NASHVILLE, Tenn., Oct. 26, 2016 /PRNewswire/ -- Cumulus Media,
#1 for country and radio's dominant source for country music,
announced tonight the NASH Next
2016 Challenge artist development competition named singer
Todd O'Neill from Hammond,
LA, the grand prize winner. The final competition event took
place at Mercy Lounge in Nashville
with live performances from the Top 10 national finalists and a
special performance from Trent
Harmon, Season 15 Winner of FOX's American Idol. The
finals event showcased up-and-coming country talent discovered
through this one-of-a-kind national grassroots talent search and
artist development program for country music sponsored nationally
by Country Inns & Suites By
CarlsonSM.
Todd O'Neill will receive
national radio airplay on Cumulus Media radio stations, a recording
contract with Big Machine Label Group and will have an original
song produced by Jay DeMarcus, one
third of supergroup Rascal Flatts. As a surprise addition to the
grand prize package, Country Inns & Suites presented
Todd O'Neill with a cash
prize of $5,000.
From roady to winning the NASH
Next 2016 Challenge, Todd O'Neill
often thinks of his father, a Vietnam Vet whom he lost at a young
age, which forced him to learn how to take care of himself and
discover a passion for music. Todd's influences are music legends
Merle Haggard and Otis Redding and newer artists Chris Stapleton and Marc
Broussard and his personal sound is pure Louisiana soul.
"This entire NASH Next
experience has been amazing and I'm excited for the next chapter,"
said O'Neill. "I just feel so blessed and truly thankful to my fans
for supporting me over the years."
The winner of the NASH Next
2016 Challenge was selected by a celebrity panel of some of the
biggest names in country music, including Scott Borchetta, founder, president and CEO
of Big Machine Label Group, the world's No. 1 independent record
label and home to superstar artists including Taylor Swift and Tim
McGraw; Kix Brooks,
half of Grammy-winning duo Brooks & Dunn, country music's most
successful duo of all time, and host of Westwood One's American
Country Countdown; Jay
DeMarcus of CMA Awards Vocal Group of the Year
nominee Rascal Flatts, with 16 No. 1 singles, and Danielle Bradbery, Season 4 Winner of NBC's
The Voice. These panelists were joined by fan judge,
Rick Smith.
Mike McVay, Senior Vice President, Content and Programming
for Cumulus Media and Westwood One said: "Radio leads the
way when it comes to music discovery. NASH Next 2016 Challenge genuinely discovers
new artists, enables all of the contestants to be heard and allows
the winners to take advantage of an amazing opportunity to be
produced by a Grammy nominee. The listeners and the fans of the
artists rated our 10 finalists. The judges made the final pick
based on performance. The winners are all of us because we now get
to enjoy the newly launched career of Todd
O'Neill."
"One of the things we always look for at Big Machine Label Group
is individuality and Todd has that," said Borchetta. "We are really
looking forward to all that is to come from him."
"We are proud to host NASH Next
2016 Challenge and would like to congratulate all of the finalists,
including tonight's winner Todd
O'Neill," said Dan Sweiger,
Vice President, Brand Marketing, Country Inns & Suites. "At
Country Inns & Suites we love music that's fresh, genuine and
from the heart and we are honored to help NASH Next highlight some of the best new
talent out there."
Cumulus' NASH Next 2016
Challenge pays tribute to the great tradition of radio as a launch
pad for our most beloved musical talent and celebrates country
music, the most popular music genre in the United States with almost 100 million
fans. While television boasts several talent competitions,
no other contest -- on any platform -- has ever offered its
winner the opportunity for coveted radio airplay, which is the most
effective medium to cultivate an artist and propel a major music
career. And with Cumulus' country programming broadcasting on
almost 85% of all country radio stations nationwide, that
opportunity is huge and unprecedented.
To sample Todd O'Neil's music, as well as hear songs and
watch music videos from all of the Top 10 finalists, please visit:
www.nashnext2016.com.
About the NASH Next 2016
Challenge
The four-month-long NASH Next 2016 Challenge national grassroots
talent and artist development competition was announced in July by
country legend Reba McEntire.
68 NASH/Cumulus stations in 60 markets, including Dallas, New
York, Atlanta, Detroit and Nashville, conducted local searches for
emerging artists, with additional national participation made
possible through Cumulus' digital properties and syndicated country
shows. Cumulus listeners and local music industry professionals
first judged the emerging artists. Local artists entered the
competition via the NASH Next 2016
Challenge website (www.nashnext2016.com) and were judged on three
challenges by local music industry professionals, as well as
listeners in their communities. First asked to submit an original
song, contestants then adapted a popular song with a new style. In
September, NASH stations hosted local live events and virtual
events featuring video performances of each contestant's original
song. The Top 10 national finalists were selected from the live
video challenge and judged by top record executives and music
industry professionals. The live finals event was held at the Mercy
Lounge in Nashville on
October 25, 2016, from 7-10pm, where the grand prize winner was selected
by a celebrity panel of some of the biggest names in country music
and a fan judge.
About Cumulus Media
A leader in the radio
broadcasting industry, Cumulus Media (NASDAQ:CMLS) combines
high-quality local programming with iconic, nationally syndicated
media, sports and entertainment brands to deliver premium content
choices to the 245 million people reached each week through its 450
owned-and-operated stations broadcasting in 90 US media markets
(including eight of the top 10), more than 8,200 broadcast radio
stations affiliated with its Westwood One network and numerous
digital channels. Together, the Cumulus/Westwood One platforms make
Cumulus Media one of the few media companies that can provide
advertisers with national reach and local impact. Cumulus/Westwood
One is the exclusive radio broadcast partner to some of the largest
brands in sports, entertainment, news, and talk, including the NFL,
the NCAA, the Masters, the Olympics, the GRAMMYs, the Academy of
Country Music Awards, the American Music Awards, the Billboard
Music Awards, Westwood One News, and more. Additionally, it is the
nation's leading provider of country music and lifestyle content
through its NASH brand, which serves country fans nationwide
through radio programming, exclusive digital content, and live
events. For more information, visit www.cumulus.com.
Media Contacts: Lisa
Dollinger, Dollinger Strategic Communication for Cumulus
Media, 512.633.4084, lisa@dollcomm.com
Jake Basden, Big Machine Label
Group
615.324.7769, jake.basden@bmlg.net
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SOURCE Cumulus Media