Music News (11/11/20)

Miranda Lambert, Carly Pearce And Lee Brice Earn Early CMA Wins

Miranda Lambert, Lee Brice, Carly Pearce

Two CMA Award winners were revealed this morning (Nov. 11) on ABC’s Good Morning America, ahead of the live telecast tonight. Carly Pearce and Lee Brice won CMA Musical Event of the Year for “I Hope You’re Happy Now, produced by busbee. Miranda Lambert won CMA Music Video of the Year for “Bluebird,” directed by Trey Fanjoy.

“I Hope You’re Happy Now” is also up for Song of the Year. Lambert leads the nominees tonight with seven nominations, breaking the record for most nominations by a female artist in CMA Awards history with 55 total career nods.

A final performer was also revealed for tonight’s CMA Awards. Country superstar Kelsea Ballerini will take the stage to perform her hit single “hole in the bottle.”

Additionally, hosts Reba McEntire and Darius Rucker will debut an emotional tribute to the late country music icon three-time CMA Awards host Mac Davis, with a performance of his “In the Ghetto.” The song, which the pair recorded last month, will be available on all DSPs at midnight ET, tonight, following their CMA Awards performance.

The 54th Annual CMA Awards airs live tonight from Nashville’s Music City Center (8:00-11:00 PM/ET) on ABC.
 

Ryman Auditorium To Host Livestream Event To Help Music Touring Community

A free livestream festival aimed at supporting those in the live events and music touring industry affected by the COVID-19 pandemic is set for Dec. 16 at Nashville’s Ryman Auditorium.

The Live Events Lift Up Festival, also called LEVL Up Fest, will stream live from the Ryman beginning at 7:30 p.m. CT that evening, featuring 25 artists and entertainers spanning the genres of country, pop, Americana, and more. A lineup will be announced in coming weeks. In addition to music, the virtual attendees will hear stories from artists and crew members about the efforts it takes behind the scenes to produce live events and entertainment.

When quarantine and social distancing mandates forced live events to shut down in March due to the COVID-19 pandemic, the live events industry slammed to a halt. More than 12 million jobs were lost and more than 70% of live events workers lost 100% of their income.

“We’ve seen depression and anxiety take hold across our community, loss of life due to suicide, families in fear of losing homes and generational small businesses closing their doors,” says Shannon Cook, Co-Founder of LEVL UP Fest.  “With large-scale gatherings not expected to return until mid to late 2021, workers across this industry face a very uncertain future.”

Co-Founder of LEVL UP Fest Eileen Valois said via a statement, “In times of crisis, the entertainment and events industry have always stepped up with a call to action and so many incredible events like Live Aid and Farm Aid to the more recent Global Citizen events. Behind the scenes of every one of those benefits are the millions of people in our workforce. The average concert requires nearly 500 people to make it possible, from concessions and security to tour bus drivers, technical crew and everyone in between. This is OUR crisis and now we need to take care of our own.”

Valois, who is the Senior Vice President of Sports & Fan Entertainment at leading production solutions provider PRG and Cook, who is the Chief Operating Officer for TOURtech, are joined by five additional co-founders, representing a cross-section of the events industry including entertainment and private events.

The festival will benefit MusiCares, The Roadie Clinic, and the Country Music Association Foundation (with funds donated to the CMA Foundation to be used for the CMA EDU program). The LEVL Up Fest team will also launch a merchandise store this week; East Wind Screenprint has partnered with the organization to design merch and will donate 50% of the net proceeds back to the festival.

More than 30 professionals were brought together as an “Industry Council” to provide insight throughout the planning process; as well as organizations including Roadies of Color United, Event Safety Alliance, and We Make Events. Show Makers, a 501(C)(3) organization that provides resources for people who make events, is the Philanthropic Partner to LEVL UP Fest and will facilitate all funds raised in association with the event. TOURtech, a company that provides Wi-Fi and public safety technologies for live events and among the many suppliers impacted by the shutdown of live events, has stepped up as the supporting entity of record for LEVL UP Fest. The group says they are grateful to all of the partners who are providing a myriad of production and venue services and support.

Go West Creative CEO and Chief Creative David Fischette will executive produce the event, while Keith Levenson (conductor/composer for The Who since 1994 and co-founder of Fustercluck Music) will serve as music supervisor.
 

“Gone Too Soon” Hitmaker Andrew Jannakos Inks Sony Label Deal

Top row (L-R): Steve Hodges, Sony Music Nashville EVP, Promotions & Artist Development; Randy Goodman, Sony Music Nashville Chairman & CEO; Andrew Jannakos; Andrew Cohen, Cohencidence Projects; Ken Robold, Sony Music Nashville EVP & COO; Jim Catino, Sony Music Nashville EVP, A&R. (Middle row, L-R): Caryl Atwood, Sony Music Nashville SVP, Sales; Dennis Reese, Sony Music Nashville SVP, RCA Nashville Promotions; Margaret Tomlin, Sony Music Nashville Director, A&R; Anthony Stone, Cohencidence Projects; Jennifer Way, Sony Music Nashville Sr. Director, Marketing; Tracy Fleaner, Sony Music Nashville VP, Creative. (Bottom row, L-R): Lauren Thomas, Sony Music Nashville VP, National Promotion; Angie Magill, Sony Music Nashville SVP, Legal & Business Affairs; Matt Cottingham, Ritholz Levy Fields LLP.

Former The Voice contestant Andrew Jannakos, singer-songwriter behind the recent viral hit “Gone Too Soon,” has inked a deal with Sony Music Nashville’s RCA Nashville imprint.

In July, Jannakos’ girlfriend (now wife) posted a video to TikTok of Jannakos singing along to “Gone Too Soon.” The video earned more than 250,000 likes overnight and brought him over half a million followers on the TikTok platform.

When it released in September, Jannakos debuted at No. 1 on Billboard‘s Emerging Artist chart. The song also reached No. 12 on Billboard‘s Hot Country Songs chart, No. 1 on the Country Digital Song Sales Chart, and No. 2 on the all-genre Digital Song Sales chart. “Gone Too Soon” has earned nearly 14 million on-demand streams to date.

“I’m so excited to be starting this journey with Sony Music Nashville!” shares Jannakos. “I could not be more grateful to my team and my family, who have supported me from the beginning. It just goes to show that hard work and dedication pay off.”
 

Warner Chappell Extends Pub Deal With Logan Wall

Logan Wall. Photo: Alex Ferrari

Producer, songwriter, and multi-instrumentalist Logan Wall has extended his global publishing deal with Warner Chappell Music Nashville.

Wall co-wrote Brantley Gilbert’s current single “Hard Days,” as well as Logan Mize’s “Grew Apart,” which has earned more than 9 million global streams following features on Spotify’s Hot Country, New Boots, U.S. Viral 50 and Apple Music’s Today’s Country.

Wall is currently producing the upcoming album from Grammy-winning singer/songwriter Tom Douglas, and has cuts with artists including Larry Fleet, Augustana, and Donovan Woods, working in multiple formats including country, indie-alternative, Americana, and contemporary Christian.

In 2019, Wall launched the Skinny Studio in the heart of Downtown Nashville to serve as a creative haven for players, poets, and artists looking for a place to write their stories. Wall is managed by Michelle Szeto at Paquin Entertainment.