RPM Inks Publishing Deal With Idol Finalist

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(L-R) MTM’s Rusty Harmon, RPM’s Scott Siman, Bo Bice and RPM’s Blake Chancey.


Singer/songwriter Bo Bice has been signed to RPM Music for publishing. “I’m proud to welcome Bo to the RPM family,” says company President Scott Siman. “We value Bo’s great experience and creativity and both staff and writers look forward to the music they will be creating together.”
Bice, who was an American Idol finalist in season 4, is currently represented by Rusty Harmon of MTM Management. MTM’s roster also includes Scarletta and Yarn. Former clients include Jason Michael Carroll plus Hootie and the Blowfish.
RPM Music is co-owned by Siman and Blake Chancey. The company’s catalog includes rights to songs such as “It’s Five O’Clock Somewhere” (Alan Jackson), “I’m Movin’ On” (Rascal Flatts) and “Leave the Pieces” (The Wreckers), among others. Recent hits include “What Kinda Gone” (Chris Cagle), “Anything Goes” (Randy Houser), and Montgomery Gentry singles “One in Every Crowd” “Long Line of Losers” and “Oughta Be A Song About That.” The RPM Music writer roster includes Aubrey Collins, Benji Harris, Nathan Stoops, and Katie Rae Davis.
 

AFTRA Praises LimeWire Settlement, Requests Info From Labels

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The American Federation of Television and Radio Artists, AFL-CIO, a union of over 70,000 music industry members, praised the recent $105 million copyright infringement settlement awarded to the record labels against LimeWire and CEO Mark Gorton.
The union has also requested information from each of the major labels and subsidiaries involved, with the aim of securing a fair and appropriate share of the settlement to AFTRA recording and non-royalty artists in accordance with the union’s agreement with the labels.
“As the exclusive collective bargaining representative and voice of recording artists, AFTRA applauds this landmark settlement which awards our members their fair share of the monies they are owed as a result of LimeWire’s infringement of our members’ copyrighted works,” says Randall Himes, AFTRA Assistant National Executive Director for Sound Recordings. “AFTRA is moving quickly and aggressively to ensure that the settlement monies are apportioned fairly and disbursed timely to ensure that all artists, including AFTRA members get their rightful share.”
Specifics of the label agreement aren’t provided, but the 2010 winter edition of AFTRA Magazine claims that 90 percent of members’ earnings are tied to physical and digital sales.

Artists Salute Soldiers For Memorial Day

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Darryl Worley


• • • Darryl Worley is donating $1.00 from each paid digital download of his new song “Unsung Heroes” to the U.S. Army Family and Morale, Welfare and Recreation Command (FMWRC), and the 9/11 Families for a Secure America Foundation. The song is also available for free download for those serving in the military, past to present.
• • • Cracker Barrel Old Country Store and Randy Travis are donating a portion of proceeds from his Cracker Barrel CD exclusive to the Wounded Warrior Project. The self-titled album contains nine classic hits and three previously unreleased songs.
• • • James Otto will give away handwritten, autographed lyrics for his latest single “Soldiers and Jesus” in honor of Memorial Day. The contest is open at www.facebook.com/jamesotto until Monday, May 30.
• • • Lee Greenwood has a new version of his patriotic anthem, “God Bless The USA.” He is giving away digital downloads of the song with all pre-sale orders of his upcoming book from Tate Publishing, Does God Still Bless The USA? The book will be in stores July 4 and includes the new version of “God Bless The USA,” and new single “Show Me the Way.”

Weekly Chart Report (5/20/11)

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CMT Radio Live visits with John Rich as he prepares for the big “Celebrity Apprentice” finale this Sunday. (L-R): CMT Radio host Cody Alan, Rich


SPIN ZONE
No lie at all, The Band Perry’s “You Lie” takes over the CountryBreakout Chart’s No. 1 spot, making this the sibling trio’s second consecutive No. 1. Taylor Swift is still chasing the Perry clan with “Mean,” which advances to No. 2. Toby Keith’s “Somewhere Else” gets a bump to No. 3, but within a hundred spins are Justin Moore’s “If Heaven Wasn’t So Far Away” at No. 5 and Blake Shelton’s “Honey Bee” at No. 6.
Make way for more summer smashes, people. Lady Antebellum’s “Just A Kiss” is already huge, rocketing up to No. 18 in its third week charting. In hot pursuit is Zac Brown Band’s Jimmy Buffett-assisted “Knee Deep,” which climbs onward to No. 20 in its fourth week. Songs with guest performers are a hot item, apparently, as Kenny Chesney’s “You And Tequila” featuring Grace Potter slides upward to No. 30 after three weeks. Also performing well are Billy Currington’s “Love Done Gone,” at No. 38 and Thompson Square’s “I Got You” at No. 43.
Darius Rucker’s latest, “I Got Nothin'” clearly has something, because it leads the pack of chart debuts at No. 67. Also making first appearances are Jonalee White’s “Sugar” at No. 76, Landon Michael’s “This Ain’t California” at No. 78, and Glen Templeton’s “I Could Be The One” at No. 80.
Frozen Playlists: KBCR, KRVN, KVVP, KWWR, KYEZ, Nashville XM 11, WCMS, WKWS, WTCM




Upcoming Singles
May 23
The Lunabelles/A Place To Shine/BNA
Shawna Russell/Get Right Or Get Left/Way Out West
Phil Vassar/Let’s Get Together/Rodeowave
Joe Nichols/Take It Off/Show Dog – Universal
Darius Rucker/I Got Nothin’/Capitol
Josh Kelley/Gone Like That/MCA
May 31
Kenny Chesney feat. Grace Potter/You And Tequila/BNA
Bobby Dean/Rebound/Lamon
Jaron and TLRTL feat. Big Kenny/Beautiful Lies (Jaronwood/Universal Republic/Nine North)
• • • • •
New On The Chart—Debuting This Week
Artist/song/label — chart pos.
Darius Rucker/I Got Nothin’/Capitol — 67
Jonalee White/Sugar/Lick — 76
Landon Michael/This Ain’t California/Big Dog Records — 78
Glen Templeton/I Could Be The One/Capstone — 80
Greatest Spin Increase
Artist/song/label — spin+
Lady Antebellum/Just A Kiss/Capitol — 505
Kenny Chesney feat. Grace Potter/You And Tequila/BNA — 438
Zac Brown Band and Jimmy Buffett/Knee Deep/Southern Ground / Atlantic — 282
Darius Rucker/I Got Nothin’/Capitol — 215
Billy Currington/Love Done Gone/Mercury — 213
On Deck—Soon To Be Charting
Artist/song/label — spins
Sarah Darling/Something To Do With Your Hands/Black River — 202
Phil Vassar/Let’s Get Together/Rodeowave — 199
Jadi Norris/Workin’ Man’s Saturday Night/IGO Records — 198
Ben Gregg/From Lonely To Love/Cupit — 193
David St. Romain/Twenty Years Late/Aria/Turnpike — 180
Most Added
Artist/song/label — New Adds
Kenny Chesney feat. Grace Potter/You And Tequila/BNA — 22
Darius Rucker/I Got Nothin’/Capitol — 16
Thompson Square/I Got You/Stoney Creek — 14
Lady Antebellum/Just A Kiss/Capitol — 11
Joe Nichols/Take It Off/Show Dog-Universal — 11
Phil Vassar/Let’s Get Together/Rodeowave — 10
Rachel Holder/Chocolate/All Entertainment — 10

Brett Eldredge visits with WKDF/Nashville staffers before an acoustic performance for the station. (L-R): WKDF PD Marty McFly, Eldredge, MD Matt Bradshaw


WIRK/West Palm Beach and Bud Light presented a concert The Plaza at CityPlace recently, featuring performers Corey Smith and Easton Corbin. (L-R): Smith, WIRK personalities Sammy Cruise and John O'Connell, Corbin


MCA's Ashton Shepherd poses with the staff of WUSY/Chattanooga. Shepherd's sophomore album "Where Country Grows" is due out July 12. (L-R) MCA regional "Uncle" Louie Newman; WUSY's Gator Harrison; Shepherd; WUSY staffers Bear, Mo (Melissa Turner), and Dex.

Shelton Shares New Album Details

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Blake Shelton today (5/19) revealed details about his upcoming album. The full-length release, titled Red River Blue, will come out July 12 on Warner Bros. Produced by multi-award winner Scott Hendricks, it is his ninth album, and follows his two most recent projects which were Six Paks.

The lead single “Honey Bee” is Shelton’s fastest rising song to date. Less than seven weeks since its debut, the feel-good summer tune is already No. 6 on MusicRow’s Country Breakout chart. During its first week the single sold over 138,000 digital downloads, a feat unmatched by any country male soloist. Read MusicRow’s exclusive coverage of the single sales strategy here.
Shelton is the reigning CMA Male Vocalist and is currently one of the musician coaches on NBC’s The Voice. He is part of a panel with stars Christian Aguilera, Cee Lo Green and Adam Levine on the hit show that has already been renewed for a second season.
“Honey Bee” follows his three consecutive No. 1 hits: “Who Are You When I’m Not Looking,” “All About Tonight” and “Hillbilly Bone.”

Tornado Relief Efforts Continue With Help From Swift, Nelson

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Taylor Swift announced today via Twitter that she will expand her fundraising efforts for tornado victims by streaming two performances during Saturday’s “Speak Now … Help Now” benefit event. The stream will be on www.taylorswift.com at 9:00 p.m. CDT on Saturday, May 21. It will give fans a first look at Swift’s new stage and her show for the North American leg of the Speak Now World Tour. Information on how to donate to help tornado victims will be posted during the stream.
Speak Now … Help Now, the final dress rehearsal for the upcoming tour will be held at Nashville’s Bridgestone Arena, and is open to the public as a benefit event for tornado victims.
• • • • •

As Willie Nelson’s Country Throwdown Tour 2011 prepares to launch, Nelson, Jamey Johnson, and other Throwdown artists announce that they will donate their performance fees from the Orange Beach, AL show on June 5 to tornado relief efforts in Alabama.
The 24-city second annual music extravaganza launches in Philadelphia on May 27, with Nelson, Johnson, Randy Houser, Lee Brice, Brantley Gilbert, Craig Campbell, Lukas Nelson & Promise of the Real, and Drake White.
The tour also is known for spotlighting emerging singer-songwriters, and Adam Hood, Caitlyn Smith, Austin Lucas, Brent Cobb, Dani Flowers, and Erin Enderlin have signed on for the specially designed Bluebird Cafe stage.
 

Underwood Heading Down Under

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Carrie Underwood will make her first-ever trip to Australia this summer to promote the June 10 release of Play On: Deluxe Edition in Australia and New Zealand. The special two-disc set includes her entire current album Play On, plus six of her previous No. 1 singles.
Underwood’s Australian visit will launch mid-June and will undertake a full promotional schedule while visiting Melbourne, Sydney, and Brisbane.
Soul Surfer, the film in which Underwood made her big screen debut, will be released in Australia later this month.
Underwood is the latest in a string of country artists embracing fans in Australia. Earlier this year Alan Jackson and Lady Antebellum also toured the continent.
Play On: Deluxe Edition
1. Cowboy Casanova
2. Quitter
3. Mama’s Song
4. Change
5. Undo It
6. Someday When I Stop Loving You
7. Songs Like This
8. Temporary Home
9. This Time
10. Look At Me
11. Unapologize
12. What Can I Say (Featuring Sons of Sylvia)
13. Play On
(Additional Tracks)
1. Don’t Forget To Remember Me
2. Jesus, Take The Wheel
3. Before He Cheats
4. So Small
5. Just A Dream
6. Last Name
7. Home Sweet Home

Jewel-hosted "Platinum Hit" Joins Music Competition Craze

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Jewel (L) and Kara DioGuardi (R) on the set of Platinum Hit.


Jewel and Kara DioGuardi are prepping for the Mon., May 30 premiere of their new Bravo show Platinum Hit. Jewel is hosting the music competition series which focuses on singer-songwriters, and she will also be a judge alongside DioGuardi.
The series will include songwriting challenges, with each week focused on a different theme ranging from dance track to love ballad. Following suit of other reality programs, the 12 contestants on Platinum Hit will live under one roof. Nashville resident Karen Waldrup is the show’s lone Country music contender.
Expected guest judges include Leona Lewis, Natasha Bedingfield, Donna Summer, Jermaine Dupri, Taio Cruz, and Ryan Tedder.
The winner gets a $100,000 cash prize, publishing deal with Sony, BMI Songwriters The Writing Camp, and a recording deal with RCA/Jive.

Benefit News From Nettles, McCurdy, Mercer

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Bob Mercer Scholarship Fund Donates to W.O. Smith School
An annual scholarship fund has been established in memory of renowned record executive Bob Mercer who passed away in May of last year. The Rising Star Music Fund created the scholarship fund, and the first annual contribution was presented to W.O. Smith Music School Executive Director Jonah Rabinowitz by Mercer’s widow, Margie Mercer. The money will be used to purchase musical instruments for students at the Nashville school. The first annual fundraiser for the Bob Mercer Memorial Fund is being planned for the fall and will take place in Nashville.

(L-R): Katie Gillon, Rising Star Music Fund board member, W.O. Smith School ED Jonah Rabinowitz, Margie Mercer.


Jennette McCurdy Tour Benefits St. Jude
Capitol Records Nashville recording artist and star of Nickelodeon’s iCarly Jennette McCurdy visited St. Jude Children’s Research Hospital in Memphis over the weekend where she presented the hospital with a check for $139,643. McCurdy collected the money while on her cross country mall tour, Generation Love Tour for St. Jude.

(L-R): Jennette McCurdy, St. Jude patients Elise, Anthony, Dawson, and Emily Callahan, chief marketing officer for ALSAC, the fundraising organization for St. Jude.


Jennifer Nettles


Nettles Boosts Music Education
Jennifer Nettles helped raise over $50,000 for the Attic Community Playground through an online auction she recently hosted on CharityBuzz. Up for bid were items from Katy Perry, Carrie Underwood, Sheryl Crow, Jon Bon Jovi, Keith Urban, Kid Rock, Kenny Chesney, Reba McEntire, Martina McBride and Sugarland. The money will benefit Atlanta-based charity Attic Community Playground, which helps provide music education opportunities for kids.
 
 
 
 

Country Stars On "Forbes'" Celebrity 100

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Taylor Swift, Brad Paisley, Tim McGraw and Toby Keith all scored slots on Forbes’ annual Celebrity 100 power list. The ranking of musicians, actors, television personalities, athletes and other fabulons takes into account press coverage, social media, and earnings during the previous 12 months.

Source: Forbes


Proving the power of social media, Lady Gaga takes the No. 1 spot, driven by an enormous number of Twitter followers and Facebook fans.
Social media influence and an estimated net income of $45 million helped propel Swift to number seven.
Brad Paisley ranked No. 48 ($40 million), followed by Toby Keith at No. 51 ($50 million) and Tim McGraw at No. 61 ($35 million).
The earnings consist of pretax income between May 1, 2010, and May 1, 2011. Management, agent and attorney fees are not deducted. Forbes has been publishing the list annually since 1999.
More here.