Jamey Johnson Enlists Matthew McConaughey For Video

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Jamey Johnson and Matthew McConaughey on the set of Johnson's new video last week.

Jamey Johnson recruited actor pal Matthew McConaughey to direct and star in the video for his latest single “Playing The Part.” The shoot took place last week at the famed Los Angeles intersection of Hollywood Boulevard and Highland Ave. The song is the lead single from Johnson’s double album, The Guitar Song, which debuted at No. 1 last week on Billboard’s Top Country Albums chart and No. 4 on the Billboard 200.

Johnson first met McConaughey backstage at the Academy of Country Music Awards in 2009 in Las Vegas, right after winning the Song of the Year trophy for “In Color.” McConaughey told Johnson he had been listening to his album That Lonesome Song and even quoted lyrics from a few tracks. They became fast friends and Johnson performed at McConaughey’s 40th birthday celebration.

When discussions began about the music video for “Playing the Part,” Johnson called McConaughey to ask if he would make a cameo appearance. After several conversations, McConaughey decided he wanted to direct the music video since he had so many ideas for the concept.

McConaughey told today’s Los Angeles Times, “With a lot of artists, their art is one thing and they’re another but there is no separation between Jamey’s music and him. Jamey doesn’t perform, he’s just who he is. His music is about real life: hard, honest, and funny. His subjects are simple and universal but his point of view on them is where he’s a poet—like his first person point of view as the heartache in his song ‘Heartache.’ He sings about and paints pictures of places we’ve all been before but the way he sees them is his and his only.”

McConaughey, his girlfriend Camila Alves, and Johnson at the 2009 ACM Awards.

Charlie Daniels To Give IEBA Keynote

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Next month Charlie Daniels will deliver the closing keynote address at the International Entertainment Buyers Association conference, and will be honored at a separate event by the TJ Martell Foundation.

Daniels, a member of the inaugural class of the IEBA Hall of Fame, will speak on Tuesday, October 5 in the Hilton Nashville ballroom. Immediately following, Paradise Artists will close out the 40th annual conference with a party and showcase featuring Blue Oyster Cult, Foghat and The Runaways’ Cherie Currie. Registration and details at www.ieba.org.

On Oct. 27 in New York, Daniels will receive the Lifetime Entertainment Achievement Award from the T.J. Martell Foundation for Leukemia, Cancer and AIDS Research. The charity’s 35th Annual Awards Gala will also salute Nashvillian Dr. Harold L. Moses, Director Emeritus of the Vanderbilt-Ingram Cancer Center; Kenny Loggins; and brothers Monte and Avery Lipman, of Universal Republic Records.

Nashville Songwriters Hall of Fame To Salute Frances Preston

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Influential and beloved music executive Frances Preston will be presented with the Mentor Award during the Nashville Songwriters Hall of Fame Dinner and Induction Ceremony on October 17.

“Frances is the consummate mentor,” said Roger Murrah, Chairman of the Nashville Songwriters Hall of Fame Foundation. “She has mentored an industry of dreamers and professionals. The award could not be going to a more deserving person.”

Preston influenced and nurtured the careers of thousands of songwriters, performers and publishers in all genres of music during her five-decade career at BMI, which began with opening the organization’s Nashville office in 1958. Her numerous awards and accolades include induction to the Country Music and Gospel Music Halls of Fame, CMA’s Irving Waugh Award of Excellence, a National Trustees Award from the Recording Academy, Person of the Year at MIDEM, and the President’s Award from the Nashville Songwriters Association International (NSAI).

Recognized around the world as a vigilant defender of the rights of music creators, she is also known for her philanthropic activities including work with the T. J. Martell Foundation for Leukemia, Cancer and AIDS Research, and the namesake Frances Williams Preston Research Laboratories at Vanderbilt-Ingram Cancer Center.

The Nashville Songwriters Hall of Fame Dinner & Induction Ceremony is one of the music community’s favorite annual events. The evening features tributes and performances of the inductees’ songs by special guest artists. NSAI will presents its awards for the year’s Best Song, Songwriter and Songwriter/Artist, as well as the Top 10 “Songs I Wish I Had Written,” as determined by professional songwriters.

The 40th Anniversary Nashville Songwriters Hall of Fame Dinner & Induction Ceremony is presented by AT&T, and will take place at the Renaissance Nashville Hotel. Tickets for the event are $200 each. A limited number of seats are available to the public this year and may be purchased by contacting event director Mark Ford at 615 256 3354 or hoftix@nashvillesongwriters.com.

Black River Purchases Sound Stage

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Black River Entertainment has purchased Music City’s legendary Sound Stage studios, home to recordings by artists as varied as George Strait, Alan Jackson, Michael McDonald and Sheryl Crow.

Black River president Jimmy Nichols says he could not pass up purchasing the studio which is located next to his label on Music Circle. He has often used Sound Stage as a studio musician and producer.

“We are committed to honoring the tradition of this great music town,” explains Nichols. “We have operated Ronnie Millsap’s old studio for years in our existing building. We have no desire to come in here and serve as competition for any of our studio friends. We see the acquisition of Sound Stage as an added tool not only for our record label and publishing company but also for the Nashville music community at large.”

Gordon Kerr (no relation to Ron Kerr the former owner of Sound Stage) serves as the COO for Black River Entertainment. He looks forward to bringing the studio back to its days of glory. “We recognize that the changing climate of the audio industry has resulted in the studio losing some of its former luster,” he said. “We intend to make a capital investment in this property and restore it to the top-notch studio we know it can be.”

Sound Stage is home to three major studios on the first floor: Front Stage, the original studio in the complex, features a George Auspurger designed control room that is equipped with an 80-input Solid State Logic 9000J console as well as an extensive outboard collection.

Back Stage has a private entrance, a 64 input Solid State Logic 9000J console, extensive outboard equipment, a ProTools HD, 7.4 digital audio workstation, and a kitchen and lounge.

The Drive Thru is a popular digital editing suite that houses a 48-fader Pro Control and Pro Tools HD 7.4 for instant recall capability.

For more information about Sound Stage Studios and its new owner Black River Entertainment contact Nicole Cochran at Nic Of Time Communications 615-293-0260, and nicole@nicoftimepr.com.

Swift Tunes Rollout Over Multiple Channels

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Starting Oct. 4, fans can hear one new track per week from Taylor Swift’s upcoming Speak Now release. The star’s label home Big Machine has partnered with iTunes, Comcast, XfinityTV.com and E! News Daily to debut songs for the three weeks leading up to the album’s Oct. 25 street date.

On Mondays starting Oct. 4, the songs will be available in advance as an exclusive 30-second preview, along with a brief interview with Taylor on Comcast On Demand, online at XfinityTv.com, and on E! News Daily. On the following Tuesdays, starting Oct. 5, the tracks will be up for purchase on iTunes. Here’s the schedule: October  4 & 5 “Speak Now;” October  11 & 12 “Back To December;” October 18 & 19 “Mean.”

The complete track listing for Speak Now is as follows:
1. Mine
2. Sparks Fly
3. Back to December
4. Speak Now
5. Dear John
6. Mean
7. The Story of Us
8. Never Grow Up
9. Enchanted
10. Better Than Revenge
11. Innocent
12. Haunted
13. Last Kiss
14. Long Live

Gamma Blast Promotes Nahay; CRB Honors McEntee

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Matt Hahay

Matt Nahay has been promoted to Executive Producer at Gamma Blast, a creative video and digital content production company. He has been a Writer/Producer with the company for three years.

“It just made sense to promote Matt,” says Director/Owner, Chad Denning. “With the number of new relationships he’s forged for us and his experience working with the entertainment industry, it was a natural move.”

Gamma Blast’s clients include The Grand Ole Opry, Emblem Music, espn.com and Nissan.

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Country Radio Broadcasters, Inc.® recently unveiled its Tom McEntee Memorial Conference Room, named in honor of the Country Radio Seminar founder and former CRB Executive Chairman.

McEntee, who passed away on Sept. 24, 2009, served as CRB Executive Chairman and President for the organization’s first decade. He also created the CRB’s flagship event, Country Radio Seminar. CRS 2011, to be held March 2-4, 2011, marks the seminar’s 42nd consecutive year.

CRB Executive Director Bill Mayne says, “Tom was way ahead of his time in terms of his vision for Country Radio, and the contributions he made to this format cannot be overstated. He was a visionary that shaped the evolution of the CRB and Country music, in general.”

During his career, McEntee received the CRB President’s Award, the Nashville Mayor’s Award, and the BMI Commendation of Excellence. In addition to his work with the CRB, McEntee’s past included time with Country Music Survey, Cashbox Magazine, radio promotion, publicity, bio writing, artist management and songwriting. He was involved in the careers of Alabama, Jimmy Buffett, Jimmy Dean, Hank Williams, Jr. and many other artists.

Top row (l-r): CRB board members Scott Lindy, Becky Brenner, Tim Roberts, Jeff Walker, Tom Baldrica, Charlie Morgan and CRB Executive Director Bill Mayne. Bottom row, l to r: Charlie Monk, Mike McVay, Dan Halyburton, Mike Culotta. Photo: Kristen England.

Photos: Tyler Reeve, Troy Olsen, Benefit Drive

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SESAC hosted a “Give + Love” blood drive and spare change/canned food donation event for the American Red Cross and Second Harvest Food Bank at its Nashville headquarters. A steady stream of artists, songwriters and Music Row personnel stopped by to lend a hand with donations. The event, which was sponsored by Urban Flats, Provence Bread & Café, vitaminwater and MusicRow Magazine, helped raise enough blood to help over 80 patients and provide over 500 meals for Nashville’s hungry.

Pictured (L-R): American Red Cross’s Raquel Reed, SESAC’s Tim Fink, songwriter Lance Miller, songwriter Easton Hamlin, SESAC’s Shannan Hatch, songwriter Rob Hatch and Second Harvest Food Bank’s Betsega Bakele & Leigh Clark. Photo: Peyton Hoge

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A mix of Nashville executives and artists turned out for rising country singer Tyler Reeve‘s industry showcase at the Mercy Lounge. Reeve delivered an eight-song set before jumping back on his tour bus and heading to Tallahassee, Fla. The husky-voiced singer performed a mix of material from his 2008 debut, Whiskey Down, as well as several songs from his upcoming release, to be co-produced this fall by hit songwriter and producer Jonathan Singleton. Reeve was the only independent artist featured on the Country Throwdown Tour’s Outlaw Stage this summer, following a breakout year that saw him perform nearly 250 shows in 2009.

Tyler Reeve (l) after his industry showcase at Mercy Lounge with fellow 2010 Country Throwdown Tour performers Emily West and Jonathan Singleton. Photo: Bev Moser

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Troy Olsen was overwhelmed when he got to meet legendary Grand Ole Opry member Little Jimmy Dickens backstage at the Ryman.

EMI Records Nashville’s Troy Olsen made his debut on the famed Ryman Auditorium stage recently. The Arizona native performed his new single “Good Hands” as well as “Tumbleweed” and “Summer Thing” for the crowd. Click here to check out Troy’s GAC Webisode series “Livin’ The Dream with Troy Olsen.”

Olsen is currently on his headlining “Get Right Tonight Tour” in advance of the October 5 release of his self-titled debut EP. The club tour hits over 40 cities before the tour concludes on November 20 in Denver, CO.

Capitol Promotes Melissa Spillman

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Capitol Records Nashville has promoted Melissa Fuller Spillman to A&R Manager, where she will act as the A&R department’s liaison with producers, publishers, management and artists. She joined Capitol Nashville in May 2006 as a marketing coordinator.

“Melissa has always kept her ears to the street and her eyes on the goal-line,” says Capitol Pres./CEO Mike Dungan. “I am happy to recognize her contribution with this promotion to A&R Manager.”

Prior to working at Capitol, Spillman was a management assistant at Dreamcatcher Entertainment with artists Kenny Rogers, Jo Dee Messina, and others. The University of Texas at Austin graduate is also active with philanthropic causes and coordinating fundraisers with songwriters for charitable initiatives.

Fontanel Venue To Host Rich, Wilson, MG

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Montgomery Gentry, Gretchen Wilson and special guest John Rich will headline a concert at Nashville’s newest outdoor concert venue, The Woods at Fontanel, on Sunday, Oct. 24.

“This is the kind of star-studded event we built The Woods for,” said Marc Oswald, who co-owns the venue with fellow superstar manager Dale Morris. “It’s outdoors, it’s intimate, and fans get to see an amazing concert in a setting they just can’t see anywhere else.” Morris and Oswald count Wilson and Rich among their clients.

The concert wraps up the month-long “Fontanel Fall Festival” on the grounds of the Fontanel Mansion and Farm, which also houses The Woods music venue. The free festival will run the first three weekends in October, and will feature a pumpkin patch, family activities and a variety of local vendors. They will be collecting canned food donations for the Second Harvest Food Bank of Middle Tennessee throughout the month and at the concert.

The concert on Oct. 24 will be presented by Logan’s Roadhouse, with The Farm as the opening act. Tickets will go on sale to the public through www.ticketmaster.com on Saturday, October 2, at 10:00 a.m. CT, starting at $25.00 for general admission.

The Indie Facts of Life

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Last week’s article “Appraising The Strategic Value of Airplay For Indie Artists,” featuring Tom Baldrica, generated a number of heated responses. One person who has been connected with Indie careers and was especially passionate about the challenges outlined in the article had a lot to say, but wished to do so anonymously. We agreed, let’s call him Mr. X.

Baldrica cautioned, “You’re out of your mind to play the national chart game as an independent.” Mr. X agrees. “Baldrica sure pulled the curtains back on this subject. The country music economy is probably a Top 15 or Top 10 marketplace. When you get to those numbers you might start to see sales. It goes back to something I heard Joe Galante say on some panel a while ago. Talking to an artist he said, ‘I can take you to the audience, but I can’t make the audience take you.’ I can’t think of a better line to describe what happens. Between nowhere and No. 25 there’s not a lot of difference on the monitored chart. I’ve had promoters get us to No. 45 and say ‘congratulations.’ But realistically, congratulations on what? The record wasn’t played in morning drive or mid-day, in fact it was completely invisible. So tons of money later there’s little to show.”

But Mr. X is a bit stoic about the fight to break an indie artist. “You know what? Knowing the chart facts of life isn’t likely to keep most people from doing anything any differently,” X says. “The allure of the Nashville dream is so bright and blinding, you could write this article and pin it on every door in America, but there still will be another crop of people coming to Nashville saying, ‘I’m different. It only applies to all those people that weren’t good enough’.”

In last week’s article Baldrica also suggested that independents might be better served working toward a regional approach. But Mr. X takes exception to this idea. “The problem is while it sounds good to build a story regionally, it’s actually used against you and it then becomes impossible to break out nationally. For example great acts that were branded regional such as Jack Ingram, Pat Green and Cross Canadian Ragweed. This is a major label game and that’s a fact. As an industry we need to admit it’s far more label focused than artist, or song focused. If it was based on the song, then you would have more acts in the Top 20 actually selling records. The inherent monopoly of the majors makes it easy for them to chart a Top 20, even if it has almost no relation to audience acceptance. Miranda Lambert sold over a million units before she ever had a Top 15, which means the chart didn’t reflect her audience acceptance. While the chart does launch more careers than any other vehicle, the monopoly of the majors allows for a lot of misses, too.”

And indies also get shut out of a lot of exposure opportunities according to Mr. X. “The majors dug this pond and we’re just asking to fish in it. But they own the fishing rights and as an independent you are relegated to the corners of the pond. Rarely, you might pull in a big fish, but mostly you are just net casting for minnows. We’re trying to say, ‘Our music is good enough to be a part of the system,’ but it’s not our pond. You can’t believe the leverage the majors have. Opportunities for valuable added exposure from vehicles such as Award shows or duets with artists on major labels, for example, are completely shut out for us. I don’t want to sound bitter, but these are just the facts. If there is any frustration in my voice it is the romance they put around a great song, and not near enough emphasis on the leverage of the label which is the reality of the actual forces needed to get to the starting line.”