Lady A Headline The Ryman; Jimmy Wayne Webcast

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Lady Antebellum

Lady Antebellum

Lady Antebellum will perform their first headlining concert at the Ryman Auditorium on Thurs., March 11. Tickets will go on sale Jan. 15 at 10:00 a.m. CT.

“Playing the Ryman has been at the top of our list of goals since we first got together to write songs…and I mean, it’s a BIG one,” says Lady Antebellum’s Hillary Scott.

Lady A just released the second single from their new album, Need You Now coming Jan. 26. “American Honey” was the highest debut of the week on MusicRow’s Country Breakout chart, entering at No. 40.

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Keith @chickendoctor22 from Union City stopD by to give me some goggles;hand warmers & a root beer! People are so nic

@JimmyWayne tweeted this pic from the road: Keith @chickendoctor22 from Union City stopD by to give me some goggles;hand warmers & a root beer! People are so nic

Jimmy Wayne will conduct his first live webcast from the road during his 1660-mile walk for the homeless on Mon., Jan. 11 at 9:00 am CT.

The website for Wayne’s “Meet Me Halfway” walk from Nashville to Phoenix went live today. On the site, fans can track Wayne’s progress, view video and photo updates from the road, as well as donate to “Meet Me Halfway” to help homeless youth. The webcast on his new site will mark his first live broadcast since beginning his trek halfway across America on New Year’s Day. MusicRow also has a Jimmy Wayne MMH Twitter list whcih can be viewed at http://www.twitter.com/musicrow/jimmywayne-mmh

So far, the coldest temperatures the Southeast has seen in some 50 years have slowed Wayne’s progress, but the artist is still making good time, and at this moment (Friday afternoon) is outside Jackson, Tenn.

Swift Is Top Digital Seller In History

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taylor fearlessTaylor Swift has amassed over 24.3 million digital track sales to date, making her the top-selling digital artist ever, according Nielsen SoundScan.

As previously reported by MusicRow, Swift’s Fearless was the best selling album of both 2008 and 2009. It is quintuple Platinum and had sales last year in excess of 3.2 million copies. Taylor claimed the No. 1 and No. 2 positions on Nielsen’s BDS Top 10 Most Played Songs chart (all genres) of ’09, with “You Belong With Me” and “Love Story,” respectively.

Earlier this week she made a surprise appearance at CES in Las Vegas, where Sony Chairman & CEO Sir Howard Stringer introduced her as the newest Brand Ambassador for Sony Electronics. She will use Sony products in 2010 to share her “beautiful experiences” online and from her upcoming tour which picks back up next month in Australia. At the announcement Swift surprised onlookers with a performance of “Love Story” (see video below).

Swift’s next television performance will be on the 52nd Annual Grammy Awards, broadcast live Jan. 31 on CBS. She is nominated for eight Grammys, including Record of the Year, Album of the Year, and Song of the Year.

She makes her feature film acting debut in Garry Marshall’s Valentine’s Day, set for US release on Feb. 12. She will also be in an upcoming comic-book style biography from Bluewater Productions called Fame, and her line of American Greetings cards will hit stores in February.

Faith Hill Signs With Red Light

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faith_homeFaith Hill has joined Coran Capshaw’s Red Light Management roster, with the company’s New York office handling the superstar’s career. Red Light President Will Botwin will join Capshaw in managing Hill.

Hill and longtime manager Gary Borman parted ways last year. Similarly, Hill’s superstar husband, Tim McGraw also inked with Red Light early in 2009 after dissolving his long-term association with Scott Siman’s rpm Management.

Hill says, “[Red Light] is an extremely talented and dedicated group of people who bring the same passion to their work that I bring to my music.” The company’s resources include in-house marketing, promotion, licensing, touring, and new media.

Hill ended the decade with the distinction of being the only artist, in any musical genre, to have two of the Top 10 most played songs of the decade (according to Nielsen BDS): “Breathe” and “The Way You Love Me.” The five-time Grammy Award winner is working on her seventh studio album.

“I’m honored that Faith has given us the opportunity to open new doors in her very unique and diverse career,” said Capshaw, adding, “She is a one-of-a-kind artist, superbly talented, genuine, forward-thinking and with a strong sense of integrity.”

Capshaw founded Red Light Management in 1991 at the beginning of his role as the personal manager of Dave Matthews Band. The company has grown into one of the premier artist management companies in the industry. Sister company Starr Hill Presents promotes live music on a regional and national level, and together with its partners, produces large-scale music festivals nationwide including Bonnaroo Music and Arts Festival. Capshaw also started the fully independent ATO Records Group.

Red Light-affilliated mangers in Nashville include Greg Hill (Phil Vassar, Rodney Atkins, The Lost Trailers, Heidi Newfield, Jason Michael Carroll, Third Day) and Kerri Edwards, manager for Luke Bryan.

Wilson Set For Greatest Hits, Playoff Performance

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gretchen wilsonGretchen Wilson’s first Greatest Hits album will be out Jan. 19. It is being released by her former label Columbia Nashville and includes all her hits such as “Redneck Woman,” “Here For The Party” and “Homewrecker,” as well as the first commercial release of her live version of “Barracuda.”

Wilson’s new music, including latest single, “Work Hard, Play Harder,” is being released by her own Redneck Records.

Next Saturday (1/16) she will be in Indianapolis to perform a halftime set during the AFC Divisional Playoff game at Lucas Oil Stadium, when the Indianapolis Colts take on a yet-to-be determined opponent.

Industry News: Nashville At Sundance, Gospel Honors

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leann rimesASCAP is sending Nashville songwriters including LeAnn Rimes, Brendan Benson, Joey+Rory, k.s. Rhoads, and Sam & Ruby to the 2010 Sundance Film Festival, going on Jan. 21-31 in Park City, Utah. Events include the  Sundance ASCAP Music Café and the annual, invitation-only ASCAP Filmmaker & Composer Breakfast.

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BMI will honor gospel greats Donnie McClurkin and Andraé Crouch at its 11th Annual Trailblazers of Gospel Music Awards Luncheon, Jan. 15 at Rocketown. Held the day before the 25th Annual Stellar Awards, BMI’s invitation-only ceremony will welcome gospel music’s premier songwriters, recording artists and music industry executives, as well as the genre’s legends.

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More details about the Show Dog-Universal Music label will be unveiled Wed., Jan. 13 when Principle Toby Keith and President Mark Wright hold a press conference in Nashville.
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Moraine Music Group Canadian singer/songwriter Johnny Reid closed out 2009 as the Top Selling Canadian Artist on the Billboard Country Album chart, selling 300,000 units. Reid also swept the CCMA’s, winning six awards.

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Digital Music News reports producer Matt Serletic—known in Nashville most recently for his work with Gloriana—has been at CES in Las Vegas promoting his software company Music Mastermind. The game-like program is designed to make music-making easy regardless of musical background. DMN calls it “ProTools for the masses.”

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Longtime Napster CEO Chris Gorog and president Brad Duea are leaving the company; owner Best Buy says both positions are being eliminated. Christopher Allen, previously Napster’s COO, will move to  General Manager.

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SXSWeek 2010 will be March 12-21 in Austin. The first headliner announced is Cheap Trick. Other early conference topics include case studies on music from the film Twilight: New Moon, and examining how music makes it way into mass culture via the video game Rock Band.

Shelton Six-Pak Coming Soon

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blake shelton 2Blake Shelton is prepping for the March 2 release of Hillbilly Bone, a value-priced album of six new songs. He hasn’t put out a studio album since 2008’s Startin’ Fires and says this as a way to “give fans new music more often and at a lower price.” The first single is the title track, a comedic, sing-along duet with longtime friend Trace Adkins. The single and video for “Hillbilly Bone” is currently available from all digital service providers.

Also available exclusively on iTunes until Jan. 12 is Blake Shelton: The Essentials, a digital compilation of Shelton’s best-known tracks such as “Austin,” “Some Beach,” “Home,” “The Baby,” and “She Wouldn’t Be Gone.” After the 12th it will be available at other outlets too.

Shelton and his Warner Music Nashville labelmates Whitney Duncan, Gloriana, Jessica Harp, Jason Jones, and James Otto, are working with BAM Racing to offer NASCAR lovers a VIP Fan Experience, where they meet the recording artists and BAM’s NASCAR Sprint Cup Team. As part of the partnership, artists will have their own paint schemes on the cars, perform pre-race concerts and watch the race with fans from the pit box.

Nashville Scene: Paisley, Lambert, Swift, Johnson Top Critics’ Poll

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miranda

Miranda Lambert's "Revolution" was voted best album of 2009 by the Scene's critics' poll.

“The Mount Rushmore of country music’s future—Brad Paisley, Miranda Lambert, Taylor Swift and Jamey Johnson—tops the 2009 Country Music Critics’ Poll”

See the Critics’ top albums, commentary, chart vs. critic comparison and more. Read the story here.

Letter To The Editor Re: Urban At PC Awards

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Some members of the music community are riled up over Keith Urban’s acceptance speech for Favorite Male Artist at last night’s (1/6) People’s Choice Awards. On stage at the Nokia Theatre LA Live he thanked fans and said the most important thing to him is that people hear his music, even if they download it illegally.

Here’s one reader’s thoughts in an open letter to Music Row:

On Wednesday night (1/6), on the People’s Choice Awards, Keith Urban won the award for Favorite Male Artist. In his acceptance speech, he stated, “I don’t even care if you download it (my music) illegally, give it to your friends, I really don’t care.”

I think it is appalling for one our biggest and brightest stars to openly encourage people to break the law by downloading music illegally.

Urban and wife, Nicole Kidman, likely have millions of dollars. And, he probably won’t miss the royalties when people steal his music. However, I wonder what his label, Capitol Records Nashville, has to say about his statement? And what about his co-writers and other songwriters on Music Row whose talents he depends on to continue with his hugely successful career? Can they afford to work for free?

While other artists such as Madonna, Elton John, Eminem, Sheryl Crow, Jay Z, Lenny Kravitz and other superstars from all genres are speaking out for the rights of songwriters, Keith Urban, in one short statement, sent out a strong message to potentially millions of young listeners around the world – that music is free for the stealing. He “really don’t care.”

I manage and promote songwriters and their record labels who offer free legal downloads of their songs in major publications and on the web in efforts to help promote their careers. But that is their choice. They have given their permission.

Our community of songwriters – and the world music industry at large – have been devastated by the proliferation of illegal downloading and file-sharing. The last thing that we need is for one of our most popular artists to promote the practice.

I think Keith Urban should rethink his position and apologize for his statements – or start giving away tickets to his shows.

Music is owned by the creators – and they should get paid for it. It is not free. We all depend on it for our living.

Clif Doyal
Owner, Clif Doyal Agency, LLC
CDA Promotions-Nashville

Paisley Tour Opens Tonight With Lambert, Moore

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brad-paisley-ar10Reigning CMA and ACM Male Vocalist Brad Paisley will launch the final leg of his American Saturday Night Tour this weekend with shows in San Antonio, Oklahoma City and Wichita. Special guests for the 20 dates will be Miranda Lambert and Justin Moore.

miranda_lambert_13568On Saturday night (1/9), the Paisley show will open the new Intrust Bank Arena in Wichita in front of a sold-out crowd.

In the past 12 months Paisley’s tour has played to more than 1.2 million fans in over 75 markets, garnering 52 sold-out shows. The lucky one millionth ticket holder was given a 2009 Chevy Silverado by Paisley in Jacksonville, FL. Dierks Bentley and Jimmy Wayne joined him on the first leg of the outing.

justin moorePaisley’s current single, “American Saturday Night,” is No. 13 and climbing on MusicRow’s Country Breakout Chart and climbing. He is nominated for two Grammys at the upcoming awards on Jan. 31.

Steve Seskin Plans Songwriting Seminar

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Steve Seskin

Steve Seskin

The 6th annual Steve Seskin Songwriting Seminar will be held January 22 – 24, 2010 in Nashville, with hit writers Allen Shamblin and Gretchen Peters set to participate. There will be two days of lectures, workshops and discussions. Friday night Jan. 22 includes a Steve Seskin concert at Edgehill Studios Cafe. Workshops will follow on Saturday and Sunday at the Bluebird Café, the location of the Saturday night concert to benefit Alive Hospice featuring Steve, Chuck Jones, Jesse Terry and Jamie Floyd.

Seskin’s cuts include “Grown Men Don’t Cry,” recorded by Tim McGraw, and “Don’t Laugh at Me,” winner of NSAI Song of the Year and MusicRow Magazine Song of the Year, recorded by Mark Wills. Among his other hits are songs by Neal McCoy, John Michael Montgomery, Ricochet, Colin Raye, and Kenny Chesney.

For more information on the songwriting seminar which costs $345, check out Seskin’s website or contact Claudia Young at csyoung@comcast.net or 615-309-9449.