Country Blog Plans City Of Hope Benefit

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country-loveCountry music blog, CountryMusicIsLove has announced the inaugural CountryMusicIsLove Concert benefiting City of Hope, a leading research and treatment center for cancer, diabetes and other life-threatening diseases. The intimate, acoustic show featuring Johnny Bulford , Carter Twins, Whitney Duncan, Adam Gregory, Mallary Hope, Jason Jones, Jesse Lee, Caitlin Lynn, Gwen Sebastian, and Matt Stillwell will be held at The Rutledge in downtown Nashville on Tuesday, February 9 at 7:00 PM. Jon Anthony from Kenny Chesney’s No Shoes Radio will emcee the event. Tickets are $15 and 100% of the proceeds will benefit City of Hope. Click here for tickets and more information.

Lady A Album Sales Soaring

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lady a newHitsDailyDouble.com is reporting that, based on impressive initial sales figures, Lady Antebellum’s new release, Need You Now, is set to debut at No. 1 on their next album sales chart, with projected possible first-week sales of 375,000-400,000 copies.

The band, up for two awards at this Sunday’s Grammy telecast, made it onto Hits’ mainstream sales chart last year with their self-titled debut album, the first country act to do so since the Dixie Chicks in 2007.

Flatts, Strait, Reba, Wynonna And A Cheese Promo

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LNTKraftyLove And Theft And One Cheesy Kraft Promotion
America’s favorite cheese, Kraft Singles, is partnering with Disney ABC and Lyric Street artists Love And Theft to discover America’s “Single Best Town,” inviting people across the country to share the single best thing about their hometown. Kraft Singles is searching for the “one-of-a-kind features that make America’s towns special and uniquely American.” This spring, the winning town will enjoy a block party featuring Love And Theft, who will perform live and share the stage with ABC Soap Stars. From January 25 through February 28, fans can enter the “Single Best Town” contest at www.familyfun.com/best-town-contest by submitting a photo and short description of what they consider the single best thing about their town. Ten finalists will be selected and America’s vote will determine the “Single Best Town” in America.

“When we’re out on tour we get to see the best of America in every town we visit, so we’re really looking forward to jamming with the “Single Best Town” in America,” says Love and Theft’s Stephen Barker Liles.

Rascal Flatts To Honor Songwriters
Country supergroup Rascal Flatts will celebrate their decade of hits honoring the more than 75 songwriters who have contributed their creative talent to the band’s six studio albums. A ceremony will be held at the Musician’s Hall of Fame in Nashville next week to recognize the contributions of the songwriters who have contributed to Rascal Flatts’ hits. Among those to be honored include the 17 writers of Rascal Flatts 11 No. 1 singles, including Blair Daly, Marcus Hummon, Wendell Mobley, Jeffrey Steele, and Neil Thrasher.

George Strait and Reba Take Tulsa
Tickets to the upcoming George Strait/Reba concert at Tulsa’s Bank of Oklahoma Center sold out in less than an hour on Saturday. The February 20 concert, which will also feature Lee Ann Womack, represents the first time in the history of the Bank of Oklahoma (BOK) Center that over 18,000 tickets have been sold for one event.

“The demand for this show is phenomenal,” says John Bolton, General Manager of the BOK Center. “It has been as high as all the shows we’ve had in the past and it’s the most number of tickets sold since the venue opened.”

Wynonna And Wyclef To CBS Early Show
As part of CBS News’ coverage of Super Bowl activities, Wynonna will share the stage with Wyclef Jean at Lummus Park in Miami’s South Beach for a special edition of The Early Show, Saturday Edition. The live broadcast from The Early Show’s Super Bowl stage will be hosted by Chris Wragge and Erica Hill, with weather anchor Lonnie Quinn, and will feature a “special announcement” from Wynonna.

ACM Continues Fan-Voted New Artist Noms

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acm_logoThe Academy of Country Music (ACM) and Great American Country (GAC) announced today that for the second year, the three newcomer categories for the Academy of Country Music Awards — Top New Solo Vocalist, Top New Vocal Duo and Top New Vocal Group — will be determined through interactive fan voting at VoteACM.com. As previously announced, the Top New Solo Vocalist category will take the place of the Top New Male Vocalist and Top New Female Vocalist categories.

Fan voting for the three categories will begin at VoteACM.com on Friday, February 26, and will close on Friday, March 12. The winner in each category will be announced in mid-March and will move on to compete for Top New Artist. Voting for the Top New Artist category will begin at VoteACM.com on Thursday, April 1, and will close on April 18, with the winner being announced live during the 45th Annual Academy of Country Music Awards broadcast on the CBS Television Network.

As part of this partnership, GAC will air several stand-alone specials, including a show featuring all the nominees from each of the three categories, as well as a show featuring the three winners who will compete for overall Top New Artist.

Following is the list of this year’s final nominees in the Top New categories:

Top New Solo Vocalist
Luke Bryan, Jamey Johnson, Chris Young

Top New Vocal Duo
Bomshel, Joey + Rory, Steel Magnolia

Top New Vocal Group
Eli Young Band, Gloriana, The Lost Trailers

Professional members of the Academy of Country Music select the final nominees in the Top New Solo Vocalist, Top New Vocal Duo and Top New Vocal Group categories. Professional member votes will be combined with fan votes to obtain the winners of the Top New categories of the ACM Awards. The complete list of nominees for the Academy of Country Music Awards will be announced in February.

Apple Unveils iPad

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ipadTech-geeks and avid fans of Apple technology were delighted after Steve Jobs’ announcement today of Apple’s new iPad tablet computer. Similar to Apple’s popular iPhone device in touch capability, the iPad offers a 9.7 inch LCD screen, a half-inch thick body and weighs only 1.5 pounds. Models will be available with 16GB, 32GB and 64GB flash memory capacity.

The base-level wi-fi only models will be available in approximately two months and be available at the following price points: $499 (16GB), $599 (32GB) and $699 ($699). A 3G-enabled version of the iPad will be available a month later and for $130 more. 3G data plan rates will be $14.99/month for 250MB or $29.99/month for unlimited.

The iPad will be able to run many of the existing apps compatible with the iPhone, but will also feature device-specific applications such as a version of Apple Productivity suite iWork. Additionally, Apple’s announced the launch of iBooks, an electronic reading application and store that aims to compete with Amazon’s Kindle reader.

Lyric Street Signs Kevin Fowler

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LSRLyric Street Records has signed Texas Music stalwart Kevin Fowler to its artist roster. The label, along with Fowler’s management company, Triple 8 Management, celebrated the signing this past weekend in Waco, Texas prior to Fowler’s performance at The Heart of Texas Complex. A native of Amarillo, Texas, Fowler is already well known in his home territory for such songs as “Beer Season” and “Best Mistake I Ever Made.” His songwriting credits include Montgomery Gentry’s “Long Line Of Losers” and George Jones’ “Beer, Bait And Ammo.” With a well-established fanbase in the Southwest, Fowler has sold more than 325,000 albums, and, in 2009 alone, over 180,000 hard tickets as a headlining act. Fowler’s first music on Lyric Street Records is expected this Spring.

KevinFowlerwithL

Front row: Brian Hill (Paradigm Agency), Kelly Vermillion (Tripe 8 Management), Jenn Adams (Tripe 8 Management), Haley Elander (Tripe 8 Management), Larry Murray (Tripe 8 Management),
Middle row: Ashley Heron (Lyric Street Records), Sarah Blincoe (Tripe 8 Management), George Couri (Tripe 8 Management)
Back row: Kevin Herring (Lyric Street Records), Karen McGuire (Tripe 8 Management), John Ettinger (Lyric Street Records), Kevin Fowler, Doug Howard (Lyric Street Records), Dale Turner (Lyric Street Records), Chris Palmer (Lyric Street Records), Neda Tobin (Lyric Street Records), Cindy Heath (Lyric Street Records)

Dan Harr Benefit Set For February 2

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danA benefit for Dan Harr, owner of the online web portal, Music News Nashville, is scheduled for February 2 at Limelight, 201 Woodland Street in Nashville. The event kicks off at 6:30 PM and tickets are $15.00 at the door. The eclectic lineup includes Grand Ole Opry legend Charlie Louvin, recording artists Danielle Peck, Jeff Bates, Keni Thomas and Stephen Cochran, hit songwriters Gordon Kennedy, Tim Nichols, Chas Sandford, Gary Talley, Thom Shepherd and several others. There will also be a silent auction with autographed items from many top names in the music industry.

Harr, a tireless supporter of the Nashville music community, was diagnosed with rectal cancer in May, 2009. From June through August, he underwent chemotherapy and radiation treatments, and had his first surgery in October. He has just began his second round of chemotherapy which will continue for the next 16 weeks. For more information contact Clif Doyal at [email protected].

Taylor Swift Shatters Female Download Record

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tayBillboard reported today that Taylor Swift has broken Britney Spears’ 2008 record for best first-week download sales by a female artist with her current single, “Today Was a Fairytale.” The track sold 325,000 and is set to debut at No. 1 on Billboard’s Digital Songs chart and No. 2 on the Billboard Hot 100. Both charts will be released tomorrow morning (1/28).

“Fairytale,” from the upcoming film Valentine’s Day, in which Swift co-stars, gives her the best Hot 100 start of her career and equals her highest peak, established with “You Belong with Me” this past August. Unlike “Fairytale’s” quick ascent, “Belong” took 16 weeks to reach the runner-up position.

Swift claims her first No. 1 on Digital Songs, having previously peaked at No. 2 with a pair of tracks; “You’re Not Sorry” (November, 2008) and “Jump Then Fall” (November, 2009). The only higher sales frame posted by one of her titles occurred during Christmas week 2008 when “Love Story” moved 360,000 downloads.

Country Music Hall Of Fame For Free

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CMHOFFor the third consecutive year, The Country Music Hall of Fame® and Museum is partnering with Ford Motor Company Fund to offer free Museum admission on Saturday, January 30. In addition to touring the exhibit galleries, visitors will be able to enjoy two free Songwriter Sessions. The performances, which will take place in the Museum’s Ford Theater, will feature Tim Buppert and Jerry Vandiver at 11:30 AM and an artist TBD at 1:30 PM. The Museum will also offer its Musical Petting Zoo, which allows children a hands-on experience with a variety of musical instruments, at 3 PM in the SunTrust Community Room. The Museum will be open from 9:00 a.m. to 5:00 p.m.

Jim Graham, manager Ford Fund, stated, “Ford Motor Company and the Nashville Area Ford Dealers are pleased to again offer the opportunity to enjoy the Country Music Hall of Fame and Museum’s premier educational experiences. This day is part of a long standing commitment to preserving and enhancing Nashville’s important contribution to American history.”

Turnpike Staff Revealed; Republic Nashville Adds Blythe

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turnpikemusicNine North Records President Larry Pareigis has announced a new division of the virtual label/artist services company called Turnpike Music. The new division’s focus will be promotion and marketing of artists to secondary country radio.

“Establishing Turnpike will allow an entirely new level of highly targeted service to both new and existing clients moving forward,” says Pareigis. “This will fit hand-in-glove with what we’re already doing with mainstream Country radio at Nine North.”

Nine North staffers Greg Stevens ([email protected]) and Ryan Barnstead ([email protected]) will transition to National Director roles for Turnpike. Stevens will handle the West region and Barnstead has been stations in the East region. Both have been on staff with Nine North since its opening in 2007. “I’m excited about what the future will bring with Ryan and Greg superserving currently underserved indicator, activator and secondary stations with Turnpike,” Pareigis says.

Turnpike opens for business Monday, February 1. Announcements about the roster are forthcoming.

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Stacy Blythe headshot

Stacy Blythe

Republic Nashville has hired Stacy Blythe for the newly-created position of Southeast Promotion rep. She will be based in Nashville and report to Republic National Promo Dir. Bobby Young.

“Stacy’s passion, creativity and professionalism makes her the perfect addition to our amazing promotion staff,” says Young. “Hiring her is another great catch for Republic Nashville, and I’m confident it won’t take long for her to get up and running in the Southeast, becoming another key component of our organization!”

Blythe’s resume includes stops at 1720, Category 5, and most recently, Stoney Creek Records. She is a graduate of MTSU’s Recording Management program. Reach her at 615-887-9860 or [email protected].