Sugarland’s highly anticipated sixth studio album, titled Bigger, will be released on June 8. After taking a hiatus to pursue a series of solo projects, Bigger is the duo’s first new music in seven years and the first project under their new joint venture with Big Machine Records and UMG Nashville.
Sugarland’s Jennifer Nettles and Kristian Bush co-wrote nearly all of the songs on the album, which they co-produced with Julian Raymond. The only “outside” cut on the project is “Babe (featuring Taylor Swift),” written by Swift and Pat Monahan of Train.
“Our hopefulness and our sparkiness and our joy is one of the things I think we do uniquely well, especially in the country format,” says Nettles of the new music. “We offer that in a unique way.”
“This album has a whole bunch of mystery,” adds Bush. “I’m listening to it every two days just to see what’s in it. I have entire pints of blood in that thing, but I still don’t know where it all came from, and I love that.”
The project’s lead single, “Still The Same,” is climbing the country radio charts ahead of the duo’s Still The Same 2018 Tour, which visits Nashville Aug. 2.
The album will be available to pre-order at digital retailers and the title track, “Bigger,” will be available to download on April 13.
The duo will give fans a taste of the new material when they appear on ABC’s Jimmy Kimmel Live! May 2.
Since the band’s inception in 2002, Sugarland has sold nearly 10 million albums domestically, and earned seven No. 1 singles.
Bigger Track List
1. “Bigger” | Kristian Bush, Jennifer Nettles
2. “On A Roll” | Kristian Bush, Jennifer Nettles
3. “Let Me Remind You” | Kristian Bush, Jennifer Nettles
4. “Mother” | Kristian Bush, Jennifer Nettles
5. “Still The Same” | Kristian Bush, Jennifer Nettles
6. “Lean It On Back” | Kristian Bush, Jennifer Nettles
7. “Babe (featuring Taylor Swift)” | Taylor Swift, Pat Monahan
8. “Bird In A Cage” | Kristian Bush, Jennifer Nettles
9. “Love Me Like I’m Leaving” | Kristian Bush, Jennifer Nettles, Tim Owens
10. “Tuesday’s Broken” | Kristian Bush, Jennifer Nettles
11. “Not The Only” | Kristian Bush, Jennifer Nettles
Michael Ray Introduces Fans To ‘Amos’ This June
/by Sarah SkatesMichael Ray is following up his successful self-titled debut album with a new project due out June 1 on Atlantic Records/ Warner Music Nashville. Named for his late grandfather, Amos, the project is said to be Ray’s most personal to date.
Amos was a huge influence on his grandson, inspiring his love of country music. Ray, a Florida native, began singing and performing in his grandfather’s band when he was only nine years old. To this day he still plays Amos’ 1978 Les Paul.
Amos features 11 tracks including Ray’s current top 20 and climbing single, “Get To You.” Album track listing and cover image will released on April 20, when digital pre-orders open.
Ray burst onto the scene with the RIAA Gold-certified No. 1 hits, “Kiss You in the Morning” and “Think A Little Less.”
Lainey Wilson Releases Self-Titled EP Today
/by Sarah SkatesWilson will perform her new music during her opening set for fellow country artist CJ Solar next Wednesday, April 18 at The Basement East in Nashville, and also at the Third Street Songwriters Festival in Baton Rouge, La. from April 20-22.
The Louisiana native is signed to WME and has landed cuts by Luke Combs and Kasey Tyndall.
“As a songwriter in Nashville, you tend to wear a lot of different hats, but I’ve learned over the years that the more honest I am, the more people react to my songs,” says Wilson. “Whether I’m writing about something I’ve experienced firsthand or something I’ve learned through the experiences of others, people want to hear the truth. They want to know they’re not alone, whatever they might be going through, and I hope when they hear my songs; they know I’ve been there too.”
Lainey Wilson Track listing:
1. “Workin’ Overtime” (Lainey Wilson, Rob Crosby)
2. “Dreamcatcher” (Lainey Wilson, Kalsey Kulyk)
3. “Waste of Good Whiskey” (Lainey Wilson, Ethan Baumgarner, Alex DaCosta)
4. “Breakin’ Your Heart” (Lainey Wilson, Kasey Tyndall, Katie Austin)
5. “Microphone” (Lainey Wilson, Ross Ellis, Aslan Freeman)
6. “Middle Finger” (Lainey Wilson, Trannie Stevens, Faren Rachels)
Music Audience Exchange Reveals Tool To Match Artists, Brands
/by Jessica Nicholson“Today’s marketers not only have to understand their target audiences, but they need to be able to reach them in a personal way. The MAX Artist Matching Engine™ has analyzed and segmented one of the most data-rich cultural identifiers available – music preferences – enabling brands to better understand their target audiences, then reach them through experiences that are welcomed instead of interruptive,” said MAX VP of Product Jeff Rosenfeld. “Artists benefit from insights about their fans as well as access to brands who can provide them with promotional opportunities to help build their careers.”
One of the first brands to use the platform, Ford has a number of dealer groups across the country currently reaching passionate communities of Brantley Gilbert fans around the U.S.
Using proprietary data science that maps specific audience tastes to a database of over 900 genres and 1.8 million artists, the MAX Platform™ is constantly updating to help brands pinpoint and better understand correlations between artists and their fans. From there, MAX builds programs that promote audio, video, social, and live music experiences to fans across all of the places they’re connecting with music on a daily basis.
Other brands that have used Music Audience Exchange include McDonalds, AutoZone, CoorsLight, and more.
Sugarland Reveals Album Track List, Taylor Swift Collaboration
/by Sarah SkatesSugarland’s highly anticipated sixth studio album, titled Bigger, will be released on June 8. After taking a hiatus to pursue a series of solo projects, Bigger is the duo’s first new music in seven years and the first project under their new joint venture with Big Machine Records and UMG Nashville.
Sugarland’s Jennifer Nettles and Kristian Bush co-wrote nearly all of the songs on the album, which they co-produced with Julian Raymond. The only “outside” cut on the project is “Babe (featuring Taylor Swift),” written by Swift and Pat Monahan of Train.
“Our hopefulness and our sparkiness and our joy is one of the things I think we do uniquely well, especially in the country format,” says Nettles of the new music. “We offer that in a unique way.”
“This album has a whole bunch of mystery,” adds Bush. “I’m listening to it every two days just to see what’s in it. I have entire pints of blood in that thing, but I still don’t know where it all came from, and I love that.”
The project’s lead single, “Still The Same,” is climbing the country radio charts ahead of the duo’s Still The Same 2018 Tour, which visits Nashville Aug. 2.
The album will be available to pre-order at digital retailers and the title track, “Bigger,” will be available to download on April 13.
The duo will give fans a taste of the new material when they appear on ABC’s Jimmy Kimmel Live! May 2.
Since the band’s inception in 2002, Sugarland has sold nearly 10 million albums domestically, and earned seven No. 1 singles.
Bigger Track List
1. “Bigger” | Kristian Bush, Jennifer Nettles
2. “On A Roll” | Kristian Bush, Jennifer Nettles
3. “Let Me Remind You” | Kristian Bush, Jennifer Nettles
4. “Mother” | Kristian Bush, Jennifer Nettles
5. “Still The Same” | Kristian Bush, Jennifer Nettles
6. “Lean It On Back” | Kristian Bush, Jennifer Nettles
7. “Babe (featuring Taylor Swift)” | Taylor Swift, Pat Monahan
8. “Bird In A Cage” | Kristian Bush, Jennifer Nettles
9. “Love Me Like I’m Leaving” | Kristian Bush, Jennifer Nettles, Tim Owens
10. “Tuesday’s Broken” | Kristian Bush, Jennifer Nettles
11. “Not The Only” | Kristian Bush, Jennifer Nettles
MTSU Plans Fundraiser To Preserve Work of Late Music Photographer Alan Mayor
/by Sarah SkatesAlan Mayor and Garth Brooks
Middle Tennessee State University’s Center for Popular Music will hold a fundraiser for the preservation of the Alan Mayor Photography Collection on Wednesday, May 2 from 5:30 to 7:30 p.m. at the Country Music Association in Nashville. The evening will feature a cocktail reception and a silent auction of beautifully framed prints of Mayor’s work, including some unpublished gems.
The Center for Popular Music acquired the Alan Mayor Photography Collection in late 2017. Mayor, a beloved photographer who passed away in 2015, documented more than four decades of Nashville’s musical life: the Opry, Fan Fair (now CMA Fest), music industry events, local shows, tours, and a treasure trove of behind-the-scenes photos of country’s biggest stars.
While the University employs two certified archivists who will manage this project, the Center needs to raise $50,000 to purchase materials to preserve the tens of thousands of photographs, negatives and slides. Once the project is completed, Mayor’s photos will be available to the public for reference and, pending his family’s permission, inclusion in publications and other media.
Those interested in attending the event or financially contributing to this project should contact Abby White (abby.white@mtsu.edu or 615-898-5756). Anyone interested in making a tax-deductible donation may donate online.
Paradigm Nashville Promotes Three To Agent Roles
/by Jessica NicholsonParadigm Nashville has promoted three staffers to agent roles, as part of the company-wide promotion of eight total staffers to agent across multiple offices.
In Nashville, Kylie Doyle, Zach Hartley and Jeremy Shpizner have all been promoted to agent.
Doyle joined Paradigm in 2014 as an assistant and became booking coordinator for Andrea Ambrosia and Clint Wiley in the Concerts Division two years later. She has worked with artists including Margo Price, The Lone Bellow, Lee Ann Womack, Marty Stuart and The Mavericks. She is now a territorial agent in the Concerts Division, handling venues in the Southeast and Mid-Atlantic with capacity of 1,000 and under.
Hartley joined Paradigm’s Nashville office in 2014 as an assistant, then moved into the Festivals department in 2016. He now joins the growing agent team there alongside Keith Shackleford, Keith Richards and Alex Buck. He is responsible agent for Grand Funk Railroad, and has also worked closely with JOHNNYSWIM.
Shpizner joined Paradigm in 2014 as assistant to Jeffrey Hasson, and became booking coordinator for Jonathan Levine in 2016. He is now on the agent team for artists Colter Wall, Tyler Childers, Blackfoot Gypsies and Priscilla Renea, along with recent signings AHI, Ian Noe, Ian Ferguson and Midnight North.
These promotions follow the recent news that Lenore Kinder has joined Paradigm’s Nashville office as an agent. She was previously a promoter with AEG Presents for 10 years, earning the Rising Star at this year’s Pollstar Awards and Promoter of the Year at last year’s ACM Awards.
Columbia Nashville Signs Tenille Townes
/by Sarah SkatesToday the label is releasing her EP Living Room Worktapes, produced by co-writer Daniel Tashian (Kacey Musgraves’s Golden Hour). Listen here and watch the first installment of “Tenille Townes: My Story” on VEVO.
Townes is also signed to Big Yellow Dog Music and is currently writing and recording her debut LP with producer Jay Joyce.
The singer recently made her Sundance Film Festival and SXSW debuts. She will join Devin Dawson, Maren Morris and Steve Moakler for select tour dates this spring, and has been tapped by Miranda Lambert and Little Big Town for their co-headlining The Bandwagon Tour launching July 2018.
Townes began singing at age 5 in her rural Canadian hometown, Grande Prairie, Alberta, and penned her first song by age 14. She moved to Nashville in 2013 to pursue her music career.
Living Room Worktapes Track Listing:
1. Where You Are
Tenille Townes/Daniel Tashian/Keelan Donovan
2. Jersey on the Wall
Tenille Townes/Tina Parol/Gordie Sampson
3. Somebody’s Daughter
Tenille Townes/Luke Laird/Barry Dean
4. White Horse
Tenille Townes/Jeremy Spillman/Daniel Tashian
Weekly Chart Post 4/13/18
/by Alex ParryClick here or above to access MusicRow‘s weekly CountryBreakout Report.
Brad Paisley Celebrates 20 Million Sales Milestone
/by Jessica NicholsonPictured, left to right, are: (kneeling) Sony Music Nashville’s National Promotion Director Lauren Thomas and Arista Nashville Regional Promotion Manager Luke Jensen; (standing) Arista Nashville’s Promotion VP Josh Easler, Sony Music Nashville’s EVP Marketing/New Business John Zarling; Paisley’s day-to-day manager Kendal Marcy; Sony Music Nashville’s EVP/COO Ken Robold and Chairman/CEO Randy Goodman; Paisley; Sony Music Nashville marketing lead Jen Way; Paisley’s manager Bill Simmons; and Sony Music Nashville’s EVP Promotion/Artist Development Steve Hodges, SVP A&R Jim Catino and SVP Media/Corporate Communications Allen Brown.
Sony Music Nashville execs recently surprised Brad Paisley with a plaque commemorating 20 million career total worldwide albums sales, track downloads and streaming equivalents.
ACM Partners With Aflac For ACM Lifting Lives Honor
/by Jessica NicholsonThis honor will recognize someone for his or her remarkable and selfless dedication to bringing the healing power of music to those who are in need. The inaugural recognition will honor excellence in music therapy. ACM Awards® Male Vocalist of the Year nominee Chris Young, will celebrate the honoree on Friday, April 13 from WME’s BASH at the BEACH at Mandalay Bay Beach during The Week Vegas Goes Country, prior to headlining the two-night ACM Party For A Cause® concert on Saturday, April 14.
“Music is a powerful thing,” said Young. “As a singer and someone who gets to experience the power of music every day, I’m honored to join Aflac and ACM Lifting Lives to recognize an outstanding music therapist who has helped bring the healing power of music to so many.”
Young, the Aflac ACM Lifting Lives Honor recipient and the famous Aflac Duck will also appear in a 30-second custom TV commercial for Aflac. The commercial, filmed and produced Friday from Las Vegas and airing nationally just 48 hours later during the 53rd ACM Awards, will celebrate the healing power of music.
“We were excited when Aflac approached ACM Lifting Lives with the idea for this co-branded honor because it not only helps propel our shared mission of helping those in need, but helps bring further awareness and recognition to aspects of the music industry that are perhaps, less visible including music therapy,” said Debbie Carroll, Chairman of ACM Lifting Lives.
The purpose of the Aflac ACM Lifting Lives Honor is to acknowledge an individual who has made significant contributions to music therapy through education, service, clinical practice and/or research. A committee from the ACM Lifting Lives Board will select the recipient based on his or her long-term efforts toward the development and growth of the music therapy profession.
The Week Vegas Goes Country culminates with the 53rd ACM Awards, hosted by Reba McEntire, which will broadcast LIVE from the MGM Grand Garden Arena in Las Vegas on Sunday, April 15, 2018 at 8 p.m. EDT/PDT on the CBS Television Network.