iHeartCountry Festival 2026. Photo: Rick Kern for iHeartRadio

The iHeartCountry Festival returned to The Moody Center in Austin last Saturday, celebrating country’s hottest artists with performances from Luke Bryan, Kane Brown, Parker McCollum, Riley Green, Shaboozey and many more.

Kane Brown performs at iHeartCountry Festival 2026. Photo: Rick Kern for iHeartRadio

The festival was once again hosted by iHeartMedia’s nationally syndicated personality, Bobby Bones. McCollum kicked off the festival with his hits “What Kinda Man,” “Killing Me,” “Pretty Heart,” “Solid Country Gold,” “To Be Loved” and more. Among the highlights were Gretchen Wilson performing fan favorites “Here for the Party,” “All Jacked Up” and “Redneck Woman;” Lauren Alaina surprising the crowd by bringing out Chase Matthew to perform their song “All my Ex’s” and Russell Dickerson amping up the fans with hits like “Worth Your Wild,” “She Likes It,” “Blue Tacoma,” “Yours” and “Happen To Me.”

Brown got the crowd on their feet with “Like I Love Country Music,” “I Can Feel It,” “Bury Me in Georgia,” “Famous Friends,” “Miles On It” and more. Carly Pearce offered up hits like “Happy Now,” “Truck on Fire,” “What He Didn’t Do,” and thrilled the crowd when she brought out Green onstage for their song “If I Don’t Leave I’m Gonna Stay.”

Luke Bryan performs at iHeartCountry Festival 2026. Photo: Rick Kern for iHeartRadio

Bryan also rocked the iHeartCountry stage with his fan favorites “That’s My Kind of Night” and “Play It Again,” and brought out George Birge to perform their new song “Ride Ride Ride,” then wrapped the set with “Knockin’ Boots,” “Country On” and his classic “Country Girl (Shake It For Me).” Shaboozey had the crowd dancing to his songs “Last of My Kind,” “Amen,” “Good News” and “A Bar Song (Tipsy).” Green closed out the 2026 festival, performing “Different ‘Round Here,” “There Was This Girl,” “I Wish Grandpas Never Died” and bringing out Pearce to sing “Don’t Mind If I Do.”

The Daytime Village at the iHeartCountry Festival also featured performances by Alaina, Birge, Matthew, RaeLynn and Josh Ross. Disney+ and Hulu livestreamed all of the performances, and the event also broadcast across iHeartCountry stations nationwide and on the iHeartRadio app on May 2.

Shaboozey performs at iHeartCountry Festival 2026. Photo: Rick Kern for iHeartRadio

Bobby Bones at iHeartCountry Festival 2026. Photo: Rick Kern for iHeartRadio

The Association of Independent Music Publishers Nashville Young Professionals Committee has opened applications for its annual AIMP U: Unsigned Songwriter Series highlighting emerging songwriting talent in Nashville.

The program offers unsigned songwriters the opportunity to be selected for the Class of 2026 AIMP Unsigned Songwriters and perform for industry professionals in an acoustic showcase at The Listening Room Cafe on June 23. Applicants must be registered AIMP Nashville National or Student members to be eligible. Submissions require one original song and will be evaluated by a panel of industry professionals based on songwriting, originality, and overall presentation. Selected participants will be notified directly via the contact information provided in the application.

Applications are open now and will close on May 15. Membership information and applications are available HERE. Winners will be announced on June 1.

The Mechanical Licensing Collective (The MLC) has launched its new online micro-course, “Music Registration 101: Registering Your Music.”

The course is designed to help music creators, industry professionals, and others better understand how music rights work and how to properly register them in order to ensure royalties are distributed to the appropriate rightsholders. “Music Registration 101” provides a practical overview of registration across key organizations involved in copyright, publishing administration and distribution.

Available at no cost, the course is designed to make foundational music rights information more accessible. It is also included as part of The MLC’s Member Benefits program, giving Members of The MLC access to educational tools and resources that support their careers. The course takes approximately three hours to complete, and upon completion, participants receive a personalized certificate for academic or professional use. Those who choose to take the optional final assessment and score 80% or higher also earn a digital badge. More information on enrollment can be found here.

Key topics in “Music Registration 101” include:

• Core concepts of copyright, rights, revenue, licensing, and music identifiers
• How music is registered with the United States Copyright Office
• An overview of publishing administration for musical works
• How performance royalties are collected through performing rights organizations (PROs)
• How mechanical royalties are collected through The MLC
• How sound recording distribution revenue is collected by distributors
• How digital performance royalties for sound recordings are collected through SoundExchange

“The MLC is focused on making sure rightsholders get paid, while also helping them understand how the ecosystem works,” says Serona Elton, Head of Educational Partnerships at The MLC. “This course breaks down complex concepts into clear, practical information so rightsholders can take meaningful steps in managing their careers and ensuring they receive the royalties they’ve earned.”

The MLC also offers “The MLC 101: Introduction to The MLC,” a foundational course that provides an overview of The MLC, mechanical licensing, and mechanical royalties, including key concepts such as the Music Modernization Act, membership, and how mechanical royalties are administered in today’s digital music landscape.

Alana Springsteen. Photo: Bill Reynolds

Alana Springsteen will kick off her new “I HOPE THIS HELPS TOUR” on Sept. 17 in Roseville, California.

The 25 date trek will make stops in West Hollywood, New York City, Philadelphia and more before wrapping up in Nashville on Oct. 24. Erin Kinsey and Kyle Schuesler will join as support on select dates.

Fan presale and VIP on-sale will begin tomorrow (May 5), before venue and local presales take place on Thursday (May 7). General on-sale begins will take place this Friday (May 8) at 10 a.m. CST.

The tour will support Springsteen’s upcoming album release with the same name, releasing May 29 via Santa Anna Nashville. Springsteen also slated to make an appearance at CMA Fest next month, before embarking on her seven date “ALANA SPRINGSTEEN: LIVE IN EUROPE,” making stops in Glasgow, London, Belfast and more.

“I HOPE THIS HELPS TOUR” Dates:
Sept. 17 – Roseville, CA – Goldfield Trading Post º
Sept. 19 – San Diego, CA – Moonshine Beach º
Sept. 20 – West Hollywood, CA – Troubadour º
Sept 21. – Tucson, AZ – 191 Toole º
Sept. 23 – Denver, CO – Bluebird Theater º
Sept. 25 – Manhattan, KS – The Hat º
Sept. 26 – Kansas City, MO – PBR Big Sky º
Sept. 27 – Des Moines, IA – Wooly’s º
Sept. 29 – Iowa City, IA – Wildwood Smokehouse and Saloon º
Oct. 1 – Minneapolis, MN – Fine Line Music Café º
Oct. 2 – Milwaukee, WI – The Rave º
Oct. 3 – Chicago, IL – Joe’s Bar º
Oct. 8 – Indianapolis, IN – Turntable ^
Oct. 9 – Grand Rapids, MI – Elevation ^
Oct. 10 – Rootstown, OH – The Dusty Armadillo ^
Oct. 13 – Buffalo, NY – Buffalo Iron Works ^
Oct. 15 – Boston, MA – Brighton Music Hall ^
Oct. 16 – New York, NY – The Bowery Ballroom ^
Oct. 17 – Verona, NY – The Showroom at Turning Stone Resort Casino ^
Oct. 18 – Philadelphia, PA – The Foundry ^
Oct. 20 – Norfolk, VA – The NorVa ^
Oct. 21 – Charleston, SC – Music Farm ^
Oct. 22 – Charlotte, NC – Visulite Theatre ^
Oct. 23 – Atlanta, GA – The Loft ^
Oct. 24 – Nashville, TN – Exit/In ^

º Support from Erin Kinsey
^ Support from Kyle Schuesler