Sony Music Nashville
Taylor Lindsey has been named as Chairman and CEO, Sony Music Nashville (SMN), beginning January 2025. She replaces Randy Goodman, who announced in September he would be retiring at the end of the year after running the company since 2015.
Additionally, Ken Robold, has been named president and chief operating officer of Sony Music Nashville.
Lindsey will oversee Sony Music Nashville, as well as leading Christian music company Provident Entertainment. She will remain based in Nashville and report to Rob Stringer, chairman of Sony Music Group.
“I’m very grateful to step into this role,” Lindsey said in a statement. “Along with Ken and the incredible SMN team, we are committed to fostering collaboration with our artists, creators and fans, and will create a vibrant community that not only honors our rich heritage in storytelling but also redefines the sound of country music for generations.”
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Lindsey has been head of A&R for SMN since 2021, most recently serving as vp. She has worked closely with Sony artists including Old Dominion, Luke Combs, Megan Moroney, Maren Morris and Mitchell Tenpenny, among others.
“I am very excited that we can promote a creative talent from within the company to this top position,” Stringer said in a statement. “I have witnessed Taylor become an all-round executive from an A&R background and she is ideally suited to plot the future for our Nashville team in a chapter where country music is clearly evolving and thriving as a key musical genre. I am also so pleased that simultaneously to Taylor’s appointment Ken will be in an important wider role helping her build a new era for Sony Music Nashville.”
Prior to joining SMN in 2013, Lindsey, who has been featured on Billboard’s Women in Music and Country Power Players lists, worked in A&R at BMG Music Publishing, where she represented Grammy-award winning songwriters such as Hillary Lindsey and Tony Lane.
Robold, who has also been on Billboard‘s Country Power Players list, joined SMN in 2015 as executive vp and COO. Previously, he was president of Zac Brown’s Southern Ground Artists and spent 22 years at Universal Music Group.
The news means that all three major labels in Nashville are headed or co-headed by women: Cindy Mabe is chair/CEO of Universal Music Group Nashville and Cris Lacy is co-chair/co-president of Warner Music Nashville alongside Gregg Nadel. It also means that all the heads of the three Nashville majors have changed hands over the past two years., with Lacy and then Ben Kline replacing chairman/CEO John Esposito at Warner at the end of 2022, while UMGN chairman/CEO Mike Dungan left his post in 2023, with Mabe officially taking over April 1, 2023.
When “Ain’t No Love in Oklahoma” reached No. 1 on Billboard’s Country Airplay chart, it became Luke Combs’ 18th chart-topper on the tally. But this one was different from its 17 predecessors for the Sony Music Nashville artist. “Oklahoma” was the lead-off single from Atlantic Records’ Twisters soundtrack and his first hit spawned from a movie. Also, as the song spends its second week atop the chart, it brings Combs’ cumulative weeks spent at No. 1 on Country Airplay to 53, making him only the sixth artist in history to have spent more than a year at the summit.
Every one of those 18 No. 1s has been promoted to country radio by Sony Music Nashville senior vp of promotion Lauren Thomas, who oversees promotion for SMN’s RCA and Columbia imprints. And that feat earns the radio veteran, who joined SMN in 2009, the title of Billboard’s Executive of the Week.
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Here, Thomas explains how Sony Nashville and Atlantic worked together to promote both the song and the movie, how Combs’ previous No. 1, his remake of Tracy Chapman’s “Fast Car,” paved the way for a broader audience and how Combs integrated the song into his sold-out summer stadium tour. “Honestly, [‘Oklahoma’] is a Luke Combs song through and through and perfect for the live stage,” Thomas tells Billboard. “Luke did the perfect job of writing something for this massive film and soundtrack and making sure it was original to him as well.”
“Ain’t No Love in Oklahoma” is No. 1 for the second straight week on Billboard’s Country Airplay chart. What key decisions did you make to help that happen? We are fortunate to have a hit song along with an incredible track record with Luke at country radio. The team’s relationships paired with communication with our partners on our goals — and ultimately their support — drove this one home.
“Ain’t No Love in Oklahoma” is from the Twisters soundtrack, which Atlantic released. How did you and Atlantic work together to take “Oklahoma” to country radio, while also promoting the film? Working with Kevin [Weaver, Atlantic Records president, West Coast] and his team from the beginning was exciting. From the beginning, their team wanted to make some noise. With the teases of the trailer directly [to] moviegoers inside the theaters to the massive music video with Luke and all the film footage, we were given the ball to make this Luke’s next No. 1 single and their team trusted us to do so.
The song leans more into rock than Combs’ songs usually do. Did you receive any initial pushback from radio? Luke has a solid track record and his sound covers a wide range. Tempo from a superstar like Luke was embraced fairly quickly and given a real opportunity with immediate airplay from a world premiere across all chains.
Though written specifically for the soundtrack, what about the song do you think appealed to Combs’ existing fan base and did you work it as if it were a standard Combs’ single release or were there different elements that came into play because of the film?
Honestly, it’s a Luke Combs song through and through and perfect for the live stage. If you’ve never seen a Luke show before, it fits perfectly into his set. Whether a ballad or something more hard-hitting, they love Luke and are here for him and I think Luke did the perfect job of writing something for this massive film and soundtrack and making sure it was original to him as well.
How did you tie in with the success of the movie to help promote the song?
It was all Luke. Luke was on his massive sold out stadium tour at the time of the movie so there was an easy tie-in to have Luke talk about the song as well as what it was like to shoot the music video for such a big blockbuster — which, as Luke explained, was a very different process from a standard music video shoot, most notably having debris flying at him during filming. That, and of course the weekend the movie came out Luke invited Glen Powell and some of the cast up on stage for his shotgunning beer moments.
“Ain’t No Love in Oklahoma” is Combs’ 18th No. 1 on Billboard’s Country Airplay chart. What has been the strategy when taking him to radio in terms of picking singles and working with him and his manager, Chris Kappy? It is very much collaborative with Kappy, Sophia [Sansone] and our respective teams. Luke definitively knows his audience and speaks into the decisions we make — he leans in and always has with both his fans and our partners. It’s wild to think about the days of driving Luke around in a rental car to radio station shows and visits and now Kappy, Sophia and I get on bi-weekly calls to talk through things like multiple sold-out stadium dates. Wild.
Combs’ songs have now spent a cumulative 53 weeks at No. 1 on Country Airplay, making him only the sixth artist to have registered more than a year. Is there one thing you and your team have consistently done when taking Combs to radio that has resulted in such a huge number? It really is the perfect marriage of compelling music and communication to partners. Luke has done an incredible job of consistently delivering music that moves people in a variety of ways. The enthusiasm from Luke and his team is contagious and the Columbia promotion team carries that energy into the promotion of his music and the execution of our goals.
He took his cover of Tracy Chapman’s “Fast Car” to No. 1 in 2023 and that song also received some crossover play on pop formats. How did that increase his audience?
The whole collective team — management, marketing, press, promotion, etc. — came together to push this in front of new audiences. It really wasn’t one thing alone. The song and story behind it were everywhere and people who had never heard of Luke Combs now know who he is.
This might be a really silly example, but I have worked every Luke Combs number one. When “Fast Car” came out, it was the first time my dad spoke to me about Luke Combs’ music. He knew who Luke was but this song and story behind why Luke cut it was familiar and clearly spoke to him. In contrast, same story with my little brother. Working with [senior vp of pop promotion] Brady Bedard and the team at Columbia was a dream and opened the door for both Luke and that song to have another moment with audiences at the different formats.
The song also made history for Tracy Chapman and brought us one of the most memorable Grammy performances to date. They both just looked so happy. I will always be honored to have been a small part of that song.
What did you learn from this rollout that you can use with other songs from soundtracks, and do you think the Twisters’ soundtrack success will lead to more country artists having songs on soundtracks?
I think we always have to be open to different ways to promote music and this song helped our team do that. Having an extra bonus of a song being in a film and as the lead from the soundtrack just helps add the exposure of any song no matter the genre.
Country music is about storytelling so I think music supervisors should certainly pay more attention to the genre to help tell the stories of their films and shows. This soundtrack helped bring the genre to the forefront at a time when country music is shining. I can only hope that the music teams at these film companies realize the power a song can have to really amplify their story.
Randy Goodman, who has been chairman and CEO of Sony Music Nashville since 2015, will retire at the end of 2024.
“Thank you to Randy for leading our Nashville company through the last nine years and providing some of the biggest new superstars in the genre of country music,” Sony Music Group Chairman Rob Stringer said in a statement announcing the news. “These artists are part of his legacy, and he should be proud of that. We look forward to building on the strong base he and his team have set up for the future.”
“Thank you to Rob for his leadership and support throughout my entire time at the company,” said Goodman, who has also overseen Sony Music’s Christian music enterprise, Provident Entertainment, during that period. “The Sony Music Nashville and Provident Entertainment teams are some of the finest executives I’ve had the privilege of working with over my many years in this business.
“There are too many people to thank specifically who helped and supported me along the way: my family foremost for their support and grace in letting me stay with it all these years,” he continued. “Looking back over my career’s arc, I am humbled and honored to have had the privilege to work with the artist legends I have; and as importantly, the teams I’ve been privileged to work with and lead. As excited as I am for what’s next no doubt it is bittersweet. It’s all been a gift.”
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At Sony Music, Goodman and his team have shepherd the careers of stars Luke Combs, Kane Brown, Maren Morris, Megan Moroney and Nate Smith, as well as key breaking artists including Mitchell Tenpenny, Kameron Marlowe, Corey Kent and Morgan Wade among others.
Goodman, a perennial on Billboard’s Country Power Players list, spent more than 35 years as a pillar in the Nashville music community.
Goodman’s extensive career includes 16 years at RCA Records, where he spent five years as senior vp, global marketing for RCA in New York prior to returning to Nashville. He also served as executive vp and GM of the RCA Label Group in Nashville, which would later become known as Sony Music Nashville. While at RCA, he worked with such artists as Waylon Jennings, Charley Pride, Alabama, Kenny Chesney, Dave Matthews Band, Wu-Tang Clan, Dolly Parton, Clint Black, Keith Whitley and The Judds.
In 1997, Goodman opened Lyric Street Records for the Walt Disney Co., where he stayed until 2010, working with Rascal Flatts, Aaron Tippin and American Idol finalist Josh Gracin.
Goodman is a former president and chairman of the CMA Board and a current member. He also co-chaired the Music City Music Council with former Nashville Mayor Karl Dean and is a board member of the Country Music Hall of Fame and Museum. In 2019, he was named the Presidential Award recipient for outstanding executive achievement by Music Biz.
No word yet on a succession plan.
It’s time for another spin around the Executive Turntable, Billboard’s comprehensive(ish) compendium of promotions, hirings, exits and firings — and all things in between — across music. Don’t forget to dig into this year’s Indie Power Players list. We also have a weekly interview series spotlighting a single executive and a regularly updated gallery honoring many of the industry figures we’ve lost throughout the year.
Bravado, the merch and brand management arm of Universal Music Group, announced across-the-board changes to its leadership structure. Joining Bravado’s c-suite as chief financial officer is NYC-based Colin McIntosh, most recently CFO and chief operating officer at REVOLT Media. McIntosh reports to company president Matt Young, as do a slew of newly promoted Bravadoans. In Los Angeles, Alyssa Tobias is upped to svp and head of creative services, Ashley Fogerty is now svp of business affairs and Brian Schechter is senior vp and head of brand management. In London, David Boyne is managing director of Bravado, UK, while Rachel Redfearn continues to lead the region’s A&R and brand management and label liaison teams as svp of UK A&R. Working alongside McIntosh in the NYC office is Bill Ashton, who is promoted to svp of commerce at the company, and down Nashville way Stacie Swanson was elevated to vp of artist strategy. But wait there’s more: Reporting to Ashton in the commerce department is NYC-based Briana Farrell, who was promoted to vp of U.S. retail, and Londoner Keith Taperell, now the vp of licensing. “Helping artists connect with fans around the world will always be our driving force, and I’m excited to announce this new leadership, who will ensure that artists’ visions are brought to life,” said Young.
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Warner Records welcomed Terese Joseph as senior vp of A&R administration. Based in Los Angeles, Joseph will report to Karen Kwak, evp/head of A&R, and work closely with Julian Petty, evp/head of business and legal affairs. The veteran executive most recently served as head of label operations at Se LaVi/Rebel Music but launched her career at UMG, where she logged time at Def Jam, Victor Victor Worldwide and Capitol. “I’ve known Terese for many years, starting back in our Island Def Jam days in New York,” said Kwak, who oversaw A&R at UMG’s U.S. labels until 2016. “She’s a well-respected and knowledgeable player in the field, playing an integral role in the delivery of massively successful projects for music legends to newcomers alike.”
Sony Music Nashville promoted Lauren “LT” Thomas to svp of promotion, with Thomas having day-to-day oversight of both the RCA Nashville and Columbia Nashville imprints. Thomas will continue to report to evp of promotion Steve Hodges and work with him across the roster on all national promotional strategies and initiatives. During her tenure, Thomas has helped earn radio hits for artists including Luke Combs, Megan Moroney, Nate Smith, Mitchell Tenpenny and Old Dominion. Thomas joined Sony Music Nashville in 2009 and previously spent five years at KMLE in Phoenix, Arizona. Thomas is also a 2019 Billboard 40 Under 40 honoree. –Jessica Nicholson
AEG Presents ditched the “co-” from Don Strasburg‘s title and named the live music veteran as sole president of the Rocky Mountains and Pacific Northwest regions. The Denver-based executive will oversee AEG’s regional offices in the Colorado capitol and Seattle, and continue managing the team that books concerts in a full slate of venues. Until recently, Strasburg served as co-president of the expansive region alongside Brent Fedrizzi, who in May was promoted to president of North American regional offices. During a lengthy career, Strasburg has been a plank owner of sorts at Bill Graham Presents/Chuck Morris Presents, Live Nation and AEG Live. “Don has a drive to win and succeed that is unmatched,” noted Shawn Trell, AEG Presents’ evp, COO and general counsel. “He’s got an almost innate sense of knowing what the audience wants and where the trends are heading.”
Emre Dokucu
Turkish conductor, arranger, guitarist and pianist Cenk Eroglu joined Frontiers Label Group as the Italian metal label’s new in-house writer and producer. FLG is the home of such artists as Winger, Stryper and Blue Öyster Cult, among others. Eroglu has a long creative partnership with the former, having appeared on a Kip Winger solo album and later as a core player on the prog-adjacent rock band’s first release for Frontiers, 2006’s IV. “I am truly excited to welcome Cenk to Frontiers Records, and I am confident that his impressive background and top-notch craftsmanship will bring some major added value to our label,” said the label’s president Serafino Perugino. “I am looking forward to working together on new epic projects.”
Vickie Nauman, founder of music-tech consultancy CrossBorderWorks and a former executive at 7digital and Sonos, joined Musical AI as an advisor. Formerly Somms.ai, Musical AI provides tools to help rights holders monitor and manage how their IP can be used in AI creation. “Happy to be a part of this journey,” Naumna said on LinkedIn. “I believe AI can be transformative to us all if used wisely, and generative AI needs licensed models.”
Night Time Industries Association chief executive Michael Kill joined the International Nightlife Association, a Barcelona-based advocate for nightlife venues, as Vice President. In a joint announcement, the organizations called it a validation of Kill’s leadership and the NTIA’s “growing impact on global nightlife policy and advocacy.” Kill remarked that he’s “excited to collaborate with our international counterparts to drive positive change and innovation in the nightlife sector. Together, we will work towards a vibrant, sustainable, and safe nightlife environment for all.”
NASHVILLE NOTES: Contemporary Christian music industry veteran Tim Robinson launched Aligned Talent Agency. The Brentwood, Tennessee-based firm represents artists Love & The Outcome, Dan Bremnes, 7eventh Time Down, Ignescent and others. Robinson most recently served as a booking agent with Greg Oliver Agency –J.N. … Milestone Publicity promoted Campbell Jenkins to publicist, effective immediately. The Belmont University grad joined the Music City-based PR firm a year ago … BMG Canada appointed Bryan Columbus as vp of recorded music. He was previously label director for Concord Label Group/Canada.
The creative team for next year’s SXSW London is taking shape with the appointment of Adem Holness as head of music and Katy Arnander as director of programming. Additionally, Alex Poohs will serve as a consulting creative advisor and Elliot Willis has taken the role of SXSW London’s commercial director. The festival and conference will take place over one week in June 2025 at venues and spaces around Shoreditch in east London. (In April 2021, it was announced that SXSW had signed a “lifeline” deal with P-MRC, a joint venture between Penske Media Corporation and MRC, making P-MRC a stakeholder and long-term partner with the Austin festival. P-MRC is the parent company of Billboard.)
Independent music distribution and marketing company Symphonic Distribution hired Guji Lorenzana as its first territory manager for Asia. Based in Los Angeles, Lorenzana is tasked with growing Symphonic’s presence in the region, by way of expanding its artist roster and forging new business partnerships. A former solo artist and member of Philippines boy-band TFTI, Lorenzana arrives from Ingrooves Music Group, where he was country manager for Philippines.
Aaron Hamel is the new label director for Materia Music, a Seattle-based video game imprint, distributor, publisher and rights administrator. Hamel’s appointment follows Materia’s recent acquisition of the remaining game music inventory of Ship to Shore, a boutique label he founded that’s centered on discovering and re-issuing cult soundtracks. “He shares our passion for discovering and promoting the rich musical heritage of video games as well as bringing innovative new products to the video game music community and marketplace,” said Sebastian Wolff, Materia Music’s founder and CEO.
Victoria Fleary was promoted to vp of social at iONE Digital, a content company targeting Black and urban lifestyle enthusiasts. Fleary joined the company two years ago as senior director of social following stops at Emmis Communications and BET. “Victoria’s promotion is a result of the dedicated work that she has put in since her first day at iOne,” said Sam Stiers, GM/evp. “Her relentless drive, creativity, and commitment to excellence in digital media has truly been an inspiration to everyone around her.”
Gregg Stewart is the new senior manager of communications at Universal Music Canada. Previously he worked with Bell Media for 12 years, leaving as Director of Music Strategy & Industry Relations. He was also with the Much MTV Group for a year and between 2000 and 2006 was with UMG’s digital marketing division. –David Farrell
Live Redesigned creative producer Melody Tseng is the art director and set designer for Alanis Morissette’s recently launched Triple Moon Tour, which carries through late September. Tseng joined the NYC-based live company three years ago as an associate creative producer. She previously worked on projects for Live Nation, Diversified Production Services and others. “Melody, as she always does, brought her unique creative vision to life as both the Art Director and Creative Set Designer for the tour through the artistic use of various stage and scenic elements.”
ICYMI:
Jess Ducrou
Jessica Ducrou is departing as co-CEO of Australia’s Secret Sounds Group, producer of Splendour in the Grass festival … Bradley Jordan‘s Peachtree Entertainment brought in Chuck Steedman of LiveCo, Nathan Baugh of 46 Entertainment and Shane Quick of Premier Productions … Fat Beats appointed Warner Music Group veteran Chris Atlas to president … Songtradr welcomed Harmonix co-founder Alex Rigopulos and music lawyer Priyanka Khimani to its board of directors.
Last Week’s Turntable: Sphere Goes Hollywood
Sony Music Nashville has launched a non-country imprint, First Flight Records, with singer-songwriters Darren Kiely and Ben Goldsmith. Though the company is only announcing the label now, it’s already experiencing success with pop/folk artist Kiely, whose song “Sunrise,” hit No. 1 on the Irish Homegrown chart.
Kiely’s No. 1 in Ireland “signifies what I want this to become in scope and scale,” Sony Nashville chairman/CEO Randy Goodman tells Billboard. “What I hope this will be for us is a significant global proposition as well.”
The genesis of the label started when SMN A&R manager Nathan Thomas was greatly impressed after seeing the 17 year-old Long Island native Goldsmith perform in Nashville. Goldsmith then came to the office and “He goes from guitar to piano, he sings his ass off. He’s writing songs that sound like they could be on Elton John’s Madman Across the Water but with a very current feel,” Goodman says. “It was one of those things where we don’t really know what to do with this, but we felt like it was important and we all wanted to be involved with it.”
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Then the A&R staff discovered Irish artist Kiely, who had moved to Nashville via New York, via a video online. As his music began to resonate in his native country and the U.S., Kiely , who was influenced by acts like The Lumineers and Mumford & Sons, signed with UTA and is now on a headlining U.S. club tour in support of his Lost EP. That set’s “Mom & Dad” has landed in the top 5 of the Irish Homegrown chart.
Though the first two signings are folk-tinged singer/songwriters, Taylor Lindsey, Sony Nashville’s senior vp of A&R, stresses that the remit for the label is simply to sign artists and authentic storytellers who are “not country…If it made sense and an artist walked in here who was a hip-hop artist or a true pop artist, we wouldn’t take those off the table.”
Releases will be tagged Free Flight/Sony Music Entertainment, not Free Flight/Sony Music Nashville, to reinforce that Free Flight is not a country label. “When people think of Sony Music Nashville, they think of country, obviously,” Lindsey says. “But these artists are not falling into our traditional country mold. From a global standpoint, we want people to not be confused and we also want to make sure that unsigned artists understand that we can have a home for them that isn’t affiliated with our traditional country strategy.”
Free Flight Records resurrects the name of an RCA Nashville-affiliated imprint started in the ‘70s, when acts like Charlie Daniels and Exile were having both pop and country success. “It was created for a similar purpose and that was to serve a movement of music outside of the purely country category,” Goodman says. The label only existed for a short time in the ‘70s and has been dormant since then, but the name still belonged to Sony. “We just thought that could be a really cool bit of connective tissue to what we’re doing right now,” Goodman says.
At a time when pop labels are signing country acts, such as Warner Records signing Zach Bryan or Columbia inking outlaw country artist Koe Wetzel, Goodman says the borders are gone. “We should be as genreless and as broad thinking as we possibly can because the new world order allows us to do so,” he says. “It’s a fun, creative thing for us, but it’s also a really good business model because we’re sitting right here in the community of this incredible songwriting city. Ben and Darren opened our eyes to what is actually happening in our backyard.”
Goldsmith released For the World Between My Ears on Sony Music Nashville in September but is already working on his new project for Free Flight. He’s in Los Angeles writing for the album now with such songwriting greats Dan Wilson and Rick Nowels.
Though terrestrial radio may come into play, the plan is to promote these artists primarily through digital strategies including streaming and social media. “If and when the time is right to work them at terrestrial radio, we will, but for us strategically, whether it’s [Sony Music Nashville] or Free Flight, that’s always kind of the last piece of the puzzle,” Goodman says, though he adds that when Goldsmith toured last year, they serviced his music to Triple A radio. “We thought this is probably a crowd where we should go ahead and create some awareness with Ben,” he says.
For now, Sony Nashville’s existing staff will handle Free Flight’s roster, though Lindsey says “as this progresses, we’ve already discussed the possibility of staffing up and what that could look like.” There is no “magic number” when it comes to how many acts Free Flight will sign,” she adds.
The goal is simply to sign and build acts unfettered by attaching labels. “I don’t want people to look at Free Flight and go, ‘Oh, that’s a rock imprint’ or ‘That’s a pop imprint,’” Goodman says. “At its core, it’s just about being as broad minded as we possibly can be.”
Two Sony Music Nashville artists have announced their exits from the label, according to recent social media posts.
Rachel Wammack, who signed to the label in 2018 and released songs including “Enough” and “My Boyfriend Doesn’t Speak for Me Anymore,” revealed via a series of Instagram videos that she parted ways with the label late last year.
“I’m really thankful for the time that I had there, and all the opportunities that I got, It’s amazing really,” she said in one of the videos. “I’m really thankful for that time. Now I am an independent artist. There’s so much to unpack, but I’m very excited for this new chapter and all the blessings that really come with being an independent artist.”
Wammack also unveiled an unnamed new song about not giving up and staying committed to your dreams, with the singer saying, “It’s really cool to share a sound with y’all that I’ve wanted to share for a really long time.”
Meanwhile, Australian duo Seaforth, who signed with Sony Music Nashville’s RCA Nashville imprint in 2018 before shifting to the Arista Nashville imprint in 2021, relayed the news to fans this week that they have exited the label after the Arista Nashville imprint shuttered in March. During their time with Sony, Seaforth — comprised of Tom Jordan and Mitch Thompson — issued music including the single “Love That,” the Mitchell Tenpenny collaboration “Anything She Says” and the Jordan Davis collaboration “Good Beer.”
Jordan and Thompson shared the news of their departure on social media, saying, “As of today, we have amicably parted ways with Sony Nashville and are officially a fully independent artist. Sony was great to us, supported us when times were tough, and we owe a lot to them for what we have achieved thus far.”
The duo added, “Over time, it just honestly became a very emotional challenge for us to persevere through certain things behind the scenes. Although it ultimately took us a while to get here, anyone who knows us knows it’s the best decision for all parties involved, Sony included…we truly believe that a big change like this will inspire a whole new life for Seaforth, and it honestly already has.”
Seaforth also revealed that their upcoming independent single, “Get the Girl,” will release on June 16.
Sony Music Nashville did not respond to Billboard‘s request for comment by press time.
Sony Music Nashville (SMN) has shuttered its Arista imprint, shifting the artist roster to SMN’s Columbia and RCA labels.
Old Dominion and Megan Moroney move to Columbia while Nate Smith goes to RCA. The other artists on Arista — including Brooks & Dunn, Ryan Hurd, Seaforth, Morgan Wade and Adam Doleac — will be reassigned when they have projects headed to radio. No acts are being dropped. Country Aircheck broke the news of Sony dissolving Arista Thursday morning (March 23).
In an exclusive interview, SMN CEO/chairman Randy Goodman tells Billboard the move was to realign better with radio’s needs.
“RCA, Columbia and Arista are really imprint names that we use for three different promotion teams because that gives you multiple calendars. We’re now targeting our approach to radio to be more strategic,” Goodman says.
That means bringing songs to radio that already have a story in terms of fan engagement and at digital service providers, so they don’t “languish in overnights” at radio, he continued. “What we said to radio is, ‘Give us dayparts immediately,’ and if it works, great. If it doesn’t, then we’ll move on because we’re going to be moving on things quicker in the DSP landscape as well. So based upon our more targeted approach, we just felt like this was a more efficient way to do it.”
Goodman has been vocal about the tremendous amount of time, expense and manpower it takes for songs to climb the country airplay chart, with some tunes taking as long as 52 weeks to reach No. 1.
“That’s not a model that is an efficient or effective artist development model and so we thought, ‘How do we approach this with a better model in mind?’” he says. “Let’s not go to radio until we know we’ve got something that we can go to the major chains with and show them there is momentum and there is a reason other than us just saying, ‘We want you to play it.’”
Goodman stressed that SMN will not be sending fewer songs to radio and that the realignment strengthens Columbia and RCA by increasing the number of regionals on each team by one.
In the restructuring, Arista’s senior director of promotion and artist development, Lyndsay Church, has left the company. Ali O’Connell, director of promotion and artist development, is moving to RCA, as is specialist/promotion & artist development Amy Menz. Nicole Walden, former RCA specialist/promotion & artist development, moves to the national team. Lisa Owen, also an Arista director of promotion and artist development, shifts to Columbia.
Steve Hodges, SMN executive vp of promotion and artist development, called the managers of the artists on Arista’s roster on Wednesday to give them the news. In addition to his other duties, Hodges has been running Arista Nashvhille since Chris Schuler left his post as vp of promotion at the imprint in November after a seven-month stint at the label.
The moves come as SMN is having a banner year at radio. So far in 2023, Smith’s “Whiskey On You,” Kane Brown and Katelyn Brown’s “Thank God,” and Luke Combs’ “Going, Going, Gone,” have reached the top of Billboard’s Country Airplay chart, with both “Whiskey” and “Going” spending two weeks at the summit.
Goodman adds that the move is really business as usual. “Our job is artist development, our job is to break new artists, our job is to expand careers of the artists that have already broken through,” Goodman says. “And so, in this new world as things continue to change, we’re constantly evaluating what’s the best way to do that.”
The move comes a week after Miranda Lambert announced she was leaving SMN, her home for 20 years. Goodman declined to comment on her departure other than to “wish her well.”
Miranda Lambert is leaving her longtime label home at Sony Music Nashville, the singer-songwriter revealed in a social media post.
“Since I was 19 years old, Sony has been my home in Nashville. Over the last 20 years together we have released albums that allowed me to share my story with the world, and we’ve reached heights I’d never even dreamed were possible,” Lambert said. “I’m so thankful for our time together and everything they made possible for me, yet I wouldn’t be true to myself if I wasn’t constantly looking for the next challenge and a new way to stretch my creativity. With that in mind, I’ve decided to say goodbye to my Sony family. I can’t wait to see what the next adventure holds.”
A representative for Sony Music Nashville had not responded to Billboard‘s request for comment by press time. Lambert’s manager, Marion Kraft, did not immediately respond to a request for comment.
Lambert’s statement caught Sony executives off guard, according to sources.
During her time with Sony, since the release of her debut major label album Kerosene in 2005, Lambert has taken seven albums to the top of Billboard’s Top Country Albums chart and seven songs to No. 1 on Country Airplay as a solo artist or collaboration. The reigning ACM Awards entertainer of the year (and a coveted ACM Triple Crown winner) has won 37 ACM trophies, the most of any artist.
Lambert has also won Grammys in the country album of the year category for her projects Wildcard and Platinum, while her song “The House That Built Me” won a Grammy for female country vocal performance.
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