Nineteen major organizations—including labels, performing rights organizations, talent agencies, digital providers, and streaming services—have pledged to support the nonprofit She Is The Music (SITM) latest initiative, SITM12, through providing resources to aid the nonprofit’s three pillars, including all-female songwriting camps, mentorship, and a global database of female music creators.
The campaign’s first partners to commit include 19 major organizations: Universal Music Group, Sony Music Group, Warner Music Group, Disney Music Group, Billboard, Spotify, ASCAP, BMI, Friends At Work, Women Nation/Live Nation, WME, CAA, UTA, Paradigm, American Express, YouTube/Google, Facebook/Instagram, Gucci, and Annenberg Foundation.
The commitment from the various partners will help fund 12 all-female songwriting camps and sponsor artist and executive speaking events for SITM’s mentorship program. SITM12 partners can also commit to organizing one of the 12 songwriting camps and are being encouraged to bring outside brand sponsors to support the initiative. Music organizations can also commit a select number of internships from their existing college programs to be specially earmarked for female students from SITM’s organization.
Additionally, it was announced that Dr. Stacy L. Smith, founder of the Annenberg Inclusion Initiative, has joined the nonprofit’s Board of Directors, alongside Jody Gerson, Alicia Keys, Ann Mincieli and Samantha Kirby Yoh.
The initiative is named after the 12% of female songwriters represented in music; the effort will offer companies and artists additional resources to improve access and career opportunities in various sectors of the music industry.
SITM cofounder Gerson said, “SITM was created to increase the percentage of women working in music and those numbers are finally beginning to shift. As we drive forward in full force, this campaign will be crucial to this pivotal moment of change. We are grateful to SITM12’s first partners for their leadership and generosity in helping to create a music world that is equal and inclusive to women.”
Keb’ Mo’, Sara Bareilles, I’m With Her Win Grammy Americana Categories
/by Jessica NicholsonThis year’s Grammy accolades in Americana and American Roots categories were evenly spread among several winners.
Best American Roots performance went to Saint Honesty from Sara Bareilles. This marks her first Grammy win.
Best American Roots Song went to powerhouse trio I’m With Her’s “Call My Name,” penned by Sarah Jarosz, Aoife O’Donovan and Sara Watkins.
Keb’ Mo’ album Oklahoma earned Best Americana Album. Keb’ Mo’ has had four Grammy wins and 12 nominations in his career.
During the Premiere ceremony, fellow Americana category nominee Yola performed a stirring rendition of her Grammy-nominated hit “Faraway Look.” Yola is also nominated for the all-genre Best New Artist category at this year’s ceremony.
Willie Nelson Wins Best Country Solo Performance Grammy
/by Jessica NicholsonWillie Nelson earned Best Country Solo Performance at this year’s Grammy Awards on Sunday (Jan. 26) for “Ride Me Back Home,” the title track from his 2019 album.
Nelson was not in attendance to accept the honor in person. Nelson has had nine Grammy award wins, and 52 nominations over the course of his career.
For King & Country Earn Two Grammy Honors
/by Jessica NicholsonContemporary Christian duo for King & Country won two Grammy honors on Sunday (Jan. 26). The duo, which includes brothers Luke and Joel Smallbone, first took home Best Contemporary Christian Performance/Song for their collaboration on “God Only Knows” ft. Dolly Parton. The song was written by Josh Kerr, Jordan Reynolds, Joel Smallbone, Luke Smallbone, and Tedd Tjornhom.
“It is Australia Day today so this is very special for us,” said Joel Smallbone, noting their parents were in the audience. “If you were ever planning to go to Australia, go now. Because unfortunately a lot of people aren’t going on holiday right now, and a lot of Australia’s economy is built on tourism.”
“When we stepped in to write this song we were all waking though very hard moments,” he said of penning “God Only Knows.” “When that happens, you tend to put it on paper. To have Dolly Parton, who is an incredible human being, its one of the best honors of our career to have her be part of this.
“She said, ‘I’m going to take this song to Dollywood to Bollywood to Hollywood,’ and we did it, Dolly. We took it all the way.”
Moments later, the duo’s recent album Burn The Ships was named Best Contemporary Christian Music Album.
Luke Smallbone said, “Thank you so much to our producers…you guys were able to make something very special and important with us.” They thanked their label, booking agents, and their wives. Luke also shared the story behind the title track to Burn The Ships.
“I realized that in the process of writing this song that there are so many people in life that need new beginnings, a new dawn, and Jesus offers that for people like you and people like me. I stand up here thankful for this award, but it ultimately represents redemption for me and my family.”
for King & Country has previously earned two Grammy honors, including Best Contemporary Christian Music Album (for Run Wild. Live Free. Love Strong.) and Best Contemporary Christian Music Performance/Song (for “Messengers” ft. Lecrae), both in 2015.
Tanya Tucker Wins First Two Grammy Honors
/by Jessica NicholsonTanya Tucker earned her very first two Grammy honors on Sunday night (Jan. 26). She earned Best Country Song for “Bring My Flowers Now,” as well as Best Country Album for While I’m Livin’.
“Bring My Flowers Now” was penned by Tucker alongside Brandi Carlile, Phil Hanseroth, and Tim Hanseroth. The song was the lead single from her album While I’m Livin’ produced by Carlile and Shooter Jennings.
“Thank you so much. After almost 50 years in this business, after many dreams, it’s unbelievable to me that I’d have a few first’s left,” Tucker said after taking the stage. “After 14 nominations, this is the first win.”
Tucker’s first Grammy nomination came in 1972, while she was still a teenager, and nominated for Best Country Vocal Performance, Female for “Delta Dawn.”
She thanked her management and public relations representatives, as well as her co-writers, before telling the audience, “No matter how young or old you are, never stop following your dreams. Keep going.”
Carlile added, “This is really Tanya’s moment and this is her song and this song is the story of her life. It is one of the great honors of my life to stand by her as she earns her first Grammy. At 61 years old, a woman in country music leading the way.”
Moments later, Tucker’s album While I’m Livin’ was named Best Country Album.
“Shooter Jennings get up here Buddy! Your daddy’s up there with mine right now and he’s really proud of us right now,” Tucker said. “There are no words to express how I feel right now.”
Tucker, Carlile, Phil and Tim Hanseroth were also nominated for overall Song of the Year (also for “Bring My Flowers Now”) at the 2020 Grammy ceremony (the honor went to Billie Eilish’s “Bad Guy”).
Lil Nas X, Billy Ray Cyrus Earn Early Grammy Wins
/by Jessica NicholsonLil Nas X and Billy Ray Cyrus earned a Grammy for Best Music Video for their record-breaking hit “Old Town Road” during the Grammy Premiere Ceremony on Sunday, Jan. 26.
Lil Nas X took the stage, simply saying “Thank you,” to the audience. He was joined by video director Calmatic, as well as several video producers for the clip.
Later during the Premiere ceremony, it was announced that the hit song also earned Best Pop Duo/Group Performance.
“Old Town Road” is also nominated for Record of the Year. Lil Nas X’s project 7 is nominated for Album of the Year, while Lil Nas X is up for Best New Artist.
Natalie Hemby, Hillary Lindsey, Aaron Raitiere Win Grammy For “I’ll Never Love Again”
/by Jessica NicholsonNatalie Hemby, Hillary Lindsey and Aaron Raitiere, alongside Lady Gaga, won a Grammy during the 2020 Premiere Ceremony in Los Angeles on Sunday (Jan. 26), in the Best Song Written For Visual Media category, for their song “I’ll Never Love Again.”
The song was performed by Lady Gaga and Bradley Cooper in the film A Star Is Born.
“Thank you so much. We went out to write with Lady Gaga for this movie. We didn’t know we would even get a song in this film,” Hemby said.
Lindsey and Raitiere thanked Lady Gaga, Cooper and the song’s producer Dave Cobb. Hemby, Lindsey and Lady Gaga are also nominated for overall Song of the Year at the 2020 Grammy ceremony, for penning “Always Remember Us This Way,” another song from the A Star Is Born soundtrack. Lindsey is also nominated for Best Country Song for penning Miranda Lambert’s “It All Comes Out In The Wash.”
Belmont University Honors Alvin Love III, Dwan Hill With Curtain Call Award
/by Jessica NicholsonPictured: Alvin Love III and Dwan Hill accepting the Curtain Call Award at Belmont University in Nashville, Tennessee on January 22, 2020.
Belmont University’s School of Music recently presented its annual Curtain Call Award to commercial music alumni and Grammy winners Alvin Love III (2007) and Dwan Hill (2008), who penned “Never Have to Be Alone” for former Belmont trustee Cece Winans. “Never Have to Be Alone” earned the 2018 Grammy for Best Gospel Performance/Song. Love also produced Winans’s album Let Them Fall In Love, which was named Best Gospel Album by the Grammys in 2018.
Hill also played piano for eight of the cuts on Christian artist Lauren Daigle’s Look Up Child and was approached afterward to work on a new arrangement for her rendition of “Turn Your Eyes Upon Jesus.”
The School of Music presented Love and Hill with the award on January 22 in the Massey Performing Arts Center, followed by a concert performed by Love and Hill and Belmont musicians Nathan Dugger on guitar, Rich Brinsfield on bass and Marcus Hill on drums. Winans joined the duo on stage to perform “Never Have to Be Alone.”
The Curtain Call Award was created in 1995 to honor commercial music alumni who are using the foundation gained at Belmont University to impact the world.
“Alvin and Dwan continue to exemplify Belmont’s values through leadership, faith and excellent musicianship. They work with not only each other, but with other School of Music alumni to create inspiring music that impacts others,” said Dean of the College of Music and Performing Arts Stephen Eaves. “From their Grammy winning co-write on ‘Never Have to Be Alone’ to Dwan’s work on Lauren Daigle’s arrangement of ‘Turn Your Eyes Upon Jesus’ to their collaborations to create original worship music for Nashville Life Church and other churches, they are truly transforming the world. It was an honor to have Alvin and Dwan return to Massey Concert Hall to motivate and encourage our current students with their creative musical journey.”
Previous Curtain Call honorees include Melinda Doolittle, Josh Turner, Danny Wells, Akil Thompson and Tammy Rogers King.
Industry Leaders Announced for CRS Mentoring Breakfasts
/by Jessica NicholsonCountry Radio Seminar has released its schedule of mentoring breakfasts as part of the upcoming CRS 2020. Four mentoring breakfasts will focus on the areas of programming, digital/streaming, and labels, as well as an all-sector female mentoring breakfast
The Programming Breakfast welcomes attendees to sit down with experienced PDs who can help them build their skill set and learn fresh new ideas. Confirmed mentors for the session are Carletta Blake (WGAR/iHeartMedia), M. Fletcher Brown (Big River Broadcasting), Charlie Cook (Cumulus), Melissa Frost (KRRV/Cenla Broadcasting), Buzz Jackson (KIIM/Cumulus), Kenny Jay (WSUN/Entercom), Kurt Johnson (Townsquare Media), Mike McVay (McVay Media), Rod Phillips (iHeartMedia), Mark Razz (Beasley Broadcasting), and Tim Roberts (WYCD).
For the Digital & Streaming Mentoring Breakfast, industry professionals and platform experts will be available to provide insights on trends, strategies, and best practices to optimize digital assets and streaming platforms. This session also allows for a “conversation” between panelists, attendees and the hosts. Digital mentors that will lead the session include Emily Cohen (Amazon Music), James Crowley (FlyteVu), Tim Foisset (Warner Music Nashville) and Kelly Rich (Amazon Music) with more to be released soon.
The Women’s Mentoring Breakfast, sponsored by NuVoodoo Media Services, will offer attendees the opportunity to approach and chat with some of music’s top female execs from all areas of the industry. In attendance will be Brooke Antonakos (Red Creative Group), Jenn Dalen (Stingray Canada), Trudie Daniell (EMI), Heather Davis (WQDR/Raleigh), Martha Earls (EFG Management), Missi Gallimore (Get It Done Entertainment/Truth Management), Nicolle Galyon (Songs & Daughters), Morgan Kenney (WME), Amanda Kingsland (Rogers Media Canada), Lois Lewis (KNIX/Phoenix), Ali Matkosky (Big Loud), Annie Ortmeier (UMG Nashville), Shari Roth (WEA), Brittany Schaffer (Spotify), Ashley Sidoti (Valory Music Co.), Elaina Smith (Nash Nights Live), Cindy Spicer (WFUS/Tampa), Ashley Stegbauer (WWKA/Orlando), Jackie Stevens (EMI), Meg Stevens (WUBL/Atlanta), Jensen Sussman (Sweet Talk Publicity), and Monta Vaden (Country Aircheck).
The Label Mentoring Breakfast will welcome record label executives to create a network, gain knowledge, and connect on everything from mentorship to motivation. Breakfast will be served, and mentor connections will be set-up based on pre-registration; attendees will then have the chance to move from mentor to mentor throughout the session to ask questions and exchange contact information. In attendance will be Allyson Gelnett (Curb Records), Cindy Mabe (UMG Nashville), Tom Martens (Warner Music Nashville), Erik Powell (Big Machine Records), Lesly Simon (Pearl Records), and Tyler Waugh (Big Loud).
Additionally, Country Radio Seminar will host a Believer’s Breakfast on Thursday, Feb. 20 at 6:30-7:50 a.m. where attendees will have the opportunity to connect on a personal level; sharing friendship, camaraderie, and fellowship, while shedding positive light on a sometimes-challenging industry.
The Programming Mentoring Breakfast and Digital & Streaming Breakfast will run concurrently on Thursday, Feb. 20 at 8:00-8:50 a.m. The Label Mentoring Breakfast and Women’s Mentoring Breakfast are scheduled for Friday, Feb. 21 at 7:30-8:50 a.m.
Pre-registration is available here.
19 Major Organizations Pledge To Support She Is The Music’s SITM12 Initiative
/by Jessica NicholsonThe campaign’s first partners to commit include 19 major organizations: Universal Music Group, Sony Music Group, Warner Music Group, Disney Music Group, Billboard, Spotify, ASCAP, BMI, Friends At Work, Women Nation/Live Nation, WME, CAA, UTA, Paradigm, American Express, YouTube/Google, Facebook/Instagram, Gucci, and Annenberg Foundation.
The commitment from the various partners will help fund 12 all-female songwriting camps and sponsor artist and executive speaking events for SITM’s mentorship program. SITM12 partners can also commit to organizing one of the 12 songwriting camps and are being encouraged to bring outside brand sponsors to support the initiative. Music organizations can also commit a select number of internships from their existing college programs to be specially earmarked for female students from SITM’s organization.
Additionally, it was announced that Dr. Stacy L. Smith, founder of the Annenberg Inclusion Initiative, has joined the nonprofit’s Board of Directors, alongside Jody Gerson, Alicia Keys, Ann Mincieli and Samantha Kirby Yoh.
The initiative is named after the 12% of female songwriters represented in music; the effort will offer companies and artists additional resources to improve access and career opportunities in various sectors of the music industry.
SITM cofounder Gerson said, “SITM was created to increase the percentage of women working in music and those numbers are finally beginning to shift. As we drive forward in full force, this campaign will be crucial to this pivotal moment of change. We are grateful to SITM12’s first partners for their leadership and generosity in helping to create a music world that is equal and inclusive to women.”
Moo TV Wins Fourth Parnelli Award
/by Jessica NicholsonJason Rittenberry and Scott Scovill. Photo: RP Getz
The creatives at Moo TV won their fourth Parnelli Award for Video Company of the Year over the weekend, for their work over the past year with client Garth Brooks (and reigning CMA Entertainer of the Year) on his stadium tour. Brooks surprised the attendees with an appearance during the 19th annual gala, which took place during NAMM in Anaheim, California. Bandit Lites’ Michael Strickland, who has partnered with Moo TV on numerous tours, earned the Parnelli Visionary Award.
“Garth has been with us for many years, and that he continues to partner with Moo TV says a lot about our work and his relationship with us,” says Executive VP and GM Jason Rittenberry. “He’s meticulous and deeply involved with everything to do with his tours, especially video. He holds everyone to a high standard, but that just makes him that much better to work for.”
In 1993, Scott Scovill founded the Nashville-based company, which offers live video-production for concerts, tours, and other events. The company is a nine-time Pollstar Video Company of the Year winner.