CMT just revealed this year’s nominees for the CMT Music Awards, which will be hosted by Little Big Town on Wednesday, June 6.
For the first time, this year’s top category, Video of the Year, features several pop artists vying for the win. Among the nominees are Bebe Rexha (ft. Florida Georgia Line) for “Meant To Be,” Justin Timberlake ft. Chris Stapleton for “Say Something,” and Ludacris, who contributed to Carrie Underwood‘s “The Champion.” They join fellow Video of the Year nominees Blake Shelton, Brett Young, Brothers Osborne, Dan+Shay, Jason Aldean, Kane Brown, Lauren Alaina, Kelsea Ballerini, Luke Combs, and Thomas Rhett.
Carrie Underwood, who holds the title of most CMT Music Awards wins with 17, looks to defend her title against superstars Florida Georgia Line and Jason Aldean, who are tied with Underwood for the most nominations this year with four each. Other artists with multiple nominations include Little Big Town (3), Chris Stapleton (3), Lauren Alaina (3), Thomas Rhett (3), Bebe Rexha (2), Blake Shelton (2), Brothers Osborne (2), Carly Pearce (2), Dan + Shay (2), Danielle Bradbery(2), Justin Timberlake (2), Kane Brown (2), Keith Urban (2), Kelsea Ballerini (2), Lady Antebellum (2), LANco (2), Ludacris (2) and Maren Morris (2).
Artists earning their very first CMT Music Awards nominations include a mix of pop, rock and country artists, including Andra Day, Backstreet Boys, Bebe Rexha, Carly Pearce, Common, Derek Trucks, Devin Dawson, High Valley, Justin Timberlake, LANco, Ludacris, Russell Dickerson, Walker Hayes, and Earth, Wind & Fire.
Voting for the CMT Music Awards is now open at cmt.com.
2018 CMT Music Awards Nominations:
Video of the Year
Best video of the year; awarded to the artist (male, female, group/duo or collaboration) and the video director. Final nominees announced the morning of the show, with final voting held on Twitter during the live telecast.
Bebe Rexha feat. Florida Georgia Line, “Meant To Be”
Blake Shelton, “I’ll Name The Dogs”
Brett Young, “Mercy”
Brothers Osborne, “It Ain’t My Fault”
Carrie Underwood feat. Ludacris, “The Champion”
Dan + Shay, “Tequila”
Jason Aldean, “You Make It Easy”
Justin Timberlake feat. Chris Stapleton, “Say Something”
Kane Brown feat. Lauren Alaina, “What Ifs”
Kelsea Ballerini, “Legends”
Luke Combs, “When It Rains It Pours”
Thomas Rhett, “Marry Me”
Male Video of the Year
Best video by a male artist; awarded to the artist
Blake Shelton, “I’ll Name The Dogs”
Dustin Lynch, “Small Town Boy”
Jason Aldean, “You Make It Easy”
Jon Pardi, “Heartache On The Dance Floor”
Luke Bryan, “Light It Up”
Thomas Rhett, “Marry Me”
Female Video of the Year
Best video by a female artist; awarded to the artist
Carly Pearce, “Every Little Thing”
Carrie Underwood feat. Ludacris, “The Champion”
Kelsea Ballerini, “Legends”
Lauren Alaina, “Doin’ Fine”
Maren Morris, “I Could Use A Love Song”
Miranda Lambert, “Tin Man” From 2017 ACM Awards
Duo Video of the Year
Best video by a duo; awarded to the artists
Big & Rich, “California”
Brothers Osborne, “It Ain’t My Fault”
Dan + Shay, “Tequila”
Florida Georgia Line, “Smooth”
High Valley, “She’s With Me”
Tim McGraw & Faith Hill, “Speak To A Girl”
Group Video of the Year
Best video by a group; awarded to the artists
Lady Antebellum, “You Look Good”
LANco, “Greatest Love Story”
Little Big Town, “When Someone Stops Loving You”
Midland, “Make A Little”
Old Dominion, “No Such Thing As A Broken Heart”
Rascal Flatts, “Yours If You Want It”
Zac Brown Band, “My Old Man”
Breakthrough Video of the Year
Best video from an artist’s major breakthrough album; awarded to the artist (male, female or group/duo)
Carly Pearce, “Every Little Thing”
Danielle Bradbery, “Sway”
Devin Dawson, “All On Me”
LANco, “Greatest Love Story”
Russell Dickerson, “Yours”
Walker Hayes, “You Broke Up With Me”
Collaborative Video of the Year
Best video from a collaboration; awarded to the artists
Bebe Rexha feat. Florida Georgia Line, “Meant To Be”
Carrie Underwood feat. Ludacris, “The Champion”
Cole Swindell feat. Dierks Bentley, “Flatliner”
Justin Timberlake feat. Chris Stapleton, “Say Something”
Kane Brown feat. Lauren Alaina, “What Ifs”
Thomas Rhett feat. Maren Morris, “Craving You”
CMT Performance of the Year
Musical performance on a television show, series or variety special on CMT; awarded to the artist (individual, group or duo)
Andra Day, Common, Little Big Town, Lee Ann Womack and Danielle Bradbery, “Stand Up For Something” (From 2017 CMT Artists of the Year)
Backstreet Boys and Florida Georgia Line, “Everybody” (From CMT Crossroads)
Charles Kelley, Jason Aldean, Darius Rucker and Derek Trucks, “Midnight Rider” (From 2017 CMT Music Awards)
Earth, Wind & Fire and Lady Antebellum, “September” (From CMT Crossroads)
Jason Aldean, Keith Urban, Chris Stapleton and Little Big Town, “I Won’t Back Down” (From 2017 CMT Artists of the Year)
Keith Urban feat. Carrie Underwood, “The Fighter” (From 2017 CMT Music Awards)
ASCAP Expo Hosts ‘Making It In Music City’ Panel
/by Lorie HollabaughPictured (L-R): Head of Global Programming for Country Music at Spotify John Marks, Manager Tom Lord, Agent Kevin Meads, Vice President, A&R at Warner/Chappell Music Ryan Beuschel and Musician Adam Sanders
ASCAP’s “Making It In Music City” panel from ASCAP’s “I Create Music” EXPO, the country’s largest conference for songwriters and producers, brought together leading figures from across the music industry to discuss what it takes to break into today’s music scene in Nashville.
Panel members included Spotify’s John Marks, William Morris’ Kevin Meads, Warner/Chappell’s Ryan Beuschel, Red Light Management’s Tom Lord and chart-topping songwriter Adam Sanders (Luke Bryan, Dierks Bentley, Dustin Lynch, Cole Swindell).
Using Sanders’ own decade-long career as a case study, the group provided insights about finding key mentors and seeking out artists you believe in to work with.
Sanders met his first “champion,” Ryan Beuschel (of ASCAP at the time) while playing a writers’ round in a Nashville dive bar at 2:30 in the afternoon on a Tuesday. Beuschel was enamored with Sanders’ songwriting, and within the month had introduced him to every publisher he knew, garnering half a dozen offers.
Sanders said he sought out mentors in different areas of the music industry to develop as effective a brain trust as he possibly could. This included early support from John Marks, who guided him through the world of radio (while a SiriusXM producer) and streaming (as a Spotify exec) while he began his performance career.
Sanders attributes 90 percent of his songwriting credits to pre-fame friendships he had built with artists in Nashville. A specific example was Cole Swindell, who Sanders became friendly with when he was a construction worker and Swindell was selling merch. Together they wrote a song called “Ain’t Worth The Whiskey” as Cole was reeling from the end of a relationship, and six years later the pals took it to No. 1 on the country charts.
Adam Wright To Release Solo Album ‘Dust’
/by Lorie HollabaughAdam Wright is releasing an album of his own songs, Dust, on June 22.
The songwriter, who has penned thousands of songs for artists including Garth Brooks, Alan Jackson and Lee Ann Womack, is releasing 11 of his own on this new project. The tracks cover a lot of ground, from the gothic tale originating in Wright’s hometown, “Billy, Get Your Bike,” written with just one chord about a true story of a young boy seeking revenge for his stolen property, to “From My Bough,” a tune penned from a tree’s perspective and how some trees he climbed as a child have a much darker past. Lee Ann Womack helps out on that track, and has been one of Wright’s biggest supporters over the years.
The only song on the album co-written with another writer, “Ruby,” was written with Vicky Echiverri and features a Western motif, sounding like a Marty Robbins song from the ’60’s. It was inspired by his love of Cormac McCarthy. The album’s title track was inspired by Wright’s son examining the smallest parts of life filtered through the sunlight and how people and situations can be more than intended.
“[These songs] require a lot from a listener. If you’re not into that, I get it, and this won’t be your cup of tea,” says Wright about the project. “No hard feelings. But if you have the time and don’t mind paying a little more attention to what you’re listening to, I think you might get something out of this album. At least I hope you do.”
Big Loud Records Names Stacy Blythe As VP, Promotion
/by Jessica NicholsonEffective immediately, Blythe will report directly to label President Clay Hunnicutt, and can be reached via email at stacy@bigloud.com.
Blythe is a graduate of Middle Tennessee State University with over a decade of radio-promotion experience – including stops at Category 5 Records, 1720 Entertainment, Stoney Creek Records and Republic Nashville – and in her previous role as Big Loud Records’ National Director of Promotion, oversaw influential campaigns for Jake Owen, Chris Lane, Morgan Wallen, Jillian Jacqueline and Mason Ramsey.
“Since Big Loud Records started almost three years ago, Stacy has been an integral part of the Big Loud family and has shown us – and the entire industry – that she is a leader who can deliver,” Hunnicutt says. “We would not be where we are today without her, and we look forward to breaking more records as we grow. There were people that told her she could not do this. Respectfully, we would say, ‘You were wrong and she has proven it!’”
Blythe adds, “We truly have a family here at Big Loud and I’m so blessed to be a part of it. I am proud of what this team has accomplished in the first 2 and a half years and am honored to take on a bigger role moving forward. I am beyond grateful to Clay, Seth, Chief, Craig and Joey for their continued confidence in me.”
Blythe has signed a multi-year deal as Big Loud Records’ newest VP, meaning the independent country label is now on the hunt for a new National Director of Promotion. Resumes/portfolios can be submitted at jobs@bigloud.com.
Big Loud Records was founded as a partnership between Craig Wiseman, Seth England, Kevin “Chief” Zaruk and Joey Moi, four industry veterans with a vision to bring artist development, management, production, and promotion under one roof. Led by Hunnicutt, the label scored its first win with breakout country star Lane and his debut single, “Fix,” which became a Gold-certified No. 1 success in 2015. The hit marked an unlikely feat for Big Loud Records – scoring their first chart topper with the label’s very first release.
Since then the label has gone on to expand its roster with the addition of country superstar Owen (“I Was Jack (And You Were Diane)”), while scoring more boundary-pushing hits with Lane (“For Her,” “Take Back Home Girl” featuring Tori Kelly) and rising singer-songwriter Wallen (“Up Down” featuring Florida Georgia Line). The Big Loud lineup also includes edgy firebrand Jacqueline (“Reasons”) and fresh-faced viral superstar Ramsey (“Famous”).
Pop Artists Compete For Top CMT Music Awards Honors
/by Jessica NicholsonCMT just revealed this year’s nominees for the CMT Music Awards, which will be hosted by Little Big Town on Wednesday, June 6.
For the first time, this year’s top category, Video of the Year, features several pop artists vying for the win. Among the nominees are Bebe Rexha (ft. Florida Georgia Line) for “Meant To Be,” Justin Timberlake ft. Chris Stapleton for “Say Something,” and Ludacris, who contributed to Carrie Underwood‘s “The Champion.” They join fellow Video of the Year nominees Blake Shelton, Brett Young, Brothers Osborne, Dan+Shay, Jason Aldean, Kane Brown, Lauren Alaina, Kelsea Ballerini, Luke Combs, and Thomas Rhett.
Carrie Underwood, who holds the title of most CMT Music Awards wins with 17, looks to defend her title against superstars Florida Georgia Line and Jason Aldean, who are tied with Underwood for the most nominations this year with four each. Other artists with multiple nominations include Little Big Town (3), Chris Stapleton (3), Lauren Alaina (3), Thomas Rhett (3), Bebe Rexha (2), Blake Shelton (2), Brothers Osborne (2), Carly Pearce (2), Dan + Shay (2), Danielle Bradbery(2), Justin Timberlake (2), Kane Brown (2), Keith Urban (2), Kelsea Ballerini (2), Lady Antebellum (2), LANco (2), Ludacris (2) and Maren Morris (2).
Artists earning their very first CMT Music Awards nominations include a mix of pop, rock and country artists, including Andra Day, Backstreet Boys, Bebe Rexha, Carly Pearce, Common, Derek Trucks, Devin Dawson, High Valley, Justin Timberlake, LANco, Ludacris, Russell Dickerson, Walker Hayes, and Earth, Wind & Fire.
Voting for the CMT Music Awards is now open at cmt.com.
2018 CMT Music Awards Nominations:
Video of the Year
Best video of the year; awarded to the artist (male, female, group/duo or collaboration) and the video director. Final nominees announced the morning of the show, with final voting held on Twitter during the live telecast.
Bebe Rexha feat. Florida Georgia Line, “Meant To Be”
Blake Shelton, “I’ll Name The Dogs”
Brett Young, “Mercy”
Brothers Osborne, “It Ain’t My Fault”
Carrie Underwood feat. Ludacris, “The Champion”
Dan + Shay, “Tequila”
Jason Aldean, “You Make It Easy”
Justin Timberlake feat. Chris Stapleton, “Say Something”
Kane Brown feat. Lauren Alaina, “What Ifs”
Kelsea Ballerini, “Legends”
Luke Combs, “When It Rains It Pours”
Thomas Rhett, “Marry Me”
Male Video of the Year
Best video by a male artist; awarded to the artist
Blake Shelton, “I’ll Name The Dogs”
Dustin Lynch, “Small Town Boy”
Jason Aldean, “You Make It Easy”
Jon Pardi, “Heartache On The Dance Floor”
Luke Bryan, “Light It Up”
Thomas Rhett, “Marry Me”
Female Video of the Year
Best video by a female artist; awarded to the artist
Carly Pearce, “Every Little Thing”
Carrie Underwood feat. Ludacris, “The Champion”
Kelsea Ballerini, “Legends”
Lauren Alaina, “Doin’ Fine”
Maren Morris, “I Could Use A Love Song”
Miranda Lambert, “Tin Man” From 2017 ACM Awards
Duo Video of the Year
Best video by a duo; awarded to the artists
Big & Rich, “California”
Brothers Osborne, “It Ain’t My Fault”
Dan + Shay, “Tequila”
Florida Georgia Line, “Smooth”
High Valley, “She’s With Me”
Tim McGraw & Faith Hill, “Speak To A Girl”
Group Video of the Year
Best video by a group; awarded to the artists
Lady Antebellum, “You Look Good”
LANco, “Greatest Love Story”
Little Big Town, “When Someone Stops Loving You”
Midland, “Make A Little”
Old Dominion, “No Such Thing As A Broken Heart”
Rascal Flatts, “Yours If You Want It”
Zac Brown Band, “My Old Man”
Breakthrough Video of the Year
Best video from an artist’s major breakthrough album; awarded to the artist (male, female or group/duo)
Carly Pearce, “Every Little Thing”
Danielle Bradbery, “Sway”
Devin Dawson, “All On Me”
LANco, “Greatest Love Story”
Russell Dickerson, “Yours”
Walker Hayes, “You Broke Up With Me”
Collaborative Video of the Year
Best video from a collaboration; awarded to the artists
Bebe Rexha feat. Florida Georgia Line, “Meant To Be”
Carrie Underwood feat. Ludacris, “The Champion”
Cole Swindell feat. Dierks Bentley, “Flatliner”
Justin Timberlake feat. Chris Stapleton, “Say Something”
Kane Brown feat. Lauren Alaina, “What Ifs”
Thomas Rhett feat. Maren Morris, “Craving You”
CMT Performance of the Year
Musical performance on a television show, series or variety special on CMT; awarded to the artist (individual, group or duo)
Andra Day, Common, Little Big Town, Lee Ann Womack and Danielle Bradbery, “Stand Up For Something” (From 2017 CMT Artists of the Year)
Backstreet Boys and Florida Georgia Line, “Everybody” (From CMT Crossroads)
Charles Kelley, Jason Aldean, Darius Rucker and Derek Trucks, “Midnight Rider” (From 2017 CMT Music Awards)
Earth, Wind & Fire and Lady Antebellum, “September” (From CMT Crossroads)
Jason Aldean, Keith Urban, Chris Stapleton and Little Big Town, “I Won’t Back Down” (From 2017 CMT Artists of the Year)
Keith Urban feat. Carrie Underwood, “The Fighter” (From 2017 CMT Music Awards)
Time Jumpers Celebrate 20 Years Of Genre-Jumping Fun
/by Lorie HollabaughThe Time Jumpers are celebrating 20 years of playing together this year, and as part of that celebration, the super-group will be adding a handful of dates to their standing Monday night shows at 3rd & Lindsley. The first additional show has been announced for Friday, June 1 at 8 p.m. Tickets are on sale now and can be purchased online here.
The Time Jumpers’ Monday night shows are historic and sell out quickly. For two decades the show has been the destination in Nashville on a Monday night, and the current edition of the Grammy-winning band includes Vince Gill (vocals, electric and acoustic guitars), “Ranger Doug” Green (vocals, acoustic rhythm guitar), Paul Franklin (steel guitar), Brad Albin (upright bass), Larry Franklin (fiddle, vocals), Andy Reiss (electric guitar), Kenny Sears (vocals, fiddle), Joe Spivey (fiddle, vocals), Jeff Taylor (accordion, piano) and Billy Thomas (drums, vocals).
Over the last 20 years, The Time Jumpers has had a slowly revolving door of remarkable musicians including Aubrey Haynie, Dennis Crouch, Hoot Hester, Dawn Sears and John Hughey. Plenty of big stars have dropped by to catch a Jumpers set through the years or sit in with the band, including Bonnie Raitt, Reba McEntire, Norah Jones, Robert Plant, The White Stripes, Kings Of Leon, Jimmy Buffet, Joe Walsh, Diana Krall, Elvis Costello, Chris Isaak and Kelly Clarkson.
“One of my favorite memories of music in Nashville is going to listen to The Time Jumpers play live,” said Reba McEntire of seeing the Nashville mainstay. “They are all incredible musicians and singers and they remind me of what I love so much about music. The times they have asked me to come on stage and sing with them has been a total blast.”
Morgan Evans To Hit 10 Cities In 10 Days On Summer Tour
/by Lorie Hollabaugh“Playing live is my favorite thing to do, so what better way to celebrate my first single on country radio than to play it LIVE?” says Evans. “I’ll be bringing the loop pedal and giving you the first listen to music that is to come. I’d do 365 if I could, but 10 seems like a reasonable place to start. I can’t wait to see all 10 cities in 10 days!”
Penned by Evans with Chris DeStefano and Josh Osborne, Evans’ debut single “Kiss Somebody” is closing in on the Top 15 on the country charts after racking up 30 million streams and skyrocketing into Spotify’s Global Viral 50 chart. The song recently won Country Work of the Year for “Kiss Somebody” at the 2018 APRA Music Awards in Australia.
As part of their ongoing partnership with Warner Music Nashville, Southwest Airlines will support Evans on the whirlwind trek as he jets from city to city for the 10 consecutive shows.
Industry Ink: BubbleUp, Jeannie Seely, Nashville Meets London
/by Jessica NicholsonJohn Landers Joins BubbleUp
John Landers
John Landers has joined BubbleUp as Sales Manager. Landers has worked with PolyGram Records, Universal Music Group Distribution and UMG Nashville over 29 years. Most recently, Landers led Business Development for Arcivr VIP.
Landers will be based out of BubbleUp’s 16th Avenue office in Nashville. He can be reached at john.landers@bubbleup.com.
Jeannie Seely Gets Television Honor
Pictured (L-R): Opry Entertainment’s Jordan Pettit and Dan Rogers, Jeannie Seely, 117 Entertainment’s Zach Farnum and Bev Moser
During her hosting segment at the Grand Ole Opry on Friday (May 4), 50-year Opry member Jeannie Seely was presented with an award recognizing her song “Anyone Who Knows What Love Is (Will Understand)” for reaching No. 2 on the Billboard Top TV Songs chart in January 2018.
The track was written by Seely, along with Judith Arbuckle, Pat Sheeran and Randy Newman, and was originally a pop hit for Irma Thomas. The song has been used in several TV shows including Big Little Lies, Orphan Black, NFL GameDay Morning, Here And Now (on HBO), and multiple episodes of Black Mirror, it has been used in movie trailers for Moonlight and Jurassic World: Fallen Kingdom, and it has been recorded by artists like Seal, Boyz II Men, and Seely herself (for her latest album Written In Song).
Lineup Announced For Nashville Meets London Festival
The 2018 lineup has been announced for the summer music festival, Nashville Meets London, set for July 28 – 29 in Canada Square Park, Canary Wharf, London.
This year’s talent representing the US is Sam Palladio, Tyminski, The Sisterhood Band, and Dylan Schneider. Representing the U.K. are The Adelaides, Frankie Davies, Jade Helliwell, Holloway Road, Keywest, Two Ways Home, and Worry Dolls.
Spotify’s Copeland Isaacson To Launch Management Venture
/by Jessica NicholsonSpotify’s Director of Artist & Songwriter Relations, Copeland Isaacson, will exit the company to launch a new management venture, MusicRow has confirmed. He has signed on to manage Big Loud Records artist Jillian Jacqueline.
Jacqueline recently released her nine-song EP, Side A, and this year, she has earned opening slots on Thomas Rhett’s Life Changes Tour and Brett Eldredge’s The Long Way Tour.
During his career, Isaacson has also spent time overseeing digital marketing for both Sony Music Nashville and Universal Music Group Nashville.
Weekly Register: Keith Urban’s ‘Graffiti U’ Tops Country Albums
/by Jessica NicholsonKeith Urban debuts at the top of this week’s country albums rankings (total consumption), with Graffiti U earning 144.7K in sales in its first week, according to Nielsen Soundscan. Jason Aldean‘s Rearview Town comes in at No. 2 with 31.9K. Willie Nelson‘s Last Man Standing debuts at No. 3 this week, with 26.4K. Kane Brown‘s self-titled album is at No. 4 with 17.8K. Luke Comb‘s This One’s For You is at No. 5 with 12.4K.
Morgan Wallen’s EP, If I Know Me, debuts at No. 11 on the country albums rankings, with 7.9K.
On the Digital Genre Country chart, the Bebe Rexha/Florida Georgia Line collaboration “Meant To Be” continues to reign, with 31.6K moved this week (over 1 million total).
Mason Ramsey, who recently signed with Atlantic and Big Loud, debuts at No. 2 with his single “Famous,” earning 18.8K. Jason Aldean‘s “You Make It Easy” is at No. 3, with 18.3K. Kane Brown’s “Heaven” is at No. 4 with 18.2K. Kenny Chesney‘s “Get Along” rounds out the Top 5 with 13.9K.
Tim McGraw, Faith Hill Give Students All Access
/by Jessica NicholsonPictured (L-R): Katie Cook of CMT, Tim McGraw, Faith Hill and Director and CEO of the Country Music Hall of Fame and Museum Kyle Young attend the All Access program at The Country Music Hall Of Fame And Museum’s CMA Theater on May 3, 2018 in Nashville, Tennessee. Photo by John Shearer/Getty Images for Country Music Hall Of Fame & Museum [Click photo to enlarge]
The All Access program connects students with country music’s creative and entertainment communities and illuminates the history and culture presented in the museum galleries.
Pictured (L-R): Katie Cook of CMT, Tim McGraw and Faith Hill take a photo with the crowd during the All Access program at The Country Music Hall Of Fame And Museum’s CMA Theater on May 3, 2018 in Nashville, Tennessee. Photo: John Shearer/Getty Images for Country Music Hall Of Fame & Museum. [Click photo to enlarge]
Pictured (L-R): Katie Cook of CMT interviews Faith Hill and Tim McGraw during an All Access program at The Country Music Hall Of Fame And Museum’s CMA Theater on May 3, 2018 in Nashville, Tennessee. Photo: John Shearer/Getty Images for Country Music Hall Of Fame & Museum. [Click photo to enlarge]
Tim McGraw (L) and Faith Hill (R) take photos with the crowd during an All Access program at The Country Music Hall Of Fame And Museum’s CMA Theater on May 3, 2018 in Nashville, Tennessee. (Photo by John Shearer/Getty Images for Country Music Hall Of Fame & Museum)