After finding great success from releasing six albums independently, Texas native Cody Johnson has decided to join forces with Warner Music Nashville. On June 19, it was announced that Johnson and his new major label had formed CoJo Music/Warner Music Nashville by combining his own independent label with the Music Row behemoth. This will still leave Johnson with a good amount of control while empowering him with a further reach and stronger backing for his music.
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As an independent artist, Johnson achieved milestones that many will never see without the help of a major label. When he released his 2016 record Gotta Be Me, it immediately jumped to No. 2 on the Billboard Country Albums chart. And last year, Johnson managed to sell an extraordinary amount of tickets to his show at the Houston Rodeo in NRG Stadium. He outsold every artist who played the rodeo in 2018, except for Garth Brooks, selling a whopping 74,177 tickets. He performed at RodeoHouston in 2017, as well, filling in at the last minute when Old Dominion had to cancel due to a death in the family.
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From humble beginnings in Sebastapol, Texas, Johnson worked as at a local prison and took part in amateur bull riding before gaining notoriety as a country artist. Now, he boasts about 300 million on-demand streams and a string of singles that have gained significant radio airplay in Texas. And soon, even more country music fans will know his work. There's no word yet as to when his first album under CoJo Music/Warner Music Nashville will be released, but it's probably safe to say it'll make a splash in the world of country music.
Johnson is currently on tour in support of Gotta Be Me with dates running through October 19th where he'll end up in Nashville playing Marathon Music Works.
