Courtesy of Columbia Records
According to a statement, 17-year-old country singer-songwriter Ty Myers has signed with Records Nashville/Columbia Records and will be releasing a new song, “Let 'Em Talk,” on the label “soon.” Myers is managed by Blake Shelton's manager Narvel Blackstock of Starstruck Entertainment. His hits include “Tie That Binds” and “Drinkin' Alone” (which he likely wrote from experience, as he is under the drinking age). After opening for Willie Nelson, the Texas native has been on the road all summer, appearing as a headliner as well as sharing the stage with Wade Bowen & the Randy Rogers Band, Cody Johnson, Josh Meloy, and others.
“It's not often you come across a fully-fledged singer-songwriter like Ty Myers, who is able to write songs, sing, play guitar and perform at the young age of 17,” said Records CEO and co-founder Barry Weiss. “Simply put, that's what the music business is all about. Records Nashville is thrilled to sign him along with our colleagues at Columbia Records.”
(Pictured above, from left: Andrew Saltman of Records, Josh Easler and Joe Fisher of Records Nashville, Jenifer Mallory and Ty Myers of Columbia Records, Julian Swirsky and Joe Gallo of Columbia Records, Barry Weiss of Records, Narvel Blackstock of Starstruck Entertainment, David Enriquez of Records)
+ Kelly Bolton has been named vice president of A&R at Warner Records. Based in Nashville, she will work closely with co-chairman and CEO Aaron Bay-Shook to sign, develop and discover country artists for the Los Angeles-based label. She will report directly to EVP and head of A&R Karen Kwak. The move follows the label's recent success with country artists Zach Bryan, Warren Ziders and Dasha.
Bolton was recently promoted to Sr. VP of A&R after five years at Ashley Gorley's Tape Room Music, where she developed 15 songwriters. Previously, she was at Big Deal Music and began her career at Black River Entertainment, working closely with a young Kelsea Ballerini.
“I've known Kelly for years and her ear for spotting talent is impeccable,” said Bay-Shook. “She's widely respected not only within the Nashville artist and songwriter community, but throughout the industry. Having her on the team allows us to be more active in Music City, with the advantage of being able to directly engage, sign and develop new artists. The potential to make a big impact is endless.”
+ Rostrum Pacific has announced the appointment of Chris Atlas as president of Phat Beats, the long-established distributor and retail brand celebrating its 30th anniversary this year. Phat Beats was acquired by Rostrum Pacific earlier this year.
Over the past two decades, Atlas has held key roles at Tommy Boy Records, Cornerstone Promotion, Def Jam Recordings and Warner Records.
“Chris Atlas is someone we've admired for many years,” said Jonathan Partch, chief operating officer at Rostrum Pacific. “He has incredible leadership, vision, insight and experience, and I can't think of anyone better suited to continue building on the tradition of this great company. With Chris at the helm, we put our incredible partners in the best position to succeed.”
+ AEG Presents has announced that Don Strasburg has been appointed president of the Rocky Mountain and Pacific Northwest region, where he previously served as co-president of those regions.
Strasberg will continue to be based in Denver, with sole oversight of AEG's regional offices in both Denver and Seattle, and manage a team responsible for booking concerts in the region, from clubs and theaters to stadiums. He began promoting shows while in college, and in 1992, he and a few partners opened the Fox Theatre in Boulder, Colorado, where he still works today. In 1998, he joined forces with Chuck Morris and Brent Fedrizzi to form Bill Graham Presents/Chuck Morris Presents. After a series of acquisitions, including SFX and Clear Channel Entertainment, the company was eventually acquired by Live Nation in 2005. After nine years with the firm, Strasberg joined Morris and Fedrizzi at AEG Live.
“Don's drive to win and succeed is unmatched, and he has an almost innate sense of what audiences want and where trends are heading,” said Sean Trell, EVP, COO and general counsel of AEG Present.
+ Bravado, Universal Music Group's merchandise and brand management company, has announced new leadership appointments across all divisions. The new structure includes the hiring of Collin McIntosh as chief financial officer, the promotion of Alyssa Tobias to senior vice president and head of creative services, Ashley Fogarty to head business affairs, Bill Ashton to become senior vice president of commerce, Brian Schechter to head brand management, Keith Tapperel to head licensing, and Stacey Swanson to fill the newly created role of vice president of artist strategy.
+ Sony Music Nashville has promoted Lauren “LT” Thomas to senior vice president of promotion. In this elevated role, Thomas will be responsible for the day-to-day oversight of both the RCA and Columbia labels. She will continue to report to executive vice president of promotion, Steve Hodges, the same position she previously held.
Thomas joined Sony Music Nashville in October 2009 and has risen through the ranks over the past two years, overseeing promotional efforts for Columbia Nashville's artists and all-female staff. Prior to joining the company, she spent five years at KMLE-FM in Phoenix.
“Over the past nine years, I've watched LT develop into a strong team leader and industry force. Her passion and work ethic are infectious and second to none. I'm incredibly proud of her well-deserved promotion to Senior Vice President as she continues to move forward and lead the Columbia team while contributing to Sony's overall national representation,” said Hodges.
+ Shore Fire Media has hired Moya Crowley as an account executive. She joins from BT PR, where she served as public relations coordinator/manager since 2019. She previously held internships at Grandstand Media, ID PR and Slate PR.
Monday, June 24
Karin Leon's label Socios Music has signed an international deal with Virgin Music Group and Island Records to release new music.
Mexican singer-songwriter León has had an incredible year filled with historic milestones, having become the first Latino artist to perform at both Coachella and Stagecoach in the same year, and also recently opened for the Rolling Stones and made his debut at Nashville's Grand Ole Opry.
Leon is best known for his unique blend of Mexican and country music. He won a Latin Grammy Award for the song “Como Lo Hice Yo” and has released a string of popular singles including “Ni Me Debes Ni Te Debo,” “Te Lo Agradezco” and “No Es Por Acá.” He released an album under Virgin Music Group called “Boca Chueca Vol. 1,” which debuted at #5 on Billboard's Regional Mexican Albums chart and #8 on the Top Latin Albums chart.
In November 2023, he signed an exclusive worldwide publishing deal with Universal Music Publishing Group (UMPG).
“Karin Leon is a true maverick,” said Island Records co-CEOs Justin Eshak and Imran Majid. “He transcends not only stylistic and sonic boundaries, but cultural boundaries as well. We are thrilled to be working with Karin and her manager Jorge Juarez through our new partnership with Virgin Music Group and Socios Music. There are no limits to what we can accomplish together.”
“We're proud to have such a supportive team at both Virgin Music Group and Island Records and to have her join us in taking Karin's career to even greater heights,” said Jorge Juarez, Leon's manager and business partner at Socios Music. “We're already seeing great benefits from this new partnership and are excited for the future.”
Pictured above (from left): Justin Eshak, Co-CEO (Island Records), Nat Pastor, Co-CEO (Virgin Music Group), Karin Leon (The Artists), Sir Lucian Grainge, Chairman and CEO (Universal Music Group), Jorge Juarez (Socios Music), Imran Majid, Co-CEO (Island Records), Victor Gonzalez, President Latin (Virgin Music Group).
+ Limas Entertainment has appointed Rodrigo Pritchard as the new general manager of Limas Entertainment, effective July 1. Kristen Quintero Garriga will also join the company as vice president of brand partnerships for RIT.MO, a newly formed division that serves as a creative consulting and sales force for the entire Limas conglomerate and its external clients.
In her new role, she will lead brand partnerships and transform the organization into a marketing and creative resource accelerator, where she will apply her experience to Rimas, Habibi, Rimas Sports, Fundación Rimas and Rimas Nation, among others.
Pritchard, a lawyer by trade, joins Limas following a successful career as Executive Vice President of Legal and Business Affairs at Universal Music Latin, where he is well known in the industry for playing a key role in many of Latin music's largest deals.
Prior to joining the company, Quintero Garriga held prominent positions as Market Manager with companies such as Puma Energy LATAM and Burger King.
+ Sony Music Publishing Nashville announced it has signed a worldwide deal with Clint Black that will give the company management of the country star's entire catalog, including songs such as “A Good Run Of Bad Luck,” “Like The Rain,” “Summer's Comin'” and “Nothin' But The Taillights.”
Black has received numerous honors for his creative achievements, including a Grammy Award, multiple CMA, AMA and ACM awards including the 2023 ACM Honors Poet's award, a star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame and an induction into the Grand Ole Opry.
Clint Black said, “I have so much respect for Rusty and the entire team at Sony Music Publishing Nashville and am excited to move forward with them, past, present and future!”
“Clint Black is undoubtedly a country music icon, and his songs have blazed their own path and helped make country music what it is today,” said Rusty Gaston, CEO, Sony Music Publishing Nashville. “We look forward to working with Clint and his team to further expand his creative influence.”
+ UTA has signed rising country artist George Pippen to a global, all-around success. Pippen is managed by Brent Shows and Emily Clarke of ALTAR MGMT.
The deal coincides with the release of “Indiana Knows My Name,” the first single from his debut album, Growing Pains.
+ Night Stone Records, an independent label founded by Juan Muñoz in 2021, has signed a worldwide distribution deal with The Orchard. Night Stone Records artists include B. Howard, Otti, RMB Justice, Private Hour, Chris Hollis, BJ So Cole, Million$ and more.
Munoz also founded a new independent games studio, Night Stone Games, to expand the Night Stone brand, and Ken Fox, co-founder of Warner Brothers Games San Francisco, has joined Night Stone Games as head of the studio.