Music News (5/6/26)

Musicians Hall of Fame Inducts Ninth Class At Star-Studded Nashville Ceremony

The Musicians Hall of Fame inducted a new class during a sold-out ceremony at the Fisher Center for the Performing Arts last night (April 28) honoring Dann Huff, Dolly Parton, who received the Industry Icon Award, George Thorogood & The Destroyers, John Boylan, who received the Producer Award, Keith Urban, Leland Sklar, Michael McDonald and Nicky Hopkins (posthumously).

The evening began with a private friends-and-family medallion ceremony held in the Fisher Center for the Performing Arts’ Brad Paisley Ballroom. Inductees received commemorative Hall of Fame medallions and custom jackets presented by Linda Chambers, co-founder and CEO of the Musicians Hall of Fame & Museum, with help from special guests and 2016 inductees Ricky Skaggs and Don Felder. Following the presentations and a group photo, inductees met with media along a 40-foot red carpet, followed by a Champagne reception.

The main program was hosted by actor and musician Sam Palladio and featured the Musicians Hall of Fame all-star band, comprised of Brent Rader, Mark Beckett, Paul Franklin, Mark Hill, Chris Leuzinger, John Jarvis, Michael Rojas, Sam Levine, Eric Darken, Alicia Enstrom and Gordon Kennedy, with background vocalists Marcia Ware Wilder, Brent Rader and Tania Hancheroff.

The evening featured tribute performances and presentations honoring each inductee. Dweezil Zappa presented George Thorogood & The Destroyers (George Thorogood, Jeff Simon, Bill Blough, Jim Suhler and Buddy Leach), joining the band for their first song, “Move It On Over.” The band closed their set with performances of “Who Do You Love” and “Bad to the Bone.”

Bernie Leadon presented John Boylan, with a tribute highlighting Boylan’s production work, including “More Than a Feeling,” led by Buck Johnson; “Love Has No Pride,” performed by Trisha Yearwood, and “Silver Threads & Golden Needles,” featuring Yearwood with Don Felder and Alicia Enstrom.

Leland Sklar was honored by Tony Brown, with performances including “Running on Empty,” featuring Wendy Moten; “Your Smiling Face,” and “How Sweet It Is,” joined by Garth Brooks.

Steve Lukather introduced Dann Huff. The tribute included “Here I Go Again,” performed by Buck Johnson; “My Heart Will Go On,” performed by Wendy Moten, and “Waiting on a Whisper,” performed by Huff on acoustic guitar.

Peter Frampton honored Nicky Hopkins with a tribute and medley including “Sympathy for the Devil,” “Revolution” and “Angie,” performed by Buck Johnson. Vince Gill followed with “You Are So Beautiful.” Hopkins’ widow, Moira Hopkins, accepted the honor on his behalf.

Sheryl Crow presented Dolly Parton, who shared remarks via a pre-recorded video message. A tribute followed with a medley of “I Will Always Love You,” “Jolene,” “Coat of Many Colors,” and “9 to 5,” performed by Steve Wariner.

Ricky Skaggs presented Keith Urban, who performed an acoustic version of “Long Hot Summer” before being joined by the all-star band for “Who Wouldn’t Wanna Be Me,” and “When Summer Comes.”

Vince Gill presented Michael McDonald, who performed “What a Fool Believes,” “Keep Forgettin’,” and closed the evening with “Takin’ It to the Streets,” joined by fellow inductees, special guests, presenters, and the All-Star band.

“After this evening, The Musicians Hall of Fame will have inducted  200 musicians, producers, engineers and industry icons to its prestigious family,” says Chambers. “Each new class of inductees reminds us why we do what we do – preserving and celebrating the legacy of the musicians who bring songs to life. We couldn’t be more excited to welcome these artists into the Musicians Hall of Fame.”

BMI Celebrates 30th Anniversary Of Key West Songwriters Festival

The 30th annual Key West Songwriters Festival, presented by BMI, brought five days of sunshine and storytelling to the island last week (April 29 – May 3).

The festival offered more than 80 shows across five days with over 250 BMI multi-genre creators participating.

Early highlights included Wednesday’s “Sunset Pier Kick Off Party” at the Ocean Key Resort & Spa hosted by Storme Warren with performances by DJ Smoke, The Brummies and Jeffrey Steele. Steele dedicated his hit “What Hurts The Most” to the late Ronnie Bowman, a beloved festival regular since 2017. Following the festival’s launch, fans sold-out the Key West Theater for a distinguished lineup featuring Ashley Cooke, Thomas Edwards, Aaron Raitiere, Tyler Reeve and James Slater.

The momentum carried into Thursday with multiple rounds hosted poolside at several island venues, including The Marker Resort and La Concha Hotel, where Bryan Frazier, Kurtis John and Casey Levasseur performed. The Blue Flamingo Resort hosted Marti Frederiksen, Jack Ingram and Trent Tomlinson. Fans gathered at Blue Heaven for the annual Bluebird Presents Liz Rose & Friends, where she was joined by Gloria Anderson, Phil Barton, Johnny Clawson, Mags Duval, Jack Ingram, Luke Laird, Lori McKenna, Lee Thomas Miller, Wendell Mobley, Summer Overstreet, Peytan Porter, Abbey Rowe and Paul Sikes. The day concluded at sunset with an intimate acoustic performance by Ashley Cooke at Lunara Live: Waterfront.

Friday featured performances from Mark Collie, Hayden Blount, Rob Hatch, Jim McCormick, Chord Overstreet, Hannah McFarland, Bob DiPiero, HARDY, Lee Thomas Miller, Bobby Pinson and more. That night, the Texas Heritage Songwriters Association and Texas Music office presented the San Carlos Institute with Gloria Anderson, Jack Ingram, Robert Earl Keen, Lori McKenna, Bruce Robison, Liz Rose and Larry Joe Taylor.

On Saturday, BMI and the Florida Restaurant & Lodging Association celebrated the festival’s 30th anniversary with a VIP reception where Charlie Bauer, the founder of the event, was presented with the BMI Ambassador award. BMI’s Clay Bradley and Mason Hunter as well as past award recipients Storme Warren and Xperi’s Joe D’Angelo alongside FRLA’s Carl Dover, praised Bauer’s significant impact on the songwriting community. Following his 2019 festival debut, ERNEST headlined the annual block party at Main Stage on Duval Street, with direct support from Ashley Cooke and Cody Lohden.

The final day brought attendees together for gospel music with “Sunday Songs: Music & Mimosas” at Williams Hall on Sunday, featuring BMI’s Shannon Sanders, Chuck Cannon, Elisha Hoffman, Rebecca Lynn Howard, Megan Linville, Danny Myrick, Tommy Sims and DJ Smoke.

 

The MLC Launches New ‘Music Registration 101’ Micro-Course

The Mechanical Licensing Collective (The MLC) has launched its new online micro-course, “Music Registration 101: Registering Your Music.”

The course is designed to help music creators, industry professionals, and others better understand how music rights work and how to properly register them in order to ensure royalties are distributed to the appropriate rightsholders. “Music Registration 101” provides a practical overview of registration across key organizations involved in copyright, publishing administration and distribution.

Available at no cost, the course is designed to make foundational music rights information more accessible. It is also included as part of The MLC’s Member Benefits program, giving Members of The MLC access to educational tools and resources that support their careers. The course takes approximately three hours to complete, and upon completion, participants receive a personalized certificate for academic or professional use. Those who choose to take the optional final assessment and score 80% or higher also earn a digital badge. More information on enrollment can be found here.

Key topics in “Music Registration 101” include:

• Core concepts of copyright, rights, revenue, licensing, and music identifiers
• How music is registered with the United States Copyright Office
• An overview of publishing administration for musical works
• How performance royalties are collected through performing rights organizations (PROs)
• How mechanical royalties are collected through The MLC
• How sound recording distribution revenue is collected by distributors
• How digital performance royalties for sound recordings are collected through SoundExchange

“The MLC is focused on making sure rightsholders get paid, while also helping them understand how the ecosystem works,” says Serona Elton, Head of Educational Partnerships at The MLC. “This course breaks down complex concepts into clear, practical information so rightsholders can take meaningful steps in managing their careers and ensuring they receive the royalties they’ve earned.”

The MLC also offers “The MLC 101: Introduction to The MLC,” a foundational course that provides an overview of The MLC, mechanical licensing, and mechanical royalties, including key concepts such as the Music Modernization Act, membership, and how mechanical royalties are administered in today’s digital music landscape.

 

Frank Rogers Receives South Carolina’s Highest Honor

CEO of Spirit Music and President of Fluid Music Revolution Frank Rogers received his home state’s highest honor on April 30 as the Honorable Henry McMaster, Governor of South Carolina, presented him with the Order of the Palmetto.

As a producer, Rogers’ work has resulted in 46 No. 1 singles and over 80 top twenty singles, with more than 40 singles and 20 albums being certified by the RIAA as Diamond, multi-Platinum, Platinum or Gold. He has amassed 18 CMA award nominations with one win, and 27 ACM award nominations with five wins. He was awarded MusicRow’s Producer of the Year four times, and Billboard‘s No. 1 Hot Country Producer honor five times.

As a songwriter, Rogers has had songs recorded by artists such as Brad Paisley, Darius Rucker, Josh Turner, Trace Adkins, Granger Smith, Kenny Rogers, Chris Stapleton, Ed Sheeran, Bruno Mars, Hootie and The Blowfish, Cody Johnson, Matthew West, Clint Black, Charlie Wilson, Thompson Square, Scotty McCreery, Maddie and Tae, Julie Roberts, Montgomery Gentry, Steve Holy, Michael Ray, Lee Brice, Kidd Rock, Billy Gibbons, Tim Montana, The Cadillac Three and Frank Ray, among others. He has earned 10 No. 1 tracks, including the recent chart-topper “Bottle Rockets,” recorded by Scotty McCreery and Hootie and the Blowfish. He has received 16 ASCAP Songwriter Awards to date.

As an executive, Rogers is the former VP of EMI Nashville Productions where he signed artists including Brad Paisley and Darryl Worley. In 1999, Rogers opened up Sea Gayle Music with Paisley and Chris DuBois where he signed artists including Chris Stapleton and Ingrid Andress.

In 2016, he opened Fluid Music Revolution and in 2019 he was named the CEO of Spirit Music Nashville. In 2022, Rogers was named Chief Creative Officer for Spirit Music and in 2025 rose to CEO of Spirit Music.

He and his wife Jessica endowed a scholarship at Belmont University’s Mike Curb College of Entertainment and Business, and co-founded Notes For Education which supports arts education in Nashville, Tennessee and Napa, California.

 

Riser House Adds Leighanna Martin As Manager, A&R + Publishing

Riser House has added Leighanna Martin as Manager, A&R + Publishing.

In this role, Martin will work closely alongside Brandon Perdue, SVP of A&R + Publishing, supporting the label and publishing rosters, which include Mitchell Tenpenny and Jake Mitchell.

The Nashville native joins the company from Anthem Entertainment. She previously worked in merchandising for Richards and Southern.

“Within five minutes of talking to Leighanna, I could tell she was the right fit for our team,” shares Perdue. “She’s bold, has a sharp song sensibility, and she’s passionate about her writers. She also has a stellar reputation within our community and is already making an impact across our rosters. I look forward to watching her grow into a true superstar in this town.”

“I’m so excited to be working with the team at Riser House,” says Martin. “The opportunity to champion great songs, support talented writers, and help shape creative direction is exactly what I’m passionate about. I’m looking forward to contributing to a team that values both artistry and strategy, and to playing a role in bringing impactful music to a wider audience.”

AIMP Nashville Young Professionals Committee Opens Applications For Unsigned Songwriter Series

The Association of Independent Music Publishers Nashville Young Professionals Committee has opened applications for its annual AIMP U: Unsigned Songwriter Series highlighting emerging songwriting talent in Nashville.

The program offers unsigned songwriters the opportunity to be selected for the Class of 2026 AIMP Unsigned Songwriters and perform for industry professionals in an acoustic showcase at The Listening Room Cafe on June 23. Applicants must be registered AIMP Nashville National or Student members to be eligible. Submissions require one original song and will be evaluated by a panel of industry professionals based on songwriting, originality, and overall presentation. Selected participants will be notified directly via the contact information provided in the application.

Applications are open now and will close on May 15. Membership information and applications are available HERE. Winners will be announced on June 1.

Category: Music News