advertisement
FYI

Open Road Recordings: Celebrating 15 Years Of Success

The 15-year anniversary milestone is notably marked with an impressive archive of more than 100 Top 10 hits over the years.

Open Road Recordings: Celebrating 15 Years Of Success

By FYI Staff

Open Road Recordings, founded in 2003 by Ron Kitchener, has been the #1 Canadian country label for seven consecutive years (based on marketshare from Mediabase based on airplay). The 15-year anniversary milestone is notably marked with an impressive archive of more than 100 Top 10 hits over the years.


Just this week, the label has four Top 15 Singles on the Mediabase Country Chart:

·      Tim Hicks - Loud (6)

·      Hunter Brothers - Those Were The Nights (10)

·      Dean Brody - Good Goodbye (14)

·      Madeline Merlo - Neon Love (15)

Open Road Recordings is celebrating their upcoming anniversary by giving back to causes that resonate with the Canadian music industry and artists on their roster, with 15 Acts of Kindness leading into the CCMA Awards weekend in Hamilton. A wide range of causes have been selected for an act of kindness, with one cause being chosen per week, up until the CCMA Awards on Sunday, September 9.

advertisement

Some of this month’s acts include creating 50 care packages for the Red Door Shelter, supporting and attending the first day of London Girls Rock Camp, and Not In My City, Paul Brandt’s awareness project to combat Child Sexual Exploitation and Sex Trafficking. Also, #ORR15ActsofKindness popped up in Calgary last weekend, where Open Road had three acts (Tim Hicks, River Town Saints, The Road Hammers) playing different venues, to support the locally housed National Music Centre.

Open Road and its affiliated company, RGK Entertainment, are also celebrating some recent CCMA Awards nominations, including seven for artists on the roster, and three for the company itself, including; Record Company of the Year, Management Company of the Year and Creative Director of the Year.

Kitchener and his team have remained steadfast in their focus on artist development since the very beginning, when their work involved helping to develop the careers of High Valley and Johnny Reid, as well as working with Taylor Swift. Now their achievement in the artist development realm is marked with an impressive 3 CCMA nominations for their talented, new development act on the rise, Hunter Brothers, who have become known for their impressive viral following and unique sound, as well as the success of Madeline Merlo, who has amassed a total of four songs in the Top 15 over the course of her short career to date.

advertisement

Now their achievement in the artist development realm is marked with an impressive 3 CCMA nominations for their talented, new development act on the rise, Hunter Brothers.

This summer will also see Dean Brody take to the Budweiser Stage for his second headline show, with special guests such as American star, Michael Ray, and Great Big Sea frontman, Alan Doyle.

— More about Kitchener and his companies can be found in this earlier FYI feature story.

advertisement
Oscar Voting, Nominations Announcement Delayed Again Due to L.A. Wildfires
Awards

Oscar Voting, Nominations Announcement Delayed Again Due to L.A. Wildfires

The Academy of Motion Picture Arts & Sciences has announced updates to its 2025 Oscars key dates and schedule of events due to the impact of the Los Angeles-area fires. The Oscar telecast is still set for March 2, but the nominations announcement is being delayed for the second time to Jan. 23 — and will now be held virtually. The Oscars nominees luncheon, always an A-list event, will not be held this year.

“We are all devastated by the impact of the fires and the profound losses experienced by so many in our community,” Academy CEO Bill Kramer and Academy president Janet Yang said in a joint statement. “The Academy has always been a unifying force within the film industry, and we are committed to standing together in the face of hardship.

keep readingShow less
advertisement