In Pictures: T.J. Martell Foundation Holds 21st Annual Nashville’s Best Cellars Dinner

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Pictured (L-R): Chairman of the T.J. Martell Foundation’s Board of Trustees, John Esposito, with Reba McEntire. Photo: Alan Poizner

The T.J. Martell Foundation held its 21st annual Nashville’s Best Cellars Dinner at the Loews Vanderbilt Nashville Monday night (April 10).

Those  in attendance included new Chairman of the T.J. Martell Foundation’s Board of Trustees, John Esposito, the evening’s presenting sponsor John Sanzo and country artists such as Reba McEntire, Rex Linn, Martina McBride, Cole Swindell, Michael Ray, Ingrid Andress, Old Dominion band members Trevor Rosen and Brad Tursi, Roan Ash, Big Kenny, Danielle Bradbery, Chris Bandi, Elle King, Jared Gudstadt, Kat & Alex and more.

The T.J. Martell Foundation for Cancer Research was founded by record executive Tony Martell in 1975 following the death of his son, T.J., from leukemia. the foundation holds multiple annual charity events and campaigns with the music communities in Los Angeles, New York, Nashville, Miami and more. They have raised more than $280 million in support of medical research grants and helped secure more than one billion dollars in research funding.

Pictured (L-R): John McBride, John Esposito, Martina McBride, Joe Galante, Wendy Buck. Photo: Alan Poizner

Pictured (L-R): John Esposito, Michael Ray. Photo: Alan Poizner

Bailey Zimmerman Continues To Top Charts & Break Records

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Bailey Zimmerman. Photo: Spidey Smith

Bailey Zimmerman‘s “Rock and A Hard Place” is officially No. 1 on the Country Aircheck/Mediabase Chart, and now holds the title of most-played record across the country in one single week since the Mediabase chart’s inception. The smash hit also landed atop the Billboard Country Airplay chart for the third consecutive week.

Additionally, “Rock and A Hard Place” has made its way into the Top 100 on the all-genre Billboard Global 200 chart once again, recently becoming Zimmerman’s first Top 10 hit on their all-genre Hot 100 chart. The track landed in the Top 10 in its 41st week on the Hot 100—breaking yet another record for the longest climb to the Top 10 for a song by a soloist in the chart’s history—and continues its reign as one of the Top 4 most-streamed country songs in the nation, totaling more than 550 million global streams to date.

Zimmerman’s debut EP, Leave The Light On, made history upon release as not only the most-streamed all-genre debut of 2022, but also the largest streaming country debut of all time. With over 1.5 billion career streams to date, he was the only country artist to receive two Platinum certifications from the RIAA last year, beginning with his No. 1 debut single “Fall In Love,” which was the fastest debut single to reach No. 1 at country radio since 2015 as well as the first debut hit to make it all the way to No. 1 on the Billboard Country Airplay chart in 2022.

The Warner Music Nashville artist is set to release his first full-length project, Religiously. The Album., on May 12, and will continue serve as support on Morgan Wallen‘s 2023 “One Night At A Time World Tour” as the U.S. leg kicks off this Friday, April 14.

Fix The Mix Unveils First Annual Report On Gender Representation In Engineering, Production

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The Fix the Mix initiative has released its first annual report on gender representation in audio production and engineering roles today, “Lost In The Mix: An Analysis of Credited Technical Professionals in the Music Industry Highlighting Women and Non-Binary Producers and Engineers Across DSP Playlists, Genres, Awards, and Record Certifications.”

Released in conjunction with We Are Moving the Needle, Jaxsta, Middle Tennessee State University and Howard University, the report confirms that women and non-binary people are vastly underrepresented in audio production and engineering roles across genres, the most-streamed songs of 2022 and of all time. It also concludes that women and non-binary people are more likely to be credited in junior roles in the technical fields, while senior studio roles are still out of reach.

The Fix The Mix report analyzed data from 2022 across a total of 1,128 songs (757 top streamed songs), 30 Grammy-winning albums, the Top 50 songs from the Spotify Billions Playlist, the Top 50 songs from the RIAA Diamond Certified Records List, and a breakdown of technical creator roles by distributor. The song and album data used in the report were sourced from major DSPs, the published list of the 65th Grammy winners, and the RIAA.

The report dives deeper into USC’s Annenberg Inclusion Initiative’s findings that only 2.8% of producers and engineers are women by untethering those two groups of professionals and looking at each role—producing and engineering—separately. Fix the Mix drills down to compare the number of women and non-binary people credited in senior studio roles versus those credited in junior studio roles. Additionally, it analyzes data by the 14 most popular genres and finds that the levels of representation for women and non-binary individuals vary significantly, ranging from 0% to 17.6% in specific genres.

Among the interesting facts from the report is that Electronic music stands out as a genre for its relatively high representation of women and non-binary people in producer roles, accounting for 17.6% of all producer credits on the Top 50 songs of 2022. Folk & Americana is close behind at 16.4%. When considering both key technical roles of producer and engineer, Folk & Americana arguably has the best gender representation, as it holds the second highest percentage for women and non-binary people in both producer roles and engineering roles. The report also revealed looking at how women and non-binary people show up in engineer credits, Folk & Americana (6.4%) is second only to R&B (7.2%).

The Fix the Mix report closes with suggestions that are, “meant to empower both major music industry players and individuals to drive measurable change,” including a call for the major music companies to extend their well-funded DEI initiatives beyond full-time employees to also include the hiring of more women and non-binary producers and engineers for their releases.

“This study confirms what I’ve known after spending decades behind the board in the recording studio—women are not being given the same opportunities as men in production and engineering roles,” says co-author Emily Lazar, a Grammy award-winning mastering engineer and founder of We Are Moving The Needle. “Ensuring that there is more gender and racial diversity among music’s creators is not actually a complex problem if you want to solve it. The most important step is for artists and record labels to be able to hire from a more diverse pool of producers, mixers and engineers, but it’s exceedingly hard to hire people when you can’t find them. We hope this report will give decision makers the motivation and tools they need to make real change in their hiring practices so we can achieve gender parity in production, engineering and mastering roles.”

“We’ve got such a long way to go to reach parity in the studio, but I know we can get there,” says Brandi Carlile, a We Are Moving the Needle soundBoard member. “This is a systemic problem in the recording industry that we cannot ignore any longer. I’m not sure everyone knows exactly where to start…but it begins with the courage to take a chance on someone who may not be getting recognized regularly in the field. We have to start somewhere. It’s no one’s fault and everyone’s fault at the same time. Even me. I urge my fellow artists and producers to make hiring decisions that work toward a more equitable future.”

“While this research notes the genres that have the best and worst gender representations, it is important to note that every genre needs improvement in representation of women and non-binary people. It is difficult to fathom that representation remains so pitifully low in 2023. In any other industry, these low percentages of the genres that have the best gender representation would be an embarrassment, so I hope these ‘high achievers’ are not resting on their laurels. There should be no pride in being the best of the worst. It should go without saying that the genres with the lowest representation should convene their leaders to quickly develop solutions to this problem,” adds co-author Beverly Keel, Dean of Middle Tennessee State University’s College of Media and Entertainment, Co-founder of Change the Conversation and Co-founder of Nashville Music Equality.

Fix the Mix was launched in 2022 by We Are Moving the Needle and Jaxsta, the world’s largest database of official music credits, along with other organizations focused on closing the enormous gender gap in the music industry, particularly in behind-the-scenes roles. The authors of the study are Grammy Award-winning mastering engineer and We Are Moving the Needle founder, Emily Lazar; Jaxsta CEO, Beth Appleton; Dean of MTSU’s College of Media and Entertainment, Beverly Keel; data scientist, audio engineer and assistant professor at Berklee College of Music, Meghan Smyth; mix engineer, producer, Grammy-nominated artist and educator Carolyn Malachi, who teaches audio production courses in the Cathy Hughes School of Communications at Howard University; producer and engineer and Recording Academy Trustee, Jordan Hamlin; We Are Moving the Needle’s program director, Jasmine Kok and project manager Gabriela Rodriguez Bonilla.

Read the full Fix The Mix report here.

CRB Opens Applications For CRS 2024 Agenda Committee

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Country Radio Broadcasters (CRB) has officially opened applications for the Country Radio Seminar (CRS) 2024 Agenda Committee, the group responsible for helping to develop and organize events for the upcoming year’s CRS.

Industry professionals who want to be considered to serve on the committee must attend in-person agenda meetings in Nashville on July 10 – 12, 2023. Applicants must attend CRS 2024, from Feb. 28 – March 1, 2024. Committee members receive a complimentary registration to CRS; however, all other travel is their responsibility.

The deadline to apply for the 2024 Agenda Committee is April 19, 2023. Interested parties can submit their application at countryradioseminar.com. Questions can be directed to Sheree Latham at sheree@crb.org or the CRB office at (615) 327-4487.

Opry NextStage Class Of 2023 Unveiled, Live Concert Set For May

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The Grand Ole Opry has revealed its latest lineup of artists for the Opry NextStage program, which spotlights country’s rising talent on the Opry stage and across Opry Entertainment Group platforms.

The Opry NextStage Class of 2023 includes Ashley Cooke, Jackson Dean, Ernest, Chapel Hart, Corey Kent, Kameron Marlowe, Megan Moroney and Ian Munsick.

“Opry NextStage is a testament to the Grand Ole Opry’s longstanding reputation as a trusted curator in country music and its commitment to nurturing and showcasing exceptional new talent, as it has done for almost a century,” says Jordan Pettit, Director of Artist Relations & Programming Strategy for Opry Entertainment Group. “This year’s new artist class, much like previous classes, showcases exceptional creativity across various musical styles, and we are excited to carry on the Opry tradition by introducing this exciting group of rising artists to fans.”

They will be officially introduced with an Opry NextStage Live concert at Lava Cantina in The Colony, Texas on May 10 at 2:30 p.m., preceding the ACM Awards on May 11. Tickets will be available through an exclusive presale this Thursday, April 13 and general public sales will begin this Friday, April 14 at 10 a.m. CT. For more information, click here.

The 2023 NextStage artists will also receive dedicated support all year through featured original content across select Opry Entertainment platforms, including the Opry, WSM Radio and Circle Network as well as through Opry performances.

Since 2019, the NextStage program has introduced new talent to country music fans and featured artists such as Riley Green, Parker McCollum, Tenille Townes, Lainey Wilson, Priscilla Block, Breland, Callista Clark, Travis Denning, Tegan Marie, Niko Moon, Restless Road, Jameson Rodgers, Elvie Shane, Nate Smith, Morgan Wade, Hailey Whitters and Yola.

Granger Smith Announces Summer 2023 Tour Will Be His Last

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In a video posted to his social media accounts on Tuesday (April 11), Granger Smith announced that this summer’s tour will be his last. He shared that he is pursuing ministry, with intentions to serve his local church under the teaching, council and leadership of his pastor and elders while he continues work on a Master’s degree at Southern Baptist Theological Seminary.

“This summer will be my last tour. I am so encouraged and hopeful and excited and joyful about the next chapter, but to a large extent, I have no idea what it will look like,” he shared. “I just want to glorify God the best way that I can. I want to learn and grow and serve my local church and allow my pastors to equip and affirm those next steps. Lord willing, I want to be used to help people find their purpose.”

 

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Smith shared that his final tour will be a celebration of his musical career thus far, and that fans can expect to hear older hits. His “Like A River” farewell tour begins April 13 and will run through Aug. 26, with more shows to be added in the coming weeks. Tour dates and tickets can be found at grangersmith.com.

He also announced that in conjunction with his life change, he will also release a memoir, Like a River: Finding the Faith and Strength to Move Forward After Loss and Heartache, on Aug. 1 via W Publishing Group, an imprint of Thomas Nelson.

“Getting here hasn’t been easy, and it hasn’t been quick,” Smith writes in the book’s opening chapter, in reference to his family’s journey through grief following the tragic passing of his young son, River. “Learning to live after loss is not a simple or straightforward process, but I’m here to help you discover that it is possible. This is a book about that process. It’s about learning to live after loss, which actually comes to all of us at some point in life—one way or another. It’s also about my journey toward purpose on the other side of debilitating pain.”

Industry Ink: CMHOF, David Lower, Mason Thornley

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Country Music Hall Of Fame & Museum Hosts Country Proud

Pictured (L-R): Angela Stefano Zimmer, Angie K, Sonia Leigh, Adam Mac, Emily Dryburgh, Jamie Dryburgh and Shelly Fairchild. Photo: Courtesy of the Country Music Hall of Fame and Museum

The Country Music Hall of Fame and Museum’s Ford Theater hosted Country Proud Co-Founders Emily and Jamie Dryburgh and performers Shelly Fairchild, Angie K, Sonia Leigh and Adam Mac last week to discuss the organization’s history, goals and impact as well as their experiences as queer artists in country music.

The program was hosted by the museum’s writer-editor Angela Stefano Zimmer. Country Proud is a country music–focused showcase series from RNBW, a collective of Nashville’s LGBTQ+ performers, songwriters and musicians founded in 2016 with the goal of creating an inclusive space for all music lovers.

Outback Presents Promotes David Lower

David Lower

Outback Presents has promoted Head of Production David Lower to Booking Manager.

For the last 20 years, Lower has led Outback’s Production Department, helping produce events and traveling as well as taking care of all aspects of the live experience for both artists and patrons. Last year, he transitioned from production and travel to booking.

“Luckily, in my new position I get to utilize all the experience I gained over the last two decades producing events and hopefully making me more well-rounded when helping in the booking process, yet still be a resource to the next generation of Outback Production Managers to let them continue on the success Outback has had,” says Lower.

Mason Thornley Re-Ups With Deluge Music

Pictured (L-R): Deluge Music’s David Robkin, Mason Thornley and Deluge Music’s Stephanie Greene

Mason Thornley has extended his worldwide publishing deal with Deluge Music. Thornley originally signed with Deluge in 2017. His credits include  Josh Ross‘s “Trouble,” “On a Different Night” and current single “Red Flags” and Kelsey Hart‘s “6-Pack Gone.”

Amazon Music Named Exclusive Streaming Destination For Stagecoach 2023

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Amazon Music has been named the exclusive streaming destination for this year’s Stagecoach Festival, taking place April 28-30 in Indio, California. Sponsored by T-Mobile, Magnum Ice Cream and SoFi, the livestream will be available on the Amazon Music channel via Twitch and Prime Video starting at 3 p.m. PT each day.

Ahead of the festival, fans can hear new Amazon Original songs on Amazon Music from country artists, including Breland‘s reimagined track “Happy Song (Amazon Original)” featuring Danielle Bradbery which is set for release on April 21, as well as Luke Grimes’ cover of Blaze Foley’s “Clay Pigeons (Amazon Original)” out April 24.

Other exclusive content available only through the Amazon Music livestream includes live interviews with Country Heat Weekly‘s Kelly Sutton and Amber Anderson. The podcast co-hosts will chat with Stagecoach artists from the Amazon Music backstage set to preview performances fans can expect to see throughout the weekend.

Amazon Music will also bring attendees closer to who and what they love with the Amazon Music Live lounge located in the vendor area. Fans will be invited to take a break from the heat in an air-conditioned lounge with charging stations while catching the festival livestream and behind-the-scenes content on a large LED screen. They will also be able to customize their own immersive photo-capture moment with friends and sign up for exclusive merchandise drops throughout the weekend.

Michael Ray Readies New EP, ‘Dive Bars & Broken Hearts’

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Michael Ray in the studio finishing Dive Bars & Broken Hearts. Photo: Conner Morss

Michael Ray is finishing up a six-song EP, Dive Bars & Broken Hearts, set for release June 23 via Warner Music Nashville.

“I took some time to really think about what I wanted,” says Ray, who’s spent the last year balancing road shows and songwriting appointments. “When you strip it all back, think about what really matters to you, you cut away a whole lot of reasons that should never drive your music.”

Ray in the studio. Photo: Conner Morss

To help create the direction for Ray’s next chapter of music, he enlisted the help of lauded producer Michael Knox, whose resume includes 28 No. 1 hits.

“The more we talked, the more I knew he understood where I came from,” Ray says. “My kind of country doesn’t come from TikTok or a tv show, it’s all those straight up country singers who knew life doesn’t always turn out like you think, but you keep going. I’m from a family of EMTs, cable-splicers, first responders; they had to get up and go to work, no matter what was happening… and when they got home, they reached for the music, whether they were going out with my grandpa Amos to watch him play, or some band they were playin’ in.

“That’s a whole different way to do this, and Michael got it. Just like he knows how dive bars and broken hearts are a lot like George Jones songs and steel guitars – they go together.”

Aiming for an ’80s/’90s country sound, Knox enlisted a large number of Jason Aldean’s touring band, Tim McGraw’s lead guitarist Adam Shoenfeld and Kenny Chesney guitarist/utility player Danny Raider to make up the core tracking band.

Ray has been testing the new music out on the road for the last few months.

“When you came up punching it out in bars, there’s a different kind of energy. Michael let me record with live players, sing about things I knew – and trusted that who I am is who all the people I’ve been playing for since I was a kid are, too. We kept finding songs that felt right for who I am, and we kept singing live and pulling the heart out of the songs. It’s been an amazing process. When we’ve been playing, you can feel the difference with the new stuff… so we’re now using the road to really dial in what Dive Bars & Broken Hearts is gonna be.”

Lauren Watkins Signs With Big Loud Records, Songs & Daughters

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Pictured (L-R): Songs & Daughter’s Nicolle Galyon, Lauren Watkins and Big Loud’s Seth England. Photo: Chris Hornbuckle

Singer-songwriter Lauren Watkins has signed with Big Loud Records and Songs & Daughters. Watkins will release a two-song teaser this Friday, April 14 with her first-ever singles, “Shirley Temple” and “Camel Blues.”

Raised in South Nashville with three sisters, Watkins grew up on classic country and Southern rock, heavily influenced by Sheryl Crow, Miranda Lambert, Alan Jackson, Kenny Rogers, George Jones, Eric Church, Lynyrd Skynyrd, The Chicks and more. She spent her college years at the University of Mississippi (Ole Miss) playing acoustic sets at hole-in-the-wall dives and piecing together a lyrical style all her own, filled with hard-edged, no-frills truth telling.

“Lauren Watkins is a rare talent,” says Seth England, Big Loud CEO & Partner. “We’ve been quietly working on what we believe will be one of the most exciting new artists in our format for about a year, listening to the music she’s turned in and pinching ourselves at the incredible poetry and musicality. It’s a privilege to be part of her team of champions and advocates.”

Pictured (L-R, back row): Big Loud’s Stacy Blythe, Jeff Tanner, Candice Watkins, Songs & Daughters’ Nicolle Galyon, Big Loud’s Camille Kenny, Seth England and Joey Moi. (L-R, front row): Songs & Daughters’ Bethany Mako, Big Loud’s Kimberly Gleason, Lauren Watkins, Big Loud’s Patch Culbertson and Austen Adams. Photo: Chris Hornbuckle

“Everything about Lauren’s writing and voice is a perfect representation of who she is as a person – effortless and unique,” adds Nicolle Galyon, Head of Songs & Daughters. “There really is no limit to where her songs will take her and I’m so excited for the world to get to hear what we hear.”

“Country music has been one of the biggest parts of my life for as long as I can remember,” says Watkins. “And all this time I’ve had this vision and dream in my head of what it would look and sound like when I finally got to make music of my own. Songs & Daughters and Big Loud have given me the space and the time to actually do it. These songs were always gonna exist because they’re just my life in melodies. Having a label that believes in them and believes in how these songs can reach people is the biggest dream come true. I’m grateful they’re giving us – me and my songs – a chance.”

Produced by Joey Moi, Watkins’ self-penned, seven-song preview, Introducing Lauren Watkins, is set for release April 21.

“I’m so proud of these songs. I believe in country music and good songwriting, and I hope that people believe it’s still alive when they hear this work,” Watkins adds. “I just want to be a vessel for these words and melodies to move people the same way country music has moved me and shaped parts of my life. Mainly, I want to write about real things that people feel. I think we’re all out here thinkin’ and feelin’ the same things most of the time, it’s just a matter of who’s willing to say it.”

Introducing Lauren Watkins Track Listing:

1. “Sleeping In My Makeup” (Lauren Watkins, Tofer Brown, Lauren Hungate, Meg McRee)
2. “Camel Blues” (Lauren Watkins, Jonathan Gamble, Lauren Hungate, Matt Morrisey)
3. “Anybody But You” (Lauren Watkins, Rodney Clawson, Mark Holman, Ernest Keith Smith)
4. “Grain of Salt” (Lauren Watkins, Andrew DeRoberts, Lauren Hungate)
5. “Shirley Temple” (Lauren Watkins, Nicolle Galyon, Meg McRee)
6. “Ole Miss” (Lauren Watkins, Adam James, Mikey Reaves)
7. “Dark Places” (Lauren Watkins, Shane McAnally, Caroline Watkins)