Big Loud CEO Seth England to Be Honored by T.J. Martell Foundation; Morgan Wallen, Ernest, Hardy to Perform at Gala

The T.J. Martell Foundation, a leading music industry nonprofit for cancer research, will honor Big Loud partner/CEO Seth England at its 49th Annual New York Honors Gala, taking place on September 17.

As part of the event, country superstar Morgan Wallen and singer-songwriters Hardy and Ernest will stage a “special writers’ round” performance.

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England will receive the organization’s Lifetime Music Industry Award for this “exceptional impact on the music industry as well as his unwavering support for the T.J. Martell Foundation’s mission and dedication to finding a cure for cancer,” according to the announcement. Also at the event, Def Jam Recordings’ chief creative officer Archie Davis, who received the New York Honors Gala Rising Music Superstar Award in 2023, will announce an initiative that will continue to raise awareness of early screening and testing.

“We are thrilled to be honoring our distinguished music industry colleague and dear friend Seth England with this year’s Lifetime Music Industry Award to commemorate his deep commitment to the foundation,” said Steve Gawley, Republic’s executive vice president of business & legal affairs and business development and Chairman-Elect of the Board of Trustees, T.J. Martell Foundation.   “We are proud to shine a spotlight on Seth’s dedicated efforts towards our cancer research as well as his pioneering work in the music world, and look forward to celebrating Seth and his achievements with an exhilarating night of music!”

Over the course of his 20-year career, England has risen from working as an intern at Big Loud to becoming CEO of the company, overseeing its label, publishing, management and capital divisions, and has become one of the major players in the music industry. The label has more than 100 RIAA certified platinum or gold titles and more than 47 billion global streams. Its roster includes Wallen, Hardy, Ernest, Lauren Alaina, Charles Wesley Godwin, MacKenzie Porter, Larry Fleet, Stephen Wilson Jr., Dallas Smith, Griffen Palmer, Shawn Austin, Lily Rose, Jake Worthington, Ashley Cooke, Lauren Watkins, Dylan Gossett, Kashus Culpepper, and Zandi Holup. The Big Loud Publishing roster has produced more than 300 singles including three Grammy Award winners (Tim McGraw’s “Live Like You Were Dying,” Carrie Underwood’s “Before He Cheats” and “Blown Away”), and 90 No.1 hits over 21 years for artists like George Strait, Blake Shelton, Kenny Chesney, Dierks Bentley, Luke Bryan, Rascal Flatts, Florida Georgia Line, Faith Hill, Thomas Rhett, and more. Big Loud Management launched with Florida Georgia Line as its first client in 2011.

The 49th Annual New York Honors Gala co-chair committee includes such top executives as Ben Adelson, Tyler Arnold, Tom Corson, Archie Davis, John Esposito, Clint Higham, Monte Lipman, Avery Lipman, Rakiyah Marshall, Debbie Martell, Joey Moi, Brian O’Connell, Andre Stapleton, Julie Swidler, Greg Thompson, and Craig Wiseman.


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