Music News (9/14/16)

Music Publisher Bill Lowery To Be Posthumously Honored At NaSHOF Gala

Bill Lowery

The late music publisher Bill Lowery will be honored with the Frances Williams Preston Mentor Award during the upcoming Nashville Songwriters Hall of Fame Gala on Oct. 9 at Nashville’s Music City Center.

Master songsmiths Aaron Barker, Beth Nielsen Chapman, Bob Morrison and Townes Van Zandt are the 2016 inductees into the Nashville Songwriters Hall of Fame. Nashville Songwriters Association International also participates in the evening by presenting its annual awards for the year’s Best Song, Songwriter and Songwriter/Artist, as well as the Top 10 “Songs I Wish I Had Written” as determined by its professional songwriters division.

Read more at MusicRow.com.

Ross Copperman Signs To Rezonant Music Publishing

Ross Copperman

Ross Copperman has signed to the recently-launched Rezonant Music Group, led by Tim Wipperman, Garry Velletri, and Alan Walter.

Copperman co-wrote Kenny Chesney’s current collaboration with Pink, “Setting The World On Fire.” Earlier this year, he was twice honored with a CMA Triple Play Award for having six No. 1 songs in a 12-month period. He has co-written numerous chart-toppers, including Keith Urban’s “John Cougar, John Deere, John 3:16” and “Break On Me;” Brett Eldredge’s “Beat of the Music” and “Lose My Mind;” Luke Bryan’s “Strip It Down” and Justin Moore’s “Point At You.” As a producer, Copperman was nominated for a 2015 Grammy in the Country Album of the Year category for his work on Dierks Bentley’s Riser album. That same year, Bentley’s single “Drunk On A Plane” was nominated for CMA Single of the Year.

Wipperman and Velletri have more than 30 years in their respective careers of working for and running publishing companies across all genres of music. Walter, former CFO of Famous Music and Bug Music, handles the financial responsibilities from Los Angeles. Wipperman handles Rezonant’s efforts in Nashville, while Velletri is stationed in New York.

SMACKSongs Signs Kylie Morgan To Kobalt-Administered Pub Deal

(Front row, L-R): Robin Palmer, SMACKSongs Senior Creative VP; Kylie Morgan. (Back row, L-R): Josh Osborne, Partner, SMACKSongs; Michael McAnally Baum, Business Affairs, SMACKSongs; Lee Krabel, Senior Creative Director, SMACKSongs; Daniel Novick, Savur Threadgold LLP. Photo: Courtesy SMACKSongs

SMACKSongs, led by songwriters Shane McAnally and Josh Osborne, has signed Kylie Morgan to a worldwide publishing agreement, exclusively administered by Kobalt.

The Newcastle, Oklahoma native has been writing, singing and playing guitar since age 12, drawing national attention for her independently released music and role on E!’s Opening Act. At age 18, Morgan moved to Nashville to pursue her career as a singer/songwriter.

Morgan has spent the past three years with Zavitson Music and writing with songwriters Rivers Rutherford, Tony Haselden and Jim Collins.

Jacob Powell Signs Publishing Deal With ole

(L-R): Noah McPike, Almon & McPike, PLLC; Ben Strain, Creative Director, ole; Leslie Roberts, Executive Director, Writer/Publisher Relations, BMI; Singer/Songwriter Jacob Powell; John Ozier, VP Creative, ole; Shellien Kinsey, Creative Admin Manager, ole; Mike Whelan, Sr. Creative Director, ole; Emily Mueller, Creative Manager, ole.

Jacob Powell has signed a deal with ole, granting the rights management company exclusive publishing rights. The agreement also includes exclusive administration of Powell’s YouTube channel, and the exclusive option to fund future master recordings with the objective to upstream him to a major record label.

As a part of this deal, Powell delivers 45 pre-existing songs that were not assigned to another publisher. Many of the songs were co-written with ole songwriters such as Jeremy Stover, April Geesbreght, Phil O’Donnell and Adam Hambrick.

Powell launched his musical journey in Lawrenceburg, Tennessee, a small town south of Nashville, where he grew up listening to the Allman Brothers, George Jones, and George Strait. In 2015, he played over 100 dates and is well on his way to do the same in 2016 – playing with Florida Georgia Line, Dustin Lynch, The Cadillac Three, David Nail and many more.

As a songwriter, Powell has earned the respect of hit writers such as Casey Beathard, Michael Heeney, Jaren Johnston, and Jeremy Stover, which has helped him secured cuts from artists like Chase Rice, Jordan Rager and Jon Wolfe, as well as cuts he co-wrote for his own record.

ole Renews Co-Publishing Deal With Phil O’Donnell

(L-R): Ben Strain, Creative Director, ole; Emily Mueller, Creative Manager, ole; Songwriter/Producer Phil O’Donnell; John Ozier, VP, Creative, ole; Mike Whelan, Sr. Director, Creative, ole.

ole has renewed its worldwide co-publishing deal with country songwriter-producer Phil O’Donnell.

O’Donnell’s Canadian roots have earned him a place in the New Brunswick Hall of Fame, although he is now based in Nashville. His discography contains hits like Blake Shelton’s “Doin’ What She Likes,” George Strait’s “Give It All We Got Tonight,” and Montgomery Gentry’s “Back When I Knew It All.” He’s also had cuts with Craig Morgan, Clay Walker, Darryl Worley, Rodney Atkins, and Parmalee.

For the 2016 Canadian Country Music Awards (CCMA), O’Donnell was nominated for Songwriter of the Year – alongside fellow ole writer Gord Bamford — for “Heard You In A Song.” O’Donnell produced Bamford’s album, Tin Roof, which was nominated for Album of the Year. In addition, O’Donnell was recognized as Songwriter of the Year at the 2015 CCMA for “Where A Farm Used to Be,” again co-written with Bamford.