Music News (6/22/22)

Dates Announced For 2022 MusicRow Awards

Now in its 34th year, the 2022 MusicRow Awards, presented by City National Bank, will take place online on all MusicRow platforms on Tuesday, August 30.

Nominees for the MusicRow Awards will be revealed Tuesday, July 19 and supported by MusicRow‘s annual “Nominator” publication. The eligibility period for this year’s MusicRow Awards is June 1, 2021 to May 31, 2022.

Winners are determined by votes received from subscribed industry members of MusicRow. Voting will begin Wednesday, July 20 and run through Friday, July 29. To become a subscribed member and become eligible to vote, sign up here.

MusicRow will feature the winners in each of the 11 possible awards categories online on Tuesday, August 30.

MusicRow Awards Key Dates:
– Nominees Announced (via online Nominator publication): Tuesday, July 19
– Ballot Opens: Wednesday, July 20 at 11:00am CST
– Ballot Closes: Friday, July 29 at 5:00pm CST
– MusicRow Awards Print Issue Release Date: Tuesday, August 23
– MusicRow Awards Presentation (online): Tuesday, August 30

MusicRow Awards member-voted categories:
1. Producer of the Year
2. Label of the Year
3. Talent Agency of the Year
4. Breakthrough Songwriter of the Year
5. Breakthrough Artist-Writer of the Year
6. Male Songwriter of the Year
7. Female Songwriter of the Year
8. Song of the Year
9. Discovery Artist of the Year
10. Breakthrough Artist of the Year
11. Artist of the Year

Top 10 Album All-Star Musicians Awards for Bass, Drums, Engineer, Fiddle, Guitar, Keyboards, Steel, and Vocals will also be announced on Tuesday, August 30, recognizing the studio players who performed on the most albums reaching the Top 10 of Billboard’s Top Country Albums chart during the eligibility period.
 

Cale Dodds Signs With Spirit Music Nashville/Fluid Music Revolution

Pictured (L-R, front row): Kara Jackson, Creative Director, Spirit Music Nashville; Frank Rogers, CEO, Spirit Music Nashville (w/ Star); Cale Dodds (w/ Captain Flint); and AJ Burton, Vice President, Fluid Music Revolution; (L-R, back row): Brian Bradford, VP of Administration and Operations, Spirit Music Nashville; Hannah Hall, Creative Director, Spirit Music Nashville; Derek Wells, Senior Director A&R/Production, Spirit Music Nashville/Founder, 2 Mix Music; Megan Lenzini, Administrative Assistant, Spirit Music Nashville; and Mike Fiorentino.

Cale Dodds has signed a worldwide publishing deal with Spirit Music Nashville/Fluid Music Revolution. The deal encompasses an administration deal for his catalog, as well as a go forward publishing deal with Spirit Music Nashville/Fluid Music Revolution.

A Georgia native, Dodds moved to Nashville in 2011 and immediately hit the road, touring with artists such as Sam Hunt, Brett Eldredge, Billy Currington, and Chase Rice. Before signing his first major label deal with Warner Music Nashville, he independently racked up more than 30 million streams.

After making a splash in the Nashville songwriting community with the single, “(This Ain’t No) Drunk Dial” by A Thousand Horses, Dodds pinned his first, two-week No. 1 with “Drinkin’ Beer. Talkin’ God. Amen” for Chase Rice featuring Florida Georgia Line.

Dodds, who has been writing songs since the age of 12,  has also had a hand in writing songs for film and TV, as well as writing for other artists such as Cassadee Pope, Filmore, Lit and many more.

“Starting a new partnership at Fluid/Spirit is a full-circle moment for me,” says Dodds. “Almost every person in that building has played some kind of role in my story and feels like family. I feel more inspired than ever to write songs and I am grateful to start this new chapter with a powerhouse team of people who understand who I am as a creative and share the same vision for the music.”

Spirit Music Nashville racked up nine No. 1 singles, ten top 10 singles, and 11 top 30 songs in 2021, as well as ACM Single of the Year for “I Hope You’re Happy Now” by Carly Pearce and Lee Brice (via Jonathan Singleton) and Album of the Year with Starting Over by Chris Stapleton. The company also published MusicRow’s 2021 Song of the Year, “Hell of a View” by Eric Church (via Monty Criswell).
 

Endurance Music Group Expands Staff With Two New Additions

Tony Lemonis & Alannah Schwartz

Endurance Music Group has expanded its creative team and its administration division with two new staffers, Tony Lemonis and Alannah Schwartz.

As a Senior Data Analyst, Lemonis will play a critical role in royalty and catalog data analysis and management, and will also assist with new acquisitions.

Lemonis comes to Endurance with nearly a decade of experience in research and data analysis and holds bachelor’s and master’s degrees in social science. He has an extensive background in both the finance and media industries, and has contributed analyses to top podcasts, radio programming, bestselling books, and award-winning documentaries.

In her role as a Catalog Manager, Schwartz will work with the EMG creative team to provide administrative assistance, as well as marketing and promotional support for the roster of songwriters and artists.

Schwartz graduated from Belmont University’s Curb College Music Business program this year. She previously worked as Licensing Coordinator at Me Gusta Music, handling both publishing licensing and label administration for a variety of clients. She is an active member of AIMP and SOLID,  where she serves on the Ambassadorship Committee.