NSAI Adds To Board Of Directors
The Nashville Songwriters Association International has added four songwriters to its board of directors.
J.T. Harding, Josh Kear, Jon Nite and Emily Shackelton have been elected as new members, while current board members re-elected to two-year terms include Steve Bogard, Jeff Cohen, Chris DeStefano, Byron Hill, Liz Rose, Jenn Schott and Jimmy Yeary.
Roger Brown and Lee Thomas Miller were re-elected to one-year terms as “Legislative Co-Chairs,” Rhett Akins and Caitlyn Smith were re-elected to one-year terms to the “Artist Writer” board positions and Brett James was re-elected to a one-year term to the “Industry Liaison” position.
They join existing board members Jim Beavers, Sarah Buxton, Nicolle Galyon, Tim Nichols, Josh Osborne, Rivers Rutherford, Anthony L. Smith, Bobby Tomberlin, Laura Veltz, Troy Verges and Danny Wells whose terms expire in 2021. The board terms begin each year at the May meeting.
Curb | Word Music Publishing Hires Ciara Shortridge, Signs Kyle Jacobs And Chris Gelbuda
Pictured: Ciara Shortridge, Kyle Jacobs, Chris Gelbuda
Curb | Word Music Publishing has made a round of hiring and signing announcements. Ciara Shortridge has joined as Sr. Creative Director of Country Publishing. Songwriters Kyle Jacobs and Chris Gelbuda have also signed with the publisher.
Shortridge will report directly to Colt Murski; she most recently held the position of A&R Manager and served as the main creative point of Disney’s Nashville-based office. Shortridge’s career at Disney began in 2009 after graduating from Belmont University. She can be reached at cshortridge@curb.com.
Jacobs earned his first significant success as a writer in 2003 with Kimberly Locke’s “8th World Wonder.” In 2007, he penned Garth Brooks’ “More Than A Memory,” which debuted at No. 1; co-wrote Tim McGraw’s “Still” and Eli Young Band’s “Dust;” and produced four No. 1 singles for Lee Brice including “Hard To Love,” “I Drive Your Truck,” “Drinking Class” and “Rumor,” which is also his latest No. 1 as a songwriter.
Chicago native Gelbuda has had songs recorded by Billy Currington, Frankie Ballard, Darius Rucker, Dustin Lynch, and Meghan Trainor, and produced Trainor and John Legend’s four-time platinum hit, “Like I’m Gonna Lose You.” As a vocalist, writer and producer, Gelbuda also wrote, produced, and contributed vocals to the Platinum-selling “Bad Ideas” by German dance artist Alle Farben. Gelbuda is also a partner at The Attic studios in West Nashville.
New Board of Directors, Officers For Copyright Society Of The South
The Copyright Society of the South has revealed its 2020 Board of Directors, including Tara Aaron, Janice Bane, Kari Barnhart, Brian Buchanan, Kent Draughon, Marghie Evans, Aaron Hartley, Sam Powers, Christy Robinson and Tim Wipperman. Draughon has been named Chairman for 2020, while Evans has been named Vice Chair, Bane has been named Secretary, and Powers has been named Treasurer.
The Nashville-based organization was formed in 1988, and includes music publishers, attorneys, business people and academicians interested in the field of copyright law. The Society provides seminars, speakers, presentations, and the opportunity to present various points of view on subjects of interest to the membership, as well as a scholarship awards program for students majoring in copyright-related fields.
MusicRow’s Top 100 Songwriters Of 2019
Ashley Gorley. Photo: Josh Ulmer
2019 proved to be a prosperous year for these elite songwriters who saw the most chart success on the weekly MusicRow Top Songwriter Chart. Using algorithms based upon song activity according to airplay, digital downloaded track sales and streams, these 100 songwriters were on top in 2019.
There are 13 female songwriters within the top 100—which is made up of 115 songwriters because of tied scores—including: Hillary Lindsey (No. 5), Laura Veltz (No. 6), Maren Morris (No. 21), Nicolle Galyon (No. 32), Carrie Underwood (No. 38), Kelsea Ballerini (No. 40), Parker Welling (No. 57), Allison Veltz Cruz (No. 58), Sarah Aarons (No. 59), Natalie Hemby (No. 62), Alysa Vanderheym (No. 78), Heather Morgan (No. 80) and Connie Harrington (No. 90).
While maintaining the pinnacle position on the MusicRow Top Songwriter Chart for 39 out of 49 charts, and being in the top 3 all year, Ashley Gorley comes out of 2019 the MusicRow Top Songwriter of the year. Aggregating chart data from each weekly MusicRow Top Songwriters Charts of 2019, Gorley had the most credits from the co-written songs that charted in 2019.
Songs that made Gorley the No. 1 Top Songwriter of 2019 were Luke Bryan’s “What Makes You Country,” Chase Rice’s “Eyes On You,” Eli Young Band’s “Love Ain’t,” Dierks Bentley’s “Living,” Chris Janson’s “Good Vibes,” Lee Brice’s “Rumor,” Thomas Rhett’s “Remember You Young,” and more. Gorley also won his seventh ASCAP Songwriter of the Year award in November.
Michael Hardy—otherwise known as HARDY—takes the No. 2 slot on the list of 2019 hit-makers. The artist-writer had a stellar year, being nominated for MusicRow‘s Breakthrough Artist-Writer of the Year and winning AIMP’s Rising Writer/Artist Award. Songs that propelled HARDY were Blake Shelton’s “God’s Country,” Florida Georgia Line’s “Talk You Out Of It,” Chris Lane’s “I Don’t Know About You,” LoCash’s “One Big Country Song,” his own “Rednecker,” and more.
Chart-champion Luke Combs is at No. 3 in the top 100 songwriters, with writer credits on songs including his own “Beer Never Broke My Heart,” “What You See Is What You Get,” “Refrigerator Door,” and “Even Though I’m Leaving,” as well as the Carly Pearce and Lee Brice duet, “I Hope You’re Happy Now.” Combs took home two honors at the annual CMA Awards, including Male Vocalist of the Year and Song of the Year for “Beautiful Crazy,” which he wrote alongside Wyatt Durrette (No. 25) and Robert Williford (No. 60).
Ross Copperman takes the No. 4 slot this year, with songs like Dierks Bentley’s “Living,” Eli Young Band’s “Love Ain’t,” Brett Young’s “Catch,” and Kenny Chesney’s “Tip Of My Tongue” and “Get Along” propelling him. Copperman was honored with BMI’s 2019 Songwriter of the Year, tied with Nicolle Galyon (No. 32).
Hillary Lindsey rounds out the top five on the MusicRow Top Songwriters of 2019. Lindsey is nominated with her co-writers Natalie Hemby (No. 62), Lady Gaga and Lori McKenna for their song on the A Star Is Born film, “Always Remember Us This Way,” at the upcoming Grammy Awards. Lindsey is also nominated for Best Country Song (“It All Comes Out In The Wash”), and for Best Song Written For Visual Media (“I’ll Never Love Again”).
Lindsey also won MusicRow‘s Female Songwriter of the Year at the 31st annual MusicRow Awards and was awarded the ASCAP Global Impact Award at the 2019 ASCAP Awards.
Click here to see MusicRow‘s Top 100 Songwriters of 2019.