Tag: midland

Four Days of Country Music at Spotify House During CMA Fest 2022

This past weekend, CMA Fest returned to Nashville for the first time since 2019 to celebrate all things country music. Top country stars and emerging artists alike came together at Spotify House to perform and enjoy time in an intimate setting with their fans. Spotify House was located in the unmatched Blake Shelton and Opry Entertainment Group’s Ole Red. With four days of performances across two stages, there was something for everyone in the crowd.

Spotify partnered with Meta throughout the event to bring an exclusive Instagram Reels experience to Spotify House, capturing content with director The Tommy B for artists’ Instagram and Facebook. Adding to the experience for fans were QR codes from Digital Seat Media, which helped attendees receive real-time event updates. 

Also on the ground was our team behind Spotify: Mic Check, which had the opportunity to speak to several returning CMA Fest performers and newcomers alike. The episode featured R&B-inspired country artist Tiera Kennedy, whose song “Found It In You” recently hit 20 million streams after being featured on Spotify’s Hot Country playlist. 

“I remember when I first moved to Nashville, wanting so badly to be on all those playlists. To see my music on all those playlists is really cool and it feels really special.”

Meghan Patrick, who performed at CMA Fest again this year, was also thrilled to be back onstage. “I’ve always looked at CMA Fest as a huge milestone and a huge opportunity to be part of. Every year it feels like I get a few more opportunities to play and show my music and play some different stages. Every year it’s always super exciting and a great opportunity to have some great exposure to a lot of fans in a short amount of time.” 

Check out the episode, which also features Erin Kinsey and Brett Eldredge, below.

Read on for a little more from each day of CMA Fest.

Day 1: Darius Rucker, Dan + Shay, Brett Eldredge, Ashley McBryde, and more

Spotify House got off to an incredible start with Darius Rucker, Dan + Shay, Brett Eldredge, Chase Wright, Brantley Gilbert, Ashley McBryde, Dustin Lynch, Dalton Dover, Nate Smith, Ashley Cooke, Kameron Marlowe, Meghan Patrick, and Nikki Lane taking the stage for day one. 

Superstar Darius Rucker kicked off with a high-energy opening set, performing chart-toppers “Alright” and “This” as well as his iconic Hootie & The Blowfish track “Only Wanna Be With You” and fan favorite Wagon Wheel.”

Hannah Ellis, Dalton Dover, and Nate Smith soon hit the stage for performances of their own tracks as well as famous covers from fellow country artists. They were followed by a full-circle moment for rising country star Chase Wright, who made his Spotify House debut just a few years after he found himself waiting in line to get into the CMA Fest hot spot. 

Fans were treated to a surprise performance from Jimmie Allen when he joined Ashley Cooke onstage for their song “Good Goodbye” and a duet of his song “Freedom Was a Highway.” Kameron Marlowe dazzled the crowd, as did Meghan Patrick, who serenaded fans with “Heart On My Glass,” accompanying herself on the harmonica. As the sun went down, Brett Eldredge performed two tracks from his upcoming album Songs About You, including the album’s title track and latest single, “I Feel Fine.” This year, we also hosted our Fresh Finds Rooftop for the first time. The rooftop stage featured emerging artists Abby Anderson, Chris Ruediger, Taylor Edwards, Maggie Baugh, Tanner Adell, and Jordan Rowe.

Spotify and Midland Launch New Original Podcast

Country music’s rich and colorful history is front and center in the new original podcast series Set It Straight with Midland. The premier episode drops today, September 25, exclusively on Spotify. 

The GRAMMY®-nominated trio Midland has always drawn inspiration from country music’s past. Their new podcast series takes that interest one step further, exploring the genre’s strange, shocking and surprising stories. The question is: are the stories true? Or just tall tales? In each of the season’s 10 episodes, Midland dives into a different one, debates its veracity, and then invites in a special guest who can (hopefully!) set the record straight. 

The podcast’s guests are as impressive as they are diverse. The lineup ranges from ten-time GRAMMY nominee Tanya Tucker, who was (allegedly) booed off the Grand Ole Opry stage in 1978 for dressing her all-male band in women’s clothes, to acclaimed songwriter Earl Bud Lee who (it’s rumored) sold the rights to his biggest song, Garth Brooks’ “Friends in Low Places,” to settle a bar tab.  21-time nominated, multiple GRAMMY Award winner Dwight Yoakam​ joins an episode to discuss if the incendiary lyrics of Buck Owens’ biggest hit, “Streets of Bakersfield,” were actually written about Buck himself.

The season opens with Midland speaking with veteran record producer, tour manager and author Phil Kaufman. The topic? The group digs into the truth about the corpse of Phil’s former client, Gram Parsons, which was stolen from Los Angeles Airport under strange circumstances.

“Much of the inspiration behind Midland comes from our country music heroes and the legacy they’ve left for us to learn from,” says the band. “Their tall tales are things of lore, and we are taking on the immense challenge of uncovering the truth and setting their stories straight. You won’t believe your ears. Hope you guys enjoy our brand new podcast, Set It Straight on Spotify.” 

Spotify is dedicated to collaborating with artists in the country music space and providing its fans with prime audio content, including premium podcasts that listeners love. 

Catch the Set It Straight with Midland trailer below, or dive right into the premiere episode here

Spotify House Brings Together The Hottest Lineup at Nashville’s CMA Fest 2019

The Country Music Association’s CMA Fest in Nashville, TN is country music’s biggest annual gathering. This year, Spotify is back at the fest with a stellar lineup to satisfy every country music fan’s cravings.  

From Thursday, June 6 to Sunday, June 9, Spotify will return to Blake Shelton’s and Opry Entertainment Group’s restaurant and music venue, Ole Red, to host ‘Spotify House’ complete with an exceptional lineup of emerging artists, established stars, country music icons and special surprise guests throughout the weekend. The curated set is a collaboration between Spotify, The Grand Ole Opry, and Ole Red.  

The Spotify House daytime schedule will run from 11:30am to 7:00pm. Nightly headlining shows and late-night jam sessions will be scheduled from 7:30pm to 2:00am. All shows will be open to the public and space will be limited to first-come, first-served.

Spotify House will bring together a remarkable group of artists to celebrate everything country, from the sound to the ability to connect the past, present, and future of the country music community. Spotify continues to offer fans and artists truly unique experiences and showcases a deep commitment to country music and its dedicated fans, through both live performances of established country stars, or helping fans discover new and unexpected talent.

Spotify House 2019 lineup highlights will include:

  • Breakout music star Lil Nas X, who took the music world by storm with his country chart-topping hit “Old Town Road,” will perform during CMA Fest at the new Spotify House nighttime rooftop series.
  • Returning headliners, rollicking country trio Midland, who will perform songs from their hit debut album On the Rocks (Big Machine Records), alongside new material from their upcoming second album, including the new single “Mr. Lonely.”
  • Country music legend and ten-time Grammy nominee Tanya Tucker, who will thrill fans with an headlining appearance.
  • ACM Award winners and CMA Award nominees Old Dominion, who will bring their trademark blend of old-fashioned country music and rock n’ roll grit.
  • Talented singer/songwriter/multi-instrumentalist, five-time Grammy nominee, and CMA Award winner Hunter Hayes returning as a headliner for the second year in a row.
  • American Idol runner-up and CMA Award nominee Lauren Alaina as a headliner.
  • 2019 CMT Music Award-nominated country music duo Maddie & Tae, who are currently on tour opening for Carrie Underwood’s Cry Pretty Tour 360.

Other standouts acts including Chris Young, Morgan Evans, Tenille Townes, Emily Ann Roberts, Mitchell Tenpenny, Filmore, James Barker Band, Cassadee Pope, and many more.

For full schedule and lineup updates at Ole Red visit https://olered.com/nashville/spotify/.

Get ready for CMA Fest with the Ole Red playlist:

https://open.spotify.com/user/spotify/playlist/37i9dQZF1DX6HIvDVo75RY?si=rfHFkYKjRzmTHcbJY8Xnbw