MusicRow’s 19th Annual CountryBreakout Awards Winners
MusicRow Magazine is revealed the winners of the 19th annual CountryBreakout Awards on all MusicRow online platforms, including Facebook, Instagram and Twitter, Feb. 16.
Each winner will be featured in MusicRow‘s Country Radio & Streaming issue, (Feb. 16.
The winners for the 2021 CountryBreakout Awards are below:
Reporter of the Year – WIFE’s Ted Cramer
Songwriter of the Year – Josh Osborne
Label of the Year – Capitol Records Nashville
Independent Artist of the Year – Cody Jinks
Breakout Artist of the Year – Parker McCollum
Group/Duo of the Year – Florida Georgia Line
Female Artist of the Year – Miranda Lambert
Male Artist of the Year – Luke Combs
Hit Songwriter Shy Carter Makes Artist Debut [Interview]
Shy Carter. Photo: Jess Williams
Singer-songwriter Shy Carter is making his Warner Music Nashville debut with “Good Love,” a soulful song about a relationship being his saving grace on dark days.
The Platinum-selling, Grammy-nominated songwriter has written many hits for others, including Kane Brown’s “Heaven” and “Good As You,” Billy Currington’s “It Don’t Hurt Like it Used To,” Sugarland’s “Stuck Like Glue” and Charlie Puth’s “One Call Away.” Now Carter is ready to step into the spotlight as an artist.
Carter wrote “Good Love” with James Slater, Micah Carter and Carlo Colasacco. Named as a Highway Find on SiriusXM’s The Highway and climbing at country radio, Carter delivers the message: ‘When I feel like I’m dying, you come around with that good love / Good love, good love / Make me feel like it’s alright, make me believe in this good life’
Click here to read the full interview on musicrow.com.
The MLC Receives $424 Million In Historical Unmatched Royalties From DSPs
The Mechanical Licensing Collective (The MLC) announced today (Feb. 16) that it has received a total of $424,384,787 in accrued historical unmatched royalties from digital service providers (DSPs). The data is presented with corresponding reports that identify the usage related to these royalties.
A total of 20 DSPs separately transferred accrued historical unmatched royalties to The MLC as required in order for them to seek the MMA’s limitation on liability for past infringement. In addition to the accrued unmatched royalties transferred to The MLC, the DSPs concerned also delivered more than 1,800 data files, which contain in excess of 1.3 terabytes and nine billion lines of data.
The transfer of these monies represents the culmination of a months-long effort on the part of The MLC and these DSPs to develop and implement the specifications for these usage reports. With these historical unmatched royalties and usage reports now in hand, The MLC can begin the process of reviewing and analyzing the data in order to find and pay the proper copyright owners.
Going forward, The MLC will provide additional information about historical unmatched royalties on a newly-created page on its website entitled Historical Unmatched Royalties. Below is an initial summary of the historical unmatched royalties separately transferred to The MLC by each DSP:
Read more about the data above here.
Willie Jones Signs With Warner Chappell Music
Pictured (L-R): Will Overton (WCM), Jonnie Forster (The Penthouse), Spencer Nohe (WCM), Willie Jones, and Ben Vaughn (WCM)
Genre-bending singer/songwriter Willie Jones has signed a global publishing deal with Warner Chappell Music (WCM) Nashville.
Jones is already gaining traction with his debut album, Right Now, which has amassed 27.5 million streams and counting on Spotify. He co-wrote the entire project including his thought-provoking single “American Dream.”
“‘American Dream’ is a powerful song with a unique sound that does what country music does best—it tells a story,” said Ben Vaughn, President & CEO of Warner Chappell Music Nashville. “It’s honest yet hopeful, and its message is an important one. All of us at Warner Chappell are excited to work alongside Willie, and we applaud the great work he’s done with the NMAAM to advocate for change.”
Jones is also represented by The Penthouse, EMPIRE, and Creative Artists Agency. The Louisiana native was recently named to Spotify’s Hot Country Artist To Watch list and hosts his own Apple Music show, The Cross Roads Radio.
“As we all watch the evolution of Willie before our eyes, it’s a huge win to have such a passionate juggernaut like Warner Chappell with Ben, Spencer [Nohe], Will [Overton], and the entire team on our side,” said Jonnie Forster, CEO of The Penthouse. “This is a vital piece of the puzzle for Willie’s growth on the national and international level especially as the genre continues to evolve.”
To coincide with the release of “American Dream,” Jones partnered with Nashville’s National Museum of African American Music for the #IHaveAnAmericanDream initiative, prompting fans to share their hopes for change in America and also performed at the museum’s virtual ribbon-cutting ceremony last month.
Wyatt McCubbin Signs With Tape Room Music, 50 Egg Music
Pictured (L-R) Top row: Kelly Bolton, Ashley Gorley, Joey Harris; Middle row: Blain Rhodes, Tali Canterbury, Jonathan Singleton; Front row: Wyatt McCubbin
Wyatt McCubbin has signed a joint publishing deal with Tape Room Music and 50 Egg Music. The partnership marks the first joint venture for the two companies, which collectively have 33 No. 1 hits.
Since moving to Nashville from his native Ohio, McCubbin has had songs recorded by Tracy Lawrence, Brent Cobb, John Schneider, Josh Ward, Jake Worthington, Drew Parker and others. He has also opened for artists including Merle Haggard, Charlie Daniels, Dwight Yoakam, Easton Corbin, The Kentucky Headhunters, Josh Turner and more.
“I’ve been a fan of Wyatt’s for a long time and I am glad to finally have him in the Tape Room family. He is one of the best young songwriters in town and can flat out sing!” said Blain Rhodes, General Manager of Tape Room Music. “We look forward to working with 50 Egg to help him bring his music to the world.”
“Wyatt is the real deal—incredible singer, songwriter, and human being. We are so excited for the world to hear his music and for this collaboration with Tape Room Music,” said Tali Canterbury, President of 50 Egg Music.
“Working with this team is such a full circle moment because I’ve known several members of the team for years now. They’ve seen me grow over that amount of time as an artist and a writer and have always encouraged me to be me,” said McCubbin. “It’s inspiring to get to work with such a talented group of people who truly get who I am and believe in what I do.”