Darren Elrod & James Rueger

Christian music executive Darren Elrod has been promoted to President of independent label Fair Trade Services (FTS). The label has also promoted James Rueger to Chief Creative Officer, and both executives will report to Founder & CEO Jeff Moseley.

Fair Trade Services is home to multi-Platinum and Gold-selling artists including MercyMe, Phil Wickham, CeCe Winans, Micah Tyler, Anthony Brown & Group TherAPy, The Afters and more.

Elrod joined the FTS team three years ago as COO. With more than 20 years in the industry, he served as COO at Provident Label Group prior to FTS. In his expanded role, Elrod will oversee all aspects of business, financial and marketing matters while continuing to manage day-to-day activities.

“I am incredibly grateful for this opportunity and excited about the future,” says Elrod. “We have such an incredible roster of artists at Fair Trade Services and this company exists to serve these artists well. I look forward to continuing this work with Jeff, James and the rest of the team.”

Rueger has been with FTS since 2005. He initially joined as A&R Manager, leading to his previous role of Sr. VP of A&R. Now as Chief Creative Officer, Rueger will oversee all A&R aspects and creative-related objectives for both recorded music and music publishing businesses.

“I’ve been fortunate enough to spend 19 years at Fair Trade Services working alongside and advocating for our gifted, passionate artists and songwriters,” Rueger says. “They are incredible music makers, and I’m as excited as I’ve ever been to continue the journey with them.”

“Darren and James have consistently exhibited excellence in their respective areas of responsibility for our company,” says Moseley. “This is public recognition of what our artists and managers have already known. They—along with our amazing team—have continued to deliver for our roster of artists for many years. Their promotions are well-deserved and strengthen Fair Trade Services for the years ahead.”

Photo: Courtesy of ACM

The Academy of Country Music is hosting an OnRamp Songwriters Round at Jackalope Brewing Company in Nashville’s Wedgewood Houston neighborhood on Jan. 17 that will showcase four members of the professional development program’s inaugural class: Tylar Bryant, Larysa Jaye, Tae Lewis and Nick Tabron.

The Songwriters Round is set to take place from 4 p.m.-6 p.m. and is free to attend. RSVPs are being accepted here.

This event follows other shows highlighting members of the OnRamp program, including a 50th anniversary of hip-hop showcase at The Basement in September and a performance showcase in collaboration with BMI at The Bluebird Cafe in December.

OnRamp is a partnership between the ACM and Black Music Action Coalition (BMAC) focused on improving inclusivity and equity within Music City that aims to empower the next generation of leaders early in their careers by granting access to informational panels, professional development opportunities, mentorship, industry exposure and more. Additionally, each participant receives a monthly stipend for one year. Half of the OnRamp inaugural class are artists and the other half come from across the industry, ranging from attorneys to audio engineers and publicists to business managers.

Five-time ACM award winner Hardy is set to release his new short film, Becoming The Crow, tonight (Jan. 11) at 8 p.m. EST. The film will be available via YouTube, and there will be a sold-out screening at Nashville’s Green Hills Cinema.

The 22-minute film, directed by Justin Clough, follows Hardy through two days in his monumental 2023. The first day spotlights his album release shows in Los Angeles on Jan. 23, where he played both The Troubadour and The Roxy in one single night. The second part follows him on Oct. 26, where he kicked off a sold-out three-night run at The Municipal Auditorium right here in Music City.

Becoming The Crow includes interviews with Hardy, his band and touring mates, frequent producing collaborators Joey Moi and David Garcia, CEO/Co-Founder of Big Loud Seth England, manager Troy “Tracker” Johnson and more.

After releasing The Mockingbird & The Crow in early 2023, Hardy has added over four billion career streams, and has dominated his own lane fusing country and rock music. More Hardy news is expected to be revealed soon.

Pictured (L-R): Allison Jones, Big Machine Label Group; Mike Bachta, Hard 8 Working Group; Kidd G; Matthew Morgan, United Talent Agency; Athena Puharic, BMLG. Photo: Nick Rau for Big Machine Label Group

Kidd G kicked off his New Year by making his Grand Ole Opry debut on Friday, Jan. 5.

Kidd G performs at the Grand Ole Opry. Photo: Nick Rau for Big Machine Label Group

The Valory Music Co./Geffen Records signee was the Opry’s first artist debut of 2024. The rising star has surpassed 1.5 million monthly Spotify listeners, and his tracks have seen radio play across the globe, reaching new peaks on playlists including Amazon Music’s Country Heat (peaked at No. 2) and Spotify’s Hot Country (peaked at No. 3).

In 2021, Kidd G released his major label debut, Down Home Boy, which generated over 41 million streams on Spotify. His new EP, If We Were a Love Song, is out now on all platforms.

10 country artists have been named as part of Spotify’s 2024 Artists-To-Watch list. The full list includes 90 artists across nine genres, including country, pop, R&B and more.

The country artists selected for 2024 are Anne Wilson, Dylan Gossett, Graham Barham, Lauren Watkins, Mackenzie Carpenter, Matt Schuster, Michael Warren, Owen Riegling, Sam Barber and Wyatt Flores.

Wilson broke into the scene after a video of her singing “What a Beautiful Name” at her brother’s funeral went viral. Shortly after she released her debut song “My Jesus,” which went on to become a Gold-certified No. 1 on Billboard’s Christian Airplay chart, and was named ASCAP’s 2022 Christian Music Awards Song of the Year. Now partnered with UMG Nashville, Wilson is getting ready to release her next album.

Gossett caught the attention of listeners after sharing his versions of “Ophelia” by The Lumineers and “A Life Where We Work Out” by Flatland Cavalry. His single “Coal” shot Gossett into the scene after gaining over 21 million Spotify streams, and debuting No. 24 on Billboard’s Country Digital Song Sales Chart, leading to him becoming the flagship artist for Big Loud Texas.

“Preachers Need People” gave Barham viral success, eventually leading him to sign a publishing deal with Warner Chappell Music and Cornman Music. Since, he has released his debut EP North of Hell and recently signed a record deal with Sony Music Nashville and Disruptor Records.

Nashville native Watkins caught the attention of hit songwriter Nicolle Galyon quickly after college, leading to her publishing and record deals. Watkins has already performed at several big festivals across the country, including Carolina Country Fest, CMA Fest, Faster Horses and more.

Carpenter has been drawing listeners in with her spunky and honest style. With songs like “Can’t Nobody,” “Huntin’ Season” and “Jesus I’m Jealous,” the Big Machine Label Group artist has been named in many spotlight lists, including CMT’s Next Women of Country.

Warner Music Nashville signee Schuster used his country-rock style with songs “Tell Me Tennessee” and “Last Fall.” Since gaining over 140 million streams, he has been out on the road with Kameron Marlowe, Dylan Scott, Ashley Cooke and Brantley Gilbert.

Warren spent the first decade of his career in Los Angeles, playing over 200 shows a year and earning songwriting credits for Akon, Jennifer Lopez and more. Since moving to Nashville and getting back to his southern roots, he released his EP What’s Country To You, which has appeared on Spotify and Apple’s biggest playlists.

Riegling came onto the scene after winning the 2022 Emerging Artists Showcase at Boots & Hearts festival. After releasing a single through Universal Music Canada as part of winning the contest, the label was so impressed with the singer that they signed him to a record deal.

Barber first fell in love with music after picking up his grandfather’s guitar at 16. After releasing his debut single “Drowning,” he has drawn in over 1.5 million monthly listeners on Spotify, and has reached No. 1 globally in UK, AUS, IRE and more.

With influences such as Turnpike Troubadours, Tyler Childers and Jason Isbell, Flores has a true gift for honest storytelling with a gritty country sound. With songs such as “Travelin’ Kid,” “Please Don’t Go” and “Break My Bones,” he has drawn listeners in instantly, gaining millions of streams and signing with Island Records.