Music News (12/18/13)

The Nashville Songwriters Association International (NSAI) will hold the 22nd Annual Tin Pan South Songwriters Festival from March 25-29, 2014 in Nashville. Regions Bank will sponsor the event for the eighth consecutive year.

Tin Pan South is the world’s largest all-songwriter festival. Thousands of fans attended last year’s festival, which featured nearly 350 songwriters and more than 90 performances at Nashville’s top venues.

For more information, visit tinpansouth.com.

• • •

Pictured (L-R): Craig Wiseman, Matt Dragstrem, Seth England and Matt Turner.

Writer Matt Dragstrem has inked a publishing deal with Big Loud Shirt. Big Loud Shirt is home to writers and artists including Craig Wiseman, Rodney Clawson, Chris Tompkins, Tyler Hubbard, Brian Kelley, Joey Moi and Sarah Buxton.

• • •

Pictured (L-R)-Front row: Warner Chappell’s Ben Vaughn, Combustion’s Chris Farren, Ashley Gorley, and Chris Van Belkom. Back row: Combustion’s Kenley Flynn, Warner Chappell’s Matt Michiels, Phil May, Alicia Pruitt, Blain Rhodes, Steve Markland and BJ Hill.

Chris Farren, Chris Van Belkom and Kenley Flynn announced that Ashley Gorley has renewed an exclusive songwriting deal with Combustion Music and partner Warner/Chappell.

Gorley has been with Combustion since 2001, and has earned 13 chart-topping songs. Gorley currently has three singles on Country radio, with more slated for 2014. Gorley’s songs have been recorded by Kenny Chesney, Luke Bryan, Florida Georgia Line, Darius Rucker, Rascal Flatts, Joe Nichols, Chris Young, Scotty McCreery, Jake Owen, Brett Eldredge, Billy Currington, and Thomas Rhett.

• • •

Pictured (L-R): Ken Bunt, President, DMG; Jess Cates, Songwriter; Mio Vukovic, SVP of A&R/Head of Creative, DMG; Emanuel “Eman” Kiriakou).

Jess Cates, a songwriter responsible for scores of contemporary hits, has entered into an exclusive agreement with Disney Music Publishing (DMP). Cates has worked with artists including Backstreet Boys, Martina McBride, LeAnn Rimes, Jonas Brothers and others. The deal with DMP is in association with Emanuel “Eman” Kiriakou, which whom Cates has collaborated often.

Cates, a Nashville native, launched his career in the ’90s, writing songs for Rebecca St. James and Avalon. He later moved to Los Angeles, where he formed a long professional relationship with American Idol finalists and writing songs for Jordin Sparks, David Cook, and Scotty McCreery (“Better Than That”) as well as runners-up David Archuletta (“Crush”), Clay Aiken, Elliot Yamin, Kimberley Locke and Bo Bice. Cates also wrote Martina McBride‘s “I Just Call You Mine.”

• • •

Pictured (L-R): Black River Entertainment CEO, Gordon Kerr; VP of Black River Publishing, Celia Froehlig; Flood, Bumstead, McCready & McCarthy, Inc.’s, Duane Clark; Kelsea Ballerini; Milom Horsnell Crow Rose Kelley PLC.’s Mike Milom; Black River’s VP of A&R Doug Johnson; Black River Entertainment Attorney, Rush Hicks; and Black River’s GM, Greg McCarn.

Black River Entertainment recently signed Black River Publishing writer, Kelsea Ballerini, to Black River’s artist roster. Black River’s CEO, Gordon Kerr, chose to deliver the news to their newest artist among family and friends at the company Christmas party.

Her special moment was captured on video. Upon receiving the record deal, Ballerini shared, “There’s nothing that I love more than music and there’s no group of people that I would rather move forward and share my dream with than Black River Entertainment. So thank you. I’m so excited, let’s do this! This is so fun!”

• • •

Allison Jones, SVP of A&R at the Big Machine Label Group. (photo provided by BMLG)

Big Machine Label Group President and CEO Scott Borchetta announced the promotion of Allison Jones to Senior Vice President of A&R. Allison will continue to lead all A&R efforts across the company’s three imprints – Big Machine Records, The Valory Music Co. and Republic Nashville. BMLG’s artist roster includes Taylor Swift, Tim McGraw, Rascal Flatts, Reba, The Band Perry, Florida Georgia Line and many more.

During her five years at BMLG, Jones has been instrumental in expanding the reach of her department by securing key sync placements in hit TV shows like HBO’s True Blood and ABC’s Nashville. Most recently, Jones secured Danielle Bradbery‘s “My Day” in an official NBC Winter Olympics advertising campaign.

The Vanderbilt University graduate with a degree in Human Resource Development and a minor in Marketing began her music career in 1991 as the A&R coordinator at RCA in Nashville. Throughout her 21 years in the industry, she has worked with artists including Reba, George Strait, Lorrie Morgan, John Anderson and more.