AIMP Panel

Place: View Map
via Zoom

,

 THANK YOU, AS ALWAYS, TO OUR MAIN SPONSOR, 

Additional Speaker Information

BART BUTLER - Hailing from Hondo, TX, Bart Butler is well known for both writing and producing hit songs. He first came to Nashville in 1993 and got his start in publishing, where he secured placement for over 15 #1 songs, including Tim McGraw’s massive hit “Just To See You Smile.” Butler has had a solid run of hits in recent years, writing and co-producing Jon Pardi’s breakthrough hits “Missin’ You Crazy,” “Up All Night,” “When I’ve Been Drinkin,” and “What I Can’t Put Down,” as well as his #1 single “Heartache On The Dance Floor,” and co-writing Thomas Rhett’s chart-topper “Make Me Wanna” and Craig Campbell’s “See You Try.” Most recently, Butler co-produced Pardi’s third album, Heartache Medication, on which he co-wrote 7 tracks. His other recent production credits include the new Trace Adkins EP Ain't That Kind of Cowboy, as well as Randall King's EP Leanna.

LAURA VELTZ - GRAMMY® nominated songwriter Laura Veltz has become one of the most respected and in-demand songsmiths in music today. Recognized as the No. 1 Country songwriter across multiple charts in 2020, Laura is the first and only woman to claim the top spot on Billboard’s Top Country Songwriters chart since its inception–and stayed there for an unprecedented five consecutive weeks. American Songwriter deemed her “one of our most important songwriters” while The Song Suffragettes honored Veltz with the Yellow Rose of Inspiration Award for her contributions to the songwriting community. Garnering major hits and cuts by today’s hottest superstars, Laura has earned six No. 1 songs to date, including “The Bones” and “I Could Use A Love Song” (co-written and performed by Maren Morris), “Drunk Last Night” (Eli Young Band), “Lonely Eyes” (Chris Young) and one of the 2020 NSAI 10 Songs I Wish I’d Written “What If I Never Get Over You” (Lady A) as well as 4X-PLATINUM certified “Speechless” (co-written and performed by Dan + Shay). The latter earned Laura her first GRAMMY® Awards nomination in the Best Country Song category after spending four consecutive weeks atop the Billboard Country Airplay chart and ascended to top 10 of both the Hot AC and Top 40 charts. Laura had four cuts on Morris’ GRAMMY®-nominated debut album HERO, including “Rich,” which she was awarded the 2017 AIMP Publisher’s Pick Award for co-penning in addition to the 2018 NSAI 10 Songs I Wish I’d Written honor for “I Could Use A Love Song.” Morris’ 2019 follow-up album GIRL, features five cuts of Laura’s including 3X PLATINUM-certified “The Bones,” which took home Song of the Year & Single of the Year at the 2020 CMA Awards. “The Bones” also shattered the record for most consecutive weeks held by a solo female artist after spending 19 weeks atop the Billboard Hot Country Songs chart, long after its multi-week reign on both Country and Hot AC radio. Laura’s latest singles include Morris’ “To Hell and Back” and Kelly Clarkson’s Hot AC hit “I Dare You,” which was translated into five different languages and features artists from across the globe. Through the years, her songs have also been recorded by Miranda Lambert, The Highwomen, Reba McEntire, Little Big Town, Dierks Bentley, Ryan Hurd, Brothers Osborne, Carly Pearce, Kane Brown and more.

CARLY STRICKLAND moved to Nashville the day she graduated from the University of Alabama in 2015. Her first two years were spent working for TV anchor and radio personality, Kelly Sutton. She learned the media and news side of the industry working red carpets and number 1 parties, producing a radio show and working behind the camera. In 2017 she moved into publishing, taking a Creative Director position at RareSpark Media Group, helping develop writers and place them with co-writers in addition to pitching their catalogs. In 2019 she joined the A&R team at Big Machine Label Group where she helps find songs for Lady A, Carly Pearce, Rascal Flatts, Eli Young Band, Thomas Rhett, Tyler Rich, Danielle Bradberry, Avenue Beat and more. Her job also includes scouting new talent and overseeing projects for newcomers Conner Smith, Abbey Cone, Jackson Dean, and Laci Kaye Booth.

Chris “Falcon” Van Belkom is the Vice President of Combustion Music and oversees the writer roster of Jameson Rodgers, Brett Tyler, Matt Jenkins, Matthew West, AJ Pruis and Kolby Cooper, among others.