Tyler Hubbard Sells Out Bowery Ballroom In New York City

Pictured (L-R): BMI’s Mike O’Neill, Liz Fischer and Tyler Hubbard at the Bowery Ballroom.

Multi-Platinum artist Tyler Hubbard sold out the Bowery Ballroom in New York City with his performance on Tuesday, Jan. 31.

Hubbard released his debut solo album Tyler Hubbard last week on Friday, Jan. 27. The collection features hit “5 Foot 9” as well as his latest single “Dancin’ In The Country.”

CAA Amplify Kicks Off Black History Month Celebration With Intimate Dinner

Mickey Guyton at CAA Amplify’s Black History Month Dinner. Photo: Courtesy of CAA

CAA kicked off their celebration of Black History Month last night (Feb. 2) with an intimate dinner hosted by CAA Amplify alongside a group of Black female agents and executives.

The event was led by CAA Agency Board Member Lisa Joseph Metelus and Senior Motion Picture Agent Lorrie Bartlett. Mayor of Los Angeles Karen Bass, the first Black woman elected to the city’s top office, served as the surprise honored guest.

“We are honored to be in community with an incredible gathering of women leaders in the entertainment industry,” stated Metelus and Bartlett. “At its core, CAA Amplify is a powerful platform that celebrates the continued progress towards equity, and those breaking barriers daily. We are thrilled to welcome Mayor Bass, a woman shattering the glass ceiling, and offer our support as she works to best serve the needs of Los Angeles.”

Country music artist Mickey Guyton was in attendance along with Warner Bros. Television Chairperson Channing Dungey, Executive Vice President of TriStar Television Jennifer Turner, actress Jurnee Smollett, President of TriStar Pictures Nicole Brown, Vice President of Netflix Niija Kuykendall, Universal Studio Group Chairman Pearlena Igbokwe and many other leaders within the industry.

Spotify Nashville Represents At Women In Entertainment Event

Pictured (L-R): Gemma McInturff, Guest, Brittany Schaffer, Jackie Augustus, Rachel Whitney and Mary Catherine Kinney. Photo: Charley Gallay/Getty Images for Spotify

Spotify hosted its 2023 Women in Entertainment event on Wednesday evening (Feb. 1) at Spago Beverly Hills in Los Angeles, California.

Spotify Nashville team members Brittany Schaffer, Gemma McInturff, Jackie Augustus, Mary Catherine Kinney and Rachel Whitney were among those in attendance.

Deluge Music Signs Blake Wood

Pictured (L-R): Deluge Music’s Stephanie Greene, Blake Wood, Deluge Music’s David Robkin, and Lewis Brisbois’ Matt Cottingham.

Deluge Music has signed singer-songwriter Blake Wood to an exclusive global publishing agreement.

Born in Kentucky and raised in North Carolina, Wood made his way to Music City two years ago. He comes from a musical family as his brother Jon is also a Nashville-based artist and his father Steven is a musician and producer.

Joe Baldridge

Joe Baldridge has joined The Mike Curb College of Entertainment & Music Business as Director of Studio Operations at Ocean Way Nashville.

In addition to teaching, Baldridge boasts a 35-year audio engineering career stacked with multiple No. 1s. He holds nearly 600 credits on All Music, earned a Dove Award for his work with TobyMac and a Grammy nomination for his work on Taylor Swift’s album Red.

“Joe has a fantastic balance of vast commercial and teaching experience and is a highly respected faculty member in our field,” says Michael Janas, Audio Engineering Program Chair and Instructor of Audio Engineering Technology. “With a combination of 35 years of professional experience and more than 13 years in the classroom, he understands the highest level of skill needed to succeed in the industry as well as what it takes for students to reach that level.”

“Ocean Way isn’t just a world-renowned studio; it’s also a space for students to learn and hone their crafts,” states Dr. Sarita Stewart, Interim Dean of Curb College “We’re excited for Joe to continue leveraging the Ocean Way name to bring more eyes to Belmont. After a national search, it was clear he was the best person to fill the role.”

“We have an excellent team here built on a solid reputation created by those who came before us,” says Baldridge. “We are excited to continue to serve recording arts and grow Ocean Way Nashville as a home for creatives from all over the world to do their best work.”

Additionally, Ocean Way recently hired Austin Atwood, a 2012 music business alumnus, to serve as Operations Manager and promoted Jamie Warden to Business Manager.

Designed by award-winning recording engineer Allen Sides and purchased by Belmont University in 2001, Ocean Way Nashville is the number one tracking room in Music City. The world-class teaching facility also serves an impressive client roster. Housed in a 100-year-old Gothic revival gray stone church, Ocean Way Nashville serves a diverse list of clients spanning pop, rock, hip hop, country and gospel and has emerged as the premier scoring facility in the Southeast. Besides being a sought-after space for full-band tracking, Ocean Way Nashville has become an internationally favored destination for orchestral recording as well as scoring for films and video games.

CRS has unveiled details surrounding Day Two and Three of this year’s event, set for March 13-15 at the Omni Nashville Hotel. The details regarding Day One, the Digital Media Summit, were also announced this week.

Newly-announced panels include:
Leading Through High Functioning Anxiety: Exploring the traits, characteristics, challenges, and coping mechanisms for those with High Functioning Anxiety, specifically in the workplace. Panelists include Laura Melrose Ramey (Licensed Marriage and Family Therapist/Onsite Workshops) and Isabelle Burton Richards (Master of Arts/Licensed Clinical Professional Counselor/Center for Contextual Change). Debbie Carroll (Onsite Workshops, VP Entertainment and Specialized Services) will moderate the panel.

Merch Madness 2023: Four key takeaways on how radio stations can generate non-traditional revenue through quality, creative merchandise and merchandise collaborations. Panelists include Jamie Mottram (BreakingT), Scot Calonge (Richards & Southern Inc.), Masa Patterson (Benztown), and Moderator Allison Warren (Cumulus Radio Group Nashville).

Socially Acceptable: Understanding The Platforms of Today: An interactive workshop on effectively utilizing social media platforms. Moderated by Nicole Michalik (Beasley Media Group), panelists are Stefany Reed (Artist Relations & Talent Partnerships, Live Nation), Kelsey Charles (Lucchese Boots), and Cheldin Rumer (CEO, This Is It Network).

Prep Rally: The three main styles of show prep: searching and finding your content, using show-prep services, and utilizing personal stories/moments for relatable content for listeners will be discussed. Panelists set to appear are Tim Leary (Hubbard/WIRK), Steve Reynolds (The Top Ten Talent Coach/The Reynolds Group), and Charlie Maxx (Beasley Broadcast Group/WXTU & Futuri Media). Kelly Sutton (Host of Y’all Access with Kelly Sutton) will moderate.

Okay, Boomer! – A Conversation with Gen- Z: How to connect with and appeal to the next generation of audio consumers, employees, and co-workers in the industry in 2023 and beyond. The panel will feature conversations with everyday Gen-Z’ers, Gen-Z Personalities, experienced industry veterans, and successful programmers who employ all Gen-Z members. Panelists are Bru (Audacy), Dan Hunt (Program Director/National Brand Team, iHeartMedia), and Brittani Koster (Sr. Manager/Streaming, Big Loud). Maynard (National Programming/EVP Programming, iHeartMedia) will moderate this session.

Tuesday (March 14) and Wednesday (March 15) at CRS ‘23 will also include mentoring breakfasts, Team UMG at the Ryman, The BMLG luncheon, the annual “Artist Interview” featuring Kenny Chesney, Bob Kingsley’s Acoustic Alley, The CRS Research presentation, the annual New Faces of Country Music Show and much more.

“This year’s agenda will tackle our industry’s greatest challenges and opportunities, including growing as a content creator, coping with anxiety, discovering new revenue streams, celebrating diversity, and maintaining relevance in a changing universe,” shares Joey Tack (WIVK/Knoxville), Chairman of the CRS 2023 Agenda Committee.

The War And Treaty are gearing up for the release of their new 10-song collection, Lover’s Game, set for March 10 via Mercury Nashville.

Michael Trotter Jr. and Tanya Trotter explore the many facets of the complex emotion and pull back the layers of a maturing relationship on the brand new project.

“There is no greater or higher calling in life than to be conduits of love and that’s exactly what Lover’s Game is to us,” says Tanya. “From the opening guitar riff to the last piano note on this record…love is the intention and love is the subject that can’t be ignored. We’ve been through every facet of it together and we could not be more excited to share another layer of our story.”

The new album includes tracks “That’s How Love Is Made,” the spirit-lifting “Angel,” “Have You a Heart” which aches for real partnership, the fiery “Ain’t No Harmin’ Me” and more. The couple dug deep into the lessons their love has laid bare for this new album, writing more than 100 songs over the last two years before compiling it.

They’ll bring the new music to more than 35 cities this spring on their “Lover’s Game Tour,” kicking off March 19 in Oklahoma City. The powerhouse duo will also perform on the Grand Ole Opry stage tomorrow night (Feb. 4).

Lover’s Game Track Listing:
1. “Lover’s Game”- Michael Trotter Jr., Tanya Trotter, Dave Cobb
2. “Blank Page” – Michael Trotter Jr., Tanya Trotter
3. “Ain’t No Harmin’ Me” – Michael Trotter Jr., Tanya Trotter
4. “Yesterday’s Burn” –  Michael Trotter Jr., Tanya Trotter
5. “That’s How Love Is Made” –  Michael Trotter Jr., Tanya Trotter, Dave Barnes
6. “The Best That I Have” – Michael Trotter Jr., Tanya Trotter
7. “Dumb Luck” – Beau Bedford
8. “Angel” –  Michael Trotter Jr., Tanya Trotter
9. “Up Yonder” –  Michael Trotter Jr., Tanya Trotter
10. “Have You A Heart” – Michael Trotter Jr., Tanya Trotter