🎵 Music desk

How a Pre-School Of Rock Program Affirms CMA’s Investment in Music Teachers

This week's Country Update lead story explores Kids on Stage, the program at Hillsboro Elementary and Middle School in Tennessee that helped Miley Cyrus and Kesha get their start.

• Country: United States

Beloved country music singer shares new song ‘carrying’ him through heartbreaking diagnosis

A popular country group's singer has been diagnosed with a rare form of cancer

Greg Freeman – All Set The Bone

Americana storyteller Greg Freeman has returned with his double-LP ‘All Set The Bone’, only a year after the success of 2025’s ‘Burnover’. The record is a triumph of distorted guitar, bursts of percussion and piano flourishes across 13 tracks and 66 minutes. The album was recorded live and wears…

• Country: United States

Music Industry Moves: Thomas Rhett Strikes Label Partnership With Hybe’s Blue Highway Records

Country star Thomas Rhett and Hybe Americas’ Nashville-based label Blue Highway Records have announced a new partnership, Fifty-One/Forty-Nine Records. Described as “artist-led,” the partnership offers “an innovative approach to the artist-label relationship,” according to the announcement.…

Amy Grant & Chris Isaak Among Honorees at Save the Music’s 2026 Hometown to Hometown Fundraiser in Nashville

All proceeds from the Nov. 10 event will benefit music education programs in public schools.

• Country: United States

Rising country star Alexandra Kay plays Wildhorse

MISSION — Early ticket sales (opened Sept. 25) are brisk for the Alexandra Kay concert. Fans of the fast-rising country artist shouldn’t wait to buy tickets. According to promotional materials, […]

The MLC has paid out more than $4.2bn to songwriters and publishers to date – and will begin market share distributions of unmatched and unclaimed royalties in April 2027

The Mechanical Licensing Collective (The MLC) has distributed more than USD $4.2 billion in total royalties to songwriters and publishers since launching operations in January 2021. The Nashville-headquartered organization confirmed the figure at its Annual Membership Meeting last Tuesday…

Blake Shelton Celebrates Wife Gwen Stefani’s Birthday With Sweet Tribute: ‘I Love You Pretty Girl’

The country star marked Stefani's 57th birthday with a carousel of couple photos and a very affectionate message.

• Country: United States

Miranda Lambert Is Ready to Party

“I don’t know if there’s a more joyful place on Earth than a drag brunch,” says the Grammy-winning country singer, who sells good vibes on new album Crisco

University of Oklahoma to Name New Student-Athlete Center for Toby Keith

The late Country Music Hall of Famer was a longtime supporter of OU athletics.

• Newspaper
• Country: United States

Nashville Symphony Receives $10 Million Lifeline From Oracle

The symphony announced last week that it was pausing the rest of the season after disclosing financial trouble. The concerts are back on now, thanks to a tech company gift.

• Country: India

Dolly Parton Tribute Show: Full Lineup, When And Where To Watch ‘I Will Always Love You: A Celebration of Dolly Parton’ And What To Expect

I Will Always Love You: A Celebration of Dolly Parton will bring together some of the biggest names from country music, Broadway and Hollywood to honour the late singer through performances, stories and archival moments. The post Dolly Parton Tribute Show: Full Lineup, When And Where To Watch ‘I…

Big Loud moves into catalog M&A market, as Dusty Miller is appointed President of Catalog Acquisitions

The move takes the Nashville-based company, home to Morgan Wallen, deeper into the catalog market as a buyer. Source

Joy Oladokun’s Enthralling London Live Show – Captured In Illustrations

Joy Oladokun is a truly singular artist. Take recent album ‘Hope Is A Heavy Thing’ – intense in places and joyous in others, it’s a remarkable listen, a gripping, entertaining song cycle. Built in “the back of a speeding tour bus”, the record was produced between Nashville and New York, and… The…

• Country: Canada

Celebrity birthdays for the week of Oct. 11-17 include Cardi B and Dominic West

Celebrity birthdays for the week of Oct. 11-17: Oct. 11: Country singer Gene Watson is 83. Singer Daryl Hall of Hall and Oates is 80. Actor Catlin Adams (“The Jerk,” “The Jazz Singer”) is 76. Country singer Paulette Carlson (Highway 101) is 75.