Photo: Alan Poizner/Nashville Convention & Visitors Corp.

Lainey Wilson, Jason Aldean, Bailey Zimmerman, CeCe Winans and the Fisk Jubilee Singers took the stage at Nashville’s Bicentennial Capitol Mall State Park on Wednesday night (Jan. 31) to ring in 2026 at “New Year’s Eve Live: Nashville’s Big Bash.”

Wilson kept the energy high, performing a set of hits including “4x4xU,” “Hang Tight Honey,” “Whirlwind,” “Country’s Cool Again” and “Heart Like A Truck.” She was joined onstage by television program co-host Hardy for “Wait In The Truck.”

Aldean delivered a set of fan-favorites with “My Kinda Party,” “Whiskey Drink,” “Dirt Road Anthem,” “She’s Country” and more.

Zimmerman lit up the stage with his dynamic set of “New To Country,” “Where It Ends,” “Holy Smokes,” “Rock and A Hard Place,” “Religiously” and “Fall In Love.”

With an estimated crowd of 205,000 people, Dierks Bentley, Brooks & Dunn, Rascal Flatts, Riley Green, Marcus King, Megan Moroney, Zach Top, Keith Urban, Gretchen Wilson, Stephen Wilson Jr. and Dwight Yoakam also performed across the city during the CBS broadcast, which is available for streaming on Paramount+.

Your Roots Are Showing (YRAS), Ireland’s folk and roots music conference, has revealed its 2026 speaker, panel and keynote schedule. The events will be held at ICC Belfast Jan. 14-18.

Wednesday (Jan. 14) will feature Tai Chi with Jim Lauderdale, “Whose Voice Gets Heard? Gender, Power, and the Folk Revival” with Linda Coogan Byrne, “Music, Climate & Creative Leadership” with Maria Vittoria, Sean McGrath and Clare Sands, “Distribution 101” with the Symphonic distribution team, “Social Media & Journalism” with Ian Saint, “The Living Language of Song” with Clare Sands and Liam Ó Maonlaí moderated by Caoimhe Ní Chathail, “Mandolin Workship” with Wyatt Ellis and a Keynote Interview with Paddy Keenan.

Thursday (Jan. 15) brings conversations including, “From Ruin to Relaunch – How one young artist over came the crushing blow of defeat in Nashville to relaunch a new independent career” with Lanny West, Leslie Fram and Dee White. “Booking Process for Raglan Road at Disney” with John Cooke and a Songwriting Workshop with Jim Lauderdale, Wallis Bird, Liam Ó Maonlaí, David Keenan, and Kenny Sharp. Jackie Martínez Marushka will moderate a panel on Music Journalism featuring veteran journalists, Craig Shelburne (The Bluegrass Situation), Cindy Watts (Nashville Lifestyle, American Songwriter, Tennessean), Will Hermes (Rolling Stone, Pitchfork, NPR’s “All Things Considered,” New York Times) and Chris Barilla (People Magazine). Marshal Garbus will host the “Visa Workshop,” while United Talent Agency’s Brian Hill and Matthew Morgan invite you to “Ask an Agent.” Midnight Mango Showcase Artists will host a panel followed by “Opry 100” with Craig Shelburne, Brenda Willis, Pete Fisher, Rissi Palmer and Jessica Willis Fisher.

Friday (Jan. 16) Jackie Martínez Marushka brings her “PR and Branding” workshop back to YRAS, while Katherine DePaul hosts a “Publishing Panel” and ARTS EKTA offers a “Connections” Panel. Revered songwriter, artist and producer Kristian Bush and his brother Brandon Bush, bring “Road Runner Rules,” Middle Tennessee State University professor Susan Hamilton will walk attendees through the “Music Business” and Lisa Schwartz speaks to “Breaking Down Silos.” Speaking to film and TV sync placements, music supervisor (Yellowstone and more) Andrea Von Foerster will talk about the ins and outs of her world. The day wraps with a “Fireside Chat with Fiona Bloom” and Keynote Interview with the legendary Amy Grant, moderated by Craig Shelburne.

Saturday (Jan. 17) brings “Web3, Blockchain & AI” with Anna Fahey, A Fireside Chat with TV and music industry pioneer Joel Wertman who discovered the Goo Goo Dolls and ran Sire Records. Representatives of Nashville’s biggest independent label, Curb Records, will host a Q&A while Allison Shaw talks about “Industry Leadership & Artist Development,” and “Storytelling with Liam O’Maonlai & David Keenan” and “Color Me Country with Rissi Palmer” round out the final conference day.

Sunday (Jan. 18) is the Conference’s Music Trail. Venues and artists will be revealed soon.

More information about schedules and registration can be found here.

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Universal Music Group and the creation platform Splice are collaborating on the next generation of AI-powered music creation tools for musical artists.

The two companies are building a roadmap for development of commercial AI tools, and the artist-centric agreement builds on Splice’s suite of AI-enabled creator tools, which continue to respect intellectual property, and combine high-quality creative ingredients. The partnership will also explore AI-powered virtual instruments and tools that enable UMG artists to bring their own sounds into Splice’s AI workflows, and UMG artists are expected to play a crucial role in guiding the product development process.

“We’re excited to form this alliance with Splice to promote the alignment of innovation and ethicality in addressing the interests of the creative community to leverage cutting-edge AI-enabled tools to further their artistic expression,” says Michael Nash, EVP & Chief Digital Officer, Universal Music Group. “We look forward to partnering with Kakul Srivastava and her team on this critically important strategic technology front.”

“We’ve spent time building AI tools designed to fairly compensate creators and keep them in control,” says Kakul Srivastava, CEO of Splice. “We’re thankful for Universal’s continued support, and excited to work together to put these commercial tools in the hands of artists everywhere, knowing they can trust the end result.”

In June of 2024, Splice joined UMG and other industry figures to sign the “Principles for Music Creation with AI,”  a series of clarifying statements relating to the responsible use of AI in music creation, advocating for ethical, transparent AI that empowers human creators rather than replacing them. Over the past year, Splice has built deeply embedded workflows across digital audio workstations, including Ableton and Pro Tools, and launched a growing suite of AI-native tools grounded in artist-centered monetization, governance, and creative control. With the acquisition of Spitfire Audio, Splice expanded its reach to professional composers cementing its position as one of the most trusted platforms for music creation.

Terri Clark. Photo: Phil Crozier

Terri Clark has received one of her home country’s highest honors, the Order of Canada, recognizing her achievements, dedication to the community and service to the nation.

Presented by the Governor General of Canada, the achievement recognizes people across all sectors of society who have made extraordinary and sustained contributions to Canada. The Order of Canada stands as the cornerstone of the Canadian Honors System, and since its creation in 1967, more than 8,250 trailblazers from all sectors of society have been appointed to the Order.

“The Order of Canada fosters a sense of pride and cohesion in our country,” says Mary Simon, Governor General of Canada. “Every appointment celebrates not only the talent, expertise and dedication of individuals, but also the countless lives they have touched through their work, vision and contributions. Their commitment extends beyond borders, inspiring progress in our communities, our country and around the world. I offer my heartfelt congratulations to each new appointee on this well‑deserved recognition.”

“When I was a young girl growing up in Alberta, with my sights set on the Grand Ole Opry and the CMA, my mother would often talk about one honor being head and shoulders above the rest… the Order of Canada,” shares Clark. “The highest honor our country can bestow upon a civilian. I’ve been incredibly fortunate to see so many dreams and wishes come true in my life, but this one is for her. To be included among the likes of Joni Mitchell, Gordon Lightfoot, Anne Murray, k.d. lang and so many more is truly humbling. As a proud Canadian, I can’t thank the Governor General of Canada enough for this appointment.”

Clark has made history in both her home country and the U.S., cementing her mark in country music across borders. She was the first Canadian female member of the Grand Ole Opry, and still holds the honor today. She has also been inducted into the Canadian Country Music Hall of Fame, and was most recently inducted into the Canadian Music Hall of Fame – joining Joni Mitchell, Sarah McLachlan, Alanis Morissette, Neil Young, Shania Twain and more in another of Canada’s highest honors.

She wrapped up 2025 on the road with fellow country artist Paul Brandt on their co-headlining acoustic “Homecoming 2.0. Tour,” visiting 34 cities coast-to-coast across Canada.