APA Holds Happy Hour For Hill Entertainment

APA Nashville hosted colleagues from Hill Entertainment Group on Thursday (July 28) for an APA Nashville Happy Hour.

“Our new space at One Nashville Place gives us the opportunity to host our creative friends and partners for some one on one time with our growing staff of Music, TV & Film and Branding agents in the Nashville office” said Steve Lassiter, Partner and Head of Concerts for APA Nashville.

IBMA Final Round Nominees

Pictured (L-R):  IBMA Executive Director Paul Schiminger, Earls of Leicester’s Shawn Camp and Jerry Douglas, and Kyle Cantrell, host of SiriusXM’s Bluegrass Junction channel.

The final round nominees for the International Bluegrass Music Awards were announced earlier this week. The Earls of Leicester lead the pack with eight total nominations, earning three as a group and five for individual band members.

The IBMA Awards take place Sept. 29 at Raleigh’s Duke Energy Center.

Rock Ridge Music Signs Matt Hires, Granville Automatic To Management Deals

Matt Hires, Granville Automatic

Nashville-based Rock Ridge Music, which has both label and management divisions, has signed two artists to management deals: alternative singer-songwriter Matt Hires and Americana duo Granville Automatic.  They join a management roster that already includes such artists as Christian Lopez, Tony Lucca, Ike Reilly, JD Eicher, Matt Brown, Kyle Cox, and Riley Etheridge Jr.

“We’re thrilled to be adding both Matt Hires and Granville Automatic to the RRM family,” says Rock Ridge Music President Cynthia Cochrane. “We’ve been a fan of Matt’s for a long time and his new album exhibits so much depth and pure talent; it’s the perfect evolution in an already strong catalog and we’re excited to help him shape the next phase of his career. The addition of Granville Automatic brings us two individuals who are equally talented as writers as they are performers. We were incredibly impressed by Elizabeth Elkins and Vanessa Olivarez’s passion, intelligence and unique approach to storytelling.”

SESAC unveiled a new online tool to accelerate revenues and expedite clearances for publishers and distributors. The tool integrates with the combined database of SESAC Performing Rights, Rumblefish and The Harry Fox Agency, allowing publishers to link their compositions to recordings.

The new secure web application is available immediately through the Online Account of publishers that license streaming services through HFA. In the coming months, SESAC will expand the tool’s user group to include clients of Rumblefish, SESAC Performing Rights affiliates, the broader HFA publisher affiliate community and, finally, publishers and writers that are not affiliated with HFA or SESAC. Uniquely, this app is neither rights-type nor distributor-specific.

“Our investments in technology and database management allow our team to offer better service and enhanced revenue opportunities for songwriters and their business partners,” said John Josephson, Chairman and CEO of SESAC Holdings, Inc. “By powering our licensing and administration business units with the industry leading combined SESAC Holdings database, we’re able to make rights administration more efficient, simpler, and more lucrative.”

“Today’s launch,” said Michael Simon, President of SESAC’s Rumblefish, “is the first in a series of technical enhancements that will be rolled out to make work easier and more profitable for our clients.”

Hannah Dudley

Hannah Dudley has been promoted to the role of Vice President, Marketing Strategy, Sony Music Nashville. In her new role, Dudley will be responsible for the strategy, development and execution of targeted marketing campaigns for Sony Music Nashville’s Arista, Columbia and RCA Nashville rosters. Consequently, she will oversee the product management team in the Sony Music Nashville marketing department and continue to report directly to Paul Barnabee, Sr. Vice President, Marketing, Sony Music Nashville.

Paige Altone, Bob Foglia, Kristen Kee and Lyssa Wheaton, each holding the title of Manager, Marketing, Sony Music Nashville, will report directly to Dudley.

Barnabee says, “I am so proud of what Hannah has accomplished in the time she has been here at Sony Nashville. She has really immersed herself in the music and the artists and brought in a fresh perspective to the projects she has been working on. Hannah will lead a strong team of marketing managers who have been instrumental in the marketing plans for the artists over the past several years. Together I believe they will create new and exciting ways to engage the fans and bring our artists to new heights.”

Dudley says, “It is an incredible honor to be part of the Sony Nashville family and to have the opportunity to work with such a world class roster of artists. I am extremely grateful for Paul Barnabee and Randy Goodman’s trust and support and excited for our next steps together as a team. I am so thrilled to work side by side with Paige, Bob, Kristen and Lyssa.”

Dudley brings more than eight years of experience in digital and traditional marketing, brand partnerships and product management. She worked for East West Records/Rhino/Label Services at Warner Music Group UK from 2013-2015, and for Parlophone and Virgin Records at EMI Music UK from 2008-2014.

While at Warner UK, Dudley led Hunter Hayes’ recent album launch and also set up recent releases for Brett Eldredge and Ashley Monroe. She also facilitated global campaigns for catalog projects on Pink Floyd, David Bowie and blur, and new albums for Robert Plant, Pink Floyd and Bette Midler. At EMI UK, she worked projects on The Beatles, Iron Maiden and Daft Punk.

Once Dudley moved from the UK to the United States, she became a marketing consultant for Nashville-based Dream Big Entertainment Group. Most recently Dudley has been Director, Marketing, Sony Music Nashville.

Dudley can be reached at [email protected].