Luke Bryan Teams With Eventful For Album Release

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eventfulCapitol Records Nashville artist Luke Bryan is teaming up with live music website Eventful to give fans across the nation the chance to bring his album release show to their city. Bryan’s sophomore album, Doin’ My Thing, is scheduled for release on October 6. The singer/songwriter will utilize Eventful Demand, which enables fans to influence where their favorite artists perform by creating grass-roots campaigns to “Demand” the artists to come to their town, and no one knows the destination of the show but the fans. Bryan will set his sights on whichever city rallies and delivers the most “Demands” by the end of the competition. Launched today (5/4), the Demand competition will continue through 4:00 CT on July 10. Fans can join the competition and Demand a performance from Luke Bryan by clicking here.

“I have the greatest fans in the world,” said Bryan. “So working with Eventful makes sense because it’s a great opportunity to give a little back to the fans and give them the chance to be an active part of my album release.”

ole Launches State-of-the-Art Database

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oleole, Canada’s largest independent music publisher has announced the launch of musicnow, the company’s new state-of-the-art song search database. Debuting today (5/4), on the ole website at www.olemm.com, musicnow is a user-friendly e-tool for artists, producers, music supervisors, film directors and video game producers who need to locate and instantly license music from the ole catalog. musicnow is a powerful search engine using multiple criteria to search for music, including genre, tempo, era and style. Users can request a quote directly from their handheld or contact ole’s administration department directly, with the goal of same-day clearance turnaround. musicnow provides access to ole’s 40,000-plus songs, including hits like Taylor Swift’s “White Horse,” Alannah Myles’ “Black Velvet,” Lone Star’s “I’m Already There” and Kelly Clarkson’s “Miss Independent.”

“You can stream audio directly from the site, even without being a registered user,” said ole Senior Creative Manager Elizabeth Spear. “We’re tagging criteria to all of the songs so that people can find what they’re looking for by lyrical theme, genre style, mood, tempo – pretty much anything.”

One of the musicnow’s “smart” functions is the ability to find a song in a similar style. “If you search for a song by Dream Warriors you’ll get that selection and will also find songs that “sound like” or are similar to that song.”

With offices in Toronto, Nashville and Los Angeles, ole is one of the world’s largest independent, full-service music publishers.

Taylor Swift’s Mother’s Day Two-Fer

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taylorMother’s Day is coming this Sunday (5/10), and, not surprisingly, Taylor Swift is ready. Swift is offering fans a special self-produced music video for her song “The Best Day” from her No. 1 album Fearless and the chance to send a personal e-card to their own mother. Fans can visit a custom landing page to see a special video message from Taylor and view the new video, which Swift compiled as a surprise for her mom using old home movies from her childhood. The video for “The Best Day” is being cross-promoted via radio station websites, social networks, and major music portals.

Meanwhile, CMT is stepping up to offer fans a “Taylor Two-Fer.” The network will air the videos for “You Belong With Me” and “The Best Day” back-to-back in a never-before-implemented “Turbo Hot Shot Rotation.” The two videos will air consecutively every 75 minutes during CMT’s video programming blocks as well as within this week’s CMT Top 20 Countdown. CMT.com will prominently feature the clips back-to-back, while the CMT Radio live syndicated show will air the songs in the same way. CMT Mobile will also spotlight the clips, and a special CMT mobile sweepstakes kicks off this week in conjunction with the campaign. CMT will give away a trip for two to catch Swift perform live at Madison Square Garden in New York this fall. Beginning Tuesday, iTunes will feature the two video clips for sale on a custom ‘double feature’ landing page. CMT and iTunes are fine-tuning cross-promotional opportunities for the campaign this week that will have both partners pointing to each other—CMT driving video purchases to iTunes, and iTunes driving video views on CMT.

“The Best Day” clip will also begin airing Monday on GAC in a Power rotation. “You Belong With Me” will world premiere Monday on CMT, with GAC airing the clip beginning Wednesday. GAC will also exclusively air Taylor Swift On The Set: You Belong With Me, a 30-minute making-of-the-video special, later this month. To watch Taylor’s “The Best Day” video, click here.

Carla Williams

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“Every Word You’re Thinking”

Lofton Creek

cwilliams-playlistHer throaty delivery handles this sophisticated melody with aplomb. The piano and synth accompaniment is fairly pop, but the vocal keeps it down to earth.
—Robert K. Oermann, MusicRow

Born and raised in the Heart of Dixie, Carla Williams has long had a passion for singing and performing. The Mobile, Alabama native recently signed with Mike Borchetta’s Lofton Creek Records and the label is releasing her debut single “Every Word You’re Thinking.”

In 2007 Williams decided to pursue her dreams of singing and found songwriter and award-winning filmmaker, Milton Brown via Myspace. After meeting with Brown, the two realized that this dream could very well happen. Brown introduced Williams to legendary songwriter, producer and composer Steve Dorff, who co-produced Williams’ debut album I’m Home with Brown.

Williams’ journey is just beginning, but she is enjoying every second of the road to fulfilling her dream. “It was all about someone in the industry believing in me and taking that leap of faith and encouraging me to believe that my dreams were just as important as the big stars in Nashville,” says Williams.

http://www.carlawilliamsmusic.com/

James Otto

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“Since You Brought It Up”

Warner Bros.

jotto-playlist2Standing an easy 6’5” tall with a frame more akin to an NFL lineman than an entertainer, James Otto’s mere presence is enough to garner your attention. And his voice? Maybe bigger. John Rich of the country duo Big & Rich often introduces Otto as “The Biggest Voice in Country Music,” a claim few refute upon hearing him sing.

“As long as I can possibly remember I have been obsessed with music,” Otto says. “Listening to it on the radio, getting into my mom’s record collection—my tastes have changed, but music has been there my whole life.” Otto was raised all over the country, from Washington State, to his grandparents’ farm in North Dakota, and in rural Alabama. Otto didn’t just listen to music, he made it. “I got a record player with a mic on it when I was three or four, and I’ve been singing ever since,” he recalls.

Otto’s No. 1 hit “Just Got Started Lovin’ You” put the gentle giant on the map and earned him a spot on the Country Radio Broadcaster’s New Faces show. The song was also nominated for CMT’s Breakthrough Video of the Year. Another recent triumph was winning his first ACM award—Song of the Year, with co-writers Jamey Johnson and Thomas Lee Miller for the song, “In Color.”

James Otto’s new single, “Since You Brought It Up,” from his upcoming CD, shipped to radio on April 24 and will go for adds May 18th.

http://www.twitter.com/jamesotto
http://www.jamesotto.net

Aldean Sets 4th Annual “Concert for the Cure”

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jasonBroken Bow’s Jason Aldean will once again host his annual Jason Aldean: Concert For The Cure during CMA Music Festival at the Wildhorse Saloon to benefit Susan G. Komen For The Cure. Following his evening performance on the big stage at LP Field, Aldean will invite a few special guests to join him for a late night concert that will also feature a silent auction with items from some of country music’s biggest stars. Fellow Georgia native Luke Bryan is the first guest performer to be added to the lineup. Breast cancer touched Aldean personally when a close family friend passed away from the disease at only 26 years old. Since that tragic loss, the “She’s Country” singer has been committed to lending his celebrity in the search for a cure.

“I know a lot of fans heard my friend Melissa’s story in the album special that GAC did,” says Aldean. “That two-minute clip barely touched on how passionate I feel about this. I promise to make it the most rocking late night gig in downtown Nashville that night, and I hope people will come out to support this cause and help me remember Melissa.”

Tickets range from $25 to $100 and are available to fan club members this week and to the public beginning May 2 through www.jasonaldean.com and TicketMaster. A limited number of VIP Packages including tickets in the exclusive VIP lounge and meet & greet passes will also be available. More information can be found here.

Reba Gets Hip to Twitter

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reba_02_webReba’s highly anticipated and as yet untitled debut album for the Valory Music Company is due to hit the streets on August 18, and the project is already generating a serious buzz four months out from its release date. In an interview with USA Today’s Brian Mansfield, Reba credits her time hanging out with tour mate Kelly Clarkson with influencing her approach to song selection for the new album, the production of which was split between her longtime producer Tony Brown and Mark Bright (Carrie Underwood, Rascal Flatts).

“I think that my song selections are a little more hip,” the singer told USA Today. “I know they’re more uptempo. They’re funky, they’re sassy, they’ve got attitude. Tony did the country swing, the more bluegrass song, and the funkabilly “I Want a Cowboy.” Mark did the more contemporary songs that I think are stupendous.” The album also includes “Keep On Loving You,” a song co-written by Brooks & Dunn’s Ronnie Dunn.

If her songs are getting hipper, so are her social networking skills. That’s right folks, Reba is now officially on Twitter. (@reba) While her Twitter following hasn’t yet approached that of Ashton Kutcher, Reba is indeed sending out the occasional Tweet and it shouldn’t be long before she’s being re-tweeted all over the place. For more information visit  www.reba.com.

Due West

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“I Get That All The Time”

Bigger Than Me/Nine North

duewest-playlistWith an independent spirit as great as the American frontier, Due West is staking its claim to Nashville fame with first single “I Get That All The Time.” Tim Gates, Brad Hull and Matt Lopez comprise the energetic young band based on tight harmony, sincere songwriting and perhaps most of all, the kind of friendship legends are made of.

Matt Lopez and Brad Hull knew one another from living in Arizona and, after moving to Nashville, encountered Tim Gates at a house party. They were taken with his guitar playing, singing, and repertoire: old Shenandoah, Mark Chesnutt, McBride & The Ride, and Keith Whitley. As Lopez and Hull jumped in on harmonies, the trio made an instant connection that night.

While friendship may be the glue that holds Due West together, their music that moves them forward. All three are accomplished songwriters who have cuts by Lady Antebellum, Bucky Covington, and the Gaither Brothers. With a wealth of songs in their own catalogs, let alone the gems from outside writers, Due West’s debut album (produced by Jason Deere) is full of songs written from the heart.

Real issues jump to life in “I Get That All The Time,” a celebration of the highs to be had from everyday family life. “Whether we’re a parent, a child, or an adult looking back on our lives growing up, there’s just something to be said about walking in the front door of your home and feeling the weight of the day whisked away by the chaotic familiarity and peacefulness of family,” says Lopez.

http://duewest.com/

Oklahoma Gets Britain’s Academy of Contemporary Music

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acmucoThe Academy of Contemporary Music, a UK-based music school, is set to create what it describes as “a new model for music education” as it opens it first U.S. campus at the University of Central Oklahoma in 2009. The new school, known as the ACM@UCO, will provide unique educational opportunities and targeted, innovative classes for U.S. students who aspire to a career in the music industry. The school will open in The Oklahoma Hardware building, on Flaming Lips Alley in the heart of Oklahoma City’s vibrant Bricktown area. Founded in 1995 in the U.K., the school has established a new paradigm for contemporary music education and, in the last year alone, has won a Queens Award for Innovation in Education and has seen recent graduates Newton Faulkner and Amelle Berrabah (Sugababes) release No. 1 albums in the U.K. Scott Booker, manager of Oklahoma-based rock band The Flaming Lips and CEO of the ACM@UCO, saw a need for the school in the U.S.

“This is a music school that gets it,” Booker said. “The music industry is a multi-million dollar business and there’s no reason why there shouldn’t be training for it. We need to open that door.”

Connecting students directly to today’s music industry, ACM@UCO’s staff of teachers will include acclaimed performing artists and award-winning music professionals. Confirmed to offer master classes during the Academy’s first year are Lilly Allen, producer and member of The Bird and the Bee, Greg Kurstin, and Warner Bros. Records General Manager and EVP of Warner Bros. Promotions Tom Biery, as well as The Flaming Lips, with additional classes and teachers to be announced later.

ACM@UCO is currently accepting applications for the fall semester with a final application deadline of June 1, 2009. For more information, click here.