NASH Next Unveils Ten Emerging Regional Artists

Cumulus Media announced today the names of the ten Country music artists selected as finalists in NASH Next 2017, a national and grassroots talent search and artist development program for Country music.

The 10 finalists were selected by a panel of Country radio professionals and will be judged in the finale by Country music luminaries and industry professionals, including Kix Brooks, half of Grammy-winning duo Brooks & Dunn, one of Country music’s most successful duos of all time, and host of Westwood One's American Country Countdown and Scott Borchetta, founder, president and CEO of Big Machine Label Group, the world’s No. 1 independent record label and home to such superstars as Taylor Swift, Rascal Flatts and the reigning ACM Male Vocalist of the Year, Thomas Rhett.  Additional judges will be announced in the coming weeks.

The winner will receive a record deal with NASH Next Records under the Big Machine Label Group.  The NASH Next 2017 winner will receive substantial exposure, commensurate with a major label release, on Cumulus radio stations nationwide. While television boasts several talent competitions, no other contest  -- on any platform -- has ever offered its winners a similar opportunity for coveted radio play, which is the most effective medium to cultivate an artist and propel a major music career.

The finale event will take place on November 1st, from 7:00 – 10:00 pm at the Wildhorse Saloon in Nashville, Tennessee.  The event is open to the public.

The 10 national finalists are:

1) Lick Creek representing Bloomington & Peoria, IL
2) Katie Austin representing New Orleans, LA
3) Morgan Leigh Band representing Oxnard/Ventura, CA
4) Natalie Spiroff representing Cincinnati, OH
5) Alexis Gomez representing Centerville, OH
6) Gyth Rigdon representing Lake Charles, LA & Beaumont, TX
7) Schatzi + the String Boffin representing Fort Walton Beach, FL
8) Radio Romance representing Nashville, TN
9) Mike Rut representing Salt Lake City, UT
10) Ashley Jordan representing Worcester, MA

Mike McVay, executive vice president, Content & Programming for Cumulus Media and Westwood One, said: “The artists who entered this year’s NASH Next competition are incredibly talented and with this type of talent we are excited for the future of Country music. Any one of these artists could win and any one of these artists could be the next Country superstar – that’s what this competition is all about!”