By Holly Gleason
See the full list of nominations here.
In spite of the obvious—Luke Combs has eight nominations across six categories, including Entertainer, Album, Song and Single of the Year; Morgan Wallen receives six in six categories, including Entertainer, Album, Single and Male; Chris Stapleton takes five, including Entertainer, Album and Male; and Jon Loba’s wildly impactful, color-outside-the-lines signings Jelly Roll and Lainey Wilson dominate the major categories with four and five nominations, respectively—the story of the Academy of Country Music Awards 2024 nominees is the emerging artists. Beyond the seemingly ubiquitous Jelly Roll being a first-time nominee, four more new names score multiple major nominations, and two serious Nashville outliers are on the list.
Megan Moroney marks country music’s first serious out-of-the-gate female impactor since Maren Morris exploded with “My Church.” A songwriter with a tart way of twisting the truth, with her mid-century sex appeal, social-media savvy and willingness to spill her own vulnerability, the Georgia-born breakout receives the most female nominations with six. Moroney lands both Female Artist and New Female, as well as the highly coveted Song of the Year as artist and performer for “Tennessee Orange.” In addition, “Tennessee Orange” snags a Visual Media nom, and her duet with six-time Group of the Year Old Dominion, “Can’t Break Up Now,” is competing for Music Event.
Warner Nashville’s Cody Johnson, Cris Lacy and Ben Kline’s breakout hardline Texas country force—and recent HITS cover victim—is right behind with five noms. Beyond Male Artist and his first Entertainer of the Year, Johnson’s Leather earns an Album nod, and “The Painter” receives a prestigious Song slot, while “Human” lands in Visual Media.
Jordan Davis, the perennially likable everyman from Louisiana, pulls a creative trifecta. He scored Single, Song and Visual Media nominations for his life-spinning, life-spanning “Next Thing You Know,” which shows the power of a song that hits people in the heart.
Parker McCollum, an ACM New Male Artist winner, also connected with voters from the creative space. His sensuous, antihero country is epitomized by “Burn It Down,” which took home both a Single and Visual Media nod for the smoldering tension-builder.
On the outlier tip, Zach Bryan keeps making his presence felt with fans and voters without courting the traditional gatekeepers. The 2023 New Male—who’s been playing stadiums and seeing Wallen-level streaming numbers—is nominated in the Artist-Songwriter category against Stapleton, Wallen and Big Loud’s other cornerstone forces ERNEST and HARDY. Equally seismic, his Grammy-winning duet with Kacey Musgraves, “I Remember Everything,” competes in Music Event, demonstrating the impact one can have without terrestrial radio.
Tyler Childers, a hard country/bluegrass outsider, saw eschewing the traditional industry path as a way to preserve his integrity. With three Grammy nominations, including the only country-leaning clip in Best Music Video, “In Your Love” struck a chord as both a classic wedding song and as a love-who-you-love-affirming video, which portrays two coal miners tentatively finding each other. Co-produced by acclaimed author and environmental/LGBTQ+ activist Silas House, the clip, which earns a Visual Media nom, shows the humanity of two men in the South facing impossible odds, self-acceptance and a death from black lung disease.
Powerful stuff.
But that has been a signature for the Academy from its beginning. Started as a rebuke to Nashville’s more proper Country Music Association Awards, the West Coast-based organization was more honky-tonk, Texas/Bakersfield and rough-edged. Many performers won their first—or only—major awards with the organization, which was founded by Bill and Fran Boyd, stewarded by producer-director Gene Weed and delivered to networks by Dick Clark. In keeping with that tradition, so many deserving artists are emerging as serious contenders.
It’s also worth noting shifts in several categories. Female, which remains a trouble spot at radio and a topic of conversation for nearly a decade, sees truly unique individuals in the category. Whether it’s blue-collar strength siren Wilson; breakout Moroney; pop-excavating Kelsea Ballerini, whose Rolling Up The Welcome Mat (For Good) is the sole female Album nominee; genre-smearing international favorite Musgraves; or hardscrabble journeywoman Ashley McBryde, each nominee is a world-class writer telling her truth in a way that speaks for women in all phases of the struggle of just being female. Equally powerful is their ability to be singular in a cookie-cutter industry determined to roll baby dolls off the conveyor belt.
This year Male shares some of that deep individuality. Jelly Roll’s ardent emo-traditional take on the genre is as much Haggard as it is absorbing hip-hop rhythms into the flow. Between Wallen’s updated Bro-country, Combs’ Every(young)man, Johnson’s resolute Texas and Stapleton’s Southern rock/soul that feels like Adele’s Kentucky cousin, the nominees easily stand apart.
There are still hiccups. Wondering why or when Kane Brown, who earns his second Entertainer nomination, will be recognized as the force he is, seeing Duo of the Year nominee The War And Treaty being the only other Black artists nominated or Tracy Chapman’s seminal “Fast Car” in Song as a Black woman creator in the competition and realizing as country music moves in so many directions, it’s clear progress is a process.
Much will be made of stats, streams, weeks at #1, all the analytics people embrace to quantify something that defies why country matters, especially at the Academy of Country Music. Always an outlier, the org has long focused on the artists and songs hitting the sweet spot for people often derided or dismissed by the media centers. Offering big swagger after a long week, deep commiseration after a pounding heartbreak or a rebel yell when the job was done, the unthinkable achieved or the girl said yes, it was a different lingua franca. ACM country was brash, bold and unrepentant. Hopefully enough to lure Beyoncé, who’s also exploring and blurring some of these realties, to the show.
As a true witness to a musical style that has long been America’s biggest niche—and largest radio format—the Academy often held the line for those even the country institutions weren’t sure about. With its move to Amazon’s Prime Video, making it country’s first livestreaming awards show, the ACM has moved into new realms. In its second year at the Dallas Cowboys’ Ford Center at the Star in Frisco, Texas, new ground can and probably will be broken.
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
