Tim McGraw Debuts Title Track From New Album ‘Standing Room Only’

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Tim McGraw. Photo: Robby Klein

Tim McGraw has released his new single “Standing Room Only,” the title track from his upcoming 17th studio album, due out later this year on Big Machine Records.

“Standing Room Only” is an introspective and heartfelt examination of what it means to truly live life fully. The track was written by Craig Wiseman, who also penned McGraw’s “Live Like You Were Dying,” Tommy Cecil and Patrick Murphy.

“‘Standing Room Only’ caught my ear the first time I heard it because of its message,” says McGraw. “For me, this song is so positive and life affirming. It isn’t about the funeral or the procession, it’s about how we live in the here and now. How do we push ourselves and in which direction do we push ourselves? For me, it’s a reminder to live a life filled with gratitude and not take things for granted. Also, it’s a reminder to give back and be there for others.”

McGraw teased the announcement of the new song by releasing a mysterious playlist of his tunes ahead of the single called “McGraw Three-ten Twenty Three” which hinted at the release date and featured song titles that spelled out “Standing Room Only” with the first letter of each track.

“Standing Room Only” follows McGraw’s 45th No. 1 country single, “7500 OBO” which was voted one of the “10 Songs I Wish I Had Written” by Nashville Songwriters Association International (NSAI). Throughout his career, McGraw has amassed 46 No. 1 singles (all formats) and holds the Mediabase record for the most weeks at No. 1 with all titles, totaling 73 weeks.

Rob Dalton Launches Airplay Data Company Spintel, Partners With Mediabase

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Spintel, a new company launched by industry promotion vet Rob Dalton that provides analytical and management tools for visualizing and interpreting airplay data, has entered into a licensing agreement with Mediabase, it was announced today (March 10).

Planning an official launch in the spring, Spintel uses raw airplay data to calculate the best moves in navigating a song up an airplay chart, offering key tools for labels, radio promoters, managers, agents, buyers and more. Standard and Relative song comparisons in the system will offer info comparing the growth trend of a current single to a growth trend of that artist’s previous single, for example.

Initially launched for country and Christian labels, the company plans to rapidly expand into other formats. Mediabase’s licensing agreement with Spintel will allow Mediabase subscribers to use Mediabase data in the Spintel platform.

“We are always looking for initiatives to increase client benefits,” shares President and CEO of Mediabase, Philippe Generali. “Now Mediabase’s unmatched radio airplay data will power Spintel’s analytics platform. The partnership propels understanding of music consumption across geographies and formats.”

“We are very excited to partner with Mediabase, the chart of record and the leading provider of airplay data,” shares Dalton. “With this partnership in place, we are confident that our customers will be getting the most up to date and accurate information possible.”

Dalton has worked for decades in label and indie promotion for Columbia and Epic, Curb/Asylum, and his own independent New Revolution Entertainment, which was awarded the Independent Promotion Company of the Year award during the 2013 and 2016 Country Radio Seminar. Over the course of his career, Dalton has played a vital role promoting over 120 top 10 singles at country radio.

First-Ever People’s Choice Country Awards Coming to NBC, Peacock This Fall

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Carrie Underwood accepts The Country Artist of 2022 Award on stage during the 2022 People’s Choice Awards. Photo: Rich Polk/E! Entertainment/NBC via Getty Images

The long-running People’s Choice Awards is launching the People’s Choice Country Awards with a live telecast at the Grand Ole Opry. The date for the awards has not yet been announced, but it will reportedly take place in September.

In distinction from some of its competitors, the People’s Choice Country Awards’ winners will be entirely fan-voted. Several honorary awards will be bestowed that night as well.

“We’re excited to partner with the Grand Ole Opry to bring the year’s biggest celebration in country music to Nashville,” says Cassandra Tryon, Sr. VP of Live Events, NBCUniversal Television & Streaming. “Country fans are passionate about their music and there’s no better place to host this event than from country music’s biggest stage.”

The People’s Choice Awards, airing annually in December on NBC, has included country categories and performances. Most recently, Music Icon Award-winner Shania Twain performed a four-song medley at the 2022 awards and Carrie Underwood won Country Artist of 2022.

Marking NBC’s re-entry into the country music awards game, this new project follows NBCUniversal’s investment in Opry Entertainment Group alongside Atairos. Den of Thieves is set to produce the two-hour show with Jesse Ignjatovic, Evan Prager, and Barb Bialkowski slated as executive producers.

RIAA Releases 2022 Revenue Report

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Courtesy of RIAA

The Recording Industry Association of America (RIAA) released their annual recorded music revenue report, reflecting the seventh consecutive year of growth.

The report also marks the all-time high of $15.9 billion in estimated retail value for 2022. Streaming is fueling the market with 92 million paying subscribers. Vinyl is making a steady resurgence, amplifying how actively fans engage with recorded music.

“2022 was an impressive year of sustained ‘growth-over-growth’ more than a decade after streaming’s explosion onto the music scene,” says RIAA Chairman & CEO Mitch Glazier. “Continuing that long run, subscription streaming revenues now make up two thirds of the market with a record high $13.3 billion. This long and ongoing arc of success has only been possible thanks to the determined and creative work of record companies fighting to build a healthy streaming economy where artists and rightsholders get paid wherever and whenever their work is used.”

Courtesy of RIAA

Streaming continued to be the largest driver and collectively accounted for 84% of total revenues through paid subscriptions, ad-supported services, digital and customized radio, and others.

Courtesy of RIAA

Still, physical music formats maintained an upward trend in revenues, up to 4% at $1.7 billion. For the first time since 1987, vinyl albums outsold CDs in units (41 million vs 33 million). Vinyl sales accounted for 71% of physical format revenues, and grew 17% to $1.2 billion in the sixteenth consecutive year of growth.

Read the full report here.

CRS Paddle Royale Ping Pong Tournament Returns March 13

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The Paddle Royale Ping Pong Tournament is returning to CRS on March 13, immediately following “Amazon Music Presents: Country Heat” at the Omni Nashville Hotel.

This year’s Paddle Royale players include Ashley Cooke, Morgan Evans, Gator Harrison, Laura Hostelley, Riley Green, Erin Kinsey, Chris Lane, Scotty McCreery, Jake Owen, Tim Roberts, Jelly Roll, Lily Rose, Nate Smith, Kristen Williams and Brett Young.

The one-of-a-kind event features country artists and music industry members competing for bragging rights and a giant championship trophy. Tennessee Titans Play-By-Play man Mike Keith returns to call the action, and will be joined by color commentator UMG Nashville Chairman Mike Dungan.

“The vision here is to have everyone working in this community come together to laugh with and at one another, trash talk, drink a little together, cheer, boo and enjoy one another without any panels or performances,” says the Prime Ministers of Paddle Royale George Couri and Tim Roberts. “And to give Mike Dungan a microphone to unleash on everyone.”

Caitlyn Smith & Team Celebrate International Women’s Day With Panel At RIAA

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Pictured (L-R): RIAA’s Morna Willens, Monument Records’ Katie McCartney, Caitlyn Smith, USA Today‘s Melissa Ruggieri, Universal Music Publishing Nashville’s Missy Roberts and Gena Johnson. Photo: Cipriana Thompson Photography, LLC

The Recording Industry Association of America (RIAA), Creative Right Caucus, National Music Publishers Association and Recording Academy hosted a special conversation with Caitlyn Smith and her all-female team in celebration of International Women’s Day (March 8).

Monument Records GM and Smith’s Manager Katie McCartney, VP A&R Universal Music Publishing Nashville Missy Roberts and producer/engineer Gena Johnson rounded out the panel alongside moderator USA Today National Music Writer Melissa Ruggieri for an open discussion about women in the music business. The overall theme of the night showcased what a woman’s unique perspective offers to the wider industry.

RIAA Chief Policy Officer Morna Willens welcomed the audience with excitement and acknowledgment that women have made a lot of progress in the music business – but not nearly enough. She shared a few insights from a recent USC Annenberg study reflecting the slow movement toward equality before introducing video remarks from Creative Rights Caucus Co-Chair, Congresswoman Judy Chu.

“Hearing from these amazing women in the industry on International Women’s Day is so important because they are showing countless girls that they too can succeed in this business. We know that when women see other women in these positions, and especially when they receive mentorship and guidance, they are much more likely to succeed. In fact, over 90 percent of women in the music industry who had been mentored felt that their careers benefited as a result, and women with mentors earn more money and are more satisfied with their career growth. I look forward to continuing our work together to make the music industry even stronger and more inclusive,” stated Chu.

“In the last few years, I’ve shifted to this team of women and it gave me a space to be more vulnerable, to be more comfortable. And it pushed me into a spaces like production, things I’ve never done, all because of this magical group of women,” said Smith.

“I have had some incredible mentors – Faith Hill, Sheryl Crow, Karen Fairchild and Lori McKenna – that have sat down with me and talked about being a mom and an artist, all of the challenges in balancing important aspects of your life,” she added. “So being able to sit with a hero, in whatever field you’re in, and have them say ‘you can do this,’ it for sure helped me keep going in times that I didn’t know I could. To have these pillars in my life, I mean that’s just the best damn thing.”

Smith wrapped the event with an acoustic performance featuring her Miley Cyrus cut “High” along with “Lately” and “The Great Pretender” from her self-produced third album High & Low. Reflecting on the symbolic night, she finished the set with a stirring cover of Carole King‘s “(You Make Me Feel Like A) Natural Woman.”

Bailey Zimmerman Nabs Two-Week No. 1 On MusicRow Radio Chart

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Bailey Zimmerman. Photo: Spidey Smith

Bailey Zimmerman holds his position atop the MusicRow CountryBreakout Radio Chart for the second week with “Rock and A Hard Place.”

The tune was written by Heath Warren, Jacob Hackworth and Jet Harvey, and appears on Zimmerman’s first full-length release, Leave The Light On. The project became the most-streamed all-genre debut of 2022 upon release as well as the biggest streaming country debut of all time.

Having earned more than 1.4 billion career streams to date, Zimmerman ranked as Billboard’s 2022 No. 2 Top New Country Artist and No. 4 Top New Artist across all genres. He was the only country artist in 2022 to receive two Platinum certifications from the RIAA, beginning with his No. 1 debut single “Fall In Love,” the fastest debut single to reach No. 1 at country radio since 2015.

Click here to view the latest edition of The MusicRow Weekly containing the MusicRow CountryBreakout Radio Chart.

Austin Snell Signs Record Deal, Named First Country Artist To SiriusXM’s Artist Accelerator Program [Exclusive]

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Country riser Austin Snell has been named the first country artist to be selected as a part of SiriusXM’s Artist Accelerator program, which aims to develop and break new artists by leveraging the combined audience of the company’s flagship premium subscription service, SiriusXM, and its ad-supported streaming service, Pandora. Snell became the latest SiriusXM’s the Highway’s Highway Find, which serves as the channel’s vessel to bring country artist discovery to its listeners.

Pictured (L-R, front row): Taylor Aretz (WMN), Genevieve Thompson (Mick Management); (L-R, middle row): Lynn Oliver-Cline (River House Artists), Lance Houston (River House Artists), Stephanie Davenport (WMN), Snell, Cris Lacy (WMN), Patrick Sabatini (WMN); (L-R, back row): Zebb Luster (River House Artists), Grant Gravitt (Mick Management), Matt Cottingham (Lewis Brisbois). Photo: Alan Poizner

A native of Dudley, Georgia, Snell moved to Nashville in May of 2022. He quickly began making waves, releasing “Excuse the Mess” in September of the same year. The track amassed more than 1 million streams in its first week out. He followed the breakout hit with a cover of Cassadee Pope’s “Wasting All These Tears” before releasing his own “Get There First” on Jan. 27. Since his first release in September, Snell has generated more than 7 million Pandora Streams.

Snell coins his unique blend of rock and country “grunge country,” which appears to be a hit as his songs have accumulated over 35 million streams since September of 2022.

Snell shares, “It is a dream come true to be supported by SiriusXM and Pandora, I grew up listening to music on these platforms. I am extremely grateful to be included in their Artist Accelerator program.”

SiriusXM’s support began while Snell was still an independent artist, but it was also announced that River House Artists and Warner Music Nashville have signed Snell as the first artist co-signed via the joint venture between the two entities.

YouTube video

“Watching Austin craft his sound and unique style over these past few years has been an honor. He truly knows who he is as an artist and musician,” says Zebb Luster, GM of River House Artists. “He has a natural ability to follow his own instincts that have musically set him apart. I’m so thankful to have the opportunity to work alongside Warner, just as Lynn Oliver-Cline and Cris Lacy envisioned this partnership thriving.”

Red Street Records Expands Team With Three Additions

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Pictured (L-R): Brooklynn Gould-Bradbury, Dottie Chamberlain and Riley Cooper.

Red Street Records, led and co-owned by Rascal Flatts’ Jay DeMarcus, has added Brooklynn Gould-Bradbury as Manager of Publicity & Communications, Dottie Chamberlain as Executive Assistant/Operations Manager and Riley Cooper as Digital Marketing Coordinator.

Gould-Bradbury joins the label from CMT, where she started as a part of the Music & Talent team and most recently worked as an Associate Producer on the Digital team. Chamberlain previously served as Executive Assistant to Mike Dungan from 1995 through 2023, as Dungan rose to Chairman & CEO of Universal Music Group Nashville. Cooper comes to Red Street Records after completing internships with Sweet Talk Publicity, Tennessee Golf Foundation and Triple 8 Management.

“At Red Street Records, our team is dedicated to putting artists first and helping them build successful careers. Brooklynn, Dottie and Riley all bring a wealth of music industry experience as well as a true passion for serving artists in their careers,” shares DeMarcus. “We’re thrilled to have all three of them joining the Red Street Records family!”

ASCAP Posts Record High Revenues & Distributions For 2022

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ASCAP’s annual revenue surpassed $1.5 billion for the first time in 2022, which fueled record-high royalty distributions to songwriters, composers and music publisher members, the PRO reported. Collections totaled $1.522 billion in 2022, an increase of $187 million or 14% over the previous year.

ASCAP’s strategic growth plan launched in 2015 focused on revenue growth, technological innovation and operational efficiency, and resulted in a 6% compound annual growth rate for total revenues, and a 7% compound annual growth rate for total distributions to members.

In 2022, ASCAP grew every major category of licensing to drive ASCAP domestic revenue to $1.178 billion, up 16.5%, an increase of $167 million over 2021. General licensing revenue increased by 40%, radio by 32%, audio streaming by 16% and audio-visual by 7%. This was the second year that ASCAP domestic revenues from U.S.-licensed performances topped $1 billion.

Royalty distributions to ASCAP members also exceeded $1 billion for the sixth year in a row in 2022 and increased 10.7% over 2021, with a total of $1.388 billion available for distribution to ASCAP’s music creator and publisher members. In​ 2022, ASCAP ​delivered 90 cents of every dollar back to its ​members as royalties.

“It is our technical innovation coupled with an unparalleled work ethic that grew our domestic revenue 16.5% in 2022 and yielded a 6% compound annual growth rate since the inception of our strategic plan eight years ago. ASCAP is the only US PRO that operates on a not-for-profit basis which is a key differentiator among PROs. ASCAP creator and publisher members are the sole beneficiaries of this growth because we invested years ago in cloud computing, enabling us to address the challenges of digital streaming efficiently, and because we only pay songwriters and publishers, not private investors,” says ASCAP CEO Elizabeth Matthews.

“We are elated to share these historic financial revenue and distribution results for 2022 with our songwriter, composer and publisher members, who are the foundation of the music we all love,” shares ASCAP Chairman of the Board and President Paul Williams. “In the US, we have competition, meaning that creators have a choice, and that choice should be ASCAP. It is in ASCAP’s DNA to ensure that we operate in the best interest of all our members. Our financial success for over 100 years, and a singular commitment to nurture their careers and maximize the value of their music, prove that our not-for-profit model of collective licensing works.”

The full ASCAP 2022 Annual Report can be viewed at ascap.com/annualreport22.