SESAC Ups Jungmichel

/by

Scott Jungmichel


SESAC has named Scott Jungmichel Vice President, Royalty Distribution & Research Services. Formerly Associate Vice President, Jungmichel will be responsible for the distribution of both domestic and international royalties to SESAC’s affiliates. Jungmichel will also oversee SESAC’s royalty administration processes including works registration, performance data collection, and royalty calculations for all performance types.
Jungmichel began his career with SESAC in 1993 as a Coordinator in the Licensing Administration department before becoming the Foreign Royalties Administrator in 1994 and Manager, International Royalties & Documentation in 1995. He worked in the Royalty Distribution & Research Services department as Manager, Director & Senior Director before being named Associate Vice President in 2006, a position he held until his recent appointment. Jungmichel graduated Magna Cum Laude from Belmont University with degrees in Music Business & Management.

DISClaimer Single Reviews (2/23/11)

/by

Music City is Boys Town today.
The ladies are evidently taking the week off, since every platter here on the reviewing desk comes from a solo male. Let the testosterone festival begin.
Your top choices for airplay come from David Nail, Keith Bryant, Steve Azar, Walker Hayes, Kip Moore and Toby Keith. I know nothing whatsoever about Kip Moore, except that he is an exceptional singer with a sensationally well written song. Give him the DisCovery Award.
The Disc of the Day was a contest among Steve Azar, David Nail and Toby Keith. For melodic inventiveness and for daring to do something different, Toby Keith is my man of the hour.
JON WOLFE/Let a Country Boy Love You
Writer: Jon Wolfe/Britton Cameron; Producer: Lex Lipsitz & Jon Wolfe; Publisher: Fool Hearted/Big Music Machine/Golden Gears/Super 98, SESAC/BMI; Fool Hearted (track) (www.jonwolfecountry.com)
—There already is a George Strait. Find your own style.
TOBY KEITH/Somewhere Else
Writer: Toby Keith/Bobby Pinson; Producer: Toby Keith; Publisher: Tokeco Tunes/Music of Stage Three/Bobby’s Song & Salvage, BMI; Show Dog Universal
—This has a very cool, tongue-tripping groove and unexpectedly jazzy chord changes. He fires the lyric at you, but holds back just a wee bit of bluesy drawl. A terrific, addictive change of pace.
ALLEN KARL/That’s All Behind Me Now
Writer: Larry Alderman; Producer: Tom Manche; Publisher: Aldersong, ASCAP; Century II (track)
—The title tune to this artist’s latest CD is taken at a glacial pace, without the global warming.
STEVE AZAR/Hard Road
Writer: Steve Azar/James House; Producer: Steve Azar & Justin Niebank; Publisher: Webbie Writin’/Nice Shot/Kobalt/Jamshare/Friday Records/Evergreen, BMI; Ride (track) (www.steveazar.com)
—The sound is marvelously crisp as this shambles its way into your heart. It’s a traveling-the-highway song with just the right touch of blue-collar angst. Play and believe.
THE PEAR RATZ/Ozona
Writer: Joe Talbert; Producer: none listed; Publisher: none listed; KSB (www.pearratz.com)
—The vocal is mired in sonic muck to thick you can hardly hear it. Incompetence preserved forever on plastic.
DAVID NAIL/Let It Rain
Writer: David Nail/Jonathan Singleton; Producer: Chuck Ainley & Frank Liddell; Publisher: Scrambler/Carnival/BMG Gold Songs/Glassbean and We Jam Writers Group, ASCAP; MCA Nashville (CDX)
—This man’s winning streak continues. His heart is shredded to pieces in this midtempo meditation, and it shows in every vocal inflection.
KEITH BRYANT/The Note
Writer: George Teren/Tom Hambridge; Producer: none listed; Publisher: Songs of Elevation/Teren It Down, BMI; Jordash (www.jordashrecords.com)
—I have always liked this guy’s singing, and I’ve always been a sucker for story songs. His clear phrasing is just right for this tale of old lovers reconnecting in the wake of her father’s passing.
HAYES CARLL/KMAG YOYO
Writer: Hayes Carll/Scott Davis/John Evans; Producer: Brad Jones; Publisher: Highway 87/Bug/Scott Davis/Shakeabush, SESAC/BMI; Lost Highway
—This nightmare imagery of wartime Army drug experimentation is equal parts Jerry Lee Lewis and Bob Dylan, with a dash of Hendrix electric guitar tossed in for spice. It probably rocks too hard for country radio, but is mighty potent nonetheless.
WALKER HAYES/Why Wait for Summer
Writer: Walker Hayes/Fred Wilhelm; Producer: none listed; Publisher: none listed; Capitol Nashville (track)
—I loved everything about his debut single, “Pants.” This shiny, bright follow-up bops right along with its good-times message. Sunny, to say the least.
KIP MOORE/Mary Was the Marrying Kind
Writer: Kip Moore/Scott Stepakoff/Dan Couch; Producer: Brett James; Publisher: Music of Stage Three/Songs of Connan/Roll Though/BMG Rights Management/Sony-ATV/Songs From the Couch, BMI/ASCAP; MCA Nashville (CDX)
—He sings with terrific urgency, and the thumping production matches him lick for lick. As he goes through a laundry list of lovers, he realizes what an awful mistake he’s made in romance. The heartbeat rhythm section is perfection.

Brantley Gilbert Signs With Valory

/by

The Valory Music Co. has signed country rocker Brantley Gilbert. His first single for the label will impact radio in April with an album to follow later in the year.
With two albums to his credit, Gilbert has been building a career through previous label home Average Joe’s Entertainment.
His most recent release, Halfway to Heaven, reached No. 1 on the Billboard Heatseekers Album Chart and has spent 48 consecutive weeks in the chart’s Top 20.
Gilbert’s first album, A Modern Day Prodigal Son, also spent 32 consecutive weeks on the Billboard Heatseekers Chart.
As a songwriter the Georgia native had a recent hit with “My Kinda Party,” the title track to fellow Georgian Jason Aldean’s new album.
Gilbert, who consistently sells out 2,000+ capacity venues, is set to headline the second stage of Willie Nelson’s Country Throwdown tour this summer.
Rich Egan of Hard 8 Management is Gilbert’s manager, he can be contacted at [email protected].

TV Appearances: Adkins, Lewis, Thompson Square, and Ford

/by

Trace Adkins on CMT and GAC

Trace Adkins made recent stops at CMT and GAC to premiere his latest video, “Brown Chicken Brown Cow.” Trace was joined by the cast of the hit video on GAC’s Top 20 Country Countdown.

Left: Adkins with video cast and GAC host Nan Kelley. Right: Adkins with CMT host Evan Farmer. Photo: Amber McSwain

Aaron Lewis on Jimmy Kimmel Live

Aaron Lewis will mark the March 1 release of his solo debut CD, Town Line, on Stroudavarious Records with a performance that night on ABC-TV’s Jimmy Kimmel Live. The Staind frontman will perform “Country Boy,” the CD’s first single.  He’ll also appear the day before (2/28) on the nationally syndicated radio show “Rockline.” Since its release, the single has sold over 182,000 copies (over 21,000 last week alone, outselling the top 5 most-played songs at rock radio combined) and is currently No. 15 on the Billboard Country Digital Singles sales chart.

Thompson Square on The Country Vibe

Breakout duo Thompson Square joins hosts Chuck Long and Becca Walls this week as The Country Vibe with Chuck and Becca begins its third season. The show which features interviews and news from the world of country music airs The CW-Nashville (WNAB) Saturdays at 8:00 p.m. CST.

(L-R): Chuck Long; Shawna and Keifer Thompson; and Becca Walls.

Colt Ford on MTV

Average Joe’s Entertainment’s Colt Ford will make a guest appearance on MTV’s The Theriot Family: Riot In The Bayou series premiere debuting February 23 as part of their “True Life” series. Ford invited the Theriot family to attend his show at the Texas Club in Baton Rouge, Louisiana where a few of the members even danced to the title track of his latest album, “Chicken And Biscuits,” on stage with Ford and his band.

Garth Brooks, Leon Russell To Join Songwriters Hall

/by



Garth Brooks (L), Leon Russell (R)


Garth Brooks, Leon Russell, John Bettis, Billy Steinberg & Tom Kelly and Allen Toussaint will become the newest members of the Songwriters Hall of Fame at the organization’s 42nd Annual Induction and Awards Dinner. The event is set for Thursday, June 16 at the Marriott Marquis Hotel in New York City.
Certified by the RIAA as the No. 1 selling solo artist in U.S. history, Brooks has sold more than 128 million albums and is the only solo artist in RIAA history to have six albums top the 10 million mark. As a songwriter his credits include “If Tomorrow Never Comes,” “The Thunder Rolls,” “Unanswered Prayers” and more.
Fellow inductee Leon Russell has been busy collaborating with Elton John. His songwriting credits include “A Song For You,” “This Masquerade,” ” Delta Lady,” “Tight Rope,” “Bluebird,” “Back To The Island,” and “Hummingbird.” He will also be honored with the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame’s first Award for Musical Excellence in March.

Other inductees include John Bettis, who has written songs that have sold more than 250 million records worldwide such as “Human Nature” and “Crazy For You;” musician, songwriter and record producer Allen Toussaint, who wrote songs “Yes We Can” and “Working in the Coalmine;” and Billy Steinberg & Tom Kelly who co-wrote five No. 1 singles on Billboard’s Hot 100 chart, including “Like A Virgin,” “True Colors,” and “Eternal Flame.”

Industry Ink: Latocki Takes Home ADDYs

/by

>>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.

Working on the winning projects were Latocki Team Creative team members (L-R): Maggie Berry, Miranda Crump, Andy Baggett, Rebekah Lee Beard and owner Luellyn Latocki Hensley, as well as Jeff Crump (not pictured).


>>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 [email protected] or (903) 926-0625.
>>Radio-info.com reports WSM-FM Nashville PD Russell Penuell has exited the station.

Underwood Makes Film Debut In "Soul Surfer"

/by

Carrie Underwood’s first major motion picture, Soul Surfer, will premiere April 8. She plays a church youth group leader in the real-life story of teen surfer Bethany Hamilton who lost her arm in a shark attack. The trailer is available on EW.com.
AnnaSophia Robb (Bridge to Terebithia) plays Hamilton, and her parents are played by Helen Hunt and Dennis Quaid.
Underwood has also guest starred on the hit comedy “How I Met Your Mother.”

Hot Schatz PR and Noise New Media Join Forces

/by

Hot Schatz PR and Noise New Media are teaming up to expand their service offerings. The new partnership will combine Hot Schatz PR’s 18 years of experience in traditional media with Noise New Media’s web design, social media and fan engagement campaigns.
The companies say it will help clients bring a consistent message to fans and traditional media, and cross-promote these campaigns. The companies will utilize video and file-sharing strategies, which they say will help keep costs affordable.
Schatzi Hageman is owner and president of Hot Schatz PR. Steve Richo co-founded Noise New Media three years ago, and has since worked with RODEOHOUSTON, Steve Azar, and Phil Vassar.
The two companies will share office space at:
1024 16th Ave. S., 2nd Floor
Nashville, TN 37212

Twitter Retaliation

/by

Social media is an excellent tool for nurturing the celebrity-consumer relationship, but as this filter-free communication system becomes ubiquitous, it is also influencing stars’ business dealings.
NFL players, and even their agents, have been angrily Tweeting about their ongoing dispute with team owners. Specific details of the negotiation which would have previously taken place behind closed boardroom doors are being played out publicly in real time. The instant information feed can be detrimental if it is used to vent during a moment of heated emotion.
The communication flow from star to fan was once closely guarded, but sites like Twitter have cut out the media middle men. Under the guidance of publicists, celebs previously communicated with consumers through more traditional media outlets like newspapers, magazines and television interviews.
The NFL Players Association warned its members about the potential for harm in its lockout guide:

“In this modern world of media and social networking, know that the nature of comments you make on Facebook, Twitter and text are taken seriously by the public. One negative comment by a player can be detrimental to the negotiation process and confuse the public and media on the position of our players.”

Playing into the power of social media, the union has devoted a section of its website to Twitter posts about the potential lockout, and launched a viral video campaign.
More from the New York Times.

Is Product Placement Coming To Tune Town?

/by


Tom Forrest


Britney Spears’ video “Hold It Against Me” [watch here] was released Feb. 17 and has garnered a flurry of attention. Fans perhaps loved the song’s thumping beat or the video’s modern, ultra chic techo-icity, but the trade mags were most enthralled by the unrelenting use of product placement  for companies like Sony, Plenty of Fish (dating website), Britney’s Radiance perfume, Sephora makeup and lots more. Product placement is the practice of exposing products in an admiring light that are really not integral to the video. According to www.tmz.com, Spears netted $500k for the various placements in “Hold It…” PlentyofFish.com, which reportedly spent in the six figure range, saw its traffic spike 20% the day after the video premiered.
Taking advantage of the product placement revenue stream in pop music videos is actually becoming almost the norm for those stars high enough on the food chain to attract such offers. In recent months Avril Lavigne, Lady Gaga and others have benefitted in this way. But what about country music? Is product placement on its way to Music City?
“We haven’t seen much on our end,” says Tom Forrest, President/Partner in Taillight TV whose company produces music videos and other projects. “For the longest time CMT had a policy about no overt product placements or endorsements in the videos,” he says. “Sometimes a male artist will drive a truck they endorse in the video, but it isn’t really meant to be a product placement. They need a vehicle for the video and certainly can’t be seen driving another manufacturer’s truck.” Forrest explains that his company does not participate in these deals. “In every contract we sign there is the payola clause. We cannot call up Coke and work a deal to make sure Reba drinks a coke. Those deals originate between an artist or label and the product.”

Craig Bann


However, with CD sales continuing to slide, music industry execs are busy fishing every revenue stream to see what they can catch. So is it reasonable to assume that country music artists may also begin to seek this kind of compensation?
“The potential for product placement is going to grow as more and more time is spent watching videos online,” says Craig Bann, AristoMedia Sr. VP Marketing & Publicity. “The fact that sites like YouTube, Vevo and others aren’t worried about product placement offers labels and artists a chance to recoup production costs. In the future I’d look for videos from developed artists to have two versions, one with product integrated into the concept and a second that’s product free to be delivered to broadcast outlets like CMT and GAC.”
“Who is willing to pay for Britney Spears to make a $500,000 video?” asks Forrest. “Most likely it isn’t the record company. Only with product placements is she able to afford this kind of imaging. It would be pretty difficult to do if MTV was the primary source of where that video would be seen. But music videos are being seen more and more on the web, on sites that are comfortable giving artists more control over their rights of what products they want to associate with. So yeah, you could definitely start to see this approach come to country. YouTube doesn’t care about product placement.”

Sarah Trahern


GAC Sr. VP Programming Sarah Trahern says she’s heard discussion about product integration from country artists, but has yet to see it appear in a video. “GAC has not yet set a formal policy on integration,” Trahern says. “If we do set one, it will be related to the blatancy of the product integration and whether or not it strongly distracts from the story content of the clip to viewers.”
Product placements on TV have become commonplace. In fact, The Nielsen Company ranks such movements by product and the shows that feature them. For example, According to Ad Age, during the period Jan. 1-31 Coca-cola, Chevrolet and Everlast sport equipment had the highest number of placement occurrences. ABC’s Extreme Makeover: Home Edition, NBC’s 68th Annual Golden Globe Awards and NBC’s The Biggest Loser were the top three shows in terms of total placement occurrences.
The product placement discussion will evolve because the potential profits are ample, but ultimately, artists will still need to interact with their fans and bear the responsibility for keeping their trust.