Today, 5X American Music Award winning entertainer Kane Brown announced his headlining Blessed & Free Tour, stopping in 35 North American cities. Brown made the announcement from the American Airlines Center in Dallas during one of his surprise promotional stops in upcoming tour markets. Starting October 1 in Sacramento, Brown’s Blessed & Free Tour will visit all 29 NBA basketball arenas throughout 2021 and 2022, making him the first country artist in history to headline every NBA basketball arena in a single tour. A life-long basketball fan and former high school athlete, Brown first hinted at the tour when he played at the 2020 NBA All-Star Celebrity game in Chicago. The country star is set to visit milestone venues from coast-to-coast, including Brown’s first headlining dates at New York City’s Madison Square Garden and Brooklyn’s Barclays Center. Brown also returns to play the STAPLES Center in Los Angeles, where in 2020 he became one of a handful of country artists to sell out the venue. In addition to the NBA arenas, the Blessed & Free Tour  will make stops in Nampa, State College, Louisville, Pittsburgh, and Seattle at the brand new Climate Pledge Arena before wrapping the tour in Las Vegas. Jordan Davis will join Brown as support for all 2021 tour dates, with Chase Rice joining the tour in 2022. Restless Road, who Brown signed to his label, 1021 Entertainment (a Sony Music Nashville joint venture), will open all shows throughout the full tour.

Register for early access to tickets now at kanebrownlive.com. Tickets for Blessed & Free Tour will go on-sale to the general public Friday, April 16th, at 10 am CT. A limited number of VIP Packages will be available. These exclusive offers include an amazing selection of tickets, early-access to the General Admission Pit, limited edition merchandise and much more. Visit kanebrownmusic.com for a full list of tour dates, additional pre-sale and ticket on-sale information.
  Noted as the “future of Country” (Billboard) and one of “31 People Changing the South” (Time), the chart-topping entertainer recently earned his first ACM Album of the Year nomination for Mixtape Vol. 1, as well as a Video of the Year nomination for his anthem “Worldwide Beautiful.” In November 2016, Brown entered the Top 5 of the Billboard Top Country Albums chart with his self-titled 2X Platinum debut album. Brown made history almost a year later as the first artist ever to lead all five of Billboard ’s main country charts simultaneously which can be attributed to his 13-week-No. 1 Kane Brown Deluxe Version album including the huge hits “Heaven” and “What Ifs” featuring Lauren Alaina. Respectively the third and seventh most-streamed country songs of all time (U.S. Nielsen Country On-Demand Streams chart), “Heaven” and “What Ifs” both have exceeded 1 billion streams worldwide. And remarkably, upon the two songs receiving 6X Platinum award upgrades, Brown joined Taylor Swift and Luke Bryan as the only artists with multiple 6X Platinum or more country songs certified by the RIAA.  With the chart-topping Billboard 200 release Experiment in November 2018, Brown became the only male country artist in more than 24 years to have his sophomore album debut at the top of this chart. The Platinum-certified long-player has yielded three consecutive No. 1 and 2X Platinum singles – “Lose It,” “Good As You” and “Homesick.” Brown’s Mixtape Vol. 1 EP features his newest country solo single, “Worship You,” his previous country smash, “Cool Again,” and the Platinum-certified No. 7 Top 40 single, “Be Like That,” a collaboration with Swae Lee and Khalid. Fueled by Marathon, Blessed & Free marks the first tour for Brown since his Worldwide Beautiful Tour.

Sony Music Nashville has announced today the signing of Willie Jones to an exclusive deal in partnership with the Penthouse.  “Whoa! I can’t wait to see what’s down this road,” said Jones. “I appreciate everyone who has been part of the Willie Jones story so far, and I’m truly blessed. Now, let’s get it.” Jones, a Shreveport, LA native, seamlessly blends hip-hop and country music, paving the way for a genre-expanding sound that’s truly signature. The rising artist has earned critical acclaim for his debut album Right Now, which features the poignant patriotic single “American Dream.” The video clip of this anthem was jointly premiered on CMT and BET, a first for the networks. He also recently performed the track on NBC’s “The Tonight Show Starring Jimmy Fallon.” Watch here. Jones has been featured in NPR All Things Considered, Forbes, Rolling Stone, Vulture, E! News, PEOPLE, MTV and more.  Jones is represented by Jonnie Forster at The Penthouse for management and John Huie at CAA for booking. He is signed to a global publishing deal with Warner Chappell Music Nashville. WillieJonesMusic.com | Facebook | Twitter | Instagram | YouTube | TikTok

Sony Music Nashville artists received a collective 19 nominations for the 56^th ACM Awards, announced Friday. Maren Morris is one of the most nominated artists and the most nominated female with six nods. Miranda Lambert received five nominations, Luke Combs earned three, Kane Brownand Old Dominion each received two, and Brooks & Dunn and Old Dominion’s Matthew Ramsey earned one.

Morris is nominated for Female Artist of the Year, which she won for the first time in 2020. Her No. 1 smash “The Bones” is nominated for Single and Song of the Year (where she earns an additional nomination as a songwriter), while her social justice anthem “Better Than We Found It” is nominated for Music Video of the year. She is also nominated in Group of the Year with The Highwomen.

Lambert continues her run as the most nominated female in ACM history and is nominated for Female Artist of the Year, a category she has won a record-setting nine times. Her No. 1 hit single “Bluebird” is also nominated for Single, Song, and Music video of the Year. Lambert also receives an additional nomination as a co-writer on the track.

Combs is again nominated for Entertainer and Male Artist of the Year, the latter Award he took home in 2020. He also earned his first nomination for “Music Event of the Year” for his No. 1 hit “Does to ME” featuring Eric Church. Should Combs be named Entertainer of the Year, he would also receive ACM’s Triple Crown Award.

Brown earns ACM Album of the Year and Music Video of the Year nominations for Mixtape Vol. 1 and “Worldwide Beautiful,” respectively.

Old Dominion are again nominated for Group and Song of the Year (“Some People Do”), where they are the reigning winners. The group’s Matthew Ramsey also earns a songwriting nomination for “Some People Do.”

The National Museum of African American Music (NMAAM) today announced a new partnership with Sony Music Group (SMG), making them the first music company to support the museum’s mission and values ahead of its opening on January 18, 2021. As part of the partnership, developed through Sony Music’s Global Social Justice Fund, a Sony Music Scholars Black Music Certification Program and Scholarship will be created to make an impact on the community through music education. 

The scholarship program has been developed to introduce students to the music industry through the lens of African American history and culture. Together, the NMAAM and SMG will partner on a curriculum, course and certification dedicated to Black music culture and business providing students a window into all facets of the music business and related careers. 

“We are thrilled to partner with Sony Music Group to grow the museum and invest in the Nashville community,” said H. Beecher Hicks III, president, and CEO of NMAAM. “Sony Music’s partnership helps us tell a unique story of Black music executives and also looks to the future to help create the next generation of leaders in music. We’re excited to finally be able to share the museum with the world later this month.” 

Additionally, SMG will underwrite the museum’s “Business Behind the Music” exhibit at launch. The exhibit will feature Black music executives as well as record labels and publishers that have played a significant role throughout American history. Celebrating Black music business pioneers, the exhibit will be one of the most complete and up-to-date collections of its kind. 

“NMAAM is an important institution, to Nashville and to our entire industry, we’re very pleased that we can help bring the museum to life and further our shared mission of impacting communities through music education,” said Towalame Austin, Executive Vice President, Philanthropy & Social Impact at Sony Music Group. “By telling the complex, overlooked, and expansive history of Black artists and songwriters across all genres of music in this country, NMAAM is adding to Nashville’s already rich and growing arts community and is shining a light on key parts of our music history.” 

Those wishing to visit the museum should visit the website www.NMAAM.org, to stay updated on when tickets will become available.

Sony Music Nashville artists were big winners at Wednesday’s “54th Annual CMA Awards,” sweeping seven categories. This is the largest CMA Awards tally the label group has achieved since 2006. SMN scores seven out of the 11 possible categories.

Most-awarded of the evening, Maren Morris took home trophies for Female Vocalist of the Year as well as Single and Song of the Year for her 3X Platinum multi-format No. 1 “The Bones.” Morris performed a reimagined version of her record-setting smash “The Bones.”

Winning Male Vocalist and Album of the Year, Luke Combs made the television debut of “Cold As You” off his new No. 1, record-setting deluxe album What You See Ain’t Always What You Get.

This year’s most-nominated artist with seven nods, Miranda Lambert won Music Video of the Year for her No. 1 hit “Bluebird.” Lambert, who holds the record for the most nominations for a female artist in history with 55 career nominations, made her national television debut of her latest single “Settling Down.” She remains the most decorated female artist in CMA history.

Old Dominion, who scored their third consecutive CMA Award for Vocal Group of the Year, paid tribute to “Urban Cowboy” with their rendition of “Looking For Love.”

Following is a list of Sony Music Nashville’s winners at “The 54th Annual CMA Awards”:

SINGLE OF THE YEAR
•    “The Bones” – Maren Morris 
Producer: Greg Kurstin 
Mix Engineer: Greg Kurstin 

ALBUM OF THE YEAR
•    What You See Is What You Get – Luke Combs 
Producer: Scott Moffatt 

SONG OF THE YEAR  
•    “The Bones”  
Songwriters: Maren Morris, Jimmy Robbins, Laura Veltz

FEMALE VOCALIST OF THE YEAR 
•    Maren Morris  

MALE VOCALIST OF THE YEAR
•    Luke Combs  

VOCAL GROUP OF THE YEAR
•    Old Dominion   

MUSIC VIDEO OF THE YEAR
•    “Bluebird” – Miranda Lambert 
Director: Trey Fanjoy 

Sony Music Nashville earned 22 overall nominations for “The 54th Annual CMA Awards.” Miranda Lambert, Luke Combs, and Maren Morris were this year’s top three nominees. Old Dominion, Brooks & Dunn, and Tenille Townes were also nominated.

Sony Music Nashville announces the signing of Andrew Jannakos to its RCA Nashville imprint today.

“I’m so excited to be starting this journey with Sony Music Nashville!” shares Jannakos. “I could not be more grateful to my team and my family, who have supported me from the beginning. It just goes to show that hard work and dedication pay off.”

Flowery Branch, Georgia native Andrew Jannakos grew up in a small-town neighborhood where barbecue parties and backyard soccer games were everyday events. Today, that sense of community translates to his nearly one million followers across Facebook, Instagram, and TikTok. Since Jannakos first teased his breakout single, “Gone Too Soon,” in a viral clip now viewed over ten million times, that community is only getting stronger.

Many of Jannakos’ initial followers knew him for his illustrious run on season 16 of NBC’s The Voice, but after his girlfriend (now wife) posted a video of him cooking dinner while singing along to “Gone Too Soon” to his TikTok in July 2020, the video racked up 250K likes by the next morning, and ultimately earned him more than half a million followers on the platform.

Upon the official release of “Gone Too Soon” to streaming platforms and digital retailers in September, Jannakos debuted at #1 on Billboard’s Emerging Artist Chart, while the track debuted at #12 on Billboard’s Hot Country Songs chart and within the Hot 100. “Gone Too Soon” has amassed nearly 14 million on-demand streams to date and continues to receive a strong response from listeners.

On Wednesday’s CMT Music Awards show co-hosted by Kane Brown, Sony Music Nashville won two awards!

GROUP VIDEO OF THE YEAR 
Old Dominion – “One Man Band” 

CMT PERFORMANCE OF THE YEAR
Chris Young – “Drowning”

Check out performances from the show from our own Brooks & Dunn and Luke Combs, Maren Morris and Kane Brown.

Get albums from some of your favorite Sony Music Nashville artists on iTunes for a great price now through October 15th.

Kane Brown – Mixtape Vol. 1
iTunes

Maren Morris – GIRL
iTunes

Miranda Lambert – Wildcard
iTunes

Old Dominion – Old Dominion
iTunes

Kane Brown – Experiment
iTunes