GAC Ups Trahern and Gordon

/by

Sarah Trahern

GAC has promoted Sarah Trahern to General Manager/Sr. Vice President. Trahern will report to GAC President Ed Hardy and have broader responsibilities related to strategic planning and as well as more day-to-day management over all departments at GAC.

“Sarah has demonstrated strong leadership, solid business acumen and incredible resourcefulness while contributing significantly to the growth of the GAC,” said Hardy. “To those in the music and cable TV industries, her name has become almost synonymous with the GAC brand.”

Trahern joined the network in 2005 and created the concepts behind GAC exclusive music specials featuring top country artists, most notably the Opry at Carnegie Hall, Country at the White House, and the live telethon, Music City: Keep on Playin’. She has more than 20 years of experience in cable, with 15 of those producing or overseeing production of country music programming. She has served on the board of the Academy of Country Music (ACM) since 2006 and this year was elected President.

In addition to Trahern’s promotion, Suzanne Gordon will assume the role of Vice President of Programming for the network. Reporting to Trahern, Gordon will oversee all aspects of original programming and acquisitions. Gordon has been with GAC since 2006.

GAC is owned by Scripps Networks, the leading developer of lifestyle-oriented content for television and the Internet, including HGTV, DIY Network, Food Network, Travel Channel and Cooking Channel. Scripps Networks is based in Knoxville, Tenn., with offices in New York, Los Angeles, Chicago, Detroit, Atlanta and Nashville and is a unit of Scripps Networks Interactive (NYSE:SNI).

Pickin’ On the Patio at Warner Music Nashville

/by

Join Warner Music Nashville at their signature Pickin’ On The Patio event today, Thursday, October 28th. Atlantic Records’ Ty Stone and Reprise Records’ the JaneDear Girls are the featured performers in this incredibly successful inaugural season of Patio shows, which kicked off in May.

Past performers include Gloriana, The Invite, Alissa Moreno, Jim Collins, Tony Arata and Marv Green.

Sponsors include Clean Plate Club, Buffalo Trace Kentucky Straight Bourbon Whiskey, Aramark, Skylar Wilson Productions, Sunrise of Nashville, Red Bull, Frugal MacDoogal and GiGi’s Cupcakes. Doors open at 5:00 pm at the Warner Nashville office.

Brett Eldredge Makes Opry Debut; ABC Goes Country

/by

Brett Eldredge Makes Opry Debut

Rising star Brett Eldredge will make his Grand Ole Opry debut on Friday, October 29th. Hailed by CMT as the “Next Big Thing,” Eldredge will join the Oak Ridge Boys, Rodney Atkins and Joe Diffie in Friday’s lineup. Additionally, he will be introduced to the legendary Opry stage by renowned singer-songwriter Bill Anderson.

“I have one goal—to be a member of the Grand Ole Opry,” said Eldredge. “To me, that is the highest honor you can be awarded as a country music singer. So, given the opportunity to perform for the first time ever on the Grand Ole Opry stage is truly a dream come true.

Eldredge’s debut single, “Raymond,” is currently No. 44 on the Billboard charts. The video for “Raymond,” the story of the relationship between a young man and an elderly Alzheimer’s patient, can be viewed at vimeo.com. Opry tickets can be purchased here.

ABC Goes Country

ABC television network is going country in November in celebration of The 44th Annual CMA Awards, to be broadcast on Wednesday, November 10th at 8:00 pm ET.

Starting on October 30th, the Road to the CMA Awards special will air on local ABC affiliates across the country. This half-hour program will be packed with artist interviews and highlights from past CMA awards and will have appearances from Miranda Lambert, Darius Rucker, Martina McBride, Trace Adkins and Josh Turner, among others.

Newscaster Robin Roberts will host a special giving viewers an all-access pass into the lives of country music’s biggest stars, including Brad Paisley and Carrie Underwood. The hour-long special will air on Wednesday, November 3rd at 10:00 pm ET.

On Sunday, November 14th, Carrie Underwood, Keith Urban and LeeAnn Rimes will join Extreme Makeover: Home Edition to assist Nashville’s Sweatt family. Brian and Barbara Sweatt were among the victims of the historic May flood, running the Lighthouse School which was devastated by the catastrophe.

Other notable upcoming events include Jason Aldean’s appearance on Jimmy Kimmel Live on November 15th, Lyle Lovett as a guest star on Castle that same night, and Reba reuniting with TV daughter JoAnna Garcia on Better With You on November 17th.

Chrysalis Inks Skidmore, Dierks in N.Y.C., Martina and Train on Crossroads

/by

(From Bottom Left Clockwise) Jersey Ross/Chrysalis Music; Patricia Wittmer/Chrysalis Music; Dale Bobo/Chrysalis Music; Skidmore; Terry Elam, manager/Fitzgerald Hartley; Tiffany Dunn, attorney/Loeb & Loeb; and Abbe Nameche/Chrysalis Music.

Artist/songwriter Shelley Skidmore has signed a publishing deal with Chrysalis Music. Dale Bobo, EVP at Chrysalis Music Nashville says, “Shelley is the authentic real deal, having grown up playing and singing in her parent’s band all around her home state of Kentucky and into Ohio and West Virginia.  She has a smart point of view that really comes through when she writes and performs.  We are tremendously excited to be working with Shelley at Chrysalis Music.”

Pictured (left to right): Songwriter/producer Jon Randall Stewart, ASCAP’s Earle Simmons, Disney Music songwriter Jessi Alexander, Dierks Bentley

Dierks Bentley just wrapped a four-night residency in New York City, including a show with Jessi Alexander and Jon Randall Stewart at Joe’s Pub.

Martina McBride, Train

Country superstar Martina McBride will join hit band Train on CMT Crossroads, premiering Saturday, November 20th at 8:00 pm ET/PT. This is McBride’s second time on the CMT series; her first appearance was with rock icon Pat Benatar in 2003.

Country Strong Star Finds Inspiration in Underwood, Swift

/by

Gwyneth Paltrow and Leighton Meester

Gossip Girl star Leighton Meester found inspiration in country stars Carrie Underwood and Taylor Swift in preparation for her role in the upcoming movie Country Strong.

“I tried to make it my own, but I was definitely inspired by Carrie Underwood and Taylor Swift,” Meester explains. “I went to the Grand Ole Opry and saw Carrie Underwood. Went to few honky tonks, too.”

In the movie, Meester plays a young country singer who admires, and then rivals, an established country star (Gwyneth Paltrow).

Meester’s homework paid off. “I went into the studio and sang my heart out.” The actress notes that Paltrow raised the bar as well. “She really showed her chops, playing the guitar and performing the hell out of it,” said Meester. “My character is supposed to admire and look up to her, and I do, too. You have to rise to the occasion when you play opposite her.”

Country Strong, which also stars Tim McGraw, will be released in theaters in December.

New Hearing Protection Offers Safety and Fidelity

/by

Excessive volume can be a problem at concerts and music clubs and it is all too easy to put ones hearing at risk. EarPeace is a newly designed product created to, “deliver high quality sound and great protection.” The reusable ear plugs, which cost about $15, are made from hypo-allergenic silicone and come with a protective case.

EarPeace provided free hearing protection this past year for thousands of attendees at South by Southwest. The company noted that, the average decibel level at a concert is 110 which is safe on your hearing for less than two minutes. “We developed EarPeace as a discreet and comfortable way to turn down the volume, without compromising sound quality. It’s a huge improvement when you can still really hear the music, understand your friends speaking, and leave a venue without your ears ringing,” said Jay Clark, founder of EarPeace. “People don’t use traditional hearing protection for three main reasons: it compromises sound quality, it’s uncomfortable, and it doesn’t look good. We believe we can fundamentally change the way people care for their hearing by addressing those issues.”

For more info visit www.earpeace.com

Leon Russell/Elton John Collaboration; Artists Crossing Borders

/by

Leon Russell Signs Deal with UMPG for Elton John Collaboration

Legendary songwriter and artist Leon Russell has signed a worldwide co-publishing deal with Universal Music Publishing Group (UMPG) for The Union, his collaboration with Elton John and lyricist Bernie Taupin. The Union was released on October 19th.

Russell, John and Taupin co-wrote the album, which is their first studio collaboration, with producer T Bone Burnett. A tour is in the works for John and Russell in 2011.

“Leon Russell is a legend in his own right,” says UMPG Chairman/CEO David Renzer. “Teaming with Elton John and Bernie Taupin has resulted in a special record that will be a true event around the globe. We’re honored to have Leon join the UMPG family and look forward to seeing this project achieve worldwide acclaim and success.”

Russell’s career spans over five decades, and he has collaborated with artists including Eric Clapton, George Harrison, Bob Dylan, Willie Nelson, Jerry Lee Lewis, Frank Sinatra, B.B. King, Glen Campbell, The Beach Boys and The Rolling Stones.

Border Crossing

Touring artists crossing the U.S./Canadian border now have a resource to assist them with the process. Border Entertainment is a service company that provides business consultation and ease when moving between the United States and Canada, saving clients time and money.

Entertainers touring in other countries need to be aware of Immigration, Customs, Tax and Labor laws in the host country, and if proper paperwork is not completed, offenders can face inspections and interrogations.

The Border Entertainment customer service team works with clients to ensure a smooth entry and exit to another country. More information is available here.

Swift Becoming Music City Sales Hero

/by

Taylor Swift’s Speak Now is officially in the wild and on sale. The 14-song set hit bins and digital download locations on Monday (10/25) giving it one day longer than the usual 6-day release schedule to log what seems destined to become a record breaking debut week.

Industry guesstimators are predicting sales in the 800-900k range while admitting the possibility that Ms. Swift may break the one million mark. A quick look at our Album Sales Benchmarks sidebar shows that Swift is highly likely to eclipse Eminem’s 2010 record, has a strong likelihood of erasing Shania Twain’s record status and will easily surpass debut week sales of her own previous album, Fearless. Remaining to be seen is whether the 20-year-old who penned all 14 songs on her new disc can also join Garth Brooks and Lil Wayne in the mile high one million+ club!

A quick look around the net shows that Amazon is selling the digital album today (10/27) for a low $3.99, and the plastic CD format for $8. The iTunes download contains a digital booklet and allows fans to “complete the album” (not pay for tracks they they already own), but rings the register at a higher $13.99. Aiming at the Target, fans can find an exclusive CD with extra content for $14.99 or the regular CD edition for $9.99.

Taylor Swift pictured on the red carpet of the CMT Awards. Swift offers a hidden message, "CMT Awards," in the lyrics for the song "The Story of Us," in the liner notes. Many people speculate the track is directed at John Mayer. Photo: izzynashville.com

Odds makers expect that Swift’s Speak Now will become country music’s largest-ever selling digital week album. Writer Randy Lewis points out in the LA Times, “The enthusiastic response to the album runs counter to the downward trend of overall record sales, which in the latest reporting period were 14% lower than in the same period last year, according to Nielsen SoundScan. Just two weeks ago, Toby Keith’s Bullets in the Gun set a new record for the lowest sales figure for a No. 1 album debut –71,000 copies– since SoundScan began monitoring retail sales in 1991. Swift also would counter the trend of artists who have been unable to match or top their previous sales figures. Her 2008 sophomore album, Fearless, debuted at No. 1 after selling 592k copies in its first week of release.”

Not surprisingly Swift is blanketing the media. Here’s a few of her higher profile appearances: On Thanksgiving night, NBC will air the one-hour primetime special Taylor Swift – Speak Now. On 10/26 she visited The Today Show (NBC) and The Late Show with David Letterman (CBS), followed by stops at Live! With Regis & Kelly (10/27), Dancing With the Stars (11/2) and an album release party on Ellen (11/1).

According to www.metacritic.com Speak Now is getting highly favorable reviews from both critics and fans…

Sugarland Sweetens Sales Chatter

/by

Sugarland topped both album charts this week as its Incredible Machine churned out sales of almost 203k units with about 19% sold in the digital format. Nashville rockers Kings of Leon earned the No. 2 spot on all genre album sales with its fifth album,
 Come Around Sundown, which shifted about 184k copies. Also new this week is Union from Elton John and Music City resident Leon Russell which scanned almost 80k to earn the No. 3 rank, all genre.

The list of new country albums and the added sales they represent has been steadily elevating country’s weekly sales totals pushing it up 7% this week to a total of 771k. (Readers may recall that last week’s math showed that average weekly sales of 1.67 million units through year end would be necessary to equal last year’s country album sales totals.) Last week country sales were off 12.5% and this week have improved slightly, now down a more modest 12.3%.

Moving to the Tracks chart for Digital Genre Country the love story is all about the Hendersonville 20-year old. Taylor Swift owns three of the Top 4 track spots with “Mean” (163k+), “Back To December”
(70k+) and “Mine” (49k). (Big Machine’s The Band Perry owns the No. 3 position with “If I Die Young” (58k) giving the label all four top slots.

Garth Brooks to Host Flood Relief Concert in Nashville

/by

Garth Brooks and Trisha Yearwood will hold a flood relief concert on Friday, Dec. 17th at Bridgestone Arena in downtown Nashville.

Governor Phil Bredesen, Mayor Karl Dean, Senator Lamar Alexander, Senator Bob Corker, Congressman Jim Cooper and State Rep. Marsha Blackburn were in attendance at a press conference this morning, October 28th, at the State Capitol.

Ticket prices will be $25 and complete ticket information for the general public will be announced on Wednesday, November 3rd, at noon (CST). Proceeds from the concert will benefit the Community Foundation of Middle Tennessee‘s flood relief efforts. The historic May flood caused considerable damage throughout middle Tennessee and more than $2 billion in damage in Nashville.