UK News, UK Chart News, Billboard Country Charts, Album
& Single Releases, US & Canadian News, Music News, Press Releases, Videos, Birthdays
CDX
NEWS
Ashley Cooke and Brantley Gilbert talk about their duet
"Over When We're Sober."
You'll hear Tyler Hubbard
explain how he relaxes when he's home. Plus, news about a tour and new music
from Lee BriceListen to the audio file
CDX TRACtion End-Of-Year Charts 2024
Congratulations to Bailey Zimmerman Elektra Nashville (WMN) #1
2024 Mainstream Country Chart "Where It Ends" 123,187 Charted
Spin Detections!
Congratulations to Cody Jinks Late August Records #12024 True
Indie "Outlaws and Mustangs" 10,852Charted Spin
Detections!
Congratulations to Nathaniel Rateliff & the Night
Sweats Stax/Fantasy/Concord #12024 Americana
Single "Heartless" 10,337Charted Spin Detections!
Congratulations to Hozier Columbia Records #12024
Triple A Single "Too Sweet" 34,785Charted Spin
Detections!
UK NEWS
On
the BBC Radio
2Playlist 11 January 2025
B
List
Janet Devlin - Best Life [B-B]
Keith Urban - Chuck Taylors [B-B]
Shaboozey - Good News [ B] added to the “B”playlist
C List
First Time Flyers - Out Of Your Mind [C-C]
Album of the Week: Ringo Starr - Look Up
(1 Jan 2025) In November it was with a heavy heart that Black Deer Festival announced that after “seven
wonderful years”, its 2025 edition was postponed so they could prepare for their
return as a Festival in 2026. Pressure on independent festivals in the current
climate has proved a huge challenge over the past two years and as such, they
came to this difficult decision.
However Black Deer Radio (all-things Americana) and Black Deer Live are
alive and well – See EVENTS
(1 Jan 2025) I Will
Always Love You by Dolly Parton topped UKCountryRadio.com's Greatest
Love Songs - the top 30 country love songs of all time as chosen by their
listener (s). The song was written and originally recorded by Dolly in
1973 as a farewell to her business partner and mentor Porter Wagoner after she
decided to pursue a solo career.
(2 Jan 2025) The First Time
Flyers shared with their fans “Happy New Year Cabin Crew …We hope you had a wonderful Christmas and New Year! We
wanted to kick off the year with some exciting news … and you guys of course
are the first to know!
Thanks to you … ‘Out of Your Mind’ has been so
well received and Radio 2 have decided to playlist the song! YAY!
You can catch the song on Radio 2 from January 4th … let us
know if you hear it and share the excitement on socials! Thank you for your
ongoing support … we can’t wait to see what else is in store for 2025 … we have
some BIG plans that are bound to blow your minds. Let’s make as much noise as
possible about this playlist for Radio 2 and help us break into the B list”!
“Out of Your Mind” dropped on Nov 29, 2024 and was written
by Jake Morrell, Poppy Fardell, Tim Prottey-Jones and Vicki Manser and so far
received 34K Spotify streams.
Their last single ‘Jump’ had huge success with 4 weeks on
the BBC Radio 2 playlist and were playlisted on Absolute Radio Country, Smooth
Country and Country Line Radio and peaked at #10 on the UK Country Radio
Airplay chart”.
After a gestation of more than seven years, hits compilation Diamonds
finally topped the chart for Sir Elton John, becoming his ninth No.1 and
extending his span of chart-toppers to nearly 52 years.No.5 on debut in 2017, Diamonds previously peaked at No.2 in 2023, and was
already flourishing anew because of the release of his Disney+ documentary,
Elton John: Never Too Late.
That’s So True by Gracie Abrams was No.1 for the second week in a
row, and the seventh week in total, with consumption rising 4.81% week-on-week
to 49,122 units (455 digital downloads and 48,667 sales-equivalent streams).
In his 38th chart frame Shaboozey’sA Bar Song (Tipsy)
fell 25-34
New to the Top 75: Smile (No.52, 7,724 sales), the
fifth hit for country singer Morgan Wallen as his duet with Post Malone “I Had Some Help” slipped 33-51 (peak No.2) in their 33rd frame. Wallens’ Love
Somebody rose 87-74 (peak No.40) in its eighth week.
In her 45th chart frame Dasha with
Austin fell 39-58 (peak No.5)
Official Singles Chart Top 100 (Week Ending 16 January 2025)
10 Jan 2025 - 16 Jan 2025
1 1 12 Gracie Abrams ~ That's So
True
34 25 38 Shaboozey ~ A Bar Song (Tipsy) (Peak: No.3, 36 weeks -
25/04/2024 to 26/12/2024 + 2weeks - 09/01/2025 to 16/01/2025)
52 NE 1 Morgan Wallen ~ Smile
53 51 33 Post Malone ft Morgan Wallen ~ I Had Some Help (Peak: No.2, 31
weeks - 23/05/2024 to 19/12/2024 + 2weeks - 09/01/2025 to 16/01/2025)
Official UK Country Album Top 20 Chart (WeekEnding 16 January 2025)
10 Jan 2025 - 16 Jan 2025
Taylor Swift with
FEARLESS (Taylor’s Version) held at No.3 (196 weeks; #1 peak)
Beyoncé with Cowboy
Carter held at No.1 (41 weeks; #1 peak)
Post Malone with F-1
TRILLION held at No.3 (21 weeks; #1 peak)
Shaboozey with WHERE I'VE
BEEN ISN'T WHERE I'M GOING rose 7-4 (32 weeks; #2 peak)
Zach Bryan withZACH
BRYAN held at No.5 (68 weeks; #3 peak)
Zach Bryan withTHE
GREAT AMERICAN BAR SCENE slipped 4-6 (9 weeks; #1 peak)
COUNTRY ALBUM RELEASES (Major)
(10 Jan 2025) Ringo Starr
- Look Up ( Lost Highway Records)
BILLBOARD/ MEDIABASE Charts
Morgan Wallen‘s Dangerous: The Double Album has been named
the No.1 album on the Top Billboard 200 Albums of the 21st Century Chart.
The 200-position
ranking summarizes performance on the weekly Billboard 200 albums chart from
the beginning of 2000 through the end of 2024. Wallen has two albums in the top
10 of the Top Billboard 200 Albums of the 21st Century chart, with his One
Thing at a Time holding the No. 6 spot. His debut project If I Know Me, ranks
at No. 159 on the same chart.
Additional country albums landing on the top-200 chart include Taylor
Swift’s Taylor Swift (No. 18), Red (No. 85), Speak Now (No. 120) and Red
(Taylor’s Version) (No. 197); Carrie Underwood‘s Some Hearts (No.
19) and Carnival Ride (No. 142); Chris Stapleton‘s Traveller (No.
30); Luke Comb‘s This One’s For You (No. 35) and What You See Is
What You Get (No. 44); Lady A‘s Need You Now (No.
51); Florida Georgia Line‘s Here’s To The Good Times (No. 54); Luke
Bryan‘s Crash My Party (No. 71) and Tailgates & Tanlines (No. 130); Rascal
Flatts‘ Me And My Gang (No. 74) and Feels Like Today (No. 160);
Jason Aldean‘s My Kinda Party (No. 88); Dixie Chicks‘ Home (No. 89); Zach
Bryan‘s American Heartbreak (No. 114) and Zach Bryan (No. 156); Sam
Hunt‘s Montevallo (No. 129); Gretchen Wilson‘s Here For The
Party (No. 136); Zac Brown Band‘s The Foundation
(No. 137); Blake Shelton‘s Based On A True
Story… (No. 138) and Alan Jackson‘s Drive (No. 179).
In Brief: Billboard Country Charts (Chart issue week of January 11, 2025) Starts Sun Jan 5, Ends Sat Jan 11, 2025
Billboard Country Charts (Chart issue
week of January 11, 2025)
Country Album Chart ** No.1 (68 non-consecutive weeks) ** ONE THING AT A TIME Morgan Wallen
Hot Country Songs ** No.1 (29 non-consecutive weeks) ** “A Bar Song
(Tipsy)” Shaboozey
Country Airplay ** No.1 (4 weeks) ** “High Road” Koe Wetzel & Jessie Murph
Country Digital Songs ** No.1 (1 week) ** “Smile”
Morgan Wallen
Morgan
Wallen set yet another
mark, and he’s done it one year at a time. He topped seven of Billboard’s 32
country-related year-end lists, giving him more No. 1s in the genre’s
closing chart summation than anyone else for the fourth straight year. It’s the
longest run as the country year-end leader for any artist during this century
Shaboozey’s “A Bar Song (Tipsy)” spent 30 weeks at
No.1 on Billboard’s Hot Country Songs during 2024 in the third-longest run thus
far in history
Beyoncè’s COWBOY CARTER ranking as the year’s
top-selling country album and finished No. 6 among the top 10 country albums
when tracked by total-equivalent album (TEA) units.
As of October 19, 2024 Year-To-Date Country Album Sales were5,136,000 (16.7% down on
same point in 2023 (6,168,000))
Following are the No.1 entries
on each of the country year-end charts.
A comprehensive account of
Billboard’s 2024 lists can be found HERE.
Top
Country Artists Morgan Wallen Top
Country
Artists — Duo/Group The Red Clay
Strays
Top
Country Artists — Female Taylor Swift
Top
Country Artists — Male Morgan Wallen
Top
Country Artists — New Shaboozey
Top Hot
Country Songwriters Zach Bryan
Top
Country Airplay Artists Morgan Wallen
Top
Country Airplay Songs “World on Fire,”
Nate Smith
Top
Country Digital Songs Artists Shaboozey
Top
Country Digital Songs Titles “A Bar Song
(Tipsy),” Shaboozey
Top
Country Albums Titles One Thing at a
Time, Morgan Wallen
Top
Country Albums Artists Morgan Wallen
Top
Country Streaming Songs “I Remember
Everything,” Zach Bryan featuring Kacey Musgraves
Top
Country Streaming Songs Artists Morgan Wallen
Top
Americana/Folk Artists Zach Bryan
Top
Americana/Folk Albums Stick Season, Noah
Kahan
Top
Bluegrass Albums Artists Billy Strings
Top
Bluegrass Albums Titles Live, Vol. 1,
Billy Strings
Top
Country Tours Zach Bryan
Top 10
Country Albums Of 2024 In The U.S., By Total-Equivalent Album Units
This
consumption includes streaming and song downloads in addition to traditional
album sales.
1.Morgan Wallen, One Thing at a Time
3,183,000
2.Morgan Wallen, Dangerous: The Double
Album 1,895,000
3.Zach Bryan, Zach Bryan 1,723,000
4.Post Malone, F-1 Trillion 1,594,000
5.Zach Bryan, American Heartbreak
1,433,000
6.Beyoncè, Cowboy Carter 1,414,000
7.Zach Bryan, The Great American Bar Scene
1,214,000
8.Shaboozey, Where I’ve Been, Isn’t Where
I’m Going 1,057,000
9.Luke Combs, This One’s for You 989,000
10.Luke Combs, Gettin’ Old 937,000
Top
10-Selling Country Albums Of 2024 In U.S. (Physical & Digital Sales
Combined)
1.Beyoncè, Cowboy Carter 329,000
2.Jelly Roll, Beautifully Broken 232,000
3.Taylor Swift, Speak Now (Taylor’s
Version) 201,000
SZA’s SOS secures
a 12th non-consecutive week atop the Billboard 200 albums chart
(dated Jan. 11), continuing to profit from its deluxe reissue on Dec. 20 with
15 additional tracks. The set surged 15-1 on the Jan. 4 chart, following the
reissue (dubbed SOS Deluxe: LANA). The set was originally released on Dec. 9,
2022, as a 23-track album and spent 10 weeks at No. 1 in late 2022 and early
2023. All versions of the album, old and new, are combined for tracking and
charting.
Morgan
Wallen’s chart-topping ONE THING AT A TIME jumped 29-8 (nearly
41,000; up 10%).
Billboard Hot 100 News
Lady Gaga and
Bruno Mars’ “Die With a Smile” rose to No. 1 on the Billboard Hot 100. The ballad
becomes Gaga’s sixth Hot 100 leader and Mars’ ninth.
Shaboozey’s “A Bar
Song (Tipsy)” rebounded 24-2 on the
Hot 100, following a record-tying 19 weeks at No. 1 beginning in July. It topped
Radio Songs for a 23rd week (68 million in audience, up 14%)
and the multi-metric Hot
Country Songs chart for a 29th week,
extending the genre list’s longest command this decade.
Post Malone’s“I
Had Some Help,” featuring Morgan Wallen, soared 47-8 on the Hot
100, following six weeks at No. 1 beginning
upon its debut last May.
Billboard’s
Country Chart News
No.1Morgan Wallen“Smile”: The ballad,
which Wallen co-wrote, was released at 12 a.m. ET on Jan. 1 and sold 13,000
downloads
through the end of the tracking week on Jan. 2, according to Luminate. It
arrived at No. 1 on Country Digital Song Sales and the all-genre
Digital Song Sales chart, where it’s his 14th and eighth leader, respectively.
It also launched as his 30th top 10 on Hot Country Songs (No. 5).
No.4Koe Wetzel
& Jessie Murph“High Road”: The duet held
at its No.4 best on Hot Country Songs with a 21%
boost to 7.9 million streams as it dominates Country Airplay for a third
week (32.6 million, up 14%). The song is the first Country Airplay entry
for both Wetzel and Murph, the latter the first woman to reign as a lead artist
with a rookie entry since Gabby Barrett with “I Hope” in April 2020. “I poured
my heart into this,” Wetzel told Billboard of the song that he and Murph
co-wrote with Amy Allen, CarrieK, Josh Serrato, Gabe Simon and Laura Veltz.
“Huge love to Jessie for making ‘High Road’ what it is.”
** No.1 (29 weeks)/ Airplay, Streaming & Sales Gainer ** “A Bar Song (Tipsy)” Shaboozey
** Hot Shot Debut ** No.5 “Smile” Morgan Wallen
Debut
No.45 “Single Again” Josh Ross
Debut
No.50 “Hometown Home” LOCASH
Country Aircheck
MEDIABASE Chart
Congratulations to Dylan Marlowe, Lauren Thomas, the Columbia promotion team and Dylan Scott, RJ Meacham and the Curb promotion team on landing “Boys Back Home”
at No. 1. It is Marlowe’s first chart-topper and the fifth for Scott.
Songwriters are Seth Ennis, Joe Fox and
Marlowe.
Dylan Marlowe and Dylan Scott with"Boys Back Home”moved 4-1 logging 9,458 radio spins (+1545), 37.281 million audience
impressions (+4.887 million) with 28147 Total Points (+4833) from 158
tracking stations (158 ADDS) for the published chart dated January 13, 2024
ELLA LANGLEY/Weren't For The Wind (Sawgod/Col. NY/Triple
Tigers) 81 97
CHRIS LANE/If I Die Before You (Red Street) 55 62
PARMALEE/Cowgirl (Stoney Creek) 45 45
ZACH TOP/I Never Lie (Leo33) 20 147
MORGAN WALLEN/Smile (Big Loud) 19 34
TYLER HUBBARD/Park (EMI Nashville) 11 119
NATE SMITH/Fix What You Didn't Break (RCA) 10 86
NEWS
(3 Jan 2025) All About Eve:
ABC's Dick Clark's Primetime New Year's
Rockin' Eve with Ryan Seacrest 2025, which featured a
headline performance by Carrie Underwood, topped the New Year's Eve
ratings with 6.3 million viewers in prime time (up 2.4% from last year) and a
1.5 rating/16 share among persons 18-49. CBS's New Year's
Eve Live: Nashville's Big Bash finished second with 4.92m viewers
(-40.8%) and a 0.69 rating/7 share according to TheTVRatingsGuide.
(5 Jan 2025) Wedding
Belle: Records Nashville's Matt Stell got
engaged to girlfriend Kasey Harvey Jan. 3 in Mexico. The two
then married the next day. "We got engaged on Friday! And Married on
Saturday! Love you 4eva Kasey Stell," he shared on social
media. Additionally, the new Mrs. Stell commented,
"Btw not pregnant ... and I took about 34748503 tequila shots to prove
it.”
(6 Jan 2025) Multi-Platinum and
award-winning Country music star, Lee Brice,
has announced his first new release of 2025, “Cry,” out on January
31st. The confessional-style track, written by Brice, Dallas
Davidson, Ben Hayslip and David Garcia, follows a retro groove reminiscent of
the great 1950s crooners and confesses that heartbreak can break a man
too. Pre-Save: “Cry”
(7 Jan 2025) C2C 2024 Festival performer Kirstie Krausreflected on her 2024 Year
Highlights: Named 2024
Artist of the Year Country/Female at the Grand Ole Opry for the Josie
Music Awards, Won 2024 Radio Trop Rock Song of the Year - 'Tide
Down', Did a 5 Week UK Tour with 2 Festivals and
2 Hosting gigs, Featured on BBC
(BBC Breakfast - Rise of the Country Music Genre/ Beyonce); Featured on WSM Radio(Opry Radio), Played
over 125 Shows, 2 Countries; Released 3 songs: Beaches Be Crazy (1
March 2024; 5.3K Spotify streams), Dab a Dolly(w/ Christie Duff released 29 March 2024; 29.8K Spotify streams)and
seasonal offering Tropic Wonderland (released Dec 6, 2024) and made
a Spotify editorial playlist.
ABOUT: Born in Florida and raised in the dairy state amongst
the corn fields and cows, Kirstie moved to Nashville 6 years ago. Since
relocating to Music City Kirstie has toured across the US and opened for some
of country’s biggest stars including Thomas Rhett, Kip
Moore, Brandy Clark, Walker Hayes, Pam Tillis, Brothers
Osborne, and Randy Houser to name a few.
In 2024 her breakout year in the UK arrived with her
returning to the coveted C2C Festival at the O2 Arena in London. Her
fanbase in Britain has grown considerably after for five-week tour to the UK
where they are singing her songs back to her including the duet single Who
Am I Gonna Love which rendered support from Apple Music, Absolute
Radio, BBC Introducing, CountryLine Radio and many more radio and media
outlets. WEBSITE: www.kirstiekraus.com
(7 Jan 2025) Texas-born country artist Garrett Bradford is gearing up for the release of
his two-part album, Honkiest of Tonkers. The first installment (Act
1) is set to debut on February 21, 2025 (pre-save here), followed by
the second on April 11, 2025.
(8 Jan 2025) Son Of A Sinner
Like Me: The Conversation: Eric Church & Jelly
Roll will close CRS 2025as its final session Feb. 21.
Known for their honesty and raw
storytelling, Church and Jelly Roll will explore their personal journeys,
artistic inspirations, and the future of country music, offering attendees a
rare glimpse into their world.
“We are thrilled to have Eric
Church and Jelly Roll close out CRS 2025,” said RJ Curtis,Executive
Director of CRS.“Their ability to connect with fans and push the boundaries
of the genre makes this session a perfect culmination of this year’s seminar.”
(8 Jan 2025) Fifty Sent:
Adrien Nunez and Zach Top are among the 50 artists
chosen for "ShazamFast Forward 2025." Based on Shazam’s
"uniquely predictive data and algorithms and coupled with the expertise of
Apple Music’s global editorial team, this incredible selection of artists
represents the biggest trends in music now and in the future." Full
list here.
(9 Jan 2025) As thousands
gathered at Washington National Cathedral in Washington, D.C., and millions
more across the country tuned in to watch, the late former President Jimmy
Carter was laid to rest (Thursday January 9).
Carter, who passed away on
December 29 at the age of 100, was the 39th president of the United States,
serving from 1977 to 1981.
Among his most notable accomplishments throughout his life
was his heavy involvement and contributions to the work of Habitat for
Humanity, which is where he met one of his most unlikely friends in Garth Brooks & Trisha Yearwood. Watch them perform
a cover of John Lennon’s "Imagine" YOUTUBE
(10 Jan 2025) CRS 2025is
excited to announce the Women’s Mentoring Breakfast, a dynamic
session designed to empower and connect women in the country radio industry.
The breakfast will take place on Friday, February 21, 2025, from 7:30
a.m. to 8:45 a.m. and will be sponsored by Nuvoodoo Media.
(10 Jan 2025) The 2nd
Annual Cody Johnson Charity
Golf Tournament raised $298,000 for multiple charities during
the Wrangler National Finals Rodeo in Las Vegas Dec. 8.
(10 Jan 2025) Keith Urbanhas parted ways with two band
members who've been tremendously influential over the last decade. In fact, one
has been with the singer for more than 25 years — that's more or less his
entire Nashville career.
The other is a true innovator who
invented his own musical instrument to join Urban for the Ripcord Tour
in 2016. It's not clear how many band members were let go, but at least two
have opened up on social media.
Bandleader and bass player Jerry Flowers
revealed that Urban made a lineup change leading into the 2025 touring year. Read More: Keith
Urban Drops Two Popular Band Members
(12 Jan 2025) NASHVILLE, TN –
It’s no secret that country music artist Matt Oakleybleeds red, white and blue. It is with
great pride that the “Soldier’s Son” announces his performances for the Presidential
Inauguration in Washington DC at the ‘All American Inaugural Ball’ on
January 18 and ‘Presidential Inaugural Ball’ on January 20. “I’m proud
to be an American, and to be asked to perform during a Presidential Inaugural
Ball is such an honor,” states Matt Oakley.
The All American Inaugural Ball will take place on Saturday, January 18 at
Hyatt Regency Capitol Hill.
(13 Jan 2025) ICYMI: Carrie Underwood will perform “America
The Beautiful” at Donald Trump’s inauguration next week (Monday 20
January 2025) during the Washington, DC ceremony.
Several fans have criticised
Carrie Underwood's decision to accept Donald Trump's invitation to perform,
with the ‘Jesus, Take the Wheel’ hitmaker sharing an official statement
to AP explaining the move, “I love our country and am
honored to have been asked to sing at the inauguration and to be a small part
of this historic event”.
The American Idol star
went on to underline, “I am humbled to answer the call at a time when we
must all come together in the spirit of unity and looking to the future”. Carrie
Underwood's appearance at Donald Trump's forthcoming ceremony continues country
music's strong presence at recent presidential inaugurations, with Toby Keith
performing when Trump was sworn in for the first time in 2017.
Jason Aldean and Rascal
Flatts will perform during the Inaugural Ball following
the inauguration ceremony Jan. 20 in Washington D.C. Adding to the already
sprawling list of artists tapped to perform at the festivities is none other
than Texas tunesmith Parker McCollum, who will take the stageat The Commander-In-Chief
Ball alongside country trio Rascal Flatts.
GOSSIP
(7 Jan 2025) When Keith Urban attended the Golden Globes with his
wife Nicole Kidman on Sunday (Jan 5), he must have suspected that he could be
the butt of a joke or two during the opening monologue — especially with host
Nikki Glaser on stage.The comedienne did not disappoint when she called out the
"kooky koala" and thanked him for pushing his wife to work harder.
(6 Jan 2025) Jelly Roll and Bunnie Xo's farm is
officially in business, with the couple adopting
their first farm animals
-- three mini-cows. Bunnie introduced fans to "da boysss" on social
media, posting video of the three cows, whose names are Brownie, S'mores and
Crunch. "When you went for one mini cow but came home with three,"
she jokes in the video. In another video, the Dumb Blonde podcaster documents
the cows' arrival on the family's property, including Jelly's reaction. "Awww,
we got cows!" the I am Not Okay singer yells as he walks up to the pasture
to meet the animals. The singer's two kids were also there to greet the new
arrivals. His 16-year-old daughter Bailee was excited to meet the animals, but
eight-year-old son Noah stole the spotlight with his enthusiasm for one
particular cow, Crunch.
Last year, Jelly and Bunnie purchased a
500-acre plot of land in the Nashville area.
(10 Jan 2025) Dolly Partonand Orville Peck will appear on 'The Wiggles’ new country album. The
78-year-old music legend and the 37-year-old country music singer are set to
join the Australian children's music group on their new record 'Wiggle Up,
Giddy Up!’ The album will be released on March 7 and will also feature
Dasha, Lainey Wilson, Jackson Dean, MacKenzie Porter, and Lucky Oceans. Morgan
Evans, The Wolfe Brothers, and the late Slim Dusty will also feature.
AMERICANA NEWS
(9 Jan 2025)Jerry Douglasjoins
the Basic Folk podcast to discuss his latest LP, The
Set, as well as collaborating with Molly Tuttle, John
Hiatt and others, plus his upbringing in Warren, Ohio, where his
passion for playing the Dobro began. Listen here
MUSIC NEWS
(8 Jan 2025) Southern
California Wildfires: Fierce winds over the past day have fanned the
flames of what have been called some of the most destructive wildfires in
California's history. Some 400,000 residents remain without power, more than
1,000 structures have been destroyed and at least two lives have been lost.Mt. Wilson KKGO/Los
Angeles founder/owner/GM Saul Levine told Country
Aircheck,"The fire has hit all of us very hard. The staff
has worked very hard to keep operations normal, with special kudos to our
engineers keeping our three transmitter sites operational during the fire
outages.
The raging wildfires in Southern
California have claimed countless homes and businesses over the last few days,
including a special place that once belonged to Brad Paisley and
his wife, Kimberly.
The country singer took to
social media to share the devastating news that the first home that he and his
wife purchased together has been taken out by the flames in the Pacific
Palisades. "We lived in Pacific Palisades for years," he wrote.
"It was the first house Kim and I bought together. Read More: Brad Paisley, Kimberly Mourn Loss
of First Home to L.A. Fires
The global vinyl records market size
is estimated to grow by USD 857.2 million from 2025-2029, according to
Technavio. The market is estimated to grow at a CAGR of 9.3% during the
forecast period. Aesthetic appeal of vinyl records is driving market growth,
with a trend towards promoting vinyl records as special editions/deluxe
product. Vinyl records are making a comeback in the music industry, with music
collectors and audiophiles leading the charge. PVC discs, also known as vinyl
records or phonograph records, offer analog sound quality that music lovers
appreciate.
Apple
Music Statistics By Demographics, Revenue, Users and Facts
Apple Music Statistics: Apple Music
was launched on June 30, 2015, and quickly gained popularity with support from
many artists. In the same year, the platform reached over 11 million
subscribers. Since then, Apple Music has grown to become a major player in the
music streaming world, with over 90 million subscribers worldwide. This
impressive number shows how popular and influential the platform has
become. In recent years, Apple Music has experienced steady growth, with
a 15% increase in subscribers over the past year.
What
Spotify Is Really Costing Us Like countless other people around the globe, I stream music, and like more
than six hundred million of them I mainly use Spotify.
Streaming currently accounts for about eighty per cent of the American
recording industry’s revenue, and in recent years Spotify’s health is often
consulted as a measure for the health of the music business over all. Last
spring, the International Federation of the Phonographic Industry reported
global revenues of $28.6 billion, making for the ninth straight year of growth.
All of this was unimaginable in the two-thousands, when the major record labels
appeared poorly equipped to deal with piracy and the so-called death of
physical media. On the consumer side, the story looks even rosier. Adjusted for
inflation, a monthly subscription to an audio streaming service, allowing
convenient access to a sizable chunk of the history of recorded music, costs
much less than a single album once did.
TikTok
will take its case to the Supreme Court The Supreme Court agreed to hear arguments on whether a bill that could ban
TikTok violates the First Amendment. The arguments will take place on January
10th, just over a week before a potential ban could take effect. While
the outcome is far from guaranteed, SCOTUS’ decision to take up the case is a
small win for TikTok, which is barreling toward expulsion from the US unless
the court throws out or pauses the law, or its China-based parent company
ByteDance agrees to sell it in time. The law at the center of the case, the
Protecting Americans from Foreign Adversary Controlled Applications Act, seeks
to prohibit apps like TikTok from being owned by companies in a set list of
foreign adversary countries.
(10 Jan 2025) Various - Bear
Family Records: The Elvis Presley Connection Vol.4 (CD) 1-CD (Digipak) with
36-page booklet, 28 tracks. Total playing time approx. 76 min. PRODUCT LINK
To mark Elvis' 90th birthday, Bear Family Records®
issues the fourth installment of a CD series with original recordings and cover
versions of well-known songs recorded by Elvis between 1967 and 1969, including
some demos, a number of them on CD for the first time. From blues and soul to country,
rock 'n' roll and pop - an album as diverse as Elvis' sound was at the end of
the sixties.
(10 Jan 2025)CORAL
GABLES, Fla. - The Legendary Soul Man Sam Moorepassed awaythis
morning in Coral Gables, Florida. He was 89. The cause of death was
complications recovering from surgery.
Moore — with his trademark tenor
that distinctively rose through every song he performed — was half of the
Grammy winning duo Sam & Dave of the 1960s. Their sensational run of hits
included “Soul Man,” “Hold On I’m Coming,” “I Thank You,” and many more. Sam
& Dave were inducted into the Rock and Roll of Fame in 1992.
Sam Moore Performs "When Something Is Wrong with My Baby"
at In Performance at the White House: Memphis Soul accompanied by the White
House band.
(10 Jan 2025) Multi-diamond and
platinum-certified powerhouse Julia Michaelscuts to the chase and into the new year with a
brand-new single “Scissors” featuring the internationally acclaimed
and adored artist Maren Morris.
Inspired by “s--tty ex-boyfriends and stupid boys,” Michaels and Morris
bring the sass with their latest collaboration following their 2024 release “cut!”
The official music video for “Scissors” premiered,
making its broadcast premiere on MTV Live, MTVU, MTV
Biggest Pop and on the Paramount Times Square billboards in
New York City
AWARDS
(6 Jan 2025) Hillbilly
Eligibility: Submissions for the 60th Academy of Country Music Awards opened
(1/6) through Jan. 17here for
the eligibility period of Jan. 1-Dec. 31, 2024. First-round voting starts
Feb. 10.
TOUR / LIVE EVENTS
(3 Jan 2025) The next era in
country music begins at the legendary Ryman Auditorium. See Lainey
Wilson, Ashley McBryde, Kelsea Ballerini, Trace Adkins, Old Crow Medicine Show &
more get the Opry 100 party started this month. Watch 2024 RECAP Video
(6 Jan 2025) Festive All:
Luke Combs will be among the headliners for the Boston Calling Music Festival, set for May 23-25 in Allston, MA. The lineup
also includes Megan Moroney and Max McNown, and
Combs' fellow headliners, Fall Out Boy and Dave
Matthews Band.Tickets go on sale Jan. 8 here.
Bits & Pieces: Songwriters Lori McKenna, Barry Dean, Kelly
Archer, Steve Moakler, Mia Mantia and Jonathan
Hutcherson will participate in the 4th Annual Nash to Naples Benefit Concert at Cambier Park in Naples, FL Jan.
11. Donations will benefit The Hacienda of Hope.
(7 Jan 2025) Tour
Support: Bailey Zimmerman'sNew To Country Tour kicks off
June 6 in Indianapolis with Dylan Marlowe and Drew
Baldridge on select dates. Tickets go on sale Friday (1/10) here.
(7 Jan 2025) Music Festival
Wizard has named Gulf Coast JamPresented by Jim Beam the number one festival in
their Top 50
Most Popular Fests In The World 2024 – Voter’s Choicepoll. The
respected coalition of writers, photographers, artists, and musicians road
trip around the world annually searching for the "perfect" music
festival. For the first time this year, they let fans weigh in on their top 50
favorites in the U.S. and Europe. Blake Shelton, Tyler Childers, Lainie Wilson,andSam
Hunt are set to headline the 13th annual festival May 29-June
1, 2025 at Frank Brown Park in beautiful Panama City Beach. Twenty additional
artists round out the four days of beachin’ country music.
(8 Jan 2025) Festive All:
Eric Church, Miranda Lambert, Lynyrd Skynyrd, ZZ
Top, Riley Green and more will perform at Field & Stream Music Fest Oct. 3-5
in Winnsboro, SC. Church and Morgan Wallen partnered to buy the legacy outdoor
brand last year. Tickets go on sale Friday (1/10) here
The
three-day event will feature over 40 artists performing across multiple stages including
Bailey Zimmerman, Shane Smith & The Saints, Kameron Marlowe, Larry Fleet,
Tyler Farr, Whey Jennings, Ashland Craft, Boy Named Banjo, Josh Sanders, Sadie
Bass, the Davisson Brothers, Fox n’ Vead, Warrick McZeke, Aidan Canfield, Edwin
McCain, David Lee Murphy, Cole Goodwin, Rut Spence, Eli Winders, Ryan Trotti,
Bailey Marie, Payton Smith, Matt Tucker, Whit’s End, Nate Hosie, Maddie Rean,
Taylor Richardson, Greg Parrish, Kyle Dills, Brent Underwood & Bart
Lattimore, Darren Deese and DJ Slim McGraw. With an eclectic mix of country
legends, rising stars and local talent, the Field & Stream Music Fest
offers something for every music fan. Visitwww.FSMF.com
Luke Combs will
headline the first night of Bonnaroo Music
& Arts Festival, taking place June 12-15 in Manchester, TN.
Additional performers include The Red Clay Strings, Jessie
Murph and Flatland Cavalry; full lineup and ticket
info here.
Jon Pardi, Midland and Cody
Jinks will headline the inaugural Lone
Star Smokeout, set for May 2-4 at AT&T Stadium in Arlington,
TX. Additional performers include Eli Young Band, Catie
Offerman and Tucker Wetmore. Tickets go on sale Friday
(1/10) here.
(10 Jan 2025) Tour Support: The War And Treaty's 30+
city The Plus One Tour kicks off March 26 in Minneapolis and
concludes June 19 in Bristol, TN; schedule and tickets here.
Muscadine
Bloodlinekick off their
17-date The Coastal Plain Tour Jan. 16 in Cincinnati. Openers
on various dates include Colby Acuff, The Red Clay Strays and Josh
Meloy. Schedule and tickets here.
Festive All: Reba
McEntire, Brad Paisley, Jon Pardi, Old
Dominion, Cody Jinks, Parker McCollum, Brooks
& Dunn, Luke Bryan and first-time performers Riley
Green, Bailey Zimmerman, Warren Zeiders, Charley
Crockett, Zach Top and Post Malone are scheduled for
the Houston Livestock Show and Rodeoat NRG Stadium March 4-23. It will be the 20th Rodeo
Houston performance from McEntire, the 17th for Paisley and the 12th for Bryan.
Full schedule and tickets here.
PRESS RELEASES
(10 Jan 2025) Rising Country
singer/songwriter Mackenzie Carpenterannounced her highly anticipated debut album, HEY COUNTRY QUEEN,
out March 7 via The Valory Music Co. Co-penning all 13 tracks on the new
project,Carpenter gives fans a deeper view of her multi-dimensional
talents while paying homage to the beloved Country Queens that
paved the way for her to speak her mind, write her truth
and have some fun along the way.
"This album has been
a long time coming, and I’m so excited to finally share these songs with you.
I’ve lived with them for years, and now it’s time to set them free,” shares Carpenter.
“Hey Country Queen captures the essence of girlhood, heartbreak and
love, and I can’t wait for you to hear it."
With her brand-new song “Dozen Red Flags”
out now, Carpenter is finally confronting the true colours of a former love.
(10 Jan 2025) NASHVILLE, Tenn. –
Ian Flanigan,celebrated
finalist from NBC’s The Voice, has unveiled his deeply
personal new single, “Evergreen,” available now across all music
platforms. Listen here: https://vyd.co/IanFlaniganEvergreen.
The song, co-written by Ian Flanigan and Jim Ranger, marks a significant
milestone in Flanigan’s career and offers a heartfelt glimpse into his life and
love. Featuring Flanigan’s soulful vocals and produced by the artist himself,
“Evergreen” showcases his talent not just as a performer but also as a producer
and recording engineer.
“‘Evergreen’ is the first
song I wrote for my wife Kelsey after we were married last year in Colorado.
It’s a love song about always staying true to ourselves no matter what life
brings.” - Ian Flanigan
The single has already made
waves, being featured on prominent playlists such as Amazon’s Breakthrough
Countryand
Apple Music Country’s New In
Country.
(10 Jan 2025) Nashville, TENN--
Marking their 25th year of touring, The Malpass Brothershave
announced the first leg of their Road of Memories Tour 2025. www.themalpassbrothers.com/tour
These modern-day traditionalists
have been mentored and credentialed by the biggest legends of bluegrass and
country music, including Merle Haggard, Doyle Lawson and many more. The brother
duo delivers new, yet traditional music for modern times (complete with
pearl-snap shirts, Manuel/Nudie suits, over-shaped cowboy hats, and pompadour
coiffure). Their firm “traditionalism” has captured the attention of the
industry and traditional country fans, leading to worldwide notoriety,
including appearances on syndicated television, the iconic Grand Ole Opry, and
now, their own television series on the RFD-TV network.
(10 Jan 2025) Powerful vocalist
and songwriter Kameron Marlowewill put the emotions of heartbreak on display
with Sad Songs For The Soul, a new 10-track project releasing Feb.
21.
Produced by Ben West, Sad
Songs For The Soul follows his sophomore album Keepin’ The
Lights On that he released in May of 2024. Marlowe is giving fans a
taste of the new LP with track “Hello Whiskey” (released Jan. 10
| YouTube).
(10 Jan 2024) Hereford, Texas
native Randall King, lauded by Billboard
as a “hardcore country vocalist," is stripping back his sophomore album
Into The Neon with the release of Neon (Unplugged), set for Feb. 21. “One
Night Dance (Unplugged)” offers the first taste of the acoustic album
and is available everywhere now HERE.
“There is something unique about taking a
song, stripping it down to just an acoustic guitar, and singing it with a bit
of a different flare,” muses King. “That’s one of the beautiful things about
country music. You can rock out with a band or you can sit down by a fire with
only a guitar and sing your heart out to the same song. ‘One Night Dance
(Unplugged)’ is the first taste of that stripped back version that I wanted to
share with all of you.”
Produced by King and Jared
Conrad, Neon (Unplugged) was recorded at the historic Sound Stage Studios in
Nashville, Tennessee. Known for its prestigious status in country music, the
studio has produced over 500 No. 1 hits for some of King’s greatest traditional
influences, including Johnny Cash, George Strait and Alan Jackson.
(10 Jan 2025) Ringo Starrreleased his new country album, LOOK UP.
The album was produced and co-written by T Bone Burnett. It is Starr’s first
country album in more than 50 years and his first full-length album since 2019.
Recorded last year in Nashville
and Los Angeles, Look Up features 11 songs and nine were written or co-written
by Burnett. Starr sang and played drums on all the songs and co-wrote the
album’s closer, ‘Thankful’, featuring Alison Krauss. Burnett enlisted some of
Nashville’s finest and hottest talent for the record, including Billy Strings,
Larkin Poe, Lucius, Molly Tuttle and the aforementioned Krauss. Acclaimed
musicians Dennis Crouch, Paul Franklin, Daniel Tashian, Joe Walsh and more also
played on the album.
(10 Jan 2025) Country charm and
street style connect on Parmalee’s
groovy and irresistible new single, “Cowgirl”. With five No. 1
singles, “Cowgirl” powers up and builds on the energy and fun Parmalee is known
for. Listen here. New Studio album FELL IN LOVE WITH A COWGIRL Set To
Release April 4.
(10 Jan 2025) Saddle bronc
athlete-turned-country artistChancey
Williamsreturns with his
latest single, “The Ballad of Uncle Don. This guitar-driven melody tells the legendary
story of the iconic cowboy figure in Williams’ life. Continuing “to wrap his
pleasant baritone around a slate of honky tonk songs” (Billboard),
Williams’ memorable lyrics and rustic, twangy sound paint the picture of an
accomplished “Oklahoma redneck” who was “hell on boots with a cowboy's
heart.” Listen HERE.
(10 Jan 2025) NASHVILLE, Tenn. –
Some of country music’s biggest and brightest stars have come together to help
raise money and awareness for the Las Vegas-based national law enforcement
organization The Wounded Blue,which helps improve the lives of injured and
disabled officers. Cody Johnson, Zach Top, Ronnie Dunn (of Brooks &
Dunn,) Travis Tritt, Craig Morgan, LeeAnn Womack, Tracy Lawrence, Riley Green,
Martina McBride, Chris Young, Jon Pardi, Marty Stuart, Ernest, Lorrie Morgan,
John Anderson, Neal McCoy, Steve Wariner, Crystal Gayle, Dustin Lynch, Larry
Gatlin, Uncle Kracker, Aaron Lewis, Jamey Johnson, Justin Moore, Randy House,
Trace Adkins, Deana Carter, Gabby Barrett, Billy Currington, Mark Wills, Mark
Chesnutt, Drew Baldridge, Bryan White, Gary Morris, and more have all taken
the time to autograph multiple Epiphone acoustic guitars for this fundraising
effort. Fans, corporate partners, or anyone supporting law enforcement can
purchase any of these signed guitars for $1,000 each by going to guitars4cops.com.
WATCH
(7 Jan 2025) Jon Pardihits
the streets in a dark and thrilling new music video for new single "Friday
Night Heartbreaker.” Released as the lead track off his upcoming fifth
studio album, the video for the track that "kicks down the door of this
next musical chapter" (American Songwriter) was directed by
Jim Wright and shot in Nashville’s historic Printer’s Alley. It highlights
Pardi's signature mix of honky-tonk rhythms and contemporary flair, capturing
the bittersweet blend of infatuation and heartbreak often felt during fleeting
moments of romance. With its lively melody and mysterious edge, "Friday
Night Heartbreaker" highlights Pardi’s knack for blending storytelling
with an infectious, danceable sound.
(10 Jan 2025) Megan Moroney
- The Making of 'Am I Okay?' | Vevo Footnotes YOUTUBE DIRECT LINK
BABY NEWS
(12 Jan 2025) NASHVILLE, Tenn. –
Hereford, Texas native Randall Kingand his fiancée, fellow singer/songwriter Brittany
Warthan, announced they’re expecting their first child in spring 2025 with
the release of their heartfelt duet, “Baby
Steps,” available now. Written by Brittany Warthan, Michael
Davis and Dylan Nordquist, “Baby Steps” celebrates the little moments that go
into building a relationship, each culminating in the next chapter of their
lives as they prepare to wed and become parents:
BIRTHDAYS
Birthdays in the week ahead
January 13: the
late Liz Anderson (Jan 13, 1927;
died Oct 31, 2011 (aged 84)), Trace
Adkins (1952)
