Compass Records Signs Old Salt Union

Pictured (L-R): Garry West (Compass Co-Founder), Alison Brown (Compass Co-Founder), Ryan Murphey (Banjo), John Brighton (Fiddle), Rob Kindle (Guitar), Jesse Farrar (Upright Bass) And Justin Wallace (Mandolin)

Compass Records has added Old Salt Union to the roster.

Old Salt Union includes banjo player Ryan Murphey, fiddler player John Brighton, guitarist Rob Kindle, upright bass player Jesse Farrar, and mandolin player Justin Wallace, The band formed in 2012. Old Salt Union recorded their debut album a few months after forming. In 2015 Old Salt Union captured first place at the FreshGrass band contest, winning a $5,000 prize and a day at Compass Sound Studio with producer/label co-founder Alison Brown.

“We’ve been on the road for the past four years in search of a label that handles themselves with the integrity, professionalism, and generosity that Compass Records offers,” the band members said. “After traveling to every corner of this country, we’ve finally come home. Old Salt Union is extremely excited to embark on this new journey to expand the reach of our music. We have total faith that Compass will steer us in the right direction. Onward and Upward!”

“I’ve never seen a string band turn a roots music festival into a rave until I witnessed Old Salt Union live!. This is a band that knows how to please a crowd and they are inventive, spirited players to boot. We are proud to be associated with them and look forward to introducing their music to fans far and wide,” says label co-founder Garry West.

Brown says, “The guys came in with a new song and together we fleshed out an arrangement that borrowed inspiration equally from New Grass Revival and Fleet Foxes. I loved the band’s open-minded approach to recording as well as their enthusiasm for experimenting with new ideas. It was such a great day that it made perfect sense to think about how we could work together on a larger scale.”

Cheri Cranford To Exit Streamsound Records/Red Vinyl Music

Cheri Cranford

After a nearly four-year run and following the recent sale of Red Vinyl Music, Cheri Cranford will exit her position as General Manager, Streamsound Music Group, effective Feb. 1. Cranford will continue to manage the building which is currently for sale and will take on special events and projects independently while seeking her next opportunity. Prior to Streamsound Music Group, Cranford worked at Sony Music Entertainment for 25 years in various roles. She can be reached at cheri.cranford@comcast.net, or at 615-473-6837.

Crosshair Music Launches

Nashville entrepreneur Garrison Snell has launched online platform Crosshair Music, which aims to connect artists, especially independent artists, directly with playlist curators and other digital curators.

Snell rolled out the web application’s latest version in January. Crosshair currently works with 500 active playlists and tastemakers, representing a combined following of 42 million.

Alternative band Judah and the Lion recently used Crosshair to promote “Take It All Back” securing placement on essential independent playlists that helped propel the song to 9 million Spotify streams. “Take It All Back” eventually became the band’s first No. 1 hit, topping Billboard magazine’s Alternative songs chart in January.

The Musicpreneur Storehouse Announces Fundraising Totals for 2016

Pictured (L-R) :Lisa Settle, Vicky Burnette, and Goose Gossett, Lyrics On The Lake Festival Directors; Brinn Black, Musicpreneur Storehouse CEO; Tim Gray, Musicpreneur Storehouse CFO.

The Musicpreneur Storehouse, a Nashville nonprofit organization, has doubled their fundraising activities since its 2014 inception. The group has raised $119,000 to date with over half collected last year.

“MPS’s annual program and main fundraising event, Lyrics on the Lake was the driving force behind 2016’s success,” said the non-profit’s Founder, Brinn Black. “We raised a grand total of $65,000 last year! That allowed us to donate $20,000 to The Children’s Miracle Network Hospitals of Central and Southwest Virginia, as well as set aside $20,000 toward our core mission of ensuring that the future stars and leaders of Nashville have the resources to create, build, and sustain lasting careers and growing businesses,” Black added. Lyrics on the Lake is a five-day songwriters festival held in Smith Mountain Lake, Virginia.

The organization hosted over a dozen other philanthropic events during 2016 including 17 fundraising concerts. One of those events was a Stuff-A-Truck Donation Drive to benefit the victims of the West Virginia Flood. The non-profit partnered with Clover Hill High School as well in Chesterfield, VA to fill three 18 wheelers with 15 tons of dog food, 5,400 rolls of paper towels, 17,280 bottles of water and a multitude of cleaning supplies, non-perishable foods, household items, clothing, and more for the cause.

Damon Whiteside. Photo: CMA

The Country Music Association has promoted Damon Whiteside to Chief Marketing Officer. He previously served as Senior Vice President of Marketing and Strategic Partnerships.

As CMO, Whiteside’s new responsibilities will include oversight of the CMA Communications department, which will become more integrated with the overall strategic marketing teams. He will also continue to oversee CMA Marketing, which includes the Creative Services, Digital, Research, and Strategic Partnerships departments.

Reporting to Whiteside will be newly-created positions Vice President of Communications and Talent Relations and Vice President of Marketing Strategy. Whiteside will continue to report to CMA Chief Executive Officer, Sarah Trahern.

“Damon’s leadership in our marketing and partnership initiatives was key to the historic success of The 50th Annual CMA Awards,” said Trahern. “His efforts on behalf of the industry have enhanced CMA’s reputation for generating innovative marketing campaigns and creating partnerships. The experience and passion he brings to this expanded role will help us continue to build the CMA brand and grow country music around the world.”

“I am extremely proud and excited about this expanded role and opportunity to build on the huge accomplishments the dedicated team at CMA has been able to achieve these last three years thanks to the support and guidance of the CMA Board and Sarah Trahern,” stated Whiteside. “It is humbling to work every day in this amazing industry and city, and to be part of a revered organization like CMA and its historic landmark initiatives such as The 50th Annual CMA Awards and the ‘Forever Country’ project last year.”

In his first three years at CMA, Whiteside has been responsible for overseeing the development of marketing and media campaigns for CMA’s annual television properties and strengthening the partnership with CMA’s exclusive broadcast partner ABC Television Network and its parent, The Walt Disney Company. Additionally, Whiteside dedicated efforts to identify and build strategic partnerships with multi-platform media partners, digital companies, and Fortune 500 brands.

Notable accomplishments include his role in the year-long campaign for The 50th Annual CMA Awards and the groundbreaking “Forever Country” single and music video campaign; the launch of CMA Brand Marketing Summits in New York and London; growth across CMA digital platforms; the re-launch of CMA’s YouTube channel and content creation efforts; integrated media partnerships with top digital, radio, and cable television partners; re-branding of CMA Music Festival and Fan Fair X; supporting the CMA Board of Directors’ expansion of international efforts; and overall re-tooling of CMA Marketing, Research, and Strategic Partnerships teams to better serve the needs of the country music industry.

Prior to CMA, Whiteside worked for numerous Disney-owned companies including Disney Music Group, Walt Disney Studios, Disney Channel, and Disney Consumer Products as well as forming Nomad Entertainment Group, a Music Management and Brand Marketing agency.