John King. Photo: LB Rogers

Georgia native John King recently visited the MusicRow offices to perform some of his latest music. King is currently signed with Starstruck Management and inked a publishing deal last year with Sony/ATV Music Publishing.

King offered an acoustic rendition of “We Went,” a song he wrote that went No. 1 for Randy Houser in 2015. The song’s success was a full-circle moment for King, who shared how Houser had encouraged him as an aspiring artist and songwriter some years earlier.

“I was playing every writers’ round and just living off a tip bucket. I got a residency playing Puckett’s downtown, playing every week. I would play a mix of covers and originals. One night, there was this one guy at the back by the bar and I could tell he really seemed focused on my songs and paying attention,” King said. “Toward the end of my set he came up and put $100 in my tip jar. It was Randy Houser. I felt like that told me I was on the right track.”

King also contributed a song on Hootie & the Blowfish’s upcoming album Imperfect Circle. He co-wrote “Rollin’,” which was ultimately released as the first song from the album.

“I was riding into town and got a call from my publisher. It was 30 minutes before the writing session, and they were like, ‘Would you like to write with Hootie & the Blowfish?’ I was like, ‘Yes!’ Talk about a band you grew up idolizing, that was one of the first concerts I saw in Greenville, South Carolina when I was six.”

King also performed his current single, “Try Saying Goodbye.”

“We wrote it just over two years ago. I told [Starstruck’s] Narvel [Blackstock] when I signed, ‘This is a song that has stuck with me.’ I think it’s because it rings true in my personal life. I wrote it about my wife. We were high school sweethearts and started dating when we were 15 years old. She’s the only girlfriend I ever had. Now we have a baby girl. You change a lot between 15 until now, a lot of progression happens. You get in those spots in a relationship where it’s real easy for pride to get in the way and for it all to just end. People listen to this and think it’s a breakup song, but to me, it’s a stay together song. But that’s what I love about this, that people can put their on stamp on it.”

John King and MusicRow Magazine owner/publisher Sherod Robertson. Photo: LB Rogers

Pictured (L-R): David Ross, MusicRow Magazine Founder, Alex Kobrick, Sales Manager & Chart Director, Artist John King, MusicRow Magazine Sherod Robertson, Publisher/Owner, Jessica Nicholson, Managing Editor, LB Rogers, Project Manager. Photo: MusicRow.

Pictured (back row L-R): PLG/Sony Music’s VP, A&R Blaine Barcus, Story House Collective’s David Childress and Rachel Pinkerton; (front row L-R): PLG/Sony Music CEO Terry Hemmings, Leanna Crawford, Matthew West.

Provident Label Group has partnered with Story House Music, which is helmed by multi-award winning artist Matthew West, to sign singer/songwriter Leanna Crawford.

“It is my honor to introduce Leanna Crawford, the newest addition to team PLG and the special joint venture with Story House Music,” shares West. “Leanna has such amazing talent that the world’s going to hear very soon, so get ready! She’s going to knock it out of the park, and the Lord’s going to use her voice in an awesome way.”

Crawford, who grew up in rural Washington, began playing shows more than three years ago and to date, has already shared the stage with West along with other artists such as Michael W. Smith, Matt Maher, and Jeremy Camp. She just wrapped The Roadshow Futures Tour and will be on the road touring this holiday season. She debuted a six-song EP as well as two Christmas tunes last year, and she is currently working on new music with her first single with PLG/Story House Music, slated to release in the new year.

“I’ve been a fan of the many artists Provident has worked with over the years, and I’m extremely honored and humbled to now be joining their amazing roster of artists, as well!” Crawford says. “I’m looking forward to working with their team alongside Story House, and I can’t wait to see where it takes us.”

Blake Shelton has revealed the cover artwork and track listing for his upcoming Dec. 13 album Fully Loaded: God’s Country. The 12-song collection includes seven hits from previous albums and five new tracks, including his latest single “Hell Right” and the recently released “Jesus Got a Tight Grip,” co-written by Shelton alongside frequent collaborators Chase McGill, Jessi Alexander and Rhett Akins.

The title track and three-time CMA-nominated multi-week No. 1 “God’s Country” is the fastest country single in the past year to reach one million track equivalents. Nominated for a Video, Single and Song of the Year CMA Award this year, the smash hit became Shelton’s 26th chart-topper on country radio, where it remained for multiple weeks, becoming his 16^th No. 1 on the Billboard Hot Country Songs chart as well. Shelton also earned a Musical Event of the Year nomination for “Dive Bar,” his collaboration with Garth Brooks.

The Copyright Alternative in Small Claims Enforcement Act (CASE Act of 2019, H.R. 2426) passed in the U.S. House of Representatives last night (Oct. 22) with a vote of 410-6.

The CASE Act, which Rep. Hakeem Jeffries (D-N.Y.) introduced in the House in May 2019, would establish the Copyright Claims Board in the U.S. Copyright Office.

The bill aims to offer an alternative dispute resolution program for small copyright claims, and a solution for independent creators to fulfill their rights, without having to hire an attorney and go through federal court. The Copyright Claims Board, a three-judge panel, would hear and rule on small-claims infringement cases of less than $15,000 per infringed work, and less than $30,000 total per claim.

The bill now heads to Senate for a vote before it can become law.