Spirit Music Group has entered into a new administration services agreement with Downtown Music Publishing. Per the agreement, Spirit will use Downtown’s global administration, registration and technology platforms to support their infrastructure needs. Spirit’s current sub-publishing arrangements will remain place.

“This move allows us to pair Spirit’s expertise at A&R, marketing, branding, digital and synchronization with Downtown’s extensive administration, technology, and registration capabilities to provide the best infrastructure available for our songwriters and partners,” shares Jon Singer, Chairman, Spirit Music Group. “By uniting these strengths for Spirit clients, the sum is even greater than its parts.”

Spirit’s song catalog totals over 100,000 songs and counting, with songs recorded by music legends such as The Who, Chicago, Faith Hill, Camilla Cabello, Ricky Martin, Toto, Jason Aldean, Charles Mingus, Taylor Swift, Chaka Khan, Elvis Presley, Eminem, Tom Petty and more. Through their catalog, they have over 200 No. 1 songs and an additional 800 charted hits.

Singer continues, “As Spirit continues to grow, invest in new talent, and acquire repertoire, we want to continue to focus on what we do best—ensuring that our songwriters and artists are seen, heard and prioritized and driving growth for them through proactive, innovative song management. Linking arms with Downtown ensures that we stay ahead of the curve and in so doing allows us to maintain a laser focus on creating value for our copyrights as we continue to aggressively scale our business in the coming years.”

Downtown currently manages more than 23 million music assets for over one million creators and 2,500 enterprise clients. Client distributions currently exceeds $100 million dollars, with 14% increases every year since 2021. Downtown is currently the largest pure-play provider in the industry.

Andrew Bergman, CEO of Downtown Music Holdings says, “We are pleased to be working with the amazing team at Spirit and to administer a catalog so filled with musical gems. We designed Downtown and our suite of service offerings specifically with these types of deals in mind so it is immensely gratifying for Spirit to have chosen to work with us.”

“Working with Spirit Music Group reinforces our dedication to fostering the success of legendary musical catalogs as well as supporting new talent, both abundantly represented in Spirit’s catalog,” adds Emily Stephenson, President of Downtown Music Publishing. “Downtown is committed to providing the best services to our clients via investments in administration, rights management, data and technology and we are thrilled to be working with the Spirit team.”

Topeka has revealed their latest music vacation experience with Lauren Daigle‘s “Kaleidoscope Beach Weekend.” The event will take place April 25-27 along the shores of Miramar Beach, Florida.

The lineup includes Daigle headlining all three nights, with each night having a theme to accompany the music. Thursday night will be “Worship Set” with Kari Jobe and Cody Carnes. Natalie Hemby, Ellie Holcomb and Jason Ingram will be featured for Friday’s “Storyteller Set.” To close out the weekend, Saturday will hold a “Kalediscope Jam” with Jon Batiste and Gable Price & Friends.

Attending guests will enjoy a true family friendly vacation, relaxing by the beach during the day with the concerts at night. Topeka has long been spearheading music vacation experiences, with other weekend’s announced such as The Avett Brothers’ Moon Crush “Avett Moon” Music Vacation and Brandi Carlile’s “Mothership Weekend.”

Weekend passes are on sale now.

CAA has signed singer-songwriter Ty Myers.

The Texas native grew up just west of Austin as the sixth generation to be raised on his family’s cattle ranch, and has been singing since he could walk. At the age of eight, Myers began playing guitar and writing songs. When he wasn’t playing football, baseball, hunting or fishing, he spent all his free time writing music or playing shows with his father.

In March 2023, Myers dropped his debut independent tune, “Tie That Binds,” which has amassed more than two million streams to date. He has since released four other original songs and most recently, a cover of George Strait’s 1981 hit “Down And Out.” Myers continues to expand his catalog, frequently co-writing with some of Nashville’s most skilled songwriters.

Managed by Narvel Blackstock and Starstruck Entertainment, he will also continue to play shows around the Texas area.

Ian Munsick‘s documentary, White Buffalo: Voices of the West, will begin streaming on various platforms this Friday (Jan. 26).

The documentary will initially be available on Apple iTunes, Apple, Google Play, Kanopy (Libraries), Microsoft, Vudu, YouTube Rentals and Amazon TVOD. After 60 to 90 days, it will become available on Freevee, The Roku Channel and Tubi.

“Some of the best kept secrets are out there, thriving, where the prairie meets the mountains,” Munsick reflects. “I was lucky enough to be born and raised in the heart of cowboy country, mostly untouched by the outside world. It’s a culture where Cowboys and Native Americans are one in the same. I’ve always wanted to use my platform to help shed light on what’s been hidden for decades, and Voices of the West was a great way to convey an important message, while artistically collaborating with a people who rarely get the opportunity to have their voices heard.”

The film expands on the concept of Munsick’s sophomore album White Buffalo, with the white buffalo representing a sacred symbol for the plains tribes of Native America, its return signaling prosperity and rebirth. Delving into conversations with Pro Buckin’ Horse producer and entrepreneur from the Blackfoot Tribe, Dougie Hall; rancher, horse trainer and actor from the Crow Tribe, Stephen Yellowtail; and cowgirl from the Blackfeet Nation, Sammy Jo Bird; Munsick explores the modern-day relationship between cowboys, ranchers and Native American tribes, and how they often rely on each other to live off the land out west.

Munsick first premiered the documentary to an intimate crowd of 150 attendees on Dec. 6 at the Beverly Theater in Las Vegas during NFR. He’ll return to the road in 2024 as direct support for select dates of Lainey Wilson’s “Country’s Cool Again” tour.

Republic Live, producers of the Boots and Hearts Music Festival in Canada, is launching a new management division, RLive.

“It’s been a passion of ours since the beginning to seek out artists who we believe have incredible talent and potential,” shares Stan Dunford, Co-Founder of Republic Live and Boots and Hearts. “It’s time we take our enthusiasm for the industry, artists, and fans, and work to invest in the future of artists, while partnering with the best-in-class. We look forward to growing RLive with like-minded, hardworking individuals, that are looking for the next step or searching to find their place in the country music scene.”

Alberta native Casadie Pederson has been named Director of Artist Management and Development and will lead the expansion of the company beyond live festival events and into artist development and management. With offices in Toronto and Nashville, Republic Live’s RLive management division will be based in Nashville where Pederson will work alongside Republic Live’s Brooke Dunford, who continues to focus on talent buying and strategic growth for the company.

“I am so thrilled to be joining this admired team at Republic Live,” says Pederson. “Collectively everyone brings so much experience to the table and we are so excited to see where this will take us. This is the opportunity of a lifetime, and I can’t thank the RL team enough for welcoming me to a team that is dedicated to playing a bigger role in helping artists.”

With new music set to launch in March via a new partnership soon-to-be announced, country artist Tyler Joe Miller is the first signing to the newly-formed management division. Future plans include focusing on continued artist development and new signings, while enhancing the infrastructure across the company to play a bigger role in helping artists build and develop their careers.

RLive will focus on highlighting the artist development principles founded within the Boots and HeartsEmerging Artist Showcase to help launch the careers of emerging artists, while elevating top-notch talent to the next level. Canadian talent previously recognized as top finalists in the Emerging Artists program include artists such as Tim Hicks, Tenille Arts, Josh Ross, Robyn Ottolini, Owen Riegling, Jade Eagleson, James Barker Band, The Reklaws, Tebey and more. The national Canadian contest consistently receives over 400 applicants a year as Boots and Hearts plays host each summer, with finalists that have gone on to win numerous Canadian Country Music Awards, JUNO Awards and more.