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Weekly Chart Report (6/21/19)

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Click here or above to access MusicRow’s weekly CountryBreakout Report.

Marty Stuart To Welcome Chris Stapleton, John Prine, Brandy Clark For CMHoF Artist-In-Residence Series

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Marty Stuart has announced a string of guest performers for his upcoming artist-in-residence shows at the Country Music Hall of Fame and Museum. Stuart will produce and perform three shows — Sept. 11, 18 and 25, 2019 — bringing with him his Fabulous Superlatives band and friends from his nearly half-century of music making.

See below for the lineup:

September 11: The Pilgrim
Stuart will celebrate the rerelease of his landmark 10th studio album, The Pilgrim (1999), which showcases his songwriting and instrumental talents and tells the story of a man from Stuart’s hometown of Philadelphia, Mississippi. He will celebrate this 20-year milestone with a host of musical guests including Chris and Morgane Stapleton, Country Music Hall of Fame member Emmylou Harris, Country Music Hall of Fame member Connie Smith, Gary Carter and Kristin Wilkinson with her Superlative Strings.

September 18: Psychedelic Jam-Bo-Ree
Stuart will celebrate country music of the 1960s, featuring a line-up of influential artists and musicians including Roger McGuinn and Chris Hillman of The Byrds, Connie Smith, Old Crow Medicine Show, Buck Trent, Kenny Lovelace, Jim Lauderdale, the Grand Ole Opry Square Dancers and the Fabulous Superlatives.

September 25: Songs That Tell a Story
Stuart will pay homage to country music’s musical stories with an acoustic show. This line-up will feature a number of Nashville’s most influential and revered storytellers including John Prine, Doug Kershaw, Dallas Frazier, Brandy Clark and the Fabulous Superlatives.

Tickets for all three shows are on sale now and can be purchased at CMATheater.com. Tickets for each show range from $39.50 to $85.50 (plus ticketing fees). Sales are limited to four tickets per transaction on a first-come, first-served basis, and are non-refundable. Shows begin at 8:00 p.m. The museum’s artist-in-residence program is presented by Carter Vintage Guitars.

Morgan Wallen Raises His Whiskey Glass To Three-Week No. 1 Hit

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(L-R) — Back Row: Joey Moi (Partner) Kevin “Chief” Zaruk (Partner), Morgan Wallen, Seth England (Partner), Clay Hunnicutt (President, Big Loud Records), Patch Culbertson (Vp Of A&R)  Front Row: Lloyd Norman (Vp Of Special Projects & Strategic Management, Big Loud), Stacy Blythe (Vp Of Promotion, Big Loud Records), Craig Wiseman (Partner), Troy “Tracker” Johnson (Manager), Candice Watkins (Vp Of Marketing, Big Loud Records)

Morgan Wallen is celebrating his first multi-week No. 1 at country radio this week with his smash “Whiskey Glasses.” Holding atop Billboard’s Country Airplay chart for the third week in a row, the catchy track was written by Ben Burgess and Kevin Kadish. The third single from his Joey Moi-produced debut album, If I Know Me, the song follows the Platinum-certified, No. 1 “Up Down” featuring Florida Georgia Line.

“The power of this song, my fans, and Country radio continues to just blow me away,” said Wallen. “I can’t even express how grateful I am to everybody who made this all possible. Thank you for my first multi-week #1!”

Wallen will continue on FGL’s Can’t Say I Ain’t Country Tour, then will finish the year as direct support on Luke Combs’ Beer Never Broke My Heart Tour, kicking off in October. He surprised fans last Friday (6/14) with the release of another album cut clip, dropping a live video for the feel-good drinking anthem “Happy Hour” which was filmed at his sold-out Marathon Music Works tour stop in January in Nashville. Coming next to country radio will be Wallen’s fourth single, the fan-favorite “Chasin’ You,” with its accompanying video that has already racked up six million views on Youtube.

BREAKING: Troy Tomlinson Named Chairman/CEO Of UMPG Nashville

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Troy Tomlinson, who served as Sony/ATV Music Publishing Nashville’s President/CEO since 2005, has joined UMPG as Chairman/CEO of its Nashville division. With this appointment, Tomlinson becomes UMPG Nashville’s first-ever Chairman and CEO. He will begin his new role July 15 and will report to UMPG Chairman/CEO Jody Gerson.

In his new role, he will join UMPG’s global senior management team, with responsibility for the entirety of UMPG’s Nashville operations, including providing leadership to UMPG’s Tennessee-based royalty operations and Christian division. Further, Tomlinson will be a key creative voice throughout Universal Music Group, UMPG’s parent company and the world leader in music-based entertainment.

Gerson said, “Troy’s track record in Nashville is the stuff of legend. He is simply one of the best and most successful creative executives the Nashville publishing community has ever seen. And having worked closely with him during my time at Sony, I know firsthand of his ability to take a promising songwriter with a song and turn them into a career artist. I’m thrilled to have him join UMPG’s senior management team and accelerate our transformation into the most progressive and effective partner to songwriters anywhere.”

Sir Lucian Grainge, Chairman and CEO of Universal Music Group, said, “When it comes to identifying great songs, songwriters and artists, Troy is one of Nashville’s finest. I’m looking forward to him joining us at this pivotal time as we continue to build a home for songwriters like no other, one focused on long term careers and creating global opportunities.”

Tomlinson said, “I’m so excited to join Jody and her exceptional team at UMPG. For me, this is the right time and UMPG is the right place to channel my energy and passion to build something entirely new and dynamic for Nashville’s songwriting community. I’ve long admired Jody even before I had the opportunity to work with her at Sony, and to see what she’s achieved at Universal and the culture she’s created in just the few years since she joined is nothing short of inspiring. To be able to work with her again and contribute to UMPG’s incredible momentum is exciting to say the least.”

Tomlinson joined Sony/ATV Music Publishing in 2002 as Vice President of Creative, rising to President and CEO in 2005. During his tenure he oversaw the songwriting careers of artists including Taylor Swift, Kenny Chesney, Miranda Lambert, Luke Bryan, Eric Church, Darius Rucker, Kelsea Ballerini, Blake Shelton, Thomas Rhett, Gary Levox (Rascal Flatts), Brett Eldredge, Jon Pardi, The Band Perry, Mitchell Tenpenny, Jimmie Allen, Cole Swindell, Randy Houser, Charlie Worsham, High Valley, and Chase Rice.

In addition to Sony/ATV Music Publishing’s writer-artists, Tomlinson guided the careers of songwriters Josh Osborne, Chris DeStefano, Ross Copperman, Jon Nite, Jaren Johnston, Lindsay Rimes, Jim Beavers, Luke Laird as well as Songwriters Hall of Fame inductees Bill Anderson and Bobby Braddock and Nashville Songwriters Hall of Fame inductee Tom Douglas, among many others. He was responsible for stewarding the song catalogs of Hank Williams, Dolly Parton, Merle Haggard, Willie Nelson, Kris Kristofferson, Alan Jackson, Guy Clark, Buck Owens, Hank Cochran and the Everly Brothers. Under Tomlinson’s leadership in 2007, Sony/ATV Music Publishing Nashville became the only country music publishing company in history to win the ASCAP Country Publisher of the Year, BMI Country Publisher of the Year, SESAC Country Publisher of the Year, and Billboard’s Publisher and Publishing Corporation of the Year, the same year. Additionally, Sony/ATV Music Publishing Nashville has been named BMI’s Publisher of the Year for an unprecedented 16 consecutive years, as well as Billboard’s Country Publisher of the Year for the same time period.

Prior to joining Sony/ATV, Tomlinson worked at Acuff-Rose Music Publishing where he rose to the position of Executive Vice President. While at Acuff-Rose he worked with famed songwriters Dean Dillon, Skip Ewing, Jim Weatherly, and Whitey Shafer, among others. During his early years at Acuff Rose, Tomlinson discovered four-time Country Music Association Entertainer of the Year, Kenny Chesney.

Before Acuff-Rose, Tomlinson ran the Nashville division of Fame Music Group, the company founded by Rick Hall, the Muscle Shoals studio legend.

MusicRow has confirmed that UMPG Exec. VP/GM Kent Earls is exiting.

“The past 21 + years at UMPG Nashville have been truly incredible. I’m very proud of our many accomplishments while at the helm. We had multiple Grammy wins, Writer and Song of the Year accolades, countless #1 singles but the true joy was either signing, developing and furthering the careers of incredibly talented songwriters like Luke Laird, Rivers Rutherford, Chase McGill, Lori Mckenna, Natalie Hemby, Shane McAnally, Andrew Dorff and songwriter-artists like Sam Hunt, Keith Urban, Kane Brown, Chris Young, Maren Morris , and so many more. I am also so proud of the staff we assembled in my time there-they are second to none and are the reason we achieved so many highs. I love the Nashville music industry and community and excited to see what the future holds.” Earls says.

Kent can reached at [email protected].

Weekly Chart Report (6/14/19)

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Click here or above to access MusicRow’s weekly CountryBreakout Report.

Lauren Weintraub Signs With Big Machine Music And Brandy Clark’s All BC Music

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Pictured (L-R): Big Machine Music’s Mike Molinar, Brandy Clark, Lauren Weintraub, Big Machine Music’s Alex Heddle. Photo: Jeff Auger

Big Machine Music and six-time Grammy nominee Brandy Clark’s All BC Music have announced a joint music publishing venture, in addition to the venture’s inaugural signing of emerging singer-songwriter Lauren Weintraub.

“Lauren is a smart, evocative, musical storyteller whose music sits effortlessly at the intersection of credibility and commerciality,” said BMM’s General Manager Mike Molinar.  “Her natural craft is far beyond her age and she embodies all that our team could ever hope to find in a young talent. I’m incredibly excited that Lauren has chosen Brandy Clark and Big Machine Music as her publishing partners.”

Clark shared, “I feel honored, excited and incredibly lucky to have the opportunity to work with a singer-songwriter whose talent blows me away a little more with every new song I hear. I only hope to help encourage and guide Lauren along her own unique artistic path and can’t wait for the rest of the world to hear what we’ve all been discovering.”

Weintraub moved from Boston to Nashville in 2017 to attend the Curb School of Entertainment and Music Business at Belmont University and shortly thereafter began to receive critical recognition. She won the 2018 Recording Academy/Grammy U contest with “Careful Now,” while her “If You Were Gonna Leave Anyway” entry for NPR Music’s 2019 Tiny Desk Contest earned a “Top Shelf” designation from a panel of judges including Jason Isbell. Nashville Songwriters Association International recently named Weintraub “One To Watch,” in addition to an honorable mention in the 19th Annual NSAI Song Contest presented by CMT and Martin Guitars & Strings.

“I am beyond thrilled about this unique opportunity to work closely with Big Machine Music and Brandy Clark,” said Weintraub. “To be the first artist signed as a part of this joint venture is extremely special to me and something that I feel so incredibly honored to be a part of as I continue crafting my stories through each song.”

Management Company Fourward Opens Nashville Office, Signs Abby Anderson

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Will Ward, Abby Anderson, and Alicia Jones.

Over a year ago, former ROAR manager Will Ward exited to form his own company, Fourward, which encompasses management, production and business development.

The company has now opened a Nashville office, with Black River Entertainment’s Abby Anderson as one of the company’s newest clients. She joins Fourward TV and film clients such as Chris Hemsworth, Liam Hemsworth, Cobie Smulders, Aisha Tyler and music clients including Elliphant.

Alicia Jones, who previously served as day-to-day manager for Kelsea Ballerini at Iconic Entertainment Group,  has joined the new company in a management role, with Ben Simonetti in an A&R role. The Nashville office joins Fourward’s other offices in Los Angeles, New York and Melbourne, Australia.

Nashville native Ward previously helped guide the careers of Zac Brown Band and Chris Hemsworth during his time at ROAR. He says his new Nashville office at Fourward allows him to focus on the Nashville market. “That is one thing I had always wanted to do with ROAR,” he says. “I want to build a Nashville roster.”

Prior to founding Fourward and his work at ROAR, Ward represented clients such as Adam Sandler, Edward Norton, Dustin Hoffman and Mark Wahlberg at WME.

Ward first saw Anderson perform in Nashville as part of live music series Whiskey Jam, and says it was Jones who tipped him off that Anderson was in the market for new management. “Abby was electric,” Ward says. “She has this amazing personality and an incredible voice. She’s a star.”

Anderson is currently on the road opening shows for Rob Thomas’ Chip Tooth Smile Tour, and recently released the new song “Good Lord.”

Fourward’s Nashville office is located at 632 Fogg Street in Nashville. The team at Fourward Nashville can now be reached at (424) 303-5000.

In addition, Ward’s career outside of traditional entertainment continues to grow as the co-founder and co-owner of restaurant chain Ottos Tacos. Ward is also the co-founder and co-owner of health, wellness and fitness app Centr alongside private equity giant Quadrant. Centr was one of the most successful launches of an app in the fitness space this year.

Fourward’s Will Ward, Alicia Jones, Ben Simonetti

Kelsea Ballerini Earns Fifth No. 1 Country Radio Single With “Miss Me More”

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Kelsea Ballerini participates in a surprise meet-and-greet with fans at Xfinity Fan Fair X inside Music City Center and receives the news that her single “Miss Me More” hit No. 1 at country radio. Photo: Kimberly Whiting/CMA

Black River Entertainment’s Kelsea Ballerini is celebrating her fifth No. 1 single with “Miss Me More” topping the Mediabase country singles chart, breaking the dry spell of solo female country artists at No. 1 on country radio for the first time in over 15 months. The track rose two spots this week to take the lead, up from its third place position on last week’s chart.

The previous most-recent No. 1 song from a solo female country artist was Ballerini’s own “Legends,” which topped the Country Airplay chart and the Mediabase country chart on Feb. 20, 2018.

“Miss Me More” and “Legends” are both from Ballerini’s sophomore album Unapologetically. Ballerini’s No. 1 singles count is now at five, following “Love Me Like You Mean It,” “Dibs,” and “Peter Pan,” all from her debut album The First Time.

Congratulations poured in from her fellow artists, including Maren Morris, whose own single “GIRL” sits in the Top 10 on the Mediabase chart. Others chiming in included Kelly Clarkson, Cassadee Pope, Carly Pearce, and more.

 

BREAKING: ASCAP’s Mike Sistad And Kele Currier Promoted, Michael Martin Exits

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Mike Sistad, Kele Currier

The American Society of Composers, Authors and Publishers (ASCAP) has announced that longtime ASCAP executive and songwriter advocate Mike Sistad has been promoted to Vice President and will lead its Nashville Membership team, reporting directly to Executive Vice President of Membership John Titta. Sistad has been an integral member of ASCAP’s Membership group for more than eighteen years and has nurtured and signed some of the organization’s top talent, including Chris Stapleton, Kelsea Ballerini, Old Dominion, Brothers Osborne, Carly Pearce and more.

Concurrently, ASCAP’s Kele Currier has been upped to the position of Assistant Vice President, Strategic Services, Membership, reporting to Sistad. The changes come as current ASCAP Nashville Vice President Michael Martin exits on June 14 to return to the world of music publishing.

Titta stated, “Mike has been an essential member of our Membership team for many years, and his understanding of the needs of our valuable songwriter and publisher community in Nashville is unparalleled. His reputation as a fierce advocate for songwriters and his close bonds with our Nashville members make him the perfect choice to lead our talented team in Music City.” He continued, “Kele’s dedication to the livelihoods of our songwriter and publisher members is immense. She has consistently proven her excellence as a strategic resource while delivering exceptional service to our members.”

On the departure of Martin, ASCAP Chief Executive Officer Elizabeth Matthews commented, “Michael’s leadership of our Nashville team over the past four years has been extraordinary. We are excited for him as he returns to his ‘first love’ of music publishing, and we look forward to partnering with him in his new role.”

Originally from Minnesota, Sistad has worked on both the creative and business sides of the music industry. As a musician, he has performed across most of North America, including stops at the Houston Rodeo and Calgary Stampede, as well as radio and television performances including A Prairie Home Companion and the Grand Ole Opry. A Belmont University graduate, Sistad has held many roles, including a stint with legendary Muscle Shoals producer/musician Barry Beckett, an A&R executive position with Arista Records Nashville, and band member for two-time ASCAP Country Songwriter/Artist of the Year Phil Vassar. In 2001, he joined ASCAP’s Nashville Membership team as Creative Director. Sistad has previously served as both a Board Governor and Chapter Advisor for the Nashville Chapter of the Recording Academy, in addition to being a CMA and ACM member, and Leadership Music alumni.

Currier’s more than twenty years in the music business began with administration and licensing positions with publishers, which led to the title of audit manager at publishing administration company Integrated Copyright Group (ICG). While at ICG, Currier met ASCAP hit songwriter Craig Wiseman, who recruited her to assist in opening his Big Loud Bucks administration arm.

As Executive Vice President, she co-managed Wiseman’s catalogs along with the catalogs of Big Tractor Publishing, Extreme Writers Group, and the hit catalogs of Rodney Clawson, Chris Tompkins and various independent publishers. In 2010, Currier joined ole Music Publishing as Director of Administration, where she led the U.S administration presence for their Toronto-based offices and negotiated all synchronization deals for the company and their clients. In 2013, Currier came to ASCAP in the role of Director of Strategic Services, Membership, where she handled key distribution projects for the country and Christian music markets and assisted in resolving high-level membership issues.

Weekly Chart Report (6/7/19)

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Click here or above to access MusicRow’s weekly CountryBreakout Report.