Music Industry Veterans Launch HEY NOW Records

Music industry veterans Clint Higham, John Esposito and Kris Lamb have launched Nashville-based independent label HEY NOW Records. Decorated singer-songwriter Kenny Chesney is the label’s first signing.

The mission:

• HEY NOW will operate as a boutique label covering promotion, streaming, marketing and A&R.

• Lamb will serve as Co-Founder and President, overseeing day-to-day operations.

• The label is named after Chesney’s boat, as referenced in his song “Happy On The Hey Now (A Song For Kristi).”

Backstory:

• Lamb previously held executive roles at Big Machine Label Group and The Walt Disney Company’s Lyric Street Records, earning credits on more than 80 No. 1 hits.

• Higham runs Morris Higham Management, overseeing a roster that includes Kenny Chesney, Old Dominion, Barbara Mandrel, and more.

• Esposito spent 15 years as Chairman and CEO of Warner Music Nashville until April 2023.

Debut signing:

• Singer-songwriter Kenny Chesney holds the record for the most Billboard Country Airplay No. 1s with 33 tracks hitting the top spot, and is the only country artist in Pollstar’s Top 10 Touring Acts of the Millennium.

What they said:

• Kris Lamb: “Having the chance to create something from the ground up means the options are wide open. In a world where structure blocks creativity, HEY NOW is a place where whatever we can conceive, we can realize. This is more than a dream; this is a gateway to creating an entirely new form and reality of Artist Development.”

• John Esposito: “HEY NOW Records was born out of conversations Clint, Kenny and I had about the increasing lack of focus that artists are getting as rosters increase while staffs shrink. When Kris joined our conversations, I knew we would be lucky to have him at the helm of our operation. I’m thrilled to be in the role of co-founder, advisor, mentor and cheerleader for Kris as he leads the HEY NOW Records operation!”