Every night of CMA Music Festival, prior to the concerts at LP Field, BMI warmed up the massive crowd by hosting a Tailgate Party in the venue’s parking lot. The stage featured some of Nashville’s most talented up-and-comers and best known songwriters.

BMI’s Jody Williams and Clay Bradley pose with BMI singer/songwriters Kallie North and Jessy Wilson of Muddy Magnolias backstage at the BMI Tailgate party.

BMI singer/songwriter Sonia Leigh performs at the BMI Tailgate stage at CMA Fest. Leigh has been produced by John Hopkins of the Zac Brown Band and has toured with the likes of Jason Mraz, The Marshall Tucker Band and Blackberry Smoke, bringing her hits such as “When We Are Alone” and “Put It In My Pocket” around the U.S.

BMI singer/songwriter Rhett Akins performs on the BMI Tailgate stage at CMA Fest. Akins has written a slew of country hits, including “Hey Girl,” “Parking Lot Party” and “Young & Crazy.” BMI’s Jody Williams and Leslie Roberts present Rhett Akins with a custom Bohemian Guitar in celebration of the multiple Million Air awards he received that night, celebrating more than 25 titles with millions of spins.

BMI singer-songwriter Chris Lane rocks the crowd from the BMI Tailgate stage during CMA Fest. Fans can check him out on tour this summer while he works on an upcoming album.

The 2015 CMT Music Awards telecast was watched by a cumulative 17 million viewers, who tuned in for the live premiere or one of the subsequent 12 airings, according to the Nielsen ratings. The numbers are on par with the 2014 show and up nearly 10 percent from the 2013 awards telecast.

The telecast was available on more platforms than at any time in CMT history, with streams across all of the network’s digital and social platforms, a simulcast on fellow Viacom networks TV Land and TeenNick, as well as the first-ever radio simulcast across 120 iHeartMedia country music stations.

The awards hashtag #CMTawards trended worldwide on Twitter from the start of the live telecast throughout the show, and the program ranked as the most social telecast of the day with over 18 million impressions, according to Nielsen’s Twitter TV ratings. It also ranked as the second most social non-sports telecast of the week trailing only Game of Thrones. CMT.com also saw double-digit gains for awards show content, with unique visitors up 33 percent from 2014.

The Cains

Family trio The Cains will release their self-titled EP on July 21 to digital outlets. The five-track EP features songs co-written by the group’s Logan, Madison and Taylor Cain with Jaida Dreyer, Stephony Smith, Billy Lawson, Ed Hill, Becki Devries and Dave Thompson. The debut single from the project, “Journey’s End,” is currently playing on Sirius/XM’s The Highway and is now available for download.

“It’s funny that we are ‘releasing’ this EP—because that’s the word that comes to mind when I think about these songs—release,” said Logan Cain. “Now that we can share this record with the world, I feel such a release. We’ve poured everything that we are into this project and cannot wait for the fans to hear it. From top to bottom, this EP captures exactly who we are as artists.”

The Cains have been selected by Renegade Radio Nashville as one of the faces of “Renegade Radio Nashville Presents Young Country,” a new venture which will promote rising stars within the format. They have also signed on for several upcoming shows at the Cyrus Family Theatre in Pigeon Forge, Tenn., including the kickoff “Young Country” show on June 27.

Most recently, the group partnered with Bravo TV to write and perform exclusive re-cap tracks for the network’s hit reality television show Southern Charm. The group wrote and recorded original tunes, all titled “Southern Charm,” that musically recount episodes within the series. 

The Cains Track Listing:

1. “Journey’s End” (Taylor Cain / Madison Cain / Becki Devries)
2. “Knock Knock” (Jaida Dreyer / Stephony Smith / Dave Thompson)
3. “Smoke On The Hill” (Billy Lawson / Ed Hill / Taylor Cain / Madison Cain)
4. “Down To The Water” (Taylor Cain / Madison Cain)
5.  “Miss Red, White, And Blue” (Taylor Cain / Madison Cain / Logan Cain / Becki Devries)

The Pilgrimage Music and Cultural Festival in Franklin on September 26-27 has added Chris Stapleton, Holly Williams, Cage The Elephant, Band of Horses, Dawes, Trampled By Turtles, St. Paul & The Broken Bones, NAWAS and Kingfish to its lineup.

The unique two-day festival at The Park at Harlinsdale Farm, a former walking horse farm, will feature performances on multiple stages, one-of-a-kind artist mashups, local food and beverages, local artisans, and Little Pilgrim’s Landing for kids. Many of the sets will be acoustic.

The previously-announced lineup includes Willie Nelson, John and Jacob, Will Hoge, Sheryl Crow and The Lone Bellow. 

Also on the newly-announced list are Wilco, Weezer, The Decemberists, Dr. John, Jimmy Cliff, Punch Brothers, Iron & Wine, Neko Case, Lucius, Preservation Hall Jazz Band, Saint Motel, Nikki Lane, Charles Bradley and His Extraordinaires, Madisen Ward and the Mama Bear, Big Sam’s Funky Nation and The Grand Southern.

Two-day passes are $172, a VIP package is available for $499, and single day passes will also be available at a later date and can be purchased here. A portion of each ticket sold will benefit the City of Franklin and Franklin Parks and MusiCares.

The National Museum of African American Music (NMAAM) is holding its premiere fundraising event, My Music Matters: A Celebration of Legends Luncheon, on June 19 at the Wildhorse Saloon. Hosted by Dr. Bobby Jones, an inaugural recipient of NMAAM’s Rhapsody & Rhythm award, this year’s event will honor Little Richard, gospel icon CeCe Winans, former Shalimar member Howard Hewett, New Edition and Bel Biv Devoe member Michael Bivins, and jazz and blues musician and songwriter Donny Hathaway (posthumously).

The new museum, which will celebrate the contributions of African Americans in American culture, is set to open in 2018, and the annual luncheon helps raise money for the museum’s programs and community outreach.

The legends luncheon is held each year to honor and celebrate artists, musicians and songwriters who are influenced by African American music and whose creative contributions have impacted the soundtrack of American culture.

Tickets are $125 and can be purchased online at NMAAM.org.