Heather McBee has been named Program Director for the Project Music Vertical Program. McBee rises to the position from Industry Lead for Project Music’s accelerator program.

In her new position McBee will focus on expanding Project Music from a 14-week accelerator program to a year-round offering for music tech companies. She will also serve as a mentor to entrepreneurs and management teams that participate in the center’s accelerators. Project Music graduated eight startup companies from its program in April, and the companies have already collectively raised over $2 million in private investment. 

“I am excited to have Heather join our team in this expanded role,” said Stuart McWhorter, President and CEO of The Nashville Entrepreneur Center. “Her background and experience in the music industry, along with her earlier success at the Nashville Entrepreneur Center as the Industry Lead for Project Music, significantly enhances our continued support of music-based businesses.”

McBee has 25 years of experience in marketing, sales and operations in the music industry. She served as VP/Marketing & Web Initiatives at Sony Nashville and at Cumulus Media’s America’s Morning Show as Operations Director where she worked until 2014. At Cumulus she helped launch the nationally syndicated program and acted as liaison for record labels and affiliates.

“I am thrilled to see the EC continue to strategically invest by adding a veteran of Heather’s caliber to the staff. She will be an important resource to all project music companies,” said former Sony Music Chairman and EC Master Mentor, Joe Galante.

McBee said, “I’m honored to have the opportunity to continue working with Stuart (McWhorter) and Joe (Galante) to build the EC’s presence in music and music tech. Music-minded entrepreneurs have very unique needs, and this is our chance to build a community to foster more growth and development in one of Nashville’s core business verticals.”

The 2015 CMA Music Festival sold out seven months in advance, prompting large, enthusiastic crowds at the numerous free stages and interactive areas, resulting in record-setting daily attendance. With the festival behind us, here are the impressive stats showing the event’s impact on Music City last week:

2015 CMA Music Festival Facts:

87,680 fans per day, setting a new record

9.6 percent increase of fans over last year

500-plus artists participated

250 hours of concerts

11 stages, seven of which were free

25,000 fans attended Chevrolet Riverfront Stage on Saturday

40 corporate brands

$11 million-plus donated by CMA to music education since 2006

$150,000 raised by Celebrity Auction ($100,000 in 2014)

50 states and 20 countries represented by Festival attendees

38,748 total active users on CMA Music Festival app

43,412 clicks on the festival schedule pdf

5.5 million views on Snapchat featured story

284,855 unique visitors on cmafest.com during the Festival week (up 13 percent over last year)

48 percent of attendees were visiting CMA Music Festival for the first time

31 percent of attendees traveled by airplane

72,000-plus visitors passed through the turnstiles

63 percent increase in merchandise sales over 2014

700 journalists, photographers, producers, and videographers

The Festival was filmed for a three-hour television special CMA Music Festival: Country’s Night to Rock airing Tuesday, Aug. 4 on ABC. It was hosted for the third time by reigning CMA Vocal Group of the Year, Little Big Town. The special debuted in 2004 and this is the 11th year it will air on ABC. Robert Deaton is the executive producer.

Tickets for 2016 CMA Music Festival, which will be held Thursday through Sunday, June 9-12, are selling fast with 62 percent of available tickets already sold to returning fans. The national on-sale date is Friday, June 19 and fans can order tickets by visiting CMAfest.com or calling the CMA Box Office at 1-800-CMA-FEST (262-3378).

Rising indie artist Jordyn Stoddard visited the MusicRow offices last week to perform for the staff. The 17-year-old Florida native has been busy on a radio tour and also played at CMA Music Festival.

Stoddard is promoting her debut album Southern Tide, and performed the title track for MusicRow. Stoddard estimates she listened to thousands of songs when deciding what to record on the project.

Her set included the self-penned “Wild Side,” as well as current single “Like Me ‘Til You Love Me,” which was written by Eric Paslay, Matt Nolen and Chris Wallin. Stoddard also cut a song called “The Clown” by hitmakers James Slater, Hillary Lindsey and Dallas Davidson.

Stoddard started writing songs when she was 12 and is a self-taught guitar player. She has opened for Montgomery Gentry, Jerrod Niemann, and Love & Theft.

Vevo’s all-genre emerging artist program, LIFT, has named Chase Rice as the next featured artist. The program will feature content that will be released over the next few weeks including the video debut of “Ride” on June 18. It will also include exclusive interviews, performances and behind the scenes video.

LIFT has previously showcased artists including Avicii, Kendrick Lamar, Lorde, Aloe Blacc and Sam Smith.

Rice is known for his Top 5 solo debut single “Ready Set Roll” and also his now Top 30 “Gonna Wanna Tonight.” He was a co-writer on the highest-selling digital country song of all time, Florida Georgia Line’s “Cruise.” He is currently opening select dates on Kenny Chesney’s The Big Revival Tour.

To see Chase Rice on Vevo’s lift, click HERE.