Darling Video Debuts

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Sarah Darling has debuted a video for the first single from her latest CD, Angels & Devils. The video/single, “Something To Do With Your Hands,” features two time TNA World Heavyweight Wrestling Champion, AJ Styles. The video was directed by Stephen Shepherd and produced by John Burke.
Darling wrote nine of the tracks on her Black River Entertainment 11-song collection due out on Feb. 20. The album was produced by Jimmy Nichols with assistance on two cuts by Adam Shoenfeld.
“My first album was very much about a lost love,” Darling explains. “Since then, my writing has become a lot more broad and venturous. I write about things that are relevant to everybody.”

Willie Nelson's Country Throwdown Tour

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New artists, sponsors, dates and features have been added to the 2011 Willie Nelson’s Country Throwdown tour. The second-annual, outdoor amphitheater trek will feature two stages and seven headliners, including Jamey Johnson, Randy Houser, Lee Brice, Brantley Gilbert, Craig Campbell, and Lukas Nelson & the Promise of the Real. And just added, Jack Ingram will be performing on the final dates of the tour (June 30 – July 4) and will be part of the July 4 extravaganza show. Also recently added are singer-songwriters Adam Hood, Caitlyn Smith, Austin Lucas, Brent Cobb, Dani Flowers, and Erin Enderlin who will perform on the Bluebird Café Stage.
The nationwide tour, which will kick off in Philadelphia, Pa., on May 27 and extend through July 4, now has added stops in cities such as Orange Beach, Ala. (June 5); Morrison, Co. (June 21); Cathey’s Valley, Calif. (June 26) and more. The tour will conclude in Texas with a special July 4 show with Willie Nelson.
New this year, the “Harley-Davidson on the Road Report” will include behind-the-scenes updates and on-the-road reporting, hosted by Beth Brinker and posted on the Country Throwdown website here.
CMT has signed on to be the tour’s media sponsor this year. For more details about the tour, tickets and the special VIP Tailgate Package visit www.countrythrowdown.com. A portion of the ticket price will benefit Unite the United.

Tin Pan South Prepares 2011 Offering

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The 19th annual Tin Pan South Songwriters Festival will take place March 29-April 2 in Nashville. The event is produced by Nashville Songwriters Association International which claims that it is the world’s largest all-songwriter festival. Last year 300 songwriters performed over 70 shows at eight Nashville venues in front of crowds estimated to exceed 9,000.
Regions Bank returns as presenting sponsor. Platinum sponsors include American Airlines, ASCAP, BMI and SESAC. “Regions Bank is proud to be the title sponsor of Tin Pan South for the fifth consecutive year,” said Lisa Harless, Senior VP, Entertainment and Sports Division. “Songwriters are the lifeblood of our musical, creative community, and Regions is proud to salute the songwriters again in 2011!”
Tin Pan South will hold its annual preview party this year at The Rutledge on March 8 from 3:30-5:00. Several writers will perform and schedules, venues, and more will be announced. Visit tinpansouth.com to purchase Fast Access passes and find festival updates. Fast Access passes go on sale March 9.

Weekly Chart Report (2/11/11)

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After MidNite’s Blair Garner (L) was sporting his 29 jersey and holding on to Sara Evans as they chatted about her latest hit single “A Little Bit Stronger” and her new RCA Nashville album, Stronger, releasing March 8.


SPIN ZONE
Blake Shelton’s “Who Are You When I’m Not Looking” scores another week in the CountryBreakout Chart’s top spot, but loses a few spins in the process. Positions 2-4 are separated by approximately 120 spins, so the next No. 1 is likely going to be a shootout between Lady Antebellum’s “Hello World,” Taylor Swift’s “Back To December,” and Brad Paisley’s “This Is Country Music.”
Broken Bow’s Jason Aldean is also aiming for the top of the chart with “Don’t You Wanna Stay.” This week the Kelly Clarkson-assisted single picks up 249 more spins and moves to No. 6. Over at Stoney Creek, Thompson Square is the lone new entry to the Top 10 as “Are You Gonna Kiss Me Or Not” moves to No. 8. Inside the Top 20, new releases from Zac Brown Band (“Colder Weather,” No. 14), Miranda Lambert (“Heart Like Mine,” No. 15) and Rascal Flatts (“I Won’t Let Go,” No. 16) all gain over 200 spins and move up.
Walker Hayes has written the anthem for everyone in wintry Nashville, and it debuted at No. 78. Following our recent spate of snow and ice, heading for the beach like the narrator in “Why Wait For Summer” sounds like the perfect prescription for all of us. Also debuting are Sean Patrick McGraw’s “My So Called Life” at No. 79 and Lathan Moore’s “Love In Your Life” at No. 76.

Upcoming Singles
February 14
Ronnie Dunn/Bleed Red/Arista
Bridgette Tatum/Hillbilly Rockstar/Root 49/Quarterback
February 22
Aaron Lewis/Country Boy/Stroudavarious
Justin Moore/If Heaven Wasn’t So Far Away/Valory
Sarah Darling/Something To Do With Your Hands/Black River
Charley Pride/Except For You/Music City Records
Walker Hayes/Why Wait For Summer/Capitol
Justin Moore/If Heaven Wasn’t So Far Away/Valory






New On The Chart—Debuting This Week
Artist/song/label — chart pos.
Lathan Moore/Love In Your Life/Blue Steel Records — 76
Walker Hayes/Why Wait For Summer/Capitol — 78
Sean Patrick McGraw/My So Called Life/Little Engine Records — 79
Greatest Spin Increase
Artist/song/label — spin+
Ronnie Dunn/Bleed Red/Arista — 527
Keith Urban/Without You/Capitol — 484
Rascal Flatts/I Won’t Let Go/Big Machine — 368
Zac Brown Band/Colder Weather/Bigger Picture — 342
Reba/If I Were A Boy/Starstruck/Valory — 310
On Deck—Soon To Be Charting
Artist/song/label — spins
Curtis & Luckey/Eye Candy/KMG Music Group — 178
Emma King & The Heartsets/I’m Not Forgotten/PLC — 178
Bucky Covington/Hometown — 177
The Grascals/I Am Strong/BlueGrascal — 168
Scott Lindsey/Miss Lead Me On/Gray Trailer — 163
Most Added
Artist/song/label — New Adds
Keith Urban/Without You/Capitol — 32
Ronnie Dunn/Bleed Red/Arista — 31
Walker Hayes/Why Wait For Summer/Capitol — 18
Chris Young/Tomorrow/RCA — 12
Justin Moore/If Heaven Wasn’t So Far Away/Valory — 12
Steve Holy/Love Don’t Run/Curb — 11
Jacob Lyda/I’m Doin’ Alright/Davis Music Group/9 North — 11

MCA’s George Strait recently paid a visit to WQYK/Tampa. (L-R): MCA’s Louie Newman, WQYK’ Jay Roberts, George Strait and WQYK’s Mike Culotta


EMI Records Nashville’s Eric Church was in Chattanooga, TN last weekend on a “My Kinda Party” tour stop. Church, who is currently working on the follow-up album to his critically acclaimed Carolina, is up for the ACM’s fan voted Top New Solo Vocalist award at this year’s show. Pictured L-R: Trudie Daniell (EMI Records Nashville SE Promotion Director), Gator Harrison (WUSY/Chattanooga OM/PD), his wife Tennille and Church.


Davis Music Group/Nine North artist Jacob Lyda brought his new single I'm Doing Alright to KMLE Phoenix during his recent SW trek. Pictured (L-R): Davis Music Group's Gator Michaels, KMLE's Andrew Bland, Lyda, KMLE's Jeff Garrison & Nine North's Dave Collins.

Reading List: Crowell, Lomax, Louvins and Murphy's Laws

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Rodney Crowell’s new memoir, Chinaberry Sidewalks, (Knopf) offers a look at his childhood and his parent’s often rocky marriage, set against the backdrop of 1950’s Houston, Texas.
Crowell, the only child of a hard-drinking father and a Holy Roller mother, shares wild anecdotes such as the time he broke up his parents’ raucous New Year’s Eve party with gunfire, and when he ended their fight at the local drive-in by smashing a glass soda bottle over his own head. The book is described as an exploration of his parent’s troubled yet ultimately redeeming romance.

• • • • •

Ralph Murphy, known for his “Murphy’s Laws of Songwriting” lectures and articles, has compiled his knowledge into a new book.
Murphy’s Laws of Songwriting: The Book is an in-depth how-to guide with an industry insider perspective. It covers story titles, possible roadblocks, crossing genres, music business 101, how to catch the attention of listeners, and more. Also included are his popular articles.
Murphy is a frequent lecturer and writer about the songwriting process.

• • • • •


A new book about Alan Lomax delves into the life of the folklorist, archivist, and record producer who introduced folk music to the masses. John Szwed authored Alan Lomax: The Man Who Recorded the World (Viking).
Lomax’s groundbreaking field recordings of rural music eventually brought the sounds of Woody Guthrie, Pete Seeger, and Burl Ives to the radio. By the 1940s he was producing concerts where white and black performers shared the stage. Among the rotating cast of characters in the book are Eleanor Roosevelt, Leadbelly, Jelly Roll Morton, Muddy Waters, and Bob Dylan.

• • • • •

Charlie Louvin’s autobiography will be released early next year by Igniter Books, an imprint of It Books/HarperCollins. Louvin died of pancreatic cancer on January 26, 2011. He spent the last six months of his life co-authoring the book entitled Satan Is Real: The Ballad Of The Louvin Brothers with Benjamin Whitmer.

Grammy Preview: Lady A Leads Heading Into Awards

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Lady Antebellum is the most-nominated country group heading into Sunday night’s (2/13) Grammy Awards. Zac Brown Band follows closely with four nods.
Lady A will compete in the all-genre categories for Album of the Year, Record of the Year, and Song of the Year, all for smash single and album “Need You Now.”
Also in the running for the all-genre Song honor are Tom Douglas and Allen Shamblin, writers of Miranda Lambert’s hit “The House That Built Me.”
See the complete list of Nashville nominees here.
Artists who scored performance slots on the show include Miranda Lambert, Lady A, and Martina McBride in an Aretha Franklin tribute. Presenting will be Keith Urban, ZBB, Dierks Bentley, Jewel and Blake Shelton.
The 53rd Annual Grammy Awards will be held at the LA Staples Center and broadcast live on CBS from 8–11:30 p.m. (ET/PT).
Additionally, the Pre-Telecast Ceremony (where many Country awards will be given out) will take place from 1–4 p.m. PT at the Los Angeles Convention Center and will be streamed live on www.grammy.com/live and on www.youtube.com/thegrammys.

Miranda Dazzles; Taylor Travels; Penrod and Sweeny Perform

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>>At a silver-themed bash last Friday evening (2/4), Miranda Lambert celebrated back-to-back Platinum success of all her albums to date: Kerosene, Crazy Ex-Girlfriend and Revolution.

Pictured (l-r): Sony Music Nashville Chairman/CEO Gary Overton, Producer Frank Liddell, Lambert, ShopKeeper Management's Marion Kraft. Photo credit: Alan Poizner


>>Taylor Swift kicked off her Speak Now World Tour 2011 on 2/9 with a sold-out show at Singapore’s Indoor Stadium. She is currently slated to play 90 shows in 19 countries spanning four continents on the tour.

Pictured: (L) Swift signs autographs for fans outside the stadium; (R) Swift on stage at the Singapore Indoor Stadium.


>>Guy Penrod visited with the MusicRow Staff on Wednesday (2/9) and performed several songs including current single, “Pray About Everything,” from his debut country CD, Breathe Deep.

Pictured (L-R): David Ross, “Pray About Everything” co-writer Bob Regan, Penrod, Sherod Robertson, Michelle Stephens, Sarah Skates and Jon Freeman.


>>The Academy of Country Music recently welcomed Republic Nashville recording artist Sunny Sweeney to its L.A. offices. While at the Academy, she performed on the ACM’s new 3rd floor Stage.

Pictured: Sunny Sweeney and her band. Photo Credit: Michel Bourquard/ACM

WMG And Citigroup Race To Attract Buyers

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The Egyptian crisis is disrupting financial markets and political strategies around the world, but closer to home and having more immediate consequences for the music industry is the continued movements of EMI and Warner Music Group. Both companies are in play. WMG has already announced its buy/sell strategy concerning the record label and its Warner Chappell publishing assets. EMI, now owned by Citigroup who recently wrested the corporation from the hands of Terra Firma’s Guy Hands is also in a sell mode. And like WMG, EMI has two assets, EMI Music Publishing and a record label.
Unlike Egypt, there are not thousands of people protesting in Times Square, L.A. or in front of Nashville’s courthouse, but according to the New York Post a line of almost 20 “interested parties” are kicking the WMG tires. While it is unusual to find a major label for sale, it is utterly remarkable to have two of the giant content houses on the sales block at the same time.
Analysts note that having two companies on sale at the same time could be detrimental for both. Therefore a premium is being placed on being first to market. WMG is already asking bidders to submit first round bids by the end of Feb. Citigroup, understanding that time is of the essence is reportedly racing to prepare its offering too.
Meanwhile, adding to the confusion is the real possibility that WMG CEO Edgar Bronfman Jr. is said to fancy EMI’s recorded music division and may be willing to sell Warner Chappell to get it. However, according to the Post, “In the bidding mix for Warner are several names, include Zomba founder Clive Calder and Russian investor, Leonard Blavatnik. Others include Universal Music; Sony Music; private-equity giants KKR, Apollo and Providence Equity, and Netherlands-based music publishing giant Imagem. Some of those names are also considered potential buyers of EMI.”
Warner’s recent fourth quarter report (2/8) showed music revenue off 14% and music publishing revenue off 15%. The numbers sparked a selloff in the stock which fell from a high this past week of about 6.34 to around $5.50 but appears to be rebounding this morning (2/11) hitting $5.75. Wall Street analyst Richard Greenfield of BTIG stated that he expects to see digital units sales fall for the first time ever during Q2 or Q3.
If Greenfiield’s outlook proves correct, then the dance of buyers and sellers shopping for major label assets may only be beginning.

Fundraiser In Memory Of Merlin Littlefield To Fight Pancreatic Cancer

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Merlin Littlefield


A private reception hosted by country music legend Larry Gatlin will pay tribute to the life and memory of music executive Merlin Littlefield, who died from pancreatic cancer in 2008. Lisa Niemi Swayze, who lost her husband Patrick to pancreatic cancer in 2009, will be a special guest speaker. The private fundraising event, which takes place at Feb. 24th at ASCAP, will raise funds for the Merlin Littlefield Pancreatic Cancer Memorial Fund benefitting the Pancreatic Cancer Action Network.
“I am honored to have Larry Gatlin bringing together members of the Nashville community and music industry to pay tribute to my late husband,” stated Eileen Littlefield. “Nashville is known for its philanthropic nature and I hope people will join me and help make a difference in the fight against pancreatic cancer so we can know, fight and end this devastating disease.”
In addition to Merlin Littlefield, pancreatic cancer has claimed the lives of other members of the country music world including Charlie Louvin, who passed away just last month, Buddy Killen, Hank Cochran, Alan Webb, Edward Gaylord, Felice Bryant and Joe Carter. Event sponsors include ASCAP, Crossroads Pet Professionals, Mike Curb, DeCosimo Vaden and J.R. Roper–Lexus of Nashville.
Pancreatic cancer is the fourth leading cause of cancer death in the United States and is the only one of the top ten causes of cancer death with a five-year survival rate in the single digits. In 2010, over 43,000 Americans were diagnosed with pancreatic cancer and nearly 37,000 died. There are no early detection methods and few effective treatment options. Despite the statistics, a mere 2 percent of the National Cancer Institute’s annual cancer research funding is dedicated to pancreatic cancer.
Funds raised in memory of Merlin will support the Pancreatic Cancer Action Network’s mission to advance research, support patients and create hope. The organization is committed to doubling the pancreatic cancer survival rate by 2020 by doubling its efforts to raise awareness, support patients and intensify advocacy for a national research strategy dedicated to finding a cure. To learn more about the organization, visit www.pancan.org.

New Singles From Country Songstresses

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Joanna Smith


Some of country’s rising females have new music climbing the charts. See the latest from Joanna Smith, Jana Kramer, Ashton Shepherd, and Katie Armiger.
>>The latest single from Columbia Nashville newcomer Joanna Smith hit the airwaves Feb. 7. “Georgia Mud” is streaming at www.joannasmithofficial.com. The single has already received rave reviews from music critics such as MusicRow’s own Robert K. Oermann. Smith was also named one of the new artists to watch by Billboard, Roughstock.com and Variety. CRS attendees can catch Smith first-hand at the MusicRow Meet & Greet on March 1 at Cadillac Ranch, where she and Colt Ford will perform.
>>Jana Kramer has released a single via Warner Music Nashville’s Elektra Nashville. “I Won’t Give Up” reached No. 2 on the iTunes Top Country Songs. The actress is a regular on The CW’s One Tree Hill, which will feature the song an upcoming episode. Kramer has had several other television roles, including appearances on Friday Night Lights, 90210, and Entourage.

Ashton Shepherd


>>The new single from MCA’s Ashton Shepherd is seeing lots of adds at country radio and the video for “Look It Up” is equally popular. The Michael Salomon-directed video was shot in Los Angeles and shows Ashton as a wronged lover who is selling her cheating ex’s belongings in a yard sale. Fans can see behind-the-scenes footage here.
>>Katie Armiger’s latest single “Best Song Ever” grabbed the fan-voted No. 1 spot on the GAC Top 20 Countdown recently. It is also climbing the Music Row chart. Armiger penned the single with Bruce Wallace and Amanda Flynn to show what goes on after a breakup. The video was shot during three days in Nashville and directed by Stephen Shepherd (Gary Allan, Emily West, and Josh Gracin).