SOURCE Nashville hosted the annual SOURCE Hall of Fame Awards last night (Aug. 25) at the Musicians Hall of Fame and Museum inside Nashville’s historic Municipal Auditorium, gathering industry insiders, songwriters, artists, producers, family and friends for the beloved event.

Six more “women behind the music” were inducted into the prestigious hall: Debbie Cheek Carroll, Paige Conners, Cris Lacy, Sherry Oakley, Margie McGahey and Carla Wallace. The evening was hosted by Grand Ole Opry star Mandy Barnett and radio/TV personality Kelly Sutton.

After enjoying dinner, attendees were greeted by Sutton, who took a moment to honor Dolly Parton following the news of her death earlier in the day. “I know she has touched every person in this room in some way, whether through her music, you worked with her, produced her or were part of a project. Although we’re sad, her spirit is in this room. She lives on with each and every one of us.”

Founded in 1991 by Shelia Shipley Biddy, Judy Harris and Pat Rolfe, SOURCE is Nashville’s longest-running organization for women in the music industry, dedicated to fostering relationships, education, networking and community service. The SOURCE Awards, created by Kay Smith in 2003, honor the “women behind the music” who have shaped Nashville’s music business.

Carroll was the first inductee to be honored. Her career has included time as a private practice therapist, MusiCares and Onsite Entertainment. She currently serves as Executive Director of the Belmont University Center for Mental Health in Entertainment.

She was honored with some words of praise from Michael McDonald. Carroll shared her gratitude for the people around her who showed her the meaning of integrity and determination, and the people who trusted her with some of their most challenging moments.

“Over the years, I’ve had experiences I never could’ve imagined,” Carroll shared. “Dinners with industry icons, conversations with people I never thought I’d meet, decades of Grammy Awards and MusiCares galas. Those moments were amazing, but they aren’t the ones that meant the most. The moments that I value the most, that changed me, were the ones where people trusted me during some of their most vulnerable times. It’s never been lost on me that there’s something incredibly sacred about being trusted by another human during a hard time. For decades, people in this industry have allowed me that privilege, and it’s been one of my greatest honors.”

Next to be honored was Conners. She impacted the Nashville music industry during her time CBS Records/Sony Music Nashville, Warner Bros. Records Nashville, Paul Worley Productions, Nashville Musicians Association and AFM Local 257.

She was honored with a video message from Paul Worley, who spoke of their long working relationship. Conners shared her appreciation for her family and colleagues who have championed her professional journey at home and in the office.

“I’m so blessed to have worked with so many talented producers and artists,” Conners said. “Their creativity and diversity not only taught me so much, but enriched my mind.”

Warner Records Nashville’s Lacy followed. Al Andrews congratulated her via video. Lacy spoke of her gratitude for the community that has surrounded her through the last few years during a challenging season.

“This award is really for all the friends and strangers who have borne witness to our accomplishments, but also borne witness to our grief,” Lacy shared. “These are the people that make it possible for us to continue to do the work that we love. This world’s kind of a mess right now. It requires the ability to act on and witness the motions that expand and deepen us, rather than those that weaken or diminish us, like ego, violence or scarcity. Every woman in this room innately holds and processes all of these energies on the daily basis. Everyone in this room is uniquely qualified to make a shift that needs to be made. Love and wisdom is power, and that is what the world needs most right now. Thank you all for making it possible for me to do what I love with people that I love.”

McGahey, who has spent time at WSM Radio/Grand Ole Opry, Country Music Association and 101.7 The WORM, was honored next with a video from Bill Anderson.

“[The women in SOURCE] work so hard,” McGahey said. “They are so smart and passionate about what they do. I’m thankful, and it’s a wonderful business we’re in Let’s just keep having fun.”

BMI’s Oakley was the next to be inducted. She began her career at just 17 years old. Patsy Bradley congratulated her via video.

“One of the first things [Frances Preston] taught me when I walked in the door was to treat every songwriter that comes in this door as if they have the next No. 1 hit,” Oakley said. “I want to thank the songwriters, because they gave me a good life.”

Wallace was the final honoree to be inducted. She founded Big Yellow Dog Music in 1998 with Kerry O’Neil. Meghan Trainor congratulated her via video message. Wallace first discovered Trainor at a song camp in Colorado in 2009 and signed her to a publishing deal.

“I’ve been drawn to people who are unique, different and stubbornly themselves,” Wallace said. “That became my life – helping the world catch up to their individuality. To all the girls out there, especially my daughter Ella, find your passion, even if people don’t see the value. Push through and be stubbornly different.”

SiriusXM is joining in to honor Dolly’s incredible life and legacy with the new Dolly Parton Tribute Channel.

Available now in cars on channel 105 and on the SiriusXM app, the channel celebrates the life, music and legacy of the Queen of Country and pop-culture icon who made an indelible mark on the world. Fans and listeners can hear tracks from Dolly’s iconic catalog, including enduring classics “Jolene,” “9 to 5,” and “I Will Always Love You,” plus music from her friends, collaborators and memories from her decades-long career.

Special tribute programming will celebrate her remarkable career and air across various SiriusXM channels over the following days, including The Highway, Y2Kountry, Willie’s Roadhouse, Outlaw Country, Bluegrass Junction and more.

In the wake of its founder Dolly Parton‘s passing yesterday, The Dollywood Foundation issued a statement honoring the icon.

“Dolly often said that she had been blessed far beyond anything she ever dreamed possible, and she believed deeply that those blessings came with a responsibility to give something back,” says Jeff Conyers, President of The Dollywood Foundation. “That belief is woven into everything we do at The Dollywood Foundation. While we are heartbroken by her loss, the mission she gave us is as clear today as it has ever been, and we will carry it forward for generations to come.”

The Dollywood Foundation has prepared carefully for the future and remains honored to carry on the mission Dolly entrusted to it. The Foundation is strong, and the values Dolly instilled in it will continue to guide its work and growth in the years ahead. Parton’s Imagination Library, which launched in 1995 and was inspired by her father and his inability to read and write, started by giving young children in her home county books of their very own. What began in the mountains of East Tennessee grew far beyond anything Dolly could have imagined, and today, the Library reaches millions of children and families, delivering books directly to children’s homes at no cost and creating opportunities for parents and children to experience the joy of reading together.

“Dolly’s legacy was never meant to be something we simply preserve or look back upon,” adds Conyers. “She built things that could keep doing good in the world. Our responsibility now is to care for what she entrusted to us, help it grow thoughtfully and make certain the love at the heart of her work continues reaching children, families and communities long into the future.”

An important part of that legacy will continue quietly, every day, in homes and communities around the world; when a child opens a book addressed especially to them; when a parent and child read a favorite story together; and when a young person begins to imagine a future bigger than the circumstances into which they were born.

The Foundation believes one of the greatest ways to honor Dolly is not simply to remember what she accomplished, but to continue the work she loved—carrying it forward with the same generosity, humility, joy and love with which she began it.

Luminate has introduced a new framework to help the music industry identify and track AI-generated music. Powered by its proprietary technology, Luminate’s CONNECT platform can now flag AI-generated songs and artists worldwide. The feature will roll out to customers and partners later this year.

Luminate is also working with major DSPs and AI music companies to bring self-reported streaming and attribution data directly into CONNECT.

The new system will serve as a central resource for AI music data, giving artists, labels, publishers, managers and brand partners more visibility into how AI-generated music is created, distributed and consumed.

“The rapid growth of AI-generated music has outpaced the industry’s ability to consistently identify it and measure its impact,” says Luminate CEO Rob Jonas. “Greater visibility is critical to understanding broader trends, assessing the risk of fraud and making informed decisions. Luminate has always been the entertainment business’s source of truth, and tracking AI-generated music with the same rigor we apply to every other category is core to our mission.”

Luminate’s approach combines data from DSPs, AI music companies and its own identification technology. Together, the sources are designed to provide a clearer view of AI-generated music and how it moves through the global music ecosystem.

The system works in three ways:

1. Proprietary Identification: Luminate’s technology analyzes streaming data, metadata and audio to identify AI-generated music in CONNECT.
2. Streaming Data: As DSPs develop their own AI identification tools, Luminate will bring that data into CONNECT through its existing partnerships.
3. Source Attribution: Luminate is working with AI music companies to receive attribution data directly as AI-generated content is created, before it reaches DSPs.

Content identified as AI-generated will receive a new “AI Generated” label on songs and artist profiles in CONNECT. Luminate will also offer a review process for artists and labels to challenge incorrect labels.

“This is a starting point,” continues Jonas. “No single organization can address this challenge alone; the industry needs a collaborative approach to more accurately understand, track and measure AI-generated music. We invite DSPs and AI music companies that share this view to join us in advancing it together.”

To honor the memory of Dolly Parton, United States flags will be flown at half-staff at the White House and upon all federal buildings though Sept. 1.

The news of Parton’s death shocked the world earlier today (Aug. 25). Her nephew, Bryan Seaver, shared word of her passing in a video posted to Parton’s social media.

President Donald Trump announced his decision to honor the global icon shortly after her death. “There has never been anyone like her, and never will,” he wrote.

One of the most universally beloved and most widely respected artists of all time, Parton amassed 44 top-10 country albums, more than any other artist, and garnered 11 Grammy Awards, 10 CMA Awards, 40 BMI Songwriter honors, eight BMI Million-Air certificates, a National Medal of Arts and multiple hall of fame inductions. Beyond her musical talents, Parton was known for her philanthropy, which extended to Appalachian charities, medical clinics and educational programs, among other initiatives.

Read her full obituary here.