Music News (9/23/15)

Invitees and public gather at Belmont on Sept. 22 to speak to representatives of the House Judiciary Committee.

Members of the House Judiciary Committee were in Nashville this week (Sept. 21-22) as part of a three-year review to determine how the U.S. Copyright Law can maintain pace with the digital age. Yesterday, they attended an information session with 21 key industry players at Belmont University.

Read more here.

•••

Mac Davis

BMI will celebrate the songwriting career of Mac Davis by naming him a BMI Icon at the company’s 63rd annual BMI Country Awards on Tuesday, Nov. 3 at BMI’s Music Row offices in Nashville.

The invitation-only event will also crown the Country Songwriter, Song and Publisher of the Year and salute the writers and publishers of the past year’s 50 most-performed songs from BMI’s country catalog.

As a songwriter, Davis wrote several hits for Elvis Presley, Kenny Rogers, Dolly Parton and Rascal Flatts.

•••

Pictured (L-R): Michael Knox (VP peermusic Nashville), Ralph Peer (Chair & Chief Executive Officer), Neil Thrasher, Mary Megan Peer (Deputy Chief Executive Officer), Kim Wiggins (Senior Creative Director)

Songwriter Neil Thrasher has extended his deal with peermusic Nashville. He has been a peermusic writer since 2011 and has penned several No. 1 songs during his time including ASCAP’s 2013 Country Song of the Year “How Country Feels,” recorded by Randy Houser. He also penned Jason Aldean’s platinum-selling “Tattoos On This Town,” “Fly Over States” and “Night Train.”

Thrasher was named ASCAP Songwriter of the Year in 2004 and has enjoyed other chart toppers such as “There Goes My Life,” “Fast Cars And Freedom,” “Banjo,” “Take You There” and many others.

•••

Pictured (L-R): Nate Drake, Associate Attorney at Dickinson Wright PLLC, Austen Adams, Of Counsel at Dickinson Wright PLLC, Ilya Toshinskiy, producer, musician and Creative Director at Liv Write Play, Dennis Kurtz, VP of Liv Write Play, Aaron Scherz, Olivia Lane, Leland Grant, Page Kelley, Partner at Milom Horsnell Crow Rose Kelley PLC, and Jody Williams, VP of Writer/Publisher Relations, BMI Nashville.

Aaron Scherz, the co-writer/co-producer behind Maddie & Tae‘s hit “Girl In A Country Song,” has signed an exclusive publishing agreement with Nashville-based music publishing house Liv Write Play. The company’s roster also includes Olivia Lane and Leland Grant.

Scherz co-wrote five songs included on Maddie & Tae’s debut studio album, as well as the duet “Enough” performed by Reba and Jennifer Nettles. His tracks have also been featured on the series Nashville and The Music of Nashville soundtracks.

•••

Pictured (back row): Noah McPike, Almon & McPike, PLLC; Denise Stevens, Partner, Loeb & Loeb, LLP; (seated): Hannah Showmaker, Parallel Music Publishing; Jesse Lee; Tim Hunze, Parallel Music Publishing.

Parallel Music Publishing has signed songwriter Jesse Lee, who has garnered album cuts with Kelsea Ballerini, Uncle Kracker, Kristy Lee Cook and more.

•••

Pictured (L-R, front row): Major Bob’s Bob Doyle, Vanderheym, and Major Bob’s Jesse Frasure. (L-R, back row): Almon & McPike’s Noah McPike, Major Bob’s Tina Crawford, ASCAP’s Beth Brinker, and Major Bob’s Chandler Thurston

Major Bob Music has signed multi-genre songwriter/producer Alysa Vanderheym to an exclusive worldwide songwriting deal. Born and raised in Marin County, Calif., she relocated to Nashville in 2012 to earn her BA in Songwriting from Belmont University.

•••

Pictured (L-R): Matt Cottingham (Ritholz Levy), Tim Stehli (HoriPro Entertainment Group), Michael O’Neill (BMI), Brinley Addington, Lee Krabel (HoriPro Entertainment Group), Courtney Crist (HoriPro Entertainment Group), Butch Baker (HoriPro Entertainment Group), Bradley Collins (BMI)

HoriPro has signed new singer/songwriter Brinley Addington to a worldwide deal, that includes his last year and a half of unpublished songs.

Addington has released two independent albums, with his last album Middle Of Nowhere released in 2014. He has opened shows for Florida Georgia Line, Josh Turner, Tyler Farr, Thomas Rhett, and others. Addington is booked by William Morris.