Industry Ink: Latocki Takes Home ADDYs

>>Latocki Team Creative (LTC) won two ADDY awards at the American Advertising Federation Nashville ceremony on Saturday, Feb. 19 at Limelight. The company won a Gold ADDY for SESAC’s quarterly newsletter, and a Silver ADDY for a revolving door entrance wrap promoting Jason Aldean during the Country Radio Seminar.

>>The Second Annual Billboard Country Music Summit, in association with the Country Music Association, will take place Monday – Tuesday, June 6-7 in Nashville. Like last year, the Summit will kick off activities leading up to the June 9-12 CMA Music Festival.
The two-day event will feature panel discussions, case studies and keynote interviews, as well as artist showcases and networking opportunities. Panels and round tables will cover digital content, country radio, touring saturation, new business models, and sponsorship/branding initiatives.
Last year’s inaugural Summit drew more than 400 registrants, as well as superstars Martina McBride and Tim McGraw.
>>The Atlantic is raving about Nashville, calling it a “major force in the music business,” and noting the big Grammy wins by Miranda Lambert, Alison Krauss and Taylor Swift in recent years. The article says:

Over the past several decades, Nashville transformed itself from a rather narrow country music outpost in the 1960s and 1970s into a major center for commercial music. By the mid-2000s, only New York and Los Angeles housed more musicians. Nashville’s rise is even more impressive when you look at its ratio of musicians to total population. In 1970, Nashville wasn’t even one of the top five regions by this measure. By 2004, it was the national leader, with nearly four times the U.S. average. Today, it  is home to over 180 recording studios, 130 music publishers, 100 live music clubs, and 80 record labels… The ongoing evolution of Nashville has made it into something of a Silicon Valley of the music business, combining the best institutions, the best infrastructure, and the best talent.

>>Cold River Records has hired Mary Lynne O’Neal as Regional Director of Promotion. She was most recently Assistant Country Editor at All Access. O’Neal will join Cold River promo staffers including Jeff Davis, Jim Dandy and Staci Schane, and label head Pete O’Heeron in marketing flagship artist Katie Armiger. O’Neal can be reached starting March 7 at marylynne@coldriverrecords.com or (903) 926-0625.
>>Radio-info.com reports WSM-FM Nashville PD Russell Penuell has exited the station.