iHeartMedia has completed its restructuring process, and reduced its debt from $16.1 billion to $5.75 billion.
In conjunction with the completion of the restructuring, iHeartMedia and Clear Channel Outdoor Holdings have fully separated, forming two independently-traded companies. Clear Channel Outdoor Holdings shares will continue to be traded on the New York Stock Exchange, under the ticker symbol “CCO.”
“We are pleased that iHeartMedia now has a capital structure that matches our exciting operating business. The focused dedication of our employees and the unwavering support of our new owners and advertising partners enabled iHeartMedia to seamlessly complete the restructuring process and reach this final milestone,” said Bob Pittman, Chairman and Chief Executive Officer of iHeartMedia, Inc. “iHeartMedia enters this next phase of growth as a multi-platform audio company with a vastly improved financial profile. We are well-positioned to continue to innovate and offer cutting-edge technologies, products and services to our audiences and advertisers.”
Pittman continued: “As the only major multi-platform audio company, iHeartMedia’s reach extends across more than 250 platforms and 2,000 different connected devices, from smart speakers to tablets, wearables, gaming consoles and much more. Over the past year, we have further cemented our position as the number one commercial podcaster globally—by a strong margin—through building new capabilities and content, including the Ron Burgundy Podcast, season two of the true crime podcast Atlanta Monster and many more, including Stuff You Should Know, the first podcast ever to surpass one billion downloads. We continued to invest in key areas of the business with the acquisitions of Stuff Media, LLC—which further solidified our leading podcasting position—as well as technology companies like Jelli, Inc., which is the advertising technology platform that brings to life our SmartAudio data and analytics offerings. We continue to technologically transform our offerings for both consumers, with whom we are interacting more broadly across platforms, and advertisers, to whom we are offering data and analytics solutions previously available only from key digital players. In addition, we have continued to host our renowned and highly-anticipated live events, from the iHeartRadio Music Awards to iHeartRadio ALTer Ego. This is a very exciting time for audio, and iHeartMedia will continue to break new ground and unlock new opportunities across all platforms to reach audiences everywhere.”
As previously announced, pursuant to the Plan, Pittman continues to serve as Chairman and Chief Executive Officer of iHeartMedia, Inc., and Rich Bressler continues to serve as President, Chief Operating Officer and Chief Financial Officer of iHeartMedia, Inc. In addition, a new Board of Directors has been appointed, including Pittman, Bressler, and the following members: Jay Rasulo, Gary Barber, Brad Gerstner, Sean Mahoney and Kamakshi Sivaramakrishnan. Upon iHeartMedia’s emergence, the new Board of Directors has assumed its responsibilities.
Kirkland & Ellis LLP served as legal counsel to iHeartMedia, Moelis & Company served as the Company’s investment banker, and Alvarez & Marsal served as the company’s financial advisor.
Industry Ink: CMA Kixstart, FBMM, IVPR
/by Jessica NicholsonCMA Opens Submissions For Second Annual KixStart Program
Pictured (L-R): Garth Brooks met with KixStart artists Jameson Rodgers,Travis Denning and Kassi Ashton in January during a music business education day at CMA that also included a lunch with Kix Brooks and one-on-one round robin-style meetings to learn more from leaders at companies such as Amazon Music, Apple Music, Pandora, SiriusXM, Spotify and YouTube. Photo Credit: Caitlin Alexander/CMA
The CMA KixStart Artist Scholarship is currently accepting submissions for its second class of recipients. The year-long program is designed to provide emerging artists with unique professional and educational opportunities to help build a solid business foundation in the country music industry. Artists can visit CMAworld.com/KixStart to view the application and eligibility requirements. Deadline for application submissions is Friday, May 31 at 11:59 PM/CT. The program for the second class of KixStart scholarship recipients will begin in October.
Since being selected in the fall of 2018, the inaugural CMA KixStart Artist Scholarship recipients—Kassi Ashton, Travis Denning and Jameson Rodgers—have had the opportunity to perform around the world and gain a knowledge of the music business by meeting with some of the industry’s top professionals.
Flood, Bumstead, McCready & McCarthy Promotes Three
Business management firm FBMM (Flood, Bumstead, McCready & McCarthy, Inc.) has promoted Keri Fulks and McCall Johnson to senior account assistant and Laramie Lomanto to account executive.
“We are proud to have talented, skilled people like Keri, McCall and Laramie as a part of the FBMM family,” said Jamie Cheek, president and owner of FBMM. “These women are stellar examples of what it looks like to be committed to serving our clients with excellence and integrity. Our leadership team is proud to recognize their hard work and watch them continue to excel in their careers at FBMM.”
IVPR Adds Senior Publicist
Sarah Bennett
Sarah Bennett has joined IVPR as a senior publicist in Nashville. As a University of Georgia alumni with degrees in both Journalism and Music Business, Bennett moved to Nashville in 2017. She has helped plan and run media for festivals and conferences across the country. She also works as a freelance journalist, and has been published in outlets including Paste, Vinyl Mag, and Ampersand Magazine.
Nashville-based artist and festival PR firm IVPR boasts a client list that includes Luck Reunion, MerleFest, DelFest, High Sierra Music Festival, Sam Bush, Del McCoury Band, Sierra Hull, Anders Osborne, Jackie Greene, Griffin House, Radney Foster, Nitty Gritty Dirt Band, Kelsey Waldon, Rising Appalachia, The Travelin’ McCourys, and more.
Bennett can be reached at Sarah@ivpr.co.
Industry Ink: CMA Kixstart, FBMM, IVPR
/by Jessica NicholsonCMA Opens Submissions For Second Annual KixStart Program
Pictured (L-R): Garth Brooks met with KixStart artists Jameson Rodgers,Travis Denning and Kassi Ashton in January during a music business education day at CMA that also included a lunch with Kix Brooks and one-on-one round robin-style meetings to learn more from leaders at companies such as Amazon Music, Apple Music, Pandora, SiriusXM, Spotify and YouTube. Photo Credit: Caitlin Alexander/CMA
The CMA KixStart Artist Scholarship is currently accepting submissions for its second class of recipients. The year-long program is designed to provide emerging artists with unique professional and educational opportunities to help build a solid business foundation in the country music industry. Artists can visit CMAworld.com/KixStart to view the application and eligibility requirements. Deadline for application submissions is Friday, May 31 at 11:59 PM/CT. The program for the second class of KixStart scholarship recipients will begin in October.
Since being selected in the fall of 2018, the inaugural CMA KixStart Artist Scholarship recipients—Kassi Ashton, Travis Denning and Jameson Rodgers—have had the opportunity to perform around the world and gain a knowledge of the music business by meeting with some of the industry’s top professionals.
Flood, Bumstead, McCready & McCarthy Promotes Three
Business management firm FBMM (Flood, Bumstead, McCready & McCarthy, Inc.) has promoted Keri Fulks and McCall Johnson to senior account assistant and Laramie Lomanto to account executive.
“We are proud to have talented, skilled people like Keri, McCall and Laramie as a part of the FBMM family,” said Jamie Cheek, president and owner of FBMM. “These women are stellar examples of what it looks like to be committed to serving our clients with excellence and integrity. Our leadership team is proud to recognize their hard work and watch them continue to excel in their careers at FBMM.”
IVPR Adds Senior Publicist
Sarah Bennett
Sarah Bennett has joined IVPR as a senior publicist in Nashville. As a University of Georgia alumni with degrees in both Journalism and Music Business, Bennett moved to Nashville in 2017. She has helped plan and run media for festivals and conferences across the country. She also works as a freelance journalist, and has been published in outlets including Paste, Vinyl Mag, and Ampersand Magazine.
Nashville-based artist and festival PR firm IVPR boasts a client list that includes Luck Reunion, MerleFest, DelFest, High Sierra Music Festival, Sam Bush, Del McCoury Band, Sierra Hull, Anders Osborne, Jackie Greene, Griffin House, Radney Foster, Nitty Gritty Dirt Band, Kelsey Waldon, Rising Appalachia, The Travelin’ McCourys, and more.
Bennett can be reached at Sarah@ivpr.co.
Colt Ford Signs With TKO Artist Management
/by Lorie HollabaughColt Ford has signed with Nashville-based TKO Artist Management for management and brand representation.
Ford has written No. 1 songs including Jason Aldean’s “Dirt Road Anthem” and Brantley Gilbert’s “Country Must Be Country Wide” as well as his own hits “Ride Through The Country” and “Answer To No One.” Ford has also notched several No. 1, Top 5, and Top 10 albums on the Billboard 200 albums chart and Billboard’s Top Country Albums chart. Ford’s career accomplishments also include being an ex-pro golfer and an entrepreneur as well as a partner in Average Joes Entertainment. He is currently in the studio working on new music.
“Colt and I have been great friends for many years. He is a tremendous singer/songwriter, performer, and entertainer. We have big things in store for Colt, the world needs to see his huge personality.” TK Kimbrell, President/TKO Artist Management.
Ford joins TKO’s existing client roster which includes Toby Keith, The Bacon Brothers, Ashley Campbell, Glen Campbell, Krystal Keith, Chris LeDoux, Ned LeDoux, Mac McAnally, and Waterloo Revival.
Colt Ford Signs With TKO Artist Management
/by Lorie HollabaughFord has written No. 1 songs including Jason Aldean’s “Dirt Road Anthem” and Brantley Gilbert’s “Country Must Be Country Wide” as well as his own hits “Ride Through The Country” and “Answer To No One.” Ford has also notched several No. 1, Top 5, and Top 10 albums on the Billboard 200 albums chart and Billboard’s Top Country Albums chart. Ford’s career accomplishments also include being an ex-pro golfer and an entrepreneur as well as a partner in Average Joes Entertainment. He is currently in the studio working on new music.
“Colt and I have been great friends for many years. He is a tremendous singer/songwriter, performer, and entertainer. We have big things in store for Colt, the world needs to see his huge personality.” TK Kimbrell, President/TKO Artist Management.
Ford joins TKO’s existing client roster which includes Toby Keith, The Bacon Brothers, Ashley Campbell, Glen Campbell, Krystal Keith, Chris LeDoux, Ned LeDoux, Mac McAnally, and Waterloo Revival.
Mark Your Calendar—May 2019
/by Eric T. ParkerSingle Add Dates
May 6
Tucker Beathard/Better Than Me/Warner Music Nashville
Maddie & Tae/Die From A Broken Heart/Mercury Nashville
Tenille Arts/Call You Names/Reviver Records
Chance McKinney/Backyard/Studio 2Bee Entertainment/Star Farm Nashville
Heartland/I Loved Her First/Permian Records
May 7
Thomas Mac/Float/Big Catch Records
May 9
Pearl Clarkin/Girls of Summer/BarFrog Music
May 13
Michael Ray/Her World Or Mine/Warner Bros./Atlantic Records
LOCASH/One Big Country Song/Wheelhouse Records
Tyler Rich/Leave Her Wild/The Valory Music Co.
Nick Brennan/It’s A Good Time To Fall In Love/MC1 Nashville
May 17
Lauren Davidson/Live Laugh Love
May 20
Lady Antebellum/What If I Never Get Over You/BMLGR
Seaforth/Love That/RCA Nashville
Casey Donahew/Let’s Make A Love Song/Almost Country Entertainment
May 27
Raleigh Keegan/Don’t Take Time/CreekHouse Entertainment/Star Farm Nashville
May 28
Alyssa Lynn/Do It For A Boy/Nine North Label Group
Album Release Dates
May 3
Joy Williams/Front Porch/Sensibility-Thirty Tigers
Sam Grow/Love And Whiskey/Average Joes
May 10
Rodney Atkins/Caught Up In The Country/Curb
Newsboys/United
May 17
Marty Brown/American Highway/Plowboy Records
May 24
Billy Ray Cyrus/The SnakeDoctor Circus/BMG
Jimmy Fortune/God & Country/Gaither Music Group
May 31
Thomas Rhett/Center Point Road/The Valory Music Co.
Industry Events
May 1
2019 Billboard Music Awards from the MGM Grand Garden Arena in Las Vegas on NBC
May 2-4
ASCAP’s 14th annual “I Create Music” EXPO at the Loews Hollywood Hotel in Los Angeles
May 4
May 5-8
Music Biz 2019 annual conference at the JW Marriott Nashville
May 30-June 1
International Country Music Conference at Belmont University in Nashville
Mark Your Calendar—May 2019
/by Eric T. ParkerSingle Add Dates
Tucker Beathard/Better Than Me/Warner Music Nashville
Maddie & Tae/Die From A Broken Heart/Mercury Nashville
Tenille Arts/Call You Names/Reviver Records
Chance McKinney/Backyard/Studio 2Bee Entertainment/Star Farm Nashville
Heartland/I Loved Her First/Permian Records
May 7
Thomas Mac/Float/Big Catch Records
May 9
Pearl Clarkin/Girls of Summer/BarFrog Music
May 13
Michael Ray/Her World Or Mine/Warner Bros./Atlantic Records
LOCASH/One Big Country Song/Wheelhouse Records
Tyler Rich/Leave Her Wild/The Valory Music Co.
Nick Brennan/It’s A Good Time To Fall In Love/MC1 Nashville
May 17
Lauren Davidson/Live Laugh Love
May 20
Lady Antebellum/What If I Never Get Over You/BMLGR
Seaforth/Love That/RCA Nashville
Casey Donahew/Let’s Make A Love Song/Almost Country Entertainment
May 27
Raleigh Keegan/Don’t Take Time/CreekHouse Entertainment/Star Farm Nashville
May 28
Alyssa Lynn/Do It For A Boy/Nine North Label Group
Album Release Dates
Joy Williams/Front Porch/Sensibility-Thirty Tigers
Sam Grow/Love And Whiskey/Average Joes
May 10
Rodney Atkins/Caught Up In The Country/Curb
Newsboys/United
May 17
Marty Brown/American Highway/Plowboy Records
May 24
Billy Ray Cyrus/The SnakeDoctor Circus/BMG
Jimmy Fortune/God & Country/Gaither Music Group
May 31
Thomas Rhett/Center Point Road/The Valory Music Co.
Industry Events
2019 Billboard Music Awards from the MGM Grand Garden Arena in Las Vegas on NBC
May 2-4
ASCAP’s 14th annual “I Create Music” EXPO at the Loews Hollywood Hotel in Los Angeles
May 4
May 5-8
Music Biz 2019 annual conference at the JW Marriott Nashville
May 30-June 1
International Country Music Conference at Belmont University in Nashville
iHeartMedia Completes Restructuring
/by Jessica NicholsonIn conjunction with the completion of the restructuring, iHeartMedia and Clear Channel Outdoor Holdings have fully separated, forming two independently-traded companies. Clear Channel Outdoor Holdings shares will continue to be traded on the New York Stock Exchange, under the ticker symbol “CCO.”
“We are pleased that iHeartMedia now has a capital structure that matches our exciting operating business. The focused dedication of our employees and the unwavering support of our new owners and advertising partners enabled iHeartMedia to seamlessly complete the restructuring process and reach this final milestone,” said Bob Pittman, Chairman and Chief Executive Officer of iHeartMedia, Inc. “iHeartMedia enters this next phase of growth as a multi-platform audio company with a vastly improved financial profile. We are well-positioned to continue to innovate and offer cutting-edge technologies, products and services to our audiences and advertisers.”
Pittman continued: “As the only major multi-platform audio company, iHeartMedia’s reach extends across more than 250 platforms and 2,000 different connected devices, from smart speakers to tablets, wearables, gaming consoles and much more. Over the past year, we have further cemented our position as the number one commercial podcaster globally—by a strong margin—through building new capabilities and content, including the Ron Burgundy Podcast, season two of the true crime podcast Atlanta Monster and many more, including Stuff You Should Know, the first podcast ever to surpass one billion downloads. We continued to invest in key areas of the business with the acquisitions of Stuff Media, LLC—which further solidified our leading podcasting position—as well as technology companies like Jelli, Inc., which is the advertising technology platform that brings to life our SmartAudio data and analytics offerings. We continue to technologically transform our offerings for both consumers, with whom we are interacting more broadly across platforms, and advertisers, to whom we are offering data and analytics solutions previously available only from key digital players. In addition, we have continued to host our renowned and highly-anticipated live events, from the iHeartRadio Music Awards to iHeartRadio ALTer Ego. This is a very exciting time for audio, and iHeartMedia will continue to break new ground and unlock new opportunities across all platforms to reach audiences everywhere.”
As previously announced, pursuant to the Plan, Pittman continues to serve as Chairman and Chief Executive Officer of iHeartMedia, Inc., and Rich Bressler continues to serve as President, Chief Operating Officer and Chief Financial Officer of iHeartMedia, Inc. In addition, a new Board of Directors has been appointed, including Pittman, Bressler, and the following members: Jay Rasulo, Gary Barber, Brad Gerstner, Sean Mahoney and Kamakshi Sivaramakrishnan. Upon iHeartMedia’s emergence, the new Board of Directors has assumed its responsibilities.
Kirkland & Ellis LLP served as legal counsel to iHeartMedia, Moelis & Company served as the Company’s investment banker, and Alvarez & Marsal served as the company’s financial advisor.
iHeartMedia Completes Restructuring
/by Jessica NicholsoniHeartMedia has completed its restructuring process, and reduced its debt from $16.1 billion to $5.75 billion.
In conjunction with the completion of the restructuring, iHeartMedia and Clear Channel Outdoor Holdings have fully separated, forming two independently-traded companies. Clear Channel Outdoor Holdings shares will continue to be traded on the New York Stock Exchange, under the ticker symbol “CCO.”
“We are pleased that iHeartMedia now has a capital structure that matches our exciting operating business. The focused dedication of our employees and the unwavering support of our new owners and advertising partners enabled iHeartMedia to seamlessly complete the restructuring process and reach this final milestone,” said Bob Pittman, Chairman and Chief Executive Officer of iHeartMedia, Inc. “iHeartMedia enters this next phase of growth as a multi-platform audio company with a vastly improved financial profile. We are well-positioned to continue to innovate and offer cutting-edge technologies, products and services to our audiences and advertisers.”
Pittman continued: “As the only major multi-platform audio company, iHeartMedia’s reach extends across more than 250 platforms and 2,000 different connected devices, from smart speakers to tablets, wearables, gaming consoles and much more. Over the past year, we have further cemented our position as the number one commercial podcaster globally—by a strong margin—through building new capabilities and content, including the Ron Burgundy Podcast, season two of the true crime podcast Atlanta Monster and many more, including Stuff You Should Know, the first podcast ever to surpass one billion downloads. We continued to invest in key areas of the business with the acquisitions of Stuff Media, LLC—which further solidified our leading podcasting position—as well as technology companies like Jelli, Inc., which is the advertising technology platform that brings to life our SmartAudio data and analytics offerings. We continue to technologically transform our offerings for both consumers, with whom we are interacting more broadly across platforms, and advertisers, to whom we are offering data and analytics solutions previously available only from key digital players. In addition, we have continued to host our renowned and highly-anticipated live events, from the iHeartRadio Music Awards to iHeartRadio ALTer Ego. This is a very exciting time for audio, and iHeartMedia will continue to break new ground and unlock new opportunities across all platforms to reach audiences everywhere.”
As previously announced, pursuant to the Plan, Pittman continues to serve as Chairman and Chief Executive Officer of iHeartMedia, Inc., and Rich Bressler continues to serve as President, Chief Operating Officer and Chief Financial Officer of iHeartMedia, Inc. In addition, a new Board of Directors has been appointed, including Pittman, Bressler, and the following members: Jay Rasulo, Gary Barber, Brad Gerstner, Sean Mahoney and Kamakshi Sivaramakrishnan. Upon iHeartMedia’s emergence, the new Board of Directors has assumed its responsibilities.
Kirkland & Ellis LLP served as legal counsel to iHeartMedia, Moelis & Company served as the Company’s investment banker, and Alvarez & Marsal served as the company’s financial advisor.
Sandbox Entertainment Promotes Leslie Cohea To General Manager
/by Jessica NicholsonLeslie Cohea
Sandbox Entertainment has promoted Leslie Cohea to the role of General Manager. In this new position, Cohea will oversee strategy, touring, finance, and operations for all Sandbox clients, including Faith Hill, Little Big Town, Kacey Musgraves, Dan+Shay, Kelsea Ballerini, Midland, and more.
Cohea joined Sandbox in 2015 as the Head of Touring, where she managed all aspects of touring for the company, including ticketing, routing and budgeting. In her time at Sandbox, Cohea has been at helm of launching Tim McGraw and Faith Hill’s Soul2Soul World Tour and a driving force in developing Little Big Town’s sold-out, year-long Ryman Auditorium Residency. She has overseen multiple headlining tours, including Kacey Musgraves’ international, sold-out Oh What A World Tour, Dan+Shay’s sold-out DAN+SHAY THE TOUR, and Kelsea Ballerini’s first ever headlining arena tour.
Prior to Sandbox, Cohea spent nearly a decade at AEG Live/The Messina Group working in touring and concert promotion, as well as producing tours and shows nationally for artists ranging from Ed Sheeran, to Dave Matthews, to The Eagles.
“Having Leslie’s expertise over the last four years has been vital to the growth of Sandbox and our clients. She’s the salt to my pepper, the bread to my butter, and the Tom to my Ford.” says Sandbox President and CEO Jason Owen.
Cohea adds, “I feel incredibly grateful to get to work with such an amazing group of people at Sandbox. Jason is a genius and continues to inspire each of us daily. It’s a dream come true to work at this company, and with this roster of such talented artists. I am very excited and honored to continue to support the operations here in bigger ways.”
Sandbox Entertainment Promotes Leslie Cohea To General Manager
/by Jessica NicholsonLeslie Cohea
Sandbox Entertainment has promoted Leslie Cohea to the role of General Manager. In this new position, Cohea will oversee strategy, touring, finance, and operations for all Sandbox clients, including Faith Hill, Little Big Town, Kacey Musgraves, Dan+Shay, Kelsea Ballerini, Midland, and more.
Cohea joined Sandbox in 2015 as the Head of Touring, where she managed all aspects of touring for the company, including ticketing, routing and budgeting. In her time at Sandbox, Cohea has been at helm of launching Tim McGraw and Faith Hill’s Soul2Soul World Tour and a driving force in developing Little Big Town’s sold-out, year-long Ryman Auditorium Residency. She has overseen multiple headlining tours, including Kacey Musgraves’ international, sold-out Oh What A World Tour, Dan+Shay’s sold-out DAN+SHAY THE TOUR, and Kelsea Ballerini’s first ever headlining arena tour.
Prior to Sandbox, Cohea spent nearly a decade at AEG Live/The Messina Group working in touring and concert promotion, as well as producing tours and shows nationally for artists ranging from Ed Sheeran, to Dave Matthews, to The Eagles.
“Having Leslie’s expertise over the last four years has been vital to the growth of Sandbox and our clients. She’s the salt to my pepper, the bread to my butter, and the Tom to my Ford.” says Sandbox President and CEO Jason Owen.
Cohea adds, “I feel incredibly grateful to get to work with such an amazing group of people at Sandbox. Jason is a genius and continues to inspire each of us daily. It’s a dream come true to work at this company, and with this roster of such talented artists. I am very excited and honored to continue to support the operations here in bigger ways.”