Naomi Johnson Signs With WME

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Pictured (L-R): Braeden Rountree (WME) and Naomi Johnson. Photo: Courtesy of WME

Singer-songwriter Naomi Johnson has inked with WME for worldwide representation in all areas, including touring, brand partnerships, TV, film and digital.

“WME has been a crucial part of helping country artists reach their fans, and I am so excited to get back out on the road and bring my new music to as many people as possible alongside this wonderful team!” says Johnson.

Formerly a founding member of Runaway June, Johnson is now launching her own solo career, with songs expressing personal tales of triumph and resilience. Johnson shared her debut solo single “Bricks Make Houses” on March 28 and will release another track this spring.

“WME is proud to partner with Naomi on her solo project,” shares WME’s Braeden Rountree. “Her story (and ability to tell her story through her music) will connect with a lot of people, and we’re excited to be along for the ride!”

Country Music Hall Of Fame & Museum To Open Dolly Parton Exhibit

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The Country Music Hall of Fame and Museum will spotlight the life and legacy of one of country music’s most celebrated figures in its upcoming exhibition “Dolly Parton: Journey of a Seeker,” opening May 20 and running through September 2026.

The exhibition will trace Parton’s extraordinary career across more than six decades, highlighting pivotal moments where she defied expectations, overcame setbacks and forged her own path to become a global icon. From her rural Tennessee upbringing to her trailblazing success as a singer, songwriter, actor, businesswoman and philanthropist, the exhibit will explore how Parton’s resilience and creative vision helped shape her singular journey.

“Being inducted into the Country Music Hall of Fame was one of the greatest moments of my life, and being able to have a personal exhibit for the fans that put me there is a very big deal to me,” shares Parton. “This seeker is very proud and honored, and I hope you enjoy my journey. I will always love you.”

“After accomplishing enough for three lifetimes, Dolly Parton continues to astound and amaze us with her boundless talent, her vivacious wit and her tremendous generosity,” says Kyle Young, Chief Executive Officer of the Country Music Hall of Fame and Museum. “Like all great artists, Parton has demonstrated consistently that she can transform adversity and setbacks into works of stunning beauty and insight into the human condition.”

Artifacts on display will include handwritten lyrics, stagewear, instruments, awards, photographs and rare interview footage. Highlights include the first draft of her classic hit “Jolene,” a custom Gibson five-string banjo adorned with rhinestones and butterflies used during her 2002 “Halos & Horns Tour,” and the cowgirl outfit she wore in the 1980 film 9 to 5. Visitors will also see her Kennedy Center Honors medallion from 2006, among other personal and career-defining items.

The exhibit delves into formative stories from Parton’s life, including her determined Opry debut at age 13, when she secured a last-minute performance slot by persuading Jimmy C. Newman to give up his. It also explores her bold personal style, which she embraced despite pushback from early industry gatekeepers who feared her appearance might overshadow her talent.

Timed tickets for “Journey of a Seeker” are included with museum admission, and advance reservations are recommended due to anticipated demand. More information is available on the museum’s website.

In addition to the exhibit, the museum will host supporting programming throughout its run, including public events and family-oriented arts and crafts activities. A special display dedicated to Dolly Parton’s Imagination Library and its global literacy mission will be featured in the museum’s Taylor Swift Education Center.

A member of the Country Music Hall of Fame, Parton’s honors also include inductions into the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame, the Nashville Songwriters Hall of Fame, and the Songwriters Hall of Fame, along with receiving the National Medal of Arts and the Kennedy Center Honors. Her influence continues to inspire generations through her music, philanthropy and unmistakable spirit.

John Zarling Honored With Belmont’s Robert E. Mulloy Award Of Excellence

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John Zarling honored at Belmont University. Photo: Matt Willoughby

John Zarling, Chief Marketing Officer at Results Global, was presented the 2025 Robert E. Mulloy Award of Excellence by Belmont University’s Mike Curb College of Entertainment and Music Business last weekend during a ceremony before the university’s annual Best of the Best Showcase.

Belmont alumnus Zarling has become a pivotal force in the industry by transforming marketing strategies for some of music’s biggest names. In 2019, his entrepreneurial vision led him to co-found 615 Leverage + Strategy with Jackie Campbell, now known as Results Global. Throughout his career, his innovative approaches have driven more than 100 million units sold, 100 No. 1 singles and generated brand partnerships in the tens of millions.

Belmont University’s Sarah Cates, John Zarling and Belmont University’s Brittany Schaffer. Photo: Matt Willoughby

The award recognizes Zarling’s ongoing contributions to both the entertainment industry and entertainment education. Since graduating in 2001, he has maintained strong ties with his alma mater while building a successful career in music marketing and brand partnerships.

“I am deeply honored to recognize John Zarling as this year’s recipient of the Robert E. Mulloy Award of Excellence,” says Brittany Schaffer, dean of the Curb College of Entertainment and Music Business. “JZ’s remarkable achievements in the music industry are paralleled only by his quiet, steadfast dedication to serving Nashville, Belmont University and the Curb College of Entertainment and Music Business. His impact — both visible and behind the scenes — has been profound, and no one is more deserving of this recognition.”

“John has not only served the industry through his rooted character, inspired creativity and generous innovation, but he has also served Belmont,” says Sarah Cates, Belmont’s Vice President of Imagination, Strategic Initiatives and Partnerships, who presented the award to Zarling. “For more than five years, John and his business partner Jackie have taught a brand partnership course for Curb College. Over the last two years, John has been a central player in the development of Belmont’s partnership with Dolly Parton and CTK Enterprises.”

“So much of my identity today in the business and beyond, is aligned here with Belmont,” says Zarling. “I couldn’t be prouder to continue to be a small part of this university’s story. When I look at the list of those who have been honored [with this award], I’m humbled to be named among them.”

At Results Global, Zarling leads Dolly Parton’s marketing agency of record in Nashville. Under his guidance, the firm has orchestrated campaigns for Parton’s New York Times-bestselling books and chart-topping albums, including the Gold-selling album Rockstar, which delivered the biggest first-week sales debut of her seven-decade career. This partnership extends to Belmont through Zarling’s work with “Dolly: An Original Musical,” premiering this summer at Belmont’s Fisher Center before its Broadway debut.

Zarling joins a distinguished list of past recipients including music publisher Donna Hilley, Grammy-winning artist and Country Music Hall of Fame member Vince Gill, Curb Records/Publishing owner Mike Curb, Sony/ATV Music Publishing president Troy Tomlinson, Grammy-winning writer/producer Gordon Kennedy, and Grammy and Academy of Country Music award-winning engineer/producer Chuck Ainlay.

West Virginia Music Hall Of Fame Announces 2025 Inductees

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Pictured (L-R, top row): Jeff Stevens and Daniel Johnston; (L-R, bottom row): Cam Mullins and The Valentinos (a.k.a. The Womack Brothers)

Singer-songwriter Daniel Johnston, Nashville arranger Cam Mullins, songwriter Jeff Stevens and West Virginia musical family The Valentinos (a.k.a. The Womack Brothers) are the 2025 inductees into the West Virginia Music Hall of Fame.

The sold-out 10th annual ceremony will take place on April 12 at the Culture Center Theater in Charleston, West Virginia, and the event will also feature special guests and performers including Stevens, Luke Bryan, Wilco’s Jeff Tweedy, Asleep at the Wheel’s Ray Benson, Kathy Mattea, Friendly Womack Jr. with The Womack Sisters, Tim O’Brien, Ann Magnuson, Larry Groce, John Ellison, Lionel Carwright, Bob Thompson, Barbara Nissman, Michael Cerveris and Greg Blake.

The event will be hosted by Ray Benson, who founded Asleep at the Wheel in Paw Paw, West Virginia in 1970, and Charleston, WV native Juliana Soltis, a nationally touring and recording classical cellist. Benson will also receive the WVMHoF’s Spirit Award.

Ashley Cooke Returns To Belmont For Showcase Series Visit

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Ashley Cooke and Belmont University students

Country singer-songwriter Ashley Cooke recently returned to her alma mater, Belmont University, to visit with students participating in the Belmont Showcase Series. A 2019 Showcase winner herself, Cooke offered encouragement, insight and inspiration to the next generation of music industry talent.

Since winning the Showcase as a senior, Cooke’s career has skyrocketed. The Big Loud/Back Blocks Music artist earned her first No. 1 at country radio in 2024 with “Your Place,” won her first CMT Award and continues to build momentum with a nomination at this year’s ACM Awards for New Female Artist of the Year and a new collaboration with Joe Jonas, “All I Forgot.” She recently wrapped her “Your Place Tour” and is currently out on the road with Kane Brown.

Hosted by the Mike Curb College of Entertainment and Music Business, Belmont’s Showcase Series has long been a launchpad for rising stars and a cornerstone of hands-on industry training.

Industry Ink: Kelsea Ballerini, Zac Brown, Jordan Davis, More

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Kelsea Ballerini Joins Musicians On Call at Phoenix Children’s Hospital

Kelsea Ballerini interacts with patients during a Musicians On Call visit. Photo: Dusty Barker

Kelsea Ballerini performed some songs for a small crowd at Phoenix Children’s Hospital on March 25 as part of the Musicians On Call Bedside program prior to her show at PHX Arena. Ballerini visited patient bedsides and held a group performance in The Child Life Zone at the hospital, and the visit marked Ballerini’s first return to Phoenix Children’s since she helped Musicians On Call launch its bedside program there in 2016.

 

Zac Brown Celebrates Crooked Tea Launch With Tin Roof Nashville Crowd

Zac Brown. Photo: Courtesy of Crooked Tea

Zac Brown brought the party to Tin Roof Broadway in Nashville on March 31 to celebrate the official launch of Crooked Tea, his new hard iced tea brand. The Monday night quickly turned into a can’t-miss Nashville moment as Zac surprised the crowd by stepping behind the bar and handing out cans of Crooked Tea, and fans got the full Crooked Tea experience—ice-cold cans, live selfies, lots of laughs and a taste of what Crooked Tea is all about: bold flavor, big energy and no filter.

 

Jordan Davis Makes TV Appearances To Announce New Tour, Single

Andy Cohen and Jordan Davis. Photo: Charlie Sykes

Jordan Davis recently visited CBS Mornings to share news of his new single “Bar None” and reveal details of his upcoming “Ain’t Enough Road Tour”  launching this Fall. Davis also visited Bravo’s Watch What Happens Live with Andy Cohen during the week.

 

Restless Road Visits With Spotify Team At Troubadour Show

Pictured (L-R): Restless Road’s Colton Pack, Spotify’s Miller Guth, Spotify’s Bella Jackson, Restless Road’s Zach Beeken and Restless Road’s Garrett Nichols

Restless Road played a packed-out show on April 2 at LA’s The Troubadour for the fourth stop on their headlining “Goin’ Out Like That Tour” with Spotify Managers, Artist & Label Partnerships Bella Jackson and Miller Guth and more in the audience.

 

Bradley Gaskin Inks With The Kirby Organization For Booking

Pictured (L-R): Ryan Barnstead (16Camino), Jack Cole (30A Life Records), Josh Weddington (30A Life Records), Gaskin, Keith Stegall (producer), John Ettinger (16Camino) and Michael Kelley (TKO). Photo: Provided by MPR

Bradley Gaskin has signed with The Kirby Organization for booking. TKO features a diverse roster with offices in New York, Los Angeles, London and a Nashville office with veteran booking agent Michael Kelley.

“As soon as I heard this record, saw the ‘live’ show and met the team behind Bradley, I knew we had to be involved,” says Kelley. “We are looking forward to being an instrumental part of this project’s development.”

 

Holly Brand Signs With Integrity Music

Pictured (L-R): Cole Flynn, Blaine Barcus, Taylor Brady, Holly Brand, Alicia St. Gelais, Libby Hooge and Stone Meyer

Holly Brand has signed with Integrity Music. An NBC The Voice semifinalist (Season 23), Brand blends classic country melodies with her love for worship music to create a diverse style in the genre.

“Our team is very excited to be partnering with Holly; from our first meeting we were impressed with her maturity, vocal talent, and strong work ethic,” shares Blaine Barcus, President of Integrity Music. “Beyond all these great qualities is her sincere walk with Jesus and unwavering commitment to tell others about Him through her music.”

Weekly Register: Zach Bryan Climbs To No. 4 on Country Albums Chart

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Morgan Wallen continues his reign atop the country albums and streaming songs charts this week, according to Luminate data. His 2023 album One Thing At A Time garnered 45K in total consumption (1.4K album only and 56 million song streams) and his new track “Just in Case,” holds the No. 1 position on the songs chart with 19 million streams.

The next four spots on the albums chart are held by Wallen’s Dangerous: The Double Album at the No. 2 spot earning 32K in total consumption, Post Malone’s F-1 Trillion at No. 3 with 22K in total consumption, Zach Bryan‘s American Heartbreak at No. 4 with 18K and, down a spot this week, Zach Top’s Cold Beer & Country Music at No. 5 with 18K.

On the songs chart, Wallen’s “I’m The Problem” jumps to No. 2 this week earning 13 million streams, Shaboozey‘s “A Bar Song (Tipsy)” climbs to No. 3 with 12 million streams, Wallen’s “I’m A Little Crazy” comes in at No. 4 with 11 million streams and Chappell Roan‘s “The Giver” stays at No. 5 with 11 million streams.

Triple 8 Management To Offer Artists AI Protection Through Sureel Partnership

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Triple 8 Management has partnered with Sureel, an innovator in AI attribution, detection, protection, and monetization, to become the first artist management company to proactively offer its artists the opportunity to safeguard their creative works.

The collaboration sets a new precedent in the music industry, ensuring that artists maintain control over their creative works in the age of artificial intelligence. Sureel’s platform takes a collaborative approach, providing AI companies with easy-to-integrate tools to ensure responsible AI that fully respects artist preferences. This turns AI companies into responsible innovators, enabling them to commercially release generated outputs with full rights clearance and broad artist support.

Through Sureel’s advanced attribution and rights management technology, Triple 8 Management’s diverse roster now has access to cutting-edge tools that control opt in or out of AI Training with custom thresholds, protect their music artistic styles from being used in AI training without consent by setting time-and-date stamp behind ownership, and monetize their influence within the AI landscape by setting new standards for ethical licensing and revenue generation

“We’re committed to fostering an environment where our artists can create freely without fear of exploitation,” says Paul Steele, Partner, Triple 8 Management. “AI is reshaping the industry, and this partnership with Sureel ensures our artists’ rights are not only protected but positioned to benefit from these advancements. Sureel streamlines that process, so AI companies know exactly how to respect our roster’s preferences, and our artists see a clear path to protect and monetize their work.”

“AI is not a threat, inaction is,” says Tamay Aykut, Founder and CEO of Sureel. “By taking action now, the Triple 8 Management team is setting a new industry standard. They are demonstrating that artists can and should have control over their creative influence in AI training.”

Lanco Inks With UTA

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Pictured (L-R): Eleanor Kohl (Red Light Management), Bryan Coleman (Union Entertainment Group), Alec Vidmar (UTA), LANCO’s Tim Aven, Tripp Howell, Brandon Lancaster, Chandler Baldwin, Jared Hampton, Justin Hill (UTA), Tom Linthicum (UTA). Photo: Courtesy of UTA

Lanco have signed with UTA for representation in all areas.

Consisting of Brandon Lancaster (lead vocals), Chandler Baldwin (bass), Tripp Howell (drums), Jared Hampton (keyboard/guitar) and Tim Aven (guitar), the group was born nearly a decade ago. Their debut album Hallelujah Nights hit No. 1 on the Billboard Top Country Albums chart and includes the 5x Platinum “Greatest Love Story,” as well as Platinum hit “Born to Love You.” Their newest album We’re Gonna Make It, released via Riser House Records, features current radio single “We Grew Up Together.”

“The past few years have been transformative for LANCO,” shares Lancaster. “Joining UTA is the final piece of the puzzle that completes our team. We thrive on the road, and this partnership will allow us to do what we love most—connect with fans live.”

The group has notched several CMA, American Music, iHeartRadio and ACM Award nominations, and a win for the ACM New Duo/Group of the Year in 2018.

“We are excited to be working alongside Lanco to help expand their global audience,” says UTA agent Justin Hill. “The band is having an incredible moment with their current single climbing the country charts. With the recent release of their new album, Lanco will be bringing their new music to country fans worldwide.”

Lanco recently finished their “We’re Gonna Make It Tour” and will make appearances at a slew of festivals this summer, including Roanoke Festival in the Park, Country Summer Music Festival, HomeTown ThrowDown and more.

Lanco are managed by Bryan Coleman and Eleanor Kohl through Union Entertainment Group/Red Light Management.

Locash Notch Fourth No. 1 Hit Single

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Locash

Locash have snagged the No. 1 song on country radio this week with “Hometown Home,” hitting the top of the Billboard Country Airplay and Country Aircheck/Mediabase Airplay charts.

This is the duo’s fourth career No. 1. Previous hit singles include “I Love This Life,” “I Know Somebody” and “One Big Country Song.” “Hometown Home” also marks their first No. 1 on their new label, Galaxy Label Group.

“Seeing ‘Hometown Home’ sitting at the top of the Billboard chart has been amazing in ways we couldn’t imagine,” Locash told Billboard. “It’s our first No. 1 since we went ‘all in’ and bet on ourselves and launched our own record label. We get to appreciate this No. 1 on so many levels…as writers, as artists, and as record label executives. This song is so special and so lyrically rich. It’s been epic watching it land on people’s hearts. It just feels different bringing this No. 1 HOME.”

“Hometown Home” is featured on the duo’s upcoming album Bet The Farm, releasing April 18. The project also features previously released tunes “Buzzin,” “Isn’t She Country” and “When I’m Older.”