Music News (2/26/15)

Pictured (L-R): MR’s Sarah Skates and Sherod Robertson, Brett James, Rodney Clawson. Photo: Bev Moser/Moments By Moser

The 2015 CountryBreakout Awards were presented yesterday (Feb. 25) at MusicRow’s Country Radio Meet & Greet at Margaritaville in Nashville. Awards were spin-based excluding the songwriter of the year, which went to the writers penning the most No. 1 songs on the chart for the prior year. This year was a tie with Rodney Clawson and Brett James.

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Revered Nashville songwriter Bobby Braddock and country superstar Toby Keith are headed to the Songwriters Hall of Fame in New York. They will be inducted along with Robert Hunter & Jerry Garcia (posthumously), Cyndi Lauper, Linda Perry and Willie Dixon (posthumously). The organization’s 46th Annual Induction and Awards Dinner is slated for Thursday, June 18 at the Marriott Marquis Hotel in New York City.

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John Johnson

ASCAP has promoted John Johnson to Sr. VP of Licensing. Based in Nashville, Johnson will report to ASCAP Executive VP, Licensing, Vincent Candilora.

The oldest performing rights organization also promoted Lynne Lummel to Executive Vice President of newly created Transformation Management Office (TMO) in New York, which will help the organization implement innovative new tools and services.

Lynne Lummel

Lummel was previously Sr. VP of Distribution and Repertory.

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Ann Sweeney

BMI announced Ann Sweeney has been named Senior Vice President of Global Policy, effective immediately. She reports to Mike O’Neill, President and CEO, BMI, and is based in BMI’s New York office.

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Pictured, back (L-R): Warner Chappell’s BJ Hill and Phil May, SESAC’s Tim Fink and Warner Chappell’s Matt Michiels. Front, (L-R): SESAC’s John Mullins Warner Chappell’s Travis Carter, Pence and Warner Chappell’s Blain Rhodes.

SESAC affiliate Philip Pence has signed with Warner/Chappell Music for publishing representation. Recently, Pence and publishing executives visited with SESAC representatives to commemorate the signing.

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Spirit Music Group has acquired the music publishing assets of West Main Music, an independent Contemporary Christian publishing catalog.

The West Main song catalog features Christian music songwriters, including Jason Ingram (SESAC’s 2007 Christian Songwriter of the Year award recipient, co-writer of Bebo Norman’s “I Will Lift My Eyes,” Salvador’s “Shine,” Chris Tomlin’s “White Flag,” and member of One Sonic Society); Stuart Garrad (Stu G, Delirious?, and One Sonic Society); and Paul Mabury (One Sonic Society, noted Hillsong United drummer), among others.

The acquisition is part of Spirit’s expansion plan which included acquisition of Cal IV Entertainment in 2014, giving Spirit Music Group its first official presence in Nashville.

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