Cody Johnson Signs Partnership with Warner Music Nashville
Texas country artist Cody Johnson is now a major label artist. Announced on Monday (6-19), Warner Music Nashville has signed a deal with Cody to form CoJo Music/Warner Music Nashville. The deal means Cody Johnson is now part of one of the biggest label groups in country music, but still retains a certain level of control under his long-standing, completely independent, and personally-owned record label Cojo Music.
Cojo has released all six of Cody Johnson’s previous records, including 2016’s Gotta Be Me, which debuted at #2 on the Billboard Country Albums chart and #11 overall with 23,000 copies sold in the first week. As of last count, the album has sold 44,000 copies, which clearly grabbed the attention of folks on Music Row. Johnson accomplished all of this without a traditional label, and very limited radio play outside of the Texas region. One single “With You I Am” did peak at #40 on the Billboard Country Airplay chart.
And that’s just the beginning of the accolades for Cody, clearly showing he has the commercial prowess to pay attention to. He also headlined the Houston Rodeo earlier this year in front of 60,000 people, putting him in line with entertainers such as Garth Brooks, Chris Stapleton, and Brad Paisley. Johnson sold more than 350,000 hard tickets in 2017, and has racked up over 300 million streams for his songs.
Cody Johnson started playing and singing country music when he was 12-years-old, and first formed the Cody Johnson Band with his father Carl. He worked as a corrections officer at a local prison while moonlighting as a performer until 2011 when he quit to pursue music full time. His 2014 album Cowboys Like Me also saw surprising chart success for an independent artist, coming in at #7 on the Billboard Country Albums chart.
Johnson is just the latest name from the Texas music scene to sign to a bigger deal. Cody Jinks recently signed to Rounder Records ahead of the release on his upcoming new album Lifers. Aaron Watson–who’s also defied the odds as an independent artist by landing a #1 record—recently singed with ADA Worldwide to make his own independent label into a full service record label.
No word yet on when to expect a new album from Cody Johnson.
June 19, 2018 @ 7:05 pm
Damn kinda surprised hope this isnt the end of one of the best country singers of our time! Never thought he would go Nashville kinda sad
June 19, 2018 @ 7:18 pm
Look at what happened if Willie never went to Nashville. Not saying this will save country music, but signing a big label doesn’t instantly mean selling out.
June 19, 2018 @ 7:48 pm
The most important thing to understand about this deal is that it’s a partnership with Cody Johnson’s personally-owned record label CoJo Music. I’m not privy to the specifics of the deal, but if Cody was planning to move to Nashville, totally change his identity and sound, a deal like this would not happen. Similar to Sturgill Simpson, since Cody Johnson has proved he doesn’t need a major label to have success, he can sign this deal from a position of strength. I won’t guarantee you Cody Johnson won’t “sell out,” but it seems to me that he is retaining his rights and creative freedom while adding the muscle of a major label behind him. Maybe it won’t work out. It hasn’t worked out for a lot of Texas guys that went to Nashville. But this appears to be a unique deal where both parties get what they want. Let’s be patient and see how this plays out, and not expect the worst. I think this news should be met with positivity.
June 20, 2018 @ 8:08 am
I find this unsurprising. Both lyrically and in overall tone, both Cody and Aaron’s last records sound like they want mainstream radio airtime. Going Outta Style is annoying at best. Most songs on Gotta Be Me are tailored to a younger audience who listens for catch phrases and grooves then lyrics that actually make you think or tell a story. Neither of them seem to have totally sold out yet, but both Vaquero and Gotta Be Me are watered down works looking for radio spins. I did not particularly enjoy either of them, but I wish them well as they try to break into the Nashville radio machine. Still better than Bryan/Aldean/FGL/Hunt and all that pop bullshit.
June 20, 2018 @ 8:32 am
I actually think Vaquero was less commercially viable and more artistically focused than The Underdog. It’s a borderline concept album IMO
June 20, 2018 @ 9:41 am
That is interesting. I enjoyed the Underdog even though at times it seemed more like a borderline gospel record. Vaquero has some very interesting tones, particularly with it’s south Texas/border flavored tracks. Big Love in a Small Town, Outta Style and These Old Boots Have Roots seem to have a laundry list lyrical setup and catchy (repetetive) chrouses that seemed more tailored to radio. I appreciate your take on it. Love this forum where folks can share opinions on music and get honest feedback.
June 19, 2018 @ 7:12 pm
Let’s hope he keeps making music in a “Texas kind of way”.
June 19, 2018 @ 8:01 pm
Worth mentioning, Cody’s 2018 HLSR performance was a last minute replacement for uber Nashville Old Dominion. HLSR has bent recently to Nashville and 16th Ave. was a bit of egg on their face to see one of their best acts of the season was actually a replacement.
June 19, 2018 @ 8:40 pm
That replacement show for Old Dominion was actually 2017. He sold so well then that they gave him his official night in 2018, and sold more tickets than the majority of the A list Nashville acts.
June 19, 2018 @ 11:35 pm
I stand corrected on dates. Same sentiment, just in year 2 of the HLSR learning curve.
June 19, 2018 @ 9:25 pm
this is great news so far! i honestly feel that Cody will keep it real under this new deal….and i think he will probably tell someone to go screw off if they try to get in his way of making the music he wants to make. big step in the right direction if it turns out well. hoping for the best over here! 👍
June 20, 2018 @ 12:33 am
Wow, this is absolutely awesome!!! And Aaron Watson too!!! Its about time!!!
June 20, 2018 @ 12:42 am
Warner bros is the devil of a record label. They’ve seem to start their artists out on an ok note but only get a more and more lack of creativity. I’m praying it either doesn’t work out or Cody stands his Texas ground.
June 20, 2018 @ 2:45 am
Awesome. He rules!
June 20, 2018 @ 5:28 am
The one artist from Texas i call ”sell out” is Granger Smith. I think Cody Johnson has a quality in his music , he is Aaron Watson #2.
June 20, 2018 @ 7:35 am
This is terrific news for Cody , for his fans and for REAL country music .
” Gotta Be Me ” was more solid top to bottom than pretty-much any record I’ve heard in a lotta years . The songwriting , as the starting point , is flawless , and FRESH ..and it ‘s riddled with the hallmarks of great country writing INCLUDING huge healthy doses of clever and smarts .And its all delivered by a guy who can sing it as well or better than anyone out there . Congrats to CJ THIS is the right direction for mainstream country music
June 21, 2018 @ 3:58 pm
I always forget to check this guy out. Hope this gives him a boost to his career without interfering too much in the creative process. I wouldn’t be surprised to see more artist do something like this so they can retain their music rights while still receiving some promotional value. I am curious on the terms of this partnership.