MTSU, Derek Mason and ALC Partner for Their First NIL Revenue-Sharing Experience in 2025 and Invite Donors, Fans, Athletes to Attend
“Blue Bloods in the Round®” to be held on Thursday, Feb. 13, 2025 at Humble Baron at Nearest Green Distillery
MURFREESBORO, Tenn. (January 10, 2025) - Derek Mason, head football coach at Middle Tennessee State University (MTSU), Chris Massaro, director of athletics at MTSU and ALC announce the "Blue Bloods Songwriters in the Round®" show at Humble Baron (touting the World's Longest Bar) at Nearest Green Distillery (3125 US-231, Shelbyville, TN) on February 13, 2025, from 6 p.m. to 9:30 p.m. CT.
"This first-of-its-kind event celebrates some of the "blue blood" music nobility that MTSU has fostered along with the new athletic department endeavors to revenue-share with their athletes," said Mason.
Grammy® award-winning and decorated songwriters include MTSU alumnus Luke Laird, Jamie Moore, Natalie Hemby, and Gordie Sampson. The event will be hosted by film and TV star ("Last Man Standing") turned country artist Jet Jurgensmeyer.
There will be two songwriter rounds. The first round will feature "up and coming" MTSU student songwriter/artists Carter Elliot and Lauren Teel as well Amelie Sampson, daughter of Gordie Sampson. Grady Block (currently the touring drummer for Ernest) who is a staff writer for Big Loud. (Billboard’s Country Label of the Year) will round out this new hot crop of writer/artists.
After the first round, the "blue bloods" Luke Laird, Natalie Hemby, Jamie Moore, and Gordie Sampson will take the stage. These high-brow writers/artists have multiple Grammy® awards, nominations, and over 30 number-one Billboard singles.
Luke Laird is a highly decorated MTSU alumnus who has won “BMI Songwriter of the Year” and is the co-owner of Creative Nation Music (touting over 60 Billboard number-one songs and multiple hit songwriters signed and developed). He will perform some of his 24 number-one Billboard singles, which include:
Carrie Underwood's "So Small," "Temporary Home," and "Undo It";
Blake Shelton's "Gonna";
Sara Evans' "A Little Bit Stronger"
Rodney Atkins's "Take a Back Road";
Eric Church's "Drink in My Hand," "Give Me Back My Hometown," and "Talladega";
Little Big Town's "Pontoon"
Luke Bryan's "I See You" and "Fast"
Thomas Rhett's "T-Shirt"
Kenny Chesney's "American Kids"
Lady Antebellum's "Downtown" and
Jon Pardi's "Head Over Boots."
He has also written and produced songs for Tim McGraw, Rascal Flatts, Kacey Musgraves, Toby Keith, Ne-Yo, John Legend, Darius Rucker, and many others.
Natalie Hemby is a Grammy® Award-winning writer/artist who first gained notoriety by penning hits for Miranda Lambert including "White Liar," "Only Prettier," and "Automatic" as well as Little Big Town's "Pontoon" and "Tornado." As a recording artist, Hemby won a Grammy® with The Highwomen, which featured her alongside Amanda Shires, Maren Morris, and Brandi Carlisle. She released her self-titled debut album in 2019 and a second solo album in 2021, "Pins and Needles."
Jamie Moore is a four-time Grammy® nominated songwriter and producer from Muscle Shoals, Alabama. He has a catalog of multi-genre hits and songs recorded by an impressive list of artists such as Carrie Underwood, Toby Mac, Chris Lane, Bren Joy, Blake Shelton, and Tim McGraw. His recent No. 1 hits "May We All" by Florida Georgia Line and "Chasin You" by Morgan Wallen have been recurrent hits at country and pop radio. He has also produced R&B artist Bren Joy and Motown Gospel artist Evvie McKinney.
Gordie Sampson is a Canadian singer-songwriter and producer from Big Pond, Nova Scotia, who lives with his family in Nashville. He has written hit songs for Carrie Underwood, Keith Urban, Faith Hill, LeAnn Rimes, Blake Shelton, Miranda Lambert, and Rascal Flatts. He has also released critically acclaimed albums with the Rankin Family and as a solo performer. Sampson has received a Grammy® Award for penning Carrie Underwood's "Jesus Take the Wheel," a Juno® Award, two ASCAP Awards, East Coast Music Awards, and honorary degrees from Cape Breton University and St. Francis Xavier University.
The event's host is singer/songwriter, Jet Jurgensmeyer, a Nashville native who grew up on stage at the famed Nashville Palace. He will perform some of his self-penned songs throughout the evening. As a child actor, Jet split his time between Nashville and the West Coast on the silver screen. He has appeared in:
The Oscar®-nominated Clint Eastwood film "American Sniper."
Disney's "Adventures in Babysitting"
Universal's "The Little Rascals Save the Day" as Spanky
PureFlix Cinema's "Woodlawn," and alongside Reese Witherspoon in "Devil's Knot."
On the television front, Jet boasts an extensive list of credits, including:
"CSI: Crime Scene Investigation" (CBS)
"Hot in Cleveland" (TV Land)
"Marry Me" (NBC)
"Grey's Anatomy" (ABC)
"Austin & Ally" (Disney Channel)
"Black-ish" (ABC)
"Ozark" (Netflix) as the younger version of Jason Bateman's character, Marty Byrd.
He has also voiced several animated projects over the years, including series regular roles for Nickelodeon's "Shimmer and Shine" and "Bubble Guppies," Disney's "TOTS," and Young Guapo in the animated international film hit, "Ferdinand" by Blue Sky Studios and 20th Century Fox Animation.
The Blue Bloods in the Round is sponsored by the Athlete Licensing Company (ALC) and will be promoted by MTSU student-athletes, with the athletes receiving NIL money through the ALC CONIC app for their posts on social media promoting the show.
The show will be a Bluebird Café style In the Round® presentation with food and beverages available for guests to enjoy during the show at the “World’s Longest Bar” at Humble Baron on the campus of the Nearest Green Distillery.
Tickets go on sale Friday, January 10 at noon Central Standard Time at https://sevn.ly/xN5K1Lij.
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About Athlete Licensing Company.
Athlete Licensing Company (ALC) is a tech enabled intellectual property (IP) rights management and consulting company. It puts student athletes at the center of the name, image and likeness (NIL) ecosystem through its CONIC mobile application which integrates with all stakeholders, including conferences, universities, brands, and agencies for compliant NIL and IP rights management. ALC’s founders and board members boast a wealth of experience in IP rights software and financial management. For more information, visit: www.athlete-licensing.com
For More info on all performers, sponsors and associations above visit these sites:
Athlete Licensing Company: www.athlete-licensing.com
CONIC app: https://athlete-licensing.com/athletes/
MTSU Athletic Department: https://goblueraiders.com/
Humble Baron: https://www.humblebaron.com/
Uncle Nearest Distillery: https://unclenearest.com/distillery/
Big Loud: www.bigloud.com
Big Loud Publishing: https://bigloud.com/publishing/
Creative Nation: www.creativenationmusic.com
Jet Jurgensmeyer: https://jetjurgensmeyer.com/biography/
Luke Laird: https://lukelaird.com/about
Natalie Hemby: https://www.nataliehemby.com/
Jamie Moore: https://www.nashvillesongwriters.com/node/1057
Gordie Sampson: https://gordiesampson.com/
Grady Block: https://bigloud.com/publishing/grady-block/
