Adkins Publicity has added Kelli Wasilauski as VP, Publicity, where she will work with Adkins Publicity President/CEO Scott Adkins on all levels of service for the company’s roster of artists and events.

Adkins Publicity represents Tanya Tucker, Naomi Judd, Kiefer Sutherland, Phil Vassar, Bellamy Brothers, Shenandoah, Bill Anderson, Gene Watson, Stella Parton, Lucas Hoge, Ray Scott, Dustin Collins, Glen Templeton and Frank Foster as well as Silverado Records and the City of Hope 28th Annual Celebrity Softball Game.

“Kelli is a go-getter and passionate publicist. She’s an immensely dynamic, ambitious teammate who is always the first one to arrive and last to leave – an invaluable team player,” Adkins said.

Wasilauski previously worked with Webster PR and is a Belmont University graduate.

Wasilauski can be reached at kelli@adkinspublicity.com.

CCM band MercyMe made a triumphant showing with their sold-out concert at Nashville’s Ryman Auditorium on Sunday (March 4). The band sailed through hit songs including “God With Us,” “Word of God Speak,” “Shake,” and their most recent No. 1, “Even If,” from their current album Lifer.

The band, which has sold 9 million albums, is also celebrating the upcoming release of the movie I Can Only Imagine, based on MercyMe’s signature song, penned by lead singer Bart Millard. The movie, produced by Lionsgate, also stars Dennis Quaid and Trace Adkins. The movie opens March 16.

The band recently released the 13-track collection I Can Only Imagine: The Very Best of MercyMe on March 2.

The crowd got a surprise when Dennis Quaid showed up to perform as Dennis & The Sharks.

Keith Urban will perform during the 10th Annual Nashville Honors Gala on March 26 at the Omni Hotel Nashville. Hosted by Nashville star Charles Esten, the evening will also feature appearances from Natalie Grant, Lauren Alaina and Jeff Foxworthy. The event honors outstanding community leaders and benefits cancer research.

This year’s honorees include Janet Ayers (Lifetime Humanitarian Award), David Poile (Spirit of Nashville Award), Frank Bumstead (Frances Preston Outstanding Music Industry Achievement Award), Mike Smardak (Tony Martell Outstanding Entertainment Achievement Award) and Dr. James Netterville (Medical Research Advancement Award).

The 10th Annual T.J. Martell Nashville Honors Gala is chaired by Danielle Bouharoun and David Kells, along with Honorary Co-Chairs Sondra and Doug Cruickshanks. Sponsors of this year’s event include Lipman Brothers, CAA, Chris Young, CMA, Opry Entertainment, Morris Light & Sound and more. Past honorees have included Vince Gill, Rascal Flatts, Dr. Hal Moses, The Honorable Al Gore, Orrin Ingram, Susan Simons, Joe Galante, T-Bone Burnett, Dale Morris, Butch Spyridon, the late Frances Williams Preston, Judy and Steve Turner among many others. The Nashville Honors Gala has netted more than $3 million since its inception in 2009.

There will be a silent auction featuring music and sports memorabilia, autographed guitars, artwork, luxury vacations, designer jewelry and more. Visit tjmartell.org for more information.

Following a previous announcement of a consolidated Concord Music Publishing business, the executive team has now appointed the company’s global A&R team, led by Exec. VP of Worldwide Creative in London, Kim Frakiewicz. Concord Music’s integrated publishing team will have representatives around the world.

Based in Concord Music’s new Nashville offices, Brad Kennard will serve as Vice President of Creative and will report to Km Frankiewicz. Before transitioning to the integrated Concord team, Kennard served as Vice President of A&R at Razor & Tie Music Publishing in Nashville, which is now wholly owned by Concord Music. RTMP has been home to a hit producing catalog including chart-toppers “God Gave Me You” (penned by Dave Barnes), “Alone with You” (penned by Catt Gravitt), and more. Prior to Razor & Tie, Kennard spent two years as VP of A&R at Big Yellow Dog Music. Jen Duke, Creative Manager, will report to Kennard.

Frankiewicz’s staff in the UK includes Harri Davies and Ed Poston, Senior Creative; Olly Manhi, Creative Manager, and in Berlin, Leo Chantzaras, Senior International Creative.

Jeremy Yohai will work out of Concord Music’s New York office as Head of Creative (US), reporting to Frankiewicz. Prior to joining Concord, Yohai was the VP of Global A&R at Downtown Music Publishing where he oversaw the worldwide A&R staff, new artist signings, and the Downtown roster which included Andrew Wyatt/Miike Snow, Santigold, and pop writers/producers Rock Mafia, Shea Taylor, and Sacha Skarbek, among others. Before joining Downtown, Yohai worked in Creative Services at ASCAP.

Reporting to Yohai will be Michelle Fantus, Senior Creative Director (NY), and Grace Adeyemo, Creative Manager (LA). Yohai and Frankiewicz will co-manage Creative Consultant Anna Carpenter (NY).

Working from the Concord Music offices in Beverly Hills and reporting to Frankiewicz, Tom DeSavia has been brought onto the team as Senior Vice President of Artist Relations and Creative. DeSavia’s most recent position was as Head of Creative Services and A&R for indie publisher SONGS Music Publishing, where he oversaw all artist relations for the company, as well as A&R for a large stable of the publisher’s roster. Prior to joining SONGS, DeSavia worked at Notable Music and ASCAP.

Michael Pizzuto works from Concord Music’s Beverly Hills office where he has a hybrid role as Senior Vice President of Creative and Synchronization, reporting to Frankiewicz in his A&R capacity. Among his eclectic range of signings are alternative and pop artists and writers Marilyn Manson, Tyler Bates, Ben Cooper (Radical Face), Tim Delaughter (Polyphonic Spree), among others. Michael started at Bicycle Music in 2008. Prior to that, Michael had a similar role as Creative Director of A&R and Synchronization at Stage Three Music.

Frankiewicz began her career in music management in her native Australia where she worked with INXS and The Models at MMA Management. Within a few years she had been promoted to Managing Director of their publishing division, MMA Music Publishing. In 1997, Kim moved to New York where she took up the position of VP of International at Universal Music Publishing, transferring to the London office in 2000. In 2012 she joined Imagem as Managing Director for Imagem Music UK, signing and resigning artists and writers including Daft Punk, Kaiser Chiefs, Mark Ronson, Cathy Dennis, and Justin Parker as well as being instrumental in administration deals such as with Pink Floyd Music Publishing.

State Senator Jeff Yarbro and State Representative Brenda Gilmore joined industry members at a press conference in Nashville on Monday (March 5) to advance legislation to extend workplace protections to contractors and consultants.

House Bill 1984 and Senate Bill 2130 would give independent contractors in any industry the same workplace protections against harassment as employees.

“This legislation is aimed at curing a problem that is far too prevalent in our society. Many of us have known it’s been a problem for a lot longer,” said Yarbro during the conference. “Nashville is the capital of the country music world and every year, thousands of people move to Tennessee to be part of what is a multi-billion dollar industry. But little do they know that when chasing their dreams to Tennessee, that if they make it, they are entering into a world filled with legal loopholes, devoid of the protections that most of us expect and take for granted in the workplace. That’s what we are trying to fix today. There are so many people in our city who have come and joined the music business, trying to make their economic life come together, their creative life come together and too often, predators and people who are flouting the norms of our society stand in their way.”

“Anyone who reads a newspaper right now or follows what is going on in the music business knows that we’ve had a string of problems with predatory behavior across the spectrum. I think a lot of us learned about this for the first time when Taylor Swift brought a countersuit for assault and battery in Colorado last year. The reality is most that are trying to make it in the music industry can’t afford to just bring legal action where the total damages are going to be $1. They need stronger legal protections. We need to see a change in culture that says that harassment isn’t ok anytime, anyplace, in any industry or any sector of our economy. We have to say ‘Enough.’ That’s what this legislation seeks to do. Most people in the country music business aren’t falling into the typical employer-employee relationship. And so what this legislation does is expand workplace protections to those who are independent contractors, those who are performing services, so those people too can be protected from sexual harassment in the workplace. All of our people, regardless of what forms they fill out and what precise legal formalities their employment falls into, should be protected.”

A supporter of the legislation, singer-songwriter Katie Armiger, was on hand during the event to relate her experiences with predatory behavior in the music industry.

“In the past three years, after having experienced many uncomfortable situations over the course of being an artist, I felt forced to choose between my self-worth and respect, or performing,” Armiger said. Armiger has been performing since she was a child, and later signed a deal with Cold River Records.

“In [my parents’] minds, there was a certain amount of safety because it was a relative of my mother’s who was starting the record label around my career…My first album was released when I was 16 and the label released four more albums and 15 singles of my work. Seven songs made the charts and 20 music videos. My social media numbers were consistently growing and I was touring and performing as often as the label would book me. I attended red carpet events and worked with my idols.

“But there was a dark side. By the time I was 18, I’d been exposed to behaviors and expectations that made me uncomfortable. It ranged from innuendos and comments to outright unwanted touching. Not only was it confusing but it was humiliating. This was happening at the hands of powerful, influential professionals that I was supposed to impress with my music. Like many, I was told it was all just being part of the business. Here’s the problem I see: An artist is a product, a product that an entire business is built around. I wasn’t an entrepreneur or an employee. I wasn’t a freelancer or a contractor. According to current employment law, being signed to a record label is a relatively undefined position. I was essentially allowed to use my talent to pursue my dreams, but only with the investment of others. And so I was subjected to their insistence about how I should behave. I was a teenager dealing with radio programmers touching me under tables at industry events and making inappropriate sexual remarks. I was told not only to tolerate it, but to encourage it, if I wanted my music to be played. When I resisted I was shown photos of other female artists hugging and kissing industry decision makers, as if my career would suffer if I didn’t play this role.”

HB 1984 is set to be heard at 3 p.m. Wednesday, March 7 in the House Human Resources subcommittee in House Hearing Room IV in the Cordell Hull Building. Companion legislation, SB 2130, will be heard at a later date.

State Sen. Yarbro represents District 21 in Nashville and serves as Senate Democratic Caucus chairman. State Rep. Gilmore represents District 54 in Nashville.