A new partnership with Nexstar Media Group, Inc., Broadcast Music Inc. (BMI®) and Belmont’s Curb College of Entertainment and Music Business will produce an emerging artist series featuring a daily broadcast of the U.S. National Anthem.
The Star-Spangled Banner was once a staple on local television stations, signifying the beginning or end of the broadcast day. Nexstar is restoring this long-held tradition across 171 stations in 100 markets, beginning on Labor Day.
The new singer/songwriter series will showcase multiple renditions of the National Anthem by BMI’s emerging talented songwriters who recorded their own unique versions of the Star-Spangled Banner at Belmont University’s Ocean Way Studios. Nexstar will leverage its leading distribution capabilities to deliver professionally produced music video recordings of the National Anthem to more than 43 million television households across the United States.
“Nexstar’s local teams take great pride in their ability to bring the local communities they serve together and that is why we are excited to partner with BMI and Belmont University to broadcast this new daily series featuring the Star-Spangled Banner that will air 365 days of each year,” stated Tim Busch, president of Nexstar Broadcasting, Inc. “This unique collaboration supports higher education in business for the music and entertainment industry, while providing aspiring professional artists and songwriters a national distribution platform to showcase their respective talents. We look forward to returning the time-honored tradition of including the National Anthem in our stations’ broadcasts with this new partnership.”
The first group of songwriters to be featured include Nashville-based Brian Sutherland, Texas native Kristen Kelly and 2018 American Idol contestant Julia Cole. All musical genres will be highlighted during the series.
“This unique partnership gives BMI’s songwriters a wonderful platform to showcase their vocal talent to viewers across the country,” said Dan Spears, vice president of industry relations at BMI. “We’re thrilled that Belmont University’s Curb College of Entertainment and Music Business has generously provided its state-of-the-art recording studio, as well. I’m looking forward to hearing how our songwriters perform their own special rendition of one of the nation’s most beloved patriotic songs.”
