SiriusXM is broadcasting its first-ever Highway Finds Fest, a three-day virtual country festival starting this Friday (July 17) on SiriusXM’s The Highway channel. The three-day broadcast will feature exclusive, new performance sets each day from artists’ homes. Luke Combs headlines Friday’s broadcast, while Maren Morris leads the Saturday lineup, and Sam Hunt rounds out the weekend on Sunday.

The festival will also include performances from Kelsea Ballerini, Chris Janson, Chase Rice, Cole Swindell, Brett Young and more. Over the past decade, SiriusXM’s The Highway has helped to launch acts such as Florida Georgia Line, Luke Combs, Maren Morris, Old Dominion, Sam Hunt and many others, as a part of the channel’s ‘Highway Finds’ spotlight.

SiriusXM’s Highway Finds Fest will have former ‘Highway Finds’ artists Ingrid Andress, Gabby Barrett, Ashley McBryde and Niko Moon serve as emcees. Following Sunday’s Sam Hunt performance, SiriusXM’s Highway Finds Fest will feature a special broadcast of Florida Georgia Line’s 2019 exclusive performance for SiriusXM’s subscribers from the Ryman Auditorium.

On July 19, Circle will honor the life and career of Charlie Daniels, who passed away July 6 at the age of 83. Circle Salutes Charlie Daniels will include programming to honor the late music legend, beginning at 7 p.m. ET. The new special half-hour premiere of Circle Sessions: Remembering Charlie Daniels will feature moments from his Grand Ole Opry induction, career highlights and interviews with some of his fellow artists he influenced over his 60+ year career.

See the full Circle Salutes Charlie Daniels programming schedule below:

7 p.m. ET – The Charlie Daniels Band: Live at Billy Bob’s Texas | The Charlie Daniels Band performs on the mainstage, featuring their hits.

8 p.m. ET (repeats at 11:00 PM, ET) – Reflections from the Circle: Charlie Daniels | Charlie Daniels reflects on his personal life and career during an intimate conversation on the stage of the Grand Ole Opry with TV and WSM-AM radio personality Eddie Stubbs.

9 p.m. ET (repeats at midnight, ET) – Hee Haw | Charlie Daniels guest stars on the long-running country variety show.

10 p.m. ET (repeats at 1:00 AM, ET) – Circle Sessions: Remembering Charlie Daniels (special half-hour episode) | WSM-AM’s popular radio and TV personality Bill Cody shares a look back at the career of country legend and Grand Ole Opry member Charlie Daniels.

BMI, Taylor Guitars and Shure are collaborating on a new social media video series, “My #1 Moment,” which captures intimate versions of BMI writers performing their first No. 1 song at home. The series debuted on Taylor Guitar’s Instagram channel on July 8, and features songwriters Michael Hardy, Devin Dawson, Russell Dickerson and more sharing the stories behind the songs that took them to the top of the country charts for the very first time.

This morning BMI launched the latest episode with Ben Burgess, recent Big Loud signee and writer of “Whiskey Glasses.”

“BMI consistently supports our songwriters and is unwavering in our effort to shed light on their talent. We are thrilled to enhance our longstanding partnership with Taylor Guitars and excited to welcome Shure to the fold,” says Mason Hunter, AVP, Creative, Nashville.  “These unique segments are the perfect way to continue to highlight our first-time number one writers and provide them with an opportunity to showcase their talents on a beautiful instrument and with quality sound.”

Since 2018, BMI has partnered with Taylor Guitars to honor a writer’s first No. 1 with a brand-new guitar. Recorded using a Shure MV88+ Video Kit and played on the writer’s commemorative Taylor 210e Deluxe guitar, the intimate, acoustic “My #1 Moment” series performance will offer viewers a unique opportunity to hear these songs from the songwriters who brought them to life.

“We love building guitars that serve as inspirational tools for writing songs,” said Tim Godwin, Taylor’s Director of Artist and Entertainment Relations. “We have been working with BMI for a few years, and this campaign feels like a natural extension of our partnership and an excellent way to honor these songwriters. We’re excited to have our friends at Shure tie it all together since they make it easy to create great-sounding videos from your phone.”

Writers appearing in the “My #1 Moment” Series:

Ash Bowers – “Prayed For You”
Ben Burgess – “Whiskey Glasses”
Brad Clawson – “Up Down”
Derrick Southerland – “More Hearts Than Mine”
Devin Dawson – “God’s Country”
Drew Parker – “Homemade”
Michael Hardy – “Up Down”
Randy Montana – “Beer Never Broke My Heart”
Riley Green – “There Was This Girl”
Rob Williford – “One Number Away”
Russell Dickerson – “Yours”
Scotty McCreery – “Five More Minutes”

The Nashville Chapter of the Association of Independent Music Publishers (AIMP) has announced the nominees of the fifth annual AIMP Nashville Awards.

Five independent music publishers and 10 songwriters each received more than one nomination, including publishers Big Machine Music, Big Yellow Dog, Creative Nation, Kobalt Music, and SMACKSongs, as well as songwriters Barry Dean, Jessie Jo Dillon, HARDY, Ryan Hurd, Ashley McBryde, Matt Stell, Laura Veltz, and Allison Veltz Cruz.

An in-person ceremony had been slated for April 27, 2020 at Nashville’s Ryman Auditorium, but was canceled due to the COVID-19 pandemic. The ceremony will not be rescheduled or held virtually; instead, winners will receive their awards via mail.

Voting runs from July 20-24, with the winners to be announced the following week. Those who would like to vote must visit aimp.org/register by July 23 to either ensure their membership is in good standing or sign up to become an AIMP Nashville Chapter member.

“While this is not how we envisioned this year’s AIMP Nashville Awards, we still want to honor the work of the fabulous songwriters, artists, and publishers in our community who deserve to be recognized,” said Ree Guyer, Vice President of the AIMP Nashville Chapter and Co-Chair of the AIMP Nashville Awards. “This is an unprecedented situation but not one we can’t overcome. We hope to see everyone in person again soon.”

“While we wish we could bring the Nashville community together at the Ryman this year, we’re still excited to honor the hard work of our local independent publishers and songwriters,” said John Ozier, President of the AIMP Nashville Chapter. “In times like these, we need music even more than ever. These companies and individuals are doing their part to keep people entertained during this unpredictable time, and they must be celebrated.”

Last year’s winners included HARDY, Aaron Eshuis, Leslie Roberts, “Made for You” (penned by Benjy Davis, Joey Hyde and Neil Medley), Luke Combs, Jessie Jo Dillon, Celia Froehlig, and more.

The full list of nominees for 2020 are:

AIMP Publisher of the Year
Big Machine Music Publishing
Kobalt Music
Curb Word Entertainment
SMACKSongs
Peer Music
Downtown Music

AIMP Rising Songwriter of the Year
Allison Veltz Cruz
Alysa Vanderheym
Hunter Phelps
Jameson Rodgers
Jennifer Denmark
Sam Sumser

AIMP Rising Artist-Writer of the Year
Hailey Whitters
Kylie Morgan
Matt Stell
Runaway June
Ryan Hurd
Tenille Townes

AIMP Songwriter of the Year
Ashley Gorley
HARDY
Luke Combs
Laura Veltz
Hillary Lindsey
Jordan Schmidt

AIMP Artist-Writer of the Year
Ashley McBryde
Brothers Osborne
HARDY
Luke Combs
Morgan Wallen
Old Dominion

AIMP Song Champion of the Year
Alex Heddle
Brad Peterson
David Israelite
Greg Gallo
Lee Krabel
Stephanie Cox

AIMP Publisher’s Pick
– “God And Country Music” (Barry Dean, Lori McKenna, Luke Laird) independently published by Creative Nation. Recorded by George Strait.
– “One Night Standards” (Ashley McBryde, Nicolette Hayford, Shane McAnally) independently published by SMACKSongs, River House, Canned Biscuit Songs. Recorded by Ashley McBryde.
– “Seeing Other People” (Emily Falvey, Jason Afable, Matt McGinn) independently published by SMACKSongs, McGinntellectual Property, Rarespark Media Group. Recorded by MacKenzie Porter.
– “Small Town Hypocrite” (Caylee Hammack, Jared Scott) independently published by Plaid Flag Music. Recorded by Caylee Hammack.
– “To Hell And Back” (Jessie Jo Dillon, Maren Morris, Laura Veltz) independently published by Big Machine Music, Big Yellow Dog, Revelry, Kobalt Music. Recorded by Maren Morris.
– “Wish For The World” (Aaron Eshuis, Joe Clemmons, Ryan Hurd) independently published by Big Machine Music, Mojo Music & Media. Recorded by Ryan Hurd.

AIMP Song of the Year
– “10,000 Hours” (Dan Smyers, Jason Boyd, Jessie Jo Dillon, Jordan Reynolds, Justin Bieber, Shay Mooney) independently published by Big Machine Music. Recorded by Dan & Shay and Justin Bieber.
– “Beer Never Broke My Heart” (Jonathan Singleton, Luke Combs, Randy Montana) independently published by Big Machine Music, 50 Egg Music. Recorded by Luke Combs.
– “Heartache Medication” (Barry Dean, Jon Pardi, Natalie Hemby) independently published by Creative Nation, Song Factory, Pulse Nation, MV2 Entertainment. Recorded by Jon Pardi.
– “One Man Band” (Brad Tursi, Josh Osborne, Matthew Ramsey, Trevor Rosen) independently published by Wrensong Entertainment, Anthem Entertainment, Twelve6 Entertainment, SMACKSongs. Recorded by Old Dominion.
– “Prayed For You” (Allison Veltz Cruz, Ash Bowers, Matt Stell) independently published by Big Deal Music, Wide Open Music, Endurance Music. Recorded by Matt Stell.
– “The Bones” (Jimmy Robbins, Maren Morris, Laura Veltz) independently published by Big Yellow Dog, Big Machine Music, JRM Publishing, Round Hill Music. Recorded by Maren Morris.

Following the announcement of this year’s nominees for the 32nd annual MusicRow Awards, we take a look at the MusicRow Robert K. Oermann Discovery Artist of the Year category. The award will honor a Nashville developing artist who demonstrates significant talent and potential to rise.

The MusicRow Awards will be announced virtually among multiple MusicRow platforms on Tuesday, August 18, 2020. Presenting Sponsor of the 2020 MusicRow Awards is City National Bank.

Click here to see the full list of MusicRow Awards nominees.

Winners are determined solely by MusicRow Magazine subscribed members. Voting is now open and closes on July 17 at 5 p.m..

To receive a ballot to vote in the MusicRow Awards, become a MusicRow member here.

Avenue Beat powered onto the scene with the debut “Ruin That For Me,” which has amassed over 11 million global streams to date and continues to rise at country radio. The Genzennial trio comprised of Sami Bearden, Savana Santos and Sam Backoff is spreading like wildfire through social media apps including TikTok, thanks to their melodic brand of pop, keen lyrics, and saucy titles like “Thank You Anxiety” and “I Don’t Really Like Your Boyfriend.”

Jameson Rodgers is storming country radio with his debut single “Some Girls.” The rising star previously released two successful independent EPs, accruing millions of streams and fans. He spent much of 2019 supporting Luke Combs on tour and playing his own headlining dates. Rodgers, a Mississippi native, initially made his mark on Music City as a songwriter, and earned an additional MusicRow Awards nomination this year for Breakthrough Songwriter, as co-writer of hits by Florida Georgia Line and Chris Lane.

Niko Moon is warming up summer radio with his playful, self-penned debut single “Good Time.” Though it is his first time on the radio as an artist, Moon has a strong musical track record as a longtime collaborator with Zac Brown Band, having credits on five of the band’s No. 1s. Moon is co-writing and co-producing his debut EP, set for release later this year. He is a Texas native who relocated to Georgia at age 10. The result is his own hooky blend of southern music meets sunny hip-hop.

Payton Smith is primed for success with his debut single “Like I Knew You Would,” which he co-wrote. The Louisiana native is a multi-instrumentalist and songwriter known for a stage presence that belies his 20 years. These talents have helped him accrue over 20 million global streams. As a self-taught musician, Smith has an online video series called It Started With A Song, covering artists who influenced his music, ranging from Pearl Jam and John Mayer, to George Strait and Chris Young.

Randall King is a modern traditionalist with a strong following in his native Texas, playing 150 dates per year and self-releasing music before signing with Warner Music Nashville in 2019. Now he’s working with seasoned producers Bart Butler and Ryan Gore, and is still bringing plenty of twang to his new music, including recent releases “She Gone” and “Hey Cowgirl.” King’s 2018 self-titled and self-produced album has contributed to his more than 15 million on-demand streams.

Trea Landon is a rising singer-songwriter who is primed for success with the release of his Dirt Road Dancin’ EP, produced by hitmaker Scott Hendricks, who is nominated for Producer of the Year. Landon began playing guitar and writing music at age 16. Citing fellow Georgia natives The Peach Pickers as one of his major influences, he followed in their footsteps to Nashville in 2015 and landed a publishing deal with Dallas Davidson’s Play It Again Music.