the Year category for “More Hearts Than Mine.” The breakout star was the winningest artist at the 32nd Annual MusicRow Awards this year, sweeping every category she was nominated in. In addition to taking home the award for Breakthrough Artist-Writer of the Year and Breakthrough Artist of the Year, “More Hearts Than Mine” also earned her the sought-after Song of the Year award.

Her debut album, Lady Like, is also set for a vinyl release on Oct. 16.

LADY LIKE (DELUXE)
1. “Feeling Things” – Ingrid Andress, Jason Wu, Trey Campbell
2. “The Stranger (Reimagined)” – Ingrid Andress, Ryan Lafferty
3. “Anything But Love” – Ingrid Andress, Jamie Floyd, Zach Abend
4. “We’re Not Friends” – Ingrid Andress, AJ Pruis, Derrick Southerland, Nate Cyphert
5. “Both” – Ingrid Andress, Derrick Southerland, Jordan Schmidt
6. “More Hearts Than Mine” – Ingrid Andress, Sam Ellis, Derrick Southerland
7. “Lady Like” – Ingrid Andress, Sam Ellis, Derrick Southerland
8. “Boys” – Ingrid Andress, Cass Lowe, Jerker Hansson, Ari Leff, Emily Warren, Michael Pollack
9. “Bad Advice” – Ingrid Andress, Derrick Southerland, Jamie Moore
10. “Waste of Lime” – Ingrid Andress, Shane McAnally, Sam Ellis, Derrick Southerland
11. “Life of the Party” – Ingrid Andress, Jason Wu, Jesse Thomas
12. “The Stranger” – Ingrid Andress, Ryan Lafferty
13. “More Hearts Than Mine (with Karen Fairchild and Kimberly Schlapman of Little Big Town)” – Ingrid Andress, Sam Ellis, Derrick Southerland