The Nashville Film Festival Music Program has branched out to form Nashville In Sync, a new coalition of music licensing professionals dedicated to elevating the sync community in Nashville and around the world.

The new nonprofit’s mission is to foster a community built on sync success, while focusing on our core pillars of opportunity, connection, education, diversity, celebration and event excellence.

Membership is open to individuals and organizations who are client-facing sync creatives and sync licensing executives. A sync creative is someone whose primary role is on the sync pitching side of the industry. Membership is now open and is subject to the approval of the Board of Directors.

The Nashville In Sync governing Board will be under the leadership of Heather Cook (Freedom Music Group) and Liz Rogers (Anacrusis), serving as President and Vice President, respectively. Serving alongside them are Joel Timen (Perspective Music Group) as Treasurer, Katie Jelen (Honestly Good Music) as Secretary, ET Brown (SESAC) as Membership Chair, Alex Stefano (Big Yellow Dog Music) as Panels & Events Chair, Kourtney Kirkpatrick (Concord) as Community Liaison Chair, Ben Short (WCPM) as Volunteers Chair and Daniel Higbee (Dualtone) as Social Chair. Nashville In Sync is currently accepting applications for Co-Chair Positions on the board.

Nashville In Sync is holding its inaugural event, the Nashville In Sync Fall Summit, on Oct. 23-25. The event will be similar to the programming of the former Nashville Film Festival Music Program, but on a smaller scale this first year. Some programming will be open to the general public, some will be for Nashville In Sync Members only and some will be exclusive to sponsors of Nashville In Sync.

Post Malone. Photo: Adam DeGross

Entertainment powerhouse Post Malone made his mark on the final day of July, unveiling the track list for his highly-anticipated album, F-1 Trillion, and locking in his Opry debut for Aug. 14.

On Wednesday (July 31), Post surprised country music fans by revealing the album’s full 18-song track list through a full-page advertisement in The Tennessean, along with a post on his Instagram account reading, “August 16th.” The star-studded list features features from some of the genre’s most iconic names, like Tim McGraw, Dolly Parton, Brad Paisley, Hank Williams Jr. and Blake Shelton. Current stars flood the tracks as well with Morgan Wallen, Luke Combs, Lainey Wilson, Jelly Roll, Ernest, Chris Stapleton, Hardy, Billy Strings and Sierra Ferrel all making appearances on the album.

Shortly after this announcement, a video appeared on Paisley’s Instagram account inviting Post to join him in a performance at the Opry.

“Hey Post! Brad here. So, what I’m about to ask is going to mean a lot to you, I think, knowing you and knowing the respect that you have for country music through this journey you’re embarking on as a hillbilly singer—which is going to be massive, remarkable and amazing for both country music and you,” explained Paisley.

He continued, “Would you like to play the Opry? Come play it with me in August. It is a total invite and will be the first of many appearances from you, I have a feeling. Come experience what it’s like to play the show that started it all. You and I can jam together, a lot of your friends will be there and we’re going to have a blast.”

The video was soon followed up by a graphic uploaded from Post’s own Instagram account with his caption reading, “What an honor @opry. See y’all in the circle with my friends @bradpaisley, @laineywilson, @vincegillofficial, @thewarandtreaty, @johnmichaelmontgomery on 8/14.”

Shortly after the release of his album, Post will hit the road on his “F-1 Trillion Tour.” Beginning on Sept. 8 in Salt Lake City, the artist recently added two additional dates in Texas rounding out his run on Oct. 26 in Austin.

Following the announcement of this year’s nominees for the 36th annual MusicRow Awards, presented by City National Bank, we take a closer look at the Female Songwriter of the Year category.

Female Songwriter of the Year nominees are based on data from MusicRow’s Top Songwriter Chart. Eligible projects were active during the eligibility period of June 1, 2023 to May 31, 2024.

This year’s winners will be announced online on all MusicRow platforms on Tuesday, Aug. 27.

Click here to see the full list of MusicRow Awards nominees.

Winners are determined solely by MusicRow Magazine subscribers. Voting is now open and closes on Aug. 9 at 5:00 p.m. To receive a ballot to vote in the MusicRow Awards, becoming a MusicRow subscriber here.

Below are a selection of songs that entered the MusicRow Songwriter Chart for the Female Songwriter of the Year nominees:

Jessi Alexander
“5 Leaf Clover” recorded by Luke Combs
“Ain’t No Love In Oklahoma” recorded by Luke Combs
“Chevrolet” recorded by Dustin Lynch feat. Jelly Roll
“Light On In The Kitchen” recorded by Ashley McBryde
“No Caller ID” recorded by Megan Moroney
“You, Me, & Whiskey” recorded by Justin Moore & Priscilla Block

Kat Higgins
“The Painter” recorded by Cody Johnson

Jessie Jo Dillon
“Back Then Right Now” recorded by Tyler Hubbard
“Halfway To Hell” recorded by Jelly Roll
“Memory Lane” recorded by Old Dominion
“Messed Up As Me” recorded by Keith Urban
“No Caller ID” recorded by Megan Moroney

Hillary Lindsey
“Burn It Down” recorded by Parker McCollum
“See You Next Summer” recorded by Brian Kelley

Liz Rose
“Burn It Down” recorded by Parker McCollum

Emily Weisband
“Can’t Breakup Now” recorded by Old Dominion & Megan Moroney
“Glory Days” recorded by Gabby Barrett
“Looking For You” recorded by Chris Young

Pictured (L–R): Aniket Adhikari, Gabi Coccio, Jennie O’Rourke, Michael Blazer and Taylor Leibold.

Nonprofit organization Musicians On Call (MOC) has added five members to its Nashville team. Aniket Adhikari joins as Technology Manager, Michael Blazer joins as Operations Manager, Gabi Coccio joins as Strategic Partnerships Coordinator, Taylor Leibold joins as Fundraising Coordinator and Jennie O’Rourke joins as Digital Marketing Coordinator.

“The growing demand for Musicians On Call’s programs in hospitals all across the country has given us the opportunity to bring more creative and energetic team members into the organization,” says Pete Griffin, MOC President & CEO. “The talent and experiences Aniket, Michael, Gabi, Taylor and Jennie bring to their roles will take MOC to a whole new level. I’m confident that the innovative ideas they’ll bring to the table will have a great impact on our mission. With their help, more hospital patients will benefit from the healing power of music.”

A graduate of Emory University, Adhikari has experience working in the banking industry, and has earned multiple Salesforce certifications. As Technology Manager, he will supervise the organization’s technology platforms and initiatives, including Salesforce admin and the continued development of MOC’s proprietary online program platform.

Blazer joins MOC after serving in the U.S. Army Aviation for eight years. While serving, he went on two combat deployments, his latest assignment being in Special Operations Aviation. He has also worked with the Iraq and Afghanistan Veterans of America. In his new role as Operations Manager, he will assist with all operational needs across the organization.

Bringing experience working as Marketing Director at Chick-fil-A and managing influencer brand campaigns for Odyssey Entertainment Group, Coccio joins the organization with a plethora of knowledge in campaign management, contracts, budgeting and more. As Strategic Partnerships Coordinator, she will manage administrative tasks for the department and assist in campaign execution and partner prospecting.

A Belmont University alum, Leibold has previously held roles at Whiskey Jam and the BlinkNow Foundation, in addition to internships with Twelve6 Entertainment and BMI. In her role as Fundraising Coordinator, she will oversee donor relations and communications, data management, campaign execution and general support of the fundraising department.

Also a Belmont University graduate with a degree in songwriting and music business, O’Rourke has industry experience in video editing, graphic design and artist management. She also runs her own social media consulting business, and has worked as a music publishing intern with Harlan Howard Songs. In her role as Digital Marketing Coordinator, O’Rourke will manage MOC’s social media presence, website and email strategy and help with external fundraising, partnerships and program campaigns.