Courtney Kruckeberg, Farrell Gothers

Courtney Kruckeberg has been promoted to Creative Director at Endurance Music Group. Farrell Gothers has also joined the Endurance Administration team in the newly-created role of Royalty Analyst.

Kruckeberg previously served as Catalog Manager at Mojo Music & Media (formerly HoriPro Entertainment Group), and prior to that spent time at the administration company ClearBox Rights. She joined Endurance in 2020 and is responsible for managing the day-to-day needs of the company’s roster of writers, and is also responsible for pitching songs from EMG’s current and back catalog of hits, along with arranging sync co-writes and managing the company’s relationships with its sync partners.

“Since day one, Courtney has proven herself an invaluable asset to the Endurance team and our roster of songwriters,” says EMG President Michael Martin. “Her creativity and enthusiasm shine in everything she does, and she has already significantly impacted EMG’s growth. We are thrilled to continue this journey with her and excited to see what comes next!”

In her new role, Gothers is responsible for ensuring timely and accurate royalty payments for all of Endurance’s songwriters as well as its independent administration clients. Gothers comes to EMG as a 2022 Belmont University graduate with a B.B.A. in Music Business.

“Farrell’s careful attention to detail and exceptional organizational skills were evident from our first meeting, and she has already greatly exceeded that first impression. We are very happy to have her join our ever-growing administration team,” adds EMG Senior Vice President Mark Ahlberg.

Pictured (L-R, front row): Jim Catino, Russell Sutton, Tommy Karlas and Rusty Gaston. (L-R, back row): Tom Luteran, Kenley Flynn, Anna Weisband, Dale Bobo, Aubrey Rupe and Synnovea Halsel.

Russell Sutton and Tommy Karlas have both signed global deals with Sony Music Publishing Nashville and Droptine Music Publishing.

Sutton first achieved prominence as part of the duo Grassroots Revival. As a songwriter, he recently earned chart success with his first No. 1 single “My Boy” by Elvie Shane as well as with cuts by Drew Green. Sutton’s latest hit “Whiskey On You” by Nate Smith has topped the Canadian charts and reached No. 1 on Billboard’s Country Airplay chart this week.

Karlas has written songs for Blake Shelton, Warren Zeiders, Old Dominion, Randy Travis, and Montgomery Gentry, including their multi-week No. 1 “Roll With Me” which became the fastest rising and most downloaded song of Montgomery Gentry’s career, and earned Karlas an ASCAP Songwriter of the Year nomination. In 2021, he released his debut album, Put It In Drive.

“We couldn’t be happier to expand our relationship with Jim Catino and his Droptine Publishing team. Russell and Tommy are true Nashville craftsmen with the abilities to make big things happen,” says Sony Music Publishing Nashville CEO Rusty Gaston.

“I’m so excited to be working with Tommy and Russell,” adds Droptine Founder Jim Catino. “Both seasoned songwriters who know their craft well. It’s an honor to work their songs and I know they will both continue their great success.”

WME’s Music department announced the promotion of several partners and agents across its global offices in Beverly Hills, New York, Nashville, London and Sydney.

In Nashville, Henry Glascock has been elevated to partner. With over 20 years of experience in the touring and live music industry, his roster includes Parker McCollum, Randy Rogers Band, Josh Abbott Band, Stoney LaRue, Flatland Cavalry, Corey Smith, Mike Ryan, William Beckmann, Trey Lewis, Kyle Clark and Catie Offerman. Before transitioning into the agency side of the business and joining WME in 2010, Glascock aided in the early success of groundbreaking country artists including Dierks Bentley, Jason Aldean, Eric Church, Luke Bryan and Miranda Lambert – promoting their early club-level shows as well as many of their first headlining arena tours.

Nashville’s Becca Chisholm, Caleb Fenn, Carter Green and Kanan Vitolo were promoted to agents in the country music department, as well as Morgan Carney in Christian music. Janelle Flint out of Nashville was promoted to coordinator in the country music department as well.

“These promotions showcase the breadth of our client roster and how far we can go in servicing our artists,” shares Lucy Dickins, WME’s Global Head of Contemporary Music & Touring, and Becky Gardenhire, Co-Head of WME’s Nashville office. “We are so proud of the leadership and ingenuity each of these individuals has demonstrated, and we look forward to what they will achieve.”

Photo Credit: John Galbraith

Reyna Roberts has signed with Empire and is releasing a new single, “Another Round” featuring Tayler Holder on Feb. 10. Her debut album is slated for release later this year.

“Another Round” was penned by Roberts, Laura Veltz and Jimmy Robbins, and follows Roberts’ latest single “Pretty Little Devils.”

“I really wanted to play around with the different meanings that the phrase ‘another round’ could have,” says Roberts. “My goal was to create a story that touched on all of the different ways people could be apprehensive to have ‘another round’ in life – whether it’s another round of a relationship, drinks, or any other vice. And at the time I had the idea for this song, I had never been in a relationship, so I wrote the lyrics purely from imagination. Then sometime later when I went through a break-up, I truly understood the feelings behind the music.”

An Amazon Music Breakthrough Artist in 2022, member of the 2021 CMT Next Women of Country class, and a Radio.com Leading Ladies honoree, Roberts opened for Reba McEntire last year and made her first appearances at Stagecoach festival and CMA Fest. In 2022, she also sang the National Anthem at the United States Grand Prix in Austin and the NASCAR Cup Series Ally-400 in Nashville. Most recently, she was featured in “The Power of Women in Country Music” exhibit at the Grammy Museum.

Networks have taken notice of Roberts’ hooks, too, as the NFL Network recently used her song “See Me Win” as part of their 2023 Spotlight Series. Her debut single “Stompin’ Grounds” was also featured during ESPN’s Monday Night Football throughout the 2020 season.