Award-Winning Country Chart-Toppers Little Big Town to Perform at Music Biz 2017 Awards Breakfast

April 18, 2017 – The Music Business Association (Music Biz) has announced that Grammy Award-Winning vocal group Little Big Town will perform live at the Music Biz 2017 convention’s Awards Breakfast & Presentations, beginning at 8:30 a.m. CT on May 17 at the Renaissance Nashville Hotel. Sponsored by the Country Music Association (CMA), the Breakfast will also feature awards presentations to Universal Music Group Nashville Chairman and CEO Mike Dungan, who will receive the Presidential Award for Outstanding Executive Achievement, and Music Millennium Founder Terry Currier, who will receive the Independent Spirit Award. Music Biz President James Donio will also deliver his President’s Address, and Music Biz Chairman Fred Beteille of Facebook will announce the 2017-2018 Music Biz Board of Directors and Music Biz Scholarship Foundation Class of 2017.

“We are thrilled to have Little Big Town — our Music Biz 2016 Artist of the Year — back for our 2017 convention,” said Donio. “Since we last saw them, the group has released a brand new album, The Breaker; has had a multi-week #1 with ‘Better Man’ and recently released the critically-acclaimed single ‘Happy People’ to Country radio; and has become the first act ever to lock down a residency at the historic Ryman Auditorium. We are huge fans of their music and cannot wait to share their talent with our Awards Breakfast attendees.”

GRAMMY Award-winners Little Big Town recently released “Happy People” off their seventh studio album, The Breaker, which debuted at #1 on the Billboard Country Albums Chart and in the Top 5 of the Billboard 200. The album’s lead single, the multi-week #1 “Better Man,” was recently nominated for a 2017 Billboard Award for Top Country Single. The reigning CMA and ACM Vocal Group of the Year are currently headlining the historic Ryman Auditorium’s first-ever artist residency, “Little Big Town at the Mother Church.”

Consisting of members Karen Fairchild, Phillip Sweet, Kimberly Schlapman, and Jimi Westbrook, Little Big Town first entered the music scene more than 18 years ago with hits such as “Boondocks,” “Bring It on Home,” “Good as Gone” and the GRAMMY-nominated single “Little White Church.” With albums Tornado and the Platinum-selling Pain Killer, they have seen massive success with #1 singles “Pontoon,” “Tornado,” and “Day Drinking” as well as the history-making, best-selling Country single of 2015, “Girl Crush,” and the multi-week #1 single, “Better Man.” In October 2014, the group fulfilled a career milestone and lifelong dream when Reba McEntire — who will be the recipient of the Music Biz 2017 Chairman’s Award for Sustained Creative Achievement — asked them to become the newest members of the Grand Ole Opry; two weeks later, they were inducted.

Little Big Town has earned almost 40 music award nominations and, in the past five years, has taken home nearly 20 awards, including multiple GRAMMY, CMA, and ACM awards as well as an Emmy award. Little Big Town won Best Country Group/Duo Performance, and “Girl Crush” received the honor for “Best Country Song” at the 2016 GRAMMY Awards, and is the reigning People’s Choice Award Winner of Favorite Country Group.

Music Biz 2017, which will return to Nashville from May 15-18, is the music industry’s premier event, giving the commerce and content sectors a place to meet with trading partners, network with new companies, and learn about new trends and products impacting the music business. This year’s event will feature keynotes from Atlantic Records Group Chairman and COO Julie Greenwald with GRAMMY Award-winning superstar Kelly Clarkson, Spotify’s Global Head of Creator Services Troy Carter, Creative Artists Agency (CAA) Music Agents Jeff Krones and Hunter Williams, Cracker Barrel’s VP of Marketing Don Hoffman, Universal Music Group’s Exec. VP of Content Strategy and Operations  Barak Moffitt, and more to be announced. A special line-up of Digital Service Workshops from Amazon Music, Apple Music, Pandora, Soundcloud, Spotify, and YouTube/Google Play will mark an unprecedented first for the music industry as Music Biz will bring these companies together in one place for one day packed with information about how to leverage the tools and products that these companies offer to maximize value for artists, labels, managers, creators, and the industry at large.

The eclectic Music Biz 2017 program will also cover topics including Touring, Live Streaming, Vinyl, Messaging, International, D2F, Crowdfunding, e-Commerce, Playlisting, A&R, Social Media, Licensing, Publishing, Hi-Res, VR, Management, and Professional Development. Returning favorite sessions will include the Metadata Summit, Brand & Strategic Partnership Summit, and Entertainment & Technology Law Conference, as well as an encore for Music’s Leading Ladies Speak Out and various special interest programs and breakout sessions. Music Biz will celebrate executive and artist achievements with Music Biz awards being bestowed to UMG Nashville’s Mike Dungan, Music Millennium’s Terry Currier, Adele, Paula Abdul, Hamilton Original Cast Recording and the Hamilton Mixtape, Lukas Graham, Reba McEntire, Maren Morris, and others to be announced. Registration is now open at www.musicbiz2017.com, and for a full list of currently confirmed programming, visit https://musicbiz2017.sched.org.

About the Music Business Association

The Music Business Association (Music Biz) is a membership organization that advances and promotes music commerce — a community committed to the full spectrum of monetization models in the industry. It provides common ground by offering thought leadership, resources and unparalleled networking opportunities, all geared to the specific needs of its membership. Music Biz brings a unique perspective and valuable insight into the trends and changes that innovation brings. Today, we put our collective experience to work across all delivery models: physical, digital, mobile, and more. Music Biz and its members are committed to building the future of music commerce — together.

Music Biz Media Contact

Laurie Jakobsen, Jaybird Communications — laurie@jaybirdcom.com, 646.484.6764