George Briner

Big Machine Label Group President/CEO/Founder Scott Borchetta has announced that George Briner has been elevated to President of The Valory Music Co., effective immediately.

Most recently serving as General Manager, Briner joined the imprint in 2008. He has led the charge on groundbreaking promotion and marketing strategies for Thomas Rhett, Brantley Gilbert, Justin Moore, Eli Young Band and Aaron Lewis as well as Tyler Rich. VMC’s latest signee, Sheryl Crow, just released one of the most talked about new releases of the year – a duet with Johnny Cash “Redemption Day,” off of her forthcoming album, slated for late summer release. Briner’s expanded duties will allow him to dive more deeply into all elements of VMC’s success.

Borchetta commented, “George and I have been in each other’s orbit longer than either of us care to admit, but I can tell you that there is no better record executive in the business. His passion for turning people on to new music is truly unmatched. George is a lifer, committed to the cause, always eager to lead and always eager to learn.  He has turned The Valory Music Co. into a force to be reckoned with any day of the week, because he is moving the needle every day of the week. Well deserved!”

Throughout Briner’s tenure, VMC has propelled 27 singles to No. 1 across 17 multi-Platinum and Platinum-certified albums. The label has earned a plethora of awards and nominations from every major awards show including Grammys, CMA, ACM, AMA, People’s Choice and iHeartRadio.

“Throughout the many years and great opportunities that have been offered to me in this business, my journey has been supported by my wife, family, friends, business associates and so many incredible artists,” said Briner. “These past eleven amazing years with The Valory Music Co. have been the highlight of this musical journey, thus far. I am incredibly thankful to Scott Borchetta and Andrew Kautz, who have allowed me the freedom to create a business model that has been successful in supporting our music. The artists, along with Valory staff and countless within Big Machine are responsible for all the success that we have accomplished. I’m excited to continue this amazing journey and honored by this promotion.”

The Vegabonds

Bluewater Music has signed a worldwide administration agreement with Alabama‐born, Tennessee‐bred band The Vegabonds. This year, The Vegabonds released their fifth album, V, on Blue Elan Records and will tour North America in support of the release.

Danny Allen of The Vegabonds says, “We’re excited to announce our signing with Bluewater Music! We’re so proud to have our first publishing administration deal, and consider it an honor to partner with such a well respected company. Bluewater will open up new opportunities and breathe new life into The Vegabonds’ entire catalogue spanning five albums and ten years. We’re looking forward to what the future holds, and we’re happy to have Bluewater on the team!”

The Vegabonds manager Owen Canavan of Perry Street Management, adds, “The Vegabonds and I have been looking for the right publishing administration deal for some time, and I am thrilled we landed with Bluewater. The band has a lengthy history of some ten years, with five records under their belts, and the music deserves to be heard globally. We are confident the Bluewater team can help us achieve that goal.”

Peter Roselli, COO of Bluewater, says “The Vegabonds are such a talented group of musicians and songwriters. We look forward to administering the catalog and pursuing placement opportunities to assist in creating more exposure internationally for the band.”

Pictured (L-R): Tony Johnsen, CAA; Anthony Piedmonte, Piedmonte & Co; Pat Barrett; Lauren Daigle; Dan Fife, Awakening Events; Pastor Darren Whitehead; Chris Tomlin; Bryan Myers, CAA; Tauren Wells; John Huie, CAA; Max Lucado. Photo: Mikayla Symmonds

Christian music mainstay Chris Tomlin smashed his own attendance record at his sold-out Good Friday Concert on Friday (April 19), which made the show the largest ticketed Christian concert in the history of Nashville’s Bridgestone Arena. Tomlin has committed to hosting the Good Friday Nashville concerts at least through 2024; and he has already set the date for 2020’s show, which will be Friday, April 10, 2020.

Chris Tomlin. Photo: Mikayla Symmonds

The 2017 Good Friday Nashville event was the previous record setting year, as it became the largest ticketed Christian concert in the venue’s history at the time. Good Friday Nashville was produced by Awakening Events and was presented by K-LOVE, Air1, The Fish and WAY-FM.

Tomlin was on stage from beginning to end of the two and a half hour show. The night also included best-selling author Max Lucado, special guests Tauren Wells and Pat Barrett. The Grammy-winning Lauren Daigle made a surprise appearance to perform her song “You Say” and joined Tomlin, Wells and Barrett for “Good, Good Father.”

Lauren Daigle. Photo: Mikayla Symmonds

To have a lasting impact on Nashville and the state of Tennessee, each year’s concert will give back to the community. The Good Friday Nashville concert proceeds will benefit Tennessee Kids Belong, a statewide nonprofit who help children and families in the foster care system. “Foster family recruitment goals have been far surpassed the last two years,” said Kristin Allender, Executive Director of Tennessee Kids Belong. “Last year the state certified 1,122 new foster families! They have a goal of 960 new families this year, with a special emphasis on the need for teenage placements. It has been beautiful to watch entire communities come around these families and children.”

Chris is surprised with crowd mosaic as audience spells out “I Fight 4 Kidz” in honor of concert proceeds benefitting Tennessee Kids Belong. Photo: Mikayla Symmonds

Tickets for the 2020 Good Friday Nashville concert are available now.

Luke Combs. Photo: Jim Wright

Luke Combs reclaims the pinnacle of this week’s Country Albums chart, as This One’s For You moves 26K in total consumption, according to Nielsen Soundscan. Aaron Lewis is this week’s top debut, as State I’m In debuts at No. 2 with 23K. Dan + Shay‘s self-titled album is at No. 3 with 15.5K, followed by last week’s chart-topper, Brooks & Dunn‘s Reboot, which falls to No. 4 this week, with 13K. Kacey Musgraves‘ Golden Hour is at No. 5 with 13K.

This week’s Top 5 Country Digital Songs Chart extends Combs’ reign at the top of the rankings, with “Beautiful Crazy” at No. 1 with 11.6 million streams. Chris Stapleton‘s “Tennessee Whiskey” is at No. 2 with 7.6 million streams. Following his performance at this month’s Academy of Country Music Awards, Blake Shelton‘s “God’s Country” increases 58 percent, rising to No. 3 with 7.3 million streams. Dan + Shay’s “Tequila” is at No. 4 with 7.2 million streams. Kane Brown‘s “Heaven” is at No. 5, with 7 million streams.

Ross Copperman. Photo: Taylor Kelly

Singer, songwriter and producer Ross Copperman has released two new tracks, including “Stars Are On Your Side,” and “We Should Plant A Tree.”

“Stars Are On Your Side” was penned with Kevin Bard and Brian Fallon and was recently featured on Spotify’s New Music Friday segment and on the April 18 episode of ABC show Grey’s Anatomy. “We Should Plant a Tree,” was recently released in honor of Earth Day (April 22) and was co-written by Copperman, Josh Osborne and Shane McAnally.

Copperman recently earned an ACM for Music Event of the Year as producer for the Dierks Bentley and Brothers Osborne collaboration “Burning Man.” He was also nominated twice in the Album of the Year category at last year’s CMA Awards, for his work on Keith Urban’s Graffiti U and Dierks Bentley’s The Mountain.