Miranda Lambert And Mom Bev Celebrate 10 Years Of Helping Shelter Pets

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Miranda Lambert and her mom Bev are celebrating the 10th anniversary of MuttNation Foundation, the nonprofit they co-founded with the mission of promoting the adoption of shelter animals, assisting with animal transport, and helping animals during times of natural disaster.

Between the two of them, they share their homes with 15 shelter pets, and to celebrate the special anniversary of MuttNation, they have donated $150,000 in surprise grants to shelters across the country through MuttNation’s Mutts Across America program, which was created by Bev Lambert in 2015. Mutts Across America awards 50 grants to 50 shelters, providing an outstanding and carefully vetted shelter in every state with a MuttNation grant. Since the initiative’s inception, Mutts Across America has supported 250 shelters with more than $750,000.

“Music and rescue animals are the two driving forces in my life and I’m so fortunate that the success I’ve had with my music allows me to help shelter animals more than I dreamed possible,” Lambert said. “MuttNation’s 10-year milestone is amazing and what we’ve been able to accomplish gets better every year. Just in this past year, alone, we helped 1,776 shelter pets find their forever homes.”

 

In Pictures: 12th Annual Jeffrey Steele & Friends Fundraiser Raises Over $120,000

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Pictured (L-R): Eddie Montgomery, Jeffrey Steele, Steve Dorff, Steve Cropper. Photo: Anthony Scarlati

Renowned songwriter Jeffrey Steele‘s 12th annual Jeffrey Steele & Friends fundraiser concert took place Monday night (March 4) at The Franklin Theatre in Downtown Franklin, TN. The annual event raised over $120,000 for overlooked and at-risk youth in memory of Steele’s late son, Alex LeVasseur, and featured a star-studded line-up of living legends, current chart-toppers and rising stars from a variety of genres.

The sold-out evening hosted by Storme Warren included performances by Steve Cropper, Travis Denning, Steve Dorff, Alissa Griffith, Chris Janson, KASL, Lit, LOCASH, Eddie Montgomery, RaeLynn, and Steele.

Pictured: Chris Janson and Jeffrey Steele. Photo: Anthony Scarlati

Travis Denning and Jeffrey Steele. Photo: Anthony Scarlati

RaeLynn and Jeffrey Steele. Photo: Anthony Scarlati

Eddie Montgomery and Jeffrey Steele. Photo: Anthony Scarlati

LOCASH and Jeffrey Steele. Photo: Anthony Scarlati

Maren Morris Breaks Apple Music Record For Biggest Day-One Female Country Album

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With the release of her sophomore album GIRL, Maren Morris scored the biggest day-one female country album debut on Apple Music, breaking the previous record held since last year by Carrie Underwood’s Cry Pretty album, by more than 400,000 streams.

Since the release of GIRL, Morris’ overall catalog has seen a significant lift of nearly 150 percent on Apple Music. The album was also the top female country pre-added album both in the U.S. and worldwide on Apple Music.

Downtown Music Publishing Nashville Holds Songwriters Retreat

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Pictured (L-R, top row): Natalie Osborne, Luke Arens, Mary Kenson Lewis, John Davidson, Bennett Lewis, Fancy Hagood, Steve Markland; (L-R, bottom row) Paige Blue, Katie Roth

Downtown Music Publishing’s Nashville office recently held a week-long songwriters’ retreat at Camp Wayfarer, near Asheville, North Carolina.  The retreat focused specifically on songwriting for synchronizations and the goal for the week was to create at least eight 100 percent Downtown-controlled compositions, specific to current themes for the creative team to actively pitch.

Each day the global sync team supplied the group with specific briefs from their advertising clients from various markets including New York, London, Los Angeles, and Sydney, to tackle the needs of various brands and trends from around the globe. At the end of the week, Downtown earned ten 100 percent controlled songs for the global sync team to pitch and work with.

The songwriters that took place in the Downtown retreat were Tony Esterly, Paige Blue, Luke Arens, Fancy Hagood, Justin Donahue (Jung Youth), and The Brummies’ John Davidson and Jacob Bryant. They were guided by Downtown staff members, Steve Markland, Natalie Osborne, Katie Roth and Cabrea Casey, as well as Dave Hopper, Esterly’s manager at Hard 8 Working Group.

Pictured (L-R, top row): Natalie Osborne, Katie Roth, Tony Esterly, Justin Donahue, Paige Blue, John Davidson, Fancy Hagood, Steve Markland, Kendell Marvel; (L-R, bottom row): Cabrea Casey, Luke Arens, Jacob Bryant

“It was amazing joining our writers and worldwide sync team for a very intimate, hands on experience,” said Steve Markland, Senior Vice President, A&R. “Each day we sent newly written songs to our worldwide sync team and later connected via video conference for direct critiques with the writers. We also gathered immediate feedback from advertising clients and music supervisors to directly meet their needs for specific briefs. So proud that Downtown could provide impactful opportunities as well as a fun bonding experience between writers and staff.

“I enjoy getting into a different space that forces you to create differently,” said Tony Esterly. “The limitations of a mobile studio help bring out new aspects of songs and recordings that you normally wouldn’t find in an everyday workspace. The camp atmosphere and feedback from the sync team helped everyone get some great songs.”

Pictured: Tony Esterly, Jacob Bryant, John Davidson

“Beyond the fun that was had, what I loved about the camp was the chance to witness daily purpose-driven collaboration between the global sync team and our writers, all working together to create music that we know will be used for future syncs,” said Jedd Katrancha, Executive Vice President. “The writers are as earnest as they are talented, and they approached each assignment with the goal to simply write something great, and the sync team worked to offer feedback without distilling the creative process in any way. What we ended up with were great songs that served as the backdrop for nightly dance parties, and are still on rotation now that the smoke has cleared and we’re back at our desks and studios.”

Cage The Elephant Sign Publishing Deal With BMG

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Nashville-based rock band Cage The Elephant have signed a new worldwide publishing administration agreement with BMG. The group will release their fifth studio album, Social Cues, on April 19 followed by a co-headlining tour with Beck this summer.

Cliff Burnstein, co-owner of Q Prime, said “We are happy to welcome BMG to the Cage The Elephant family. From the first meeting, they demonstrated that they had the expertise and enthusiasm to help elevate the band’s career.”

“We are thrilled to be working alongside Cage the Elephant on their ground-breaking new album,” said David Hirshland, EVP Music Publishing Catalogs. “Beyond being their publishing partner, we are all huge fans of the band.”

Ashley Gorley Leads The MusicRow Top Songwriter Chart, “Take It From Me” Writers Advance

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Ashley Gorley is at No. 1 again this week on the MusicRow Top Songwriter Chart, with Kevin Welch following him at No. 2. Shane McAnally comes in at No. 3 this week, Brett James at No. 4, and the chart-champion of the week, Luke Combs at No. 5.

David Garcia moves into the top 10 at No. 8 with songs including Florida Georgia Line’s “Meant To Be” and “Women,” as well as Carrie Underwood’s “Love Wins.” Josh Osborne is at No. 9 with “Burn Out” (Midland) and “One That Got Away” (Michael Ray) propelling him.

Jordan Davis (No. 16), Jacob Davis (No. 15) and Jason Gantt (No. 14) all leap more than ten spots up on the MusicRow Songwriter Chart with the rise of Jordan’s “Take It From Me.”

The first female to appear on the Chart is Kelsea Ballerini at No. 40. Ballerini is one of six female songwriters on the chart, along with Carrie Underwood (No. 42), Maren Morris (No. 47), Laura Veltz (No. 53), Nicolle Galyon (No. 55) and Heather Morgan (No. 60).

The weekly MusicRow Top Songwriter Chart, published every week, uses algorithms based upon song activity according to airplay, digital downloaded track sales and streams. This unique and exclusive addition to the MusicRow portfolio is the only songwriter chart of its kind.

Click here to view the full MusicRow Top Songwriter Chart.

Kane Brown Earns Biggest Country Artist Debut In History At Houston Rodeo

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Pictured (L-R): Jim Winne, Chairman Houston Livestock Show and Rodeo and Joel Cowley, President/CEO Houston Livestock Show and Rodeo with Kane Brown. Photo: Alex Alvga

Kane Brown made history with his debut at the Houston Livestock Show & Rodeo Saturday night (March 9), where he played to a ticketed audience of 75,126 fans, earning him the biggest country artist debut in Houston Rodeo history and the Top 15th evening overall in paid attendance ever for the event.

Brown wrapped his headlining arena Live Forever Tour with his debut performance at the Houston Rodeo, and in a milestone moment for the 25-year-old entertainer, he also received a surprise plaque presented by Chairman Houston Livestock Show and Rodeo, Jim Winne, and Joel Cowley, President/CEO Houston Livestock Show and Rodeo, commemorating the official 4X-Platinum certification of his No. 1 hit, “Heaven.”

“Heaven”s 4X-Platinum status follows Brown’s earlier certification of his chart-topping single “What Ifs” as 4X-Platinum, and makes Brown one of only five country artists to achieve multiple 4X-Platinum singles (others include Luke Bryan, Sam Hunt, Florida Georgia Line, and Taylor Swift). Also nominated for Single of the Year at the 2019 ACM Awards and for Country Song of the Year at the iHeartRadio Music Awards, “Heaven” was country’s most-played airplay hit of 2018.

A lifelong fan of the Rodeo, the milestone was particularly meaningful to Brown, who often sites memories of his childhood playing rodeo with his grandfather and great grandfather, both honored in Brown’s self-titled debut album through his songs “Coldspot” and “Granddaddy’s Chair.”

Earlier in the week Brown celebrated his inclusion in the Country Music Hall of Fame’s American Currents exhibit, where his wardrobe from his first American Music Awards, the evening he won three AMAs (Country Song, Best Country Album, Best Country Artist)  is currently on display.

Spotify Responds To Backlash Regarding CRB Royalty Ruling Appeal

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It was reported last week that Spotify, along with Google, Amazon and Pandora, had filed a notice of appeal for the ruling that formally issued the final rates and terms for songwriter mechanical royalties, determining the amount labels and digital services are to pay music publishers.

Since this announcement, the streaming service has faced backlash from the songwriting community. Well-known songwriters like Natalie Hemby, Lee Thomas Miller and Luke Laird have since shared their feelings about the appeal on social media.

Spotify responded to the backlash today in a blog post titled: You Might Have Heard about the Streaming Industry’s CRB Appeal—Here’s What You Need to Know. The blog post opens with:

“In the U.S., the royalty rates for publishing rights for digital music services are determined by a panel of judges, the Copyright Royalty Board (CRB). The rates also create a reference point for services that don’t rely on these government-set rates, and they indirectly influence the ways that publishing license rates work around the world. The CRB recently came to a conclusion about how these rights and rates would work for the next few years. And we appealed the outcome.”

Further, the post rejects that Spotify is ‘suing’ songwriters, and that songwriters do deserve to be paid more, but that the industry needs to “to continue evolving to ensure that the people who create the music we all love…can earn a living.” While Spotify does claim to support the U.S. effective rates rising to 15 percent between now and 2022,  they write that “the CRB’s 15% rate doesn’t account for all these rights,” like for music videos and lyrics. To address the streaming service’s reasoning behind their appeal, they write:

“The CRB rate structure is complex and there were significant flaws in how it was set. A key area of focus in our appeal will be the fact that the CRB’s decision makes it very difficult for music services to offer “bundles” of music and non-music offerings. This will hurt consumers who will lose access to them. These bundles are key to attracting first-time music subscribers so we can keep growing the revenue pie for everyone.

Music services, artists, songwriters and all other rightsholders share the same revenue stream, and it’s natural for everyone to want a bigger piece of that pie. But that cannot come at the expense of continuing to grow the industry via streaming. The CRB judges set the new publishing rates by assuming that record labels would react by reducing their licensing rates, but their assumption is incorrect. However, we are willing to support an increase in songwriter royalties provided the license encompasses the right scope of publishing rights.”

Read the blog post in its entity here.

 

Jimmie Allen, Lindsay Ell, Travis Denning, Cam Visit Europe During C2C Festival

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Pictured (L-R): Jimmie Allen, Travis Denning, Cam, Laura Veltz, Ross Copperman. Photo: Luke Dyson/CMA

The Country Music Association visited Europe and the U.K. last week with stops in Berlin, Amsterdam and London as part of the C2C: Country to Country festival, bringing CMA’s new international artist-focused touring series, Introducing Nashville, to fans in Berlin and Amsterdam, followed by a return CMA Songwriters Series performance in London.

Pictured: (L-R): Lindsay Ell, Lauren Jenkins, Logan Mize. Photo: Kai Heimberg/CMA

As part of CMA’s international expansion initiatives, Introducing Nashville provides a platform to introduce artists to new audiences around the globe. The touring series brought Lindsay Ell, Lauren Jenkins and Logan Mize to European fans for the first time, opening the mainstage at C2C Berlin at the Verti Arena Berlin on Saturday (March 2), in addition to performing as part of C2C Amsterdam at AFAS Amsterdam on Monday( March 4). Introducing Nashville brings the unique Nashville-style songwriter’s round to each city, with artists appearing on stage together in an acoustic lineup, introducing their songs and sharing highlights of their careers and personal stories.

Pictured (L-R): Jimmie Allen, Ross Copperman, Cam, Laura Veltz, Travis Denning. Photo: Luke Dyson/CMA

Following stops in Berlin and Amsterdam, CMA’s CMA Songwriters Series returned to London’s indigo at The O2 Thursday (March 7), kicking off C2C London with a sold-out performance. Hosted by Cam, the lineup included hit Nashville songwriters and artists including Jimmie Allen, Ross Copperman, Travis Denning and Laura Veltz. Both Denning and Veltz made their first-ever international appearances. The performance marked the sixth London appearance and third consecutive sold-out CMA Songwriters Series during C2C.

Pictured (L-R): Damon Whiteside, CMA Chief Marketing Officer; Roland Hill, WTW Music, co-manager of Ward Thomas; Catherine Ward Thomas and Lizzy Ward Thomas of Ward Thomas; Milly Olykan, CMA Vice President, International Relations and Development. Photo: Luke Dyson/CMA

While in London, CMA presented two awards in recognition of individuals for their efforts in spreading the country genre internationally. British country duo Ward Thomas received the CMA Jeff Walker Global Country Artist Award during the CMA Songwriters Series show, as Cam surprised both artists with the award before the other songwriters on stage urged them to perform their song “Cartwheels.”

BBC Radio 2 Radio Host Baylen Leonard was presented with the CMA International Country Broadcaster Award by Bob Shennan, BBC Director, Radio & Music and CMA Board member, during CMA’s U.K. Task Force meeting in London on Friday (March 8).

Pictured (L-R): Damon Whiteside, CMA Chief Marketing Officer; Bob Shennan, BBC Director, Radio & Music and CMA Board member; Baylen Leonard, BBC Radio 2 Radio Host; Milly Olykan, CMA Vice President, International Relations and Development. Photo: Luke Dyson/CMA

Signings: Conner Sweet Signs With Given Music, Emily Minor Signs With Green Hills Music

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Conner Sweet Signs With Given Music Publishing

Pictured (L-R): Jim Kacmarcik, Partner, Given Entertainment; Hollandsworth; Sweet; Cindy Owen, Partner, Given Entertainment and Jenny Hall, Creative Director, Given Music Publishing. Photo: Bev Moser

Conner Sweet has signed a publishing deal with Given Music.

Sweet was raised in Hendersonville, TN and by age 16 began playing regular gigs in Nashville, splitting his high school years between Goodpasture Christian School and clubs on Nashville’s Lower Broadway. At the same time, he also began honing his songwriting skills, working closely with veteran songwriter/mentor Marty Dodson.

“I knew when I first heard Conner’s voice on a demo that he was someone we wanted to join the Given team,” said Michael Hollandsworth, Given VP/GM. “From his years performing on lower Broad, he knows exactly who he is and the type of music he wants to make. Although he’s only 21 years old, he has a love and respect for the music that brought the country market to where it is today. We are all excited that Conner has chosen Given to be the jumping off point to what promises to be a long and illustrious career.”

“I am so excited to join the Given team,” Sweet said. “I’ve grown up in Nashville and since I was a kid, all I’ve wanted to do is make country music. God has blessed me with this opportunity to do just that.”

 

Green Hills Music Group Signs Emily Minor

Photo L-R: Woody Bomar, Green Hills Music Group, Emily Minor, Leslie Mitchell, Grin Like A Dog Management. Photo: Haley Crow/MusicRow

Singer-songwriter Emily Minor has signed a publishing deal with Green Hills Music Group, as she focuses on writing for her upcoming project. Minor has performed at CMA Fest, The Opry City Stage in New York City, WSM Radio and has shared the stage with Maddie & Tae, Scotty McCreery, Dustin Lynch, Parmalee, Lee Brice and many others. Following her American Idol experience, the Wilmington, NC native headed to Nashville to pursue music.

“Emily is extremely talented, laser-focused on her style and has the energy of a SpaceX rocket,” said Woody Bomar, President/Owner, Green Hills Music Group. “This is going to be a fun journey. We are thankful to become part of her amazing team”

“I’m so happy to be on board with Woody Bomar and Green Hills Music Group,” said Minor. “I was thrilled when they said ‘yes’ to me, and that means more than I can say.”

Green Hills Music Group was founded in 2007 and is home to songs recorded by such artists as Luke Bryan, George Strait, Rascal Flatts, Jake Owen, Hunter Hayes and Hillary Scott and The Scott Family. Minor’s career is managed by Leslie Mitchell of Grin Like A Dog Management.

For more information visit www.EmilyMinor.net.