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Following the resignation of long time Lyric Street/Carolwood Records Vice President Greg McCarn, label President Randy Goodman has announced he has no immediate plans to fill the position. The current marketing department staff comprised of Director of Marketing Heather Conley; Director of Publicity Cindy Heath; and Senior Manager of Marketing Ashley Heron, will oversee operations for the Sales, Marketing, Publicity, Creative and New Media functions for Lyric Street and Carolwood Records, reporting directly to Goodman.

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Brooke Boston has left her post as BBR Promotion Coordinator and Director of Secondary Promotion. She has been with the company for nearly two years working hit singles including Jason Aldean’s recent 4 week No. 1 “Big Green Tractor.” She is looking for her next opportunity in promotions and can be contacted at [email protected] or 214-558-7922.

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CMA will be offering a special discounted rate of $85 for Sterling Individual memberships at NSAI’s World’s Largest #1 Party on Mon., Sept. 21. At the industry-only event sponsored by NSAI, CMA and Avenue Bank, prospective CMA members will receive the discounted rate as well as a complimentary gift. The Sterling Individual membership’s benefits, including the right to vote in the 2010 CMA Awards, can be found here. For more information, contact Betsy Walker at [email protected].

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Grand Ole Opry VP/GM Pete Fisher is the subject of an in-depth interview by Larry LeBlac. Read it here.

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Former Senator Gordon Smith (Rep.-Oregon) has been named president and CEO of the National Association of Broadcasters (NAB).

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Don Passman’s book All You Need To Know About The Music Business, has been updated to a new 7th Edition due out Nov. 17. The latest version includes all the music biz basics like record deals, songwriting, merchandising, and touring, as well as addressing digital downloading, digital royalties, piracy, and “360” deals. Passman is a well-respected Los Angeles based music industry lawyer.

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The Harry Fox Agency, Inc. (HFA), a leading U.S. music rights licensing organization, was ranked #182 in the 2009 InformationWeek 500, an annual listing of the nation’s most innovative users of business technology. One of the only media and entertainment companies on the list, HFA was recognized for how it has created new products and services and increased the efficiency of its business processes, which enabled the creation of new revenue opportunities for the company.

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Recording Academy members can now access to a new Facebook group to get real-time information about the issues in Washington that affect music makers. Facebook users log in and request to join the group “GRAMMYs on the Hill.”

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After nearly 12 years at the label, Greg McCarn has resigned from Lyric Street/Carolwood Records to pursue new opportunities. McCarn was Vice President, Sales, Marketing, and Media at the labels and was a founding member of the team that started Lyric Street. He can be reached at 615-243-1276 or [email protected]. “I’m looking forward to my next opportunity,” McCarn said this afternoon. “It’s been a great 12 years working with Randy Goodman and the Lyric team.”

It is not known at this time if McCarn’s position will be filled.

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Capitol Records Nashville has promoted Alisa Bowman and hired Allison Hardy. Bowman is raised form Coordinator to Manager of Promotion and will remain based in Nashville. She will continue to report directly to Sr. VP Promotion, Steve Hodges.

Hardy joins as Promotion and Marketing Analyst where she will analyze and research radio charts, SoundScan and digital trending, as well as focus on social networking for Capitol Nashville artists. Hardy will dual report to Hodges and Sr. Director Interactive Marketing & Development Dawn Gates. The Birmingham, AL native interned at the label for two semesters and has been working part-time in New Media since she graduated from Belmont University in May.

Producer Gail Davies and AristoMedia Group President Jeff Walker have been honored as 2009 International Country Music Ambassadors by the Spain-based non-profit organization, International Country Music Day.

Andoni Urkiaga, Coordinator of ICMDAY commented, “These awards honor not only a model career in international country music but also a visionary way of promoting country music, opening new markets, setting new paths and predicting future tendencies for the rest of the industry. Everyone would have to stop and listen to what these people have to say about international country music.”

Interviews with the winners will be published later this week on www.icmday.org. International Country Music day is held on Sept. 17 every year to commemorate the birth of Hank Williams.

Davies career has included success as an artist, songwriter and producer. She was notified of her honor while on tour in Sweden. A grammy-nominated artist, her Top 10 singles include “Grandma’s Song” and “Someone is Looking For Someone Like You.”  Davies’ newest CD, The Songwriter Sessions, is a two-CD set featuring 45 of her original compositions.

Walker, has been a long-time supporter of growing country music globally. He was previously honored by the Canadian Country Music Association with its Leonard T. Rambeaux Award for International Achievement in 1998. Walker was also part of the CCMA TV committee which just received a 60% ratings boost on its live Awards show last week.

Emerson Drive band members returned home to Canada for the recent Canadian Country Music Awards and planned a big charity event to coincide with the trip. The two-day fundraiser in lead singer Brad Mates’ hometown of Grande Prairie, AB included a charity concert and celebrity golf tournament.

Proceeds from the concert go to the Grande Prairie Regional College, while the Brad Mates/E-Drive Celebrity Golf Tournament benefits the Parkinson’s Disease Research Program at the University of Alberta Hospital. The golf tourney, now in its third year, has raised over $165,000 for Parkinson’s research, so the band is well on its way to reaching the $500,000 goal.

Emerson Drive’s newest single, “I Love This Road,” just entered the Top 10 in Canada. Mates co-wrote the song with Tommy James. For the first time, the band produced its own music video. Fiddle player David Pichette edited hours of footage from the band’s life on the road along with some performance footage. It has been airing on CMT Canada and is available for fans outside of Canada to see on Emerson Drive’s Web site, and You Tube channel.