On the heels of selling out three consecutive headlining shows with more than 7,200 fans in attendance at Nashville’s Ryman Auditorium, RCA’s The Red Clay Strays celebrated their success with another high note as the CMA Vocal Group of the Year nominees were presented with platinum RIAA plaques for their single “Wondering Why.” Seen wondering how we got our hands on this team photo are (l-) WME’s Alex Collignon and Kanan Vitolo, and Conway Entertainment’s Cody Payne.
Thomas Rhett will kick up his heels next year on the Live Nation-produced Better in Boots Tour, which will kick off on 6/5/25 at the Wal-Mart Amphitheater in Rogers, Arkansas.
The tour, which features UMG Nashville's Tucker Wetmore as direct support on all dates and the Castellows (Warner Nashville) or Dasha (Warner Records) at select shows, runs through 9/26 in Ridgefield, Washington. Tickets go on sale 9/20.
Prior to the 30-date run, the Big Machine artist will launch a mini-residency at the BleauLive Theater inside Fontainebleau Las Vegas on 12/6, with additional shows on 12/7 and 12/13-14.
Rhett’s most recent album, About a Woman, debuted at #10 upon its 8/23 release.
CMA New Artist of the Year nominee Mitchell Tenpenny will launch his third studio album, The 3rd, on 9/20. Produced by Jordan Schmidt, the 20-track effort is currently available for pre-order here.
Ahead of its release, Mitchell has released the single “Started Stoppin,’” written by Mitchell, Ashley Gorley, Chase McGill and Schmidt.
"We wrote this song altogether at Ashley’s beach house,” Mitchell said. “Someone said the phrase ‘started stoppin’ and it became our hook. It almost wrote itself. I love how the song grooves with the bass and drums. It all came together lyrically and sonically. It’s one of my favorite songs I’ve ever done.”
Mitchell kicked off his Woke Up In A Dream Tour in Las Vegas on 9/12 at the Theater at Virgin Hotels. The tour runs through mid-November with support from The Castellows and Dylan Schneider on select dates.
Mitchell will perform his current radio single, “Not Today,” on the Today Show on Wednesday (9/18), just two days ahead of his Terminal 5 concert in New York City.
Pictured making a joke about how HITS is terminally hated are (l-r) Red Light Management and 10/11 Management's Allie Vidunas, tour manager Lee Gomila, Tenpenny and RLM and 10/11's Kristen Ashley.
The Core Records has tapped Jamie Younger as its new VP of artist development. Effective immediately, she will operate out of the company’s Nashville headquarters.
Younger joins The Core following a 12-year run at Warner Music Nashville, where she played an instrumental role in launching and developing the careers of the Zac Brown Band, Bailey Zimmerman, Ashley McBryde, Gabby Barrett, The Castellows and more.
"We are excited to have such a visionary joining our team. Her expertise will be invaluable as we continue to develop and break new artists on a global scale," said The Core Ent. co-founders/CEOs Chief Zaruk and Simon Tikhman in a shared statement.
“I've had a front-row seat working alongside Chief and Simon as they've continued to grow and build an amazing roster of talent at The Core Entertainment,” added Younger. “The opportunity to be a part of the launch of The Core Records was simply something I couldn’t turn down.”
The former GrammyNEXT member has also significantly contributed to the music community through her work on the Recording Academy Nashville Chapter MusiCares fundraising committee and as a mentor for GrammyU.
Amazon Music Live will be back for a third season on 10/17 with a performance from Jelly Roll, the streamer announced tonight (9/12) prior to the start of Thursday Night Football.
The seven-episode series is sponsored by the 2025 Nissan Kicks. It will air weekly after Thursday Night Football at 9pm PT via Prime Video and the Amazon Music channel on Twitch.
Jelly Roll will perform material from his new album, Beautifully Broken, which drops on 10/11. “We know Jelly Roll is going to bring the house down with his season premiere, and that’s just the beginning," said Amazon Music Global Head of Content Kirdis Postelle. "We can’t wait to show you what we have in store for the rest of the season.”
Previous Amazon Music Live guests have included Green Day, A$AP Rocky, Ed Sheeran, Peso Pluma, Garth Brooks and Feid.
Meanwhile, previous attempts by HITS to order multi-vitamins from Amazon proper have been unsuccessful.
Country singer-songwriter Kip Moore has inked a deal with Virgin Music Group and teased his first new song in almost two years. Titled “Live Here to Work,” the track reunites him with co-producer Jaren Johnston and will arrive Friday (9/20) It's available for pre-save here and can be heard early on TikTok now.
“I see this next chapter of my career as an opportunity to keep building this thing brick by brick," Moore noted. I was making this record independently when I began having the initial conversations with Virgin and other record labels. It was ultimately the tangible passion from Virgin Music Group that made me want to team up and see where we could take this next chapter."
Moore is in the middle of his Nomad World Tour, which resumes in arenas and stadiums later this month with a 14-show run in Australia. It culminates with several U.S. this fall.
“I have been a fan of Kip’s for years now,” Virgin Music Group North American President/EVP of Artist Relations Jacqueline Saturn said. “His music's universal themes transcend genre and appeal to a huge variety of music fans. Along with his music, his commitment to relentless touring has helped him build a powerful global fanbase."
Moore has spent the bulk of 2024 on tour, which included a limited Billy Currington & Kip Moore: Live In Concert run and a stint on HARDY’s QUIT!! Tour.
Pictured wishing we'd quit are (l-r) Red Light Management's Miles Rivera, VMG's John Mayer, VMG's Cindy James, Safford Motley's Scott Safford, Saturn, Moore, RLM's Gaines Sturdivant, RLM's Courtney Johanson, VMG's Jordon Isbell, VMG's Jen Bontusa and Flood, Bumstead, McCready & McCarthy's Julie Boos.
After exiting Warner Music Nashville as EVP last year, Shane Tarleton has landed at powerhouse management company Morris Higham, HITS can reveal.
There's no word yet on Tarleton's title, but he is expected to be heavily involved on the creative and content side for a roster that boasts Kenny Chesney, Old Dominion, Kris Kristofferson and Barbara Mandrell, among others.
“It’s the Wild West out there and having Shane’s expertise both in management and label services is invaluable," said Morris Higham president Clint Higham. "We’re honored he is joining our team.” Added GM Kyle Quigley of Tarleton, "I have long respected Shane’s creativity and passion for supporting artists’ visions and as an ambassador for our industry."
Tarleton praised Higham's "impeccable reputation for assembling the best team around the talent he represents" and described the new gig as "an incredible gift for this next chapter of my career."
With her Republic debut, Postcards From Texas, nearing release on 9/13, Miranda Lambert is making the promo rounds.
The artist will present a Moonman at tonight's MTV Video Music Awards and will appear tomorrow on NPR's 1A. Podcast appearances are also on tap on The Bright Side and Calm Down, the latter hosted by sports journalists Erin Andrews and Charissa Thompson.
Lastly, Lambert will join NBC’s TODAY with Hoda & Jenna during the 10 a.m. hour on release day.
“I have not made a record in Texas since I was 18, my little independent album, so this is full circle—coming back home to the root, to kind of start fresh with a new label and sound and some new band members I haven’t played with,” Lambert said of Postcards From Texas in studio videos she shared earlier this week.
Lambert's home state looms large over the 14-song project, thanks to material like the anthemic "Wranglers" and the presence of her Marfa Tapes collaborators Jack Ingram (who co-wrote two songs) and Jon Randall (who pitched in on four and co-produced the set with Lambert).
