Music News (7/9/14)

Pictured, (back row, L-R): Nashville Songwriters Hall of Fame Board Chair and Hall of Fame member Pat Alger; inductees John Anderson and Gretchen Peters and Hall of Fame executive director Mark Ford. Front row, (L-R): Inductees Paul Craft and Tom Douglas.

John Anderson, Tom Douglas, Gretchen Peters and Paul Craft are the 2014 inductees into the Nashville Songwriters Hall of Fame, joining the 192 existing members. The inductees were announced Tuesday morning (July 8) by Nashville Songwriters Hall of Fame board president Pat Alger at Nashville’s Music City Center.

This is where their names will be engraved on Songwriter Square and on the MCC steps leading up from Fifth Avenue. It is also where the Nashville Songwriters Hall of Fame gallery is on display. And MCC will be the site of their induction banquet on Oct. 5.

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Ryan Beuschel

Ryan Beuschel has been tapped for the role of A&R Director for Warner/Chappell Music, the global publishing arm of Warner Music Group. Beuschel comes to Warner/Chappell from ASCAP, where he spent four years as an Associate Director of Membership for their Nashville branch. Among other activities, he co-founded their GPS Project, which aids unsigned songwriters in navigating Nashville’s publishing community.

Beuschel will provide A&R resources and creative support across the publisher’s roster and catalog, and assist in the discovery of new talent and the development of songwriters. He will report to Ben Vaughn, Executive Vice President, Warner/Chappell Nashville.

Prior to ASCAP, he was A&R Manager at Universal Music Group, where he worked with artists signed to the MCA and Mercury labels. His career began at Universal Music Publishing.

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Pictured (L-R): Peter Shane (SVP, Creative Services, Spirit Music Group), Jon Singer (CFO, Spirit Music Group), Daniel Hill (Cal IV), David Renzer (Chairman, Spirit Music Group), Mark Fried (President, Spirit Music Group), Art Levy (VP of Business & Administration, Spirit Music Group), Ross Cameron (Manager of Finance & Business Development, Spirit Music Group)

Spirit Music Group has acquired Nashville-based independent music publisher, production and artist management company Cal IV Entertainment, which marks the launch of Spirit Music Nashville.

This is Spirit’s first official presence on Music Row. Spirit will assume the Cal IV Nashville offices, with Cal IV head Daniel Hill being named president of Spirit Music Nashville, Billy Lynn becoming VP of Creative, and other existing Cal IV staffers remaining with the company. Hill will report to Spirit Chairman David Renzer, who was named to that post earlier this year after a long tenure leading Universal Music Publishing Group.

Spirit becomes the publisher of an active roster that includes Eric Paslay, Jim Collins, Rose Falcon, Matt Singleton, Eric Knutson, and Britanny Taylor (Triple Run). The company’s catalog includes “Breathe” (recorded by Faith Hill), “Stupid Boy” (Keith Urban), “Big Green Tractor” (Jason Aldean) and more, as well as an extensive catalog of songs by former Cal IV writers such as Dave Berg (Billboard’s 2007 Country Songwriter of the Year, NSAI’s 2007 Songwriter of the Year, ASCAP’s 2008 Country Songwriter of the Year), Jim McBride, Odie Blackmon, Marla Cannon-Goodman, Trent Tomlinson, Holly Lamar, Georgia Middleman (Blue Sky Riders with Kenny Loggins and Gary Burr) and Ted Russell Kamp (Shooter Jennings), among many others.

Spirit purchased Cal IV from the Turner family, which includes Cal III and Cal, Jr.

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Singer/songwriter Justin Wilson has signed with SESAC for representation. Wilson, who is signed with Magic Mustang Publishing, visited SESAC’s Music Row headquarters to make it official.

Pictured (L-R): SESAC’s Shannan Hatch, Wilson, Magic Mustang Publishing Juli Newton Griffith and SESAC’s Tim Fink. Photo: Peyton Hoge

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Jeff Skaggs

Creative Nation has hired Jeff Skaggs to lead the creative department and to oversee the company’s songwriter roster, which includes Luke Laird, Barry Dean, Native Run and Maggie Chapman.

Skaggs most recently served as creative director at Kobalt Music Group, and launched his publishing career at Mighty Isis Music in 2005.

More additions to the team include Annalia Alba, Kristen Pellegrino and Sarah Lai. Alba, a former Creative Nation intern, has moved into a graphic design role. Lai (of publicity company SLPR) will oversee publicity and marketing for the company, while Pellegrino will focus on digital marketing.