Rodney Crowell is releasing a new album, The Chicago Sessions, on May 5 via New West Records, and has shared the video for the album highlight “Loving You Is the Only Way to Fly.”

Produced by Jeff Tweedy and recorded at Wilco’s Loft in Chicago, the 10-song collection touches on everything from love and mortality to race and religion. While most of The Chicago Sessions consists of newly-written material, Crowell revisits two tracks from the 1970s. The first, “You’re Supposed to Be Feeling Good,” is a Crowell original that was recorded by Emmylou Harris on her 1977 Luxury Liner record. The second, Townes Van Zandt’s “No Place to Fall,” has always held a special place in Crowell’s heart.

“The first time I heard that song, Townes was sitting across the table from me at Guy and Susanna Clark’s house,” Crowell recalls. “He said, ‘Hey, I’ve got a new song for you,’ and it’s been imprinted on my psyche ever since. I wanted to record it as an homage to somebody that I learned a lot about songwriting from.”

Crowell previously released the video for the album’s first single, “Everything at Once,” which features footage from The Loft during recording. A co-write with Tweedy, the song walks a tightrope between hope and despair as it wrestles with overstimulation in an overcrowded world.

Additionally, Crowell has announced his tour dates in support of The Chicago Sessions. Launching May 2 in New York City at Sony Hall, the initial run features stops at the Old Town School of Folk Music in Chicago and Gruene Hall in New Braunfels, Texas. He also announced dates for his annual songwriting camp “It Starts With A Song 2023,” which is set to take place Aug. 21-24 in Nashville.

Superstar Texas native Miranda Lambert has announced a multi-year partnership with Lone River, Texas’ tequila cocktail-inspired beverage brand founded in 2019 by Katie Beal Brown.

Debuting on the heels of Women’s History Month, the multimedia campaign highlights the entrepreneurial “do-it-your-own way” ethos and honors the rich traditions of the west with the spirit of modern country. Throughout the partnership, Lambert and Beal Brown will team up to empower like-minded entrepreneurial women (21+) in various cities through a series of luncheons, networking events and beyond.

“I don’t do a ton of partnerships, but I was drawn to Katie’s story, and found so many similarities with my own, so working with Lone River is really special for me,” Lambert shares. “I’m a storyteller first and foremost, and that’s exactly what Katie set out to do with this brand. Lone River was built on honoring her family’s roots and sharing an authentic way of life in West Texas. I’m excited to see what kind of noise us Texas women can make together!”

“Miranda Lambert is the kind of person that makes me proud to be a Texan and I am so honored to have her as a partner on this journey as we continue to grow Lone River. She is the embodiment of the trailblazing spirit that built our business, and it is a dream to have the opportunity to see our brand through her eyes,” adds Beal Brown. “Through her iconic career in country music and beyond she’s played such an important part in modernizing the ideals of the American West. I am so grateful to be a small part of this through Lone River.”

Parker McCollum’s ‘Handle On You’ Certified Gold

MCA Nashville recording artist Parker McCollum‘s rise continues with the RIAA Gold certification of his hit “Handle On You.” On March 29, McCollum was presented with a plaque by UMG Nashville President Cindy Mabe and RIAA’s Jackie Jones to commemorate the accomplishment.

“Another Gold record – what an awesome thing to be able to say,” shares McCollum. “I can’t thank the fans enough for always showing up. Y’all keep this whole thing going and I couldn’t do it without you.”

“Parker McCollum is a redefining, culture shaping artist,” shares Mabe. “At a time when star power is being undervalued and streaming metrics are crowned king, Parker proves that you can have, and be, both. Parker is a very important artist for the future of country music and we are beyond blessed that he is helping define our next era of country music at Universal Music Group Nashville.”

“The RIAA is excited to share in this incredible accomplishment with Parker, his team and everyone at UMG Nashville,” shares Jones. “RIAA certifications are earned solely based on what the fans are choosing to listen to. Seeing this song get certified so quickly is a true testament to the impact Parker has on his fans.”

McCollum us celebrating with a performance of “Handle On You” on NBC’s The Tonight Show Starring Jimmy Fallon tonight (March 30) and with the upcoming release of his album, Never Enough, on May 12.

Texas Regional Radio Awards

The T3R Texas Regional Radio Report Music Awards held its 13th annual ceremony on March 27 at Texas Live! in Arlington, Texas. Aaron Watson, Bri Bagwell, Wade Bowen, Sarah Hobbs, and radio programming directors from across the nation attended.

Billy F. Gibbons of ZZ Top received this year’s Living Legend Award. Bowen took home three of the night’s biggest awards—Male Vocalist of the Year, Single of the Year, and Song of the Year—for his song “Everything Has Your Memory.” Watson won the Entertainer of the Year award, and Ariel Hutchins received the Female Vocalist of the Year and Music Video of the Year awards for “Stuck.”

Kin Faux Band, The Great Divide, and William Clark Green were part of the lineup, among others. Several stations won radio awards during the evening including KFWR/Fort Worth, KOKE-FM/Austin, and KRMX/Waco.

The weekend, including the Sunday Gathering worship event and T3R’s Future Faces Show, saw over a thousand attendees. For a full list of winners, click here.

Noah Thompson Featured in Kentucky Music Hall of Fame & Museum

On March 21, the Kentucky Music Hall of Fame and Museum unveiled a new exhibition honoring Noah Thompson, American Idol‘s 2022 winner and a Louisa, Kentucky native. The exhibit features singers, songwriters, business owners, and musicians that have made a recent impact on Kentucky music.

“I knew the moment that he auditioned on American Idol that Noah Thompson had a special vocal talent,” recalls Jessica Blankenship, Executive Director. “This young man represented Kentucky in a positive manner and continues to do so. The Kentucky Music Hall of Fame wanted to capture that moment of winning American Idol with a special exhibit.”

“Winning American Idol and being able to do music full time has been a dream come true and something I never imagine could happen,” shares Thompson. “I’m thankful I could make my home state proud.”

Fans will be able to see clothing that Thompson wore on the finale, as well as photos along his journey. The exhibit is open to the public daily and will be up through the end of 2023.

Sac Song & Wine Series Kicks Off May 17 with Lee Thomas Miller, Wendell Mobley

The inaugural Sac Song & Wine Series is set to begin May 17 at Miner’s Leap Winery in Clarksburg, California. Hit songwriters Lee Thomas Miller (“The Impossible” by Joe Nichols, “You’re Gonna Miss This” by Trace Adkins, “In Color” by Jamey Johnson) and Wendell Mobley (“We Can’t Love This Anymore” by Alabama, “How Forever Feels” by Kenny Chesney, “Fast Cars and Freedom” by Rascal Flatts) are the featured performers.

“We’re incredibly excited to bring this unique music experience to the Sacramento area!  I hope it will become a tradition for friends and family to come together and enjoy amazing wine, incredible country music performed by the most talented songwriters themselves, all while taking in the beautiful sunset framed in the backdrop of Miner’s Leap Winery,” said Randi Moody, Sac Song & Wine Series event producer and owner of rlm events inc.

Songwriters including Nicolle Galyon, Chris DeStefano, Hunter Phelps, Rodney Clawson, Bobby Pinson and more are set to take part in the series that runs through next fall.

Alex Miller Brings ‘Miller Time’ To European Country Station

Alex Miller is launching a new, curated one-hour radio show, Miller Time, for CMR Nashville, one of Europe’s top country music stations. Set to run on the third Sunday of every month this year, each episode will include a broad array of songs from country standards to new artists

“I did a similarly formatted show on my Facebook for a couple of years,” American Idol alum Miller states. “It’s a ton of fun and a lot of folks seem to enjoy it. I just love sharing music, and CMR is giving me a cool way to do that.”

“I am proud to have Alex on board as a special guest presenter,” notes CMA International Broadcaster and CMR founder Lee Williams. “I’ve loved him since American Idol and, as I’ve gotten to know him a bit over the last few years, I’m sure our listeners will love him and his show.”

Alex joins the current CMR Nashville roster, which features Diamond Rio’s Dana Williams. The station’s popular regular presenters include Stuart Cameron, Tim Rogers, Marie Crighton, Johnny Da Piedade and Paul Taylor.

 

PLA Media Adds in:ciite Studios To Its Roster

Nashville-based Emily Stephenson is now the President of Publishing at Downtown Music. The news was announced on Thursday (March 30) by Downtown Music Holdings.

Stephenson most recently served as the division’s Vice President of Business Operations during her 10-year tenure at the company. She has been responsible for all aspects of publishing administration and client services for Downtown’s songwriter and publishing clients, including Ryan Tedder, Big Yellow Dog and the John Lennon Estate. Downtown’s publishing administration services currently have nearly 2 million songwriters and more than 1.5 million copyrights under management.

In her new role, Stephenson will oversee all publishing efforts, including client acquisition and business development, A&R, rights management, and client services for the group’s publishing companies—Downtown Music Publishing, Songtrust and Sheer. She will report to Downtown Music President, Pieter van Rijn.

It was also announced today that London-based Mike Smith will exit his position as Global President of Downtown Music Services.

“Thanks to Mike’s fantastic leadership over the past three years, Downtown’s publishing divisions are in a great position to align our efforts and maximize revenue for our clients, whether they use Downtown Music Publishing, Songtrust or Sheer,” Stephenson shares. “This unified approach means that Downtown can offer the industry’s leading publishing services both at scale and in-depth, working more closely with our current and future clients at every stage.”

Since Downtown Music Publishing was established in 2007—and Songtrust in 2011—publishing has been at the core of Downtown’s mission. The company divested its owned song catalog in 2021 to focus exclusively on providing publishing administration and creative services.

Under Stephenson’s leadership, Downtown Publishing will focus on employing the strengths of each division to create an aligned offering that shares technology and expertise. According to Downtown, Songtrust has experienced significant growth over the past five years and in 2022, reached the milestone of having distributed over $100,000,000 in royalties to independent songwriters, producers and creators.

Stephenson’s immediate team includes Jedd Katrancha, who has been promoted to Chief Commercial Officer, Publishing after sixteen years at Downtown. New York-based Katrancha was the first hire to be made by founder, Justin Kalifowitz, and subsequently led the company’s creative services and sync licensing business from its inception. In his new role, Katrancha will report to Stephenson and oversee Business Development, A&R, and Sync for Downtown’s group of publishing companies.

Of the news, Downtown Music President Rijn shares, “Emily is a proven leader and Downtown Publishing is excellent hands. Mike stewarded Downtown Music Services through a period of great change and leaves it as a global leader. Now, with Downtown’s publishing companies aligned, we’ve created a powerful service offering that will maximize client revenue and present new opportunities to Downtown’s client base.”

Tin Pan South kicked off the 31st annual songwriters festival on Tuesday night (March 28) in bars and listening rooms across Nashville. This year’s festival includes over 400 songwriters in a variety of genres performing in nearly 100 rounds running through April 1.

SESAC songwriters started the first night with a showcase at Live Oak featuring Allison Veltz Cruz, Megan Moroney, Jon Nite and Dave Pittenger. Over at The Listening Room, attendees were treated with music from ASCAP songwriters Everette, Makayla Lynn and Dylan Scott.

At The Vinyl Lounge, Ash Bowers, Johnny Dailey, Jeffrey East, Natalie Madigan and Paul Sikes played the 6 p.m. show. Matt Dragstrem, Ft. Worth Ferguson, Maddie & Tae and Jordan Minton took the stage at the Analog room at the Hutton Hotel, while Kassi Ashton, Barry Dean, Luke Laird and Lori McKenna played at 3rd & Lindsley.

During the 9 p.m. slot, Rodney Clawson, Matt McGinn, Jimmy Robbins and Chris Tompkins took over the stage at 3rd & Lindsley. The Bluebird Cafe featured performances from Kelly Archer, Dylan Guthro, Adam Hambrick and Jenn Schott.

BMI songwriters Nicolle Galyon, Jo Dee Messina, Lauren Watkins and Anne Wilson took over The Listening Room for the 9 p.m. show. Ray Fulcher, Neil Medley, Drew Parker and Austin Snell performed at the Hard Rock Cafe, while Trent Harmon, Rob Hatch, Rebecca Lynn Howard and Shane Stevens took over Live Oak.

Among the songwriters who will be featured at tonight’s rounds (March 29) are Ashley Gorley, Laura Veltz, Will Weatherly, Hunter Phelps, Will Weatherly, Ingrid Andress, Tenille Townes, Ben Johnson and many more. See the full schedule here.