Warner Music Nashville has promoted Mike Dupree to SVP, Creative Director. Dupree and his team manage all of the label’s creative initiatives, including video production and graphic design. He'll report to WMN Co-Chair/Co-President Cris Lacy.
“Mike is well known for his long-standing dedication to this label and its artists,” Lacy said. “Moreover, his desire to build a collaborative creative team is imperative for telling the unique stories of our artists through visual mediums. Ben [Kline] and I are proud to recognize his talent and leadership."
Dupree has been a fixture in the Nashville creative scene for more than two decades, taking his first job with WMN in 2010. Over the last several years, he's contributed to videos for artists such as Cody Johnson, Dan + Shay, Ashley McBryde and Gabby Barrett. He's also helmed three feature documentaries, including Dear Rodeo with Johnson, More Life with Randy Travis and White Buffalo: Voices of the West with Ian Munsick.
“I’m very aware that what we get to do every day is special, and I’m beyond grateful to continue this extraordinary life with the amazing artists and label team here at Warner Music Nashville,” Dupree shared. “I’m constantly inspired by their creativity, passion and collaborative spirit. I am truly standing on the shoulders of giants. I appreciate the trust that Cris and Ben have placed in me, and I look forward to shaping the future of this storied label together.”
He's also looks forward to ignoring the shit out of HITS.
River House/Columbia Nashville star Luke Combs is taking matters into his own hands regarding a counterfeit merch lawsuit against Florida fan Nicol Harness, who was ordered to pay the Country star $250k for selling drink tumblers on Amazon adorned with his face.
In a video posted to his socials, Combs says he was “completely and utterly unaware” of the lawsuit first reported by Tampa TV Station WFLA, clarifying that his anti-counterfeiting efforts target major corporations, not individual fans like Harness.
Now, Combs has promised to double Harness's frozen earning of $5,500 and plans to release his own branded tumblers, with proceeds aiding Harness and her family.
“No fan should ever have to be involved in anything like this,” Combs said in the video. “I’m not greedy in any way, shape, or form. Money is the last thing on my mind.”
Additionally, Combs invited the fan and her family to see him perform so he can “give her a hug” and apologize in person.
SMACKSongs has inked songwriter Lee Thomas Miller to a publishing deal.
With a career spanning over three decades, the three-time Grammy nominee has penned tracks for the likes of Tim McGraw, Garth Brooks, Brad Paisley, Thomas Rhett and Brother’s Osborne, as well as earned eighteen Top 20 singles, including seven #1 songs.
He also won a CMA and ACM Award for Song of the Year with Jamey Johnson’s "In Color,” while Trace Adkins’ "You're Gonna Miss This" secured him Song of the Year titles at both the ASCAP and NSAI awards and the Single of the Year at the CMAs.
Additionally, Miller has collected 13 BMI radio performance awards while his songs have received 25m+ spins on radio and garnered hundreds of millions of streams globally,
"One of the first songwriters to welcome me in the publishing business 15 year ago was Lee Thomas Miller,” said Lee Krabel, SVP of publishing at SMACK. "I’m incredibly excited to get the opportunity to work with Lee again at SMACK. He is simply one of the best songwriters to ever come to Nashville.”
“Not only have I been a fan of Shane McAnally’s songwriting his entire career, I also love what he and Robin Palmerhave built in this publishing company,” added Miller. "Lee and Robert [Carlton] are impressive publishers now who have surrounded themselves with quality professionals as well as humans.”
"This one is really special. Lee is one of the truly great songwriters in this town,” shared SMACK President Carlton. "Personally, it hits a sentimental note for me because my dad gave Lee his first deal. I grew up listening to Lee’s catalog and demos as a kid. His songs are as relevant and as timely now as they were back then. I know my dad has got to be looking down proud to have hand in this signing.”
Seen above wishing they could smack us are (l-r) Jeremy Groves, Carly Sater, Krabel, Miller, Carlton, Palmer and Sam Sarno.
The Academy of Country Music is celebrating a surge in membership, reaching an all-time high as it welcomes over 5,000 professional members to the Class of 2024.
Newly accepted and renewed members qualify to vote for the 59th ACM Awards, which makes its grand return to Texas this May and will stream exclusively on Prime Video for a third consecutive year.
Additionally, Academy members gain access to a suite of benefits, including early access to tickets for ACM events, discounts on industry partner events, industry data insights, monthly educational and networking events, plus more.
“Today is an extremely proud day for the Academy of Country Music as we celebrate record-high membership with more than 5,000 members worldwide,” said ACM CEO Damon Whiteside. “The Academy’s membership becomes more diverse and inclusive, as well as international, every year, reflecting the landscape of the genre, and allowing the ACM to better serve as a powerhouse advocate for artists and our industry all over the globe.”
“I couldn’t be happier to celebrate and welcome our new and renewed members today and look forward to working with them in the year ahead,” added Haley Montgomery, Senior Manager, Awards and Membership.
To celebrate, new ACM members, including Colbie Caillat, Hannah Ellis, The Kentucky Gentlemen, Ian Munsick, Matt Stell and more, visited the Academy’s Nashville headquarters in the Wedgewood Houston neighborhood. Peep the vid below.
For more info, click here.
AEG Presents will relocate its regional office from Music Row to Nashville Yards, a 19-acre mixed-use project in downtown Music City, in 2025. It will also be booking and operating the new music venue at the development, which is scheduled to open in early 2025.
AEG Presents’ new location will be in the Class A+ creative office building—which is part of the joint development of Southwest Value Partners and AEG—and be comprised of the company’s regional office, members of its Global Touring division and the Nashville outpost of AEG Presents partner Messina Touring Group.
“It's a big opportunity for us to be consolidating all our operations under one roof at what's soon to be one of the most popular destinations in the city, and to be booking and operating a new, state-of-the-art music venue on-site makes it that much more exciting,” said Rick Mueller, AEG Presents President, North America.
“We have an exceptional partnership with AEG, and together we believe we are constructing one of the most uniquely attractive music, retail and creative workplace environments in the world. Independent of that, AEG Presents is a preeminent entertainment brand and operator of world class entertainment venues, and we are very excited to have their extended presence at Nashville Yards” added Cary Mack, managing partner of Southwest Value Partners.
Three-time Grammy-winner Darius Rucker was honored with a star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame on 12/4.
Introduced by former UMG Nashville Chairman/CEO Mike Dungan, Rucker shared, “This is stuff you don’t even dream about when you’re from South Carolina…all I ever wanted was to be a singer, but you never dream that this stuff is going to happen.”
Throughout his career, Rucker—who first gained acclaim as the lead singer and co-founder of Hootie & the Blowfish—has earned four #1 country albums, 11 RIAA certified hits, 10 country radio chart-toppers, including his Diamond-certified version of "Wagon Wheel," and sold more than 25m albums.
Earlier this year, the Country star dropped his latest effort, Carolyn’s Boy, and next up, he'll hit the road in 2024 for a 44-stop trek with Hootie & the Blowfish, their first tour together since 2019.
Seen above thanking the sweet lord Jesus nobody from HITS could make it are (l-r) Dungan and Rucker.
Photo Credit: Imagery by Oscar/HCC
The Academy of Country Music has announced that the submissions and ballot timeline for the 59th ACM Awards will be open from 11am CT on 1/8 through 7pm CT on 1/26.
The Board of Directors have also revealed changes and additions within New Female Artist of the Year, New Male Artist of the Year and New Duo or Group of the Year, extending charting for these categories to open eligibility to more artists.
Additionally, the Board has adopted criteria to require a minimum of three eligible submissions to award a category. In the instance there are not three eligible submissions within a category, a professional panel may vote to allow additional considerations to meet the required minimum.
“The 59th ACM Awards cycle brings changes to awards categories that will allow more artists, groups, and duos the chance to qualify and be recognized with an ACM Award, which will benefit emerging artists and help put a spotlight on the future of the genre,” said Daniel Miller, Chair of the ACM Awards, voting and membership committee.
“I am proud that the ACM Awards, Country Music’s Party of the Year, continues to be one of the favorite and most-watched awards shows today,” said Damon Whiteside, ACM CEO. “We look forward to receiving our industry’s submissions for the 59th ACM Awards, and especially to celebrating the best of 2023 next May!”
The submissions eligibility period for the ACMs is 1/1/23 through 12/31/23. For more info and to submit, click here.
Here are key dates for Academy members:
Submissions Period: 1/8-1/26
First Round Voting, Main Awards: 2/26-3/4
First Round Voting, Radio Awards: 2/26-3/11
Second Round Voting, Main Awards: 3/18-3/25
Final Round Voting, Radio Awards: 3/18-4/1
Final Round Voting, Main Awards: 4/15-4/22
The 59th ACM Awards is produced by Dick Clark Productions and will stream exclusively on Prime Video for a third straight year, live from Ford Center at The Star in Frisco, Tex. as part of the ACM Awards’ renewed partnership with Amazon.
SMACK has promoted Molly Bouchon to director of marketing & artist development, effective immediately.
Bouchon joined SMACK in 2019 as director of digital, where she worked closely with the company’s management team on all digital and streaming activations for their roster, which includes Shane McAnally, Walker Hayes, Kylie Morgan and Gina Kirschenheiter. She also handled any digital needs for 20+ full-time SMACK songwriters.
In her new role, Bouchon will continue her digital work across SMACK and add SMACKRecords to her responsibilities. She will now oversee label marketing and social strategy, press/partner pitching and distribution for SMACKRecords artists.
Her current priority is multi-faceted singer-songwriter and actress Jenna Davis, who released her debut single, “DiCaprio,” in August. The track surpassed 5m streams while Davis was named to Variety’s 2023 Young Hollywood Impact Report.
"Molly has made herself an integral piece of everything we do at SMACK," said SMACK President Robert Carlton. "She has a unique role that interfaces with all the divisions here and works with them all at a high level. This promotion reflects her high quality of work within those roles and expands it with the addition of SMACKRecords.”
