Fresh off signing to Warner Records, 14-year-old country breakout Maddox Batson has dropped his new single “X's.”

Inspired by a concert experience where security marked his hand with an X, Batson says, “When I was in the studio, one of my co-writers noticed some of the Sharpie was still on my right hand - and we came up with the song name. We all loved it and the rest is history."

Having recently co-written Lana Del Rey and Quavo's “Tough,” Batson continues to make waves as a performer. He became the youngest artist to grace Whiskey Jam at CMA Fest and is set for his Maddox Batson & Friends headlining show at White House Pumpkin Patch on 9/28. Batson will also hit the road with Gabby Barrett this summer and fall.

Rising from Birmingham, Ala., and north of Nashville, Tenn., Batson’s blend of classic country, southern rock and pop has quickly garnered a global fanbase. With past singles like “Tears in the River” and “I Wanna Know” fueling his momentum, Batson's rapid ascent continues with his latest single.

Stream “X's” here and peep the music vid here.

Seen above wondering if X really does mark the spot are Warner’s COO/Co-chairman Tom Corson, Batson, WMG Board Memebr Val Blavatnik and Warner’s CEO/Co-chairman Aaron Bay-Schuck.

The Academy of Country Music recently welcomed Anne Wilson to the Academy’s headquarters in Nashville, where she met with ACM staff, treated them to a performance of her current single, “Songs About Whiskey,” and previewed forthcoming music from the ACM Red Barrel Lounge stage. A video of the performance was uploaded to YouTube and can be found below.

Pictured wishing they had a shot of whiskey to forget HITS is still in business are (l-r) ACM Director, Industry Relations & Awards Haley Montgomery, Capitol Christian Music Group Co-Presidents Hudson Plachy and Brad O’Donnell, Wilson, Universal Music Group CEO Cindy Mabe, ACM CEO Damon Whiteside and ACM Chief of Staff/VP Industry Relations & Awards Tommy Moore.

Sony Music Publishing has struck a worldwide co-publishing agreement with songwriter/producer Jeremy Stover that covers all future works. The company has also acquired several songs from Stover and RED Creative Group, including Tim McGraw’s “7500 OBO" and Justin Moore’s “With A Woman You Love,” “We Didn’t Have Much” and “You, Me, And Whiskey.” Current singles from Stover include Moore’s “This Is My Dirt” and Ashley McBryde’s “The Devil I Know" as well as recent releases from Luke Combs, Priscilla Block and Travis Denning.

“Jeremy Stover is a master at crafting rural storytelling with sonic sophistication," SMP Nashville CEO Rusty Gaston said. "His productions and songs overflow with heart and make you feel right at home as a listener."

The deal is part of SMP’s ongoing creative partnership with RED Creative Group, home to Cole Taylor and Matt Mulhare. Meanwhile, we're more of a pasty white hue. Pictured gagging at the sight of us are (l-r) Loeb & Loeb attorneys Tom Luteran, Josh Van Valkenburg, Megan Pekar, Aubrey Landon and Dale Bobo (back row) and Loeb & Loeb's Derek Crownover, Gaston, Stover and RED's Taylor Lamb (front row).

BMI celebrated Chayce Beckham's first #1 hit, "23," on Wednesday (8/28) inside the lobby of BMI Nashville. The track, taken from the American Idol winner’s debut record, Bad for Me (19 Recordings/Wheelhouse Records/BMG), earned him his first nomination at the CMT Awards earlier this year for Breakthrough Male Video.

Hosted by BMI and emceed by BMI’s Leslie Roberts, the event reunited Beckham with "23" producer Ross Copperman, who talked about the song's creation. Roberts then presented Beckham with a custom Taylor 210e DLX guitar, while Studio Banks' Ron Cox gave a special donation presented on behalf of Beckham in support of the American Cancer Society. The afternoon concluded with Wheelhouse Records’ Ken Tucker presenting Beckham with a plaque celebrating the track's platinum certification.

Pictured having just listed 23 reasons why they were relived nobody from HITS showed up are (l-r) BMG Publishing’s Chris Oglesby, BMG’s JoJamie Hahr, KP Entertainment’s Kerri Edwards, Beckham, Copperman Tucker, Roberts, Cox and BMG’s Jon Loba.

Warner Music Nashville connected with WMG family in Brazil to support Cody Johnson as he was tapped for a headlining set at the Festa do Peão de Barretos—Brazil's largest rodeo festival. CoJo performed to sold-out crowd of 42k at the Festa.

Pictured above in Barretos: (l-r) Warner Music Brazil's Marcos Von Kilzer, Márcio Antônio Vieira, Marielle Javarys, Bianca Massafera and President Leila Oliveira, Cody Johnson, Warner Music Nashville Co-Chair/Co-President Cris Lacy and WMB's Luciana Costa, Camila Arias and Camila Ferraz.

BBR Music Group's Lainey Wilson took her new album title, Whirlwind, to the next level 8/23 by arriving via helicopter for an Audacy release party hosted by 103.7 KSON at San Diego's beachy Belmont Park.

Helping Wilson (in the cowboy hat) elevate were BMG colleagues Dan Gill, Regan Donato, Shelley Hargis, JoJamie Hahr, Jon Loba, Layna Bunt, Lee Adams, Brian Meiler and Celine Joshua.

HITS' invitation must have gone blowin' in the wind.

Sony Nashville is betting that The 3rd will be the charm for Mitchell Tenpenny, who’ll drop a new album with that title on 9/20.

Tenpenny and a slew of his SMN compatriots celebrated the release a little early at an intimate Nashville gig showcasing some of the album’s 20 cuts, including a duet with Colbie Caillat on “Guess We’ll Never Know.”

Among those joining Tenpenny for the showcase were Parker Stacey, Director, Digital Marketing & Artist Management; Caryl Atwood, SVP, Commercial Partnerships; Alaina Vehec ,VP Commercial Partnerships; Ken Robold, EVP & COO; Rachel Clogston, Director Commercial Partnerships; Alexis Rivera, Coordinator, Digital Marketing & Artist Development; and Rachel Hobbs, Specialist, Media. HITS clearly was not invited.

Tenpenny is currently on the road with Jordan Davis, his partner on the Damn Good Time World Tour, which runs into October. He’ll take a solo sidebar on release day for a show at Terminal 5 in the Big Apple.

Neo-traditional sister act The Castellows made their Grand Ole Opry debut on 8/20, the culmination of a long trip that began on a cattle farm in rural Georgetown, Georgia.

Sisters Ellie, Powell and Lily Balkcom, who now reside in Nashville, shared the stage that evening with Wyatt Flores, Vince Gill, Little Big Town, The Oak Ridge Boys, Shelby Lynne and Ashley Ray.

The Warner Music Nashville signees serenaded a packed house that included (pictured) WMN VP of Artist Development Jamie Younger, WMN SVP of A&R Stephanie Wright, Make Wake Artists' HB Riordan, WMN SVP/Creative Director Mike Dupree, Make Wake Artists' Chris Kappy, WMN Co-Chair/Co-President Cris Lacy and Warner Records SVP of A&R Isaac Green.

The trio, who’ve notched a CMT Music Awards nomination for Digital-First Performance of the Year, will next join Little Big Town and Sugarland on the Take Me Home tour, which kicks off 10/24 in Greenville, South Carolina.