Music Row veteran Jon Loba still gets excited for the CMA Awards, even after 20-plus years in the business.

What he's saying: "Every morning that I get up and drive towards the Row or drive towards the office in LA, I think how lucky I am to do this," Loba tells Axios. "CMA week is always the culmination of that."

• "It is the Oscars of the country industry."

Why it matters: This year's ceremony, which takes place tonight, is especially thrilling, as it serves as a sort of victory lap for BBR Music Group, the independent music label he oversees.

• Two of BBR's biggest stars, Lainey Wilson and Jelly Roll, are up for the top trophy of the night: entertainer of the year. Wilson won that award last year.

The big picture: Loba has become one of Music Row's top power brokers. He rose through the ranks of the industry to lead BBR, which is enjoying an incredible hot streak.

• Thanks to the success of artists like Jason Aldean, Wilson and Jelly Roll, Loba was promoted earlier this year to the head of the massive North America label division for BMG, which is the parent company of BBR Music Group. (BMG acquired BBR in 2017.)

Flashback: Earlier in his career, Loba helped build BBR into an independent powerhouse which competed with Music Row's major labels: Universal, Sony and Warner.

• He left the company for a few years to work for Big Machine, the label run by Scott Borchetta and formerly home to Taylor Swift. Loba returned to a top job at BBR in 2011.
• One of his trademark accomplishments was signing Aldean, one of the top selling country artists in the last two decades.

Between the lines: Loba attributes BBR's success to a history of bucking industry formulas and signing artists who pushed boundaries.

• Early in Aldean's career, Loba says, insiders dismissed him as too rock-oriented. But Aldean's sound ultimately dominated the genre.
• Wilson's stone-cold country made her an outlier among more pop-leaning female artists vying for country airplay. But she vaulted to stardom.
• Jelly Roll, whose music includes elements of hip-hop and R&B, has become a new country standard-bearer.

"When you look at icons in music, no matter the genre, they come from the fringes," Loba says. "And from our early days, we have learned how to tell the narrative and fight for those on the fringes, those with a strong identity."

The bottom line: Win or lose, Loba says, tonight will be celebratory. But the recognition means a lot.

• "If you're really in the music business, you sacrifice so much," he says. "You sacrifice free time, you sacrifice family time, and when you grab those trophies, there is some validation there that makes you go, 'OK, it was worth it.'"

How to watch: The awards air at 7pm on ABC.

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Hometown hero Alysha Clark is returning to Nashville to play in next year's Athletes Unlimited Pro Basketball tournament at Municipal Auditorium.

Why it matters: Clark played high school basketball at Mt. Juliet and collegiately at Middle Tennessee State and Belmont.

• Since then, she's become a fixture in the WNBA. During her 12-year career, she has played for three championship teams and won the league's Sixth Player of the Year award.

What she's saying: "I'm so excited to be playing back home in front of family and friends where it all started!" Clark said in a press release. "Tennessee has such a rich women's basketball culture and being part of AU in bringing a professional women's league that the fans deserve to experience is also really special."

Between the lines: AU Pro Basketball puts a creative spin on the sport, using a fantasy sports-style scoring system that creates a game within a game.

The intrigue: In addition to Clark, former Tennessee Lady Vols players Jordan Horston, Isabelle Harrison and Meighan Simmons are confirmed to play in the AU Pro Basketball tournament.

• Tickets are on sale now.

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✈️ Nashville International Airport is adding new flights to Orlando and Shreveport, Louisiana in 2025. (Tennessean)

🚨 The Community Review Board, Nashville's police watchdog group, reached a deal with the police department. Discussion leading up to the deal centered around the board's access to police videos and internal documents. (Nashville Banner)

⚖️ Memphis voters overwhelmingly approved city measures to restrict guns. But the Tennessee Firearms Association is suing, saying the measures violate state law. State lawmakers have expanded access to guns for several years. (WPLN)

Belmont University announced yesterday it had landed a $10 million donation that will support the construction of a new building in the center of campus.

Why it matters: Belmont's status as a fundraising powerhouse is unquestioned. The latest influx of money will continue the evolution of the university's ever-expanding campus.

State of play: Entrepreneur and Belmont trustee Cordia Harrington made the donation. In a statement, she said she wanted to help create a space where students from different disciplines could collaborate.

• "As an entrepreneur, I know that innovation happens when creative minds come together in inspiring spaces," she said.

Zoom in: The new four-story, 29,000-square-foot building will be dedicated to space for community building and student projects.

• There will be a performance venue and dining, as well as collaboration space for students who specialize in film, animation and recording.
• Construction will begin next spring.

Zoom out: Harrington, the founder and CEO of CROWN Bakeries, has previously donated to create student spaces at Belmont.

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