Blue Highway Records & Thomas Rhett Launch Fifty-One/Forty-Nine Records

Thomas Rhett and Blue Highway Records have launched Fifty-One/Forty-Nine Records. Through…

Blue Highway Records CEO Jake Basden, Thomas Rhett and G Major Mgmt’s Virginia Bunetta. Photo: Courtesy of Blue Highway Records

Thomas Rhett and Blue Highway Records have launched Fifty-One/Forty-Nine Records. Through its partnership with Blue Highway Records, the label will release Rhett’s music while supporting the next stage of his career as both an artist and entrepreneur.

"When we started talking about what the next chapter could look like, I knew I didn’t simply want to make another deal. I wanted to build something that reflected the legacy and shaped the future of my music,” says Rhett. "From my initial conversations with Jake [Basden] and the leadership team at Blue Highway, it was clear they, too, were thinking differently about what a record company can be for an artist today. This allows me the opportunity to own the body of work I’ve spent my entire career creating, while still having an ambitious team and global infrastructure around me for my future recordings. I am incredibly excited about building this next chapter together."

“Thomas Rhett has always been an artist, a songwriter, a performer who brings the best of what being a progressive country artist is today: someone who is willing to explore how other genres merge with Nashville without losing his roots, without sounding calculated or forced,” adds Blue Highway Records CEO Basden. “His musical fluidity is matched by his sense of lyrics, songs, and what people feel, creating an honest kind of country that finds its way into people’s lives, wherever they are. Having watched Thomas Rhett come into his own and then achieve major success, I am honored to be his partner going forward.”

Over his career, Rhett has amassed 25 No. 1 singles, more than 16 billion streams, eight ACM Awards, two CMA Awards, five CMA Triple Play Awards, five Grammy nominations and additional trophies from the CMT Music Awards, Billboard Music Awards and iHeartRadio Music Awards. Rhett is currently on the " Soundtrack to Life Tour " through the end of the month.