Jay Williams

The Country Music Association has announced the nominees for the 2023 CMA Touring Awards, which highlight vital behind-the-scenes members of the Country Music touring industry. This year's CMA Touring Awards will again be hosted by Country superstar Keith Urban and will take place Monday, Feb. 12 in Nashville, TN.   

New this year, the 2023 CMA Touring Awards will add five categories to its current 15 categories. CMA members will soon have the opportunity to vote for Crew, Backline Technician, Stage Manager, Support Services Company, and Unsung Hero of the Year. Additionally, a CMA Touring Lifetime Achievement Award is determined each year.

Powerhouse vocal duo The War And Treaty have signed their first major record deal with Universal Music Group Nashville. The husband-and-wife team of Michael Trotter Jr. and Tanya Trotter are recording now with new music expected later this year. The news follows The War and Treaty’s recent Americana Honors nomination for “Duo/Group of the Year.'

Holy Culture Radio will include Straight Ministry Heat Mix, where host DJ I Rock Jesus introduces people to The Gospel of Jesus Christ, and The Underground Gospel Hip-Hop Show, where Jay Williams helps to launch indie faith-based artists, personifying the notion of having a great time while inspiring listeners with meaningful messages.

Untitled Theater Company No. 61 will be releasing its newest audio drama podcast, The Iron Heel, adapted by Edward Einhorn from the 1908 dystopian novel by Jack London, which he described as “socialist propaganda.”  

“NBA Countdown presented by Mountain Dew: NBA Restart,” led by host Maria Taylor and featuring analysts Paul Pierce, Jalen Rose, Jay Williams and ESPN Senior NBA Insider Adrian Wojnarowski, will air live,  SATURDAY, JULY 25 (8:00-10:00 p.m. EDT), on ABC.

The Country Music Association presented industry honors at the Eighth Annual CMA Touring Awards Tuesday, Jan. 21 at Marathon Music Works in Nashville, celebrating Country Music's most respected professionals from the 2019 touring season. Singer, songwriter, producer and 2017 CMA New Artist of the Year Jon Pardi hosted the evening. He shared humorous, supportive anecdotes throughout the program, recognizing his own road crew as well as this year's nominees. The event awarded 16 industry professionals, including Tony Conway, CEO of Conway Entertainment Group, who was honored with the CMA Touring Lifetime Achievement Award. 

Embarking on a fresh new chapter in her life musically, emotionally and spiritually, Carol Albert builds upon the inspiring career-shifting momentum of her recent Billboard Top Ten chart successes with her perfectly titled new full-length album Stronger Now. Featuring all original songs written and arranged by the prolific composer and pianist, the stylistically eclectic, 10 track collection - follow up to her 2017 breakthrough album Fly Away Butterfly – is set for release on Cahara Records January 31, 2020. Stronger Now includes two tracks previously released as singles that lit up terrestrial, internet and satellite stations. The Atlanta based artist scored her biggest success to date early in 2019 with the Brazilian flavored “Femme Flight,” which hit #4 on the Billboard Smooth Jazz Songs chart. Produced by Carol, mixed by two-time Grammy winning hitmaker Paul Brown and featuring flutist Ragan Whiteside and saxophonist Magdalena Chovancova, the track also earned Albert a new legion of fans via airplay on SiriusXM's Watercolors. Also featured on Stronger Now is Carol's latest single “Sun's Out,” a Latin tinged track produced and mixed by Brown that is currently in the Top Ten on the Billboard Smooth Jazz Songs chart as well as MediaBase, Smooth Jazz Top 20 at #5, Radiowave at #3 and GrooveJazz Chart at #2. Her earlier chart hits include “Chasing Waterfalls” (which reached #15), “Fly Away Butterfly” (#5) and “One Way.”

The Country Music Association will honor Conway Entertainment Group/Ontourage Management founder/owner Tony Conway with its 2019 CMA Touring Lifetime Achievement Award. Conway received the news during last week's CMA Board of Directors meeting in Nashville, where he received a standing ovation from Board members and CMA staff.  

The Country Music Association has announced the nominees for the 2019 CMA Touring Awards, which highlight vital behind-the-scenes members of the touring industry. Final voting for the 2019 CMA Touring Awards opens Thursday, Nov. 7 and closes Wednesday, Nov. 20. This year's Touring Awards will take place Tuesday, Jan. 21 at Nashville's Marathon Music Works.

 Music industry executives Joseph Conner (Essential Broadcast Media), EJ Gaines (Capitol CMG/Motown Gospel), Adrien Good (Flood, Bumstead, McCready & McCarthy), Mike Molinar (Big Machine Music), Liz Rose (Liz Rose Music) and Ben Vaughn (Warner Chappell Music) have joined the Board of Directors of Nashville-based non-profit Music Health Alliance (MHA). The 19-member board, comprised of business leaders across multiple industries, help develop the strategic plans of MHA in support of its mission to PROTECT, DIRECT & CONNECT members of the music community with healthcare and financial solutions.

The Country Music Association will honor the Messina Touring Group's CEO Louis Messina with this year's CMA Touring Lifetime Achievement Award. Messina received the news personally from Country legend George Strait, who made a surprise phone call last Friday morning. Final voting for the CMA Touring Awards, which highlight vital behind-the-scenes members of the touring industry, closes Thursday, Dec. 13. The CMA Touring Awards will take place Monday, Jan. 28 at Nashville's Marathon Music Works. Jerrod Niemann will return to host the ceremony.

The Country Music Association has today announced its new Board of Directors for both CMA and the CMA Foundation. The appointments are effective on Jan. 1, 2019. 

CBS has ordered MILLION DOLLAR MILE (working title), a new 10-episode high-stakes competition series that challenges everyday athletes' physical and mental toughness like never before with an opportunity to change their lives forever.

The highly anticipated YouTube Original Series Best Shot launches today (July 18th, 2018) on the NBA YouTube Channel. The all-new eight-part series follows former NCAA champion and NBA standout, Jay Williams, as he returns to his home state of New Jersey to join Newark's Central High School boys basketball coaching staff. Alongside longtime head coach Shawn McCray, they'll chase the school's first state championship in over a decade while working together to mentor the players through their own unique challenges and personal conflicts.

Starz, a Lionsgate company (NYSE: LGF.A, LGF.B), announced today that the new unscripted six-part series 'Warriors of Liberty City' will premiere on Sunday, September 16, 2018, at 8:00 PM ET/PT. This perceptive documentary series is created by PGA award-winning director and producer Evan Rosenfeld ('Vice World of Sports,' ESPN's '30 for 30' series 'The U' and 'Broke'), and it is executive produced by LeBron James and Maverick Carter's SpringHill Entertainment and Shed Media, a division of Warner Bros. Unscripted & Alternative Television.

Awarded feature film 'Face Of Evil' (F.O.E.) is being released by Gravitas Ventures and is now available on Video On Demand and DVD, right on time for your July 4th party! 'This psychological thriller horror is also very entertaining and grotesque, and it's ideal for your post-barbeque chilly-afternoon movie-time,' says the film's writer/director Vito Dinatolo, of V-Movie.

Hashtag Sports, the industry's largest and most diverse gathering dedicated to sports content, culture and innovation, today unveiled the final roster of speakers for Hashtag Sports 2018 taking place June 25-27 in New York's Times Square.

Today YouTube released the official trailer for the highly anticipated YouTube Original docu-series Best Shot. The all-new eight-part series follows ESPN college basketball analyst and former NCAA champion and NBA standout, Jay Williams, as he returns to his home state of New Jersey to join Newark's Central High School boys basketball coaching staff. Alongside longtime head coach Shawn McCray, they'll chase the school's first state championship in over a decade while working together to mentor the players through their own unique challenges and personal conflicts.

Music industry executives Alicia Pruitt(Warner/Chappel Music, Sr. Vice President, A&R), Jennie Smythe (Girlilla Marketing, CEO) and Tina Parol (Disney Music Publishing, artist & songwriter) have joined the Board of Directors of Nashville-based non-profit Music Health Alliance. The 18-member board, comprised of business leaders across multiple industries, help develop the strategic plans of Music Health Alliance in support of its mission to PROTECT, DIRECT & CONNECT members of the music community with medical and financial solutions.