To celebrate the upcoming release of his latest album, The Outlaw Side of Me, arriving via BMLG/Harpeth 60 Records on 6/16, Chris Janson took the Grand Ole Opry stage for a special livestream performance.
In addition to performing career hits and new tracks from the album, which is produced by Julian Raymond, Janson was also presented with RIAA platinum certifications for his singles "Good Vibes," "Drunk Girl" and "Fix a Drink," as well as a four-time platinum plaque for "Buy Me a Boat."
Currently, Janson’s lead single from the album, “All I Need Is You,” is impacting Country radio now and is already closing in on the Top 20.
Fans can stream the performance on the free Circle Now app or watch it on the Circle All Access Facebook and YouTube pages on 6/16 at 5pm CT.
Additionally, Janson will also co-host Country Countdown USA with Lon Helton on 6/17 to count down the week's hottest Top 30 Country songs and discuss The Outlaw Side of Me.
Seen above hoping we wouldn’t find a way in are (l-r) Back Row – Jeff Jopling, Red Light Management’s Tom Lord, Josh Waters; Middle Row – BMLG Record’s Emily Haupt, BMLG’s Mike Rittberg, Janson, KJM’s Kelly Janson, BMLGR’s Sabrina Taylor, Jason Bittinger; Front Row – BMLGR’s Alannah Watson, Jimmy Harnen, Samantha Kane, Ryan Dokke and Andrew Thoen.
Prior to hitting the Nissan Stadium stage for his headlining CMA Fest set on Thursday (6/8), River House/Columbia Nashville star Luke Combs was surprised with a plaque during his Bootleggers Fan Club Party to mark the Diamond certification of his hit single, “Beautiful Crazy.” The track becomes the sixth country song in RIAA history to achieve 10m+ copies sold.
Seen shortly before another surprise—our impromptu karaoke of “Fast Car”—are (l-r) are Caryl Atwood (SVP, Commercial Partnerships, SMN), Ken Robold (EVP & COO, SMN), Combs, Steve Hodges (EVP, Promotion & Artist Development, SMN), songwriter Rob Williford, Taylor Lindsey (SVP, A&R, SMN), Randy Goodman (Chairman & CEO, SMN) and Liz Cost, (VP, Marketing, SMN).
Photo: David Bergman
CMA Fest celebrated record-breaking milestones for its 50th anniversary this weekend in Nashville.
Welcoming more than 90k daily attendees—a 12% growth from 2022—the fest also reached its largest Nissan Stadium audience in history with a 10% increase from last year and raised $2.5m+ for music education.
In addition to the 300+ artists performing across multiple stages, the fest brought free activations to Music City like UMGN’s “Music is Universal” at Skydeck on Broadway, Spotify House at Ole Red, Sony Music Nashville Live at Acme Feed & Seed, Warner Music Nashville’s Summer Sounds Stage at 6th & Peabody and more.
“As we’ve spent the past year reflecting on this milestone celebration, one theme has persisted—the incredible connection between Country Music fans and the artists,” said CMA CEO Sarah Trahern. “We only get the chance to celebrate our 50th anniversary once, and to do so in such an impactful way has meant the world to us. Thank you, Country Music!”
CMA Fest, the three-hour primetime TV special hosted by Dierks Bentley, Elle King and Lainey Wilson, airs 7/19 on ABC.
Brothers Osborne have announced two new shows to take place this October. The first will be held in NYC at Pier 17 on 10/5, while the second will land at the Greek Theater in L.A. on 10/22. Tickets go on sale to the general public on 6/16 at 10am local time here, while Pier 17 and Live Nation presale begins 6/15 at 10am local time here.
Both TJ and John Osborne ensured their fans, "We’re throwing everything we’ve got at these performances, and it’ll be as new for us as it will be for you. Can’t wait to show y’all what we’ve been cookin up. Until then, we’ll see y’all on the road this summer.”
The announcement follows the Brothers Osborne's release of four new songs: "Goodbye’s Kickin’ In,” "Nobody's Nobody," "Might As Well Be Me" and "Rollercoaster (Forever And A Day)." Produced by Mike Elizondo, the tracks are part of an upcoming project from the duo and the first look at new music since the 2022 deluxe release of the Grammy-nominated album, Skeletons. Speaking of, you don't want to see how many we have in our closet.
At the Spotify House CMA Fest installation at Nashville's Ole Red, the Spot team gathered for this illustrious photo op with day one performers Sam Hunt and Kelsea Ballerini, the latter of whom was a surprise guest announced just hours before her set. Seen below actively ignoring our calls are (l-) Spotify’s Mary Catherine Kinney, Dustee Jenkins, Hunt, Ballerini, Jeremy Erlich and Rachel Whitney.
Nashville-based alt-pop band Nightly has inked a deal with ONErpm not long after announcing its sophomore album, Wear Your Heart Out, due 8/25. The forthcoming project serves as the follow-up to the trio's 2020 debut, night, love you, and includes the previously released singles “hate my favorite band,” ‘‘radiohead,” “dry eyes" and the title track.
“It’s always special when you get to work with an artist you’ve been a fan of for years,” ONErpm A&R Alex Ziabko said. “The band is already a force in the alternative/pop community and I’m confident their new album is going to cement them as one of the greats.”
The band's manager, Nikki Boon of Neon Coast, added, "Being able to expand Nightly’s team with the incredible people at ONErpm is a partnership that we are truly excited about. ONErpm’s forward thinking, artist-first and creative-first mentality is in line with our philosophies as a management company and we really believe we now have a team with all hands-on deck.
"Because of the quality of Nightly’s new music and their headline touring alongside our new partner ONErpm, we believe that Nightly is poised to have their biggest year yet and grow their fanbase on an even larger international level.”
Nightly plans to hit the road this fall for the Wear Your Heart Out Tour, which kicks off 10/5 in Austin and wraps at Brooklyn Bowl Nashville on 11/16. Find the full schedule here.
Pictured in the photo hoping nobody from HITS can make it to any of the shows are Nightly and Boon with ONErpm staff Erin Dunleavy, George D’Errico, Casey Childers, Jenna LoMonaco, Julia McLeod, Brooke Christopher, Sabrina Da Silvia, Eric Schissel and Ziabko.
UMG Nashville has tapped Ami Brown as its vp of international marketing.
She joins UMG Nashville following several years with UMG’s global marketing team where she served as Senior Director of Partner and Label Relations.
In her new role, Brown will spearhead international strategy, creative connection and outreach for artists across the label group consisting of Capitol Nashville, EMI Nashville, MCA Nashville and Mercury Nashville.
“Ami has been an integral part of our international team for several years and we are thrilled to now have her expertise across our entire roster,” said UMGN evp of marketing, Lori Christian.
“I am very grateful to Cindy [Mabe] and Lori for giving me the opportunity to further connect our incredible artists and foster our initiatives to fans around the world. I’m excited to be a part of the future of UMGN and have always believed that great music knows no borders,” shared Brown.
Having begun her UMG career as a college rep, the Minneapolis native has held several roles over the past 15+ years with the company. She also previously held positions at PlayStation in brand partnerships and strategic alliances.
Brown looks forward to avoiding our emails whenever possible.
Photo Credit: Chris Hollo
Shane McAnally’s manager Robert Carlton is taking over as president of McAnally’s SMACK and becoming an equity partner alongside Robin Palmer and McAnally.
Coming up on 10 years with SMACK, Carlton oversees all facets of the company, including the publishing, digital, and management branches. SMACKSongs, the publishing leg, includes McAnally and Josh Jenkins as well as more than 20 staff writers. SMACKManagement’s roster includes Walker Hayes; SMACKTok, the digital leg, offers influencer marketing services and focuses on connecting artists with fans through social media platforms.
“From intern to the presidency, Robert Carlton’s steady hand, work ethic, and innate instincts have earned him the top office at SMACK,” outgoing President Michael McAnally Baum said. “As a visionary who grew up with the company, he has shown how his passion and dedication will lead the team at SMACK into their next chapter of success.”
