Longtime UMG Nashville executives Royce Risser, Brian Wright and Stephanie Wright have exited their roles at the label, according to Country Aircheck. Risser, who most recently served as EVP of Promotion, had been with the company for 30+ years.
The Wrights, who are a married couple, had been with the label for over two decades. Brian was promoted to EVP of A&R in 2018, while Stephanie most recently held the title of SVP of A&R.
New UMGN CEO/Chair Cindy Mabe officially took over for Mike Dungan on 4/3. Read her letter to the UMGN team here.
The Academy of Country Music recently rolled out the red carpet for Monument Records’ sister duo Tigirlily Gold and Red Street Records troubadour Ryan Griffin at the Red Barrel Lounge located in the ACM’s new Nashville HQ.
“Tequila” was the word (and possibly the beverage) on everyone’s lips as Griffin took to the mic with “Salt, Lime & Tequila” and Tigirlily Gold performed their equally infectious single “Shoot Tequila” for ACM staffers. Both live performances are currently available on the ACM YouTube channel. Salt, shot glass and fine añejo sold separately.
Seen above wondering how many shots it would take to drink us off their minds are (l-r) ACM Vice President, Artist & Industry Relations and Board Administration & Governance Tommy Moore, Tigirlily Gold's Kendra and Krista Slaubaugh, ACM CEO Damon Whiteside and ACM Director, Artist & Industry Relations and Board Administration & Governance Maddy Stessman.
Multi-platinum Country singer-songwriter Kimberly Perry has inked to RECORDS Nashville/Columbia as a solo artist.
As a co-founder of The Band Perry, Perry’s achieved success with their platinum-certified albums, The Band Perry, and gold-selling Pioneer, which hit #1 on the Top Country Albums chart.
“I am so lucky to have found such a wonderful and welcoming community [in Nashville], and I feel equally lucky to have found the perfect partner in RECORDS to get my new music out to the fans," said the Grammy winner.
“We’re so excited at RECORDS Nashville to welcome Kimberly Perry as a solo artist with her return to country music,” added RECORDS founder/CEO, Barry Weiss.
“We are thrilled about the honor of working with one of the most recognizable artists in country music. Kimberly has made some incredible music for her solo country debut, and we can’t wait to share it with the world,” said RECORDS Nashville EVP, Joe Fisher, and EVP Promo & Commercial Strategy, Josh Easler, in a shared statement.
Monument Records has brought Megan Kleinschmidt on board as its director of regional promotion. Kleinschmidt comes from UMG where she worked on the Capitol Nashville promotion team with artist such as Carrie Underwood, Darius Rucker and Keith Urban.
At Monument, Kleinschmidt will represent the full Monument roster on the West Coast, including burgeoning artists Walker Hayes, Caitlyn Smith and Tigirlily Gold.
Monument’s VP of Promotion Luke Jensen said, “Her positivity, work ethic and desire to grow make her the perfect addition to our growing team.”
Kleinschmidt graduated from Colorado State University in Fort Collins with a degree in marketing. She previously worked for Napa’s Live in the Vineyard festival. Speaking of, we are looking for a nice pinot noir to celebrate (in Kleinschmidt’s honor, of course).
Singer-songwriter Jelly Roll was the big winner at Sunday night’s CMT Music Awards, a ceremony that featured an assortment of duets, Kane Brown & Katelyn Brown winning Video of the Year, a salute to Shania Twain and a lot of tributes to rock acts.
Jelly Roll took home three trophies—Male Video of the Year, Breakthrough Male Video of the Year, and Digital-First Performance—while Lainey Wilson nabbed two trophies, Female Video of the Year for “Heart Like A Truck,” and Collaborative Video of the Year with HARDY.
The evening at the Moody Center in Austin opened with Blake Shelton delivering his first-ever TV performance of “No Body.” Married couple Kane and Katelyn Brown also delivered a TV world premiere, performing “Thank God.”
The evening’s duets included Gwen Stefani and Carly Pearce performing the No Doubt hit “Just A Girl”; Wynonna Judd and Ashley McBryde joining forces on Foreigner’s “I Wanna Know What Love Is”; and Darius Rucker joining The Black Crowes on their “She Talks to Angels.”
Billy Gibbons, Chuck Leavell, Cody Johnson, Paul Rodgers, Slash, Warren Haynes, LeAnn Rimes and Wynonna waved the flag for Lynyrd Skynyrd with a performance of “Simple Man” and “Sweet Home Alabama” that closed the night. Since they were in Texas, Gary Clark Jr. delivered a tip of the Plateau hat to Stevie Ray Vaughan with “The House Is Rockin’.”
Cindy Mabe has assumed the top job at Universal Music Group Nashville, and on her first day as boss she conveyed an upbeat, gracious message to her team outlining, in broad strokes, her plans for the company’s “next era.” HITS has obtained a copy.
Four-time Grammy winner and Austin native Gary Clark Jr. has officially joined the CMT Music Awards’ lineup of performers, delivering a tribute to the late Texas Blues legend Stevie Ray Vaughan.
Clark joins previously announced performers such as Keith Urban, Carrie Underwood, Carley Pearce, Darius Rucker, Lainey Wilson and more.
Additionally, the awards show announced its presenters for the night, which includes Pearce, Underwood, HARDY, Jon Pardi, Megan Thee Stallion, Shania Twain and Parker McCollum, among others.
Hosted by Kane Brown and Kelsea Ballerini, the CMT Music Awards will air live on CBS from Austin’s Moody Center for the first time on 4/2 and will be available to stream live and on demand on Paramount+.
MCA Nashville’s Parker McCollum was presented with another gold record for "Handle On You,” his fastest growing single to date with more than 120m global streams. The song—his third to cross 500k—is also Top 5 at country radio and climbing. McCollum was presented with a plaque by UMG Nashville President Cindy Mabe and the RIAA's Jackie Jones on Tuesday (3/28) to commemorate McCollum’s latest milestone.
“Parker McCollum is a redefining, culture shaping artist,” Mabe said. “At a time when star power is being undervalued and streaming metrics are crowned king, Parker proves that you can have, and be, both. Parker is a very important artist for the future of country music and we are beyond blessed that he is helping define our next era of country music at Universal Music Group Nashville.”
Jones added, “The RIAA is excited to share in this incredible accomplishment with Parker, his team and everyone at UMG Nashville. RIAA certifications are earned solely based on what the fans are choosing to listen to. Seeing this song get certified so quickly is a true testament to the impact Parker has on his fans.”
McCollum will make his debut on NBC’s The Tonight Show Starring Jimmy Fallon on Thursday (3/30) where he’ll perform "Handle On You." The track serves as the lead single from his forthcoming album Never Enough, out 5/12. Pre-order the album here.
Seen in the photo above wishing they had a handle of their own to erase any memory of HITS are (l-r) Enzo DeVincenzo (Red Light Management), Jackie Jones (SVP, Artist & Industry Relations, RIAA), McCollum, Mabe and Nick Rhodes (Red Light).
