WMBA Presents Annual Awards
The Women’s Music Business Association (WMBA) recently celebrated their 2009 Annual Cocktail Reception and Awards Ceremony at Nashville’s Limelight. Awards were presented to the following WMBA members: Wonder Woman of the Year — Loretta Martin; Miss Congeniality — Sheree Spoltore. Additional award recipients were: Melissa Bollea, Leslie Mitchell, Tarryn Smith, Holly Hefner Nance, Whitney Sutton, and Heather Hubbard. In addition, a special induction of WMBA’s inaugural Alumni Group was announced at the celebration. Inducted into 2009/2010 Alumni are: Melissa Fuller, Dana Kelley, Jessica Porfirio, Amanda Thompson, Sara Pociask, Malia Axsom, and new Alumni Chairman, Jennifer Witherell. For more info on WMBA, click here.
Back Row (l-r) Leslie Mitchell, Cindy Collins, Brandi Simms; Middle Row (l- r) Penny Dionne, Heather Hubbard, Melissa Bollea, Loretta Martin, Sheree Spoltore & Kasey Cleckler; Front Row (l-r) Holly Ashby, Betsy Walker, Kama Upton
Tenacity Records artist Mark Wills is donating a portion of every sale of his next album, 2nd Time Around (in stores June 16th) to benefit military families through USA Cares, a nonprofit organization that helps post-9/11 military families bear the burdens of service with financial and advocacy support. Wills has also created a free USA Cares music sampler at www.markwills.com. Fans can visit the website to receive three free music downloads and a Mark Wills interview with Dennis Miller talking about their work with USA Cares. In addition to proceeds from the sale of the album, Wills has put a USA Cares insert inside the CD case that tells the buyer about the organization and asks them to use their cell phone to text the word “TROOPS” to 90999 which will trigger a onetime charge to their cell phone bill of $5, which will go directly to USA Cares. “The idea of allowing my fans to help make a difference in a Veteran’s life by simply picking up their cell phone is not only cutting edge technology, it is a way that we as Americans can make our voices heard,” Wills said. “So I am going to remind my fans, in audiences and one at a time, to pull out their cell phone and let’s make a difference together.” For more information on USA Cares, click 
Guitar maker Gibson Acoustic has joined Nashville musical instrument retailer Corner Music and the 12th South District Merchants of Tennessee for the 1st Annual Benefit for the Second Harvest Food Bank of Middle Tennessee on Saturday, June 6 beginning at 12 noon. The benefit will include a day of performances on the outdoor stage, food and special sales to benefit Second Harvest. Vendors will be set up in the parking lot of Corner Music and Forks Drum Closet located at 2705 12th Avenue South. In addition, Gibson Acoustic’s Product Specialist will be on hand throughout the day where an exhibit of the world’s greatest acoustic guitars from the Gibson Montana Custom Shop will be on display. Music enthusiasts can receive free advice and information on their guitar. The event is open to the public and attendees are asked to bring a donation of canned goods or non-perishable food items to benefit the Second Harvest Food Bank. Second Harvest’s mission is to feed hungry people of the community and work to solve the overall hunger issues facing many families today. For more information on the Second Harvest Food Bank click 
For the second year, CMT One Country, CMT’s pro-social initiative, will reward winners of the 2009 CMT Music Awards by making donations on their behalf to their selected charities. In addition to honoring winners, CMT One Country is partnering with Rhapsody to make donations on behalf of all nominees. From now until Sunday, June 21, the proceeds from the purchase of any nominated song from Rhapsody.com will go to benefit that artist’s specified charity. CMT One Country was launched in 2005 to inspire CMT viewers to take action and bring about important change in their communities. After the 2008 CMT Music Awards, CMT One Country donated $70,000 on behalf of winners to their selected charities. An alphabetical list of nominated artists and the charities who would receive their donation is below:
On June 1, TuneCore will launch a new relationship with Amazon.com. Added to its current offering of international digital distribution via Amazon MP3, TuneCore has announced a new service that provides on-demand global physical distribution via CreateSpace; expanded marketing exclusive to TuneCore Artists; and a TuneCore-branded section of Amazon.com. With no upfront manufacturing costs, TuneCore artists can set their own sale price and distribute their physical CDs worldwide on Amazon.com. Their CDs will be manufactured on demand by CreateSpace, part of the Amazon group of companies. When a release is ordered at Amazon.com, CreateSpace manufactures the CD complete with a CD booklet, tray card and jewel box on demand. Each title is shipped and fulfilled just like any other Amazon.com order and is eligible for expedited shipping options.
Nashville’s Centennial Park will come alive with the sound of the blues on Memorial Day (5/25), with the arrival of the Blues Spring Festival. The free show will feature blues legend Bobby “Blue” Bland in the headlining slot. Bland — a member of the Blues Hall of Fame, the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame and a Grammy Lifetime Achievement Award recipient — is indisputably one of the finest blues interpreters to ever to grace the genre. He’ll be joined by a stellar cast of blues artists including Nashville’s “Queen of Blues” Marion James, local bluesman Stacy Mitchart, James Nixon, Miranda Louise, Johnny Jones, Queen Ann Hines and Michael Holloway.
