Music News (12/4/19)

MusicRow Reveals 2020 Next Big Thing Artists List

MusicRow is proud to reveal its list of artists, who in 2020, are predicted to become the Next Big Thing (NBT). The annual NBT list features 11 artists, who are each profiled in MusicRow’s latest 2020 Touring Issue print magazine, which hit shelves Tuesday, Dec. 3.

MusicRow Magazine’s Next Big Thing Class of 2020 has set itself apart from today’s artists with talent and hard work. Some of these NBT artists have just released their first singles, while others are celebrating chart-topping hits. All have broken through by bringing unique styles and by surrounding themselves with team members who champion them.

Click here to read about the Class of 2020 on musicrow.com.
 

MusicRow Highlights Rising Execs With Inaugural N.B.T. Industry Directory

Collage created using TurboCollage software from www.TurboCollage.com

66 rising Nashville music industry leaders have been selected as part of MusicRow Magazine’s inaugural N.B.T. Industry Directory.

MusicRow’s new N.B.T. Industry Directory is the first and only list of its kind, showcasing Nashville music business professionals who occupy important roles at their respective companies, and who are on a trajectory of excellence to successfully lead the Nashville music industry into the future.

Click here to see the 66 members of MusicRow Magazine’s Inaugural N.B.T. Industry Directory.
 

Michael Knox, Kathy Spanberger Discuss peermusic’s New Nashville Office, The State Of Songwriting

peermusic Nashville Sr. VP, Michael Knox. Photo: Haley Crow

In 2019, peermusic has been on the move—on many fronts.

peermusic relocated its Nashville office to 55 Music Sq. E., Ste. C—a space that previously housed SESAC’s offices, and remodeled the building to include more writer rooms, and communal, creative spaces.

Michael Knox, who has produced 23 No. 1 hits in his career, contributed to 45 million singles and 20 million albums sold, and is known for his longtime work with Jason Aldean, was promoted to Sr. VP, peermusic Nashville. The company recently celebrated the renewal of contracts for two writers—Jaron Boyer and Michael Tyler.

Tyler and Boyer each have songs on Aldean’s current chart-topping album, 9, and have co-written hits including Aldean’s “Girl Like You” and Dierks Bentley’s “Somewhere On A Beach,” among others. Other recent peermusic hits include “There Was This Girl” (Riley Green), “Rearview Town” (Aldean), and “Love You Too Late” (Cole Swindell).

Ken Burns’ recent documentary Country Music featured the story of peermusic founder Ralph S. Peer, producer of the famous “Bristol Sessions,” the 1927 recordings from the Carter Family and Jimmie Rodgers, which are considered the “Big Bang” of country music; Ralph Peer II, son of Ralph S. Peer, currently serves as Chairman and CEO of peermusic.

Click here to read the full interview on musicrow.com.
 

Endurance Music Group Signs Ben Stoll

Pictured (L-R): Endurance Music Group’s Mark Ahlberg and Michael Martin, Keller Turner’s Sarah Smith, Ben Stoll, Endurance Music Group’s Josh Saxe and ASCAP’s Evyn Mustoe

Endurance Music Group has signed ASCAP songwriter Ben Stoll to an exclusive worldwide publishing agreement. Stoll joins the growing roster of Endurance songwriters, which also includes fellow ASCAP hitmakers Scooter Carusoe (Chris Janson’s “Drunk Girl,” Darius Rucker’s “For the First Time”) and Clint Lagerberg (Keith Urban’s “Blue Ain’t Your Color,” Rascal Flatts’ “Here Comes Goodbye”), as well as emerging artist-writers Jake Rose and Ryan Plappert.

Stoll was born and raised in rural Minnesota, where he grew up hunting, fishing and playing various sports. While playing Division 1 basketball, he started to seriously consider trying his hand at songwriting. After working in the oil fields of North Dakota for a stint, Stoll packed up his Jeep and headed for Nashville. He has a knack for bringing fresh ideas and pointed lyrics into his co-writes.

Endurance Music Group also represents the catalogs of songwriters including Kevin Kadish (Meghan Trainor’s “All About That Bass,” Morgan Wallen’s “Whiskey Glasses”), Ross Copperman (Kenny Chesney’s “Tip Of My Tongue,” Brett Eldredge’s “Love Someone”), Hillary Lindsey (Little Big Town’s “Girl Crush,” Keith Urban’s “Blue Ain’t Your Color”), Extreme Writers Group (George Strait’s “I Saw God Today,” Heartland’s “I Loved Her First”) and Matt Jenkins (Florida Georgia Line’s “Confession,” Keith Urban’s “Cop Car”).