Buxton’s Busy Release Week

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With just days to go before the release of her self-titled debut CD, Lyric Street’s Sarah Buxton is making some sales history. The album’s leadoff single, “Outside My Window,” inspired more than 12,000 paid downloads this week, and the singer can now lay claim to the biggest opening digital single sales from a debut album for any female country artist in the history of Nielsen Soundscan.

Looking ahead to her album’s release, Buxton has a busy week in store. After opening dates in Buffalo, NY (2/19), Baltimore, MD (2/20) and Columbus, OH (2/21) for Martina McBride and Trace Adkins on the Shine All Night Tour, the singer will return to Nashville to for a full-band CD release show at The Rutledge on February 23.

Before the show, Buxton will present an intimate behind-the-scenes look at her debut CD with Premiere: Sarah Buxton on GAC. The 30-minute special, which premiers on the network this Saturday (2/20) at 8 PM CT, showcases Buxton’s music through acoustic performances of several selections from her upcoming album, including “Stupid Boy,” “Space” and “Big Blue Sky.”

In addition, Country Weekly, People Country and Nashville Lifestyles will profile Buxton, while The Tennessean, Kansas City Star and Lawrence Journal World will all feature interviews with the singer.

Buxton will round out the week with additional dates on the Shine All Night Tour, traveling to Ft. Wayne, IN (2/25); Cleveland, OH (2/26); Pittsburgh, PA (2/27) and Cincinnati, OH (2/28).

TuneCore Bringing Rintones To The Masses

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Starting today (2/19), TuneCore.com, which distributes music to iTunes, eMusic, Rhapsody and many other major download and streaming sites, will help musicians get heard in even more places by distributing artists’ pre-cut ringtones to the iTunes iPhone ringtone store. Any existing or new TuneCore artist will now have the opportunity to hear their music ringing from iPhones all over the world. As always, TuneCore will take no revenue from the sale of the music.

TuneCore customers can edit their own music into .wav clips of 5-30 seconds for TuneCore distribution to the iTunes iPhone ringtone store, available from the home screen of any iPhone running iTunes 9 or later. An artist will only need to upload a ringtone once for TuneCore to distribute it to iPhone iTunes ringtone stores in the US, Canada, Japan, EU, Australia, New Zealand, Mexico and the UK. TuneCore will also be adding additional ringtone stores, which can use the same ringtone upload.

To help create ringtones, TuneCore customers will be able to access a free download of PreSonus Studio One – a leading home recording software application – for 30-day trial, with easy step-by-step instructions for creating and exporting ringtones.

Bright Future For The House Foundation

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Katie Bright

Nashville’s WSIX has hired personality Katie Bright to become the newest member of The House Foundation, beginning April 1. Bright was most recently morning co-host (with George House) on Marconi Award winner and MusicRow Reporter WAXX/Eau Claire, Wisconsin. During her last 18 months with WAXX, she was based in Nashville. Bright is the first addition to the team since newsman Al Voecks and sportscaster Duncan Stewart departed in December.

“Katie brings a totally new perspective to the show,” says WSIX PD Keith Kaufman. “It will be intriguing. I’m very excited about what the future has in store. This ought to be fun.”

“Joining WSIX and The House Foundation is a dream come true for me,” says Bright. ” I’ve been following Gerry’s show for years and have always wondered what it would sound like to have a chick on the show…now, I’m the chick! It’ll be a blast to join the Boys’ Club at WSIX. I can’t wait to get there…until then you can find me on top of Love Circle jumping for joy!”

“Katie is engaging, attractive, and funny,” adds Gerry House. “As far as I can recall, none of those things have been a part of this show before. Listeners will be thrilled.”

Listeners can hear The House Foundation 6-10 am weekday mornings in Nashville or online at www.wsix.com.

ACM Award Noms Set For CBS’ Early Show

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Reba McEntire and Blake Shelton will announce the nominees for the 45th Annual Academy of Country Music Awards live from CBS’ The Early Show on March 2 at 7:30 AM CT.

The on-air announcement festivities will also include an interview with McEntire by show host Maggie Rodriguez and a live performance from Shelton.

Rucker Hits The Hard Rock

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CMA Best New Artist Darius Rucker will perform at Hard Rock Cafe Nashville on Wednesday, March 3 at 8 PM as part of Hard Rock’s two-day, multi-city March On Stage launch. The event marks the beginning of Hard Rock’s March On Stage, live music event series, featuring performances by “high-caliber, iconic and emerging artists” and benefiting Musicians on Call, an organization founded with the mission of bringing live and recorded music to the bedsides of patients in healthcare facilities. Click here for details. www.hardrock.com

In other Rucker-related news, Coke Zero has announced an NCAA promotion and sweepstakes called “An Exclusive Ticket” at LongHorn Steakhouse. Fans can register for a chance to win “An Exclusive Ticket” to the 2010 NCAA Men’s Final Four in Indianapolis and experience the “Coke Zero Countdown” concert, starring Rucker, along with an exclusive VIP party, and tickets to the 2010 NCAA Men’s Final Four.

This is the second in a series of three promotions that give fans the chance to attend an exclusive sporting event and a live Darius Rucker concert. LongHorn recently added the singer to its “Live at LongHorn” country music program in partnership with Coke Zero and Capitol Records Nashville.

“When Capitol came to me with the opportunity to partner with these two great brands, I immediately jumped at the chance to be involved because this allows music fans an opportunity for an unique experience while spotlighting country music,” says Rucker.
Click here for more information.

iTunes Spotlights Corbin

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iTunes has selected Mercury artist Easton Corbin’s Top 10 hit “A Little More Country Than That” as this week’s “Single of the Week.” The song is available as a free download through February 22. iTunes is also touting Easton’s self-titled debut album by giving visitors the option to pre-order the record for the next two weeks, which marks the first time the online retailer has ever presented such an opportunity. The pre-order also comes with a bonus acoustic audio track of “The Way Love Looks,” a song from the album written by Corbin, Carson Chamberlain and Mark D. Sanders.

Corbin holds the title for the highest-charting male debut single for 2009 and continuing into 2010, and the single is the best-selling debut single from an upcoming 2010 release, with nearly 119,000 units sold. Easton Corbin hits stores March 2nd.

Click here for the iTunes offer.

Lipscomb Hosts “Operation Yellow Ribbon”

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Keynote speaker General Tommy Franks (Ret.) will join artists Charlie Daniels and Amy Grant on Tuesday, March 23 for Operation Yellow Ribbon, presented by Challenge America and David Lipscomb University. Special acoustic performances by Daniels, Grant and a host of other musicians will also be a part of the evening activities.

Operation Yellow Ribbon features a daylong symposium with the theme of “solutions for transition from battlefield to home front for returning military and their families.” Breakout sessions will address a variety of topics, including ones related to returning injured military and adapting to life after those injuries.

“Partnering with Lipscomb University, which links returning military to education opportunities, is a natural fit for Challenge America and its mission of connecting injured military with the resources needed to establish a ‘new normal’ life,” said Houston Cowan, founder and Executive Director of Challenge America. “The symposium will facilitate conversation among industry leaders and the military and family members themselves about real solutions to the most pressing transition issues.”

Special musical appearances by Daniels and Grant are scheduled for the 7 PM event. A limited number of tickets for the evening event with Franks, Daniels and Grant will go on sale for $10 on February 15 at the Lipscomb University box office and through Ticketmaster. Members of the military and their families will be invited as guests of the event’s corporate sponsors. Proceeds from the evening event benefit Lipscomb University’s Yellow Ribbon Program, which offers eligible military veterans and their family members an undergraduate degree tuition-free or a graduate degree at a greatly reduced tuition rate.

Flatts To Celebrate Country Radio

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Nearly ten years to the day following the release of their debut single, “Prayin’ For Daylight,” Rascal Flatts’ Gary LeVox, Jay DeMarcus and Joe Don Rooney will gather next week in Nashville to celebrate and thank country radio for the more than 3.5 million spins and 25 billion audience impressions accumulated over the last decade.

A party will be held at Nashville’s Renaissance Hotel on February 24 to relive the band’s favorite memories with country radio and celebrate the hundreds of programmers and on-air talent who have been a part of Rascal Flatts’ success over the last ten years. The event is open to all Country Radio Seminar credentialed attendees.

“Since ‘Prayin’ For Daylight,’ country radio has been our voice to the fans for ten years now,” says DeMarcus. “We would never have been able to do what we’ve done without them, it’s that simple. So, we wanted to take a moment to tell them face to face how much we appreciate their constant support of Rascal Flatts and our music; a moment to celebrate all we’ve accomplished together and toast to what lies ahead.”

“Nashville at Nite” Joins Honky Tonk TV

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As it enters its second season, entertainment and new outlet, Honky Tonk TV will be aligning with local television program Nashville At Nite, it was announced today by Executive Producer Chris James. In the newly established partnership, the two media outlets will continue their commitment to creating and delivering in-depth, up-to-the-minute shows while expanding their reach to a broader audience.

Debuting in March 2009, Honky Tonk TV has featured guest appearances from award-winning artists such as Lady Antebellum, Trisha Yearwood, Darius Rucker, Rodney Atkins, Aaron Tippin and Billy Ray Cyrus.

The first formal alliance between Honky Tonk TV and Nashville at Nite will be introduced during their participation at the upcoming Country Radio Seminar in Nashville next week.

“It’s a natural progression to work with Nashville At Nite,” James says. “Not only will we enhance our programming, we’ll deliver some of the best-of-the best in entertainment content that music lovers all over the country will enjoy. The combination of professional and experienced production teams will make us the one-stop TV destination for fans from all genres.”

Dove Awards Nominees Announced

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Belmont University’s Curb Cafe was the setting yesterday (2/18) for the official announcement of nominees for the upcoming 41st Annual Dove Awards. Artists on hand to announce the nominees included Michael W. Smith, Lisa Kimmey-Winans, Ben Tankard, Francesca Battistelli, Jeremy Camp, Kari Jobe, Brandon Heath and Jason Crabb.

The awards ceremony will be held on Wednesday, April 21 at the Grand Ole Opry House and televised on April 25 on the Gospel Music Channel. Awards will be handed out in 43 categories. Leading the pack this year are Jars of Clay, Skillet, Matt Maher and Jason Crabb, with each being nominated for six awards. Click here for a complete list of Dove Awards nominees.