Urban/Mayer Crossroads; Bentley On Leno Tonight

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John Mayer and Keith Urban on "CMT Crossroads."

Grammy winning guitar gods John Mayer and Keith Urban are the latest pairing for CMT Crossroads. The episode, premiering Friday, June 18, was taped before an invitation-only audience in Nashville. Their set includes Urban hits “If Ever Could I Love,” “’Til Summer Comes Around” and “Sweet Thing,” and Mayer favorites such as “Perfectly Lonely” and “Gravity.” They wrap the show with a cover of George Michael’s pop-rock classic “Faith.”

The collaboration of Mayer and Urban marks the first time artists have returned to the CMT Crossroads stage since the series launched in January 2002. Urban and John Fogerty were featured in a 2005 edition, and Mayer paired with Brad Paisley for an episode that premiered in 2004.

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Dierks Bentley will debut the lead and title track from his forthcoming bluegrass-influenced album Up On The Ridge tonight (4/27) on the Tonight Show with Jay Leno. The song, written by Bentley and Angelo Petraglia, features Petraglia on acoustic guitar, Sam Bush on mandolin and background vocals by Alison Krauss.

Early reviews of the album due June 8 are stellar. MusicRow’s Robert Oermann called it “the first masterpiece country album of 2010.” Get a short video preview of the project here.

Bentley kicked off his Up On The Ridge tour of 24 shows in 30 days this past weekend with sold out crowds in Portland, OR; Boulder, CO; Colorado Springs, CO; and Austin, TX. The run continues through May 22 with a final show at Nashville’s historic Ryman Auditorium.

Mobile Spawns Location-Based Search

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Gowalla

Social networks that revolve around following a user’s geographic location, such as Foursquare and Gowalla may soon become irrelevant, according to a recent Ad Age article (3/22/10 by Kunur Patel) which predicts that location-based marketing will become an integral part of all web sites and critical for advertisers.

Imagine if advertisers knew your location at all given moments, plus had detailed data concerning your likes, dislikes and purchasing decisions. It would only be a matter of time before mobile search could give you local answers and suggestions that matched some of your favorites and might even pop up with suggestions based upon your age, size and style tastes.

Kip Cassino, VP-research at Borrell Associates tells Ad Age, “What used to be called point-of-purchase is now called mobile advertising. Mobile can be an extension of a retailer’s storefront.” Once you begin tracking where consumers are, the barriers between advertising and promotion start fading away.

Mobile ad group product manager for Google, Paul Feng explains, “We think of location as a hugely important signal. Foursquare is really innovating for small businesses and that’s fantastic. But ultimately that’s just one piece of the opportunity.” Feng notes that about one-third of all mobile searches have local intent. With that in mind Google has recently allowed advertisers to add phone numbers to mobile ads so consumers can click to call.

Cassino predicts, “The demand for stationary computers is going to dry up on a consumer level. One quarter of Facebook’s 400 million users access its network from mobile devices and they tend to be almost twice as active as the non-mobile crowd. The article also suggests Facebook will introduce location-based features during April.

Lady A Goes Double Platinum

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The success story continues. Lady Antebellum racked up five trophies at the ACM Awards earlier this month and now comes the news that the band’s latest Need You Now has reached double Platinum certification for shipments of 2 million units. Lady A’s sophomore album is spending its 12th week at No. 1 on the Billboard Country albums chart. Meanwhile, the title track was simultaneously certified triple Platinum.

“We’ve dreamed about these types of milestones, but when it starts to become a reality, it takes a while for it to really settle in,” says Dave Haywood. “We are just trying to take it all in and enjoy the moment and hopefully make our incredible fans really proud.”

The Capitol Records Nashville trio hit another milestone last week, selling out its first headlining show in New York City, set for May 10 at the Nokia Theatre.

Look for the band on Fox’s American Idol on Wed., April 28.

CRS Names Agenda Committee; Newfield Inks With EB Media

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Country Radio Broadcasters, Inc.® has announced its 2010-2011 Agenda Committee for CRS 2011, to be held March 2-4, 2011, at the Nashville Convention Center. The Agenda Committee is made up of volunteers from all areas of the Country radio and record industries and gathers each year to plan events for the upcoming Country Radio Seminar. This year’s committee, which features 11 new members (marked with an asterisk), will meet June 23-25, 2010, to put together the framework and topics for next year’s event. John Paul is serving as Agenda Chair.

The 2010-2011 Agenda Committee for CRS 2011:

Brad Austin / Madison, WI
Jackie Campbell* / WUSN / Chicago, IL
Karin Cupit / Nashville, TN
Andy Denemark / United Stations / New York, NY
Dale Desmond / KTHK / Idaho Falls, ID
Jerry Duncan / Jerry Duncan Promotions / Nashville, TN
Shelly Easton* / WXTU / Philadelphia, PA
Keith Gale / RCA / Nashville, TN
Jeff  Green* /Country Aircheck / Nashville, TN
JoJamie Hahr / The Valory Music Co. / Nashville, TN
Gator Harrison* / WGSQ / Cookeville, TN
Chris Huff / KSCS/KTYS / Dallas, TX
Jay Jennings / WYCD / Detroit, MI
Lisa Juillerat*/ WLHK / Indianapolis, IN
John Kijowski* / WIL / St. Louis, MO
George King / WCTO / Allentown, PA
Gene Kuntz / WITZ/WQKZ / Jasper, IN
Kris Lamb / The Disney Music Group / Phoenix, AZ
Bruce Logan / WKKT / Charlotte, NC
Gary Marince* / Arbitron Inc. / Coraopolis, PA
Clint Marsh / WAWC / Warsaw, IN
Mandy McCormack* / Big Machine Records / Nashville, TN
Sharla McCoy / McCoy & Associates / Nashville, TN
Adrian Michaels / Curb / Nashville, TN
Travis Moon / KAJA / San Antonio, TX
Rick Murray / Premiere Radio Networks / Nashville, TN
Mike O’Malley* / Albright & O’Malley / Milltown, NJ
John Paul / Dial Global / Denver, CO
Annie Sandor / Curb Records / Miami, FL
Chad Schultz / Mozes / Nashville, TN
Jenni Smythe / Girlilla Marketing / Nashville, TN
John Trapane* / Capitol Records / Springs, TX
John Windus* / Columbia River Media Grp / Wentcheewa, WA

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Curb Records artist Heidi Newfield has signed with Ebie McFarland’s Essential Broadcast Media for public relations representation.

Newfield is working on her sophomore solo album with producer Blake Chancey and a single is expected later this year. It will be the follow-up to her hit “Johnny & June.” The singer who got her start with the band Trick Pony (“Pour Me” and “It’s A Heartache”) will spend the summer on the Country Throwdown Tour.

Newfield’s team also includes Greg Hill at GHM/Red Light Management and Stan Barnett at Creative Artist Agency.

Essential Broadcast Media also represents Darius Rucker, Randy Houser, Colt Ford and others. McFarland can be reached at ebie@ebmediapr.com or by calling (615) 327-3259.

Aretha Franklin At Ryman; Brentwood-Benson Signs Nathan Barlowe

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Aretha Franklin brought her big show to Nashville’s Ryman Auditorium last night (4/25). The Queen of Soul was backed by an orchestra for her performance of four decades worth of classics. The event was promoted by Outback Concerts.

Pictured backstage L-R: Sally Williams, GM, Ryman Auditorium; Aretha Franklin; Darin Lashinsky, Sr. VP, Outback Concerts. Photo: Aaron Crisler/The Judy Nelson Group

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SESAC affiliate Nathan Barlowe has signed with Brentwood-Benson Publishing for exclusive representation. Barlowe, co-founder and lead singer for rock band Luna Halo, is currently on tour with the band as well as working in the studio with a new group, The Honeymoon Thrillers. Barlowe joined Brentwood-Benson publishing executives on a recent visit to SESAC’s Nashville headquarters to mark the occasion.

Pictured (L-R): SESAC’s Tim Fink, Brentwood-Benson Publishing’s Eric Hurt, Nathan Barlowe, Brentwood-Benson Publishing’s Stacey Willbur & SESAC’s John Mullins. Photo: Ed Rode

Film Festival Attendance; Clint Black In “Flicka 2”

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“We’re thrilled to report that overall attendance for the festival stayed steady at just under 22,000,” reports Sallie Mayne, executive director of the Nashville Film Festival, which was held last week. “We had fewer events than last year, but sold more tickets to films, panels and workshops this year. To maintain our attendance in our 41st year, after the anniversary blow-out we hosted last year, is a testament to the quality of our film programming and the strong support of this festival by the community.”

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Clint Black stars in the new straight-to-DVD release Flicka 2. The movie will premiere at Nashville’s Belcourt Theater on Tues., April 27, with the event benefiting The Children’s Miracle Network and The Monroe Carell Jr. Children’s Hospital at Vanderbilt. There will be a special presentation of a $500 million check from The Walmart Foundation to Children’s Miracle Network.

Black plays alongside actor Patrick Warburton (“Rules of Engagement,” “Seinfeld”) and Tammin Sursok (“The Young And The Restless”), in the continuation of the popular 2006 Flicka that starred Tim McGraw.

The DVD will be out May 4th from Twentieth Century Fox Home Entertainment, and is a available for pre-order exclusively at Walmart.com.

“Avatar” Shatters Records; Rhapsody Plays Offline

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When’s the last time an album debuted with sales over 6 million units?

The movie business is booming today with news of the best selling DVD in North American history. Since its release on April 22, James Cameron’s sci-fi opus “Avatar” has moved a total of 6.7 million copies—about 4 million DVDs and 2.7 million Blu-rays. This also makes it the top selling Blu-ray movie in history.

Sales of “Avatar” have grossed about $130 million. The sci-fi smash grossed $2.7 billion at the box office, making it the most successful film in history.

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Music streaming service Rhapsody has a new iPhone application which lets users listen to music even when a data connection is not available. The new offline option stores playlists and tracks on the phone’s memory for playback.

This new option is supposed to significantly extend battery life of the device, and is expected to be useful during travel, and when cell signals are weak.

This technology has been available for some time to users of similar service Spotify in Europe, but Rhapsody is the first to offer it in the United States.

The $10/month music subscription allows listeners to carry music on one portable device, or up to three devices for $15/month. Rhapsody currently has nine million songs in its catalog.

Johnny Mitchell Exits WMN; Chuck Cannon’s Father Passes

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Due to restructuring at Warner Music Nashville, Manager of Secondary Promotion Johnny Mitchell has left the company. Among his duties was working MusicRow‘s Country Breakout chart. Mitchell can be reached at 615-662-5425 or 1jmj@comcast.net. Reporting stations should now contact Warner’s April Johnson at 615-214-1452 for information.

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Condolences to songwriter Chuck Cannon and his family, including wife Lari White, on the passing of his father Marion C. Cannon. He was 73 and passed away peacefully at his home in Myrtle Beach, SC on Saturday, April 17, 2010.

Memorials may be sent to First Baptist Church of Murrells Inlet, 3891 Hwy. 17 By Pass, Murrells Inlet, SC 29576.

Braden Gray

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“I’m Not Hungover”

ATP Records

“I’m Not Hungover” is the rowdy new single from Mississippi native Braden Gray, taken from his self-titled debut album on ATP Records. It is the followup to his single “It Won’t Be Over You,” which garnered some attention earlier in 2010 with MusicRow’s CountryBreakout™ reporting panel.

Gray didn’t originally choose music as a career path, but music was in his blood. His mother, a vocal instructor, taught her students at home. She would often ask her son to participate but when it came time for him to sing he would find a reason to sneak away.

Gray discovered his hidden musical talent after listening to his cousin’s gospel group and learning all their songs. Doors began to open–Gray started winning talent competitions and performing at festivals with artists like Jake Owen, Emerson Drive, Eric Church and Marty Stuart. After entering Belmont University’s music performance program, ATP Records Pres. Mark Alan Thompson took notice of him and the two began working together.

With a new single impacting country radio, the time to experience Braden Gray is now!

http://www.myspace.com/bradengray
http://www.atprecords.com/

[wpaudio url=”https://music-row-website-assets.s3.amazonaws.com/wp-content/uploads/2010/04/10201642/bgry-inh.mp3″ text=”Braden Gray – I’m Not Hungover” dl=”0″ autoplay=”1″]

Film Vets Launch Thinking Bee Productions

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Jo Hunt

Producer Jo Hunt and director/editor Bill Filipiak have announced the launch of Thinking Bee Productions. The television and video production company will focus on the creation of unscripted series for both broadcast and webcast as well as music videos.

Hunt and Filipiak first met while developing Meet the Wilsons, a popular reality series based in Nashville and currently airing on CMT Canada. “It became obvious within a couple of months that we had a shared belief that there is a place for programming and video of a positive nature,” says Hunt.  “Our goal with Thinking Bee is to build an arsenal of programs that will inspire and encourage audiences.”
In addition to their series work, Filipiak and Hunt see major opportunities applying their storytelling skills to create entertaining and compelling video content for the web.

“Developing effective web video content is becoming its own art form,” Filipiak says. “Having a team that understands the need for that content to both be entertaining and tie in directly with all other marketing and branding efforts is essential to helping businesses get the biggest return for their marketing dollars.”

Bill Filipiak

Filipiak marries a strong background in directing/editing with a very successful history in advertising/marketing.  Hunt, meanwhile, as vice president/development for High Five Entertainment, produced both music and non-music television properties for multiple cable networks. Thinking Bee currently has three reality-based television series in development and is in production on several Web series.

“We’re thrilled to be in a position to offer labels and businesses a means of creating web video that is more than just behind the scenes footage,” says Filipiak. “We believe that the growth of social networking on the Web has created a need for video pieces that tell a story and help the audience connect with artists and businesses on an emotional level. In essence we believe everyone has a great story to share and we’re here to help them tell it.”

For more information about Thinking Bee Productions, click here.