Music News (9/19/18)
Music Modernization Act Passes United States Senate
The Orrin G. Hatch Music Modernization Act (MMA), legislation designed to improve streaming royalty rates for American songwriters, cleared one of the final hurdles today with adoption by the United States Senate.
It now awaits only a final vote by the U.S. House of Representatives within the next few days where it is expected to pass and be sent to President Donald Trump for his signature. The new Music Licensing Collective would begin operation on January 1, 2021 if the bills becomes law this year.
Read more at MusicRow.com.
Americana Gala Honors Tried And True
Pictured (L-R): Brandi Carlile, Irma Thomas, Courtney Marie Andrews, Tanya Blount and Michael Trotter, Jr. of The War and Treaty, Ann McCrary of The McCrary Sisters. (Photo credit: Getty Images for the Americana Music Association)
The 2018 Americana Music Honors & Awards were held at the Ryman Auditorium on Sept. 12 awarding Jason Isbell’s “If We Were Vampires” Song of the Year in addition to Album of the Year for The Nashville Sound. Singer-songwriter Tyler Childers was named the AMA’s Emerging Artist of the Year.
Justin Adams Signs With Spirit Music Nashville/Fluid Music Revolution
Pictured (front row L-R): Justin Adams; (middle row L-R): Brian Bradford (Sr. Director of Administration, Spirit Music Nashville), AJ Burton (VP, Fluid Music Revolution), Frank Rogers (President/Founder, Fluid Music Revolution) and Daniel Hill (President, Spirit Music Nashville); (back row L-R): Billy Lynn (VP, Creative, Spirit Music Nashville), Freeman Wizer (Sr. Director of Creative, Spirit Music Nashville) and Scott Safford (Safford Motley PLC).
Spirit/Fluid, the Nashville-based joint venture between Spirit Music Group and Frank Rogers’ Fluid Music Revolution has signed an exclusive publishing deal with Justin Adams.
Adams recently released his sophomore EP Horizon recorded at Sound Emporium Studios in Nashville. The project was produced by MusicRow 2018 Musician All-Star Award recipient Derek Wells. Adams also co-wrote the single “You’re In It” for Granger Smith, which is currently in the Top 40 on the singles charts.
Rocky Block Signs With Being Bob Music
Standing (L-R): Jamie Bruno, Being Bob Music; MaryAnn Keen, BMI
Seated (L-R): Bob DiPiero, Being Bob Music; Rocky Block; Jody Williams, BMI
Artist/songwriter Rocky Block, son of the late Billy Block, has signed a publishing deal with Being Bob Music and is being developed by Being Bob Music Owner Bob DiPiero.
CJ Solar Inks Deals With WME, Dreamcatcher
Pictured (L-R): Powell Hedley, Dreamcatcher Managment; Barry Jeffrey, WME agent; Mark Roeder, WME agent; CJ Solar; Jim Mazza, Dreamcatcher Managment; Craig Campbell, Campbell Entertainment. Photo: WME Endeavor
Singer/songwriter CJ Solar has signed with Dreamcatcher for management and aligned with WME for exclusive booking representation.
In addition to co-writing “American Girls,” the latest single from his Get Away With It EP, Solar also co-wrote Morgan Wallen’s No. 1 single “Up Down” featuring Florida Georgia Line. Solar signed to Sea Gayle Music shortly after graduating from Belmont University and has had cuts by Jerrod Niemann, Justin Moore, and Texas artists Mike Ryan and Kyle Park. He scored his first No. 1 as a writer with Park’s “What the Heaven” single, which topped the Texas Music chart.
Songwriter-Artist Robert Lee Castleman Joins ASCAP
Pictured (L-R): ASCAP’s Robert Filhart, RL Castleman, and ASCAP’s Beth Brinker and Mike Sistad
Singer-songwriter Robert Lee Castleman recently joined ASCAP. As a songwriter, Castleman won a Grammy Award for Best Country Song for writing “The Lucky One,” performed by Alison Krauss & Union Station. He was nominated again in 2007 for writing Alan Jackson’s “Like Red on a Rose.” Other notable cuts include “The Firefly’s Song,” “Maybe I Should Stay Here,” “Nobody Said That It Would Be Easy” and “Where Do I Go From Here (A Trucker’s Song),” all recorded by Alan Jackson, as well as Alison Krauss & Union Station’s “Doesn’t Have to Be This Way,” “Forget About It,” “Gravity,” “Let Me Touch You for Awhile,” “Paper Airplane” and “Restless.”
ASCAP’s ‘I Create Music’ Expo 2019 Set For May 2-4
ASCAP’s 14th annual “I Create Music” EXPO will return to the Loews Hollywood Hotel in Los Angeles on May 2-4, 2019.
The ASCAP “I Create Music” EXPO provides aspiring songwriters and composers with networking opportunities, one-on-one feedback and real-world advice from hit-making songwriters. Songwriters that have participated in ASCAP EXPO early in their careers include LELAND (“Youth,” Troye Sivan), Vincent Berry (“Sandcastles,” Beyoncé) and Meghan Trainor. Trainor was a keynote speaker at the 2018 EXPO, eagerly recounting to the audience her EXPO experience in 2010, when she attended sessions with Justin Timberlake and Bill Withers, Quincy Jones and Ludacris.
Category: Music News
