Video game lovers across the nation will get a taste of Music City the latest edition of EA Sports College Football, which launches today.

Why it matters: More than 100 Nashville musicians came together to create the soundtrack for EA Sports College Football 27. They worked on college fight songs and marching band-style arrangements of pop hits.

• The project is one of several video game projects expanding the definition of Music City.

🎮 State of play: The College Football series has turned to Nashville for its music for a few years now, recording in local studios and venues that might host a country or Christian music project the following week.

• This year, the recording sessions took place at Belmont University's Fisher Center.

Zoom in: Saxophonist Ryan Middagh, the chair of jazz and global music at Vanderbilt University, has been part of the sessions for three consecutive installments of the College Football game.

• He recalled playing about 180 school fight songs during fast moving recording sessions. This year's soundtrack also includes pop hits like "Pink Pony Club" and "Since U Been Gone."
• Because of the large number of songs they have to get through, the musicians get only a couple of takes for each one, requiring constant precision and game-day energy.
• "There's not really a lot of time to think about it," Middagh tells Axios. "You're really just playing as hyped as you possibly can all the time."

By the numbers: Middagh says this year's sessions included about 18 musicians with ties to Vanderbilt's Blair School of Music. Some of his current students and co-workers were among them.

What he's saying: Seeing his students and Blair graduates with him on this project was "a nice glimpse into the future" for Middagh.

• "That's a little bit of almost passing the baton," Middagh says. "We're training our future peers."

The big picture: Nashville has quietly become a hub for video game soundtracks. Two nominees for last year's Grammy for best video game score recorded here with local musicians, Middagh says.

• "You never know what you're going to be getting into in a Nashville studio session," he says. "We're having kind of a moment on the video game front."

How to listen: The EA Sports College Football 27 "halftime" soundtrack is available on streaming platforms now.

Share this story

U.S. Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent and a slate of elected officials will attend a ceremony in East Tennessee today that celebrates renaming a bridge on Interstate 40 in honor of President Trump.

Why it matters: The newly named bridge is a local example of a broader effort by Republicans to honor Trump while he's still in office.

• The bridge on I-40 near Douglas Lake in Dandridge was renamed by the legislature last year.

State of play: In addition to Bessent, members of the Trump family, Sens. Marsha Blackburn and Bill Hagerty and state Rep. Jeremy Faison are expected to attend.

Flashback: Lawmakers kicked the tires last year on renaming the Nashville airport for Trump.

Share this story

📢 Nearly 175 people spoke Tuesday in favor of proposed data center regulations that are moving through the Metro Council. The meeting stretched past midnight. (Tennessean)

🏗️ Plans have emerged to put a 15-story tower on the spot that was formerly home to the West End Piggly Wiggly. (Nashville Business Journal)

🐘 NewsChannel5 announced plans to host a debate for the GOP candidates for governor, although the frontrunner U.S. Sen. Marsha Blackburn has not yet committed to participating. (NewsChannel5)

The Country Music Association announced yesterday that it has selected Belmont University official Brittany Schaffer to serve as its next CEO.

Why it matters: The CMA is one of the most powerful institutions on Music Row. The organization's leaders oversee Country Music Hall of Fame inductions, the CMA Awards and CMA Fest.

Zoom in: Schaffer has spent more than 15 years working in different facets of the industry, including stints at Spotify and in entertainment law. She currently serves as dean of Belmont University's Mike Curb College of Entertainment & Music Business.

• At Belmont, Schaffer has led the major expansion of the university's footprint on Music Row as well as the establishment of the Center for Mental Health in Entertainment.

What's next: Schaffer will replace the CMA's outgoing CEO, Sarah Trahern, who earlier this year announced plans to retire.

• Trahern will stay on as CEO through the end of 2026.

Share this story

Country music hitmaker Thomas Rhett joined the famous names at the Music City Walk of Fame yesterday.

By the numbers: Rhett is No. 113 to get a star at the Walk of Fame, which recognizes people who have played a role in advancing or preserving Nashville's musical heritage.

What's next: Rhett and Niall Horan will play a double-headliner show tonight at Geodis Park. Tickets are still available starting at $35.