ole’s VP, Creative John Ozier is set to exit the company on March 31 to pursue a new opportunity with music publisher Reservoir.

Tim Hunze, Sr. Director, Creative in ole’s Nashville division, will take on expanded responsibilities, including leading the day-to-day operations of ole’s Nashville Creative team and label activities. Hunze was previously co-founder and managing partner of Parallel Music Publishing, acquired by ole earlier this year. Parallel songwriters under his management achieved No. 1 hits including: The Band Perry’s “Better Dig Two,” Kelsea Ballerini’s “Love Me Like You Mean It,” Justin Moore’s “Till My Last Day,” Michael Ray’s “Kiss You In The Morning,” and Miranda Lambert’s “Mama’s Broken Heart,” Randy Houser’s “Like A Cowboy” which went to No. 2 at country radio.

Lauren Lieu, Senior Creative Coordinator, and Alexandra Tamashunas, Creative/Label Services Coordinator, will report to Hunze in his expanded capacity.

Additionally, ole has announced Gilles Godard has been appointed to Sr. VP, Publishing, and will report to ole CEO Helen Murphy. Godard will work closely with Murphy in developing and executing ole’s new growth strategy for publishing worldwide and working with key songwriters and catalogs. Godard, who has been with ole since 2006, was previously VP, Corporate Affairs and Development.

Ozier noted, “I am committed to ensuring a smooth transition of my duties to Tim under the leadership of Gilles. I will be working with the team at ole until my planned departure on March 31, to ensure our songwriters and our artists also have a seamless transition.”

Murphy said, “I would like to thank John Ozier for his many contributions to ole Nashville over the years, and I wish him the best of luck in the future.

“Gilles has been, and continues to be, an integral part of ole’s success in growing our overall publishing business worldwide. The relationships he has developed with the creative community reflect his tremendous passion and energy for creating and protecting songs and songwriters. It is my pleasure to promote him to the well-deserved position of SVP, Publishing. I look forward to the continued success of our Nashville operation under the guidance of Gilles and Tim, and I am pleased to see Tim take on an expanded role in operations. Tim has an incredible creative track record and is well respected in the industry. I am excited to have him and his catalog with ole.”

Godard noted, “I am absolutely thrilled to have this opportunity as SVP and look forward to working closely with Tim and the entire Creative team as we write the next chapter of success here at ole. The future always exceeds the past!”

A new season of the acclaimed podcast And The Writer Is…, hosted by Ross Golan, is slated for April 1. The announcement was made during a special podcast episode which dropped today (March 4) featuring songwriter Jake Davis, the winner of the podcast’s first-ever songwriting competition. Among the guests appearing on the podcast’s fourth season are Shane McAnally, Matt Ramsey, and Kip Moore.

And The Writer Is… Season 4 will kick off April 1 with Jon Bellion, who in addition to his solo work has penned tracks with Eminem, Rihanna, Jason Derulo and many others. Other songwriters featured this season include Death Cab for Cutie’s Ben Gibbard, Teddy Geiger, X Ambassadors’ Sam Harris, Skylar Grey and Pricilla Renea, to name a few.

Golan also announced that he and podcast co-producer, GRAMMY-nominated songwriter Joe London, will be taking And The Writer Is… on the road to SXSW in Austin, Texas the week of March 11. They will be recording an interview with Fugees founding member Wyclef Jean at a SXSW official session on Thursday, March 14 at 12:30 p.m. located at the JW Marriott’s Brazos Room, which will be aired during the upcoming season. Golan will also be leading a SXSW session on the topic of “Song Math” on March 15, as well as acoustically performing his concept album The Wrong Man, which comes out on Interscope later this year. The special performance will take place at the Central Presbyterian Church in Austin on Wednesday, March 13.

“I’m honored to sit down with a new lineup of some of the best songwriters in the world. These people are artistic geniuses, ambitious entrepreneurs and most importantly, the life blood of the music industry,” said Golan.

Universal Music Publishing Group (UMPG) announced that singer-songwriter Claire Wright has been signed to an exclusive publishing deal.

Based in Nashville, Wright is a native of Northern California. To create her signature sound of positive music that makes people feel good, Wright’s writing style mixes sunny West Coast vibes, her rural roots and her philosophy that life should be enjoyed. Her influences include Sugar Ray and Creedence Clearwater Revival.

Kent Earls, UMPG Nashville Executive Vice President / General Manager, said, “Claire is full of positive light and shares that glow through her songs. It’s very rare to meet someone with such an identity and vision for not only her music but herself. We’re excited to help bring her songs to the world.”

Wright shared, “When I walked into the UMPG Nashville building for the first time, I knew there was something special about to happen. They understood my songs and my vision in a really refreshing way. They are a massive powerhouse in the publishing world yet when you walk into the office, it’s like coming home. I look forward to making history with these amazing folks!”

Wright is managed by Red Light Management and is represented by CAA.

Dierks Bentley and Live Nation have announced the lineup for the second annual Seven Peaks Music Festival, to be held in Buena Vista, Colorado on Labor Day weekend (Aug. 30-Sept. 1).

This year’s performers include Luke Bryan, Maren Morris, Jon Pardi, Mitchell Tenpenny, Nitty Gritty Dirt Band, Ryan Hurd, Steep Canyon Rangers, The War and Treaty, Tenille Townes and Caylee Hammack. In addition, Friday’s Hot Country Night, which was an instant highlight in the festival’s inaugural year, will host Travis Tritt, Tracy Lawrence, Diamond Rio and Deana Carter with a special performance by Bentley’s own Hot Country Knights.

“I am so happy and grateful we get to come back to Buena Vista for the second Seven Peaks Music Festival,” said Dierks Bentley. “And I know I speak for everyone that has worked so hard to make this festival a reality when I say that. Even with the huge success of the first year, no one is taking anything for granted. If anything, we are all working harder than ever to make sure this year meets and exceeds the expectations of our returning ‘Peakers’ and completely blow away our first-time festival goers.”

“What I love about Seven Peaks is that this festival felt special from the beginning,” said Brian O’Connell, President of Country Touring at Live Nation. “It also instantly felt like we were all in this together to build something with longevity, from the fans out in the campgrounds, to the artists and teams working together backstage. Working with Dierks and his team, it is a truly collaborative partnership and there’s a lot of respect there. I’m so ready for us to continue to grow this festival, the mountains are calling!”

With other stages to be announced in the coming weeks, passes will go on sale March 15 at 10 a.m. MT at sevenpeaksfestival.com.

 

Kacey Musgraves Wins CMA International Artist Achievement Award

The Country Music Association awarded Kacey Musgraves with the 2019 CMA International Artist Achievement Award Wednesday night (Feb. 27), surprising her backstage prior to her performance at Nashville’s historic Ryman Auditorium. The award recognizes outstanding achievement by a United States-based artist who has demonstrated the most significant creative growth, development and promotion of the country music industry outside of the United States during the eligibility period.

Since her first visit to the U.K. in 2012, Musgraves has developed an international touring base, headlining C2C: Country to Country festival in 2018 and becoming the first country artist to perform at Fuji Rock Festival in Japan before launching her own international headline tour in Oslo last fall, which included a performance at London’s Wembley Arena. This marks the second time Musgraves has received the CMA International Artist Achievement Award, previously winning in 2016.

“Thank you so much to the CMA for honoring me with the International Artist Achievement Award. I absolutely love experiencing new cultures and playing overseas,” said Musgraves.

“Kacey has made touring internationally a huge priority throughout her career,” said Sarah Trahern, CMA Chief Executive Officer. “We’ve witnessed the international fan-base for Country Music expand immensely and we applaud Kacey for her continued engagement to reach Country fans around the globe.”

 

Jeannie Seely Performs at Country Music Hall of Fame and Museum Songwriter Session

Grand Ole Opry Member, Jeannie Seely and special guest Tim Atwood brought the attendees at the weekly Country Music Hall of Fame and Museum Songwriter Sessions to their feet during the event on Saturday (Feb. 23).

The museum’s Songwriter Sessions are held every Saturday at 11:30 a.m. in the intimate atmosphere of its Ford Theater.

“I was apprehensive about doing the songwriter showcase at the Hall of Fame. It is after all, very hallowed ground! But as I sang the songs I had written that were recorded by so many of the artists who are now honored in the Hall, I felt so at ease and truly felt their presence with me,” said Seely. “Thank you to all who made this happen, and to all of the wonderful fans and visitors to our city for coming in to share the time with me.”

“For years I performed with Jeannie Seely on the most venerable stage in country music–the Grand Ole Opry; however, to perform alongside Jeannie at the Country Music Hall of Fame was an honor like no other. To think that ten Country Music Hall of Fame members have recorded her songs is mind boggling,” said Atwood. “Jeannie is one of the best entertainers in our business, but Jeannie is also one of the best wordsmiths I’ve ever known. This lady can do it all, and I’m just proud to call her my friend.”

Previous Songwriter Sessions can be viewed here.

 

Jimmy Nash Preps Two New AWAL Country Releases

Jimmy Nash has signed a new distribution deal with AWAL, the artist-focused distribution arm of Kobalt Music, and is set to release two new singles April 12.

Nash previewed his new singles, “Til The River Runs Out” and “Burritos and Tito’s,” at the 2019 BMI Dinner at the Country Radio Seminar in Nashville. The singles can be previewed here.