Music News (5/13/20)

NSAI Helps Launch “Nashville Needs A Song” Competition

The “Nashville Needs A Song” songwriting competition is asking Music City songwriters to submit compositions that help inspire and uplift Nashvillians as they navigate the challenges of the COVID-19 pandemic and its impacts. Nashville Needs A Song is a joint initiative of the Mayor’s Office, Nashville Convention & Visitors Corp and Nashville Songwriters Association International (NSAI). NSAI will administer the contest, which is open to songs that include at least one songwriter who lives in Davidson County, with the submitting writer being a current member of NSAI. Submissions should be made at nashvillesongwriters.com until May 12. The first 100 submissions will be considered.

To encourage submissions and to help those who keep the music playing in Music City, the NCVC is offering prize money from its COVID-19 relief fund, which is part of its charitable foundation: $2,500 to the winning songwriter, along with $1,000 for second place and $500 for third.  The winning tune may be used by the city and NCVC as part of marketing initiatives. Writers and their publishers will retain all future rights to the song.
 

Anthem Entertainment Extends Co-Publishing Deal With Jeremy Stover And RED Creative Group

Anthem Entertainment has extended its co-publishing deal with songwriter/producer Jeremy Stover and Stover’s RED Creative Group. The deal renews and expands the relationship between Anthem Music Publishing and Stover, including Stover’s publishing interest in songs written by RED Creative Group’s roster of writers. The catalog includes song such as “How Not To” (Dan+Shay), Justin Moore’s “Somebody Else Will,” “The Ones That Didn’t Make It Back Home,” and “Why We Drink,” as well as “To a T” (Ryan Hurd) and “How I’ll Always Be” (Tim McGraw).

Anthem will continue to administer RED Creative Group’s roster of songwriters including Adam Hambrick, Kelly Archer, Travis Denning, Nathan Spicer, L.J, David Fanning and Baker Grissom. Anthem Music Publishing and Stover will also enter into an exclusive futures agreement to sign new songwriters.

Stover said, “Anthem shares the same creative spirit that we value so deeply at RED. Their drive and determination to elevate, while carving their own unique path in entertainment, makes them the perfect partner for RED’s future endeavors.”
 

Big Yellow Dog Music Adds Vampsy To Roster

Vampsy.

Vampsy has signed a publishing and label deal with Big Yellow Dog Music. He has released his first single, “My Kind of People,” today.

Hailing from England originally, Vampsy grew up traveling across the U.S., eventually landing in Nashville where he attended Vanderbilt University for one semester before realizing music was his true calling. Despite hardships along the way, including a tornado hitting his house and the global pandemic, Vampsy inspires hope with a touch of retro-synth rock n’ roll edge in the first of new music to come this year.

Listeners can also hear Vampsy’s “My Kind of People” by way of the new Reddit campaign thanking the “idiots” and heroes that have gotten us through the COVID-19 crisis.
 

International Songwriting Competition Winners

The Sisterhood Band

The International Songwriting Competition has revealed its 2019 winners. Among this year’s honored writers are Hannah Bethel in the Americana category, Rachel Wilson, Dominic Schryvers, Laura Schryvers (The Sations) in the Christian genre, and Alyssa Bonagura and Ruby Stewart of The Sisterhood Band in the country category.

Judges in the competition included Coldplay, Tom Waits, Kevin Gates, Cam, American Authors,  Kristian Bush (Sugarland), Avery Lipman (Founder/President, Republic Records), and more. A complete list of 2019 winners and their winning songs can be found at songwritingcompetition.com/winners.

Previous ISC winners have included Illenium; Vance Joy; Bastille; Gotye; Lindsey Stirling; Kimbra; The Band Perry; Kehlani; Faouzia; Gregory Porter; Fantastic Negrito; Passenger; Lupe Fiasco; Gin Wigmore; Missy Higgins; for King and Country; Dean Lewis; and more.

Established in 2002, ISC is the world’s largest international songwriting competition, receiving over 18,000 entries from 140 countries in 2019. More than $150,000 in cash and merchandise is awarded to 71 winners in 23 categories covering all genres of music.
 

Autumn McEntire Inks With Plaid Flag Music

Pictured (L-R): Courtney Blake, Creative Director, Autumn McEntire, Writer, Kendall Warren, Sr. Creative Director, Stephanie Cox, Sr. VP of Creative – Kobalt

Autumn McEntire has signed with Plaid Flag Music. The Oklahoma native and longtime Nashville resident began her career as a songwriter when she signed her first publishing deal upon graduating from Belmont University. As an artist, she had two independent releases and performed at the Ryman Auditorium. She’s had cuts by Matt Stell’s “Better I Drink” (2019), Walker County’s “The Hamptons” (2019), and Reba McEntire’s “Stronger Than The Truth” (2019) and has also secured cuts with up-and-coming artists Meghan Patrick, Stephanie Quayle, Lacy Cavalier, Rachel Reinert and Mae Estes.

“She’s incredible,” said Kendall Warren, Sr. Creative Director of Plaid Flag Music. “We have always admired her work and now are so excited to be partnering with her. She’s an amazing writer but an even better person. She will add incredible value to our team and we can’t wait for the future.