Jelly Roll recently took home a trio of Grammys for his music, including his best contemporary country album-winning project Beautifully Broken and best country duo/group performance for his Shaboozey collab “Amen,” but he will soon earn another accolade — this time for his devotion to humanitarian causes.

The Country Radio Broadcasters announced that Jelly Roll will be the recipient of this year’s artist humanitarian award, which will be presented during the 2026 Country Radio Seminar, set for March 18-20 in Nashville.

Jelly Roll — who has notched notching eight Billboard Country Airplay No. 1 hits and a Billboard 200 No. 1 debut with his album Beautifully Broken — has been devoted to giving back and helping causes around addiction recovery and mental health.

The artist humanitarian award was established in 1990 and honors country artists whose philanthropic efforts have improved the effectiveness and impact of the causes they support. Other artists previously recognized with the artist humanitarian award include Eric Church, Luke Combs, Carrie Underwood, Kane Brown and Kenny Chesney.

Jelly Roll, who himself spent time in a Nashville juvenile detention center as a youth before becoming an arena-headlining artist and multi-award winner, regularly visits jails and detention centers, speaking with inmates and delivering a message of hope and encouragement. He also previously teamed up with songwriter Ashley Gorley and the Onsite Foundation to develop the Creatives Support Network, which provides mental health resources to creatives in the songwriting community. In 2024, Jelly Roll also attended the groundbreaking ceremony for a new youth center in Nashville.

The country star previously helped close out Country Radio Seminar’s 2025 sessions, as a featured speaker alongside his fellow country hitmaker Eric Church.

It’s a decades-old conversation: When fans see a coach bus outside a concert venue, some of them are bound to wonder if the artist they’re planning to see that night is in there and, if so, what they’re doing. Increasingly, there’s a good bet they’re working with a couple of Nashville songwriters to create new material.

Thomas Rhett’s current collaboration with Jordan Davis, “Ain’t a Bad Life”? Written somewhere in the Dakotas. Jelly Roll’s “I Am Not Okay”? Penned while the bus was traveling on an interstate in the Carolinas. Lainey Wilson’s “Somewhere Over Laredo”? Finished on her bus in Montana with co-writers Dallas Wilson and Trannie Anderson after an initial start by Andy Albert.

“We will write songs anywhere,” Wilson says.

Artists co-write the majority of their own singles in modern country music. If songwriters want to get in on the action, the best way is to meet the artists in their natural habitat—and that means writing on the road.

“I would say 75% of my No. 1 songs have been written on the bus or on some sort of writing retreat,” notes Corey Crowder, who co-authored the current Nate Smith/Tyler Hubbard single, “After Midnight,” on Hubbard’s bus in 2023. “I’ve definitely had them where I wrote it in a writing room, but there’s something about not being on Music Row. There’s not really anything to do other than sit and write songs. And there’s something about watching somebody perform and then writing in that headspace.”

Hubbard’s duo, Florida Georgia Line, didn’t necessarily invent the idea of writing on tour, but they gave it a good jolt during the 2010s. They scheduled writing into their day on numerous trips, sometimes conducting two simultaneous writing sessions—one in the front room, the other in the back—on the same bus. It meant one less business item they had to wedge into their time at home after returning to Nashville following a weekend run.

“It certainly made life a bit easier when we compartmentalized and wrote songs while we were on tour instead of trying to do it only in town—especially as I started growing a family and having kids and needing to spend time with the family while I was in town,” Hubbard says. “It worked really well. And even now, it works great. You’ve got a lot of time to kill on the road, so we write songs and hang out.”

Hanging out is an extra benefit. Typically, when publishers book co-writes for their composers in Nashville, the appointment is focused on work. The writers may hit it off, but it also might be one of two or three writing sessions for the day. There’s not much time for bonding once the song is finished.

Not so on the bus, where they go through the mundane details of daily living in a road environment—sleeping in a bunk bed, acclimating to a new backstage area, grabbing a beer after the concert. Interactions in those settings create more of a shared experience.

“I’ve slept 500 nights in those beds,” says Ashley Gorley, whose road successes include “I Am Not Okay” and “You Should Be Here.” “It’s funny to think back about all those times, going out and trying to get to know artists.”

It’s not for everybody. Between soundcheck, meet-and-greets and scheduled meal times—not to mention unplanned hurdles or interviews to advance future tour dates—artists often encounter a lot of start-and-stop on the road. It’s further complicated by the rigors of traveling. Touring can be physically exhausting, and artists need to be in top shape when they hit the stage.

“It can be very draining,” says Dan + Shay vocalist Shay Mooney. “I don’t know how people do it, honestly. Songwriters, if they’re not performing that night, that’s probably a different thing. But I think when you’re the artist-writer, and you’ve got a show to put on that night, that takes precedent. It’s tough to do.”

One aspect that songwriters particularly appreciate is the change in scenery. Instead of a familiar writing room on Music Row, they get to see other parts of the country, different rooms and the vibe of an artist’s fan base.

“There’s something special about being able to play a show, see a reaction from an audience, take that energy, see what is connecting and try to channel that into a song,” George Birge says.

But, as one veteran songwriter puts it, the trend toward going out on tour with artists has made writing country songs even more of a “young man’s game.” As writers’ personal lives evolve—they get married, have babies, get up early to take the kids to school—the late nights and drinking associated with road life become less attractive.

Artists are “ready to rock ’n’ roll when they come off the stage,” songwriter Neil Thrasher says, noting that writing on tour has always been uncomfortable. “I’m ready to write the next day at noon, and they’re sleeping. So, I could never get anything going.”

Ultimately, the inconvenience is highly rewarding if it yields a hit, and plenty have emerged from the bus in the last decade or so, including Eric Church’s “Talladega,” Cole Swindell’s “Forever to Me,” Dustin Lynch’s “Hell of a Night,” Lady A’s “Bartender” and Old Dominion’s “Song for Another Time.”

In the end, going out for a weekend with an artist is a dance of compatibility. Hygiene, manners, personality traits, patience, respect for the band and crew, and passion all matter.

“You get invited out on the road by an artist based on [if] they feel comfortable with you,” says Anderson, who saw the road-finished “Somewhere Over Laredo” compete for a Grammy this year. “Do they want to give you a bunk and have you in their personal space? We’re really thankful that Lainey doesn’t mind us in her personal space.”

Less than a week after parting ways with Big Machine Label Group founder Scott Borchetta, HYBE AMERICA has named Jake Basden as CEO of Blue Highway Records, HYBE AMERICA’s relaunch of BMLG.

Basden’s appointment signals a reunion with many of the artists he worked with when he was BMLG’s senior vp of communications for 12 years, before leaving in 2023 to become president of Sandbox Entertainment.

“As we were searching for a leader for our new Nashville record label, it was important to choose someone that thought of artists first. We found someone that would not only connect with our team and build our company culture, but has profound ties to this community,” said Isaac Lee, chairman and CEO of HYBE AMERICA, in a statement. “Jake’s long history of devoted service to artists, his time with our company and his deep roots in Nashville, along with his fresh and modern take on what will make the label successful in the digital age, made him the ideal candidate for this role. We’re excited for what’s ahead for Blue Highway Records and for all that Jake will do to further expand our company’s footprint in Music City.”

On Feb. 12, HYBE AMERICA announced that Borchetta was departing HYBE America five years after HYBE’s purchase of Ithaca Holdings in 2021 for $1.05 billion. Ithaca Holdings purchased Big Machine Label Group in 2019 for an estimated $300 million. Upon his departure, Borchetta reacquired the Big Machine name for the label he founded in 2005 and has relaunched the record company with a number of acts, including Riley Green and Tim McGraw.

Other than the name, HYBE retained the assets of BMLG, including distribution, the publishing company Big Machine Music and a number of artists currently on the label’s roster including Thomas Rhett, Brett Young, Midland, Justin Moore, Carly Pearce, Preston Cooper, Jackson Dean and Mae Estes. It will absorb BMLG’s the Valory Co. imprint into Blue Highway.

“We are starting with a diverse roster of passionate creators. Each is singular in who they are, but also how they write and realize their sound,” Basden said in a statement. “From Thomas Rhett, a superstar who’s still filled with unmet potential, to Jackson Dean, a songwriter with raw charisma and a gritty sound, Blue Highway is a place where being yourself invites originality and inspires listeners to find their own path. For CMA and ACM female vocalist of the year Carly Pearce, Western-leaning progressives Midland and staunch American Justin Moore, country music is the bedrock for labelmates who have defined their own lane. When you factor in Preston Cooper, Brett Young and Mae Estes, the tradition of being your own kind of country remains in strong hands. Blue Highway is going to deliver the sound for country for the coming years.”

He continued, “Country and American roots music is at such a dynamic place and I can think of no better place to define what the future of these sounds can be than Blue Highway. With the power and global synergy of HYBE, there are no limits to what we can create — and I look forward to working with the current roster and future signings to deliver artists, songs and projects that speak to the heart of who we are as people.”

While at Sandbox, Basden oversaw the talent division’s representation and business development artists including Kacey Musgraves, Brandi Carlile, Kate Hudson, Kelsea Ballerini, Baby Nova and Little Big Town.

Basden began his career with at Ogilvy & Mather in New York, as well as a stint at Edelma as a director in the sports & entertainment division.

Reggaetón pioneers Luny Tunes and Venezuelan singer-songwriter Elena Rose are set to be honored with the BMI President’s Award and BMI Impact Award, respectively, at the 2026 BMI Latin Awards, taking place March 19 at the Fontainebleau Coastal Convention Center in Miami Beach, Fla.

The special accolade will recognize Francisco “Luny” Saldaña and Víctor “Tunes” Cabrera as pioneers of reggaetón and for shaping the genre’s sound during it breakthrough to global prominence in the 2000s. “Luny Tunes are architects of reggaetón’s golden era and catalysts for its global rise,” said Jesús González, BMI’s vp of creative, in a press release. “We’re honored to recognize their enduring legacy alongside rising star Elena Rose, whose songwriting talent and artistry continue to captivate audiences.”

Elena Rose will be celebrated for her contributions to Latin music as both a prolific songwriter and a rising solo artist, who last year, released her debut studio album, Bendito Verano. The LP earned the No. 10 spot on Billboard‘s 25 Best Latin Albums of 2025: Staff Picks list.

During the event, BMI will acknowledge the songwriters and publishers of the most performed Latin songs in the U.S. over the past year. Awards such as the BMI regional Mexican song, songwriter and publisher of the year, as well as the BMI contemporary Latin song, songwriter and publisher of the year will be presented during the ceremony.

The private event will be hosted by BMI president/CEO Mike O’Neill, BMI executive vp of chief revenue & creative officer, Mike Steinberg, as well as González. 

As the 2026 BMI President’s Award recipients, Luny Tunes join an ensemble of music creators who have previously received the accolade, such as Benny Blanco, Luis Fonsi, Ellie Goulding, Horacio Palencia, Pitbull, T-Pain and Wisin y Yandel and more.

Elena Rose will join Tito Double P, Edgar Barrera, GloRilla, Ice Spice, Arlo Parks, RAYE, P2J and Tems, among others, in receiving the BMI Impact Award.