Record-breaking writer’s round brings 100 local songwriters to the big stage in Nashville
The halls of Brooklyn Bowl Nashville were filled with the sounds of original music and passionate collaboration last month, as 100 local songwriters entertained an enthusiastic audience to take the title for the largest attendance at a writer's round of all time.
Organized by Foster Entertainment LLC (USA), an incredible total of 309 attendees filled the seats at the iconic venue in Nashville, Tennessee, USA to celebrate the unique songwriting ecosystem within their city.
Writer’s rounds are a popular way of producing new music – particularly in Nashville – and feature multiple artists sharing the stage in an intimate setting where they trade-off live performances.
Typically, these shows involve two to five songwriters in each writer’s round – yet Max Foster, founder of Foster Entertainment, wanted to prove that the infrastructure supporting original music is valuable and can be successfully scaled.
So on 17 July, his company embarked on an audacious new acoustic endeavour: booking out the Brooklyn Bowl, increasing the number of musicians twenty-fold, and inviting the public to witness them make songwriting history!
As these aspiring musicians (dubbed “The Nashville 100”) filtered through a six-hour, incredibly diverse set – featuring country, Americana, folk, pop, rock, and soul music – Foster Entertainment’s attempt clearly demonstrated the versatility of the local music community.
By successfully showcasing 100 songwriters, the initiative also acted as a call to action – encouraging venues worldwide to prioritize and celebrate the creative ecosystem that brings new voices to the stage.
“The energy at Brooklyn Bowl was electric,” said Guinness World Records Adjudicator Susana Reyes, who witnessed the attempt. “What I found particularly extraordinary was the seamless transition between 100 different artists over six hours, all while maintaining the intimate, respectful atmosphere essential to a writer’s round.”
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Some of the local musicians featured on the bill included: Tanir Morrison, Mick Fury, Brielle Mabry, Dondi, AJ Raggs, Walker Burroughs, Lulu Tellado, Axel Calhoon, Hailey Dallas, Broadway Tre, and Fletcher Not William.
And throughout the 10 different writer’s rounds, the participants were able to share advice, their musical inspirations, and more about how their background influenced their songwriting.
The audience was thoroughly engaged with the entire performance, and many walked away with a new appreciation for the talent within their city.
Finally, after six hours of joyous music and teamwork, Guinness World Records had their time on the stage – as Susana revealed that they had officially taken the record.
“I am truly amazed by the local audience – the vibe in the room was incredibly joyful and genuinely eager to support new talent,” she added.
“It is inspiring to witness firsthand how this city pours such unwavering support into its music culture.”
Foster Entertainment was thrilled to accept the title, and they graciously gave a shout-out to their partners for helping them make music history: Live Nation, Custom House at Guitar Center, GFiber, Guitar Center Music Foundation, Nashville Nightlife, Brunjo Music Production Studio, and Jam Juice.
Max also expressed deep pride in the accomplishment, noting to GWR that this is merely the beginning of a movement to increase live audiences for new artists. For the Foster Entertainment team, seeing the community rally around these 100 performers validated their commitment to building sustainable career pathways – and looking forward, he is eager for other organizers to replicate this format.
He has also explicitly invited his peers across the industry to attempt to break this record, hoping to see the initiative thrive and grow for the greater good of the artist community.
So congratulations to The Nashville 100 and everyone who participated in this incredible event – you are all Officially Amazing!