August 6, 2021 The MusicRow Weekly Friday, August 6, 2021 Garth Brooks To Assess Remainder Of SIGN UP HERE (FREE!) Stadium Tour Dates Due To COVID Spike If you were forwarded this newsletter and would like to receive it, sign up here. THIS WEEK’S HEADLINES Garth Brooks To Assess Remainder Of Stadium Tour Dates Due To COVID Spike Big Loud Records Launches Rock/Alternative Imprint Tiera Joins The Valory Music Co. Roster Garth Brooks at a press conference on Friday (July 30). Photo: Tim McGraw And Faith Hill To Sherod Robertson Star In Yellowstone Prequel Days after Garth Brooks‘ scheduled stop at Nashville’s Nissan Stadium Carly Pearce Officially was rained out on Saturday night (July 31), Brooks has announced he is Becomes A Grand Ole Opry planning to use an upcoming break in his stadium tour to re-assess the Member tour’s continuation with respect to the COVID infection risk. Marty Stuart Signs With Numbers of COVID cases have been on the rise due to the highly Sheltered Music Publishing contagious Delta variant, with the CDC reporting more than 35 million cases in the last 30 days. UMPG Nashville Signs Adam James Brooks is scheduled to play Kansas City, Missouri on Aug. 7 and Lincoln, Nebraska on Aug. 14. Following the Nebraska show, the Garth Brooks Stadium Tour will have a three-week window without a concert scheduled Kobalt Music Ups Jesse in which the tour will assess the remainder of the dates this year. Willoughby, Stephanie Cox Brooks’ Seattle, Washington stop on Sept. 4 will be the first show back Relative Music Group And after those three weeks. Due to uncertainty about the remainder of the Sony Music Publishing tour, the tickets for Seattle, which were supposed to go on sale this Friday, Partner To Sign Zach Abend Aug. 6, will not be going on sale yet. DISClaimer Singles Reviews “It breaks my heart to see city after city go on sale and then have to ask those sweet people and the venues to reschedule,” says Brooks. “We And much more… have a three week window coming up where we, as a group, will assess the remainder of the stadium tour this year. It’s humbling to see people put this much faith in you as an artist, and it kills me to think I am letting them down.” MR Page 1 of 18 August 6, 2021 The MusicRow Weekly Big Loud Records Launches Tiera Joins The Valory Rock/Alternative Imprint, Big Music Co. Roster Loud Rock Big Loud Records, the home to country acts Morgan Wallen, Jake Owen, Chris Lane, Hardy and many more, has announced the formation of a new rock/alternative imprint, Big Loud Rock. Pictured (L-R): McGlinchey Stafford’s Brenner McDonald, Kam Studios’ Kamren Kennedy, OH Creative The emerging label will bring on A.J. Kasen as Management’s Olivia Hanceri, Big Machine Label Group’s Senior Vice President of A&R. Kasen started his Scott Borchetta, Tiera, Big Machine Label Group’s Allison career at Lava Records in 2011, where he worked Jones, The Valory Music Co.’s George Briner, Big Machine Label Group’s Darielle Schroeder, Big Machine Label with artists Lorde, Jessie J and Black Veil Brides. Group’s Carly Strickland. Photo Credit: Seth Hellman In 2015, he joined Better Noise Music as the Director of A&R, then bumped up to Vice President in 2017, working directly with artists including Breakout artist Tiera has signed with the Valory Music Motley Crüe, AWOLNATION, Dirty Heads, Five Co. Finger Death Punch, The Hu, and more. He now joins President and Partner, Greg Thompson, and She released her debut, self-titled EP earlier this year, fellow SVP, Lloyd Aur Norman. and is paving her own path with standout R&B/country tracks “Found It In You” and “Shut It Down.” She was “We’re honored to have A.J. join the Big Loud inducted into CMT’s Next Women of Country Class of family,” says Thompson. “It’s exciting to have 2020 and was honored by AIMP for their Rising someone with his pedigree to continue and grow Songwriters Class of 2020. When not in the writer’s our commitment in the Rock world. Having him room or recording studio, the Alabama-native hosts a team up with Lloyd will give us the best leadership daily radio show on Apple Music Country, The Tiera we could imagine.” Show. Big Loud Rock recently announced its first signed “When Tiera walks into a room she instantly brightens it act as Blame My Youth— a new band fronted by with her charm, wit and amazing talent,” says Big former rock band Empires member, Sean Van Machine Label Group President/CEO Scott Borchetta. Vleet. The group’s current single, “Fantastic,” just “I was knocked out the moment I met her and cannot hit the Top 30 on both the MediaBase Active Rock wait for the world to discover her. This is a very special and BDS Mainstream Rock charts, with a debut new talent.” EP due this fall. “When I first moved to Nashville I had this vision of Meanwhile, Hardy’s cover of the Puddle of Mudd what the perfect record deal would be,” says Tiera. classic, “Blurry,” was released on Big Loud Rock “Above all, I wanted to be somewhere where they loved earlier this year. MR and understood the music and brand that I had built as an independent artist. I wanted to work with people that worked just as hard as I do for my music. I didn’t want to just gain a team, I wanted to gain a family. That’s exactly what I found in the Valory team. They were so enthusiastic from the moment I met them and I just couldn’t be more thrilled to be a part of The Valory Music Co.!” MR Page 3 of 18 August 6, 2021 The MusicRow Weekly Tim McGraw And Faith Hill Tapped To Star In Upcoming Yellowstone Prequel Tim McGraw and Faith Hill are set to star in the Paramount + prequel to the Emmy-nominated series Yellowstone, in a new series called 1883. 101 Studios and Bosque Ranch Productions will serve as production partners on the new drama. Created by Taylor Sheridan, 1883 follows the Dutton family as they embark on a journey west through the Great Plains toward the last bastion of untamed America. The episodes offer a stark retelling of Western expansion, and a study of one family fleeing poverty to seek a better future in America’s promised land of Montana. Academy Award-nominated actor Sam Elliott will star alongside McGraw and Hill in the prequel as Shea Brennan, a tough-as-nails cowboy with immense sadness in his past who has the task of guiding a group from Texas to Montana including James and Margaret Dutton, portrayed by McGraw and Hill. “This is truly a dream job,” says McGraw. “Taylor has found a way of storytelling that brilliantly creates these epic dramas and family sagas with so much depth and creativity. The Duttons are tremendous characters and it’s so thrilling to be able to bring them to life. As a kid growing up riding horses, you think about dream jobs like this and I am just so excited to work with this amazing cast and crew.” “This is the opportunity of a lifetime,” says Hill. “The Duttons are a formidable family and it is an absolute dream to bring such a strong female character like Margaret Dutton to life. I am humbled and honored to work with Taylor and his entire team.” MR Carly Pearce Officially Becomes A Grand Ole Opry Member Carly Pearce was officially inducted as the newest member of the Grand Ole Opry family Tuesday night (Aug. 3) by Opry member Trisha Yearwood. The show will air on Circle Television on Saturday, Aug. 14. Pearce was introduced on stage by Opry member Jeannie Seely who shared, “Carly has all the obvious wonderful traits, but she has that one extra thing, determination. She has the sincerest dedication and strongest work ethic of anyone I’ve ever known in my life. And she never strayed from her path of wanting to be a member of the Opry.” Pearce performed a duet with Yearwood on “How Do I Live,” before Yearwood officially inducted her, saying “This is a very special place, and when you are invited it’s an invitation to the family. So, with much pride and joy, Carly you are now an official member of the Grand Ole Opry.” “What makes this family something special to be a part of is you can have hit records and sell out shows, but all of that can fade and this is something I will have forever,” said Pearce. “It’s a stage to sing on, a circle to stand in and a forever family. This is super special to me. All I ever wanted to do was sing country music. This isn’t another accolade or feather in my cap but a promise that I will do my due diligence to make sure the circle is never broken.” MR Page 5 of 18 August 6, 2021 The MusicRow Weekly Marty Stuart Signs With UMPG Nashville Signs Adam Sheltered Music Publishing James To Worldwide Publishing Agreement Pictured (L-R): Lance Freed (President Sheltered Music Publishing), Marty Stuart, Darrell Franklin (SVP Sheltered Music Publishing) Marty Stuart has signed an exclusive publishing deal Universal Music Publishing Nashville has signed with Sheltered Music Publishing. songwriter Adam James to an exclusive worldwide publishing agreement. A five-time Grammy-winner, Platinum recording artist, Lifetime Achievement Award recipient from the James has co-written songs recorded by Dierks Bentley, Americana Music Association, Grand Ole Opry star, Zac Brown Band, The Cadillac Three, Charlie Worsham country music archivist, photographer, musician, and and Filmore.