Halie Hampton Mosley
The “My Music Row Story” weekly column features notable members of the Nashville music industry selected by the MusicRow editorial team. These individuals serve in key roles that help advance and promote the success of our industry. This column spotlights the invaluable people that keep the wheels rolling and the music playing.
Halie Hampton Mosley joined Why&How in October 2021 as Vice President of Roster Operations, and has helped define and oversee the goals and initiatives of the Why&How roster and staff. Since joining, Hampton Mosley has been instrumental in streamlining and expanding roster operations, and establishing internal practices such as Why&How’s parental leave policies. She also remains closely involved in Why&How artist strategy for such acts as Chase Rice, Danielle Bradbery, Breland and Kelleigh Bannen, among others.
Prior to joining Why&How, Hampton Mosley spent seven years in Artist Management at Maverick Nashville led by long-time Manager Clarence Spalding. She most recently served as the Day-to-Day Artist Manager for Diamond-selling duo Florida Georgia Line at Hit Farm Management in partnership with Full Stop Management led by Irving and Jeffrey Azoff.
Hampton Mosley will be honored as part of the current class of MusicRow’s Rising Women on the Row on March 19. For more details about the class and the event, click here.
MusicRow: Where did you grow up?
I grew up in and around Nashville. All my family is originally from Ashland City, and my grandparents are still there. My mom and dad met there and we moved to Murfreesboro when I was in third or fourth grade, so I did middle school, high school and college in Murfreesboro. I studied business at MTSU.
Photo: Courtesy of Hampton Mosley
What were your dreams then?
At one point I thought I might be an attorney. I didn’t really know. I did this thing called DECA in high school where we would formulate business plans and compete with them. I actually ended up getting a marketing scholarship to MTSU because of that program. I thought I could explore a million things with a business degree, but I didn’t really know what I wanted to do.
How did you find out about the music business?
I was getting to the point where I was going to have to start interning for my business credits and a family friend told me about this internship in Nashville. It was at Taillight TV.
I came in, met with their team and ended up doing a production assistant type of internship. One of the first videos I ever remember being on set for was Eric Church‘s “Smoke A Little Smoke.” It was probably that same day that I realized this is a really cool business, but I don’t want anything to do with production. [Laughs]
I met a really great group of people at Taillight. At the end of that semester, the producers put together an intern barbecue. At the time, Lesly Tyson—now Lesly Simon—was married to one of the producers and they held the barbecue at their home. So I met Lesly and I ended up spending an hour in their kitchen asking questions about what she did. I just loved her—I thought she was so smart. She was like, “Why don’t you come intern for me?” So my senior year I went to intern at Sony Music Nashville.
Photo: Courtesy of Hampton Mosley
What was that like?
At the time, she had already stepped into the VP role in radio promotion at Arista, so I was assisting all of the imprints. I was packing CDs, sending out promo items and helping with listener and winner stuff for things that they were doing.
When I graduated, they didn’t have any jobs open. I had met people through various events that they would let interns come to, so I had met Pete O’Heeron and he had Cold River Records at the time with Katie Armiger. He knew that all my experience in internships had been in promo, and so he was like, “Why don’t you come try to be a regional?” So I did that.
I was only there for probably a year, but what I did get to do was take a territory and go meet radio and learn what it meant to work a record.
What was next?
It was probably just shy of a year that Sony ended up creating a job for secondary radio promo, so I ended up coming back for that job. I was working smaller markets on behalf of all three of the imprints. I did that for maybe six months before Lesly brought me in and gave me the southeast for Arista.
We had some really great success and fun together. She taught me so much. Carrie Underwood‘s “Good Girl” was my first No. 1, and Brad Paisley‘s “Southern Comfort Zone” was my second. Those were my first two major tours that I was a part of. We went on to do a couple No. 1s with Carrie, which was really sweet.
Photo: Courtesy of Hampton Mosley
How did you move out of radio and into management?
Kix Brooks and Ronnie Dunn were both still on Arista and working to release music individually, but still both managed by Clarence Spalding. I was on the road with Kix, and I remember him asking me if this was what I wanted to do. I told him I really loved what I was doing and was learning so much, but I knew that I didn’t want to be on the road that heavily for my entire career. He was like, “Have you ever thought about management? Why don’t you go meet with my manager?”
I went to have breakfast with Clarence. I was so nervous. [Laughs] After our breakfast, I just stayed in touch with him and a couple months later, his assistant Marne McLyman was moving into more of a day-to-day role. So Clarence called me and said, “I have an assistant job open.” I took it and that would kick off seven years with Clarence.
I remember pretty early on thinking that it was something that I could do longer term, because for the first time I felt like I was getting to see from the second an artist is in a writer room to the moment that they’re singing the song in the stadium.
I sat at a desk outside Clarence’s office and that is how I learned 70% of what it even meant to be a manager. I would listen to the way he talked to his clients, the way he navigated situations when their careers were in certain seasons or the way he interacted with our partners. I just had so much to learn. I would do the same thing with our internal marketing department which was run by Amanda Cates at the time.
Photo: Courtesy of Hampton Mosley
How did you transition into more?
Randy Goodman came in and began to oversee Rascal Flatts. The good thing about sitting in that seat was that if people needed an extra set of hands, that was me. As Randy got busier, I just started filling in for things. I just slowly started being present and then that would move into being on the road for show coverage. When I started working with Flatts, then I just started looking for holes internally to be able to do that for the whole roster. I would ask Chris Parr if there was an opportunity where Jason Aldean needs coverage or Jason Houser with Darius Rucker. I just started being the person who could be there. Ultimately what that did for me was let me learn how different the inner workings of the different artist camps operated.
Eventually I started handling my first client on my own within Maverick, which was Rachel Wammack. She and I worked together for a couple of years through the development stage.
How did you start working with Florida Georgia Line?
Lou Taylor was also Reba McEntire‘s business manager, so I had gotten to know her in my EA role with Clarence. I had a sit down with her and she asked me what my goals and dreams were. Maybe a couple months after that conversation, she came to me and she said, “I want to chat with you about Florida Georgia Line. There may be an opportunity for someone to be the lead in Nashville as a part of a new Management structure. Would you be open to that?” I think I almost passed out. I thought, “There’s no way I get this job.”
Photo: Courtesy of Hampton Mosley
I met with her a couple times and eventually ended up meeting with the guys. They were entering into a partnership with Irving Azoff out of LA, so they had formed their own management entity which I would end up working under in partnership with Full Stop. They needed someone here just to be boots on the ground. They spent a lot of time in LA at that time because we had a lot of promo periods, but they were both still living here and that wasn’t going to change, so it was important to them to have somebody here. That person became me, and it was pretty wild. I give Lou a lot of credit because again, it was another female like Lesly who looked at me and said, “You may not be a hundred percent ready, but I think you are.”
Tell me about your years with FGL.
They were challenging for me, in a good way, because it was the first time I was jumping in with an act at the height of their fame. Obviously I wasn’t on my own—having people like Irving and Jeffrey Azoff forced me to grow up and do a lot of faking it until I made it. I was thrust into new territory because the guys were just involved in so much.
It was a whirlwind. I remember not really having much time to get my feet underneath me. What was really great though was that even from here, I became integrated into the Full Stop system. I was all of a sudden sitting in meetings where Harry Styles was on screen. Learning through the pop processes and how they handled music rollouts and programming that they were doing with partners and stuff like that was really helpful for me.
Photo: Courtesy of Hampton Mosley
What was next?
After a couple years with the guys, they were entering into spaces creatively where they were considering taking time to pursue solo endeavors. They had 10 years of an amazing run. I had had a couple conversations with them each individually, so I started thinking about what would be next for me.
We were shooting the “Drinkin’ Beer. Talkin’ God. Amen.” video out at Chase Rice‘s farm, and that was the first time I had formally met Chase, as well as his manager Bruce Kalmick. I spent some time talking to Bruce and he asked me what my next steps were. I wasn’t really sure but one thing that I did know at that time was that I really didn’t want to continue on in a day-to-day capacity. I wanted to get away from the monotony. I loved being able to work on multiple things at one time, because I think it made me better having exposure. I wasn’t so siloed in one project or one process. I said, “I’m looking for a role where I can step in and help on multiple things. I don’t exactly know what that looks like yet or if that job even exists.” He said, “I started this new company and I need to round out my exec team. We’ll create a role and you can come in and help lead our team and multiple accounts.” So that’s what happened.
Now you’re Chief Operating Officer at Why&How. What’s your favorite part about your job?
Over the last couple years, I have watched some of our staff grow and evolve into new roles. We’ve worked really hard to identify their individual strengths and make changes accordingly. The same thing for our clients—I felt really lucky that I came in at a time where Chase was going through a really pivotal moment in his career. Watching him evolve personally and professionally, to go on and have this first ever critically acclaimed album… those are my favorite things. Getting to watch our clients grow, change and evolve musically and personally—and the same with our staff.
Photo: Courtesy of Hampton Mosley
Who would you say are your mentors?
Definitely Lesly. I call a couple times a year just to walk through my decisions. Even when I was going through my infertility, I called her. She’s probably the only person that I could say has mentored me in life and work. In terms of management, Clarence obviously is the top—I just don’t think it gets any better. Randy Goodman is also a mentor.
You will be honored at our Rising Women on the Row event next month. What would you tell women who are looking at you and want to get where you are one day?
Don’t be afraid to be the youngest or the least experienced person in the room. As my career has evolved, I look back and can pinpoint so many opportunities being presented to me because I wasn’t afraid to raise my hand, even if I may not have been ready. Raise your hand whenever and wherever you can to help out and to be present and to be someone that people can depend on. Oftentimes inexperience and humility with a strong desire to learn can beat out experience and entitlement.
Red Street Records Adds Jess Loper & Amanda Roach, Promotes Sally Allgeier
/by Lorie HollabaughAmanda Roach, Jess Loper and Sally Allgeier
Red Street Records has added two new staffers, Jess Loper and Amanda Roach, and promoted Sally Allgeier.
Loper will assume the role of Vice President of A&R and Publishing for Red Street Christian. She was formerly VP of Brand Management for TobyMac’s Gotee Records and Publishing (Emack Music). After the tragic loss of former department head Don Koch, Loper joins the staff to fill the shoes of a Christian music legend.
Roach, a Long Island native and University of Central Florida grad, joins Red Street Records as Manager of Country A&R and Publishing. Roach formerly served as a Catalog Manager and A&R Coordinator at Warner Chappell Music, and now will report to Red Street’s Kelly King, Sr. Director of A&R and Publishing.
As Red Street Country’s Director of Field Promotion since 2022, Holy Cross College graduate Allgeier rises to National Director of Country Promotion. Reporting to the department’s SVP of Country Promotion Andy Elliot, Allgeier will lead the national radio strategy for the country roster.
“I couldn’t be more excited for the growth here at Red Street Records! Jess and Amanda will be fantastic additions to an already stellar team, and I’m eager to watch our very own Sally Allgeier excel in her new role. This is only the beginning for Red Street,” says Red Street Records CEO Jay DeMarcus.
“I couldn’t be more proud to elevate such a hard working, resilient team member like Sally,” says Red Street Records Owner and Chairman Dan Crockett. “She has grown tremendously in the two short years she’s been with Red Street and alongside industry powerhouse Jess Loper and rising star Amanda Roach, will be such an integral part of our continued success.”
Three Exit Warner Music Nashville
/by Liza AndersonThree Warner Music Nashville members have exited.
After two years as Publicity Manager and almost six years with Warner Music Nashville, Kristi Bradshaw has exited, along with Regional Manager, Midwest/Northeast Bridget Herrmann, who is currently looking for her next opportunity. She joined label in 2018 after stops with Crush Music and A&M/Octane.
WEA Regional Manager, Eastern Diane Monk has also left after more than nine years. She came to Warner Music Nashville in 2014 after serving as VP, Promotion at HitShop. Monk also previously spent 13 years at Arista, and worked in pop promotion at MCA and Columbia. “I’m proud of my accomplishments, including this week’s No. 1 song at country radio,” she says.
Bradshaw can be reached at kristibradsh@gmail.com, Herrmann can be reached at bridget.herrmann@gmail.com and Monk can be reached at dmonkharrison@icloud.com.
Grand Ole Opry Announces Opry NextStage Class Of 2024
/by Madison HahnenPictured (L-R): Kelly Sutton (Opry Announcer), Jamey Johnson, Isaac Gibson/49 Winchester, Josh Ross, Madeline Edwards, Lainey Wilson, Ella Langley, Anne Wilson and Chase Matthew. Photo: Chris Hollo
The Grand Ole Opry has revealed their next class of artists for their Opry NextStage program, presented by Tecovas. The class of 2024 includes 49 Winchester, Anne Wilson, Charles Wesley Godwin, Chase Matthew, Ella Langley, Flatland Cavalry, Josh Ross, Madeline Edwards and Wyatt Flores.
Opry NexStage alumni Lainey Wilson and Grand Ole Opry member Jamey Johnson announced the class of 2024 at a press conference from the Grand Ole Opry house.
“I’m so honored to be announcing the Opry NextStage program class of 2024,” says Wilson “As someone who was a part of the NextStage class in 2021, this is a full circle moment for me. I am such a huge fan of all of these artists, and I can’t wait to see where their musical journeys take them this year!”
Johnson offered some advice to the artists to stay true to themselves and stay on their own path. He said, “Listen to the spirit that led you to this point tonight and don’t ever stray from it.”
Throughout the year, the nine acts will receive dedicated support from Opry Entertainment Group and Tecovas. This will include featured original content, performances and promotion across platforms.
“At Tecovas, we believe music is an essential way to tap into the true spirit of the West,” said Gillian Kennedy, CMO at Tecovas. “We are honored to help connect rising talent with new fans and be the first boot sponsor and official presenter of Opry NextStage. There is no better venue for this mission than the legendary Grand Ole Opry and we can’t wait to watch these artists showcase their craft to the world.”
After launching in 2019, the Opry NextStage program has introduced rising talent to the country music fan base. Previous members include Riley Green, Parker McCollum, Tenille Townes, 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.
Dylan Marlowe Defines Country Music At Exit/In
/by Madison HahnenDylan Marlowe. Photo: Jacob Powers
Rising country artist Dylan Marlowe brought his genre-defining lyrics and vocals to the Exit/In last week (Feb. 22). The Sony Music Nashville recording artist wowed the sold-out crowd from start to finish on the Nashville stop of his “Dirt Road When I Die Tour.”
Tyler Chambers opened the night up with his electrifying country sound. With his songs like “Loves Me Like A Small Town,” “Didn’t Love Her If You Didn’t” and “Roads I Go Down,” Chambers warmed up the country crowd instantly. He also covered classics such as “The Middle” by Jimmy Eat World and “Helluva Life” by Frankie Ballard. Chambers mentioned that it was the very first show he was playing with his band, marking a highlight of his growing career.
Dylan Marlowe. Photo: Jacob Powers
Marlowe came bursting onto the stage to the already buzzing crowd. The Georgia native started his set off with “I’ll Keep The Country,” which remained true throughout the whole night. After gaining the crowd in the palm of his hand, he continued the opening of his set with “Empty Shotgun” and “When I Look Back.”
“Nashville, y’all ready to party?” Marlowe asked into the mic. After hearing the roar of the crowd, he went into the track that helped launch his career, “Record High.” Following a buzzing performance, Marlowe continued the party with “Grew Up Country” and “Hungover In A Deer Stand,” both odes to the singer’s roots and exceptional vocal shows.
Before going into the next song, Marlowe shared, “The craziest part of Nashville is, I moved here five or six years ago and dreamed of playing rooms like this, so thank y’all so much for coming out here tonight.” The singer then went into a performance of “Last Night Lonely” by Jon Pardi, which Marlowe actually co-penned with Jimi Bell and Joe Fox. The dancing crowd then was treated to “You Did It Too” and “You Were Right,” where Marlowe showed off his country vocals again.
As the audience was already eagerly awaiting Marlowe’s next move, he started to say, “Well since this is a Nashville show, I feel like I have to bring out some of my buddies. Is that alright?” The room instantly filled with anticipation as country trio Restless Road came out on stage to cover “I Like It, I Love It” by Tim McGraw with Marlowe, where he perfectly blended in with the trio’s iconic harmonies. After Restless Road exited the stage, Marlowe continued with covers from his childhood, choosing “Good Directions” by Billy Currington. He also went into his slow ballad track “I Will (When You Do).”
Dylan Marlowe and Dylan Scott. Photo: Jacob Powers
After swooning the crowd with the ballad, it was time to “turn the party back up.” Marlowe went into his tracks “Why’d We Break Up Again” and “Dirt Road When I Die.”
“I feel like everything in my career is happening for a reason, it’s not because of me. It’s cause the good Lord is allowing me to do it. If you leave here tonight remembering one thing about this whole night, just remember I said that God is good,” he shared before going into his hit song “All About It.”
As Marlowe was getting ready for last part of his set, he started playing the opening lyrics to Taylor Swift‘s “Back To December.” After gauging the reaction of the excited crowd, he turned to his band and said, “Maybe we should play some Taylor Swift?” He and the band then delivered a brilliant pop-punk-esque cover of the song. Afterwards he went into “You See Mine.”
“Nashville, Tennessee! Thank y’all so much for coming out tonight. We got one more song left for y’all,” he exclaimed. As he prepared to go into his first ever single on country radio, “Boys Back Home,” he urged the crowd to sing as loud as they could—and they did. During the performance, country hitmaker Dylan Scott came out to help Marlowe on their collaboration.
Marlowe will continue his “Dirt Road When I Die Tour” through April with upcoming stops in Oklahoma, Texas, Arkansas, Minnesota, Wisconsin and Missouri.
ASCAP Delivers Record-Breaking $1.737 Billion In Revenues
/by Lorie HollabaughASCAP delivered a record-breaking $1.737 billion in revenue in the 2023 calendar year with $1.592 billion available for royalty distributions to its members—the highest revenue and royalty distributions reported by any U.S. performing rights organization (PRO), and an increase of $204 million or 14.7 percent over the prior year.
The revenues represent an increase of $215 million or 14.1 percent over 2022. ASCAP increased the value and monetization of its members’ music with domestic revenue from U.S.-licensed performances surpassing $1.327 billion, which is an increase of $149 million or 12.6 percent over the prior year. In 2023, audio streaming revenue rose 21 percent, general licensing revenue rose 23 percent, radio revenue rose 10 percent and audio-visual revenue rose three percent. Total foreign revenues for performances outside the U.S. were $410 million, up $66 million or 19.3 percent over the prior year.
Since the launch of ASCAP’s strategic growth plan in 2015, its compound annual growth rate (CAGR) for Total Revenue through 2023 has increased to seven percent, and the CAGR for Total Distributions over the same time period rose to eight percent.
Total funds available for domestic distributions of ASCAP U.S.-licensed and administered performances were $1.217 billion, an increase of $169 million or 16.1 percent, based solely on U.S. performances of works by ASCAP-licensed songwriter, composer and publisher members. Of that total, $53 million was distributed through Songwize, ASCAP’s royalty administration service provided to members who directly license their works, up 16.8 percent over 2022.
ASCAP represents and aggregates over 19 million copyrights which includes music from Beyoncé, Billy Joel, Cardi B, Dua Lipa, Garth Brooks, Jay-Z, Katy Perry, Lil Baby, Lin-Manuel Miranda, Mariah Carey, Olivia Rodrigo, Paul McCartney, Stevie Wonder, Usher and more.
ASCAP is the only PRO operating on a not-for-profit basis, and does not charge a commission or take a profit and instead, pursuant to its governance and operating principles, must deduct all expenses subject to a reasonable reserve and then distribute all remaining dollars as royalty distributions to its members.
ASCAP has no debt, no shareholders, no private owners and no private equity investors, meaning its music creator and publisher members are the sole beneficiaries of ASCAP’s financial success. A democratically elected Board of Directors composed of music publishers and music creators sets the royalty distribution rules and cost allocations based on follow-the-dollar principles. It is the only U.S. PRO that makes those distribution rules publicly available on its website providing transparency to its membership.
“We are delivering industry-leading technical innovation, legislative advocacy and revenue growth that solely benefits our members, not outside investors or shareholders,” says ASCAP CEO Elizabeth Matthews. “As we like to say, private equity never wrote an iconic love song which is why we fight purely for songwriters, composers and publishers, not for those who use creators and their works of art for their own profits or to secure their own debt. ASCAP differs from others because our mission and purpose is clear and unique.”
“ASCAP’s mission and not-for-profit business model are more important now than ever before, as artificial intelligence (AI) transforms the music landscape, and the need for legislative advocacy to protect creators in D.C. has never been more important,” says ASCAP Chairman of the Board & President Paul Williams. “ASCAP will always be a champion for the humans who create music and demand transparency and fair payment from those who exploit our work. ASCAP makes it possible for our songwriter and composer members to write the next song, to earn a living and to support their families. No one else in the industry has the backs of songwriters like ASCAP.”
Additionally, the PRO marked its 110th year on Feb. 13, and announced several new ASCAP family members, including songwriter and producer Jack Antonoff, pop star PinkPantheress, Jared Leto and Shannon Leto of 30 Seconds To Mars and South African singer-songwriter Tyla.
‘Outlaw Music Festival Tour’ 2024 Lineup Revealed
/by Lorie HollabaughWillie Nelson & Family, Bob Dylan, John Mellencamp and more are among the lineup for this summer’s 2024 “Outlaw Music Festival Tour,” kicking off June 21 in Alpharetta, Georgia.
The 25-date tour also includes Robert Plant & Alison Krauss, Brittney Spencer, Celisse and Southern Avenue. Billy Strings will also join the tour for one special show outside Seattle at The Gorge. Stops on this year’s trek include Charlotte, Raleigh, Virginia Beach, L.A., Spokane, Cincinnati and more through Sept. 17.
“This year’s ‘Outlaw Music Festival Tour’ promises to be the biggest and best yet with this lineup of legendary artists. I am thrilled to get back on the road again with my family and friends playing the music we love for the fans we love,” says Nelson.
Tickets go on sale to the general public this Friday, March 1 via OutlawMusicFestival.com
The inaugural Outlaw Music Festival made its debut in 2016 in Scranton, Pennsylvania. The sold-out show was so well received that Blackbird, Mark Rothbaum and Nelson have developed it into one of North America’s biggest annual touring franchises. Musicians such as Chris Stapleton, Neil Young, Luke Combs, Van Morrison, ZZ Top, Eric Church, Bonnie Raitt, Sheryl Crow, Tyler Childers, Sturgill Simpson, The Avett Brothers and many more have been a part of the “Outlaw Music Festival Tour.”
ELVIS Act To Move Forward In Tennessee
/by Liza AndersonPictured (L-R): RIAA’s Mitch Glazier, Recording Academy’s Todd Dupler, Natalie Grant, Recording Academy’s Alicia Warwick and RIAA’s Jackie Jones during ELVIS Act Advocacy Day at the Cordell Hull State Office Building. Photos: Jason Davis/Getty Images for the Recording Academy
The Ensuring Likeness Voice and Image Security (ELVIS) Act will move forward to the final stage of State General Assembly Consideration and Governor’s Signature in Tennessee after unanimously passing the Senate and House Commerce Committees today (Feb. 27).
The ELVIS Act was introduced by Governor Bill Lee along with State Senate Majority Leader Jack Johnson (R-27) and House Majority Leader William Lamberth (R-44) last month. The major legislation updates Tennessee’s Protection of Personal Rights law, making it the first state in the nation to preserve individual voice, image and likeness against irresponsible and unethical artificial intelligence (AI) in the form of deepfakes and audio cloning, and seeks to protect the future of Tennessee creators from the harmful misuse of technology on some online platforms, including computer-generated recordings that resemble artists’ voices or deepfake videos.
The ELVIS Act advanced following personal testimonies from Christian artist-songwriters Natalie Grant and Matt Maher as well as songwriter and Evanescence founding member David Hodges. Additionally, several Human Artistry Campaign members such as Nashville Songwriters Association International (NSAI), the Recording Academy, Recording Industry Association of America (RIAA) and SAG-AFTRA mobilized their teams and orchestrated a day of advocacy at the Tennessee State Capitol, where music creators engaged in discussions with legislators, urging them to support the passage of the ELVIS Act. Participants included Tennessee artists and songwriters, mostly based in Nashville and Memphis.
“Every day, there are new stories about deepfakes and AI-cloned voices and images that manipulates someone’s likeness without their consent. This is not just a problem that effects celebrities, this is a human problem that affects us all. As a mother of three daughters, I am terrified by how this technology has been used to exploit teenagers,” said Grant. “It’s fitting that this bill is named the ELVIS Act, because Elvis performed so many different types of songs–from love songs to the blues, from pop songs to gospel music–but he infused them with his distinct voice, likeness, and personal qualities to create something new. Every individual should have the right to control their unique God-given qualities.”
Hodges said, “In a three-minute tapestry of words and music, my gift, and my job, is to get you to laugh or cry and to remember your most cherished times in life through my songs. The ELVIS Act is the first-of-its kind legislation that will put important guardrails around artificial intelligence for music creators. The Volunteer State is where many forms of the world’s music were either born or popularized. Music is intertwined with our history, culture and economy so when technology spits out something based on ingested works created by people, something that is unauthorized, something an artist never even sang, that is wrong. Period.” He added, “As a professional songwriter, syllables matter. A single note can change a song. For artists their delivery is part of their brand. They carefully choose the songs they record and release. By adding the word ‘voice,’ the ELVIS Act modernizes current law and makes it crystal clear that unauthorized AI-generated fake recordings are subject to legal action in Tennessee.”
All of this comes as the federal bipartisan No AI Fraud federal gains traction on the heels of congressional testimonies from country artist Lainey Wilson and Recording Academy President & CEO Harvey Mason Jr. as well as nearly 300 actors, artists, musicians and songwriters co-signing these protections.
CountryLine Radio Brings Garth Brooks’ The BIG 615 To The U.K.
/by Lorie HollabaughTuneIn has partnered with CountryLine Radio to bring Garth Brooks’ global country music station The BIG 615 to the U.K. through CountryLine’s digital audio broadcasting and streaming platforms.
Beginning today (Feb. 27), country fans can tune in to catch a fresh lineup of programming from The BIG 615, including The Storme Warren Show. With the addition of the new programming, CountryLine Radio, the largest independent country radio station in the U.K., will take on a new mantle, “CountryLine: The BIG 615.”
“It’s an honor to team up with CountryLine to have The BIG 615 broadcasting throughout the U.K.,” says Brooks. “Hearing the same broadcast on two different continents brings us ALL a lot closer.”
“This is huge for U.K. country fans – Nashville has landed!” says Simon Walker, CEO of CountryLine. “We’re thrilled to welcome our partners at The BIG 615 to our airwaves. British listeners are going to quickly learn from Garth and his team that 615 is not just the area code for Nashville, but shorthand for the best country radio station on the planet.”
Listeners can also catch The Nathalie Cox Show, hosted by CountryLine co-founder and creative director Nathalie Cox on the new CountryLine: The BIG 615. The show airs on Sundays from 10 a.m. – 12 p.m. GMT, bringing a British perspective on the best of country music.
“CountryLine and the team behind the brand are the authorities on country music in the U.K.,” says Rich Stern, CEO of TuneIn. “Together, we are bringing a truly global country music station to audiences through a trusted, regional partner for an authentic experience. This partnership further executes upon our mission to change radio distribution to bring listeners the best experiences wherever they are in the world.”
Weekly Register: Beyoncé Tops The Country Streaming Songs Chart
/by Liza AndersonBeyoncé
Beyoncé‘s “Texas Hold ‘Em” tops the country streaming songs chart this week with 26 million new streams, adding to 48 million ATD, according to Luminate data.
After several weeks at No. 1, Zach Bryan and Kacey Musgraves‘ “I Remember Everything” descends to No. 2 with 17 million streams, adding to 524 million ATD, while Morgan Wallen‘s “Last Night” remains at No. 3 with 12 million new streams, adding to 1.221 billion ATD. Bryan’s “Something In The Orange” stays at No. 4 with 11 million streams, adding to 1.242 billion ATD, and Wallen’s “Thinkin’ Bout Me” reclaims the fifth slot with 10 million new streams, adding to 626 million ATD.
On the country albums chart, Wallen’s One Thing At A Time takes No. 1 once again with 64K in total consumption (1.6K album only/81 million song streams). Bryan’s self-titled collection returns to No. 2 with 37K (2.1K album only/45 million song streams), followed by Wallen’s Dangerous: The Double Album at No. 3 with 36K (342 album only/46 million song streams). The late Toby Keith‘s 35 Biggest Hits lands at No. 4 with 30K (9K album only/26 million song streams), and Bryan’s American Heartbreak holds No. 5 with 26K (943 album only/33 million song streams).
My Music Row Story: Why&How’s Halie Hampton Mosley
/by LB CantrellHalie Hampton Mosley
Halie Hampton Mosley joined Why&How in October 2021 as Vice President of Roster Operations, and has helped define and oversee the goals and initiatives of the Why&How roster and staff. Since joining, Hampton Mosley has been instrumental in streamlining and expanding roster operations, and establishing internal practices such as Why&How’s parental leave policies. She also remains closely involved in Why&How artist strategy for such acts as Chase Rice, Danielle Bradbery, Breland and Kelleigh Bannen, among others.
Prior to joining Why&How, Hampton Mosley spent seven years in Artist Management at Maverick Nashville led by long-time Manager Clarence Spalding. She most recently served as the Day-to-Day Artist Manager for Diamond-selling duo Florida Georgia Line at Hit Farm Management in partnership with Full Stop Management led by Irving and Jeffrey Azoff.
Hampton Mosley will be honored as part of the current class of MusicRow’s Rising Women on the Row on March 19. For more details about the class and the event, click here.
MusicRow: Where did you grow up?
I grew up in and around Nashville. All my family is originally from Ashland City, and my grandparents are still there. My mom and dad met there and we moved to Murfreesboro when I was in third or fourth grade, so I did middle school, high school and college in Murfreesboro. I studied business at MTSU.
Photo: Courtesy of Hampton Mosley
What were your dreams then?
At one point I thought I might be an attorney. I didn’t really know. I did this thing called DECA in high school where we would formulate business plans and compete with them. I actually ended up getting a marketing scholarship to MTSU because of that program. I thought I could explore a million things with a business degree, but I didn’t really know what I wanted to do.
How did you find out about the music business?
I was getting to the point where I was going to have to start interning for my business credits and a family friend told me about this internship in Nashville. It was at Taillight TV.
I came in, met with their team and ended up doing a production assistant type of internship. One of the first videos I ever remember being on set for was Eric Church‘s “Smoke A Little Smoke.” It was probably that same day that I realized this is a really cool business, but I don’t want anything to do with production. [Laughs]
I met a really great group of people at Taillight. At the end of that semester, the producers put together an intern barbecue. At the time, Lesly Tyson—now Lesly Simon—was married to one of the producers and they held the barbecue at their home. So I met Lesly and I ended up spending an hour in their kitchen asking questions about what she did. I just loved her—I thought she was so smart. She was like, “Why don’t you come intern for me?” So my senior year I went to intern at Sony Music Nashville.
Photo: Courtesy of Hampton Mosley
What was that like?
At the time, she had already stepped into the VP role in radio promotion at Arista, so I was assisting all of the imprints. I was packing CDs, sending out promo items and helping with listener and winner stuff for things that they were doing.
When I graduated, they didn’t have any jobs open. I had met people through various events that they would let interns come to, so I had met Pete O’Heeron and he had Cold River Records at the time with Katie Armiger. He knew that all my experience in internships had been in promo, and so he was like, “Why don’t you come try to be a regional?” So I did that.
I was only there for probably a year, but what I did get to do was take a territory and go meet radio and learn what it meant to work a record.
What was next?
It was probably just shy of a year that Sony ended up creating a job for secondary radio promo, so I ended up coming back for that job. I was working smaller markets on behalf of all three of the imprints. I did that for maybe six months before Lesly brought me in and gave me the southeast for Arista.
We had some really great success and fun together. She taught me so much. Carrie Underwood‘s “Good Girl” was my first No. 1, and Brad Paisley‘s “Southern Comfort Zone” was my second. Those were my first two major tours that I was a part of. We went on to do a couple No. 1s with Carrie, which was really sweet.
Photo: Courtesy of Hampton Mosley
How did you move out of radio and into management?
Kix Brooks and Ronnie Dunn were both still on Arista and working to release music individually, but still both managed by Clarence Spalding. I was on the road with Kix, and I remember him asking me if this was what I wanted to do. I told him I really loved what I was doing and was learning so much, but I knew that I didn’t want to be on the road that heavily for my entire career. He was like, “Have you ever thought about management? Why don’t you go meet with my manager?”
I went to have breakfast with Clarence. I was so nervous. [Laughs] After our breakfast, I just stayed in touch with him and a couple months later, his assistant Marne McLyman was moving into more of a day-to-day role. So Clarence called me and said, “I have an assistant job open.” I took it and that would kick off seven years with Clarence.
I remember pretty early on thinking that it was something that I could do longer term, because for the first time I felt like I was getting to see from the second an artist is in a writer room to the moment that they’re singing the song in the stadium.
I sat at a desk outside Clarence’s office and that is how I learned 70% of what it even meant to be a manager. I would listen to the way he talked to his clients, the way he navigated situations when their careers were in certain seasons or the way he interacted with our partners. I just had so much to learn. I would do the same thing with our internal marketing department which was run by Amanda Cates at the time.
Photo: Courtesy of Hampton Mosley
How did you transition into more?
Randy Goodman came in and began to oversee Rascal Flatts. The good thing about sitting in that seat was that if people needed an extra set of hands, that was me. As Randy got busier, I just started filling in for things. I just slowly started being present and then that would move into being on the road for show coverage. When I started working with Flatts, then I just started looking for holes internally to be able to do that for the whole roster. I would ask Chris Parr if there was an opportunity where Jason Aldean needs coverage or Jason Houser with Darius Rucker. I just started being the person who could be there. Ultimately what that did for me was let me learn how different the inner workings of the different artist camps operated.
Eventually I started handling my first client on my own within Maverick, which was Rachel Wammack. She and I worked together for a couple of years through the development stage.
How did you start working with Florida Georgia Line?
Lou Taylor was also Reba McEntire‘s business manager, so I had gotten to know her in my EA role with Clarence. I had a sit down with her and she asked me what my goals and dreams were. Maybe a couple months after that conversation, she came to me and she said, “I want to chat with you about Florida Georgia Line. There may be an opportunity for someone to be the lead in Nashville as a part of a new Management structure. Would you be open to that?” I think I almost passed out. I thought, “There’s no way I get this job.”
Photo: Courtesy of Hampton Mosley
I met with her a couple times and eventually ended up meeting with the guys. They were entering into a partnership with Irving Azoff out of LA, so they had formed their own management entity which I would end up working under in partnership with Full Stop. They needed someone here just to be boots on the ground. They spent a lot of time in LA at that time because we had a lot of promo periods, but they were both still living here and that wasn’t going to change, so it was important to them to have somebody here. That person became me, and it was pretty wild. I give Lou a lot of credit because again, it was another female like Lesly who looked at me and said, “You may not be a hundred percent ready, but I think you are.”
Tell me about your years with FGL.
They were challenging for me, in a good way, because it was the first time I was jumping in with an act at the height of their fame. Obviously I wasn’t on my own—having people like Irving and Jeffrey Azoff forced me to grow up and do a lot of faking it until I made it. I was thrust into new territory because the guys were just involved in so much.
It was a whirlwind. I remember not really having much time to get my feet underneath me. What was really great though was that even from here, I became integrated into the Full Stop system. I was all of a sudden sitting in meetings where Harry Styles was on screen. Learning through the pop processes and how they handled music rollouts and programming that they were doing with partners and stuff like that was really helpful for me.
Photo: Courtesy of Hampton Mosley
What was next?
After a couple years with the guys, they were entering into spaces creatively where they were considering taking time to pursue solo endeavors. They had 10 years of an amazing run. I had had a couple conversations with them each individually, so I started thinking about what would be next for me.
We were shooting the “Drinkin’ Beer. Talkin’ God. Amen.” video out at Chase Rice‘s farm, and that was the first time I had formally met Chase, as well as his manager Bruce Kalmick. I spent some time talking to Bruce and he asked me what my next steps were. I wasn’t really sure but one thing that I did know at that time was that I really didn’t want to continue on in a day-to-day capacity. I wanted to get away from the monotony. I loved being able to work on multiple things at one time, because I think it made me better having exposure. I wasn’t so siloed in one project or one process. I said, “I’m looking for a role where I can step in and help on multiple things. I don’t exactly know what that looks like yet or if that job even exists.” He said, “I started this new company and I need to round out my exec team. We’ll create a role and you can come in and help lead our team and multiple accounts.” So that’s what happened.
Now you’re Chief Operating Officer at Why&How. What’s your favorite part about your job?
Over the last couple years, I have watched some of our staff grow and evolve into new roles. We’ve worked really hard to identify their individual strengths and make changes accordingly. The same thing for our clients—I felt really lucky that I came in at a time where Chase was going through a really pivotal moment in his career. Watching him evolve personally and professionally, to go on and have this first ever critically acclaimed album… those are my favorite things. Getting to watch our clients grow, change and evolve musically and personally—and the same with our staff.
Photo: Courtesy of Hampton Mosley
Who would you say are your mentors?
Definitely Lesly. I call a couple times a year just to walk through my decisions. Even when I was going through my infertility, I called her. She’s probably the only person that I could say has mentored me in life and work. In terms of management, Clarence obviously is the top—I just don’t think it gets any better. Randy Goodman is also a mentor.
You will be honored at our Rising Women on the Row event next month. What would you tell women who are looking at you and want to get where you are one day?
Don’t be afraid to be the youngest or the least experienced person in the room. As my career has evolved, I look back and can pinpoint so many opportunities being presented to me because I wasn’t afraid to raise my hand, even if I may not have been ready. Raise your hand whenever and wherever you can to help out and to be present and to be someone that people can depend on. Oftentimes inexperience and humility with a strong desire to learn can beat out experience and entitlement.