Nominees Revealed For 32nd Annual MusicRow Awards
MusicRow is proud to announce the nominees for the 32nd Annual MusicRow Awards, Nashville’s longest-running industry trade publication honors.
Download the PDF and see the complete list of nominees.
Subscribed members of MusicRow will receive ballots by email on Wednesday, July 8, 2020. Voting closes on Friday, July 17 at 5:00 p.m. CT. This year’s honors will be announced virtually among multiple MusicRow platforms on Tuesday, August 18, 2020. To receive a ballot to vote in the MusicRow Awards, become a MusicRow member here.
Presenting Sponsor of the 2020 MusicRow Awards is City National Bank.
Nominees for the MusicRow Awards are determined by a committee comprised of critics and tastemakers, with outside nominations being considered for Breakthrough Songwriter and Breakthrough Artist-Writer. Male and Female Songwriter nominees are based on data from MusicRow’s Top Songwriter Chart. Eligible projects were active between April 1, 2019 to May 31, 2020.
The Top 10 Album All-Star Musicians Awards will also be announced on August 18, recognizing the studio players who played on the most albums reaching the Top 10 of Billboard‘s Country Album Chart during the eligibility period.
MusicRow‘s August/September print magazine, featuring all of the nominees, will debut prior the the MusicRow Awards winners announcement on August 18.
If you do not have a MusicRow membership, you may become a member to receive your ballot.
Luke Combs Inks Publishing Deal With Universal Music Publishing Group
Luke Combs. Photo courtesy UMPG
Luke Combs has signed an exclusive, global publishing deal with Universal Music Publishing Group.
A multi-Platinum, CMA, ACM, CMT, Billboard Music Award, and MusicRow Award-winning artist, Combs has seen meteoric success in breaking country music records. Since releasing his debut single, “Hurricane,” in 2016, he has become the only artist to ever hold 16 spots simultaneously on Billboard’s Hot Country Songs chart and the only artist to have eight consecutive No. 1 singles on the Billboard Country Airplay chart.
Combs also holds the record for having the largest streaming week ever for a country album with 74 million streams of his new album What You See Is What You Get. His triple Platinum debut album, This One’s For You, was the most streamed country album of 2019 and tied the record for longest reign atop Billboard’s Top Country Albums chart, spending 50 non-consecutive weeks in the No. 1 spot.
Combs is known for huge hits such as “Hurricane,” “When It Rains It Pours,” “One Number Away,” “She Got The Best Of Me,” “Beautiful Crazy,” “Beer Never Broke My Heart,” “Even Though I’m Leaving” and “Does To Me” featuring Eric Church. His current single, “Six Feet Apart,” is currently climbing the charts.
Combs said, “I’m really excited to be joining UMPG Nashville and the strong roster of songwriters they have. Universal Music’s success with publishing a lot of great songs over the years cannot be denied, and I’m thankful to now be a part of that.”
Sony/ATV Music Publishing Nashville Signs Karen Kosowski
Karen Kosowski
Sony/ATV Music Publishing Nashville has signed songwriter, producer, and multi-instrumentalist Karen Kosowski to a global publishing deal.
Kosowski is a co-writer on Mickey Guyton’s “What Are You Gonna Tell Her?”, as well as the Top 5 Canadian single “Country Thunder” from Washboard Union, the No. 1 Canadian and Australian country single “What A Song Should Do” from Tim Hicks, Ross Ellis’ “Home To Me,” and Brett Kissel’s single “Anthem.”
Kosowski was raised in Winnipeg, Canada and moved to Toronto in the early 2000s, before relocating to Nashville. She has also found success in the pop genre, co-writing the Top 40 single “Somebody To Love Me” (Tryon) and a Top 5 song at AC radio, “It Won’t Be Christmas,” recorded by Emma-Lee. Kosowski was tapped to arrange and produce a modern remake of the 1980s radio hit “Rise Up,” which features an all-star lineup of Canadian country artists including Meghan Patrick, Tebey, Jess Moskaluke, Gord Bamford, and The Washboard Union. Her work has also been featured on numerous television networks and in feature films, including the award-winning thriller The Scarehouse and the action movie entitled 88, starring Christopher Lloyd.
Josh Mirenda Signs With Average Joes Entertainment
Pictured (L-R): Forrest Latta, Average Joes/A&R; Colt Ford; Josh Mirenda; Chris Alderman/Deluge Music; Megan Bocklage/Deluge Music
Josh Mirenda has signed a recording contract with Average Joes Entertainment.
Mirenda, who was honored with ASCAP’s Song of the Year award in 2017 for his role in writing Dierks Bentley’s No. 1 hit “Somewhere on a Beach,” has also penned two chart-topping tracks for Jason Aldean—”They Don’t Know” and “Girl Like You.” In 2018, Mirenda earned a hit song of his own with “I Got You,” which earned more than 22 million streams.
“We’re excited to have Josh join our roster,” remarked Forrest Latta, Average Joes’ A&R representative. “An already established hit songwriter and now solo entertainer, he’s poised to take it to the next level musically and we can’t wait to be a part of what’s to come.”
Prior to the COVID-19 coronavirus pandemic which has halted numerous tours, Mirenda had been opening shows for artists including Chris Young, Dylan Scott, Easton Corbin and Rodney Atkins. Mirenda is also writing and recording music for his project slated to release later this year.
In 2019, Mirenda became the first songwriter signed to Reservoir’s Nashville office. He is also managed by Deluge Music.