NASHVILLE, Tenn. – Creativity, individuality, small batch and responsive, Clint Higham, John Esposito and Kris Lamb announce the formation of HEY NOW Records, a boutique label devoted to recognizing unique talent and identifying the best path of connecting artists with their fans. HEY NOW Records creates a space that recognizes each artist’s story uniquely and develops specific marketing plans that are designed around each artist’s strengths and viewpoint. Based in Nashville, the vision is to stay lean, react quickly and create new ways of breaking talent in today’s fast-changing music industry.
“We have always believed in finding the best people for what an artist needs,” says Co-Founder Clint Higham, President of Morris Higham Management and CMA Manager of the Year. “That philosophy has seen us super-serve our clients to create more meaningful opportunities and connections. In today’s flooded marketplace, Espo, Kris Lamb and I looked at this moment and saw an opportunity to super-serve a handful of talented developing and established artists by using that same perspective. By being laser-focused on the music, artists and right next moves, we can accelerate the artist development process through targeted and specific execution.”
John Esposito, 15-year veteran Chairman/CEO of Warner Music Nashville concurs. “HEY NOW Records was born out of conversations Clint, Kenny and I had about the increasing lack of focus that artists are getting as rosters increase while staffs shrink. When Kris joined our conversations, I knew we would be lucky to have him at the helm of our operation. I’m thrilled to be in the role of co-founder, advisor, mentor and cheerleader for Kris as he leads the HEY NOW Records operation!”
Joining founders Higham and Esposito as Co-Founder and President is Kris Lamb, a veteran music executive recognized for building high performing teams and helping shape the success of some of the most impactful artists of the modern era. His career spans radio, music publishing and label leadership, including time at The Walt Disney Company’s Lyric Street records and more than a decade in executive leadership at Big Machine Label Group during a period of historic growth. Over the course of his career, he has contributed to more than 80 No. 1 hits and numerous RIAA Gold, Platinum and Diamond certifications, along with GRAMMY, Country Music Association, American Music and Academy of Country Music Awards for artists he has worked alongside.
“Having the chance to create something from the ground up means the options are wide open,” says Lamb, who helms day-to-day operations and drives the overarching vision. “In a world where structure blocks creativity, HEY NOW is a place where whatever we can conceive, we can realize. This is more than a dream; this is a gateway to creating an entirely new form and reality of Artist Development.”
HEY NOW’s flagship artist is Kenny Chesney, the recent Country Music Hall of Fame inductee who became the first solo headliner at Sphere in Las Vegas and a No. 1 New York Times best-seller. The only country artist in Pollstar’s Top Touring Acts of the Millennium and Billboard’s No. 1 Country Artist of the 21st Century and most Billboard Country Airplay No. 1s, the songwriter/superstar made the decision to co-create a place where music was the driver, artists didn’t have to fit into boxes, “and we could have the kind of fun that used to be such a part of our business.”
“In a world of more, more, more, as well as corporate over-reach and rush, Kris will deliver hyper-focused, deep strategy for a select few,” says Esposito of HEY NOW’s approach. “Whether a genre re-defining artist like Kenny or the superstars of tomorrow, this is about breaking the mold and chasing great songs and artists. Having Kris as our president means a competitive and cutting-edge approach that delivers.”
“When Clint, Espo and Kris came to me with the idea of creating our own team, I was curious,” says Chesney, who has always met music on its own terms and put the fan experience ahead of everything. “A label like this can be all-in, lets-make-stuff-happen – and I have always been about making things happen. Creating and exploring what’s possible inspires me, and this is a moment where we can realize ideas in a matter of hours.”
Named for the boat Chesney spent countless hours upon in the Caribbean and memorialized in “Happy On The Hey Now,” the label will feature a focused team spanning promotion, streaming, marketing and A&R, working together to recognize different kinds of musical magic and create a boutique environment where every artist receives specialized focus from the very beginning. |
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