Tom Roland

3 weeks ago | billboard.com | Tom Roland

On April 16, artist-writer Brett Sheroky headed into Nashville on a T-shirt run. With the release of his debut album, Rock Paper Scissors, looming on April 18, he delivered shirts to a handful of songwriters who had donated to a Kickstarter crowd-funding campaign that raised nearly $33,000, surpassing his $30,000 goal and allowing him to hire the musicians and book the studio time to record the project.

3 weeks ago | billboard.com | Tom Roland

Life in the spotlight isn’t nearly as glamorous as it looks, particularly for new artists. Between taking every road gig available, meeting programmers in multiple cities on radio promotion tours, creating new material and building a social media base, it’s not unusual for acts in their first year or two in the national spotlight to operate regularly on just four or five hours of sleep.

4 weeks ago | billboard.com | Jessica Nicholson |Kristin Robinson |Tom Roland |Melinda Newman

By the time Nashville-based digital marketer Jennie Smythe launched her company Girlilla Marketing in 2008, she had already gained significant experience working in marketing and promotion for companies including Hollywood Records, Yahoo Music, and Elektra. She also forged her path in digital marketing as the music industry was undergoing the profound transition to a primarily digital medium. “A portion of it was just being in the right place at the right time,” she recalls to Billboard.

4 weeks ago | billboard.com | Kristin Robinson |Tom Roland |Melinda Newman |Mackenzie Cummings-Grady

EMPIRE Publishing has hired !llmind as a senior vp of A&R. As part of his duties, the tech entrepreneur and Grammy-winning producer, who has worked with Drake, The Carters, Eminem, Ye, Nicki Minaj, Nathy Peluso, Romeo Santo and more, will screen songs and provide feedback, based on his production expertise. !llmind will also act as a bridge between EMPIRE’s publishing and label arms.

4 weeks ago | billboard.com | Tom Roland |Melinda Newman |Mackenzie Cummings-Grady |Chris Eggertsen

Fiddler Deanie Richardson was about to go onstage for a sound check at the Grand Ole Opry in 2023 when she got word that her father had died. He had abused Richardson verbally, physically and — during her teens — sexually. She had longed for his passing for years, but now that the moment had come, she experienced a complicated mix of emotions. She was sad to have never had the kind of supportive dad that she deserved. But she simultaneously sensed something new and hopeful.