Kenny Chesney is adding three soccer stadiums to his “Sun Goes Down 2024 Tour” in Cincinnati, Columbus and Salt Lake City.

Chesney’s soccer stadium shows include Cincinnati’s TQL Stadium on June 29, Salt Lake City’s America First Field on July 16 and Columbus, Ohio’s Historic Crew Stadium on Aug. 8. All three shows will feature special guests Megan Moroney and “When The Sun Goes Down” duet partner Uncle Kracker. Tickets will go on sale Dec. 8.

“In a lot of ways, soccer stadiums are the best of both worlds,” says Chesney. “You have the same kind of intimacy that you get in an amphitheater, but it’s big enough you have the ability to really hit the accelerator in terms of energy, music, connecting. It’s a relatively new thing for us to have soccer stadiums, but these are markets where I know there are people who aren’t getting tickets–and everyone in No Shoes Nation knows how I feel about no citizen of our crew left behind.”

The “Sun Goes Down 2024 Tour” kicks off April 20 in Tampa. Additionally, Chesney’s latest single “Take Her Home,” which embraces taking the risks that make people’s lives sweeter, is currently making its way up the charts.

Cassie Petrey & Jade Driver

Social media management and music marketing firm Crowd Surf has announced a new apprenticeship program designed for aspiring music professionals that aims to bridge the gap for those facing barriers in terms of entering the music industry, offering a hands-on learning experience for any music lover, from college students to seasoned professionals seeking a career change.

The program offers a behind-the-scenes experience focused on marketing, digital initiatives and content creation for some of the world’s most renowned artists. Each trimester, Crowd Surf will welcome four apprentices to join their industry-leading teams in Los Angeles, New York City, Nashville or remotely. Applications are currently open for spring 2024. For more information, click here.

“Our apprenticeship program offers an opportunity to gain real experience working in the music business,” says Cassie Petrey, Crowd Surf Co-Founder. “We love giving people with non-traditional backgrounds a shot at working in the music business, and we’re excited that this program is going to let us do that for more individuals.”

“Growing up in Virginia and Kentucky, Cassie and I felt so far removed from the entertainment industry,” shares Jade Driver, Crowd Surf Co-Founder. “We’re looking to support kids across the country who have a passion but might not have the regional access to start.”

Crowd Surf works with entertainers including Backstreet Boys, Camila Cabello, Paramore, Nickelback and more. Since its inception in 2007, the company has marketed artists to more than a billion fans worldwide.

Ricky Skaggs. Photo: Courtesy of Skaggs Family Records

Ricky Skaggs is celebrating the season with his new 2023 holiday tour, “Ricky Skaggs & Kentucky Thunder Christmas with Special Guests.”

Skaggs and his band Kentucky Thunder will hit the road this month with nine shows Dec. 7-17, marking his first Christmas tour in seven years. The tour will visit Cincinnati, Charleston, Atlanta, Birmingham, Augusta and more, with a show at Nashville’s Ryman Auditorium on Dec. 10.

Fans will hear beloved holiday classics “Silent Night,” “Deck The Halls” and “Let It Snow” during the shows, along with other special Christmas melodies like the bluegrass tune “Christmas Time’s A Comin'” and a rendition of “New Star Shining.”

“Everybody loves Christmas,” notes Skaggs. “It’s the time of year when we think about others and not ourselves. We love singing songs about the greatest birth in history, Jesus Christ. We will be performing some of the old standards we’ve all grown up with, but we will also have some instrumentals and songs that you might not be familiar with. All in all, it will be a great show for the whole family. Get your tickets now and bring someone with you that might not be able to afford a ticket this time of year. You’ll feel great and they will have a fun time too.”

For more information, click here.

Niko Moon

Niko Moon has announced that he is leaving RCA Nashville/Sony Music Nashville after four years to focus on recording as an independent artist. He has also shared that his new album, Better Days, is set for release on Jan. 19, with track “Falling For You” out today (Dec. 1) . Additionally, the singer-songwriter will kick off “The Better Days Tour” on Feb. 1.

Moon broke out as a solo act in 2019, after several years as a member of Sir Rosevelt alongside fellow artists Zac Brown and Ben Simonetti. As a songwriter, Moon has had eight No. 1s and over 40 major label cuts for artists such as Morgan Wallen, Avicii,Dierks Bentley, Pitbull, Zac Brown Band, Rascal Flatts and more. During his time at Sony Music Nashville, he achieved his first No. 1 and RIAA triple-Platinum certification for his single, “Good Time,” and was crowned a SESAC Country Songwriter of the Year. He also co-produced the Zac Brown Band albums, Jekyll+Hyde and Welcome Home. 

“Sony is and will always be the team that helped launch this career and journey I am on, and I am thankful for that. Randy [Goodman] and team have been nothing but supportive of me and my sound, but with the very changing scope of music today, I want the undeniable ability to take my music in any direction possible and deliver it to my fans at a pace that suits me more as a touring artist.”

“Niko has such a great grasp of who he is as an artist and performer,” says Chris Kappy, Chief Navigation Officer, Make Wake Artists. “Niko’s fans are consuming music like crazy and want more and we feel the ability and flexibility to release music that might be outside the genre, would be easier to do as an independent artist. Sony is family and always will be, and we are very pleased that this was done as friends. We all look forward to what the fans will get moving forward!”