On the heels of dropping his new EP, Songs in the Gravel, Dylan Gossett (Big Loud Texas/Mercury/Republic) hit the Big Apple for the first time to perform two shows at the Mercury Lounge as part of his sold-out debut headlining tour, No Better Time. Adding to a monumental night, Gossett’s team surprised him with his first plaque, marking the gold certification of his breakout hit, “Coal,” which has logged 150m+ streams RTD and is currently in the Top 20 at Country radio. Seen just before handing out goodie bags full of coal are (l-r) Range Media Partners Director of A&R Federico Morris, Homebase Management’s Sam Katz, Mercury Records Prez Tyler Arnold, Gossett, and Mercury Manager of A&R Jake Levensohn and EVP Alex Coslov.

Warner Chappell Music has unveiled the Straight to the Heart project, a pioneering initiative aimed at simplifying the release of demos from publishers' catalogs.

This project promises to boost distribution and revenue for songwriters and streamline how demos are launched. It represents a collaborative effort between songwriters, publishers, the American Federation of Musicians, distributors and singers to bring each demo to the public.

The project's inaugural five-track EP, showcasing demos for hits by George Strait and Kenny Chesney, includes tracks like “Carrying Your Love With Me” (Jeff Stevens and Steve Bogard) and “It Just Comes Natural” (Marv Greenand Jim Collins).

WCM Nashville President/CEO Ben Vaughn said: “‘Straight to the Heart’ celebrates the creative journey behind each song but also opens up new opportunities for songwriters, publishers, and fans to enjoy the original demo versions of their favorite songs. We've collaborated with songwriters and partners to make these original versions available for the world to enjoy."

Seen above wearing their hearts on their sleeves are (l-r) Vaughn, Stevens, Green, Bogard, WCM’s Alexa Morris and Kayce Russell.

Photo credit: Courtesy of WCM

BMLG, a subsidiary of HYBE America, has bolstered the team with the addition of Dexter Bensman as senior director of digital marketing and Rebecca Kerr as manager of communications.

Bensman, who will report to COO Mike Rittberg, was previously director of digital marketing at Brown Sellers Brown Management, where he helped formulate digital-marketing, DSP and social-media strategies for Quartz Hill Records and Stone Country Records and served as Innovo Management’s VP of music management.

Kerr, who will report to BMLG Head of Communications Quinn Kaemmer, joins the team from The Oriel Company, where she was a publicity coordinator working with acts like Old Dominion, Jason Isbell and Riley Green.

Said BMLG Chairman/CEO Scott Borchetta: “We are so excited to welcome Dexter and Rebecca to the Big Machine team. Dexter has an impressive background in digital marketing and I look forward to seeing him apply his expertise and elevate our artists. The addition of Rebecca to our team has been a long time coming; she was supposed to be one of our interns in 2020, but the pandemic had other plans, so we’re extra-excited to have her onboard now.”

Seen above are (l-r) Bensman and Kerr.

On 4/2, The Black Crowes kicked off their Happiness Bastards Tour in Nashville, Tenn. with a sold-out night at the Grand Ole Opry House.

During the set, which included new tracks and iconic songs from their 40-year career, the Mark DiDia-repped rockers surprised fans by bringing out Grammy-winning country star Lainey Wilson to perform their collaboration “Wilted Rose” from their new record, Happiness Bastards, and the band’s 1991 hit “She Talks to Angels.”

Next up on the 35-city trek, the band will hit markets like Atlanta, L.A. Seattle, Chicago, NY and more before wrapping their North American run in Philadelphia on 5/7. Meanwhile, their international run kicks off 5/14 in Manchester, U.K., at the O2 Apollo, making stops in London, Brussels, Amsterdam, Paris, Milan, Berlin and more before concluding the tour on 6/9 in Mérida at the STONE & MUSIC Festival.

For tour dates and tickets, click here.

Seen above feeling extra grateful security didn't let us in are (l-r) Chris Robinson, Wilson and Rich Robinson.

Photo credit: Erick Frost

Start your engines as tickets for the Big Machine Music City Grand Prix at Nashville Superspeedway go on sale 4/4 at 9am CT. The NTT IndyCar Series Championship Weekend, happening 9/14-15, kicks off with a downtown Pit Stop Challenge and free concert on 9/13.

“We’re looking forward to a fantastic weekend of racing and entertainment as we bring the best of the Big Machine Music City Grand Prix to Nashville Superspeedway,” said Scott Borchetta, leader of the Big Machine Music City Grand Prix and BMLG Chairman/CEO.

“The buzz leading up to this day has been incredible. Hosting the Big Machine Music City Grand Prix marks a significant moment for our track and the racing community,” added Nashville Superspeedway GM Matt Greci. “We encourage fans to secure their seats quickly and be part of the excitement as we make history together.”

Tower Grandstand seating starts at $149. Premium seating, VIP Tickets and various packages are also available, along with premium camping options. Secure your tickets here or by calling 866.RACE.TIX.

More details on the weekend’s festivities, including the music and entertainment lineup, are to be announced. The IndyCar Series season finale takes place 9/15 at 2pm CT on NBC and Peacock. IndyCar Live and SiriusXM will also broadcast the Sunday race.

Two days ahead of his 4/7 performance on CBS' CMT Music Awards from the Moody Center in Austin, Texas, Sam Hunt will release the new four-song Locked Up EP through MCA Nashville.

Hunt, who has accumulated more than 14.4 global streams, will play the just-released title cut on the CMT Awards, while the EP will also feature his top 10 Country airplay hit "Outskirts" as well as the new tunes "Country House" and "Last Hurrah."

Hunt co-wrote all but the latter with a team of collaborators such as Ross Copperman, Zach Crowell, Jeremy Flowers, Luke Laird, Michael Lotten, Shane McAnally and Josh Osborne.

The artist is in the midst of his Live Nation-promoted Outskirts Tour 2024, which resumes 4/4 in Knoxville, Tennessee.

Bailey Zimmerman kicked off two back-to-back, sold-out shows at NYC’s Hammerstein Ballroom (3/22-23) with six new plaques. The Core Entertainment presented Zimmerman with the keepsakes on stage to commemorate his now platinum single “Where It Ends,” the 4x platinum “Fall in Love” and 5x platinum “Rock and a Hard Place.”

Co-founded by Kevin “Chief” Zaruk and Simon Tikhman, The Core had a helluva 2023 with Zimmerman’s debut album, Religiously. The Album. (Warner), which earned the biggest first-week streams of all time for a Country debut. Next month, Zimmerman heads to the desert for Stagecoach and will join a fleet of The Core talent, including Nate Smith, Josh Ross and Nickelback.

Seen wishing this photo could run anywhere but here are (back row, l-r) The Core's Tikhman, Elektra's Jake Fain, Zimmerman, Kristi Zimmerman, Warner Music Nashville's Cris Lacy, Elektra's Gregg Nadal and (front row, l-r) Elektra's Adam Soybel and Jonathan Janis, The Core's Zaruk and Tracy Martin, and WMN's Ben Kline.

Photo credit: Isaac Mason

The RIAA honored Big Machine’s Brett Young at the Adventure Science Center in Nashville 3/19 with a coveted diamond certification. Young’s “In Case You Didn’t Know,” which was released in 2017, becomes only the ninth country song to amass 10m units in the U.S.

At the celebration, Young performed “In Case You Didn’t Know,” “Lady” and current single “Dance With You,” from his latest album, Across the Sheets, before accepting the diamond award in front of music-industry friends, media and his family—wife Taylor and daughters Rowan and Presley.

“‘In Case You Didn’t Know’ is truly one of those rare and extraordinary evergreen songs. It’s been seven years since its release and it continues to play and play and reach new audiences for Brett,” said Big Machine Label Group Chairman and CEO Scott Borchetta. “It’s a testament to Brett’s incredible songwriting ability and a shining jewel in his very robust and ever-expanding catalog.”

Pictured above once they managed to get Borchetta out of the Science Center’s full-motion flight simulator: (l-r) Otter Creek Entertainment’s JT Pratt and Haley McLemore, Borchetta, the RIAA’s Erin Burr, Otter Creek’s Van Haze, the RIAA’s Morna Willens, Young, the RIAA’s Jackie Jones and Nashville Harbor Records & Entertainment’s Jimmy Harnen.