AIMP Honors Independent Songwriters & Publishers
The Association for Independent Music Publishers (AIMP) celebrated the 2026 AIMP Nashville Country Awards Tuesday evening at the Analog at the Hutton Hotel. Hosted by radio veteran Storme Warren, the intimate, nominee-only gathering honored the past year’s biggest hits written and promoted solely by Nashville’s independent publishing companies and their songwriters.
“Congratulations to all of this year’s AIMP award winners. Our event truly highlights just how special and supportive the Nashville independent community is,” said Ree Guyer and Courtney Crist, this year’s AIMP co-chairs. “Presenting the Independent Spirit Award to Michael Hardy—who genuinely embodies its meaning—was a magical moment. We’re also deeply grateful to our sponsors, our dedicated awards committee—Megan Pekar, Alex Heddle, Shannan Hatch, Janine Ebach, and Tim Fink—and our incredible coordinator, Haily Harris, for making this event possible.”
The night’s winners included the Song of the Year, “Weren’t For The Wind” written by Johnny Clawson, Ella Langley, and Joybeth Taylor. Big Loud Publishing took home Top Independent Music Publisher of the Year, and Zach Top took home Artist-Writer of the Year. Jessie Jo Dillon took home Songwriter of the Year for the second consecutive year. Lauren Hungate won the 2026 Rising Songwriter of the Year award, and Emily Ann Roberts won the Rising Artist-Writer of the Year, marking her first-ever award received. The Publisher Pick of the Year was “Come Home To You,” written by Jim McCormick, Makayla Lynn, and Michael Wayne Wilkes, and performed by Emily Ann Roberts.
Staying true to AIMP tradition, the evening came alive with unforgettable, intimate performances celebrating both the Publisher’s Pick and Song of the Year. The Publisher’s Pick, “Come Home To You,” captivated the audience with a standout performance by Tigirlily Gold, while this year’s Song of the Year, “Weren’t For The Wind,” was powerfully brought to life by Carly Pearce.
The 2026 AIMP Song Champion Award went to Lee Krabel of SMACKSongs for his enduring and significant contributions to the independent publishing and songwriting community.
The title sponsors for this year’s event were WME, ASCAP, SESAC, Curb Records, BMI, GMR, and RECORDS Nashville.
