Outback Presents Names Andrew Farwell President

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Andrew Farwell

Nashville-based independent promoter Outback Presents has appointed Andrew Farwell as President.

Previously as VP, Farwell has worked closely with Founder and Co-CEO Mike Smardak in music, comedy and other spoken word, producing thousands of concerts and events across the United States and Canada from theaters to arenas each year.

“To simply say that Andrew Farwell and I have worked closely together for 16 years would be a complete understatement,” shares Smardak. “Brian Dorfman and myself have had the distinct pleasure to see Andrew’s career grow to this role as President of Outback Presents. We all have built something we are ALL incredibly proud of, and had fun doing it together. Andrew’s ethics and class are what I am most proud of. It is a great day for Outback Presents.”

Alongside his role at Outback Presents, Farwell—who was named to Billboard’s 2025 40 Under 40 list today—also serves as Vice President of the International Entertainment Buyers Association (IEBA) and is a 2023 Leadership Music alumnus. He has been nominated for IEBA’s Promoter of the Year and won IEBA’s inaugural Rookie of the Year Award in 2014. Originally from West Boylston, Massachusetts, Farwell received his Bachelor of Music in Music Business from the University of Massachusetts Lowell.

Sony Music Publishing Nashville & Verse 2 Music Extend Partnership

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Pictured (L-R): Kent Earls, Kane Brown & Rusty Gaston. Photo: Amy Allmand

Sony Music Publishing Nashville and Verse 2 Music, led by Kane Brown and Kent Earls, have renewed their partnership.

“I’m so excited to continue our company Verse 2 with Sony Music Publishing,” shares Brown. “I’m proud of the writers that Kent and I have signed and grateful for the hits that they’ve written.”

Established in 2021 as a joint venture with Sony Music Publishing, Verse 2 Music represents Josh Hoge, Rivers Rutherford, Dylan Schneider, Joybeth Taylor, Gabe Foust, Alex Maxwell and more.

Since its inception, Verse 2 has cut over 200 major label releases, released 11 country airplay singles and have notched four No. 1 hits including Kane Brown and Katelyn Brown’s “Thank God,” which was also named the 2023 SESAC Country Song of the Year.

“We’re thrilled to renew our deal with Sony Music Publishing and Rusty Gaston,” says Earls. “We’ve had a great start so far building something special alongside Sony’s amazing team. They have delivered in every way from consistently pitching to landing cuts for our incredible writers. We look forward to building on our mantra of signing exceptional artists & writers while aspiring to make musical history.”

“Kent and Kane are a creative and business dynamic duo,” adds Gaston, CEO, Sony Music Publishing Nashville. “Just within a few years, they’ve gone from zero songs to celebrating four No. 1 singles, with multiple singles on the chart currently. Their success is just getting started, and we are so excited to continue this journey with them.”

Lineup Revealed For 12th Annual K-LOVE Fan Awards

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The 12th Annual K-LOVE Fan Awards has unveiled its lineup for the ceremony set for May 25 at the Opry House in Nashville.

Hosted by Jeremy Camp, Bart Millard, Mac Powell and Matthew West, the evening will feature performances from some of the biggest names in Christian entertainment including Powell and West, as well as Jeremy Camp, Leanna Crawford, Crowder, Colton Dixon, Elevation Rhythm, for King + Country, Jordan Feliz, Jamie MacDonald, MercyMe, Michael W. Smith, Jon Reddick, TobyMac, We The Kingdom, Zach Williams, Anne Wilson, CeCe Winans and Megan Woods.

This year’s K-LOVE nominations are led by Brandon Lake with four, while Josh Baldwin, Leanna Crawford, Crowder, Jamie MacDonald, MercyMe, TobyMac, Tauren Wells and Megan Woods each received three nominations.

The show will air exclusively on TBN the following Friday (May 30) at 7:30 p.m. and 10 p.m. ET.

CMA Fest Unveils 2025 Fan Fair X Schedule

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CMA Fest, taking place June 5-8, has revealed its annual Fan Fair X schedule, taking place inside Music City Center.

Returning this year is CMA’s Close Up Stage, featuring Trisha Yearwood on Friday and Rascal Flatts on Saturday serving as their Artist of the Day. Additional artists who will appear on the CMA Close Up Stage through various programming will be Parker McCollum, Priscilla Block, Kaitlin Butts, Tigirlily Gold, Wyatt Ellis, Dailey & Vincent, Dustin Lynch, Drew Baldridge, John Morgan, Vincent Mason, Emily Ann Roberts, Kameron Marlowe, Waylon Wyatt, Mitchell Tenpenny, Marcus King, Alana Springsteen, Morgan Evans, Keith Stegall, Clay Walker, Jamie O’Neal, Jordan Dozzi, Mae Estes, Emmet Stevens Jr., Carin León, Kat Luna, Los Hermanos Mendoza, MŌRIAH, The War And Treaty, Chapel Hart, RVSHD, Coffey Anderson, Dasha, Pam Tillis, Shenandoah, Mark Wills, Billy Dean, Cole Swindell and Liz Rose.

Also taking place this year is the Spotlight Stage, featuring acoustic performances from Dawson Anderson, Devon Beck, Hailey Benedict, Sara Berki, Laura Bryna, Abbie Callahan, Abby Christo, Abbie Ferris, Ollie Gabriel, Parker Graye, Scotty Hasting, Mary Heather Hickman, Homegrown Trio, Caleb Lee Hutchinson, Daniel Jeffers, Karli June, Celeste Kellogg, Callum Kerr, Maddie Lenhart, Kat Luna, Austin Mackay, Tyra Madison, Chandler Marie, Blake O’Connor, Aniston Pate, Shane Proffit, Tyla Rodrigues, Ryan Waters Band, Kaleb Sanders, Mary Sarah, JD Shelburne, Gracee Shriver, Paul Sidoti, Jon Wood, Dylan Wright and Zoee. Performances will run daily from 11 a.m. – 5 p.m.

Attendees can also attend meet-and-greets with various artists inside Fan Fair X for all four days, including Danielle Bradbery, Dillon Carmichael, Jason Scott and The High Heat, Tigirlily Gold, Brittnee Kellogg, Kelsey Hart, Scoot Teasley, Chapel Hart, Hayden Coffman, Mason Ramsey and many more.

Fan Fair X admittance is on a first come, first serve basis. The full programming schedule for the CMA Close Up Stage, Spotlight Stage and meet-and-greets can be found on the Official CMA Connect App.

Harris, Huelsman, Barnes & Company Elevates One, Adds Two To Team

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Pictured (L-R, top row): Amanda Goff, Ryan Spradlin and Amanda Remo. (L-R, bottom row): John Huelsman, Becky Harris and Morgan Barnes. Photo: Nicole Smartt

Harris, Huelsman, Barnes & Company has elevated Amanda Goff to Client Manager. Goff has spent 30 years in the Nashville business community, with a majority of her time in the banking industry focused on business and music. Originally from a small town north of Nashville, Goff first joined the team as an assistant in 2023.

Amanda Remo will join the team as a Client Manager. The Ohio native graduated from Florida’s Full Sail University with a B.S. in Music Business and has spent 15 years in Nashville, with the last 10 spent in business management.

Ryan Spradlin comes to the company from the Mechanical Licensing Collective. The Tennessee native holds a B.S. in Music Business and Marketing from Middle Tennessee State University.

Previously named Huskins-Harris Business Management, Harris, Huelsman, Barnes & Company has been an established Music Row presence for more than 15 years. It is led by Becky Harris and principals John Huelsman and Morgan Barnes. The company’s current client roster includes multi-Platinum artist Chris Young, award-winning producer James Stroud, Drew Baldridge, Frankie Ballard, Austin Brown, Scotty Hasting, Angie K, Alexandra Kay, Julian King, Nicotine Dolls, Michael Ray and American Idol winner Noah Thompson.

McCoy Moore Signs With Sony Music Nashville

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Pictured (L-R): The Neal Agency’s Evan Kantor, Austin Neal, and Ryan Beuschel; Sony Music Nashville’s Ken Robold and Taylor Lindsey; McCoy Moore; TRACK mgmt.’s Troy “Tracker” Johnson; SMN’s Nanthan Thomas and Lexi Stringer and TRACK mgmt.’s Drew Magid. Photo: Adam Davis

Singer-songwriter McCoy Moore has signed with Sony Music Nashville in partnership with Cervidae Records.

Born and raised in Lakeland, Florida, Moore went on to take guitar and voice lessons instead of geometry, developing a rich, commanding baritone he mostly used at home. Everything changed for the burgeoning artist in 2017, when the 16-year-old Moore met a rising star named Luke Combs. Offering sage advice, Combs encouraged Moore while preaching the make-it-happen gospel, and the newcomer took it to heart. Moving to Nashville at 19, he spent the ensuing years honing a craft defined by sharp country hooks and warm, welcoming relatability, already earning cuts by Shane Profitt, Roman Alexander, Bryce Mauldin and more.

“Days like today make all the time I put into this dream worth it and lights the fire under me all over again,” shares Moore. “I couldn’t be more excited to partner with Sony Music Nashville, and I can’t wait to see what we accomplish together as a team. I have the best people around me and we’re just getting started. It’s such a cool day for me – I’m so thankful.”

Moore will release his new track “John Deere Blue,” a waltz-twinged ballad co-written with Shane McAnally and Johnny Clawson, tomorrow (May 16). He’ll join Hardy, Koe Wetzel and Stephen Wilson Jr. on the road for the upcoming “Jim Bob World Tour” throughout the U.S., U.K., and Ireland.

Moore is represented by TRACK mgmt. and The Neal Agency with publishing by SMACK Songs.

ACM Lifting Lives Took Over Texas Leading Up To 60th ACM Awards

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Picture (L-R, back row): Shawn Parr, Keith Urban, Zach Top, Kix Brooks, Ronnie Dunn, Lainey Wilson, Megan Moroney, Eric Church, Damon Whiteside and Taylor Wolf. (front row): Bobby Bones.

ACM Lifting Lives, the philanthropic partner of the Academy of Country Music, helped celebrate the 60th ACM Awards through multiple fundraising events in and around Frisco, Texas during this year’s ACM Awards Week.

In the weekend leading up to the 60th ACM Awards, ACM Lifting Lives joined the Lone Star Smokeout in Arlington, Texas, for their inaugural event, where artists including Wyatt Flores, Dylan Gossett, Cody Jinks, Midland, Jon Pardi, Randy Rogers Band, Hudson Westbrook and Tucker Wetmore hit the stage outside of AT&T Stadium in what was described as a three-day “parking lot party.”

Wyatt Flores

On May 5, ACM Lifting Lives unveiled a unique guitar wall for patients, families and other hospital patrons during an exclusive event at the new Baylor Scott & White Medical Center in Frisco. The custom wall spotlighting the organization’s focus on improving lives through the power of music features six Gibson guitars, all donated by Gibson Gives, and displays them alongside photos of Texas-born country superstars performing at the ACM Awards over the years, including Ronnie Dunn, Cody Johnson, Miranda Lambert, Parker McCollum, George Strait and Tanya Tucker.

The display also has QR codes that link directly to a curated playlist that correlates to themes including “Inspire,” “Celebrate,” “Motivate,” “Heal,” “Cope” and “Relax,” providing unique soundtracks to listeners during their time at the hospital. The event also announced a multi-year partnership with Texas-based Baylor Scott & White Health as the official Health System of the ACM.

Baylor Scott & White Medical Center

The following day, Jelly Roll brought Ashley Cooke, Drew Baldridge, Ernest, Jessie Murph, Koe Wetzel, Lainey Wilson, Post Malone and Russell Dickerson to Billy Bob’s Texas for his Jelly Roll and Friends event.

Wednesday brought together industry members for the annual ACM Lifting Lives Topgolf Tee-Off golf tournament in The Colony, which featured performances from Baldridge, Ernest, Cody Lohden, Rhys Rutherford and Grace Tyler.

That same evening, Lily Rose hosted Keys for a Cause at Pete’s Dueling Piano Bar in The Star District, with her friends and ACM Award nominees Gavin Adcock, Cooke and Wetmore joining the party, among others. Money was raised through attendees submitting song requests throughout the night, with proceeds from those requests going directly to ACM Lifting Lives’ philanthropic efforts.

The evening was highlighted by one of the most memorable events of the week with the Academy of Country Music and ACM Lifting Lives hosting the exclusive and intimate “Play Something Country,” a 60th Anniversary Gala Honoring Brooks & Dunn and benefiting ACM Lifting Lives, which grossed nearly $1.4 million while honoring the achievements of the 25-time ACM Award-winning duo. The night culminated with a presentation of a special honor to Brooks & Dunn and performances of their hits from country music’s top acts, including Eric Church, Cody Johnson, Megan Moroney, Zach Top, Keith Urban and Lainey Wilson, all hosted by TV and radio personality Bobby Bones.

Drew Baldridge, Jelly Roll, Ashley Cooke. Photo: Gilbert Flores

Lily Rose and team

Picture (L-R): Ken Robold, Ronnie Dunn, Kix Brooks and Taylor Lindsey. Photo: Gilbert Flores

Lainey Wilson. Photo: Rich Polk

Keith Urban. Photo: Rich Polk

Dustin Lynch To Host Round Three For ‘Pool Situation: Nashville’

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Dustin Lynch will host his “Dustin Lynch Pool Situation: Nashville” 2025 at the rooftop pool of Margaritaville Hotel Nashville on June 6 during CMA Fest weekend.

The country music-themed pool party is free and open-to-the-public, and in the past has featured pop-ups from Brad Arnold (3 Doors Down), Jordan Davis, Hardy, Uncle Kracker, MacKenzie Porter, Little Big Town and more. Admittance for guests 18+ is free on a first-come, first-served basis, but Lynch’s Stay Country Club members will get exclusive early access.

The following day on June 7, Lynch will offer Nashville a taste of his Club Set from his 2025 Wynn Nightlife Las Vegas Residency when he hosts the “Dustin Lynch Nightlife Party” at Barstool Nashville. Admittance for 21+ guests is free on a first-come, first-served basis.

Lynch’s 2025 Wynn Nightlife Las Vegas Residency, which is Wynn Nightlife’s first-ever country music artist residency in Las Vegas, boasts a live performance Daytime Pool Situation at Encore Beach Club and a Club Set at XS Nightclub, and runs through August.

Music Business Association Names 2025 Bizzy Award Winners

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Lecrae and Downtown Music Publishing’s Emily Stephenson

The Music Business Association (Music Biz) honored this year’s Bizzy Award winners at the fourth annual Bizzy Awards Dinner last night (May 14) during the Music Biz 2025 conference at the Renaissance Atlanta Waverly.

The 2025 Bizzy Awards Dinner was sponsored by Warner Music Group, hosted by artist & Reach Records founder, Lecrae, and featured performances by Tayla Parx (Warner Chappell Music) & Yami Safdie (Warner Music Latina).

Nashville-based President of Downtown Music Publishing, Emily Stephenson, was awarded with the #NEXTGEN_NOW One to Watch Award, while SVP of Rights Data Management at Concord, Elysha Miracle, won the Maestro of Metadata Award. Grimey’s won the Bizzy Frontline Innovator Award, and the lauded Equal Access program was honored with the Agent of Change Award.

This year marks the fourth time that nominations for the Association’s awards program were crowd-sourced, allowing the global music business at large to recognize their companies and peers who are making a difference in improving the global industry.

2025 Bizzy Award Winners:
Leading Light Award: Colleen Theis, President & COO, The Orchard
Presidential Award for Outstanding Executive Achievement: Cindy Charles, Twitch – Posthumous Honor accepted by Charles’ husband
Marketing Superstar Award: MF DOOM – MM..FOOD (20 Year Anniversary), Rhymesayers Entertainment
Maestro of Metadata Award: Elysha Miracle, SVP of Rights Data Management, Concord
Impact Award for Technological Excellence: DDEX (Digital Data Exchange)
#NEXTGEN_NOW One to Watch Award: Emily Stephenson, President, Downtown Music Publishing
Frontline Innovator Award: Grimey’s Music, Nashville
Music Business Educator of the Year Award: Jerry Brindisi, Columbia College Chicago
Agent of Change Award: Equal Access

Kelsea Ballerini Performs ‘Baggage’ On ‘The Voice’ Alongside Co-Writers

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Pictured (L-R): Jessie Jo Dillon, Karen Fairchild, Kelsea Ballerini, Hillary Lindsey and Alysa Vanderheym. Photo: Tyler Golden/NBC

Kelsea Ballerini took The Voice stage on Tuesday night (May 13) to play her current single “Baggage.” The showing also marked the first time all the song’s co-writers (Alysa Vanderheym, Jessie Jo Dillon, Karen Fairchild and Hillary Lindsey) performed the track alongside Ballerini.

YouTube video

Ballerini is currently serving as a coach on the singing competition show, and has one artist in next week’s season finale, Jaelen Johnston.

“Baggage” comes from Ballerini’s critically acclaimed studio album Patterns, which earned her the No. 1 spot on Billboard’s Country Albums Chart and No. 4 on Billboard’s Top 200 Albums Chart.