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Soulful rising country star Ryan Hurd kicked off his headlining PLATONIC TOUR this weekend at The Bluestone in Columbus, OH and Manchester Music Hall in Lexington, KY to captivated packed houses.

The crowd was hanging on every word as Hurd performed his Top 20-and-rising Gold single “To a T” as well as cuts from his recent PLATONIC EP. Featuring special guests Niko Moon and Adam Doleac on select dates the PLATONIC TOUR rolls on this week to Nashville’s Cannery Ballroom and Memphis’ Minglewood Hall. Throughout the cross-country run, “country music’s next big star” (AOL) is also slated for high-profile two-night stands at Joe’s on Weed Street in Chicago, IL and NYC’s Gramercy Theatre.

Ryan Hurd’s PLATONIC TOUR
Feb. 6 – Cannery Ballroom | Nashville, TN
Feb. 7 – Minglewood Hall | Memphis, TN
Feb. 21 – 8 Seconds Saloon | Indianapolis, IN
Feb. 22 – Mercury Ballroom | Louisville, KY
Feb. 27 – Joe’s on Weed Street | Chicago, IL
Feb. 28 – Joe’s on Weed Street | Chicago, IL
Feb. 29 – St. Andrews Hall | Detroit, MI
March 4 – Gramercy Theatre | New York, NY
March 5 – Gramercy Theatre | New York, NY
March 6 – Paradise Rock Club | Boston, MA
March 7 – Theatre of the Living Arts | Philadelphia, PA
March 13 – The Midland Theater | Kansas City, MO
March 14 – DelMar Hall | St. Louis, MO
March 19 – Terminal West | Atlanta, GA
March 20 – Georgia Theatre | Athens, GA
March 21 – Coyote Joe’s | Charlotte, NC

Acclaimed 2-time CMA Vocal Group of the Year and 2-time ACM Group of the Year Old Dominion reveal their newest single, “Some People Do.” The song is off the band’s self-titled 3rd studio album. Click HERE to listen.

Old Dominion frontman Matthew Ramsey said of the song, “It’s a breaking-point kind of song. I think inherently we’re all good people and want to be good people, but no matter who you are, sometimes you hurt the ones you love. It’s about that desire to be the best person you can be for those people.”

The band is showing no signs of slowing down. Their latest No. 1 hit single, “One Man Band” has been certified Platinum by the RIAA. With over 275 million streams, this marks the band’s 8th consecutive No. 1 and biggest song to date. They recently performed it on “The Tonight Show Starring Jimmy Fallon” HERE . In addition, they also received certifications for 5 of their other songs: “Written in the Sand” (2x Platinum), “Break Up With Him” (2x Platinum), “Hotel Key” (Platinum), “Make It Sweet” (Gold) and “Nowhere Fast” (Gold). 

Old Dominion recently announced a U.S. leg of their WE ARE OLD DOMINION tour with 13 cities and support from Dustin Lynch and Carly Pearce. Later this week, the band will make their return to Canada for the Canadian run with Mitchell Tenpenny and Meghan Patrick. This summer, the Old Dominion is also set to join Kenny Chesney on his Chillaxification 2020 stadium tour which will see them hitting stadiums across the nation as well as performances at several fairs and festivals throughout the summer. Click HERE for more info.

Sony Music Nashville and Villa 40 announce the signing of singer/songwriter Tyler Booth to Villa 40/Sony Music Nashville. Booth is the first artist to launch as part of an exclusive, long-term joint-venture agreement between the label group and Villa 40, co-founded by music industry executives including Joe Fisher, Brad Margolis and Trace Ayala.

“I’m so excited to sign with Sony Nashville/Villa 40; they plucked me out of the hills of Kentucky,” Booth said. “They told me they believed in me, loved the music I was making and felt like they wanted to be apart of my future.  I’ve grown to know them like family and feel like it’s where I belong.” 

Born and raised in Wolfe County in the Southeastern region of Kentucky, Tyler Booth has been writing songs and honing his craft for years, but, it was his smooth baritone vocals that first caught the attention of producer/songwriter Phil O’Donnell. Hailing from the stomping grounds of John Michael Montgomery, Montgomery Gentry and George Molton, the 21-year-old performs regularly at the famed Austin City Saloon in Corbin, Kentucky. 

“On behalf of the Villa 40 team, we couldn’t be more thrilled to announce our joint venture with Sony Music Nashville,” remarked Villa 40 co-founder Brad Margolis. “We have watched the Sony team repeatedly break genre-defining artists, and we look forward to continuing that tradition with our signing of Tyler Booth.” Margolis continues, “Villa 40 was founded with the goal of developing artists across all aspects of their careers, and we know that working with the SMN team will allow us to help artists like Tyler define the next decade of country music.”

Sony Music Nashville EVP A&R Jim Catino responded, “Brad and Joe and the entire Villa 40 team are creative and passionate collaborators. What better way to kick-off our new relationship than to share the news of signing the incredibly talented singer-songwriter Tyler Booth.”

Tyler Booth’s newly-released tracks “Long Comes A Girl” and “Where The Livin’ Is” are available now at all streaming platforms and digital retailers. 

View Booth’s “Long Comes A Girl” music video HERE.

For further info on Tyler Booth, go to www.tylerboothmusic.com

Tenille Townes’ “Jersey On The Wall (I’m Just Asking)” is No. 1 at BDS Canada and Mediabase Canada country radio charts this week—the acclaimed singer, songwriter and performer’s second chart-topping single following her Canadian Platinum-certified “Somebody’s Daughter,” which reached the pinnacle exactly a year ago this week. The feat makes Townes the only female in Mediabase Canada history to achieve two No. 1 singles.

Of the accomplishment, Townes shares, “My heart is bursting because this song and the people who inspired it mean so much to me. And hearing stories from so many of you and how it’s made you feel less alone in your grieving and your questions, means the most to me.”

Released to widespread acclaim, Rolling Stone calls the single, “a stirring, full-bodied anthem about loss and faith,” while Taste of Country proclaims, “Townes continues to release music grounded in empathy…She aims for a higher brand of acclaim and satisfaction.”

Both “Jersey” and “Somebody’s Daughter” are featured Townes’ new EP, Road to the Lemonade Stand, which was produced by Jay Joyce (Eric Church, Little Big Town) and will be released February 7 via Columbia Nashville (pre-save/pre-order here). With the release of the EP, Townes is inviting fans to join her on the journey to her highly anticipated debut album, The Lemonade Stand, which will be released later this spring. Additional details to be announced soon.  

In celebration of the release, Townes will tour extensively this year including a series of dates supporting Alan Jackson. Upcoming stops include Atlanta’s State Farm Arena, New Orleans’ Smoothie King Center, Fort Worth’s Dickies Arena, Tulsa’s BOK Center, Denver’s Pepsi Center and Nashville’s Bridgestone Arena among many others. See below for complete details. 

Today, CMT revealed the 17 artists to watch in its much-anticipated 2020 LISTEN UP campaign, which recognizes and supports country music’s most promising newcomers across CMT platforms. The year-long initiative raises awareness for new artists via support for their music and videos across CMT and CMT Music channels, CMT Hot 20 Countdown, CMT.com and @CMT social media channels, in addition to company-wide opportunities including live events and the ViacomCBS’ Times Square NYC Billboard. 

“CMT has curated an incredible list of emerging talent for 2020! Equally important, it’s a diverse group of new artists with 50/50 parity for female and male artists, with one bonus wildcard – Hot Country Knights – thrown in for good measure!” shared Leslie Fram, SVP of Music & Talent at CMT. “We will follow and support these newcomers throughout the year with opportunities from video airplay, content rollout, social support and live performances. We can’t wait for our audience to see and hear more of what they can do!”

The below 17 artists join CMT’s prestigious 2020LISTEN UP roster:  

·         Adam Doleac
·         Avenue Beat
·         Blanco Brown
·         Caleb Lee Hutchinson
·         Caylee Hammack
·         Gabby Barrett
·         Hailey Whitters
·         Hot Country Knights
·         Madison Kozak
·         Marcus King
·         Niko Moon
·         Parker McCollum
·         Payton Smith
·         Sam Williams
·         Sykamore
·         Tiera
·         Walker County

Since 2011, CMT’s LISTEN UP franchise has introduced new artists to the network’s passionate fan base and has helped launch the careers of superstars including Brett Eldredge, Carly Pearce, Dustin Lynch, Jon Pardi, Kacey Musgraves, Kelsea Ballerini, Luke Combs, Maren Morris, Midland and RaeLynn, among others.

Earlier this week, CMT pledged 50/50 video airplay parity for female and male artists across CMT and CMT Music channels and teased its forthcoming #CMTEqualPlay campaign. Several of CMT’s LISTEN UP artists – Aubrie Sellers (2016), Brandy Clark (2016), Hailey Whitters, Madison Kozak and Walker County – are among those slated to open for GRAMMY-nominee Tanya Tucker when the CMT Next Women of Country: Bring My Flowers Now Tour kicks off on February 5. 

RCA Nashville exciting newcomer Niko Moon has dropped his latest sonic-melding track “PARADISE TO ME” today (1/24). Listen here.

This new release is another glimpse into Moon’s singular sound, blending Atlanta-bred hip-hop and rural-fed traditional country, which takes center stage on Moon’s debut EP GOOD TIME – set for release Feb. 14. Listeners can pre-save GOOD TIME to their collections here. 

The rising star was recently named to CMT’s annual “LISTEN UP” campaign, which recognizes and supports country music’s most promising newcomers, as well as Amazon Music’s 2020 Artists to Watch list.

Following standout runs supporting Filmore and Eli Young Band, Moon kicks off his opening stint on Ryan Hurd’s PLATONIC TOUR Thursday, Jan. 30 at The Bluestone in Columbus, OH. Later this spring, he’ll head overseas to perform at C2C London, CMC Rocks QLD, and CMA Introducing Nashville series throughout Australia and New Zealand. 

Riser House/Columbia Nashville artist Mitchell Tenpenny is delivering more new digital music to his Night Owl fans releasing “Can’t Go To Church” today. The song was written by Mitchell, Jordan Schmidt and Matt Rogers. Find it HERE .

“I grew up in Nashville and went to a Christian school, David Lipscomb High School. All my friends and I attended both school and church together. The girlfriend I had at the time broke up with me and the first thing you do at that age is try to avoid them. And I knew if I went to church, I would see her. So, I wrote this song not because I didn’t believe in God and didn’t want to fellowship, I just didn’t want to see her. I said a prayer to God that ‘I will praise you, I just can’t walk in there anymore.’”

Mitchell’s current single “Anything She Says” was delivered to country radio after fans streamed the song over ten million times. Since its release streams have reached 25 million and it’s climbing the charts at radio. The single’s music video debuted on YouTube Music on January 10 and was played for the in-house audience before Mitchell’s Opry at The Ryman performance that night.

Last week, Mitchell launched the second leg of his ANYTHING SHE SAYS TOUR with special guests Seaforth and Adam Doleac. PEOPLE Magazine shared an exclusive look behind the scenes.

ACM, CMA and CMT Award-winning artist Luke Combs will make his debut as the musical guest on NBC’s “Saturday Night Live” next Saturday, Feb. 1, with host J.J. Watt. 

The performance is just the latest achievement in what continues to be a groundbreaking and historic series of years for Combs. In November, his critically acclaimed new album, What You See Is What You Get, debuted at No. 1 on the all-genre Billboard 200 chart as well as Billboard’s Top Country Albums chart with 172,000 equivalent units sold. It was also a global No. 1 album, topping charts in Canada, Australia and the U.K. Out now via River House Artists/Columbia Nashville (stream/purchase here ), the record enjoyed the largest streaming week ever for a country album with 74 million on-demand streams. It also achieved the biggest first week of album streams ever for a country artist on Apple Music and was the first country album ever to hit No. 1 on the platform’s U.S. overall albums chart, while also setting a new global record for first-week streams for a country album at Spotify and breaking the Amazon Music record for more first-week streams than any other country album debut. 

Produced by Scott Moffatt, What You See Is What You Get features 17 songs including the five tracks previously released via The Prequel EP last summer. The EP debuted at No. 1 on Billboard’s Top Country Albums chart with all five tracks charting on Billboard’s Hot Country Songs Top 25—a feat not accomplished by any artist in 60 years since Johnny Cash in 1959. Additionally, Combs’ most recent single, “Even Though I’m Leaving,” spent its third week at No. 1 at country radio, making it Combs’ seventh consecutive No. 1—a first on Billboard’s Country Airplay chart.

In celebration of the release, Combs is set to headline his first ever stadium show at Appalachian State University’s Kidd Brewer Stadium in Boone, NC on May 2. The sold-out stadium show is part of Combs’ “What You See Is What You Get Tour,” which continues Combs’ historic success on the road with all ten of the concerts selling out immediately after going on-sale.

Continuing his historic year, Combs’ double Platinum debut album This One’s For You recently spent its 50th non-consecutive week at No. 1 on Billboard’s Top Country Albums chart—tying the record for the longest reign atop the chart with Shania Twain’s Come On Over in 1997. This One’s For You was also the most-streamed country album of 2019. 

Sony Music Nashville has announced today the new signing of ROSS ELLIS to its roster. 

“I’m so excited to join the Sony Music family! When I moved to this town five years ago, I was broke, had written maybe five songs and didn’t know a soul on music row,” shares Ellis. “Now with an army of personal and professional support behind me and most importantly, God, I’m ready for what comes next on this crazy journey. And yes, that includes new music very, very soon!”

Born and raised in the small town of Monterey, Louisiana, Ellis began playing at fifteen in a band he formed with his cousin and some high school friends called “Wayside.” The band gained a strong following throughout Ellis’ high school and college years, playing venues across Louisiana and Mississippi. After graduating from University of Louisiana at Monroe, Ellis turned down multiple job offers to instead move to Nashville. After a month of living out of hotels, Ellis met a couple singer/songwriters who were looking for a third roommate. He worked various part time jobs during the day while songwriting in the evenings and weekends as well as playing writer’s rounds every chance he could. 

Ellis has released a number of powerful tracks independently since moving to Nashville including, “Home for the Weekend” in 2017, followed by his hauntingly powerful song, “Ghosts,” in 2018. He also celebrated a deeply personal milestone when fellow Louisiana native, Tim McGraw, released, “Neon Church,” co-written by Ellis, Ben Goldsmith and Ben Stennis in Oct. 2018. 

The Boot has called the Louisiana-native an “Artist to Watch” after “penning tracks for some of country music’s biggest acts.” Much of his early acclaim is no doubt due to soulful and personal tracks like his most recent release “Buy and “Buy” with country superstar Thomas Rhett telling Nash Country Daily “…it’s one of the freshest songs on the radio.” The song went on to hit No. 1 on SiriusXM The Highway’s Top 30 Countdown last month and has been featured on Apple Music’s Breaking Country, Amazon’s Introducing Country and Spotify’s Wild Country.

Since its release last fall, “Buy and Buy” has continued to receive a strong response from listeners as well reaching over 2 million in consumption to date and averaging almost 2000 in weekly sales.  Listen to “Buy and Buy,” and watch Ellis’ one-take acoustic video . 

While always writing and recording, Ellis has toured alongside Chris Janson, Brett Young, Chase Rice, Raelynn, and Eli Young Band. He is an BMI-represented writer, signed to Big Deal Music for publishing, and booked through WME.

For more information, visit rossellismusic.com or on social media @RossEllisMusic.