Steve Schnur, Worldwide Executive & President at EA Music and Nashville resident

The Screen Scoring Department at Berklee College of Music and Electronic Arts Music have partnered on a new EA/Berklee Next Gen Scholarship.

The new scholarship will, each semester, offer one qualified woman or non-cisgender composer studying in the Screen Scoring Department the chance to not only receive financial aid but also be mentored by an industry-leading team and learn how they compose, orchestrate and arrange an original score for an EA video game title.

“This is an exciting moment for the Screen Scoring Department and Berklee as a whole,” said Sean McMahon, department chair. “We are constantly striving to provide the best possible education for our students to attain personal and professional success. With this scholarship and mentorship program, Berklee and EA Music will collaborate on a vital initiative that allows the selected women to succeed, learn, and enter the world of composing with support from one of the most forward-thinking companies in interactive entertainment.”

The scholarship recipient will be announced at ‘EA Day’, an annual event beginning Spring 2023 that will bring notable guest speakers and Electronic Arts/EA Music executives to the Boston campus. The scholarship and mentorship program will empower deserving women to enter the industry with a practical understanding of what goes into composing an original video game score, a list of top-level professional contacts, as well as an understanding of working relationships.

“Our collaboration with Berklee is the latest in a series of EA initiatives designed to inspire the next generation to pursue STEAM-based careers,” says Steve Schnur, Worldwide Executive & President at EA Music, and Nashville resident. “Music composition is traditionally a very male-dominated sector, with a recent USC Annenberg Inclusion Initiative finding that women currently represent only 1.7% of composers in screen music, and the gender ratio of male composers to female composers is 18.3 to 1. We must work together to change this – and fast. We hope this partnership will provide the women who take part with an incredible learning opportunity and remind them of the variety of roles available to them in the video games industry. We look forward to our continued role in developing a new generation of women composers”

Carly Pearce is set to release a new live project, 29: Written In Stone (Live From Music City), on March 24.

The album was recorded during an intimate concert event at Marathon Music Works in Nashville, which also featured special guests Lee Brice (“I Hope You’re Happy Now”), The Isaacs (“Easy Going”), Matthew West (“Truth Be Told”), Jenee Fleenor (“29”) and Ashley McBryde (“Never Wanted To Be That Girl”).

Pearce will vie for Best Country Duo/Group Performance for “Never Wanted To Be That Girl” at the 65th annual Grammy Awards in Los Angeles this Sunday (Feb. 5) on CBS. Her current hit “What He Didn’t Do,” has amassed over 200 million streams to date.

The Kentucky Music Hall of Fame member joins Blake Shelton’s “Back to the Honky Tonk Tour,” starting Feb. 16 in Lincoln, Nebraska.

29: Written In Stone (Live From Music City) Track Listing:
1. “Diamondback (Live From Music City)”
2. “What He Didn’t Do (Live From Music City)”
3. “Easy Going (Live From Music City)”
4. “Dear Miss Loretta (Live From Music City)”
5. “Next Girl (Live From Music City)”
6. “Should’ve Known Better (Live From Music City)”
7. “29 (Live From Music City)”
8. “Never Wanted To Be That Girl (Live From Music City)” – Carly Pearce and Ashley McBryde
9. “Your Drinkin’, My Problem (Live From Music City)”
10. “Liability (Live From Music City)”
11. “Messy (Live From Music City)”
12. “Show Me Around (Live From Music City)”
13. “Day One (Live From Music City)”
14. “All The Whiskey In The World (Live From Music City)”
15. “Mean It This Time (Live From Music City)”
16. “Truth Be Told (Live From Music City)” – Carly Pearce and Matthew West
17. “Every Little Thing (Live From Music City)”
18. “Hide The Wine (Live From Music City)”
19. “I Hope You’re Happy Now (Live From Music City)” – Carly Pearce and Lee Brice

Kelsea Ballerini. Photo: Catherine Powell/Getty Images for CMT

Kelsea Ballerini will star in the third installment of CMT Storytellers, set to premiere Thursday, Feb. 16 at 9 p.m. CT on the network.

The show features never-before-heard stories behind Ballerini’s most career-defining songs, and takes fans along on a musical journey from her Platinum debut album The First Time (2015) through her latest project Subject To Change (2022). She performs hits “Peter Pan,” “Homecoming Queen?,” “Half of My Hometown” and “If You Go Down” on the show, which was filmed in front of an intimate audience outside of Nashville, and opens up about her evolution as a singer-songwriter, her writing process, and navigating life and career in the special one-hour concert.

“Songwriting is my therapy, my haven, my best friend and my exhale,” says Ballerini. “It’s the purest part of what I do, and I am grateful to join a lineup of storytellers I’ve learned from as I tell mine.”

Brooks & Dunn kicked off the revival of CMT Storytellers this spring, followed by an episode with Darius Rucker. The Storytellers franchise originally aired on VH1 from 1990 to 2015 and quickly became a cultural touchstone, featuring some of the biggest names in music including Garth Brooks, The Chicks, Pearl Jam, Elton John, Ed Sheeran, Bruce Springsteen and Taylor Swift, among others.

Ballerini will also return as co-host of the CMT Music Awards for the third consecutive year, and is set to appear as part of the concert event “The Judds: Love Is Alive – The Final Concert” this spring. This Sunday (Feb. 5), she’s also up for her first Grammy in the “Best Country Solo Performance” category for “Heartfirst.” Ballerini is set to embark on the second leg of her headlining “Heartfirst Tour” this spring, in addition to joining Kenny Chesney on his “I Go Back Tour.”

BMI Kicks Off Bluebird Cafe Series With ‘New Faces Of Nashville’ Show

Pictured (L-R): BMI’s Shannon Sanders, Harper Grae, Tony Evans Jr., Lindsey Hinkle and BMI’s Clay Bradley. Photo: Edwin Keeble

BMI kicked off their 2023 showcase series, BMI Presents at the Bluebird Cafe, with a “New Faces of Nashville” set on Tuesday evening (Jan. 31). The show featured performances from Music City newcomers Lindsey Hinkle, Harper Grae and Tony Evans Jr.

BMI Presents at the Bluebird Cafe spotlights a diverse group of Nashville-based, emerging singer-songwriters each month at the historic venue.

“BMI is proud of our partnership with the Bluebird. We’re mutually committed to the support of our songwriter community,” shares BMI Nashville Executive Director, Creative, Shannon Sanders.

The event marked Hinkle’s Bluebird Cafe debut. She serenaded audience member with her songs including “Power of a Woman,” “Bound to Fall,” and “Leave Me Alone.” The self-taught musician has written her own music since she was 13, and has opened for acts including Keith Urban, Lady A, Sugarland and Darius Rucker.

Grae spoke about her childhood tribulations, singing about her mother’s struggle with addiction and being raised by her grandparents. Her emotional set included “Monster,” “Bloodline,” and “Dying on the Vine” and more from her EP Buck Moon Medleys.

Evans Jr. closed out the show with songs centered around heartbreak and “that knot in the stomach we feel when a relationship ends.” The Georgia native performed three tracks during his set — “We’ve Never Danced,” “Hard to Sleep Alone” and “Kids We Never Had.”

Laurie Gregory Joins Smokin’ Oaks Organic Farms As Director of Marketing & Events

Laurie Gregory

Music and hospitality industry veteran Laurie Gregory has joined Smokin’ Oaks Organic Farms as Director of Marketing & Events.

Gregory served as a founding producer of Music City Roots and previously managed events for the Country Music Hall of Fame and Museum. In her new role, Gregory will be responsible for promotions and events for the farms as well as the Nashville storefront located on 8th Avenue South.

Owned by Justin Head, Smokin’ Oaks features a full-service butcher shop, deli and grocery as well as an area used for lunch seating, ticketed events, tastings and live music. Everything in the store is carefully sourced to be top quality clean, nutrient-dense products. All meats are from the owner’s farm, where the animals are 100 percent pasture-raised in a healthy environment.

“Smokin’ Oaks is a true farm-to-table business,” says Gregory. “Just like the authentic musicians and creatives I have worked with all these years, our team’s dedication to clean local food and support of other farms inspire me to develop opportunities for the public to experience. I have the dream job of combining my favorite things: food, music and community.”

Gregory can be reached at laurie@smokinoaksorganicfarms.com.

Matt Freedman Inks With Forward Music Management

Matt Freedman and Brad Austin.

Matt Freedman has joined Forward Music Management’s roster.

Freedman has been working on his music since he was a teenager. His songs combine a unique blend of country, rock, Americana, pop and blues. He and his band The Herd have opened for artists including Miranda Lambert and Brett Young.

“Matt is uniquely positioned for 2023 and beyond. He’s a bit of a renaissance artist with one foot firmly planted in the roots of country, pop and Americana music yet the other foot is pointing squarely towards the future. I’m excited for people to hear what’s next from Matt!” says Forward Music Founder Brad Austin.

Ginmarc Publishing Signs Addy Prado

Pictured (L-R): Ginmarc’s Jennifer Rai, Addy Prado and BMI’s Leslie Roberts. Photo: Michael Miller

Jennifer Rai and her husband, producer Mark Bright, have launched independent publishing company, Ginmarc. Singer-songwriter Addy Prado is Ginmarc first signee, inking an exclusive publishing deal with the company.

Ginmarc seeks to support the creativity and development of songwriters and producers. Rai served as Creative Director of Mark Bright Productions for years, and recently held the same position at Adair Publishing. She has also served as A&R Director & Production Coordinator on multiple major label projects.

Prado is a multi-instrumentalist who plays piano, guitar, oboe, and more, and grew up singing with her sister from an early age. She is currently touring with her friend Matthew Fowler and sister Tana in a trio. Since signing with Ginmarc she has written with Bright, Marc Beeson, Chuck Butler, Michael Farren and more, and has already earned cuts with Canadian country artist Emilie Naimark and rising pop artist Garrett Adair.

“Addy is pure creative energy,” says Rai. “Her voice, as an instrument, is as strong as her writing instincts. I am just thrilled to have the privilege of signing her as my first writer and supporting her creativity.”