Kobalt, SMACKSongs Renew Partnership
Kobalt and SMACKSongs have renewed their global partnership, including a continuation of publishing administration, creative services and synch for all of SMACKSongs’ catalog and future works.
Jesse Willoughby, General Manager of Kobalt Nashville, said, “Shane, Michael, Josh and the entire SMACK team have built an incredible business that personifies a true creative and entrepreneurial spirit becoming a beacon of the Nashville publishing community in a short period of time. We are honored to continue on this journey with them and look forward to being a part of their continued success and growth in the future.”
Led by Grammy Award winners Shane McAnally and Josh Osborne, SMACKSongs’ songwriters, artists and producers have collectively earned over 50 chart-topping hits. In 2018, SMACKSongs was named SESAC Publisher of the Year and has been named AIMP Publisher of the Year for the past three years. SMACKSongs has been listed as a Top 10 Billboard Hot Country Publishing Corporation for the past seven years.
Robert Carlton, SVP, Development of SMACKSongs, added, “Kobalt has proven to be an invaluable part of the SMACK team. They’ve been with us since day one in helping build this company, so it was a no brainer to continue this partnership. We are excited to see what new heights we’ll hit together in the coming years.”
NSAI 21st Annual Song Contest Is Open
The Nashville Songwriters Association International (NSAI) along with presenting sponsors Martin Guitars and Strings and CMT, have announced details for the 21st Annual Song Contest. Beginning Sept. 1 at 12 p.m. CT, songwriters around the world are invited to submit their songs and/or lyrics for a chance to win up to $5,000 cash, a mentor session with songwriter-artist and the Academy of Country Music’s (ACM) 2020 New Female Artist of the Year Tenille Townes and hit songwriters Ross Golan and Joe London of And the Writer Is… (Grand Prize category winner) or Grammy-winning songwriter Brett James (Lyric-Only category winner), 1 of 12 Martin Guitar prize packages (each including a Martin guitar and Martin Authentic Acoustic Strings), a one-year single-song contract with Anthem Entertainment, a CMT prize package and more.
Each year the contest provides an opportunity for songwriters of all genres to have their song(s) and lyrics evaluated and judged by industry professionals through several phases of judging, with every entry receiving a scorecard with their judging evaluation. Up to 22 entries will place in the contest, and the live final judging phase for the Song Category will feature the Top 10 Finalists’ entries vying for the Grand Prize.
During the first round of judging, all eligible submissions received by NSAI will be judged in their respective categories by music industry professionals and scored to determine whether they move on to a second round of judging during which the top ten finalists and up to ten honorable mentions will be determined for the Song Category, the Lyric-Only winner and runner-up. In February of 2021, the top ten finalists for the Song Category will be scored during a live-streamed event where a music industry-based celebrity panel of elite music industry professionals will score each submission, with the highest total score receiving the Grand Prize.
Beginning Sept. 1 at 12:00 p.m. Central, entries can be submitted online at nsai.cmt.com or they can be mailed to the NSAI office (NSAI–ATTN: Song Contest, 1710 Roy Acuff Place, Nashville, TN 37203). All entries mailed in must include the submission form, entry fee, printed lyric sheet, and one audio CD (unless a Lyric-Only entry). Entry fees are $35 per song for current NSAI members and $45 per song for non-NSAI members. There is no limit to the number of songs that songwriters can submit, and all submissions must be submitted or postmarked by Nov. 3 at 4 p.m. CT.
Brian White Extends Publishing Deal With Anthem Music Publishing
Brian White
Brian White has extended his worldwide co-publishing deal with Anthem Music Publishing.
Since joining the Anthem family in 2018, White has become a highly sought-after producer and songwriter in Nashville. With success in both the country and Christian music worlds, his songwriting credits include cuts by Jason Aldean, Trace Adkins, Rascal Flatts, Neal McCoy, Danny Gokey, Michael English and more. White has 16 No. 1 songs under his belt, including the SESAC Country Song of The Year and Billboard’s Most Played Song of The Year, Rodney Atkins’ “Watching You,” and he received two Dove Awards for Song of The Year for Michael English’s “Holding Out Hope To You” and The Martins’ “The Promise,” as well as numerous ACM and CMA nominations.
“We are thrilled to further our deal with Brian White,” said Tim Wipperman, President of Anthem Music Publishing Nashville. “He has already proven to be a great addition to the Anthem family, and we look forward to great continued success with him.”
“I’m excited about continuing my publishing relationship with Anthem Entertainment,” White said. “It’s important to have the right people in your corner, and the team at Anthem is the best!”
Juli Newton Griffith Joins TriScore Music
Nashville-based music publisher TriScore Music, which entered the publishing rights acquisition business with the purchase of RPM Music Group last year, has added Juli Newton Griffith as Vice President of their publishing operations, effective immediately.
The deal was announced by TriScore principals Blake Chancey and Scott Siman, who will be working closely with Griffith to make additional catalog and rights acquisitions and oversee the songwriter roster. Griffith has previously served as VP of Magic Mustang Music, joining the company at its inception in 2003. Under Griffith’s direction, Magic Mustang Music was named SESAC’s Publisher of the Year for three consecutive years (2013-2015).
Prior to that, she worked with Corlew Music Group. She has represented over 100 songwriters and been involved in over 600 cuts.
TriScore is home to major copyrights that include songs recorded by Buddy Holly, Cher, Tim McGraw, Taylor Swift, Jason Aldean, Kenny Chesney, Alan Jackson, Luke Bryan, Jimmy Buffett, Toby Keith, Sam Hunt, Keith Urban and Old Dominion. Those songs include Grammy-winner “It’s Five O’clock Somewhere,” and No. 1 singles “We Back,” “Say You Do,” “Break Up With Him,” “Make You Miss Me,” “Save It For a Rainy Day,” “I’m Moving On,” “Leave the Pieces,” “Red Solo Cup,” “Highway Don’t Care,” and “Chainsaw,” among others. Grammy-winner Blake Chancey has produced records for such acts as David Ball, the Chicks, Montgomery Gentry and Mary Chapin Carpenter. Siman was a leading music attorney before moving to Sony and later taking over management for Tim McGraw among others.
Griffith can be reached at juli@Triscoremusic.com