Paley Center Launches Nashville Songwriter Series — SkimNews
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- Paley Center for Media will launch 'Southern Rounds: Bringing Nashville to New York' on Sept. 24, partnering with Southern Rounds to replicate the songwriter gatherings that happen nightly in Nashville and have produced countless country hits.
- James Otto, Kevin MaC, and D. Vincent Williams headline the Sept. 24 kickoff — Otto is currently touring with the Mavericks following Raul Malo's death and co-wrote Jamey Johnson's 'In Color' and Jimmy Buffett's 'Somethin' 'Bout a Boat,' while Williams won the 2002 ACM Song of the Year for Rascal Flatts' 'I'm Movin' On,' and MaC is identified as a Shark Tank entrepreneur.
- The series runs through Feb. 18, 2027, with additional dates on Oct. 29, Nov. 11, Dec. 11, Jan. 28, 2027, and Feb. 18, 2027; tickets are on the Paley Center website with member presale live and public on-sale starting Sept. 4.
- Paley Center President and CEO Maureen J. Reidy framed the launch as a new chapter: 'From songwriter showcases, album drops, and listening parties to unforgettable live performances, Paley is the destination for music's most exciting artists and fans.'
- The Nashville program is part of a broader 2025–2026 music push at the Paley Center that also includes live events, showcases, album release events, and listening parties, building on its recent Latin Grammy 25th-anniversary exhibition featuring Celia Cruz, Gloria and Emilio Estefan, Carlos Santana, and Shakira.
Why it matters: The Paley Center — long known as a television and media archive — is explicitly repositioning itself as a live music venue, with six scheduled Nashville-style songwriter rounds through February 2027 giving New York audiences rare access to the collaborative process behind hits by Jamey Johnson, Jimmy Buffett, and Rascal Flatts. For songwriters like Otto, MaC, and Williams, the series opens a New York pipeline typically reserved for Nashville visitors.
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