Sarah Pfeiffer & Gabriella Pulley

The Core Entertainment has added Sarah Pfeiffer and Gabriella Pulley. Both will report to The Core Entertainment’s CEOs and Co-Founders, Simon Tikhman and Chief Zaruk, and will be based in The Core’s Nashville offices.

Pfeiffer joins the company as Head of Marketing. She arrives from Columbia Records, where she spent eight years working across campaigns for artists including Harry Styles, Ella Langley, ROSALÍA, Tyler, The Creator, blink-182, The Chainsmokers, Koe Wetzel, Max McNown and Alana Springsteen. In her new role, she will oversee marketing for The Core Entertainment’s roster of artists, with a focus on The Core Records which includes Baylee Lynn, Brandon Wisham and more.

“Throughout my career, I’ve discovered a deep passion for developing artists,” says Pfeiffer. “I feel truly at home here at The Core and am excited to step into this role—continuing to grow our team and craft innovative, intentional, and competitive marketing campaigns that help our artists elevate their music and expand their fan bases.”

Pulley joins The Core Entertainment as Chief of Staff. Pulley most recently served as day-to-day manager at 7s Management, where she worked with Nathaniel Rateliff & the Night Sweats, including through the band’s Madison Square Garden sellout. Earlier in her career, she oversaw day-to-day management throughout Zach Bryan’s rise from theaters to arenas and stadiums. In her new role, Pulley will work across management, records, partnerships and company operations, helping support the next phase of The Core’s expansion.

“I’m thrilled to join a company that prioritizes investing not only in its artists but also in the people behind them,” shares Pulley. “The leadership team is one of the most experienced and forward-thinking groups I’ve had the opportunity to work with. The Core has an exciting road ahead, and I’m honored to be part of a team building what we believe will be a lasting impact on the industry.”

“We’re really excited to welcome Sarah and Gabriella to The Core,” adds Tikhman and Zaruk, Co-Founders and Co-CEOs of The Core Entertainment. “Sarah is an incredibly sharp and thoughtful marketing executive who really understands how to build campaigns around artists in a meaningful way, and Gabriella brings a level of organization, leadership and calm that is so valuable as a company grows. Just as importantly, they’re both great people, and culture matters a lot to us. We’ve been very intentional about building this team, and these are the kind of hires that make us better.”

Kenny Chesney. Photo: Allister Ann

Kenny Chesney will perform an exclusive show at Flora-Bama on April 18 with SiriusXM.

The intimate show celebrates 10 years of Chesney’s exclusive SiriusXM channel, No Shoes Radio. Curated and presented by Chesney, the channel features music from himself, his favorite artists across multiple musical genres, live performances, backstage moments and more. To further celebrate, No Shoes Radio will feature daily re-broadcasts of past live concerts, exclusive SiriusXM events with fans, and best-of highlights from Chesney’s summer tours over the coming months.

“We started No Shoes Radio on the internet as a something fun to do, a place to play that special cocktail of reggae, rock, country and more,” says Chesney. “When SiriusXM embraced what we were doing, it opened up a whole other portal for people who live in these songs. After ten years, we needed to do something that captured the sea salt, the joy and all the memories in our music. What better place than inside the Flora-Bama?”

“Kenny Chesney has built something truly special with No Shoes Radio over the past ten years. It’s more than a channel, it’s a community that captures the spirit of his music and the connection he has with his fans,” adds Scott Greenstein, SiriusXM’s President and Chief Content Officer. “Celebrating a decade of No Shoes Radio on SiriusXM with a concert in Flora-Bama, a place that embodies that same laid-back, coastal energy, feels like the perfect way to mark this milestone.”

SiriusXM subscribers can enter for a chance to win a trip to the concert here.

Country Radio Seminar kicked off Wednesday (March 19) at the Omni Nashville Hotel. Below are some of the highlights from yesterday’s programming.

‘Y’all Means All: Expanding The Audience’ Kicks Off CRS Week

Photo: Courtesy of CRS

CRS 2026 kicked off yesterday with the “Y’all Means All: Expanding The Audience” breakfast. Moderated by Amber Anderson, the event featured Al Farb, Ty Herndon, James Marsh and MŌRIAH.

Streaming Experts Share Findings On Teen Music Listeners

Photo: Courtesy of CRS

CMA presented findings from its recently completed teen-focused research study, a custom project designed to better understand the next generation of country music listeners. Following the data presentation, a panel composed of radio and streaming programmers, as well as Conner Smith, discussed the future audience pipeline for the genre.

‘Cycle of A Song’ Highlights ‘Single Again’

Photo: Courtesy of CRS

As part of the “Cycle of A Song” series, Wednesday’s session focused on Josh Ross‘ chart-topper “Single Again.” Panelists Damon Moberly, Julia Robert, Jackie Augustus, Tracy Martin, Julie Adam and Justin Cole joined Ross to explain the journey the song took to become a hit, showcasing the vital roles social media, streaming platforms, radio play and touring can play in building an artist’s audience.

Warner Music Nashville Luncheon

Photo: Courtesy of CRS

CRS attendees enjoyed lunch and good music at the Warner Music Nashville Luncheon. This year’s edition featured performances from Ashley McBryde, Blake Whiten, Gabby Barrett, The Band Loula and The Creekers.

CRS Honors Recognizes Industry Professionals

Photo: Courtesy of CRS

The Country Radio Hall of Fame Class of 2026 were announced during CRS Honors. This year’s honorees include Chris Carr, Michael J, Rick Jackson, Marci Braun, Phil Hunt, Bruce Logan and John Marks. CRS also presented four prestigious scholarships during the event, including the Rusty Walker Scholarship, the Lisa McKay Women in Radio Scholarship and the Whitney Allen “Hot Mic” Scholarship.

The event featured performances from Frank Ray and HARDY, and Parker McCollum joined to help unveil the honorees.

Amazon Music Presents ‘Country Heat’ at CRS 2026

Photo: Courtesy of CRS

To end the Digital Music Summit on day one of CRS, Amazon Music brought the party of their “Country Heat” show. Attendees were treated to music from headliner Parker McCollum along with Max McNown, Carter Faith and Zach John King.

Singer-songwriter Hadlie Jo has signed a worldwide publishing agreement with Sony Music Publishing Nashville in partnership with Whitney Daane‘s GREAT DAANE MUSIC.

“Hadlie Jo writes songs with an authentic heart and delivers them with a traditional honesty that reminds you why you fell in love with country music,” shares Sony Music Publishing Nashville CEO Rusty Gaston. “We couldn’t be more excited to champion Whitney and Hadlie Jo as they bring her unique songs to life.”

Hailing from Jena, Louisiana and growing up in Midland, Texas, she played music with her dad and began writing songs at 12 during COVID, where she honed in on her guitar skills. She also plays piano, banjo, mandolin and fiddle. In 2025, she graduated with honors with a degree in Commercial Music from South Plains College, majoring in Voice.

She soon after moved to Nashville, where she began working with songwriter/producer Jimmy Melton and A&R exec Renee Bell. Jo has collaborated with Vince Gill and Sharon Vaughn, co-penning Gill’s “Nothing Like They Used To Be.”

“I am beyond excited that I get to work with Rusty Gaston, Chelsea Kent, and the whole amazing Sony Music Publishing team, as well as with my ‘fairy song mother’, Whitney at GREAT DAANE MUSIC,” says Jo. “Getting to write with so many incredible songwriters, many of whom I have idolized for years, is literally a dream come true, and the fact that my first big cut is by one of my musical heroes, Vince Gill, and that I got to write it with Sharon Vaughn and him blows my mind! Now I’ve got to get to work to prove all of them right for taking a shot on a young artist and writer that just got to town with her Gibson guitar and her medical support dog, Lucy!”

Jo has a rare genetic immune deficiency, hypogammaglobulinemia, with an Antibody Deficiency. “My hope is that I can bring awareness to my unique condition and normalize having to work around illness or special needs for other kids,” she explains. “Participating in the Ryan Seacrest Foundation and Musicians on Call is one of my goals for 2026 now that I am 18. Sometimes it can be challenging, but I never let it hold me back, and Lucy, my medical support dog, makes that possible… and she has her own headphones!”

Her new single “Things” will release this Friday (March 20). It was co-penned alongside Melton and Mike Mobley, and is a homage to the floods in Texas last summer, and her first night in Nashville spent sheltering in an Airbnb bathtub for hours during a tornado.

“You can’t replace your loved ones, but losing your home, all your belongings, all your photos and memories is devastating,” says Jo. “It’s like erasing your life and starting over. My heart goes out to everyone who has suffered that kind of loss… ‘they’re not just THINGS.’”