Nashville Business Journal Announces the 2014 Women in Music City Award Winners

NASHVILLE, TN--(Marketwired - August 18, 2014) - The Nashville Business Journal has named the winners to be honored at its inaugural 2014 Women in Music City Awards. Taking place on Sept. 15, at the Omni Nashville Hotel, the red-carpet awards dinner will honor women who are helping shape Nashville's $9.8 billion music industry.

The list of honorees includes: Marcie Allen of MAC Presents, Sharon Brawner of Country Music Hall of Fame and Museum, Debbie Carroll of MusiCares, Tiffany Dunn of Loeb & Loeb LLP, Kerri Edwards of Kpentertainment, Leslie Fram of CMT-Viacom, Lisa Harless of Regions Bank, Ali Harnell of AEG Live/The Messina Group, Kelli Cashiola Haywood of Starstruck Entertainment Group, Laura Heatherly of T.J. Martell Foundation, Linda Edell Howard of Adams & Reese LLP, Martha Ivester of Creative Artists Agency, Beverly Keel of Middle Tennessee State University, Gina Keltner of Grand Ole Opry, Chandra LaPlume of Taillight, Shari Lewin of William Morris Endeavor, Cindy Mabe of Universal Music Group Nashville, Pam Matthews of International Entertainment Buyers Association (IEBA), Mary Ann McCready of Flood, Bumstead, McCready & McCarthy, Jill Napier of Music Services Inc., Erika Wollam Nichols of The Bluebird Café, Diane Pearson of City National Bank, Kelly Rich of Big Machine Label Group, Alison Smith of BMI, Ellen Truley of SESAC and Sally Williams of Ryman Auditorium/Opry Entertainment Group.

Nominations were taken from the public, and the final selection of honorees were judged by Michele Bernstein of William Morris Endeavor, Claudia Butzky of RCA Records, Lori Feldman of Warner Bros Records, Jacqueline Saturn of Harvest Records, Judee Ann Williams of Creative Artists Agency and Marsha Vlasic of International Creative Management.

In June, the NBJ named Lady Antebellum's Hillary Scott as the 2014 Artist of the Year for the Women in Music City Awards. Scott will also be honored at the Sept. 15 event and will deliver a keynote address.

An award-winning artist, songwriter and Nashville native, Scott is one-third of the seven-time GRAMMY winning group Lady Antebellum. The trio recently dropped their new single "Bartender" off their upcoming fifth studio album 747, which lands in stores Sept. 30. The new album follows over 11 million albums sold worldwide, eight trips to No. 1 on the country radio charts, five Platinum singles and the "Vocal Group of the Year" honor from both the Country Music Association and from the Academy of Country Music three years in a row. Lady A is currently out on the road as part of their headlining 2014 Take Me Downtown Tour, which is set to hit almost 80 cities in the United States and Canada across the course of the year. The group recently launched LadyAID, a philanthropic effort to bring awareness to and generate support for the plight of children locally, nationally and globally who cannot otherwise help themselves. Off the road, Scott is an active wife, mother, daughter, sister and has a heart for service, devoting time to make several trips a year to Haiti in conjunction with myLIFEspeaks. For more information visit: www.ladyantebellum.com.

Nashville Mayor Karl Dean expressed his support of the event saying, "Women like Hillary Scott embody Nashville's creative energy and diverse music culture. The music industry is a central part of Nashville's unique culture and our strong economy. We are fortunate to have so many talented women in the music industry here -- from songwriters to performers to managers. Their leadership is vital to the industry's success and to our city's success, as well."

This event will bring together both the business and music industries, combining two major driving forces behind the success of Music City. All winners will be highlighted in both a Nashville Business Journal printed program and online at NashvilleBusinessJournal.com.

NBJ Publisher Kate Herman says, "It is important to recognize women in music who are making strides in the industry. We are so excited to award Hillary Scott as Artist of the Year, as she is a perfect representation of this. We look forward to awarding Hillary as well as managers, agents, labels and other women who are making a difference in music and the Nashville community at our September event."

Gold sponsors of the awards dinner are Loeb & Loeb, Middle Tennessee State University, Ryman Hospitality Properties and Van Mol Restoration.

About the Nashville Business Journal (NBJ)
The Nashville Business Journal, one of 43 country-wide publications with American City Business Journals, is a division of Advanced Media Publications. NBJ is a media outlet that provides local business news and connections through our platforms: print, online, mobile and events. The Nashville Business Journal believes that growing the strength of women business leaders is essential to our community's success. NBJ holds multiple award programs and events for women including the Women of Influence Awards and Mentoring Monday. NBJ's parent company, American City Business Journals, recently launched Bizwomen.com, a national website for women business leaders. The Nashville Business Journal is published every Friday and can be viewed online daily at NashvilleBusinessJournal.com.