Leigh Holt & Kelli Haywood
Industry veterans Kelli Haywood and Leigh Holt have united to launch Hsquared Management.
Having met originally as executives at Warner Music Nashville, Haywood and Holt have developed a strong bond as female entrepreneurs over the years. Together, they bring more than 25 years of industry experience to their new Nashville-based company.
With a focus on transcending genres, the two have combined the clients from their respective businesses, KCH Entertainment and maddjett, to create a diverse roster consisting of Lauren Daigle, Megan Danielle, Annie F. Downs, Lizzie Morgan, Demi Tebow, David Thomas and Sissy Goff and Carlos Whittaker as well as their latest signee, Capitol Christian Music Group singer-songwriter Riley Clemmons.
“We’ve leaned on each other a lot over the years, so this partnership was a very natural, easy step to take,” shares Haywood. “Neither of us needed to change what we were doing, but it became apparent that we’re even better working together, and that our combined experience and talents would be beneficial to all of our clients.”
“I am excited to launch Hsquared with Kelli because it signifies two strong teams coming together to provide amazing service to our artists and authors,” echoes Holt. “The symbolism of H2 [Hsquared] for hydrogen was meaningful to us because hydrogen is the main ingredient in rocket fuel, which is how we power our artists careers and growth paths. And the number two signifies two strong leaders joining forces, to build a formidable management company that can service the full breadth of the needs our clients have–from brand development, product launches, marketing strategies, touring, record and book deals, merchandise, podcasts, digital and more–we are situated to build for the future.”
During her time at Warner Music Nashville, Haywood worked with artists such as Blake Shelton, Big & Rich, Faith Hill, The Wreckers, Gloriana, Dwight Yoakam and Brett Eldredge across radio promotion and digital media. After rising to VP of Brand Management, she joined Starstruck Management Group as the VP of Marketing and Partnerships in 2013, where she was responsible for creating and expanding revenue streams for the company’s roster of artists. In 2019, Haywood ventured into a new focus in the entertainment space with KCH Entertainment, where she took on management duties for Downs and continued to grow her roster.
Holt left her role as VP of Strategic Partnerships at Warner Music Nashville in 2013 to start maddjett. The company’s roster of clients and projects has included Hunter Hayes breaking the Guinness World Record for playing the most live concerts in 24 hours, Oprah’s “The Life You Want Weekend,” Pepsi MidAmerica, PixMob, Sony Music Nashville, Harper Collins Publishers, the Museum of the Bible and more. In 2015, she launched the artist management arm of maddjett to continue influencing the entertainment industry, including two-time Grammy winner Daigle.
For more information, click here.
Donna Hughes Leaves UMG Nashville After 13 Years
/by Liza AndersonDonna Hughes
UMG Nashville Director, Radio Marketing Donna Hughes left the label after 13 years on Wednesday (May 29). VP, Promotion & Strategy David Friedman and Director, Promotion & Radio Marketing Nick Kaper are handling her duties in the interim.
Hughes joined Capitol/EMI Records as National Director, Radio Syndication in June 2011, and became a member of the UMG Nashville family when it absorbed the imprints in October 2012. She also previously involved in the writing/production of GAC Nights, Premiere, Crook & Chase, AOL’s The Boot and Music City Tonight.
“I love and adore my UMG Nashville team that I have been lucky to be a part of for many years,” Hughes told Country Aircheck. “I am eternally grateful. To my badass friends at UMG and the artists I have been privileged to represent over the last 13 years, it’s truly been an honor to work with the best in the business. Going forward, I am looking to explore other challenges in the business I love.”
She can be reached at donnah7575@yahoo.com.
CMHOFM Opens ‘The Bradley Barn Sessions’ Photography Exhibit
/by Lorie Hollabaugh“The Bradley Barn Sessions” exhibit at the Country Music Hall of Fame and Museum. Photo: Courtesy of the Country Music Hall of Fame and Museum
The Country Music Hall of Fame and Museum has opened a new exhibit, “The Bradley Barn Sessions,” which features photographs taken by Fritz Hoffmann during the making of George Jones’ album, The Bradley Barn Sessions. The exhibit is free and open to the public through 2024 in the museum’s first-floor gallery.
In 1994, MCA Records plotted Jones’ return to the country charts after four years had passed since his last top 10 hit—his longest dry spell since 1955. He began recording new music at Bradley’s Barn, the historic studio established by producer and Country Music Hall of Fame member Owen Bradley in Mt. Juliet, Tennessee. The resulting collection, The Bradley Barn Sessions, included duets with country and rock artists such as Mark Chesnutt, Mark Knopfler of Dire Straits, Keith Richards, Leon Russell, Travis Tritt and Trisha Yearwood as well as Country Music Hall of Fame members Vince Gill, Emmylou Harris, Alan Jackson, Dolly Parton, Ricky Skaggs, Marty Stuart and Tammy Wynette.
To document the landmark sessions, the label hired Hoffmann, who was present throughout all 11 days of the process. The following year, he became the first western photographer to be granted longterm residency in Shanghai since the communist revolution in 1949. Hoffmann lived in Shanghai from 1995–2008, becoming a contributing photographer for National Geographic and taking assignments across Asia and Europe.
Chris Stapleton Moves Into Top 10 On MusicRow Top Songwriter Chart
/by Madison HahnenChris Stapleton. Photo: Becky Fluke
Chris Stapleton has entered the top 10 on this week’s MusicRow Top Songwriter Chart. Stapleton’s solo-penned “Think I’m In Love With You” has earned the singer the No. 6 spot.
Josh Phillips remains No. 1 this week as the sole writer of “Dirt Cheap.”Ashley Gorley stays at No. 2 with “I Had Some Help,” “Cowgirls,” “Bulletproof,” “Young Love & Saturday Nights” and “This Town’s Been Too Good To Us.”
Hunter Phelps (No. 3), Jessie Jo Dillon (No. 4) and Jordan Minton (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.
Lainey Wilson Plots ‘Wildflowers And Wild Horses’ Las Vegas Show
/by Madison HahnenLainey Wilson will head to the MGM Grand Garden Arena in Las Vegas this December for her one-night-only “Wildflowers and Wild Horses” show over NFR weekend on Saturday, Dec. 14. Tracy Lawrence and Mae Estes will join as support.
For every ticket purchased, $1 will go towards Wilson’s Heart Like A Truck Fund, which supports an array of causes including I Support The Girls, Rainbow Omega and more.
Wilson’s Wild Horses Fan Club members will have first crack at tickets with a pre-sale tomorrow (June 4) at 12 p.m. CST. Additional pre-sales are scheduled throughout the week, with general sale beginning this Friday (June 7) at 12 p.m. CST.
Wilson opened her “Country’s Cool Again Tour” this past weekend with two shows at Nashville’s Ascend Amphitheater. After she appears at CMA Fest, the tour will roll on to New Jersey.
Industry Ink: Carrie Underwood, Jelly Roll, Bryan Martin, ICMC, VUMC
/by Lorie HollabaughCarrie Underwood Celebrates 50th Performance of ‘Reflection: The Las Vegas Residency’
Carrie Underwood celebrates her 50th performance of “Reflection: The Las Vegas Residency” with her band and cast of dancers and aerialists at Resorts World Theatre on June 1. Photo: Jeff Johnson
Carrie Underwood, Resorts World Theatre’s first-ever resident headliner, gave her 50th performance of her “Reflection: The Las Vegas Residency” on June 1 at Resorts World Las Vegas. Since first taking the stage in December of 2021, Underwood has performed for nearly 200,000 fans, continuously topping the Las Vegas residency charts.
Jelly Roll Rocks Gulf Coast Jam 2024
Pictured (L-R): Kylen Sharpe, CAA; Jelly Roll; Mark Sheldon, Gulf Coast Jam Presented By Jim Beam COO and Rendy Lovelady, Gulf Coast Jam Presented By Jim Beam Executive Producer
Jelly Roll headlined the sold-out 2024 Gulf Coast Jam Presented by Jim Beam Friday night (May 31). Other headliners for the festival included Cody Johnson, Morgan Wallen, and Parker McCollum.
Bryan Martin’s “We Ride” Goes Platinum
Bryan Martin. Photo: Julian Mendoza
Bryan Martin‘s top-10-and-climbing country radio single, “We Ride,” has gone Platinum.
“We Ride” marks his first career Platinum release. The Hot 100-charting tune has garnered over 212 million worldwide streams and currently sits at No. 9 on the Mediabase country chart. Martin’s new single, “Wishbone,” is due out on June 14 via Average Joes Entertainment and arrives just before he hits the road with Morgan Wallen for 10 dates on his “One Night At A Time Tour.”
Mark Guarino, Scott Bomar Receive Awards At 40th Annual International Country Music Conference
Scott Bomar, Don Cusic and Mark Guarino
The 40th Annual International Country Music Conference was held at Belmont University on May 30 through June 1.
Among the winners at the conference were Mark Guarino for Best Book on Country Music for his book, Country & Midwestern: Chicago in the History of Country Music and the Folk Revival, and Scott Bomar, who won the journalist award sponsored by Middle Tennessee State University, for his article on “Howdy Glenn: West Coast Country’s Forgotten Black Pioneer.”
Doug Mathis Download To Benefit Vanderbilt Kennedy Center
Pictured (L-R): Stuart Dill, SVP & Chief Marketing Officer at VUMC; Debbie Randle, Doug Mathis Music/D&D Promotions; Jeffrey Neul, VKC Director; Doug Mathis; Pablo Juárez, VKC TRIAD Co-Director and Alacia Stainbrook, VKC TRIAD Co-Director. Not Pictured: Heath Scott, Event Committee Member
Singer-songwriter Doug Mathis has pre-released his new song “How Many Days,” with all proceeds made over the next 30 days going to the Vanderbilt Kennedy Center’s Treatment and Research Institute for Autism Spectrum Disorders (VKC TRIAD).
The song is about a young boy with autism, who has a special interest in numbers. It is available for download dougmathismusic.com. Mathis’ team reached out to VKC TRIAD with the idea to launch the song at a benefit honoring his friend’s son and raising funds for autism research, training and services. “An Acoustic Evening for Autism” took place on April 23 at The Troubadour Nashville.
“The performances were stellar, the crowd was incredible, and we were able to interact with and provide resources to many families with autistic loved ones,” says Pablo Juárez, Co-Director of VKC TRIAD. “We can’t thank Doug and Debbie [Randle] enough for their generosity, coordination, and recognition of the importance of the work TRIAD does with families. And I can’t wait to download Doug’s song!”
Kameron Marlowe Is ‘Keepin’ The Lights On’ For Others With New World Tour & Fund
/by Liza AndersonKameron Marlowe. Photo: Trea Allen
Kameron Marlowe will kick off his “Keepin’ The Lights On World Tour” this July in support of his newly-released sophomore album.
The journey follows his recent “Strangers Tour,” and is currently set to visit 22 U.S. cities, with stops across the globe to be announced soon. Jake Worthington, Vincent Mason, Owen Riegling, Mitchell Ferguson and Wyatt McCubbin will join on select dates.
“Going out on my first world tour is something that’s really hard to wrap my head around but I’m stoked,” shares Marlowe. “I’m excited for fans to hear this new record live and be back in cities I haven’t been to in a while and a few new ones along the way! Thank you to all the fans who keep showing up, I couldn’t do this without y’all!”
Along with the new tour, the artist has unveiled the 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.
“The KTLO Fund is super special to me because in the song, I sing about my parents making sure we had shoes on our feet and food on our plates,” he adds. “Times are tough out there and I wanted to pay it forward where I can!”
A dollar from every “Keepin’ The Lights On World Tour” ticket sold will go towards to the fund. Tickets for the U.S leg go on sale this Friday (June 7) at 10 a.m. local time. For more information, click here.
Kelli Haywood & Leigh Holt Launch Hsquared Management [Exclusive]
/by Liza AndersonLeigh Holt & Kelli Haywood
Industry veterans Kelli Haywood and Leigh Holt have united to launch Hsquared Management.
Having met originally as executives at Warner Music Nashville, Haywood and Holt have developed a strong bond as female entrepreneurs over the years. Together, they bring more than 25 years of industry experience to their new Nashville-based company.
With a focus on transcending genres, the two have combined the clients from their respective businesses, KCH Entertainment and maddjett, to create a diverse roster consisting of Lauren Daigle, Megan Danielle, Annie F. Downs, Lizzie Morgan, Demi Tebow, David Thomas and Sissy Goff and Carlos Whittaker as well as their latest signee, Capitol Christian Music Group singer-songwriter Riley Clemmons.
“We’ve leaned on each other a lot over the years, so this partnership was a very natural, easy step to take,” shares Haywood. “Neither of us needed to change what we were doing, but it became apparent that we’re even better working together, and that our combined experience and talents would be beneficial to all of our clients.”
“I am excited to launch Hsquared with Kelli because it signifies two strong teams coming together to provide amazing service to our artists and authors,” echoes Holt. “The symbolism of H2 [Hsquared] for hydrogen was meaningful to us because hydrogen is the main ingredient in rocket fuel, which is how we power our artists careers and growth paths. And the number two signifies two strong leaders joining forces, to build a formidable management company that can service the full breadth of the needs our clients have–from brand development, product launches, marketing strategies, touring, record and book deals, merchandise, podcasts, digital and more–we are situated to build for the future.”
During her time at Warner Music Nashville, Haywood worked with artists such as Blake Shelton, Big & Rich, Faith Hill, The Wreckers, Gloriana, Dwight Yoakam and Brett Eldredge across radio promotion and digital media. After rising to VP of Brand Management, she joined Starstruck Management Group as the VP of Marketing and Partnerships in 2013, where she was responsible for creating and expanding revenue streams for the company’s roster of artists. In 2019, Haywood ventured into a new focus in the entertainment space with KCH Entertainment, where she took on management duties for Downs and continued to grow her roster.
Holt left her role as VP of Strategic Partnerships at Warner Music Nashville in 2013 to start maddjett. The company’s roster of clients and projects has included Hunter Hayes breaking the Guinness World Record for playing the most live concerts in 24 hours, Oprah’s “The Life You Want Weekend,” Pepsi MidAmerica, PixMob, Sony Music Nashville, Harper Collins Publishers, the Museum of the Bible and more. In 2015, she launched the artist management arm of maddjett to continue influencing the entertainment industry, including two-time Grammy winner Daigle.
For more information, click here.
Brandon Lake Takes Home Two Wins At 11th Annual K-Love Fan Awards
/by Lorie HollabaughBrandon Lake and Sandie Robertson Huff hosting the 11th annual K-Love Fan Awards. Photo: Josiah Weiss
Brandon Lake not only co-hosted the 11th annual K-Love Fan Awards, which was available to stream on Friday night (May 31), but also led the evening with two wins. Lake was honored as Male Artist of the Year and scored Worship Song of the Year with “Praise You Anywhere.”
Co-Host Sadie Robertson Huff was also recognized during the ceremony, which was filmed live from the Opry House in Nashville on Wednesday (May 26), as she took home the Podcast Impact honor with Whoa, That’s Good. Anne Wilson received her second Female Artist of the Year honor, For King & Country was named Artist of the Year for the sixth time, and Elevation Worship earned their first win for Group of the Year. “Faithfully” by TobyMac was named Song of the Year, and Seph Schlueter‘s “Counting My Blessings” was awarded Breakout Single of the Year.
Jonathan Roumie‘s Jonathan & Jesus won the TV/Streaming Impact award, Former NFL player Matthew Slater received the Sports Impact award, The Chosen Season Four (Theatrical Release) was recognized with the Film Impact award and Zach Williams‘ Rescue Story took home a trophy for Book Impact at the fan-voted celebration.
The evening also included performances from Lake, Wilson, Elevation Worship, Cain, Crowder, Jeremy Camp, Matthew West and Terrian. The night also brought several surprises collaborations, including Housefires with the trio of Ryan Ellis, Blanca and Stephen McWhirter as well as Josh Baldwin and Jenn Johnson, Katy Nichole and Naomi Raine, Lauren Daigle with Ellie Holcomb, Rachael Lampa and Andrew Ripp and Tauren Wells with Davies.
Additionally, Colton Dixon and Danny Gokey introduced a very special tribute to Mandisa and TobyMac’s Diverse City member Gabe Patillo during the show, both of whom passed away this past spring.
Riser House Records Adds Amy O’Connor As Head Of Sales & Streaming
/by Liza AndersonAmy O’Connor
Riser House Records has added Amy O’Connor as Head of Sales & Streaming.
O’Connor comes to the label from Sony Music/Legacy Recordings, where she served as Marketing Director for the company’s country catalog and worked with artists such as Dolly Parton, Willie Nelson, Alan Jackson, Old Dominion and Koe Wetzel as well as artist estates including those of Johnny Cash, Keith Whitley and Loretta Lynn. Prior to that, she led the streaming team at Better Noise Music working on projects for Papa Roach, Five Finger Death Punch, Mötley Crüe and Dirty Heads.
“We are incredibly grateful and fortunate to have Amy leading up sales and streaming at Riser House,” says Megan Schultz, Label Manager, Riser House Records. “She has already proven to be an incredible addition to our team. She comes in with innovative ideas and knowledge that made hiring her a no-brainer.”
“I’m so excited to be a part of this dynamic and passionate team where all ideas are welcomed and where everyone is working together to achieve success for our artists,” shares O’Connor. “Jennifer [Johnson] and Megan both lead with unmatched positivity and enthusiasm for not only our roster of artists but also for the Riser House team.”
She can be reached at amy@riserhouse.com.
CAA To Take Over Whiskey Jam On Wednesday
/by LB CantrellCAA is set to take over Whiskey Jam on Wednesday (June 5). The free show will take place at Skydeck at Fifth & Broadway as part of the Whiskey Jam outdoor concert series.
Featured on the lineup are CAA artists Koe Wetzel, Wyatt Flores, Dylan Marlowe, Austin Snell, MacKenzie Porter and Kashus Culpepper.
Doors open at 6 p.m. on Wednesday.