Ryan Hurd Signs With The Core Entertainment For Management

Singer-songwriter Ryan Hurd has signed with The Core Entertainment for management. The singer-songwriter will be managed by The Core Entertainment co-founders/CEOs Chief Zaruk and Simon Tikhman, as well as Brittani Johnson.

The new management deal comes as Hurd gears up to release his sophomore album, the dozen-song Midwest Rock & Roll, on March 21 via Big Machine Records. The album features his new single, “Die For It,” which Hurd wrote with Mark Holman and Randy Montana. The project will also include previously-released songs “Go To Bed Sober” (featuring Sasha Alex Sloan) and “This Party Sucks.”

During his career, Hurd has enjoyed Billboard Country Airplay-charting songs including “To a T” and “Every Other Memory,’ as well as the Maren Morris collaboration “Chasing After You,” which reached No. 23 on the Billboard Hot 100 and No. 2 on the Country Airplay chart in 2021. The 2022 ASCAP country award winner has also co-written hits for other artists, including Diplo’s “Heartless,” Luke Bryan’s “Waves,” Lady A’s “What If I Never Get Over You” and Jordan Davis’s “What My World Spins Around.” Hurd has also earned two Grammy nominations, including best country song (for his writing work on Morris’s “Circles Around This Town”) and best country duo/group performance (for “Chasing After You”).

Hurd told Billboard in a statement, “I am really excited about this new chapter of making music with everyone at The Core. I feel like this is a special team and I can sense how deeply they care about this album and the music I want to create in the future.”

“Ryan’s ability to seamlessly blend country storytelling with rock influences makes him a unique and powerful voice in today’s music landscape,” said Zaruk and Tikhman. “His knack for crafting compelling music that resonates across genres is something we’re incredibly excited to support as he enters this next era.”

Founded in 2019, The Core Entertainment focuses on talent development, management and record label services. The company’s roster also includes Nate Smith (“World on Fire,” “Whiskey on You”), Bailey Zimmerman (“Rock and A Hard Place,” “Where It Ends”), and Josh Ross (“Ain’t Doin’ Jack”). In 2023, the firm launched a producer management division.