Kelsea Ballerini. Photo: Nyk Allen, Courtesy of Black River Entertainment
With her new album Patterns, her fifth project since her launch into country music with her 2014 single “Love Me Like You Mean It,” Kelsea Ballerini delivers an expansive excavation of her truth. Since earning her footing with five radio chart-toppers and multiple industry awards, she’s not only traveled skywards with her most recent projects, but she’s gone deeper, too.
Ballerini’s 2023 project Rolling Up The Welcome Mat, and its predecessor Subject To Change that was released just a few months earlier, marked a shift in her artistry. With the confidence of a genre-leading songwriter, Ballerini embraced a raw honesty, showing more of her true self—polished or not.
As her lyrics became more autobiographical and unfiltered, fans flocked to her music. Now, concertgoers fill rows, displaying her lyrics on posters, clothing and even their skin, “scream-singing,” as she puts it, the words alongside her.
On Patterns, Ballerini is in top form, sharing the realness, complications, acceptance and, ultimately, the wisdom that she’s earned in a 15-track opus of the female experience.
It’s no surprise that Patterns was created with four more of Music Row’s leading ladies, with all songs (other than Noah Kahan‘s verse on “Cowboys Cry Too”) co-written in some combination of Ballerini with Hillary Lindsey, Jessie Jo Dillon, Karen Fairchild and Alysa Vanderheym, who returned as the album’s producer.
Ballerini and Vanderheym began creating Patterns with the tracks “This Time Last Year” and “Cowboys Cry Too.” After the whirlwind of Rolling Up The Welcome Mat, she needed a break to reconnect with herself before starting her next project.
“I had to take a break and be back in my life and in my body—live some life to write about. Then I had to figure out what about Welcome Mat connected like it did, and how do I carry that forward into the present day and who I am now,” Ballerini shares with MusicRow.
“Honestly, I realized that I had accidentally been rounding the edges of my music for a long time. Even though it was about my life and my big feelings and everything felt very tailored to me, I was leaving out details because I wanted it to be for everyone. In Welcome Mat, I didn’t do that. I learned that that level of honesty somehow is more relatable and more connective.”
With this realization, she penned “Sorry Mom” during her first writing retreat with Vanderheym, Lindsey, Dillon and Fairchild. Starting with the line, “Sorry, Mom, I smelled like cigarettes, and my eyes were casa red with a pounding in my head showing up again on Sunday morning,” the song reveals truths she might have hesitated to share a few years ago.
“I’ve always struggled with being palatable and being for everyone. I’ve slowly and gently started to realize that no one is for everyone,” she says. “I do have opinions and I do talk like this—the last thing I ever want to be as a human or an artist is fake. Being surrounded by these women [helped me be brave enough to share]. They not only let me lead in these rooms, they encouraged me and wanted the DNA of this album to be mine with them supporting it.”
It quickly became clear to Ballerini that Patterns needed to be crafted within the sacred space of these female friendships. After writing “Sorry Mom,” “Baggage” and “Two Things,” she knew it was time to “lock the door” and keep this creative energy between them. Together, the five women brought Patterns to life, crafting songs that explore moving on after heartbreak, generational trauma, complex emotions, falling love, doing life your friends and appreciating growth.
In the spirit of unrelenting honesty, Ballerini says the songwriters went for truth even if it meant sacrificing a clever hook or twist of phrase.
“I used to think being a great songwriter meant figuring out the most clever way to say something. Now I think my version of being a great songwriter is asking, ‘What’s the most honest way to say this?'” she says. “There’s little payoff moments, like the bridge in ‘Wait!’ that gives you one little clever bit, and the rest is quite literally word vomit. That interests me more.”
After writing “How Much Do You Love Me,” Ballerini recognized an evolution in her songwriting that illustrates her radical acceptance of the truth.
“On songs like ‘Peter Pan,’ I always twist it to be in power. Even though I’m heartbroken through the song, at the very end, I say, ‘but you don’t know what you lost, boy.’ I always have to be in control.
“‘How Much Do You Love Me’ is one of the first songs where I’m not,” she says. “It reminds me of that movie scene where the girl says, ‘I’m just a girl, standing in front of a boy, asking him to love her.’ Even that in itself is breaking a pattern.”
Lush and organic tracks like “First Rodeo,” “Baggage” and “Cowboys Cry Too” fit alongside seamlessly with “Wait!” and “Deep,” two pop-leaning songs on the album, because of their openness. Ballerini credits producer Vanderheym as an invaluable collaborator on the album’s myriad of sounds, creating a space that allows for both trust and fun.
“Whatever the healthiest version of codependent is, is how I feel with her musically. There’s such a trust that we’ve built and it’s easy—and most of all it is so fun,” Ballerini says. “There’s a real beauty about making record five and remembering that it’s supposed to be fun. She brought that out in me.”
Among the album’s standout moments, Ballerini recalls how Patterns’ title track emerged during a retreat in the Bahamas, when Lindsey spontaneously began strumming chords while the women were taking a break.
“Fresh out of the pool, she grabs the guitar, starts finding these chords and hums the chorus melody. Everyone immediately shut up. She started structurally singing parts of ‘Patterns,’ then I started singing words and Karen started,” she remembers. “It was like watching an Olympic athlete.”
Fairchild was instrumental in shaping “Two Things.”
“We got really stuck on that song. We wanted it to be a power ballad, but we wanted it to have a sense of urgency to it because that song is about an urgent moment in time,” Ballerini recalls. “We had written the verses and were trying to find a chorus that didn’t feel cheesy. She just sat up and sang the melody. She cracked the code.”
And as for Dillon, Ballerini praises her gift for observation. “I call her ‘The Scribe.’ She doesn’t miss a word, and her skill as an editor is invaluable. When we think a song’s done, she’ll challenge it—and she’s always right.”
With Patterns, Ballerini offers a generous, 46-minute journey into her world, wrapped in her conversational voice and a distinctly country-pop sound. Each track resonates with relatable stories of life’s highs and lows, reflecting why her fans carry her lyrics like personal mantras—captivated by her honesty, openness and gratitude.
Ballerini will continue celebrating the new music tomorrow night (Oct. 29) with a mega-release show at Madison Square Garden, which sold out in minutes. She will hit arenas for the first time on a new tour early next year.
ACM LEVel Up Now Accepting Nominations & Applications For 2025 Cohort
/by Liza AndersonThe Academy of Country Music’s LEVel Up: Lifting Every Voice program is currently accepting nominations and applications for its 2025 cohort through Monday, Nov. 11.
Funded wholly by ACM at no cost to participants, the two-year intensive program is designed to elevate the next generation of leaders in the music industry and empower participants to play a pivotal role in expanding the horizons of country music into new audiences that transcend demographics and geography. Throughout the first year, participants will learn more about the music business from some of the industry’s key executives and engage in volunteer opportunities. They will also collaborate as a cohort to devise a proposal to expand the genre’s reach into new and underrepresented audience segments. In the second year, the cohort will works together to implement the plan they formulated during their first year in the program.
Emerging leaders are encouraged to apply here if they have worked in the industry for more than five years and demonstrated a commitment and passion for making country music accessible and welcoming to all. Additionally, peers can nominate candidates here.
“The LEVel Up program has brought some of our industry’s most enthusiastic and hard-working rising leaders together to accomplish some truly incredible work in expanding country music to new and different audiences,” says Vipin Reddy, ACM Lifting Voices Council Chair. “On behalf of the ACM Board of Directors and the Lifting Voices Council, I can’t wait to support the individuals that step up to the plate for the 2025 cohort and help foster the ideas they can formulate together and put into action.”
“The Academy is excited to announce the launch of our fourth cohort in 2025. This program, created by our Lifting Voices Council, has been a true labor of love, with each cohort focused on fostering a more inclusive and dynamic music industry. The progress we’ve made over the years showcases our commitment to building a brighter future for music,” shares Kortney Toney, ACM Manager of Programming & Community Engagement/ACM LEVel Up Head. “Our DEI Task Force has worked diligently to open doors and expand opportunities, and we are eager to continue promoting inclusivity and equity through this program right here in Music City.”
Morgan Wallen’s ‘Love Somebody’ Debuts At No. 1 Globally
/by Lorie HollabaughMorgan Wallen‘s latest single, “Love Somebody,” has reached the top of Billboard‘s Hot 100 chart, while simultaneously debuting at No. 1 on 11 other charts around the world.
“Love Somebody” is Wallen’s first song as a solo artist to debut at No. 1 on Billboard‘s Hot 100, and marks his ninth leader as well as his record-extending sixth No. 1 debut on Billboard‘s Hot Country Songs chart. It is also his third song to claim the top slot simultaneously on the two charts, breaking the record previously held by Glen Campbell, John Denver, Dolly Parton, Kenny Rogers and Taylor Swift (each with two).
“Love Somebody” was written by Wallen, John Byron, Ashley Gorley, Jacob Kasher Hindlin, Elof Loelv and Ryan Vojtesak, and produced by Joey Moi and Charlie Handsome. Additionally, a music video for “Love Somebody (Live from Neyland Stadium)” premiered last Thursday (Oct. 24).
The McCrary Sisters Announce 15th Annual ‘A McCrary Kind Of Christmas’
/by Lorie HollabaughThe McCrary Sisters
The McCrary Sisters are celebrating the holidays again this year by giving back to others with their “A McCrary Kind of Christmas” concert on Dec. 6 at Riverside Revival in Nashville.
The 15th annual event will feature performances by The McCrary Sisters, Emmylou Harris, Buddy Miller, Danny and Mabel Flowers, Raul Malo, Etta and Bob Britt, Jim Lauderdale, Lana Bolyejack, Dave Pomeroy, Crimm Singers, Phil Madiera, San Franklin, Allen McCrary, the McCrary Family and more.
The concert benefits St. Jude Children’s Research Hospital as well as individual families in need in the greater Nashville area, and tickets are on sale now here.
“This is the 15th year of A McCrary Kind Of Christmas,” says Regina McCrary. “I am so grateful and thankful that God has allowed us to be here to share with St. Jude Children’s Hospital as well as local Nashville families, and all who come out. The blessings and love that God gives us each and everyday. And also this year to honor the memory of our sister Deborah who passed away June 1, 2022. We miss her so. To celebrate A McCrary Kind Of Christmas is to celebrate family, friends, love, joy, peace, laughter, togetherness, and most importantly to us: God. To unselfishly give back to others the way God has always blessed and given to us.”
On Nov. 1, the Sisters will release a new single, “Let’s Come Together,” a celebratory song of unity during these difficult times. Ahead of the annual benefit, The McCrary Sisters will be performing at the WMOT/NPR Live Sessions Wired In concert on Nov. 6 at Riverside Revival.
‘Concert For Carolina’ Raises Over $24 Million For Hurricane Helene Relief Efforts
/by Madison Hahnen“Concert For Carolina” at Charlotte’s Bank of America Stadium. Photo: David Bergman
“Concert For Carolina” took place Saturday night (Oct. 26) in front of a record-breaking 82,193 in-person attendees and 7.1 million views from Veeps audience members worldwide, garnering $24,513,185 raised for Hurricane Helene relief efforts.
North Carolina natives Luke Combs, Eric Church and James Taylor headlined the event alongside Billy Strings at Bank of America Stadium in Charlotte, North Carolina. Additional performers included Sheryl Crow, Keith Urban, Bailey Zimmerman, The Avett Brothers, Scotty McCreery, Chase Rice, Parmalee and Wesko. Hosted by ESPN’s Marty Smith and Barstool Sports’ Caleb Pressley, the fundraiser also featured surprise appearances from Nicole Kidman and Randy Travis.
The “Concert For Carolina” team is still working to raise money to add to the grand total, with a silent auction that is now live. An array of items are available to bid on, including a signed guitar and shirt that Combs used during the show, a meet-and-greet with Church at an upcoming concert, signed NFL, NBA, NCAA and NASCAR gear, signed instruments, a variety of concert and game tickets, a selection of artwork, Yeti coolers and more. For more information, click here.
Eric Church and Luke Combs onstage during “Concert For Carolina” at Charlotte’s Bank of America Stadium. Photo: David Bergman
All proceeds from the auction, benefit show and livestream are being divided up to go to organizations selected by Combs and Church, which includes Samaritan’s Purse, Manna Food Bank, Second Harvest Food Bank of Northwest NC, Eblen Charities and the organizations supported by Chief Cares.
“Concert For Carolina” was made possible due to the support of David and Nicole Tepper and Tepper Sports & Entertainment, Explore Asheville, Biltmore Estate, T-Mobile, Jack Daniel’s, Whataburger, Miller Lite, Blue Cross and Blue Shield of North Carolina, Belk, Lowe’s, Atrium Health, Tractor Supply Company, Bank of America, American Airlines, Food Lion, Duke’s Mayo, GE Aerospace, Harris Teeter, Pinnacle Financial Partners, United Healthcare, Bud Light, Preferred Parking, Gildan and AshBritt.
Leaving The Rough Edges: Kelsea Ballerini Leads With Truth On ‘Patterns’ [Interview]
/by LB CantrellKelsea Ballerini. Photo: Nyk Allen, Courtesy of Black River Entertainment
With her new album Patterns, her fifth project since her launch into country music with her 2014 single “Love Me Like You Mean It,” Kelsea Ballerini delivers an expansive excavation of her truth. Since earning her footing with five radio chart-toppers and multiple industry awards, she’s not only traveled skywards with her most recent projects, but she’s gone deeper, too.
Ballerini’s 2023 project Rolling Up The Welcome Mat, and its predecessor Subject To Change that was released just a few months earlier, marked a shift in her artistry. With the confidence of a genre-leading songwriter, Ballerini embraced a raw honesty, showing more of her true self—polished or not.
As her lyrics became more autobiographical and unfiltered, fans flocked to her music. Now, concertgoers fill rows, displaying her lyrics on posters, clothing and even their skin, “scream-singing,” as she puts it, the words alongside her.
On Patterns, Ballerini is in top form, sharing the realness, complications, acceptance and, ultimately, the wisdom that she’s earned in a 15-track opus of the female experience.
It’s no surprise that Patterns was created with four more of Music Row’s leading ladies, with all songs (other than Noah Kahan‘s verse on “Cowboys Cry Too”) co-written in some combination of Ballerini with Hillary Lindsey, Jessie Jo Dillon, Karen Fairchild and Alysa Vanderheym, who returned as the album’s producer.
Ballerini and Vanderheym began creating Patterns with the tracks “This Time Last Year” and “Cowboys Cry Too.” After the whirlwind of Rolling Up The Welcome Mat, she needed a break to reconnect with herself before starting her next project.
“I had to take a break and be back in my life and in my body—live some life to write about. Then I had to figure out what about Welcome Mat connected like it did, and how do I carry that forward into the present day and who I am now,” Ballerini shares with MusicRow.
“Honestly, I realized that I had accidentally been rounding the edges of my music for a long time. Even though it was about my life and my big feelings and everything felt very tailored to me, I was leaving out details because I wanted it to be for everyone. In Welcome Mat, I didn’t do that. I learned that that level of honesty somehow is more relatable and more connective.”
With this realization, she penned “Sorry Mom” during her first writing retreat with Vanderheym, Lindsey, Dillon and Fairchild. Starting with the line, “Sorry, Mom, I smelled like cigarettes, and my eyes were casa red with a pounding in my head showing up again on Sunday morning,” the song reveals truths she might have hesitated to share a few years ago.
“I’ve always struggled with being palatable and being for everyone. I’ve slowly and gently started to realize that no one is for everyone,” she says. “I do have opinions and I do talk like this—the last thing I ever want to be as a human or an artist is fake. Being surrounded by these women [helped me be brave enough to share]. They not only let me lead in these rooms, they encouraged me and wanted the DNA of this album to be mine with them supporting it.”
It quickly became clear to Ballerini that Patterns needed to be crafted within the sacred space of these female friendships. After writing “Sorry Mom,” “Baggage” and “Two Things,” she knew it was time to “lock the door” and keep this creative energy between them. Together, the five women brought Patterns to life, crafting songs that explore moving on after heartbreak, generational trauma, complex emotions, falling love, doing life your friends and appreciating growth.
In the spirit of unrelenting honesty, Ballerini says the songwriters went for truth even if it meant sacrificing a clever hook or twist of phrase.
“I used to think being a great songwriter meant figuring out the most clever way to say something. Now I think my version of being a great songwriter is asking, ‘What’s the most honest way to say this?'” she says. “There’s little payoff moments, like the bridge in ‘Wait!’ that gives you one little clever bit, and the rest is quite literally word vomit. That interests me more.”
After writing “How Much Do You Love Me,” Ballerini recognized an evolution in her songwriting that illustrates her radical acceptance of the truth.
“On songs like ‘Peter Pan,’ I always twist it to be in power. Even though I’m heartbroken through the song, at the very end, I say, ‘but you don’t know what you lost, boy.’ I always have to be in control.
“‘How Much Do You Love Me’ is one of the first songs where I’m not,” she says. “It reminds me of that movie scene where the girl says, ‘I’m just a girl, standing in front of a boy, asking him to love her.’ Even that in itself is breaking a pattern.”
Lush and organic tracks like “First Rodeo,” “Baggage” and “Cowboys Cry Too” fit alongside seamlessly with “Wait!” and “Deep,” two pop-leaning songs on the album, because of their openness. Ballerini credits producer Vanderheym as an invaluable collaborator on the album’s myriad of sounds, creating a space that allows for both trust and fun.
“Whatever the healthiest version of codependent is, is how I feel with her musically. There’s such a trust that we’ve built and it’s easy—and most of all it is so fun,” Ballerini says. “There’s a real beauty about making record five and remembering that it’s supposed to be fun. She brought that out in me.”
Among the album’s standout moments, Ballerini recalls how Patterns’ title track emerged during a retreat in the Bahamas, when Lindsey spontaneously began strumming chords while the women were taking a break.
“Fresh out of the pool, she grabs the guitar, starts finding these chords and hums the chorus melody. Everyone immediately shut up. She started structurally singing parts of ‘Patterns,’ then I started singing words and Karen started,” she remembers. “It was like watching an Olympic athlete.”
Fairchild was instrumental in shaping “Two Things.”
“We got really stuck on that song. We wanted it to be a power ballad, but we wanted it to have a sense of urgency to it because that song is about an urgent moment in time,” Ballerini recalls. “We had written the verses and were trying to find a chorus that didn’t feel cheesy. She just sat up and sang the melody. She cracked the code.”
And as for Dillon, Ballerini praises her gift for observation. “I call her ‘The Scribe.’ She doesn’t miss a word, and her skill as an editor is invaluable. When we think a song’s done, she’ll challenge it—and she’s always right.”
With Patterns, Ballerini offers a generous, 46-minute journey into her world, wrapped in her conversational voice and a distinctly country-pop sound. Each track resonates with relatable stories of life’s highs and lows, reflecting why her fans carry her lyrics like personal mantras—captivated by her honesty, openness and gratitude.
Ballerini will continue celebrating the new music tomorrow night (Oct. 29) with a mega-release show at Madison Square Garden, which sold out in minutes. She will hit arenas for the first time on a new tour early next year.
Kameron Marlowe Rocks The Ryman During Sold-Out Headlining Debut
/by Liza AndersonKameron Marlowe during his headlining debut at Nashville’s Ryman Auditorium. Photo: Ben Dartnell
Kameron Marlowe took over Nashville’s Ryman Auditorium during his sold-out headlining debut on Saturday night (Oct. 26). The show served as a stop on his “Keepin’ The Lights On World Tour,” named after his sophomore album.
Wyatt McCubbin and Owen Riegling got the night started, pumping everyone up and showing off their skills with their supporting sets.
The Mother Church was then illuminated by lines of yellow bulbs behind the stage as Marlowe’s band walked out to greet the crowd and take their places. The man of the hour soon emerged and further amped the audience with his introduction, stating he’d been “waiting on this one” as streams of smoke shot up for “911.” He checked in with everyone before jumping into “Over Now,” giving fans the mic for the final chorus, and purple lights flashed for Keepin’ The Lights On track “Nothin’ Slowin’ Us Down.” After “Sober As Drunk,” Marlowe took some time to address the packed pews.
“This is a very surreal moment for me, so I’m just trying to take it all in. Thank y’all so much for showing up tonight,” he expressed. “I’m very blessed to have each and every one of y’all in this room, and I mean that.
“There isn’t anyone who is afraid to drink a little whiskey on a Saturday night in Nashville, is there?” the artist asked as he moved into “Ain’t Enough Whiskey.”
He then grabbed his guitar for “Tennessee Don’t Mind,” putting his powerful vocals on full display while hitting the high notes. Marlowe opened up about some personal struggles he’d been dealing recently and introduced the next tune, “Never Really Know,” by sharing, “I don’t know if anyone else in the room is going through [those] same things, but I just want to let you know that it does get easier and better. This song was written about you and for you.”
Kameron Marlowe during his headlining debut at Nashville’s Ryman Auditorium
He put his guitar away for “Tequila Talkin’,” taking a shot with a fan in the midst of performing, but brought it back out for “Steady Heart,” white lights covering the crowd as he strummed and sang. The floor vibrated under all the toes tapping while Marlowe proceeded to wow the crowd with “Giving You Up” and “Leaning On You,” which he noted was written about his fiancée, who was present for the performance. After briefly going black, the venue lit up with fiery hues of orange and red for “Lock Me Up.”
Marlowe grabbed his guitar once again to pay tribute to the late Toby Keith with a rendition of “Courtesy of the Red, White and Blue (The Angry American),” the audience chanting “USA” as the song came to a close. He then introduced everyone to his bandmates and spontaneously brought a member of his crew, whose birthday he commemorated by shotgunning a beer.
Marlowe moved on by sharing the deeply personal story behind “Keepin’ The Lights On.” “I just want to thank each and every one of you for spending your hard-earned money to come out to my shows, because I know how hard it is,” he said before serenading the crowd solo.
“This is my favorite verse I’ve ever written in my life, because it represents me and who I am,” Marlowe shared as he started to sing the final verse.
He followed with a cover of “Livin’ On A Prayer,” informing everyone that while his father showed him the world of country music, his mother raised him on rock & roll. Marlowe had all of the Ryman belt the Bon Jovi classic with him before switching to a new guitar and bringing out the incredibly talented Belle Frantz, who he discovered on TikTok, to join him for George Jones‘ “The Grand Tour.” He reunited with his band for “I Can Run” and an electrifying cover of Teddy Swims‘ “Lose Control.”
“If you’ve heard this song, then you really have changed my life,” Marlowe stated while sliding into “Girl On Fire.” He asked everyone to sing the final chorus alongside him. The smoke cannons fired once more as “Burn ‘Em All” followed.
To the crowd’s delight, Marlowe concluded with a two-song encore that included “Strangers,” the duet he recorded with Ella Langley. He kept the party going with small post-show set at Chief’s on Broadway.
The “Keepin’ The Lights On World Tour” is set to stop in Dallas, Texas this Friday (Nov. 1). A dollar from every ticket sold goes towards Marlowe’s Keepin’ The Lights On (KTLO) Fund, which aims to alleviate the burdens of those struggling to make ends meet and ensure a brighter future for those in need by paying electricity bills as well as purchasing shoes, clothing, groceries and other necessities.
Industry Ink: Chase Rice, BMI, Ashley Cooke & Brantley Gilbert, Liz Rose Music
/by Lorie HollabaughChase Rice Soars At Bluebird Debut
Pictured (L-R): Eddie Kloesel (Why&How), Rhiannon Ferronetti (Why&How), Chase Rice, Avery Bon (Why&How), Halie Hampton Mosley (Why&How) and Ebie McFarland (Essential Broadcast Media). Photo: Evan DeStefano
Chase Rice recently made his Bluebird debut to celebrate his Fireside Sessions surprise release. The collection features all 25 songs from his albums I Hate Cowboys & All Dogs Go To Hell and Go Down Singin’, as live, single-take versions.
BMI & Studio Bank Celebrate Partnership With Songwriter Round
Pictured (L-R): BMI’s Mason Hunter, Ryan Larkins, Kelly Archer, Rhett Akins, Studio Bank’s Kari Barnhart, Studio Bank’s Ron Cox, Studio Bank’s Eunice Hernandez and Studio Bank’s Aaron Dorn.
BMI recently celebrated longtime sponsor, Studio Bank, during an evening of entertainment at its Nashville location. Hosted by BMI’s Mason Hunter, Studio Bank’s Ron Cox and Aaron Dorn welcomed attendees who enjoyed music from hit BMI songwriters Rhett Akins, Kelly Archer and Ryan Larkins.
Ashley Cooke & Brantley Gilbert Duet On The Kelly Clarkson Show
Ashley Cooke and Brantley Gilbert brought their chart-climbing last-call duet to The Kelly Clarkson Show with a sizzling performance of “Over When We’re Sober” this past Friday, Oct. 25.
“Over When We’re Sober” was co-written by Gilbert with Justin Wilson, Jelly Roll and Brock Berryhill. The nationwide TV performance comes after Cooke’s headlining “Your Place Tour” celebrated its opening weekend with shows in Utah and Denver this past weekend.
The Listening Room Hosts Live Song Pitch Round With Liz Rose Music & Friends
Pictured (L-R): Phil Barton, Lauren McLamb, Gracie Glass, Kate Shirley, Joe Fox, Adam Sanders, Joe Ragosta, Dave Pacula, The Listening Room’s Zach Anderson, Scott Ponce and Eric Paslay. Photo: Courtesy The Listening Room
Last week, The Listening Room Cafe hosted music industry and fans for an exclusive Live Song Pitch Round, featuring Liz Rose Music and Friends including Phil Barton, Joe Fox, Adam Sanders, Lauren McLamb, Eric Paslay and Joe Ragosta. The unique event, which the venue plans to turn into a recurring series, featured hit writers playing their uncut songs to A&R and industry professionals, giving a live public audience a behind-the-scenes look at the heart of Nashville’s songwriting scene.
Jelly Roll’s New Album Pushes Him Into MusicRow Top Songwriter Chart Top 10
/by Madison HahnenJelly Roll. Photo: Eric Ryan Anderson
Jelly Roll‘s recently-released Beautifully Broken album has helped the singer-songwriter climb up the MusicRow Top Songwriter Chart. He sits at No. 9 this week with “Get By,” “I Am Not Okay,” “Liar” and “Winning Streak.”
Zach Bryan remains in the No. 1 spot for the eighth consecutive week with “28,” “American Nights” and “Pink Skies.” Ashley Gorley jumps to No. 2 with “Fix What You Didn’t Break,” “I Am Not Okay,” “I Had Some Help,” “Liar,” “Losers,” “This Town’s Been Too Good To Us” and “Whiskey Whiskey.”
Chris Stapleton (No. 3), Riley Green (No. 4) and Jessie Jo Dillon (No. 5) round out this week’s top five.
The weekly MusicRow Top Songwriter Chart uses algorithms based upon song activity according to airplay, digital download track sales and streams. This unique and exclusive addition to the MusicRow portfolio is the only songwriter chart of its kind.
Click here to view the full MusicRow Top Songwriter Chart.
Concord Closes $850 Million In Asset-Backed Securitization
/by Madison HahnenThese issuances backs Concord’s ongoing effort to strategically grow and monetize its music assets and cement the company as a meaningful force in the industry. The notes will be acquired by music royalties from a range of catalogs containing over a million songs, including works recorded by The Beatles, Carrie Underwood, Cheap Trick, Creed, Genesis, Kiss, Mike + The Mechanics, Otis Redding, Phil Collins, Plain White T’s, R.E.M., REO Speedwagon and The Rolling Stones.
Apollo, through its Capital Solutions business, Apollo Global Securities, LLC, and its affiliate Redding Ridge Asset Management, built the asset-backed securitization as well as led an investor syndicate for the transaction. ATLAS SP Securities, a division of Apollo Global Securities, LLC, was a joint bookrunner for the deal. Proceeds from the issuance will be used to retire the private 2023-1 note issuance, fund additional acquisitions and assist in Concord’s continued growth.
“This transaction represents another significant milestone for Concord and the global music industry as we close our third music ABS offering, continuing our strategic efforts to elevate and support the artists and writers in our catalog,” says Bob Valentine, Concord CEO. “We are proud to manage a catalog with such a remarkable depth of artistic talent and cultural importance. We are grateful to our financing partners, Apollo and ATLAS SP, for helping us create a long-term capital structure that supports our growth and strengthens the financial foundation that allows us to keep investing in the music industry. As we grow to new heights, our focus continues to be squarely on our artists and the incredible art they create.”
Valued at more than five billion dollars, the catalog results in an approximate 52% loan-to-value ratio for the offering, and the notes are ranked A+ by KBRA and A2 by Moody’s. Concord’s new five-year notes issuance is backed by an actively-managed catalog of more than a million different music assets across a wide range of genres, including over 300 Grammy Award winners and more than 400 recordings with RIAA Gold, Platinum, multi-Platinum and Diamond certifications.
“Concord’s management has demonstrated exceptional vision in building a catalog that reflects the breadth and evolution of modern music, and we are pleased to work with Concord once again on this significant transaction,” shares Bret Leas, Apollo Partner & Co-Head of Asset-Backed Finance.
“By anchoring and structuring this ABS, we have continued to help Concord unlock the value of their extraordinary music catalog. We are proud to provide a tailored solution to support their success,” adds Apollo’s Paul Sipio.
FTI Consulting served as the backup manager for the transaction, with the Bank of New York Mellon acting as trustee. Virtu Global Advisors, LLC provided valuation services, while DLA Piper was legal counsel for Concord and Milbank LLP for Apollo affiliates.
Third Annual GoldenSky Festival Unites Over 75K Country Music Fans
/by Liza AndersonGoldenSky Country Music Festival 2024. Photo: Jake Miller
The third annual GoldenSky Country Music Festival brought over 75,000 fans from across the nation and beyond together last weekend (Oct. 18–20) at Discovery Park in Sacramento, California.
Extended to a three-day function this year, the festival featured more than 35 performances on two stages from headliners Keith Urban, Thomas Rhett and Luke Bryan as well as Turnpike Troubadours, Riley Green, Bailey Zimmerman, Elle King, Gabby Barrett, Ashley McBryde, Clint Black, Shaboozey and GoldenSky Rising Star competition winner Burke., among others. One of multiple highlights included Green joining Rhett for their tune “Half Of Me” on Saturday (Oct. 19).
Thomas Rhett and Riley Green during GoldenSky Country Music Festival 2024. Photo: Steve Thrasher
Additionally, fans could choose from over 150 samples of local, regional and national craft beer, hard seltzer and cider each day from 12:30–3:30 p.m. at the GoldenSky Beer Festival, and enjoy nonstop music, line dancing lessons and partner two-stepping at The River City Dance Hall & Saloon. Local food experience The Farmhouse, presented by the California Farm Bureau, offered selections from Urban Roots Brewing & Smokehouse, Mulvaney’s B&L, Druthers Sutter Park and Jayna Gyro, and the El Dorado Market highlighted local businesses in Sacramento and the Central Valley.
Following the festival on Saturday and Sunday (Oct. 20), many fans attended the Goldfield Trading Post afterparty, which featured a live DJ and line dancing.