Pictured (L-R): Downtown’s global creative team: Danny Berrios, Dylan Silberman, Rhea Ghosh, Jedd Katrancha, Natalie Osborne, Justin Kalifowtiz, Taeko Saito, Roberto Neri, Andrew Bergman, Steve Markland, Kayte Olsufka and Andrew Sparkler. Photo: Heather LeRoy/courtesy of Downtown Music Publishing [click photo to enlarge]
Downtown Music Publishing celebrated its new office space and its current No. 1 country hit on Tuesday (April 25) with a packed-house parking lot party. Downtown Music Publishing recently moved their Nashville operations to 909 Division Street in Nashville.
The occasion coincided with the No. 1 success of Downtown writer Marc Beeson’s “Hometown Girl” (co-written with Daniel Tashian, Big Yellow Dog Music) and performed by Josh Turner.
Pictured (L-R): Marc Beeson and Allen Shamblin. Photo:Heather LeRoy/courtesy of Downtown Music Publishing
Pictured (L-R): Mitchell Tenpenny (Riser House Records) and Dan Smyers (Dan + Shay/Warner Bros.). Photo: Heather LeRoy/courtesy of Downtown Music Publishing
Hosted by Downtown Music Publishing CEO Justin Kalifowitz, COO Andrew Bergman, and Downtown Nashville’s Vice President of A&R Steve Markland, the party boasted appearances by its writers Beeson, Kelly Archer, Andy Albert, Tony Esterly, Downtown’s global creative team, and other Nashville figures such as Patrick Carney (of the Black Keys), Michelle Branch, Fletcher Foster and Scott Parker (Hearts Bluff Music) among many others.
“Hometown Girl” is the second No. 1 to come from Downtown Nashville following last November’s Brett Young hit “Sleep Without You,” co-written by Downtown’s Archer, Young (BMLG) and Justin Ebach (Word Music).
Pictured (L-R): Downtown Nashville staff and writers: Marc Beeson, Allen Shamblin, Andy Albert, Sam Ashworth, Steve Markland, Roberto Neri, Tony Esterly, Katie Roth, Natalie Osborne, Kelly Archer, Sara Haze, and FANN. Photo: Heather LeRoy/courtesy of Downtown Music Publishing [click photo to enlarge]
Pictured (L-R): Kara Wintergrass (Big Yellow Dog), Jamie Martin (Big Yellow Dog), Brad Kennard (Razor & Tie), Alex Stefano (Big Yellow Dog), Lauren Funk (Big Yellow Dog) and Matt Lindsey (Big Yellow Dog). Photo: Heather LeRoy/courtesy of Downtown Music Publishing
Markland launched Downtown’s Nashville office in 2014 as a core component of the company’s worldwide expansion. Downtown now has offices in New York, Nashville, Los Angeles, London, Amsterdam and most recently, Tokyo. Since opening in Nashville in 2014, Downtown has acquired the catalogs of Charlie Black, Ray Whitley, Wayne Kirkpatrick, Sturgill Simpson, Jason Isbell, Rosanne Cash, Old Crow Medicine Show, Natalie Prass and VLS Music, which includes Lady Antebellum songs written-by Hillary Scott, among others. Active songwriters including Albert, Beeson and Archer have written recent charted country hits for Blake Shelton, Josh Turner, Justin Moore, Granger Smith and Cassadee Pope.
Pictured (L-R): Will Weatherly and Jordan Schmidt. Photo: Heather LeRoy/courtesy of Downtown Music Publishing
Pictured (L-R): Steve Markland, Andy Albert and Chip Petree (Ritholz Levy Sanders Chidekel & Fields). Photo: Heather LeRoy/courtesy of Downtown Music Publishing
Founded in 2007, Downtown Music Publishing is one of the world’s leading rights-management firms. The company’s catalog spans over seven decades of popular music, encompassing some of the world’s most beloved songwriters and artists including The Beatles, John Lennon & Yoko Ono, Ryan Tedder, Benny Blanco, The Kinks, Cy Coleman, Hans Zimmer, Bruce Springsteen, Mötley Crüe, One Direction, Naughty Boy, Hardwell, Santigold, Carla Bruni and Social Distortion. The company’s technology platform, Songtrust, powers global royalty collection from over 100 countries and more than 20,000 unique income sources worldwide.
Photo: Heather LeRoy/courtesy of Downtown Music Publishing
Photo: Heather LeRoy/courtesy of Downtown Music Publishing
TuneIn Partners with Heard Well to Launch 24/7 Station Powered By Music Influencers
/by Dan_StrassbergMusic label Heard Well and audio network TuneIn have partnered for exclusive creation of Heard Well Radio, a 24-7 radio station powered by influencers. The station, which is now live to TuneIn users in the U.S and Canada, features new music, picked by popular social figures.
Launched in 2015 by Connor Franta, Jeremy Wineberg and Andrew Graham, Heard Well is a music label made up of social influencers. In just two years, its creators and their social community have elevated awareness of artists like Odesza, Bastille and more.
“Over the past two years, Heard Well has built a successful model giving emerging artists a platform to be discovered through social influencers. As we evolve as a company, our goal is to give our listeners various options to consume content,” said Heard Well Co-Founder Wineberg. “Heard Well Radio will give us the opportunity to curate more playlists and original programming in a 24/7 platform. We will be the first to create a radio station that is exclusively powered by creators in the digital space and TuneIn is the perfect partner to build this with. With over 100M installs and Heard Well’s social reach of 10’s of millions, we’re so excited to welcome this new and exciting endeavor to our listeners!”
The Heard Well station will be available as part of TuneIn’s free level of service.
“The addition of Heard Well Radio to TuneIn’s lineup of curated music stations serves a dynamic demographic that is vitally important to TuneIn’s growth,” said TuneIn Chief Content Officer Kevin Straley.
Heard Well Radio will feature 11 hours of live content each week, lead by signature show “Heard Well Live,” airing Monday through Friday from 6–8 p.m. ET. “Heard Well Live” will be hosted by Josh Fisher, who will be joined by a rotation people including Franta and Mikey Murphy that give listeners music and interviews with artists like Betty Who, Aaron Carter, Starley, and San Holo.
Other Heard Well Radio live programs in regular rotation include: You Heard It First Live, highlighting new and emerging artists. Common Culture Hour a one hour live mix of music picked by Connor Franta. Love is All We Need Live, a live show playing a mix of music with love and togetherness as the theme, and Friday Live a two-hour live variety-style show highlighting the weekend and what to watch out for.
Shows on Heard Well Radio will also include live interaction with listeners through Heard Well Radio and Heard Well influencer’s social media feeds.
Listeners can access Heard Well Radio on TuneIn via TuneIn.com, or by downloading the TuneIn app for iOS or Android devices. Heardwell.com will also host an embed player for Heard Well Radio on TuneIn.
Creative Artists Agency (CAA) facilitated the relationship between clients Heard Well and TuneIn.
Industry Ink: CMA, SESAC, WMN, AIMP, Riser House Records, ShowHope
/by Lorie HollabaughOld Crow Medicine Show Visits CMA
Pictured (L-R): Kevin Hayes (OCMS), Chance McCoy (OCMS), Angela Roland (CMA, Awards & Industry Relations Assistant), Critter Fuqua (OCMS), Brandi Simms (CMA, Sr. Director of Awards & Industry Relations), Ketch Secor (OCMS), Cory Younts (OCMS), Morgan Jahnig (OCMS), Joe Andrews (OCMS), Brenden Oliver (CMA, Manager of Awards & Industry Relations). Photographer Credit: Christian Bottorff
Old Crow Medicine Show visited the CMA for the first time ever and performed to help kick off their 50 Years of Blonde on Blonde album release week on April 24. The band performed songs from the new project, which releases on April 28, for staffers.
Rick Monroe Performs At SESAC
Pictured (L-R): Cristina Wheeler (SESAC Manager, Creative Services); Lydia Schultz (SESAC Manager, Creative Services); Rick Monroe, ET Brown (SESAC Manager, Creative Services) and Shannan Hatch (SESAC VP, Creative Services) Photo: Sydney Scaggs
Songwriter/singer and SESAC affiliate Rick Monroe recently stopped by SESAC’s Nashville office for a pop-up concert. He performed songs from his album Gypsy Soul, which is due out May 12.
Warner’s Sound In The Round Features Cale Dodds
Pictured (L-R): Lisa Ray (WMN, VP Head of Brand Management), Peter Strickland (WMN, CMO), Matt Signore (WMN, COO), Wes Vause (WMN, SVP Publicity), Megan Joyce (WMN, VP Head of Business & Legal Affairs), Narvel Blackstock (Starstruck Entertainment), Cale Dodds, John Esposito (WMN, Chairman & CEO), Kristen Williams (WMN, SVP Radio & Streaming), Chad Schultz (WMN, VP Original Content & Radio Marketing), Kelli Haywood (Starstruck Entertainment), Justin Luffman (WMN, VP Brand Management)
Cale Dodds brought the first season of the “Warner Sound in the Round” concert series to a close Wednesday night with a seven-song set featuring some new songs and tracks from his EP People Watching, which boasts over 10 million streams on Spotify. The packed crowd on hand for the show included friends, family, Warner Music Nashville staff and industry guests.
AIMP Shares “Exploring The Publishing Legal Landscape” Panel
Pictured: Brad Peterson (Regions Bank),Tim Hunze (Parallel Entertainment), John Ozier (AIMP Ex. Director, ole), Chip Petree, Austen Adams, Scott Safford, David Crow, Dale Bobo (Big Deal Music)
The Association of Independent Music Publishers and Regions Bank recently hosted an “Exploring The Publishing Legal Landscape” panel. Held at ASCAP and moderated by Tim Hunze and John Ozier, panelists Austen Adams (Dickinson Wright PLLC), David Crow (Milom Horsnell Crow Rose Kelley PLC), Chip Petree (Ritholz Levy), and Scott Safford (Safford Motley PLC) gave their perspectives on the changes and trends in songwriter deals and artist agreements.
Riser House Records Previews Mitchell Tenpenny Album In Nashville
L-R: Kristen Ashley/Riser House Records; Mitchell Tenpenny/artist; Jennifer Johnson-Williamson/Riser House Records + The Song Factory; Jason VanAuken/Riser House Records; Paige Paxton Pugh/Riser House Records
Mitchell Tenpenny recently performed at a listening event at his label Riser House Records for friends and industry members. The Nashville native will be releasing a new EP in July, Linden Ave, on Riser House, and is booked by WME. His new single, “Alcohol You Later” was just released.
Show Hope Names New VP, Assistant Executive Director
Show Hope was founded by Mary Beth and Steven Curtis Chapman in 2003. The organization is committed to the holistic care of waiting children around the world. ShowHope has helped provide homes through Adoption Aid grants for more than 5,500 children from more than 50 countries, including the U.S.
Jack White Signs First Global Publishing Deal With UMPG
/by Jessica NicholsonJack White. Photo: Jo McCaughey
Jack White has signed a first-ever global, multi-year agreement with Universal Music Publishing Group (UMPG) to administer the iconic artist’s entire song catalog.
Effective immediately, UMPG is responsible for servicing and administering White’s song catalog with The White Stripes, The Raconteurs, The Dead Weather, his chart-topping solo albums Blunderbuss and Lazaretto, as well as collaborations and future projects.
With the agreement, UMPG will work closely with White and his Third String Tunes and Peppermint Stripe Music publishing companies to develop creative and commercial outlets for his new projects and existing songs. The deal marks the first time a single publisher will administer rights around the world for White’s song catalog.
“Jody and the entire UMPG team uphold a culture that fosters creativity. They are continually at the forefront of the industry,” said Ian Montone, founder of Monotone, Inc. and Jack White’s long time manager. “We are excited to be part of the UMPG family.”
Jody Gerson, Chairman and CEO of UMPG, said, “Jack White is a brilliant and prolific performer, songwriter and producer, whose immense artistry, talent, dedication and uncompromising approach to songwriting have found a new home at UMPG. I’m looking forward to putting the entire global resources of UMPG to work on expanding the popularity and commercial opportunities for his music. I’m thankful to my team for making this agreement a reality and for the passion, focus and meticulous care they bring every day to making UMPG a premiere destination for the world’s most successful songwriters.”
In addition to a 20-year musical career that has seen White garner 170 songwriting credits, 12 Grammy awards and 35 Grammy nominations, as well as gold and platinum albums, White opened Third Man Records in 2009 in Nashville. The company combines work of a record store, record label, distribution center, photo studio and live music venue (with the world’s only direct-to-acetate recording capabilities). Recently White founded Third Man Books, dedicated to poetry, fiction and non-fiction, as well as Third Man Pressing, a new vinyl pressing plant at Third Man Records in Detroit.
White is starring in and executive producing American Epic, the four-part television event airing on PBS in May 2017 about the roots of music in America.
UTA Adds Nick Barnes As Digital Strategy Agent
/by Jessica NicholsonNick Barnes
Nick Barnes has joined United Talent Agency as a Digital Strategy Agent, based in UTA’s Nashville office.
Barnes has spent the last three years as Director of Fan Engagement and Digital for Eric Church, while a member of global management firm Q Prime. Barnes oversaw Church’s growing fan club model, global digital strategy, and built proprietary technology to identify and mitigate ticket brokers’ activity on the secondary market – with the goal of putting all tickets in the hands of Eric’s real fans at face value. In addition to supporting Church’s touring and music career, Barnes has helped launch other verticals of the artist’s business, such as Highway To Home with Rooms to Go, and These Boots by Lucchese.
Prior to Church and Q Prime, Nick spent three years as Manager of Digital Marketing at Sony Music Nashville and Arista Records, working with such artists Carrie Underwood and Brad Paisley. Barnes graduated from Samford University in Birmingham, AL with a B.A. in Music. While a student at Samford, he co-founded Brier & Moss Clothiers.
In his new role, Barnes will help build and execute digital and direct-to-audience strategies for clients across the agency, with a specific emphasis on music artists and the agency’s growing Nashville presence. Barnes is the latest addition to the agency’s Digital Strategy team, which also boasts full time executives in Los Angeles, New York and London.
UTA Nashville co-head Nick Meinema said, “As the agency continues to expand our suite of services across all areas, Nick will help bring our digital strategy practice to the next level, and give us true digital boots on the ground in Nashville. His expertise at the intersection of music, digital and marketing will serve as an invaluable tool as we continue to create new and innovative opportunities for our clients.”
Barnes said, “I’m elated to join the team at UTA and enter into a new chapter in my career. UTA’s commitment to digital growth is forward-thinking and progressive. With the constantly changing digital landscape, I look forward to keeping the company ahead of the curve and using my experience to attract new talent in Nashville and beyond.”
Trisha Yearwood Cooks Up New Product Line With Williams Sonoma
/by Lorie HollabaughTrisha Yearwood
Trisha Yearwood is teaming up with Williams Sonoma for a new line of specialty foods inspired by her cherished Southern recipes. The Williams Sonoma and Trisha’s Kitchen collaboration will feature a biscuit mix, her Summer In A Cup Tropical Cocktail Mix, an unfried chicken seasoning kit, apple barbeque sauce, and an applewood molasses rub.
The Williams Sonoma and Trisha’s Kitchen collaboration is available online now at williams-sonoma.com/trisha and will be available at all U.S. retail locations starting May 19. Yearwood will be making appearances throughout the summer at select Williams Sonoma locations across the country.
“Trisha has been a loyal customer of Williams Sonoma for years and we are in awe of all of her many talents,” said Janet Hayes, President of Williams Sonoma. “A food collaboration between Williams Sonoma and Trisha Yearwood is a dream come true for all parties involved.”
“Williams Sonoma has always been my ‘happy place’ and I’ve wanted to be a part of their team forever! When I host a party, I focus on the people, not the necessarily the planning, and this food line provides easy ways to enhance your menu,” said Trisha Yearwood. “I am so excited to partner with one of my favorite home stores with a line that helps make entertaining easy and fun. I hope to help give home cooks the confidence to invite everyone over this summer!”
The Williams Sonoma and Trisha’s Kitchen collaboration includes:
SUMMER IN A CUP TROPICAL COCKTAIL MIX – A favorite summertime tradition offering a bright, sunny blend of tangerine, cherry and pineapple juices. 25.4 oz. (makes 12 servings) / $16.95
UNFRIED CHICKEN SEASONING KIT – Bake up a healthier version of Southern fried chicken with this blend of whole-wheat panko, Parmesan and spicy-sweet herbs. 6.6 oz. / $9.95
BISCUIT MIX – Whip up a batch of flaky, irresistibly light buttermilk biscuits. Just add buttermilk, cut into rounds and bake. 14.8 oz. (makes 12 biscuits) / $9.95
APPLE BBQ SAUCE – Made with sweet apple puree, tangy cider vinegar, molasses, chilies and spices. 19.5 / $12.95
APPLEWOOD MOLASSES RUB – A classic Southern-style blend of Applewood-smoked sea salt, molasses, brown sugar and spices. 3 oz. / $10.95
DISClaimer: Willie’s ‘True Love’ Wins The Day
/by Robert K OermannAt 83 years young, Willie Nelson has the masterpiece du jour with his “True Love.” Written and sung by a master, it is head and shoulders above every other disc in this week’s stack. It is easily the Disc of the Day.
Mind you, there is plenty of “new” here to like, as well. In fact, there is so much talent among today’s first timers that the DisCovery Award is split three ways.
The male winner is a fellow named Blane Howard, who has an instant wedding classic for your listening pleasure. Blane moved to Nashville from Arkansas to attend Belmont, and now it sounds like he’s on his way.
The female honor goes to Brooke Woods, who has a dandy, sunny bopper. I know nothing about her, since her website refuses to open.
The group award goes to The Buffalo Ruckus, who have the freshest and most innovative country-rock sound I’ve heard in ages. These Texas boys sound like they carry their stompin’ party with them wherever they go.
NOE PALMA/I’ll Be Your Whiskey
Writers: Ryan Griffin/Jason Matthews/Emily Shackelton; Producer: Bart Busch & Jason Matthews; Publisher: none listed
– It says here that he’s a firefighter in Kansas City. Based on this full-throated, super melodic performance, I’d say its time he lit a fire under a country-music career. Well done, son.
THE BUFFALO RUCKUS/Born To Die
Writer: none listed; Producer: none listed; Publisher: none listed
– Rumbling thunder rolls through this rocking track. The bass-heavy production, dramatic guitar slashes, driving percussion and howling, passionate, edge-of-the-seat vocal performance are all fantastically gripping. A wild ride that’s packed with energy, energy, energy.
WILLIE NELSON/True Love
Writers: Willie Nelson/Buddy Cannon; Producer: Buddy Cannon; Publisher: Sony-ATV Countryside/Run Slow, BMI/ASCAP
– Heart tugging and utterly gorgeous. Nelson’s tender reading of this ballad is nothing short of brilliant, and Cannon’s production swirls around him like smoke. Play this and believe. The exquisite new album that contains this is titled God’s Problem Child. Buy it now.
SONIA LEIGH/Jack Is Back
Writers: none listed; Producer: Sonia Leigh & Anthony Olympia; Publisher: none listed
Her performance is quite startling and edgy. The production is even more eyebrow raising, what with its processed vocal effects and pop/rock attack. Fascinating, if not exactly straight-down-the-middle country.
BRAD PAISLEY/Last Time For Everything
Writers: Brad Paisley/Smith Ahnquist/Brent Anderson/Chris DuBois/Mike Ryan; Producer: Luke Wooten & Brad Paisley; Publisher: none listed, ASCAP
– Nostalgia has never sounded better. He looks back at his youth and realizes that so many of those experiences will never be repeated. Meanwhile, guitars stutter around him and the arrangement roars. Brad wins yet again.
JOE LASHER JR./Tap A Tall Light
Writers: Jeremy Stover/Jaren Johnston; Producer: Jeremy Stover; Publisher: none listed, ASCAP
– Very sincere sounding. He sings like he’s sitting right next to you, which is the mark of a real communicator. It doesn’t hurt that the song is splendidly written.
BLANE HOWARD/Promise To Love Her
Writers: Blane Howard/Jordan Kyle Reynolds; Producer: Brad Hill & Blane Howard; Publisher: none listed, ASCAP
– It’s a power ballad sung by a resonant baritone who’s pledging true romance. A ready-made wedding anthem. What’s not to love?
BROOKE WOODS/God Bless The World
Writers: Alex Call/Robby Calvo; Producer: Mark Coleman & Brooke Woods; Publisher: none listed
– The production pumps mightily, defying you to stay in your chair. If the lyric is a little on the goody-two-shoes side, the soaring melody makes up for it.
SARABETH/I Want It That Way
Writers: Andreas Michael Carlsson/Max Martin; Producer: Glen Mitchell; Publisher: none listed
– I never understood this lyric when The Backstreet Boys sang it. I still don’t.
JOHN HORD/More Than I’m Used To
Writers: John Hord; Producer: Rosewood Studios; Publisher: none listed, BMI
– There’s nothing really wrong with it, except that it is average. And compared to the rest of what we’re hearing this week, that just won’t cut it.
Downtown Music Publishing Celebrates New Office, No. 1 Song “Hometown Girl”
/by Haley CrowPictured (L-R): Downtown’s global creative team: Danny Berrios, Dylan Silberman, Rhea Ghosh, Jedd Katrancha, Natalie Osborne, Justin Kalifowtiz, Taeko Saito, Roberto Neri, Andrew Bergman, Steve Markland, Kayte Olsufka and Andrew Sparkler. Photo: Heather LeRoy/courtesy of Downtown Music Publishing [click photo to enlarge]
The occasion coincided with the No. 1 success of Downtown writer Marc Beeson’s “Hometown Girl” (co-written with Daniel Tashian, Big Yellow Dog Music) and performed by Josh Turner.
Pictured (L-R): Marc Beeson and Allen Shamblin. Photo:Heather LeRoy/courtesy of Downtown Music Publishing
Pictured (L-R): Mitchell Tenpenny (Riser House Records) and Dan Smyers (Dan + Shay/Warner Bros.). Photo: Heather LeRoy/courtesy of Downtown Music Publishing
Hosted by Downtown Music Publishing CEO Justin Kalifowitz, COO Andrew Bergman, and Downtown Nashville’s Vice President of A&R Steve Markland, the party boasted appearances by its writers Beeson, Kelly Archer, Andy Albert, Tony Esterly, Downtown’s global creative team, and other Nashville figures such as Patrick Carney (of the Black Keys), Michelle Branch, Fletcher Foster and Scott Parker (Hearts Bluff Music) among many others.
“Hometown Girl” is the second No. 1 to come from Downtown Nashville following last November’s Brett Young hit “Sleep Without You,” co-written by Downtown’s Archer, Young (BMLG) and Justin Ebach (Word Music).
Pictured (L-R): Downtown Nashville staff and writers: Marc Beeson, Allen Shamblin, Andy Albert, Sam Ashworth, Steve Markland, Roberto Neri, Tony Esterly, Katie Roth, Natalie Osborne, Kelly Archer, Sara Haze, and FANN. Photo: Heather LeRoy/courtesy of Downtown Music Publishing [click photo to enlarge]
Pictured (L-R): Kara Wintergrass (Big Yellow Dog), Jamie Martin (Big Yellow Dog), Brad Kennard (Razor & Tie), Alex Stefano (Big Yellow Dog), Lauren Funk (Big Yellow Dog) and Matt Lindsey (Big Yellow Dog). Photo: Heather LeRoy/courtesy of Downtown Music Publishing
Markland launched Downtown’s Nashville office in 2014 as a core component of the company’s worldwide expansion. Downtown now has offices in New York, Nashville, Los Angeles, London, Amsterdam and most recently, Tokyo. Since opening in Nashville in 2014, Downtown has acquired the catalogs of Charlie Black, Ray Whitley, Wayne Kirkpatrick, Sturgill Simpson, Jason Isbell, Rosanne Cash, Old Crow Medicine Show, Natalie Prass and VLS Music, which includes Lady Antebellum songs written-by Hillary Scott, among others. Active songwriters including Albert, Beeson and Archer have written recent charted country hits for Blake Shelton, Josh Turner, Justin Moore, Granger Smith and Cassadee Pope.
Pictured (L-R): Will Weatherly and Jordan Schmidt. Photo: Heather LeRoy/courtesy of Downtown Music Publishing
Pictured (L-R): Steve Markland, Andy Albert and Chip Petree (Ritholz Levy Sanders Chidekel & Fields). Photo: Heather LeRoy/courtesy of Downtown Music Publishing
Founded in 2007, Downtown Music Publishing is one of the world’s leading rights-management firms. The company’s catalog spans over seven decades of popular music, encompassing some of the world’s most beloved songwriters and artists including The Beatles, John Lennon & Yoko Ono, Ryan Tedder, Benny Blanco, The Kinks, Cy Coleman, Hans Zimmer, Bruce Springsteen, Mötley Crüe, One Direction, Naughty Boy, Hardwell, Santigold, Carla Bruni and Social Distortion. The company’s technology platform, Songtrust, powers global royalty collection from over 100 countries and more than 20,000 unique income sources worldwide.
Photo: Heather LeRoy/courtesy of Downtown Music Publishing
Photo: Heather LeRoy/courtesy of Downtown Music Publishing
Ryan Hurd Joins Florida Georgia Line’s Smooth Tour
/by Dan_StrassbergHurd just completed the Spring leg on Thomas Rhett’s sold-out Home Team Tour, and has also joined Maren Morris on her sold-out HERO Tour this year. He will continue on the HERO Tour in Europe this fall. Keeping his foot on the touring accelerator, Hurd will perform at country’s top festivals this year, including Stagecoach, Windy City Smokeout and Country Thunder.
The singer-songwriter recently released his debut self-titled EP, that has collectively garnered over 30 million streams since Hurd’s initial release of “We Do Us” last September.
A majority of tickets are on sale now, with the remainder becoming available to the public this Friday, April 28.
For tour dates, visit www.RyanHurd.com.
James LeBlanc Inks With Dreamlined Entertainment
/by Lorie HollabaughPictured (L-R): Dreamlined’s Keith Stegall, James LeBlanc, producer Jimmy Nutt
James LeBlanc has signed with Dreamlined Entertainment. LeBlanc has penned hits like “Modern Day Bonnie and Clyde” for Travis Tritt, “Relentless” for Jason Aldean, and “Learning How To Bend” for Gary Allan, and recently had cuts by Thompson Square, Jo Dee Messina, Martina McBride and more. LeBlanc’s songs have been featured on albums totaling over 25 million copies sold.
He will be releasing his first album of solo material in 10 years, Nature Of The Beast, June 16.
“I’m ready for what comes next,” said LeBlanc of the new alliance. “I’m so excited to be a part of the Dreamlined Entertainment team!”
Industry Praises House Passage Of The Register Of Copyrights Selection And Accountability Act
/by Jessica NicholsonNashville Songwriters Association International (NSAI) board members at the U.S. Copyright Office earlier this year. Pictured (L-R): Ben Glover, Church Music Publishers Association (CMPA); John Shorney, acting-U.S. Register of Copyrights Karen Claggett; NSAI Executive Director Bart Herbison; CMPA Board Member, Geoff Lorenz; and Roger Brown.
The U.S. House of Representatives today (April 26) overwhelmingly passed H.R. 1695 by a vote of 378-48 to adopted new rules in selecting the U.S. Register of Copyrights. Also known as “The Register of Copyrights Selection and Accountability Act,” the decision makes the Register of Copyrights a presidentially-appointed, Senate-confirmed position with a 10-year term limit.
The process includes choosing three nominees for the President to select from, one of whom would be appointed as U.S. Register of Copyrights to serve a 10-year term. The bill removes the appointment for the Librarian of Congress. The next step is approval by the U.S. Senate.
NSAI Board members Roger Brown and Ben Glover with Sr. Director of Operations Jennifer Turnbow at the U.S. Copyright Office earlier this year. Acting U.S. Register of Copyrights Karen Claggett and staff look on.
“This action was necessary and ultimately good for songwriters and other creators,” said NSAI Executive Director Bart Herbison. “The new process will help ensure a properly qualified Register and includes a nominating process similar to one recommended by NSAI. This bill makes the Register more accountable to our elected officials and requires Senate confirmation.”
NMPA President & CEO David Israelite commented on the legislation, “At a time when creators constantly must defend their rights, it is critical that the Register of Copyrights is chosen carefully and vetted properly. Making this a presidentially-appointed and Senate-confirmed position not only adds the oversight needed to ensure this critical role is filled by someone up to the challenge, it also elevates the position to where it always should have been – amongst the ranks of the top officials within the administration. Additionally, the 10-year term will assist in maintaining continuity in the role across administrations. Copyright touches every industry and every person, and this bill is a good step towards ensuring the person advising Congress and helping determine policy for songwriters, artists and all creators is the best person for the job.”