BREAKING: 2026 MusicRow Awards Winners [Updating Live]

MusicRow Magazine is revealing the winners of the 38th annual MusicRow Awards today…

City National Bank is the Presenting Sponsor of the 2026 MusicRow Awards.

The MusicRow Awards are Nashville’s longest-running music industry trade publication honors and celebrates the achievements of songwriters, artists, producers and more. Winners are voted on by MusicRow ’s subscribers.

All the MusicRow Award nominees are profiled in the recently-released MusicRow Awards print issue .

The winners for the 38th annual MusicRow Awards (winners marked in red):

PRODUCER OF THE YEAR: Carson Chamberlain Charlie Handsome Dann Huff Jay Joyce Joey Moi Ben West – WINNER

STUDIO OF THE YEAR: Blackbird Studio – WINNER Ocean Way Nashville Studio RCA Studio A Sound Emporium Studios Sound Stage Studios Starstruck Studios

LABEL GROUP OF THE YEAR: BBR Music Group/BMG Nashville Big Loud Records – WINNER MCA Sony Music Nashville Triple Tigers Records Warner Records Nashville

TALENT AGENCY OF THE YEAR: CAA The Kinkead Entertainment Agency The Neal Agency THE·TEAM UTA WME – WINNER

PUBLISHING COMPANY OF THE YEAR: Back Blocks Music Concord Music Publishing River House Artists Sony Music Publishing Nashville – WINNER UMPG Nashville Warner Chappell Music Nashville

BREAKTHROUGH SONGWRITER OF THE YEAR: Smith Ahnquist Dan Alley – WINNER Beau Bailey Sam Banks Jeremy Bussey Jessica Farren Austin Goodloe Jordan Gray Bobby Hamrick Jamie Kenney Chris McKenna David "Messy" Mescon Summer Overstreet Nicholas Sainato Ava Suppelsa Driver Williams Christian Yancey

BREAKTHROUGH ARTIST-WRITER OF THE YEAR: Graham Barham Wyatt McCubbin Max McNown Kevin Powers Hudson Westbrook

MALE SONGWRITER OF THE YEAR: John Byron Ashley Gorley Charlie Handsome Chase McGill Josh Miller Blake Pendergrass

FEMALE SONGWRITER OF THE YEAR: Trannie Anderson Jessie Jo Dillon Natalie Hemby Ava Suppelsa Joybeth Taylor Lydia Vaughan

SONG OF THE YEAR: “Backseat Driver” – Songwriters: Jacob Davis, Jordan Walker “Choosin' Texas” – Songwriters: Ella Langley, Joybeth Taylor, Luke Dick, Miranda Lambert “I Sit In Parks” – Songwriter: Kelsea Ballerini “McArthur” – Songwriters: Chase McGill, Jameson Rodgers, Josh Thompson, Michael Hardy “Say So” – Songwriters: Dan Smyers, David Hodges, Jimmy Robbins, Shay Mooney “Sleepless In A Hotel Room” – Songwriters: Jonathan Singleton, Luke Combs, Randy Montana

DISCOVERY ARTIST OF THE YEAR: Laci Kaye Booth Kashus Culpepper Alexandra Kay Braxton Keith Ty Myers Emily Ann Roberts

BREAKTHROUGH ARTIST OF THE YEAR: Gavin Adcock Kaitlin Butts Carter Faith Vincent Mason Max McNown Hudson Westbrook

FEMALE ARTIST OF THE YEAR: Avery Anna Kelsea Ballerini Ella Langley Megan Moroney Kacey Musgraves Lainey Wilson

MALE ARTIST OF THE YEAR: Luke Combs Riley Green Cody Johnson Zach Top Morgan Wallen Tucker Wetmore

GROUP/DUO ARTIST OF THE YEAR: 49 Winchester Brothers Osborne Dan + Shay Flatland Cavalry Old Dominion The Red Clay Strays

ENTERTAINER OF THE YEAR: Luke Combs Cody Johnson Ella Langley Chris Stapleton Morgan Wallen Lainey Wilson

MusicRow also honors the Top 10 Album All-Star Musicians at the 2026 MusicRow Awards, recognizing the studio players who performed on the most albums reaching the Top 10 of Billboard ’s Top Country Albums chart during the eligibility period. The honorees are:

Fiddle (TIE): Jenee Fleenor Lucas Ruge-Jones