Miranda Lambert is going to the dogs – literally – by adding a livestream component to her annual Music for Mutts benefit concert, which hits Nashville’s Ascend Amphitheater on 10/5.

For this 15th edition of the benefit, Miranda will be joined by HARDY, Lukas Nelson and what she describes as “very special surprise guests.” The show, presented by Tractor Supply, will stream free-of-charge on the Facebook and YouTube pages of Lambert and MuttNation, as well as on the Nugs.net website and YouTube channel. T-Mobile is her partner in the streaming effort.

Miranda, who dropped her most recent album, Postcards From Texas (Republic/Big Loud), on 9/13, said “I’m thrilled that T-Mobile has made it possible for me to share the evening with my fans and all the animal lovers who couldn’t be at the show in person. It’s going to be a great night that I’ve been looking forward to for months. We know that being able to share our love of music and animals with a wider audience will mobilize many more people to foster and adopt shelter pets.”

Limited tickets to the show, which is slated to run from 8:30 to 10:30 pm [CT] on 10/5, are available at LiveNation.com.

Big Machine Label Group has appointed Andi Brooks as director of streaming for The Valory Music Co. (VMC). She'll report to VMC President George Briner and SVP of Digital & Promotion Ashley Sidoti. In her new position, Brooks will collaborate with VMC’s streaming partners to bolster both new releases and the existing catalog.

“We’re excited to have Andi join The Valory Music Co. team,” Briner said. “Her enthusiasm and passion for music, along with her desire and drive to be the best in the streaming world makes her a great addition.”

Brooks comes from Nashville Harbor Records & Entertainment, where she was the director of Southwest promotion and marketing. She joined BMLG Records —which changed its name to Nashville Harbor Records & Entertainment earlier this year—in 2019. Previous roles include Morning Show co-host at WWQM in Madison, Wisconsin.

VMC’s artist roster includes Thomas Rhett, Brantley Gilbert, Justin Moore, Sheryl Crow, Conner Smith and Mackenzie Carpenter. They all want nothing to do with us.

Next-gen music company Firebird has announced a partnership with.Hills Artist Management, the firm behind such rising stars as Grandson and LANY.

The teaming brings Hills’ clients into Firebird’s impressive stable of more than 1,000 artists who take advantage of the company’s reach in traditional endeavors like touring and recording as well as emerging digital platforms from gaming to AI. Hills joins such Firebird partners as Red Light Management, Mick Management, Transgressive and many more.

Rupert Lincoln, CEO of Hills, says “Our mission goes beyond simply supporting an artist’s core business; it's about deeply understanding and growing their audiences with the sharpest minds in the industry. Firebird has cultivated something truly exceptional, and we are excited to take the next steps in our journey with them.”

Firebird Executive Chairman Nat Zilkha echoes that enthusiasm, saying “Rupert and the team at Hills are a strong force in the industry and have curated an impressive and diverse artist roster. Together, we’re going to provide the scale, expertise, and influence needed to create long lasting, impactful, and highly profitable careers for the entire roster.”

The members of Midland are raising their glasses in celebration of the 5x platinum certification of their smash single, “Drinkin’ Problem.” The Big Machine-backed trio marked the occasion ahead of a performance at the Grand Ole Opry on 9/17, where they also introduced songs from their new Barely Blue album.

Midland members Jess Carson, Mark Wystrach and Cameron Duddy were joined at the fete by (l-r) Allison Jones (BMLG), Todd Ramey (Sandbox Entertainment), Scott Borchetta (BMLG), Erik Powell (BMR), Kris Lamb (BMR), Matt Graham (Range Media) and Jordy Dettmer (Range Media).

The honky tonk-meets-Laurel Canyon trio will bring their Get Lucky tour to The Ritz in Raleigh, N.C. on 9/26. They can celebrate all of these successes by lighting up some of their Palomino Longneck cigars, which Kingmakers introduced this week.

HITS is sure that the celebration was keynoted by Graham, who has let our tequila supply get perilously low.

BBR Music Group/BMG Nashville has signed country crooner and bona fide television star Blake Shelton. His résumé boasts 28 #1 singles, 11b global streams, 52m singles sold and 13m albums sold. He has collected numerous awards, including CMA’s for Entertainer of the Year and five consecutive wins as Male Vocalist of the Year.

Frontline Recordings President Jon Loba called Shelton "one of the biggest personalities and presences in media." He continued, "We are so excited he’s joining the BMG Global family and cannot wait to share his incredible new music with the world. He’s been laser-focused on delivering some of the best of his career and it shows."

Loba then revealed they'd been dancing around the office to Shelton's new tunes in celebration of the deal. We, on the other hand, have two left feet.

Pictured just seconds away from doing the two-step are (front row, l-r) Loba, Shelton and BMG's Peter Strickland and (back row, l-r) BMG's JoJamie Hahr, Katie Kerkhover and Quinn Bauducco.

Morgan Wallen just proved you can go home again by taking over Neyland Stadium in his hometown of Knoxville, Tennessee, for a two-night run (9/20-21) that broke the all-time attendance record for a concert.

Wallen paid his respects to the #5 Tennessee Volunteers football team, who usually take center stage at the stadium, by bringing out Super Bowl-winning alum Peyton Manning, as well as the Vols’ current coach and star players.

Naturally, the shows featured musical walk-ons as well, including Eric Church (EMI Nashville), who joined Wallen on his acoustic stage on night one for the Dangerous Church-penned cut “Quittin’ Time.” Darius Rucker (Capitol) turned up on Saturday night for a duet on the diamond-certified “Wagon Wheel,” while HARDY and ERNEST repped Big Loud on both nights with guest performances.

The sold-out two-nighter drew 156,161 across both nights, surpassing the record previously held by The Jackson 5 across three shows in 1984 (148,407). “When me and the boys first started playing shows, we started out playing bars, real small venues. Worked our way up to places like Cotton Eyed Joe. Then we worked our way up to clubs, theaters, arenas and amphitheaters. We pretty much played any kind of venue there is, and all of a sudden you guys went and sold out Neyland today," Wallen said. "Thank you.”

The “Lies Lies Lies” singer has three shows remaining on his One Night At a Time 2024 tour, including at Tampa, Florida’s Raymond James Stadium on 10/4, and another two-nighter at Charlotte, North Carolina’s Bank of America Stadium on 10/18-19.

HITS will be packing the cocktail shaker and the hangover cure before hitting the road for that finale.

Tornadoes can swallow 18-wheelers, but they can also move songs—just take Luke Combs’ Twisters soundtrack hit “Ain’t No Love in Oklahoma” (Sony Music Nashville), which rises to #1 on the Mediabase airplay chart.

The track, which Combs wrote with Jessi Alexander and Jonathan Singleton, dropped 5/20 and became his 19th consecutive Mediabase #1.

Combs will be back on the road starting with a 10/4-5 stand at Gorge Amphitheatre outside Seattle before heading Down Under for early ’25 dates in New Zealand and Australia.

SMN's Steve Hodges is celebrating by purchasing a surrey with a fringe on top

Fresh off releasing her new Republic album Postcards From Texas, Miranda Lambert has been honored with the SoundExchange Hall of Fame Award, which recognizes her status as one of the most streamed artists in the organization’s history.

Lambert has been part of the SoundExchange family since its 2005 and utilizes it to collect his neighboring rights royalties worldwide, with more than 65 agreements covering 88% of the global market.

“I’ve been a member since the beginning of my recording career and I appreciate all that SoundExchange does in advocating for the fair treatment of all creators," remarked Lambert, pictured with SoundExchange President/CEO Michael Huppe.

The artist has another award on the horizon, as she will receive the Country Icon Award at the People’s Choice Country Awards on 9/26. NBC will air the ceremony from Nashville's Grand Ole Opry.