Ashley Cooke Wraps Milestone Week With Help From Joe Jonas, Jordan Davis, More

Ashley Cooke capped off a milestone week with a performance of “All I Forgot” featuring Joe Jonas at the Country Radio Seminar New Faces 2025 Show on Feb. 21. To celebrate the song’s release, Cooke electrified the crowd by inviting the superstar to stage for the song’s debut live performance.

The surprises didn’t stop there—earlier in the week, Cooke took the stage to a packed house at Nashville’s Brooklyn Bowl for a headlining show featuring a lineup of special guests including Jordan Davis, Nate Smith and Emily Weisband. Adding to the night’s highlights, Cooke’s team at Big Loud Records surprised her on stage with a Gold plaque for her No. 1 single, “Your Place.”

 

Ringo Starr Shines At Opening Of New ‘Beats & Threads’ Exhibit

Music icon Ringo Starr recently celebrated the opening of his “Beats & Threads” exhibit at the Musicians Hall of Fame & Museum during a private press event and ribbon cutting. The exhibit, which features Starr’s curated drum kits, sticks and snares, personal documents and era-defining style pieces that made music and fashion history, officially opened to the public on Feb. 20.

“Thank you to the Musicians Hall of Fame & Museum; Linda, Britt, also Gary and Scotty and Martin and Darren of Julien’s who made all this possible,” says Starr. “These items hold so many wonderful memories for me and I couldn’t think of a more appropriate place to share them with the world than at this special museum here in Nashville. I’ve been having a great time being here—in January I played the Ryman and released my new record Look Up.”

 

Eli Young Band Debuts ‘Nothing On The Wild’ On ‘TODAY’

The Eli Young Band joined NBC’s TODAY with Jenna & Friends on Feb. 20 for the exclusive worldwide debut of their newest independent release, “Nothing On The Wild.” Written by Mike Eli, Matt McVaney and Matt Rogers, “Nothing On The Wild” marks the band’s second single, following “What Do Lonely People Do.”

 

Global Songwriters Connection To Host 12th Annual Spring Mixer

The Global Songwriters Connection is having its 12th Annual Spring Mixer on March 27 at the CMA Event Room/SESAC. The GSC Publisher and Songwriter of the Year presentation will be held at 5:30 and the event is free from 5-7 p.m. Click here for more information. 

 

Lee DeWyze Performs For ‘A Complete Unknown’ Celebration

Lee DeWyze recently gave a special performance during the launch party for the Bob Dylan biopic A Complete Unknown, celebrating the film’s upcoming digital release. A longtime Dylan fan, DeWyze performed “Blowin’ In The Wind,” “Make You Feel My Love” and songs from his No, 1 album Gone For Days at the Sunset Marquis in West Hollywood. The special performance followed Lee’s recent national TV performance of his single “Devil In The Details” on The Kelly Clarkson Show.

New duo Something Out West, comprised of Drew Arthur and Chet Hanks, has signed with Big Machine Records.

Something Out West launched in California, where band members Arthur and Hanks became roommates at a pivotal time in their lives when both were embarking on a journey toward sobriety. This shared path resulted in both a deep friendship, as well as a musical and creative collaboration of late-night jams and songwriting sessions, and eventually moves to Nashville and the formation of their duo. With a blend of distinctive vocals, memorable melodies, and timeless lyrics, Something Out West honors the genre’s storytelling roots while embracing a fresh musical perspective full of contemporary influences.

“Drew and Chet are building a one of a kind sound and story with Something Out West, powered by their undeniable energy and creative connection,” says Big Machine Label Group Chairman & CEO Scott Borchetta. “We’re thrilled for them to join the Big Machine Records family and for the world to experience this fresh, dynamic duo.”

“We’re thrilled to partner with Big Machine and Scott Borchetta,” says Hanks. “The support they’ve shown for ‘Leaving Hollywood’ and the rest of the music has been incredible. Drew and I have been making music together for a long time, and we feel really proud to have a home at Big Machine for this upcoming project.”

The duo is currently in the studio with producer Julian Raymond working on their debut project slated for release later this year. Their debut song for the label, “Leaving Hollywood,” is set for release this Friday (Feb. 28.)

“I wrote ‘Leaving Hollywood’ five years ago, but it feels like the timing and the way we’re releasing it were always meant to be,” adds Arthur. “We’re excited for people to hear what we’ve been working on.”

Josh Bailey has exited his executive position at Capitol Christian Music Group (Capitol CMG) after more than six years in leadership. He will start his own company.

Bailey joined Capitol CMG as Vice President and quickly rose to Senior Vice President, overseeing A&R and leading the label. During his tenure, the label achieved notable success, supporting artists like Anne Wilson, TobyMac, Tauren Wells, We The Kingdom and others, maintaining its market leadership with consistent streaming and radio success.

Previously, Bailey spent 14 years at Word Entertainment, helping develop and launch artists such as For King & Country and Francesca Battistelli.

Bailey’s new venture is a collaboration with other key industry executives, with details forthcoming.

“Leaving Capitol CMG was not an easy decision,” shares Bailey, “but I’m excited for what’s ahead. I’ll cherish my time from Capitol CMG, but am eager to pursue a new endeavor.”

The Society of Leaders in Development (SOLID) has announced its 2025 Board of Directors.

This year’s Executive Board includes President Zach Green (Green P&M), Vice President Leah Ducey (Universal Music Group Nashville), Secretary Alannah Schwartz (Endurance Music Group) and Treasurer Kim Albritton (ClearBox Rights, LLC).

The 2025 SOLID Board of Directors consists of Ambassadorship Chairs Becky Parsons (Found Sound Media) and TC Courtney (Universal Music Publishing Group); Communications Chairs Nicole Marchesi (Opry Entertainment Group) and Ryan Nisley; Community Outreach Chairs Layne Faltinsky (BMG Publishing) and Leigh Ferro (Curb Records); Education Chairs Nina Owens (The Teapot Legacy) and Michelle Wichern (Outback Presents); Music Market Chairs Brendan McManus (Warner Music Group), Eunice Hernandez (Studio Bank) and Brian Day (Curb Records); Social Chairs Marisa Righi (Freeman) and Jessica Hamorsky (Playback Studios, LLC) and DEI Chairs Savannah Alday (William Morris Endeavor) and Taylor John (Mechanical Licensing Collective).

Additionally, this year’s SOLID Alumni Board will be led by President Brooke Mansfield (Riser House Entertainment). Board members include Haley Webster (Mtheory), Jesse Flohr (McIvor Marketing), Lizzy Stone (Wiles + Taylor & Co) and Ryan Cunningham (ONErpm).

“We couldn’t be more thrilled and humbled to serve as the 2025 SOLID Board,” says Green, board member President. “We’re already hard at work to ensure that our members and partners have an exciting, community driven year of programming to look forward to. The growth that I’ve seen personally since joining this organization five years ago is profound, from our ever expanding DEI goals to new records in fundraising for our SOLID Shares partners, we are always finding new ways to raise the bar.”

Country Radio Seminar wrapped up its 2025 event on Friday (Feb. 21) at the Omni Nashville Hotel. Below are some of the highlights from the last day of programming.

Networking Kicked Off The Morning

The annual Women’s Networking Breakfast kicked off the final day, giving attendees a chance to network across all sectors of the industry. Those in attendance included KFRG/KKWF’s Heather Froglear, 94.9 The Bull’s Angie Ward, Triple Tigers Records Raffaella Braun, Stephanie Hagerty, UMG Nashville’s Miranda McDonald, Katie Neal, WFMS’ Brooks O’Brian, BMG Nashville’s JoJamie Hahr, Audacy’s Marci Braun, iHeartMedia’s Ashley Wilson, Holly Hutton, Audacy Houston’s Melissa Chase, Casey Carter, Lauren Thomas, KCYY’s Christi Brooks, Bev Rainey, WHKO’s Nancy Wilson, KKBQ’s Lo Sessions and Country 102.5’s Dawn Santolucito.

 

AI’s Legal Impact

Belmont University’s Brittany Shaffer, Loti AI’s Luke Arrigoni, law Professor Matthew Sag, NSAI’s Bart Herbison, SoundExchange’s Ryan Lehning and RIAA’s Jackie Jones discussed the legal facets of AI and its influence on country music, such as intellectual property rights, music licensing, data privacy, ethical considerations and future legal frameworks in “All Shook Up: AI Legal’s Impact on the Country Music Industry.”

Shaping Workplace Culture

During “Culture: The C Word You Should Say,” BMG’s Jon Loba, EntreLeadership Elite’s John Felkins, Dale Carnegie’s Allyn Walker and Audacy’s Mike Peterson gave insight to information and tools to build workplace culture.

 

Artist Development Paths

Stone Door Media Lab’s Jeff Green, Warner Music Nashville’s Addison Nunes, Warner Records’ Casey Campbell and G Major Management’s Emilie Gilbert helped attendees understand the data behind artist development, and explored contextualization and hype vs reality in “Artist Development: The Sparks Behind The Streams.”

 

Conquering Radio Marketing

In “Radio, We Have A Problem! A Marketing Problem,” 925XTU’s Nicole Michalik, Live Nation’s Joe McCollum, One Country’s Chase Locke and The Bobby Bones Show’s Amy Brown dove into how radio stations can use its free app to heighten marketing value.

 

Embracing Cross-Genre Artists

Audacy’s Erik Bradley, iHeartMedia’s Jonathan Shufford, Cumulus Media’s Leslie Whittle and Warner Music Nashville’s Michael Chase discussed how to market crossover genre artists to country’s growing audience in “We’ve Got Some Help: How To Embrace Crossover Artists and The New Audience.”

 

Keeping Up With Playlists

For “Evolving Your Playlist: F*#@ The Format,” Big Loud Records’ Stacy Blythe, The Smith Richards Collective’s Tim Richards, Audacy’s Drew Bland and SiriusXM/Pandora’s Kathleen St. Clair showcased how to take advantage of genre moments on a playlist by adding dates, charts, sonic trends, brand support and more.

 

A Sale Idea A Minute

Brian Peck, John Willyard, Audacy Houston’s Melissa Chase, Brad Davidorf, KSON’s Kimo Jensen and Audacy’s Scott Roddy gave attendees 30 sales ideas in 30 minutes to increase revenue in “Walk Away With 30 Sales Ideas In 30 Minutes.”

 

BMLG Luncheon

Attendees enjoyed lunch while enjoying performances from Big Machine Label Group artists, including Shaylen, Jack Wharff, Rascal Flatts, Preston Cooper, Caroline Jones, Chris Janson, Jackson Dean, Mackenzie Carpenter, Riley Green and Chase McDaniel.

 

The Cycle Of ‘Austin’

The final “Cycle of a Song” program for the week concluded with a look at Dasha‘s breakthrough hit “Austin” with Dasha, Warner Music Nashville’s Andy Flick, Spotify’s Talia Kraines, Warner Records’ Ben Farber and Mike Chester, KYGO Denver’s Brian Michel, Alex Lunt and Katy Cooper.

 

The Annual New Faces Show

The three day CRS program culminated with its annual New Faces of Country Music show, showcasing talent from rising artists Dasha, Warren Zeiders, Drew Baldridge, Ashley Cooke and Zach Top.