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Now that she’s officially a member of the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame, country icon Dolly Parton is calling in some major hitters for her first rock album. During an appearance on The View on Tuesday (Jan. 17), Parton said that after her induction last year — following her initial reluctance to be enshrined alongside life-long rockers — she bent some ears at the ceremony and got started on her first rock album.
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“If I’m gonna be in the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame I’m gonna have to do something to earn it,” she told the show’s hosts, noting that her in-process sessions for the album, Rock Star, include some of the icons she met that night. After co-host Joy Behar said that the album is slated to feature covers of Led Zeppelin’s iconic “Stairway to Heaven” and the Rolling Stones’ “(I Can’t Get No) Satisfaction,” she wondered if Dolly’s old pal, Stones singer Mick Jagger, might make a cameo on his song.
“I’m doing my best to try to get him on, but I did his song anyway,” she said. “I think P!nk and Brandi Carlile are going to be singing on that particular song with me.” She then ticked off who is definitely on board, an A-list roster that includes Paul McCartney, Stevie Nicks, John Fogerty, former Journey singer Steve Perry and Aerosmith singer Steven Tyler. Parton said she’s also been searching around for the right song she can sing with Cher.
“That’s gonna be a big thrill, I think,” she said of a potential duet with the “Believe” singer. In a Tonight Show appearance in Dec., Parton said the album would be a mix of originals (including one called “Rockin’”) and cover of songs by Prince (“Purple Rain”), Journey (“Open Arms”) and Lynyrd Skynyrd (“Free Bird”).
Watch Parton talk about her rock album on The View below.
As CMT’s Next Women of Country celebrates its 10th anniversary, the franchise welcomes its largest class so far.
Revealed on Tuesday night (Jan. 17) at Nashville’s City Winery, the 16 rising female artists in the class of 2023 are Sony Music Nashville/Columbia artist Alana Springsteen, Angie K, Big Loud’s Ashley Cooke, Warner Music Nashville’s Avery Anna, Carter Faith, Catie Offerman, Sony’s Georgia Webster, Julie Williams, Kasey Tyndall, Kimberly Kelly, Mackenzie Carpenter, Black River’s MaRynn Taylor, Sony Music Nashville/Columbia’s Megan Moroney, O.N.E The Duo, Pillbox Patti and Roberta Lea.
Over the next year, the new CMT Next Women of Country class will receive cross-brand support for their music and videos on CMT, CMT Music, PlutoTV’s CMT Equal Play Channel, CMT Hot 20 Countdown, CMT.com and CMT’s social channels, as well as cross-promotional opportunities for Paramount Media’s MTV Entertainment Group brands via live events, the Paramount Times Square billboard in New York City and more.
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“So many women broke through this year and had success stories, whether it was signing a publishing deal, or breaking through on TikTok, that we couldn’t not make it a big class. It just happened to coincide with the 10-year anniversary of the franchise,” Leslie Fram, CMT senior VP of music strategy tells Billboard. “You have women who are amazing songwriters, women who have been working for years and some who just broke through on streaming. Each one has an incredible story.”
Cody Alan and CMT Next Women of Country alumnus Rissi Palmer will host the event, with program alums including Maddie & Tae (2015), Ingrid Andress (2019), Kelsea Ballerini (2015), Brittney Spencer (2021), Caitlyn Smith (2017), Brooke Eden (2015), Chapel Hart (2021) and Mickey Guyton (2015), as well as singer-songwriter-producer Nicolle Galyon, among those in attendance.
“We remember when Next Women of Country was starting and we really had the opportunity to see the sisterhood work,” trio Chapel Hart, members of the CMT Next Women of Country Class of 2021, tells Billboard via a statement. “Social media was just kinda kicking off, and we watched the ladies share each other’s music & art on the other’s platforms because radio just wasn’t playing many women but they found a way to innovate…We admire angels like Leslie Fram and the staff at CMT because it’s one thing to talk the talk but they are actually putting in the work and walking the walk! NWOC is hands-down one of the greatest accomplishments of our career.”
Including the Class of 2023, 111 female acts have been supported through the program over the past decade, among them Ashley McBryde, Brandy Clark, Brooke Eden, Carly Pearce, Gabby Barrett, Kacey Musgraves, Margo Price, Runaway June, Lainey Wilson, Lauren Alaina, Maren Morris and Morgan Wade.
“CMT’s Next Women of Country is an incredible beacon in this town, shining a light on new female talent,” Spencer, who was part of CMT Next Women of Country’s Class of 2021, tells Billboard via a statement. “Whether it’s giving touring opportunities, advertising support by displaying new female artists’ music videos on Viacom’s billboard in Times Square, or ensuring male and female artists’ music videos receive equal play time on its platform through its equal play access initiative, CMT leads the way in providing tangible, useful support to an often times overlooked group of Nashville artists.”
Beyond launching its CMT Equal Play Initiative to help amplify underrepresented voices in country music, as well as promoting music and content from female artists across its range of platforms, CMT has also teamed with social impact firm The Change Agent-cy for a third consecutive year to offer Next Women of Country members access to individual consulting, media training, and planning for specific social impact and advocacy campaigns.
Celebrating 10 Years of Changing the Narrative
Fram launched the program a decade ago after seeing the need to amplify female voices.
“I came into this genre from the rock world and over the course of that first year at CMT and seeing a lot of women start to disappear from playlists in general, the percentages were so low of women being supported by terrestrial radio, way before we had started talking about playlisting on DSPs,” she says. “It was concerning because we’ve seen this in all genres, the myths of ‘You can’t play two women back-to-back’ or ‘Women don’t want to hear women,’ and there’s no research that backs any of that up. We thought, ‘How can we as a network–knowing that we play videos and that we have content and Hot 20 and all these platforms– support female artists?’”
Talent was the defining criteria for inclusion. “We started seeing a lot of these artists that were getting zero support, but who had these amazing voices and talents, like Ashley Monroe and Brandy Clark,” Fram says. “Brandy was one of my early inspirations, because I was such a fan of Brandy’s and I wanted to support her. I knew if she’s not signed to a label, it would be hard to get exposure. That was another reason to start this program, because they did not have to have a publishing deal or a record deal—it was just about great music and great artistry.”
In 2013, the inaugural CMT Next Women of Country class, which included Clark, Monroe, and Musgraves, effectively put the industry on notice as to the lack of female voices being heard on country radio, two years before what would become “Tomato-gate” in 2015, when radio consultant Keith Hill drew ire after calling female artists the “tomatoes” of a male artist-filled “salad.”
“If you want to make ratings in country radio, take females out,” Hill told country radio trade publication Country Aircheck. “Trust me, I play great female records and we’ve got some right now; they’re just not the lettuce in our salad. The lettuce is Luke Bryan and Blake Shelton, Keith Urban and artists like that. The tomatoes of our salad are the females.”
It was a stark contrast, given the proliferation of female country artists heard on country radio—and winning awards—in previous decades, including Country Music Hall of Fame member Loretta Lynn (the first woman to win the CMA’s entertainer of the year honor, in 1972) and Barbara Mandrell (the first artist—male or female—to win two consecutive CMA entertainer of the year honors), to Dolly Parton, The Judds, Reba McEntire, Tanya Tucker, and a plethora of female artists who stormed the country radio charts in the 1990s, from Shania Twain, Trisha Yearwood and Faith Hill to LeAnn Rimes, The (then-Dixie) Chicks, Terri Clark and more.
Since 2013, just over 50 songs featuring female voices (including solo female artists, duos and groups including female artists and female artists featured on songs released by male artists) reached No. 1 on Billboard’s Country Airplay chart. Several alumni from CMT’s Next Women of Country have earned radio chart-toppers, including McBryde, Lindsay Ell, MacKenzie Porter, Ballerini, Barrett, Morris, Maddie & Tae, Lauren Alaina, and Pearce. Barrett, who previously earned two No. 1 hits with “I Hope” and “The Good Ones,” is currently in the top 10 on the Billboard’s Country Airplay chart dated Jan. 21 with “Pick Me Up,” while Wilson has two songs in the top 15 (“Heart Like a Truck” and “Wait in the Truck,” a collaboration with HARDY). Pearce is at No. 15 with “What He Didn’t Do.” Other past and present NWOC participants on the chart include Hailey Whitters (“Everything She Ain’t”), Moroney (“Tennessee Orange”), and Ballerini (“If You Go Down, I’m Going Down Too”).
“We are seeing more females getting signed and when artists like Lainey and Megan have success, it opens the door for so many more,” Fram says. “We see those success stories and the gatekeepers begin to say, ‘Ok, we need to pay attention to this.’ I would love to see the percentages increase on terrestrial radio, but we are seeing more women get on tours. A lot of our male superstars are taking women out on tour with them, too. It’s helping that crazy cycle that we are trying to break. You are seeing women getting signed, like Ashley Cooke to Big Loud.”
Many members of CMT’s Next Women of Country have picked up awards accolades and nominations in recent years. At the 2019 Grammys, Musgraves earned the most coveted trophy of the evening, when her Golden Hour project earned the all-genre album of the year trophy, in addition to country album of the year. In 2020, Mickey Guyton earned a Grammy nomination for best country solo performance for “Black Like Me,” and followed with a CMA new artist of the year nomination in 2021 and Grammy nominations for best country solo performance, best country song and best country album (all for the single and album “Remember Her Name”). Pearce and McBryde have earned awards recognition from the Grammys, CMAs and ACMs for their No. 1 Country Airplay hit “Never Wanted to Be That Girl,” while Pearce won the CMA’s female vocalist of the year honor in 2021. Ballerini picked up Grammy nominations for best new artist (2016), best country album (2019 for Unapologetically) and returns to the Grammys nominations ballot again this year, earning a best country solo performance nomination for “Heartfirst.” In 2021, Ballerini earned her first two CMA Awards wins, picking up musical event and video of the year for her song “half of my hometown” (a No. 1 Billboard Country Airplay hit, written by Ballerini, which flips the script on having female artists guest on a male artist’s song, by welcoming her fellow east Tennessee native Kenny Chesney). In 2022, Wilson earned six CMA Awards nominations, and picked up two wins, including female vocalist of the year and new artist of the year. Morris and McBryde are each up for best country album at the upcoming Grammy Awards.
Road Warriors
CMT’s Next Women of Country has done more than dispel myths about who women want to hear on radio—they’ve worked to revise the notion that female artists cannot sell concert tickets. The program has included seven CMT Next Women of Country tours, with all-female lineups spearheaded by artists including Jennifer Nettles, Martina McBride, Sara Evans, Tanya Tucker and Maddie & Tae.
“There was this weird cycle—if you didn’t have a song on the radio, you couldn’t get on a tour,” Fram says. “So a lot of them couldn’t get on a tour, so we wanted to create a platform where they had a stage to play on. I talked to a lot of [promoters] in town, like AEG and Live Nation and they were all about it. The first tour was Kelsea Ballerini and Jana Kramer in these clubs, but it was successful. It was women and men coming to see them and we were proving that women do sell tickets. The other myth was that women don’t sell beer, but I’ll tell you what, they do sell a lot of alcohol. Then we started talking to headliners about anchoring the tour.”
When CMA Fest returned in downtown Nashville in 2022, so did CMT’s Next Women of Country showcase at Nashville’s City Winery.
“It’s great because it’s not a big ask for the artists, they can do a couple of songs, and it gives them a stage to play on. We’ve started having a bit of a following, of people who come to everyone, because they want to support women,” Fram says of the showcases.
Since the inaugural CMT Next Women of Country Tour in 2015, country music’s touring sector has also seen a slew of successful, all-female country tours from Lambert, Carrie Underwood and Maren Morris sell out arenas across the country, as have more recent all-female lineups including Reba McEntire’s Live in Concert tour featuring Terri Clark (in 2023, the tour adds The Isaacs) and The Judds: The Final Tour, with Wynonna welcoming McBryde, Little Big Town, Ballerini and more. Twain will launch this year with a primarily female lineup of openers, while Ballerini is also bringing newcomer Georgia Webster along on her own tour.
“That’s exciting for all of us, frankly, when you see artists like this, like Miranda, Maren, Kelsea and Shania doing this and putting their money where their mouth is and bringing women on tour with them,” Fram says. “It’s a celebration of women.”
Are Kelsea Ballerini and Outer Banks‘ Chase Stokes dating? Wouldn’t you like to know. The 29-year-old country pop star has addressed the romance rumors for the very first time in a recent TikTok, but don’t get too excited. Instead of confirming or denying, she simply expressed her dismay over her love life being the subject of attention on popular gossip page DeuxMoi.
In the Monday (Jan. 16) video, Ballerini speaks to her followers while showing them a screenshot of a discussion that took place on DeuxMoi’s Instagram account that same day. The person who anonymously runs DeuxMoi had posted on Instagram Stories a screenshot of a direct message they received from a follower, who mentioned both Ballerini and Stokes by name, and speculated on the likelihood of their relationship.
The sender of the message alleged that Ballerini is “too busy” repeatedly asking out a Soho House Nashville employee to actually be in a relationship with Stokes, calling their recent appearance at the college football national championship game in Inglewood, Calif., a few days prior a “PR play.”
“I know, I know. Stop reading, stop looking,” Ballerini says in her TikTok, gesturing to the screenshotted conversation. “But what is happening, guys? What?”
“Let’s not do this, you know?” she added, before blowing a defeated raspberry.
The “Peter Pan” singer then captioned the video, “i’m about to break up with the internet 5 sure.”
Fans have been curious about Ballerini and Stokes’ possible romantic link since the two were included in a group photo from the championship that Raising Canes founder Todd Graves shared on social media. Later, Stokes shared a carousel of photos that included a snap of him getting cozy with a blonde woman, whom he tagged as Ballerini, sitting next to him at the game.
See Kelsea Ballerini sort of address the Chase Stokes dating rumors in her new TikTok below:
Warner Music Nashville (WMN) leaders Cris Lacy and Ben Kline have been elevated to co-chair/co-president titles, following their promotion to co-presidents of the label in June 2022. Kline and Lacy launched the new year with a company-wide, off-site day of culture building and programming last week.
“I’m honored to lead WMN with Cris in what is an exciting time of change and opportunity for this business,” Kline said in a statement. “We are committed to continuing our leadership position within that change by being laser focused on our incredible artists, their powerful music and their creative visions.”
Lacy added, “Let’s be honest, this is a time of great change in the world at large too. When culture shifts, music ignites, it bridges, it covers, it uncovers. We are here for all of that, and proud to be the Nashville contingent that amplifies those stories to all parts of the globe.”
Lacy and Kline were promoted following the announcement of John Esposito‘s transition to chairman emeritus at the beginning of the year. Billboard broke the news of the pending leadership transition in April 2022. Lacy has been with WMN since 2005, while Kline joined in 2014.
During an interview with Billboard back in 2019, Esposito noted that Kline and Lacy were already being prepped to take over greater leadership roles: “I’m putting all sorts of weight on their shoulders. And the great news is since we did that promotion, they both have risen to an even higher level,” he said. “I’m happy knowing I can give them so much to do so they can become as much the face of the label as me. And that has taken a weight off of me. If I walk in the room, [people] assume I can make the final decision. Now they know that either of them can make a decision [too].”
Jake Basden, who has enjoyed a nearly 12-year tenure at Big Machine Label Group, is exiting his role as senior vp of communications to pursue new opportunities. There is no word yet on his next steps.
“The trouble with working with Scott Borchetta and a company as dynamic as the Big Machine Label Group is, honestly, there is no reason to leave,” Basden said via a statement on his decision. “There comes a moment when you realize you must seek new horizons. You can get very comfortable working with incredible acts, these teams, and Scott’s many endeavors. Something I learned during my years in New York is don’t ever stop growing and reaching for new challenges. The culture at Big Machine always encouraged me to aggressively go in new directions.”
“Jake came to us right when I needed him most – right as Big Machine was exploding. He has been my communications foil and strategist and we’ve had an incredible run together,” BMLG chairman Scott Borchetta added. “Jake always presented me and the label group in very creative ways that caught the attention and landed very important pieces in Fortune, Fast Company, Rolling Stone, the Wall Street Journal and so many more. I’m very proud of all that he’s accomplished here and I’m sure he will continue to reach new heights in his next adventure. He will always be part of the fabric of Big Machine.”
Basden, a University of Oklahoma graduate, joined Big Machine from the New York offices of public relations firm Edelman, where he served as a director in their sports and entertainment division. Basden, who was named Country Music Association (CMA) publicist of the year in 2018, has worked on projects including Midland‘s re-opening of the Palomino Club, the Academy Award-nominated Glen Campbell… I’ll Be Me documentary, Jennifer Nettles‘ “I Can Do Hard Things” video and campaigns that aided in Carly Pearce earning accolades from the CMA and Academy of Country Music (ACM).
“With over 30 artists and multiple label imprints spanning country, Americana, hip-hop, rock and pop, every day was a fresh set of prospects to explore,” Basden added. “I’ve gone places I once only dreamed of and worked with some of the best media, marketing, and brand people in not just America, but the world. I’m forever grateful for Scott, the BMLG family, artists, managers, agents, and media people who’ve made this decade one that flew by. It inspires me, knowing wherever I’m going, it’s going to be a foundation unlike any other to build from.”
The 2023 iHeartCountry Festival Presented by Capital One will welcome Luke Bryan, Kane Brown, Sam Hunt, Elle King and more on Saturday, May 13, when it is held at the Moody Center in Austin, Texas. The event will again be hosted by iHeartCountry personality Bobby Bones.
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Also on the bill are Parker McCollum, Justin Moore, Jordan Davis, Mitchell Tenpenny and special guest Bailey Zimmerman.
“We are so excited to celebrate the tenth year of the iHeartCountry Festival with country music fans in the live music capital,” said Rod Phillips, executive vice president of programming for iHeartCountry. “With this lineup fans are sure to experience a night of unforgettable performances and we are thrilled to be returning to Moody Center in Austin.”
Fans across the country will also be able to hear the performances, as iHeartMedia country radio stations will broadcast the event live in their local markets, as well as on iheartradio.com on May 13 starting at 8 p.m. ET.
Tickets for the event will go on sale to the general public on Jan. 27 at 1 p.m. ET at ticketmaster.com. Capital One cardholders will get access to pre-sale tickets 48 hours before the tickets go on sale to the general public, with cardholders’ access beginning Jan. 24 at 11 a.m. ET and running through Jan. 26 at 11 a.m. ET.
Brown’s collaboration with his wife Katelyn, “Thank God,” currently sits at No. 4 on Billboard‘s Country Airplay chart, while Hunt’s “Water Under the Bridge” is at No. 23. King is gearing up for the release of her first official country album, Come Get Your Wife, out Jan. 27. Meanwhile, Davis is enjoying the reigning No. 1 song on Billboard‘s Country Airplay chart, with “What My World Spins Around.”
See the full lineup for the 2023 iHeartCountry Festival below.
Austin Neal‘s year-old booking agency — The Neal Agency — has named Adi Sharma as a co-head and agent, and has added “Fall in Love” hitmaker Bailey Zimmerman, Canadian country artist Josh Ross, and indie artist mike., as well as lifestyle brand Stevenson Ranch to the roster.
These additions expand the agency’s roster, which already reps Morgan Wallen, HARDY, ERNEST, Chase Rice, Ashland Craft, Riley Green, John Morgan, Lauren Watkins and Seaforth, to a dozen clients.
The Neal Agency celebrated its one-year anniversary in December 2022 and has nominations at the upcoming CMA Touring Awards, including talent agent of the year (Austin Neal).
“It’s surreal to think this time last year we only had two employees, other than myself, and no office. Going into 2023, I am able to walk into a full office of 12 each morning – which is both humbling and exciting,” Neal said via a statement. “Adding Adi’s leadership to that mix will allow the company and our culture to reach new heights in our sophomore year. We are all so excited to be able to work with one of the brightest young agents in this business who will undoubtedly help lead the company going forward.”
“Austin and I have known each other since I moved to Nashville and we have always had a very like-minded approach to supporting and growing artists’ careers,” Sharma added via a statement. “To see what he and this team have built in the span of a year is inspiring. I couldn’t be more excited to be a part of this rapidly growing team, to work with one of the best agents in the business, and to help the company continue to grow into the future.”
This year will mark more successful tours for the company, as Wallen’s One Night at a Time World Tour makes its way to Australia, the United States and Canada, including over 20 stadium shows along the way. ERNEST, who notched his first headlining tour last fall, will join Wallen on all of his 2023 dates.
Additionally, HARDY’s the mockingbird & The Crow Tour will launch Feb. 16 and is sold-out across 19 cities. Meanwhile, Rice’s Way Down Yonder Tour has 36 dates set through the summer. Seaforth will set out on their first headlining tour in 2023, with their 23-date About Time Tour.
The Neal Agency team (Pictured L to R: Hank Wiehebrink, Simone Chretien, Juliette Edwards, Haley Teske, Evan Kantor, Austin Neal, Andrew Greene, Kelly Sherin, Kolby Vetter, Adi Sharma, Marisa Mineo, Spencer Foote)
Tiia Sparzak
Maren Morris got emotional as she fulfilled a “decade-long dream” of serving as a guest judge on RuPaul’s Drag Race.
The country star appeared on Friday’s (Jan. 13) episode of the series and that night tweeted: “I’ve done some cool s—. #DragRace is rivaling it all. Getting my jacket framed next to my Grammy. It is DONE.”
In a post-episode Untucked clip, Morris was teary-eyed as she spoke from her heart to the room.
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“Coming from country music and its relationship with LGBTQ+ members, I just want to say I’m sorry,” Morris said. “And I love you guys for making me feel like a brave voice in country music. So I just thank you guys so much for inspiring me.”
“I’m gonna cry,” she admitted.
In August, Morris showed her allyship when she called out the “unapologetically conservative” wife of Jason Aldean, Brittany, who spread hurtful anti-trans misinformation on her Instagram account. When Brittany called gender-affirming care for minors “one of the worst evils,” Morris and Cassadee Pope jumped in with comments, with Morris calling Aldean “Insurrection Barbie” and telling her to “not be a scumbag human.”
When Fox News’ Tucker Carlson called Morris a “lunatic” for her comments, the singer created T-shirts that read “lunatic country music person,” and later donated more than $100,000 worth of proceeds to GLAAD’s Transgender Media Program and Trans Lifeline.
In November, Morris spoke out against Candace Cameron Bure for her plans to“keep traditional marriage at the core” of content on her new network, Great American Family. Morris commented “Make DJ Gay Again,” a reference to Bure’s most famous role as Full House‘s DJ Tanner.
“We love an ally! So grateful @marenmorris stopped by #Untucked to support our Queens with this heartfelt message,” the official Rupaul’s Drag Race Instagram account posted on Saturday (Jan. 14).
Watch Morris’ Untucked clip below.
Is Kelsea Ballerini jumping in ‘Heartfirst’ with someone new?
The singer-songwriter was spotted hanging out with Outer Banks actor Chase Stokes during the college football national championship game at Inglewood, California’s SoFi Stadium on Monday as the Georgia Bulldogs took on the TCU Horned Frogs.
Ballerini and Stokes were included in a group photo from the game that Raising Canes founder Todd Graves shared on social media. The group also included Taylor Rooks, entrepreneur Jonathan Davis, Noah Beck and more.
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Stokes later shared a carousel of photos, including a pic of himself seated beside a blonde woman as they watched the game together. He tagged Ballerini in the photo. Ballerini commented on the post, saying, “Go Vols,” a nod to her Knoxville, Tennessee, hometown football team, the Tennessee Volunteers.
In August, Ballerini revealed her split from husband and fellow country artist Morgan Evans. Ballerini and Evans met in March 2016 while both were co-hosting the CMC Awards in Australia. They became engaged in December of that year and married Dec. 2, 2017, in Cabo San Lucas, Mexico.
“I’ve always tried to share my life with you in a real and vulnerable way, while also protecting layers of my personal life as they unfold,” Ballerini told fans via social media. “This is now public record so I wanted you to hear from me directly that I am going through a divorce.” Ballerini called the “deeply difficult decision” a “result of a journey of love, growth and effort that ultimately has come to an end.”
Last year, Ballerini also released the album Subject to Change, spearheaded by the album’s first single, “Heartfirst.” At the Grammy Awards on Feb. 5, the song is nominated in the best country solo performance category.
Katie Dean is exiting her role as senior vp of promotion at MCA Records Nashville to pursue new opportunities, following a two-decade career at Univeral Music Group Nashville (UMGN). Dean has led the promotion team at MCA Records Nashville since 2015.
Elsewhere, David Friedman has been named vp of promotion for MCA Records Nashville while Miranda McDonald rises to vp of national promotion.
Friedman began his major label career at Capitol Records Nashville and also spent time at Arista Nashville and Columbia Nashville. For the past seven years, he’s worked as vp of national promotion at UMG Nashville. In his new role, he heads up the MCA Nashville promo staff, leading strategies for an artist roster that includes Kassi Ashton, Jordan Davis, Vince Gill, Parker McCollum and George Strait.
“Having David move to run MCA’s promo department is one of the easiest decisions I’ve made in a long time,” UMGN executive vp of promotion Royce Risser said in a statement. “He has been ready for this position for years, and I have been selfishly keeping him in his former role because I loved having him there. He will be an incredible asset to MCA’s iconic roster, and I have every bit of confidence that he will continue the building success story at MCA Nashville.”
“Like Lynyrd Skynyrd once said, I’m ‘Workin’ For MCA!’” added Friedman. “I’m beyond excited to transition within the UMGN family to the MCA promotion team and look forward to working alongside these flamethrowers in breaking new artists and growing the careers of this phenomenal roster. Thank you, Royce, Mike Dungan, and Cindy Mabe, for this amazing opportunity.”
McDonald joined MCA Nashville in 2012, working as the label’s Southwest regional director. She had previously worked as a radio regional for Valory Music and as a radio host and reporter for CMT Radio. In her new role, McDonald will work with Risser on radio initiatives for the label group’s four imprints: Capitol Records Nashville, EMI Records Nashville, MCA Nashville and Mercury Nashville.
“Miranda McDonald has been our secret weapon for years,” Risser said. “Not gonna be so secret anymore. Her intuitive nature and deep relationships are some of the best I’ve ever seen in radio promotion. She is also a true ‘creative’ and now I will have the ability to utilize her skills for all four of our labels. I am so excited for her to begin ripping it up for UMG Nashville.”
“MCA has been my beloved chosen family for over a decade now,” McDonald added. “So, to be given the opportunity to not only continue working alongside MCA, but also with my extended family at each of the imprints, their incredible artists, and an entirely new group of partners in radio, is an honor. I am so fortunate to continue to grow my career with the best team in the industry. Answer my calls please.”
The shift at MCA Nashville follows the recent news that Cindy Mabe will succeed Mike Dungan as chairman/CEO of UMG Nashville, effective April 1. Dungan recently announced his upcoming retirement after more than four decades in the music industry. Mabe was named president of UMGN in 2014. With her ascension, she becomes the first woman to serve as chairman/CEO of a Nashville-based major-label group. Dungan will continue to serve as an adviser to UMG chairman/CEO Lucian Grainge.
