Landmark Digital Agreement Proposed

In what is being touted as a major music industry breakthrough for the digital domain, Digital Media Association (DiMA), the National Music Publishers’ Association (NMPA) and the Recording Industry Association of America (RIAA), together with...

Studios Find Ways To Fight Slump

Studio heads and producers throughout Nashville echoed many of the same priorities and concerns when surveyed recently by Music Row. Pat McMakin, Director of Studio Operations for renowned Ocean Way Nashville, summed up the situation...

Industry News Tuesday (9/23/08)

Beginning today (9/23) iTunes is hosting a “Countdown To Kenny Chesney’s Lucky Old Sun,” offering one track from the new album every week leading up to release. “Nowhere To Go, Nowhere To Be” is up...

Songwriters Benefit for Gilda's Club at Bluebird Cafe

09/22/2008

Hit songwriters recently performed at the Bluebird Cafe to raise money for the Nashville Chapter of Gilda's Club.

(L-R) front: Chaz Sanford, Lorna Flowers, ASCAP's Mike Sistad, Kirsti Manna and Liz Rose. Back: Chris Wallin, Dave Berg, Deb Sandvik and Sandy Towers of Gilda's Club, and Rivers Rutherford. Photo: Kat Speer

New Digital Music Medium To Debut This Fall

Sarah Skates – 09/22/2008

The major music companies have joined with SanDisk to release product in the new slotMusic format. These compact memory cards—containing music in a DRM-free MP3 format—are geared mostly toward mobile phones, but can also be played on PCs, some portable MP3 players, and game consoles. SlotMusic cards will be available at retail, including Wal-Mart and Best Buy before Christmas, and possibly as soon as next month. Twenty-nine albums, mostly from pop artists, will make up the first set of releases.

Godard Promoted at Ole

Sarah Skates – 09/22/2008

Giles Godard

Ole has promoted Gilles Godard to Chief Creative Officer where he will oversee the company’s entire creative operation, including offices in Los Angeles, Nashville and Toronto. He will also continue to be an active songwriter on the ole roster. Additionally, Sean Mulligan has been promoted to General Manager, Los Angeles, adding the title to his existing responsibilities as Director US Film, TV & Media.

Godard, co-writer of the chart-topping Terri Clark hit “I Wanna Do It All,” and the Top 20 Patty Loveless hit “The Kind Of Mood I’m In,” was signed by ole as a songwriter in 2006. In October 2007, he took an executive position as Chief Creative Officer, Nashville, and played a major role in securing ole’s purchase of the prestigious 3300-song Jody Williams Music earlier this year.

Mulligan, an Ontario native, joined ole in 2005 as the company’s L.A. rep, before being promoted to Director, U.S Film & TV Media early in 2007.

Carrie Tour Rides Into Fall

Sarah Skates – 09/22/2008

Carrie Underwood’s Carnival Ride Tour has drawn 700,000 fans since launching earlier this year. The fall leg of the tour, sponsored by vitaminwater®, will begin tomorrow (9/23) in Cleveland, Ohio and feature special guest Little Big Town. With 51 more shows planned in the U.S. and Canada, she will have performed 137 live dates by year’s end. The outing stops by Nashville’s Sommet Center on Dec. 7.

Underwood’s hit album Carnival Ride was recently nominated for CMA Album of The Year, and she received a nod for Female Vocalist of The Year, which could lead to a three-year winning streak in that category. In May, she was inducted as the newest member of the Grand Ole Opry and named Top Female Vocalist at the 2008 Academy of Country Music Awards for the second consecutive time.

Montgomery Gentry Blossoms in Ohio

09/22/2008

Columbia Nashville’s Montgomery Gentry performed last Saturday night at the Blossom Music Center in Cleveland, OH, as part of Toby Keith’s Biggest & Baddest Tour. The duo is on the road in support of their brand new single, “Roll With Me,” which is already a Top 20 hit. The song is from their latest disc, Back When I Knew It All.

(L-R): WGAR PD Brian Jennings; Cliff Blake, Columbia Nashville’s NE Regional; Eddie Montgomery; WQMS PD Sue Wilson; Troy Gentry; and WQXK PD Dave Steele.

IBMA Preps For World of Bluegrass, Awards Show

Sarah Skates – 09/19/2008

Click for details.

With the Americana Conference coming to a close tomorrow (9/20), festivalgoers will have about a week to recover and prepare for the IBMA’s World of Bluegrass, opening Mon., Sept. 29. Included in the annual event is a business conference, Fan Fest, and the 19th Annual International Bluegrass Music Awards.

The Oct. 2 Awards at the Ryman Auditorium will be hosted by the legendary Del McCoury, who with his band has won the IBMA's Entertainer of the Year award an unprecedented nine times and is nominated again this year. Performances by this year's top nominees are scheduled, including Blue Highway, Dale Ann Bradley, Dailey & Vincent, The Del McCoury Band, Doyle Lawson & Quicksilver, The Grascals, The Infamous Stringdusters, Ricky Skaggs & Kentucky Thunder, The SteelDrivers, and The Steep Canyon Rangers.

Dailey & Vincent, in their first year as a duo, have ten award nominations. Blue Highway and Ricky Skaggs & Kentucky Thunder earned six nominations each. A highlight of the awards show will be the induction of this year's Hall of Fame honorees: Bill Clifton, a pioneering artist, songwriter and international ambassador for bluegrass music; and the late author and historian, Charles K. Wolfe. Awards tickets are on sale through Ticketmaster or the Ryman box office.

In conjunction with the World of Bluegrass, the Country Music Hall of Fame will present the Film Screening and Panel Discussion: Bill Monroe: Father of Bluegrass Music on Wed., Oct. 1, 1:30 PM at the Ford Theater. Panelists include Ranger Doug Green, McCoury and Skaggs, with host Larry Nager, writer and co-producer of the documentary. (Included with Museum admission. Free to Museum members and IBMA conference registrants with badges).

Charlie Louvin Releases New CD

09/19/2008

Country Music Hall of Fame member Charlie Louvin performed songs from his newly released gospel CD Steps to Heaven (Tompkins Square) on the Tuesday Night Grand Ole Opry (9/16). Guests on the album include the McCrary Sisters, who have worked with Bob Dylan, Isaac Hayes, and Aretha Franklin; and Derrick Lee from Bobby Jones and New Life. The McCrarys and Lee also joined Louvin at the Opry to perform songs from Steps to Heaven.