Tracy Gibson

Nashville-based independent record label Leo33 has hired radio veteran Tracy Gibson as Director of Promotion and Marketing.

With an impressive career spanning over a decade in marketing, artist relations and more, the North Carolina native brings a unique perspective and proven track record of success to the Leo33 family. She began her entertainment career at Clear Channel and eventually became Promotions Director for WHQC and WKKT in Charlotte as part of iHeartRadio. From there she joined the Audacy Radio Cluster in Houston, Texas as Marketing and Promotions Director.

Her marketing campaigns and event execution played a pivotal role in expanding the station’s reach and enhancing its brand presence garnering Gibson accolades such as the prestigious Houston Employee of the Year award in 2018. Most recently, Gibson served as Director, Regional Promotion for Big Machine Records working with artists like Tim McGraw, Rascal Flatts, Carly Pearce, Midland, Jackson Dean and Callista Clark.

“I am absolutely thrilled and honored to join Leo33,” says Gibson. “My journey has been fueled by a deep-rooted passion for marketing, promotions and driving artist exposure. I am so excited to be on the Leo33 team and help contribute to its vibrant future.”

“Tracy’s experience in radio and marketing coupled with her unwavering passion and strategic acumen perfectly align with our label’s innovative spirit,” shares Katie Dean, Head of Leo33. “We are confident that Tracy will play a vital role in shaping the future of Leo33.”

Fireworks from the Let Freedom Sing! 2023 celebration. Photo: Nashville Convention & Visitors Corp/Alan Poizner

Nashville’s live music events this year elevated the local economy and generated millions of dollars in visitor spending for the city.

Events like CMA Fest and Let Freedom Sing! Music City July 4th and giant stadium shows from Taylor Swift, Ed Sheeran and George Strait all served as catalysts for strong leisure demand and bolstered the city’s tourism numbers.

Additionally, the NHL Draft and the NHL Awards in June and SEC Media Days in July continued to expand Nashville’s stature as a sports city and both brought national TV coverage on ESPN, TNT, the SEC Network and more – with the 2023 NHL Draft in Nashville being the most viewed on record. Both CMA Fest and Let Freedom Sing! were nationally broadcasted as well.

“The summer was chock-full of live music and brought visitors from all over the world to Music City, helping bolster the city’s economic activity,” says Deana Ivey, President & CEO, Nashville Convention & Visitors Corp (NCVC). “The city welcomed stadium tours and music events that drove hotel demand to new heights, along with visitation and exposure for the city.”

Let Freedom Sing! Music City July 4th generated $11.6 million in estimated direct visitor spending for the city. An estimated 250,000 attendees came to Nashville for the free downtown concert and fireworks show, and the event drove hotel room demand on July 4th with an eight percent increase over last year.

Swift’s three-night stand at Nissan Stadium for “The Eras Tour” in May amassed nearly 212,000 people in total. At the time of her performance, Swift set a record for most attendees at Nissan Stadium for a single event each night with 71,000 attendees on Sunday, May 7. Hotel occupancy was through the roof all three nights, notably 96 percent on Saturday, May 6, which was 26 percent higher year over year. The three days combined brought in an estimated $2.2 million in hotel taxes alone.

In July, Sheeran performed at the Ryman Auditorium before setting an attendance record at Nissan Stadium with 73,874 fans on Saturday, July 22, breaking Swift’s recent record. Daily hotel occupancy in the county was 91 percent, up 15 percent year over year.

When Strait performed with Chris Stapleton for two nights in front of sold-out crowds at Nissan Stadium, hotel room demand for these two nights was just as strong as the Swift weekend.

CMA Fest produces the highest level of direct spending of any annual tourism event held in Nashville, with estimated Director Visitor Spend at $74.7 million, an increase from the previous year. The festival saw the number of hotel rooms sold increase three percent from last year and hotel revenue increased by 7.4 percent with an average length of stay of 4.9 nights. 61 percent of visitors said this was their first-time attending CMA Fest, an increase from 2022. The event also saw an increase in international visitors at nine percent.

More highlights from the Nashville CVC’s CMA Fest survey results:

• Average spend in the city’s economy per traveling party: $3,244
• Average size of traveling party: 3.3
• Average length of stay: 4.9 nights
• First-time attendees: 61%
• Likely to attend next year: 94%
• International visitors: 9%
• Accommodations: 69% chose hotels; 15% chose short-term home rentals
• Top five feeder states of visitors: Florida, New York, Illinois, Kentucky and Ohio
• Attendees likely to recommend to others from a scale of 0 (not likely) to 10 (very likely): 9.5

Country Radio Seminar will hold the latest installment of its CRS360 webinar series, “Moment-Us: Leveraging Country’s Growth,” on Wednesday, Aug. 23, at 1 p.m. CT.

The session will provide a comprehensive mid-year analysis of the country industry’s surge in 2023. Moderated by Chuck Aly from Country Aircheck, the panel will feature industry members including Bruce Logan from WIRK/West Palm Beach, Fla., Marc Dennis from CAA and Rachel Whitney from Spotify.

The event will feature an engaging discussion with industry leaders exploring the strategies, trends and opportunities that have contributed to the current growth of the country format. Industry professionals are invited to join the informative session where experts from various sectors—radio, touring and streaming—will delve into the factors driving the genre’s success. The panelists will discuss the strategies that have been effective, areas that have shown remarkable growth and the potential avenues that lie ahead for continued expansion.

“As we reach the midway point of 2023, the surge in country music’s popularity and influence is undeniable,” says CRS Executive Director RJ Curtis. “This edition of CRS360 will provide a platform for experts to dissect this growth, share insights, and inspire collaborative efforts that will shape the genre’s future trajectory.”

Participation in the webinar is free, but registration is mandatory. Interested attendees can secure their spot by registering here.

Early Bird Registration for CRS 2024 officially opens on Aug. 29, and individuals interested in attending are encouraged to take advantage of the One-Day Only Early Bird Rate of just $599, available only on Tuesday, Aug. 29. After August 29, the registration rate will increase to $699. Registration will be accessible via the official CRS website.

Following the announcement of this year’s nominees for the 35th annual MusicRow Awards, we take a closer look at the Male Artist of the Year category. This category is voted on by MusicRow’s subscribers to honor outstanding achievements by a Nashville male artist during the eligibility period.

This year’s winners will be announced online on all MusicRow platforms on Tuesday, Sept. 12. Presenting Sponsor of the 2023 MusicRow Awards is City National Bank.

Click here to see the full list of MusicRow Awards nominees.

Winners are determined solely by MusicRow Magazine subscribers. Voting is now open and closes on Aug. 18 at 5:00 p.m.

To receive a ballot to vote in the MusicRow Awards, become a MusicRow subscriber here.

Since the arrival of his self-titled, 2x Platinum debut album in December 2016, Kane Brown has continued to expand the perception of country music and break musical boundaries. Named to the Time100 list of the most influential people in the world, five time American Music Award winner Brown has over 13 billion streams, multiple multi-Platinum certifications, sold out arenas all across the world with more than four million tickets sold internationally, and made history as the first artist ever to lead all five of Billboard’s main country charts simultaneously. With the release of his most recent album, Different Man, Brown earned his ninth career No. 1 hit , the 3x ACM-nominated Platinum-selling single, “Thank God,” as well as hits with “Like I Love Country Music,” “One Mississippi” and “Bury Me in Georgia.” Brown earned his first-ever nomination for the ACM’s Entertainer of the Year this year and became the first Black artist to headline Boston’s iconic Fenway Park solo.

Reigning two-time CMA Entertainer of the Year Luke Combs has notched 16 consecutive No. 1 hits at country radio and over 337 million global streams to date. The Grand Ole Opry member is also an eight-time CMA, three-time ACM and threetime Billboard Music Award winner. He recently topped the charts with his version of Tracy Chapman’s Grammy Award-winning song, “Fast Car,” which was certified RIAA Platinum just 16 weeks after it was released. The track is from Combs’ fourth full-length album, Gettin’ Old, following Growin’ Up, 2019’s 3-time Platinum What You See is What You Get and his 4-time Platinum debut This One’s For You. Known for his electric live shows, Combs also recently expanded his massive sold-out “World Tour,” adding four new US stadium shows due to overwhelming demand. With 44 shows across three continents and 16 countries, the record-breaking run is the largest tour ever for a country artist. Partnered with Opry Entertainment Group, Combs plans to open a massive multilevel entertainment complex in downtown Nashville during summer of 2024.

Having just notched his sixth career No. 1 single and third multi-week No. 1 with “Next Thing You Know,” Jordan Davis is dominating the country scene. “Next Thing You Know” was Davis’ third consecutive multi-week No. 1 off of his Goldcertified sophomore album, Bluebird Days. His previous two singles from Bluebird Days, “What My World Spins Around” and “Buy Dirt” ft. Luke Bryan, were 3-week and 2-week No. 1s, respectively. This year, Davis has tallied multiple awards nominations and wins, including his first ACM Male Vocalist of the Year nomination. He was a finalist for Top Country Song at the 2022 Billboard Music Awards and earned a nomination for Musical Event of the Year at the 55th CMA Awards, as well as nominations for Music Event, Single and Song of the Year at the 57th ACM Awards, and AMA Award and iHeart Award nominations. He is the reigning winner for CMA Song of Year and earned a win for NSAI Song of the Year. Davis is currently out on the road on his headlining “Damn Good Time Tour.”

One of the country’s most respected and beloved musicians, Chris Stapleton celebrated a year full of achievements this past year. He was named Entertainer of the Year at the 58th ACM Awards, resulting in a prestigious ACM Triple Crown Award, an elite honor that has been presented to only seven country acts in the history of the Academy of Country Music Awards. He also won his sixth Male Vocalist of the Year at the 2022 CMA Awards, setting the record for most wins ever in the category, and gave a rousing performance of the National Anthem at Super Bowl LVII. Currently in the midst of his extensive “All American Road Show” tour, Stapleton recently announced his new album, Higher, will release in November. The new album follows 2020’s acclaimed Starting Over, which went on to win three awards at the 67th Annual Grammys–Best Country Album, Best Country Solo Performance (“You Should Probably Leave”) and Best Country Song (“Cold”) – in addition to earning Album of the Year honors at both the CMA and ACM Awards.

In the spring of 2022, Cole Swindell released his fourth studio album, Stereotype, to massive success. The project charted three back-to-back, Platinum-certified, multi-week No. 1 hits, including “Single Saturday Night,” “Never Say Never” (with Lainey Wilson) and, most recently, his five-week chart-topper “She Had Me At Heads Carolina.” The latter garnered three ACM Awards and an iHeart Music Award for Country Song of the Year. In 2022, Swindell spent a total of 27 weeks in the Top 5 of the country singles chart with “Never Say Never” (8 weeks) and “She Had Me At Heads Carolina” (21 weeks). In the 10 years since his debut on Warner Music Nashville, Swindell has racked up an impressive 12 No. 1 singles as an artist–13 as a songwriter–as well as 12 certified Platinum singles, two Platinum-certified albums and a Gold-certified album. He is currently out on the road on Thomas Rhett’s “Home Team Tour” and will headline again this fall on his “Twelve Tour.”

With over 18 billion on-demand streams and nine chart-toppers at country radio, Morgan Wallen has had unparalleled success since his debut in 2016. His second full-length project, Dangerous: The Double Album, topped 2021’s all-genre Billboard 200 Albums year-end chart and notched historical chart status as Billboard’s longest running Top 10 album in history for a solo artist. Wallen followed the 5-time Platinum, ACM Album of the Year with 2023’s 36-song, deeply personal third studio album, One Thing At A Time, which reigned atop the all-genre Billboard 200 chart for 12 consecutive weeks, the most weeks at No. 1 for a country album in over 30 years. Wallen recently became first artist to have three singles simultaneously in the top 10 on country radio with “Last Night,” “One Thing At A Time” and “Thought You Should Know.” He is currently on his “One Night At A Time World Tour,” crisscrossing the globe and breaking attendance records in his wake.