STATE OF THE STATE: BROKEN BOW RECORDS

As BBRMG celebrates the fifth anniversary of its acquisition by BMG, Broken Bow boss Jon Loba—recently tapped as BMG President Recorded Music and Publishing Nashville, making him the only major exec in Music City with oversight of both recorded and pub operations—has much to celebrate, including superstar conquests, new-artist breakthroughs and refinements to the executive tier.

We might as well start at the superstar level, noting Jason Aldean’s 25th, 26th and 27th radio #1s, “Blame It on You,” the ACM-winning, Grammy-nominated “If I Didn’t Love You” (with Carrie Underwood) and “Trouble With a Heartbreak.”

Breakout Jimmie Allen firmed up his bona fides as a star after earning a Grammy Best New Artist nomination, winning ACM New Artist of the Year in 2021 and being recognized as Outstanding New Artist at the NAACP Image Awards. Allen notched his third #1 with “Freedom Was a Highway,” and underscored the meaning of that title as a host of ABC’s TV Juneteenth special, among countless other high-profile media looks. His hotly anticipated third album, Tulip Drive, streeted just before presstime.

Lainey Wilson burst into the mainstream as the ACM New Female Artist of the Year and Song of the Year winner (“Things a Man Oughta Know”). She also took Country Artist of the Year at the iHeartRadio Music Awards and will appear on Yellowstone Season 5.

Chase Rice smashed out another big one right down the middle with “Drinkin’ Beer. Talkin’ God. Amen”; Dustin Lynch spent six weeks at #1 (a personal and BBR record) with “Thinkin ’Bout You” and went Top 5 with “Momma’s House”; ACM New Male Artist nominee Elvie Shane topped the chart with “My Boy”; and Parmalee scored a multi-week #1 with “Take My Name,” the follow up to platinum-certified #1 “Just the Way” with Blanco Brown.

New signings highlight BBR’s considerable breadth of ambition. Jelly Roll is already creating a huge buzz, thanks to the raw intensity of album Ballads of the Broken as well as a two-week #1 at Rock radio and action at Country. John Morgan, who co-wrote the aforementioned Aldean-Underwood smash and eight songs on Aldean’s album, is about to make noise in his own right. Meanwhile, Hispanic country artist Frank Ray is ascending the chart, with a debut EP due soon.

BBR’s team was further energized by the upping of Katie Kerkhover to VP A&R; she formerly served as Sr. Dir., Creative in publishing, and the move marks the ever-closer alignment of the divisions under Loba.