April 2021 - Nashville Music Line

MLC collects $40m from digital service providers

Royalties being distributed to copyright owners

Copyright owners – publishers and songwriters — can celebrate this month. The Mechanical Licensing Collective (MLC) made its first regular payment distribution to publishers in April, according to a statement by Nashville Songwriters Association International (NSAI).

The statement said: “NSAI is proud of our involvement in crafting and passing the Music Modernization Act, which created the MLC and streamlined the way digital mechanical licenses are issued and royalties distributed. This distribution marks a historic moment in music history and we look forward to the continued success of the MLC in matching copyright owners to digital usage while providing transparency and stability in the digital mechanical landscape.”

The distribution included royalties from the use of musical works by U.S. digital service providers (DSPs) during January 2021. It did not include any historical unmatched royalties, according to a statement at the MLC website.

Becoming a Member of The MLC is easy and free! To learn more about being a self-administered songwriter Member, click here.

‘Inside Track’ for April 2021

The April 2021 edition of my column, Inside Track on Music on Music Row is now posted at Nashville Music Guide.

It’s the longest continuously-running country music column in the USA. Check out the entire April column, with the accompanying photos and videos, here at NMG. Among some of the stories:

Justin Moore’s new project is an eight-song collection titled Straight Outta the Country that he announced on his Justin Moore Podcast.
Shenandoah’s Marty Raybon returns to his bluegrass roots, signing with Nashville’s Billy Blue Records that released the debut single “Walking the Floor.”
Ronnie Milsap believes it’s the music that makes you young. With A Better Word for Love dropping April 30, the 4-time Country Music Association Album of the Year winner is ready to tease his fans with a little “Wild Honey.”
Thomas Rhett’s journey continues with the release of part one of his fifth studio double album: Country Again Side A on April 30 and fans can pre-order it now.
Check out Cadillac Three’s new video for “Long After Last Call,” a startling reminder of the empty independent venues across the globe to benefit #SaveOurStages.
American country rock band and Kentucky Music Hall of Fame members, Exile, will reissue four of their legendary albums via a new signed deal with Time Life to coincide with the original Exile Reunion concert.

Plus much more. read the entire column here at NMG.

Preshias Harris is a music journalist and music career development consultant with the emphasis on new and aspiring artists and songwriters. Her book, ‘The College of Songology 101: The Singer/Songwriter’s Need to Know Reference Handbook’ is available at www.collegeofsongology.com Follow her blog at www.nashvillemusicline.com

Josiah Siska is out to “Get a Girl” with new single

The country baritone voice that touches listeners’ hearts

By Preshias Harris

“For me, the greatest reward from performing is the satisfaction of realizing people in the crowd understand you,” says Josiah Siska, the Black River Entertainment recording artist and songwriter. He explains, “When I write songs, when I play my music or when I cut a song, it’s always something that I can relate to; a story from my life, something that I’ve lived or an experience, a mood or a love that I’ve felt.”

That’s also what draws Josiah to songs written by other songwriters such as “To Get A Girl.” It’s his current single written by Danny Myrick, Josh Ronen, and Landon Wall and released by Black River in early March 2021. Watch the official lyric video here.

“I’m not too great at communicating with strangers all the time,” Josiah admits, “But when I play my music on stage, the people in the crowd get to hear me. When they tell me that it’s good, I feel real good. That’s the most rewarding thing about being an artist for me.”

The Gwinnett, Georgia, native is a multi-instrumentalist. He plays electric, acoustic and classical guitar, as well as the banjo and piano. He was working at a Dacula, Georgia, golf club when he auditioned for Season 15 of American Idol, impressing the judges with his rendition of “Ghost Riders in the Sky.” It was the first big step on his musical journey.

Idol: A leap of faith

“It was kind of a blind leap, just blind faith,” he says of his decision to try out for Idol. “I went out to Hollywood by myself. I auditioned when I was seventeen, I turned eighteen when I got accepted on the show and I did it all on my own.”