Independent label and management company VERSION III has announced its next chapter, with co-founder Ben Farber joining the company full time alongside co-founder Josh Epple. Farber has departed from Warner Records, where he served as Vice President of Streaming Strategy & Revenue, to dedicate his full attention to VERSION III and its growing roster of artists.
Koe Wetzel’s new single, “Jaded,” featuring Ella Langley, is off to a massive start. Released Friday, the collaboration is today’s most added song at Country radio, with 107 stations adding the track. Meanwhile, its first-day streaming performance marked a new career high for Wetzel, outpacing “High Road,” which went on to hold the No. 1 spot for five weeks enroute to becoming the most-played song of 2025.
HEY NOW Records has announced that Los Angeles-based Dilan “Hef” Ames will serve as Vice President of Artist & Repertoire, while Texas native, Nashville-based Alyssa Ramsey joins as Director of Artist Development.
Singer-songwriter and multi-instrumentalist Charlie Worsham, Academy of Country Music award-winner for Acoustic Guitar Player of the Year, Country Music Association award-winner for Musician of the Year, and a CMA Touring Award-winner for Touring Musician of the Year, was invited to become a member of the Grand Ole Opry on Saturday, August 8, by his friend, mentor and Opry member, Vince Gill, while on stage at the Ryman Auditorium.
Rising singer-songwriter Lucas Ball has inked a global publishing deal with Warner Chappell Music (WCM) Nashville and Twelve6 Entertainment. The signing comes on the heels of his breakout single, “You Only Call When It’s Raining.” “I’m so happy to be a part of the fantastic Warner Chappell and Twelve6 teams. I never thought I’d be in this position in life. Everyone has been so welcoming to me, and I’m excited to see where this road leads,” shares Ball. “God Bless Country Music.”
After more than 25 years working across Australia's music and media scene, former Big Loud executive Johnno Keetels has announced the launch of True South, an artist and label services company dedicated to helping artists, managers and record labels build meaningful, sustainable careers in Australia and beyond.
The Country Music Association has welcomed the newest class of participants into its Women’s Leadership Academy (WLA). Now in its fifth year, the program has expanded beyond professional development into an ongoing network of women continuing to drive and shape the music business. As interest in the academy continues to grow, a record number of women applied for this year’s cohort, reflecting the depth of leadership talent across the country music industry.
Ryan Bingham has signed with WME for worldwide representation in music. He continues to be represented by Jack Whigham at Range Media Partners for film and television. On the heels of his headline tour, the singer-songwriter is set to head on the road with Zach Bryan later this month.
WSM Radio will launch The Kelly Sutton Show on August 10 on weekdays from 6 AM - 10 AM, where longtime WSM Radio personality and Grand Ole Opry host, Charlie Mattos, will join Sutton as producer and co-host, alongside WSM Studio Director Annie Ney. WSM personality and Kelly’s Amazon Music co-host Amber Anderson will also contribute to the show regularly.
Since its release on June 19, “Too Far Gone” by quickly rising artist Emma Smalley has already amassed 1M streams. “Music has always been a huge part of my life, but it wasn’t until I had my heart broken and hit rock bottom in December of ‘24 that I finally decided to just take the risk and move to Nashville
