The Hot Country Knights are starring in a new 10-episode Quibi series. Dierks Bentley (aka Knights member Doug Douglason) serves as Executive Producer of the mockumentary, alongside manager Mary Hilliard Harrington and Critical Content’s Jenny Daly and Tom Forman.
In the series, Bentley attempts to rescue the ’90s band from “30 wasted years and countless bad decisions,” and give them one more shot at glory with a new album The K Is Silent and their first nationwide tour, and fans can now follow their career on the platform. Fans can download the Quibi app in the Apple App Store or Google Play Store.
Famous for never giving up on the dream of the ‘90s, the Hot Country Knights are comprised of band leader Douglas (“Doug”) Douglason, lead bass player Trevor Travis, lead guitarist Marty Ray (“Rayro”) Roburn, keytar/fiddle player Terotej (“Terry”) Dvoraczekynski, steel guitarist Barry Van Ricky and percussionist Monte Montgomery.
Critical Content is a leading global independent content studio. Launched in October of 2015, the company focuses on unscripted and scripted programming for broadcast, cable and digital platforms. Critical Content currently has more than 50 projects in production for more than 30 different networks. Recent series include “Catfish” (MTV), “Very Cavallari” (E!), “StayHere” (Netflix), “Get a Room with Carson & Thom” (Bravo), “Ozzy and Jack’s World Detour” (A&E), “Who Shot Biggie & Tupac?” (FOX), “Caribbean Pirate Treasure” (Travel Channel), “The Case Of: JonBenét Ramsey” (CBS, Netflix), “The Great Food Truck Race” (Food Network), “Disney’s Fairytale Weddings” (Freeform), “Racing Wives” (CMT), HOME FREE (FOX), “American Spring Live” (PBS), “Portals To Hell” (Travel), “Hanging With The Hendersons” (Animal Plant), “StartUp” (Crackle, Amazon), and “Limitless” (CBS).
Scott And Sandi Borchetta Award $150,000 In Music Education Grants To Celebrate Big Machine’s 15th Anniversary
/by Lorie HollabaughSince its inception 15 years ago by founder Scott Borchetta, Big Machine Records has carved out a unique path to become one of the most successful independent labels in the world, selling over 185 million albums globally and racking up 137 chart-topping singles.
To celebrate the label’s successes over the past 15 years, Scott and Sandi Borchetta have announced a contest for 501c3 non-profit music schools and organizations. Fifteen recipients will be awarded $10,000 grants, which are supported by the Borchettas’ Music Has Value Fund, which was created in 2015 to provide financial support to organizations which support those who make music, aspire to make music, and access and appreciate music.
“The Big Machine Label Group’s hard work over the past 15 years has paid off,” said BMLG President, CEO and Founder Scott Borchetta. “We have been very blessed to work with so many artists and help them realize their musical dreams. We are now using the fruits of our labor to expand our reach and help more people and communities who could use some financial assistance during these hard times.”
“It is important to us to help music education programs in both rural and urban areas,” said Sandi Borchetta, Senior Vice President of Creative for BMLG. “We want to hear your stories. How are you making a difference to elevate music education? Do you have an innovative idea and plan to reach, connect and teach students music during this difficult pandemic time? What can we do to help support the plan?
Information on how to apply and to receive the official grant application with full eligibility requirements, can be found at MusicHasValue.com.
Borchetta also made another big-hearted donation this week with artist Thomas Rhett. When Thomas Rhett released his hit song “Be A Light” featuring friends Reba McEntire, Hillary Scott, Chris Tomlin and Keith Urban in March, it was accompanied by an announcement that he and the song’s collaborators would donate all proceeds from single to the ongoing MusiCares COVID-19 Relief efforts. Rhett and Borchetta surprised Recording Academy Chair and Interim President/CEO Harvey Mason Jr. and MusiCares Executive Director Laura Segura via a video conference with an additional $100,000 for the relief fund. The news comes as “Be A Light” nears the top of the country radio charts and fans all over the world share messages of hope with the #BeALight campaign.
Riley Green To Premiere "The Golden Saw Series" To Help ACM Lifting Lives COVID-19 Response Fund
/by Jessica NicholsonACM Awards New Male Artist of the Year Riley Green will take fans on a virtual journey through his hometown in Jacksonville, Alabama, with the premiere of “The Golden Saw Series,” supported through a partnership with Busch. Proceeds from the series will benefit musicians out of work due to the global pandemic through Green’s #GetThatBandABeer and ACM Lifting Lives COVID-19 Response Fund, disbursed to individuals in the country music community who are currently on the waitlist for pandemic relief assistance. The four-part series will air bi-weekly on YouTube beginning Thursday (Sept. 3) with each episode featuring different guests performing alongside Green as well as surprise duets between artists.
“The Golden Saw is a special place to me,” Green says. “I learned how to sing and play guitar in that old house. I wanted to share the way those rough cut pine walls made me feel as a kid so I decided to do a concert series. I have some amazing singers and songwriters joining me and I can’t wait for y’all to see it.”
When Green was a teenager, his great-grandparents’ former home was turned into The Golden Saw Music Hall as a performance venue – named after the family’s nearby sawmill – for local musicians to play their favorite classic Country hits on Saturday nights.
Guests for the four-part series include singer-songwriters Drake White and Brent Cobb, and songwriters Jessi Alexander (“The Climb,” “I Drive Your Truck”), Randy Montana (“Beer Never Broke My Heart,” “I Hope You’re Happy Now”), Erik Dylan (“There Was This Girl,” “Outlaws Like Us”), Adam Hood (“Good Ol’ Days”), Dave Kennedy and Channing Wilson (“She Got The Best of Me”).
Kobalt, SMACKSongs Renew Partnership
/by Jessica NicholsonKobalt and SMACKSongs have renewed their global partnership, including a continuation of publishing administration, creative services and synch for all of SMACKSongs’ catalog and future works.
Jesse Willoughby, General Manager of Kobalt Nashville, said, “Shane, Michael, Josh and the entire SMACK team have built an incredible business that personifies a true creative and entrepreneurial spirit becoming a beacon of the Nashville publishing community in a short period of time. We are honored to continue on this journey with them and look forward to being a part of their continued success and growth in the future.”
Led by Grammy Award winners Shane McAnally and Josh Osborne, SMACKSongs’ songwriters, artists and producers have collectively earned over 50 chart-topping hits. In 2018, SMACKSongs was named SESAC Publisher of the Year and has been named AIMP Publisher of the Year for the past three years.
SMACKSongs has been listed as a Top 10 Billboard Hot Country Publishing Corporation for the past seven years.
Robert Carlton, SVP, Development of SMACKSongs, added, “Kobalt has proven to be an invaluable part of the SMACK team. They’ve been with us since day one in helping build this company, so it was a no brainer to continue this partnership. We are excited to see what new heights we’ll hit together in the coming years.”
Kane Brown, Mickey Guyton, Eric Church, Dan + Shay, More Set For ACM Awards Performances
/by Lorie HollabaughMickey Guyton. Photo: Mathieu Bitton
Luke Bryan, Eric Church, Dan + Shay, Kane Brown, Florida Georgia Line, Mickey Guyton and Morgan Wallen have been added to the lineup of artists for the 55th Academy of Country Music Awards on Sept. 16.
Hosted by reigning ACM Entertainer of the Year and 15-time ACM Award-winner Keith Urban, the awards will be broadcast from the Grand Ole Opry House stage from 8:00-11:00 PM ET live/delayed PT) on CBS and will be available to stream on demand on CBS All Access.
Brown will perform his current single “Worldwide Beautiful”; Bryan will perform his 25th No. 1 hit “One Margarita”; Church will perform his new single “Stick That In Your Country Song”; Dan + Shay will offer up their current song “I Should Probably Go to Bed”; Florida Georgia Line will perform their latest chart-topper “I Love My Country”; Guyton will sing her stirring song “What Are You Gonna Tell Her?”; and Wallen will perform his multi-week No.1 smash “Whiskey Glasses.”
For the first time in the show’s history, the awards will take place in Nashville, broadcasting from three iconic venues: Grand Ole Opry House, Nashville’s historic Ryman Auditorium and The Bluebird Cafe. Previously announced artists performing on the show include Kelsea Ballerini, Gabby Barrett, Riley Green, Maren Morris, Old Dominion, Thomas Rhett featuring Jon Pardi, and Tenille Townes. Artists at The Bluebird Cafe include Jimmie Allen, Luke Combs, Miranda Lambert featuring songwriters Natalie Hemby and Luke Dick, and Tim McGraw.
More performances, unique collaborations and surprising moments will be announced in the coming weeks.
Porter’s Call To Host Virtual Evening Of Stories
/by Lorie HollabaughBrown is an author, spoken word poet, and speaker whose work interweaves keep-it-real storytelling, rhyme, and humor. She has crafted five spoken word albums and two non-fiction books. Acuff is the New York Times best-selling author of six books including his most recent, Finish: Give Yourself the Gift of Done.
The special evening helps support Porter’s Call, which aids artists with the counseling, support, and encouragement they may need in times of struggle. Services at Porter’s Call are provided at no charge. More information on the live stream can be found here.
Filmore’s ‘State I’m In’ Slated For September
/by Lorie HollabaughFilmore’s debut album, State I’m In, is set for release Sept. 25. The 18-song album, produced by Zach Abend, chronicles a chapter in Filmore’s life that has been full of changes, including his recent engagement this summer to longtime girlfriend Paige, planning a Fall wedding, and seeing his fan base continue to grow amidst a global pandemic.
“This album is a look into my life over the last few years. It’s the ups and downs in relationships, experiences from my hometown, life on the road, and living in Nashville,” said the Missouri native. “I wrote every song from a real and personal place with amazing writers and friends. My hope is that you can listen to this album from start to finish and know who Filmore is by the end. Knowing that these songs relate to others, to help them get through a break-up, or celebrate love, or just let them enjoy a night out with friends, is why I made this album. State I’m In can be a state of mind or a specific location that helps you remember a moment in your life. For me, every one of these songs represents a moment in time that made me who I am today.”
The Curb recording artist has already accumulated over 146 million career on-demand streams and been featured on Spotify’s noteworthy ‘New Music Friday,’ ‘Hot Country’ and ‘Wild Country,’ as well as appearances on NBC’s “TODAY” and The Bobby Bones Show.
State I’m In Track Listing:
Amazon Music Allows Artists To Integrate Twitch Livestream Performances
/by Jessica NicholsonAmazon Music and Twitch have teamed to allow Twitch’s livestreaming functionality to integrate into the Amazon Music app, allowing artists to connect via livestream to Amazon Music’s more than 55 million customers on all streaming tiers.
Fans will have a variety of ways to discover artist live streams within the Amazon Music app, including a push notification from artists they follow when they go live on Twitch; and through Amazon Music’s new “Live” browse page. Amazon Music has also made it simple for artists to link their Twitch channel with Amazon Music, using the newly-launched Amazon Music for Artists app.
“The combination of live streaming, coupled with the on-demand playback of songs on Amazon Music is groundbreaking,” said Ryan Redington, Director, Amazon Music. “We’re providing artists with more tools to instantly engage with fans, and this new feature couldn’t arrive at a more crucial time in the industry. More than 1,000 artists have already connected their Amazon Music accounts to Twitch, and this is just day one. Together with Twitch, we’re making it possible for artists across all genres, at all moments of their careers, to harness the social power of live streaming to create more engagement with their recorded catalog.”
“Twitch has always been about connecting amazingly talented creators live with fans everywhere,” said Tracy Chan, VP, Head of Music at Twitch. “That’s why we’re excited to announce the next phase of our ongoing partnership with Amazon Music that unlocks an entirely new world of live music experiences and engagement by connecting Twitch live streams and Amazon’s catalog of recorded music. Especially now, in a time when traditional venues are closed and tours have been cancelled, musicians are looking for new ways to continue creating, connect with fans, and build community. Twitch has become the place to co-create shared live experiences, and it’s now accessible in-app for Amazon Music’s 55 million customers.”
BMG Revenues Rise 4.8% In First Half of 2020
/by Jessica NicholsonEven as the COVID-19 pandemic has had a tremendous negative impact on the live music business and on record stores around the world, BMG’s latest numbers show that revenues for the company increased by 4.8% during the first half of 2020, to $308 million.
Digital accounted for 83% of recordings revenue and 48% of music publishing revenue during the period.
Streaming of BMG’s recorded catalog was up 49% year-over-year, while overall recorded streaming was up 26%.
Key drivers of the results were a strong performance by the company’s music publishing business and surging streaming numbers for the company’s recording artists.
BMG CEO Hartwig Masuch said, “To deliver a record result in the midst of a pandemic is a remarkable achievement. It is a testament to our artist-centric business model, but also to our 926-strong team worldwide who went to extraordinary lengths to maintain service to our artist and songwriter clients.
“Our growth is almost entirely organic,” he added. “Despite the high levels of M&A in the wider music industry, we have not made a major acquisition since 2017. Our focus is on growing by delivering better, fairer, more efficient services to artists and songwriters. There is no doubt musicians are hurting through the pandemic, particularly with the loss of live business. That puts a particular responsibility on record labels and music publishers to help artists and songwriters maximize their earnings.”
Mark Your Calendar—September 2020
/by LB CantrellSingle Add Dates
September 7
The Desert City Ramblers/Comin’ Home/Crane Creek Records
Tom Sexton/Population 2/Lots To Do Music, LLC
September 8
Cody Johnson/Dear Rodeo/Warner/CoJo/WMN
September 14
Chris Janson/Waitin’ on 5/Warner Music Nashville
Gary Allan/Waste Of A Whiskey Drink/EMI
Calamity Jane/The Mountain/Mountain Records
Robert Ray/Think About You/Big Rig
September 21
Miranda Lambert/Settling Down/Vanner Records
Caylee Hammack/Just Friends/Capitol
High Valley/Grew Up On That/Warner/WEA
Elvie Shane/My Boy/Wheelhouse
Eric Burgett/Sometimes Late At Night/Bow To Stern Records
September 28
Shane Owens/Everybody Dies But Not Everybody Lives/AmeriMonte Records
Album Releases
September 4
HARDY/A ROCK/Big Loud Records
All Them Witches/Nothing As The Ideal/New West Records
Carolina Story/Dandelion/Black River Americana
Lauren Alaina/Getting Over Him/Mercury Nashville
Tyler Rich/Two Thousand Miles/The Valory Music Co.
September 11
Delta Spirit/What Is There/New West Records
Mickey Guyton/Bridges/Capitol Nashville
Riley Green/If It Wasn’t For Trucks/BMLG Records
September 18
Keith Urban/The Speed of Now Part 1/Capitol Nashville
Alecia Nugent/The Old Side of Town/Hillbilly Goddess Music
Smith & Wesley/Greetings From The Land of Y’all/BFD/Audium Nashville
Luke Laird/Music Row/CN
September 25
Carrie Underwood/My Gift/Capitol Nashville
Skip Ewing/Wyoming/Write! Records
Terri Clark/It’s Christmas…Cheers!/Mercury Nashville
Justin Moore/Live at the Ryman/The Valory Music Co.
Granger Smith/Country Things, Vol. 1/BBR Music Group
Texas Hill/Texas Hill
Industry Events
September 16-18
Americana Music Association Foundation’s Thriving Roots: A Virtual Community Music Conference
September 16
55th Academy of Country Music Awards
Americana Awards
September 22
Nashville Songwriter Awards (Virtual)
Hot Country Knights Mockumentary Coming To Quibi
/by Lorie HollabaughThe Hot Country Knights are starring in a new 10-episode Quibi series. Dierks Bentley (aka Knights member Doug Douglason) serves as Executive Producer of the mockumentary, alongside manager Mary Hilliard Harrington and Critical Content’s Jenny Daly and Tom Forman.
In the series, Bentley attempts to rescue the ’90s band from “30 wasted years and countless bad decisions,” and give them one more shot at glory with a new album The K Is Silent and their first nationwide tour, and fans can now follow their career on the platform. Fans can download the Quibi app in the Apple App Store or Google Play Store.
Famous for never giving up on the dream of the ‘90s, the Hot Country Knights are comprised of band leader Douglas (“Doug”) Douglason, lead bass player Trevor Travis, lead guitarist Marty Ray (“Rayro”) Roburn, keytar/fiddle player Terotej (“Terry”) Dvoraczekynski, steel guitarist Barry Van Ricky and percussionist Monte Montgomery.
Critical Content is a leading global independent content studio. Launched in October of 2015, the company focuses on unscripted and scripted programming for broadcast, cable and digital platforms. Critical Content currently has more than 50 projects in production for more than 30 different networks. Recent series include “Catfish” (MTV), “Very Cavallari” (E!), “StayHere” (Netflix), “Get a Room with Carson & Thom” (Bravo), “Ozzy and Jack’s World Detour” (A&E), “Who Shot Biggie & Tupac?” (FOX), “Caribbean Pirate Treasure” (Travel Channel), “The Case Of: JonBenét Ramsey” (CBS, Netflix), “The Great Food Truck Race” (Food Network), “Disney’s Fairytale Weddings” (Freeform), “Racing Wives” (CMT), HOME FREE (FOX), “American Spring Live” (PBS), “Portals To Hell” (Travel), “Hanging With The Hendersons” (Animal Plant), “StartUp” (Crackle, Amazon), and “Limitless” (CBS).