Music News (9/21/22)

Adam Chaffins Signs With Spirit Music Nashville/Fluid Music Revolution

Pictured (L-R): Megan Lenzini, Administration Assistant/Office Manager, Spirit Music Nashville; David Crow of Milom, Horsnell, Crow, Kelley, Beckett, Shehan; Michelle Davey, Director of Administration, Spirit Music Nashville; Mike Fiorentino, Director of A&R/Production, Spirit Music Nashville; Matthew Beckett of Milom, Horsnell, Crow, Kelley, Beckett, Shehan; Adam Chaffins; Brit Taylor; Brian Bradford, GM/VP of Administration, Spirit Music Nashville; Frank Rogers, CCO, Spirit Music Group/CEO, Spirit Music Nashville; Rachel Guttmann of Taylor Guttmann; AJ Burton, VP, Fluid Music Revolution.

Adam Chaffins has signed a worldwide publishing deal with Spirit Music Nashville/Fluid Music Revolution.

Chaffins grew up along Kentucky’s Country Music Highway U.S. 23, which spans seven counties and claims to have produced more hit country artists per capita than any other region, including Loretta Lynn, Crystal Gayle, The Judds, Chris Stapleton, Billy Ray Cyrus, Ricky Skaggs, Keith Whitley, Dwight Yoakam and Patty Loveless.

After moving to Tennessee, Chaffins found his traction as a songwriter and in-demand session musician, while also playing on the road as a member of various bands, including bluegrass band Town Mountain and Rounder Records’ The Deadly Gentlemen. He released his debut album, Some Things Won’t Last in 2020 followed by singles “Further Away” and “Now I Don’t Know.”
 

Matt Roy Joins Big Machine Music’s Writer Roster

Pictured (L-R): BMM’s General Manager Mike Molinar, Matt Roy, BMM’s Director, Publishing Michelle Attardi. Photo: Noah Needleman

Big Machine Music (BMM), a subsidiary of HYBE America, has added singer-songwriter Matt Roy to its writer roster with an exclusive co-publishing agreement.

The New Jersey native began playing music at the age of 12. Drawn to the storytelling in country music, Roy landed his first publishing deal prior to graduating from Belmont University in 2018. Since then, he has landed cuts from Kane Brown and Chris Young, as well as newcomers Ashley Cooke and Adam Doleac. In 2020, Roy notched his first chart-topper with the multi-week No. 1, Gold-certified hit “Done,” which was co-written and recorded by Chris Janson.

Earlier this year, Roy released his debut EP, Wildflower, which features five self-penned songs. He has recently been on the road opening for Morgan Wade and others.

Roy joins BMM’s writer roster which includes Brett Young, Ryan Hurd, Laura Veltz, Matt Dragstrem, Jessie Jo Dillon and Eric Paslay, among others.
 

Hitmaker Jordan Schmidt Inks Publishing Deal With Endurance Music Group

Pictured (L-R): Attorney T.D. Ruth, daschent’s Dane Schmidt, EMG’s Mark Ahlberg, Schmidt, EMG’s Lauren Funk, and EMG’s Michael Martin. Photo: Ed Rode

Endurance Music Group (EMG) has signed hit songwriter and producer Jordan Schmidt to an exclusive global publishing agreement. The company has also acquired a significant stake in his existing catalog.

Originally hailing from Duluth, Minnesota, Schmidt got his start as a rock/alternative producer in Minneapolis, where he worked with bands such as All Time Low, Metro Station, Motion City Soundtrack, and Quietdrive. He moved to Nashville in 2012, where he made the leap from producer to full-time songwriter, catching the attention of Florida Georgia Line, who signed him to a publishing deal with Tree Vibez Music.

Schmidt’s chart-toppers include Kane Brown’s “Like I Love Country Music” and the 5x Platinum “What Ifs” (feat. Lauren Alaina), the ACM and CMA Single of the Year and Grammy Award-nominated “God’s Country” (Blake Shelton), Mitchell Tenpenny’s “Drunk Me,” and Jason Aldean’s “You Make It Easy” and “Lights Come On.” The deal includes hundreds of songs written by Schmidt, including recent and upcoming releases by Brown, fellow EMG songwriter Jimmie Allen, Cole Swindell, Nelly, Ernest, and others, as well as cuts that he produced on albums from Tenpenny, Tyler Hubbard, The Band Camino, and more.

Schmidt’s songs have been recorded by Morgan Wallen, Dan + Shay, Keith Urban, Tim McGraw, Dustin Lynch, Chris Lane, Granger Smith, Chase Rice, Ingrid Andress, Billy Currington, LoCash, One Ok Rock, Mickey Guyton, Adam Doleac, Hunter Hayes, Blanco Brown, Caylee Hammack, Noah Cyrus, and more.

Schmidt and his fiancée, songwriter and artist Renee Blair, recently co-wrote the currently climbing single, “Wait in the Truck,” by Hardy featuring Lainey Wilson.
 

Dalton Dover Signs With Sony Music Publishing Nashville & Droptine Publishing

Pictured (L-R, back row): Dale Bobo, Anna Weisband, Tom Luteran, Charly Salvatore, Bruce Phillips, and Josh Van Valkenburg; (L-R, fron row): Brian O’Neil, Rusty Gaston, Dalton Dover, Jim Catino, and Kenley Flynn. Photo: Sarah Elizabeth

Dalton Dover has signed a global publishing deal with Sony Music Publishing Nashville and Jim Catino‘s newly-formed Droptine Music Publishing.

A native of Aragon, Georgia, Dover appeared on Season 16 of The Voice, where he earned a chair turn from Blake Shelton. Since then, he has continued to build a fan base on TikTok, garnering millions of views with his popular #CatchMeOffGuard series of cover song mashups. The series has earned praise from fellow artists, including Jimmie Allen, Luke Combs, Kidd G and Kameron Marlowe.

Dover’s “You Got A Small Town” and “Baby I Am” helped the 23-year-old earn a spot on Spotify’s Hot Country 2022 Artists to Watch, along with a spotlight as Billboard’s February’s Country Rookie of the Month and a nod for MusicRow‘s 2022 Discovery Artist of the Year. He is set to release his new song, “Damn Good Life,” on Sept. 23.

Droptine Music and Sony Publishing Nashville also have partnerships with writers Tommy Karlas, Alex Maxwell and Russell Sutton.
 

Brit Taylor Signs Joint Venture Publishing Deal With Reservoir & One Riot

Pictured (L-R, back row): Rell Lafargue (President and COO – Reservoir), Greg Gallo (VP, Creative – Reservoir), Adam Chaffins (Brit Taylor guitar player), John Ozier (EVP, Creative – Reservoir), Dan Rowe (General Manager – One Riot); (L-R, front row): Amy Patton (Head of Creative – One Riot), Brit Taylor, Lilly Farner (Creative Coordinator – One Riot), Beth St. Jean (Creative Coordinator – Reservoir), Ash Wolk (Creative Director – One Riot)

Brit Taylor has signed a joint publishing deal with Reservoir and One Riot. Born and raised in Kentucky, Taylor broke through with her 2020 debut album Real Me.

Earlier this month she released “Cabin In The Woods,” the lead single from her upcoming album, Kentucky Blue. The single and album were produced by Sturgill Simpson and David Ferguson. In addition to her upcoming artist project, Taylor is making a name for herself as a go-to collaborator in Nashville, writing with some of country’s most established and respected artists.

“It’s a rarity in this town for a publisher or anyone in the business to encourage complete authenticity. Instead, they try to turn an artist into whatever version of himself or herself that the industry thinks they should be. It is even more true when you are a female artist,” Taylor shares. “One Riot & Reservoir encourage me to be me and to make decisions based on my heart and my gut. It’s so rewarding and fun to be able to focus on my own artistry, but it’s also fulfilling to break from it by putting on a different hat and writing for another artist.”