George Birge

Rising country artist George Birge’s single “Mind on You” has become his first No. 1 on the Mediabase country chart. It has also debuted on the Billboard Hot 100 chart at No. 88. To celebrate, a new remix version of the song featuring charlieonnafriday and Kidd G is out now.

Birge reacted on socials to the news saying “My FIRST NUMBER ONE on the LAST day of the year… Y’all I have dreamed of this day my entire life and there were at least a hundred sleepless nights where I thought it might never come true. Y’all never quit on me and believed in me even when I didn’t and today we have the NUMBER ONE SONG IN AMERICA…”

Birge’s “Mind on You” is RECORDS Nashville’s third No. 1. Birge is also one of five artists who will be featured on the upcoming CRS 2024’s New Faces of Country Music Show.

“We are so thrilled for George Birge and this major accomplishment,” says Josh Easler, Executive Vice President of Promotion & Commercial Strategy at RECORDS Nashville. “His years of hard work and honing his craft have paid off with his first number one single. I’m proud of George, and am proud of the RECORDS team as well for their incredible efforts.” 

Another rising artist at RECORDS, singer-songwriter/rapper Dax, whose new single “To Be A Man” (featuring Darius Rucker) was just released in December, has begun his ascent thanks to robust streaming numbers, with 100 million streams and 400,000 singles sold to date. Following his recent performance debut on NBC’s The Today Show, the track also returned to No. 1 on the country iTunes chart. Dax has over 10 million followers on TikTok and close to six million YouTube subscribers. His 2022 single, “Dear Alcohol” (featuring Elle King), also earned him his first Platinum certification, with “To Be A Man” rapidly approaching Gold status.

“We are thrilled with these milestones from two very deserving artists,” says David Enriquez, Senior Vice President at RECORDS. “So much of today’s market is driven by moments and trends, but George Birge and Dax’s successes were years in the making and we couldn’t be happier to be partners in the process of helping develop two amazing acts who will be around for years to come.”

Black Opry Revue

The Black Opry—the organization that seeks to create equity and opportunities for Black artists working in the country, Americana, folk and roots music industries—has announced the first 2024 dates for “The Black Opry Revue Tour.”

The Black Opry Revue will perform across the country, with each show featuring a unique lineup of mostly acoustic performances showcasing the value of diversity within music. The tour will visit Pennsylvania, Vermont, New Hampshire, Colorado, Michigan and more through March 29.

After three stand-alone shows in late 2021, the “Black Opry Revue Tour” launched in January 2022. The tour has gone on to play over 100 venues and festivals with stops across the entire U.S. Notable venues and festivals the revue has played include Dollywood, CMA Fest, Newport Folk Fest, Americana Fest, Willie Nelson’s Luck Ranch and The Troubadour.

Tickets are on sale now and can be purchased at BlackOpryRevue.com.

Nashville-based Outback Presents, an industry-leading comedy tour promoter, experienced exponential growth in revenue in 2023 from their combined year-end concert grosses, totaling $176.5 million across multiple genre tours and shows.

Outback Presents placed eighth on Pollstar‘s Top Promoters list and sixth in the world on Billboard’s Year End Box Score list, representing over 550 shows with over two million total attendees. Understanding the potential of Latin music in the touring market, the company promoted their first ventures into the genre, closing out with two of the Top Grossing Latin tours of the year by the genre’s leading touring titans.

“This year was an incredible year, with Outback being a force in the industry and leading entertainment to the next level, I look forward to an even more successful 2024 with more collaborations on the horizon,” says Artie Pabon, CEO of La Commission.

Romeo Santos‘ record breaking “Formula Vol. 3 Tour” played 90 dates across the world including 34 shows in North America with over 65 million in gross revenue through a summer stadium run and fall arena trek, making history at multiple venues. Santos had the highest-grossing Latin concert ever at the Loan Depot Park Stadium in Miami, and record concert sales in Nashville and Charlotte from two sold-out dates at the Spectrum Center—an unprecedented feat for a Latin artist. In all, the tour finished within the top 40 of Billboard’s overall Year End Top Tours tally and was the fifth most successful Latin tour of 2023.

Earlier in the year, Outback Presents began their foray into the Latin Music touring market with Rauw Alejandro. The deal was the Latin Urban music star’s most extensive U.S. tour to date. The 25- city “Saturno Tour” broke records, grossing over 36 million in revenue and finishing on Billboard as the sixth top Latin tour of the year. Rauw performed in multiple cities for the first time with record attendance, including selling out for two consecutive nights in both Miami and Los Angeles.

Pictured (L-R): Vince Gill, Amy Grant, Ryman Auditorium’s Chrissy Hall and Nate Bargatze. Photo: Catherine Powell

Amy Grant and Vince Gill celebrated their 100th show at Nashville’s Ryman Auditorium as part of their sold-out 2023 “Christmas at the Ryman” residency.

The achievement makes Grant and Gill the first artists to headline 100 shows at the historic venue. During the event, stand-up comedian and Nashville native Nate Bargatze surprised the duo on stage with a Hatch Show Print commemorating their 12-show run and centennial milestone.

Since the first show in 2008, “Christmas at the Ryman” has had fans from across the country flocking to Music City to take in the holiday sounds from two of Nashville’s most cherished performers. Over the years, the husband-and-wife duo has filled the show with Christmas favorites including “Let It Snow,” “Have Yourself a Merry Little Christmas,” “Tennessee Christmas,” “O Holy Night” and “O Come All Ye Faithful.”