Aldean Will Party Into 2012

CMA Entertainer of the Year nominee Jason Aldean’s My Kinda Party Tour will party on into 2012, with several new tour stops scheduled beginning in January. Aldean’s friend Capitol Records artist Luke Bryan will join the tour as special guest. The only date announced so far is Feb. 24 at Nashville’s Bridgestone Arena, which sold out in minutes.

“I never want this year to end,” said Aldean. “This has been the best year of my career, and our shows just keep getting bigger and better, so we’re just going to take the party on into the new year. Luke and I are really good friends…we hang out on our off days, we hunt and fish together, and we love to play music to our fans. It’s gonna be a blast.”

Aldean is currently finishing up the Fall leg of his 2011 My Kinda Party Tour, with the final show scheduled for October 28 in San Diego, Ca. During his break from touring, Aldean will perform on the CMA Awards Nov. 9, where he is tied for the most nominations with five.

First announced cities on 2012 My Kinda Party Tour:
Cedar Falls, IA
Champaign, IL
Charlottesville, VA
Dayton, OH
East Rutherford, NJ
Fayetteville, NC
Green Bay, WI
Greenville, SC
Huntsville, AL
Jonesboro, AR
Kansas City, MO
Nashville, TN — Feb. 24 @ Bridgestone Arena
Oklahoma City, OK
Orlando, FL
St. Paul, MN
Tupelo, MS
Wichita, KS

New Nashville Developments Nurture Artists

Artist rendering of the Ryman Lofts.

A groundbreaking ceremony for Nashville’s first affordable community designed for artists was held downtown yesterday (10/5). The Ryman Lofts are scheduled to open in 2012, and will include 60 apartments for a range of creative types. The $5.289 million endeavor will include meeting spaces that are conducive to artistic endeavors. A focus group of local artists helped with the design.

The idea for Ryman Lofts grew from the Music City Music Council, which recognized that making quality affordable urban housing available to emerging artists can spur small business development, reduce transportation demands and nurture the city’s creative workforce. The architect is Smith-Gee Studio and the contractor is R.G. Anderson.

“Nashville is known around the world for the work of our creative community and each year more people move here to Music City to pursue careers in the arts,” Mayor Karl Dean said at the groundbreaking. “The Ryman Lofts speak directly to the uniqueness of the Music City identity and will continue to help cultivate the city’s culturally rich and diverse community by creating affordable urban housing opportunities for artists.”

Entertaining the crowd was The Collective, an a cappella group made up of some of Nashville’s independent singer-songwriters currently competing on NBC’s The Sing-Off.

The Ryman Lofts are part of the Rolling Mill Hill neighborhood, which also includes the Historic Trolley Barns, an 80,000 sq. ft. space being renovated for non-profit and creative companies. Moving in will be Emma, the Center for Nonprofit Management, Hands On Nashville, The Entrepreneur Center, Centric Architects and Metro Development Housing Authority, some as early as this year.

The Entrepreneur Center recently received a $2.5 million grant from the Economic Development Administration—the largest EDA grant in state history—for its renovation of Trolley Barn #1, a 22,000 sq. ft. facility that will house 72 incubation spaces, education facilities, office space, expected to launch 40 to 70 companies annually.

Rolling Mill Hill already includes the Art Deco, Victorian, Metro Building and Nance Place apartments.

Rendering of the Historic Trolley Barns.

Loeb & Loeb Expands Entertainment Practice

John Strohm

Loeb & Loeb LLP has added attorney John P. Strohm to its Nashville office as senior counsel in the Music Industry Practice. He has extensive experience negotiating agreements related to music publishing, recording, distribution and emerging media, including numerous transactions with major and independent record labels and music publishers.

Loeb & Loeb’s Nashville office was founded more than 15 years ago by John T. Frankenheimer. “John’s experience as a recording and touring artist will greatly inform his work for our clients based in Nashville and around the world,” says Frankenheimer. “Our team in Nashville is poised to handle almost any legal or business matter that arises in the music industry and John will be a great asset to that practice, as well as becoming an integral part of our national entertainment and media practice.”

Strohm joins Loeb & Loeb from Alabama-based Johnston Barton Proctor & Rose LLP, where he practiced in the firm’s Business and Tax Group. In addition to his music practice, Strohm handles a range of intellectual property, real estate, and general corporate matters for an array of clients. He graduated from the University of Alabama, Birmingham, and went to law school at Samford University.

Steve Jobs 1955-2011

Awards Overboard

As the final round of CMA Awards voting draws near, artist team members will be working overtime to woo voters. Music Row mailboxes—virtual and physical—will be busting with promotional greetings marked “For Your Consideration.” It’s a chance for marketers to rehash their acts’ accomplishments from the past year in hopes of earning a vote, and a trophy.

As label budgets have decreased in recent years, there are less dollars to spend soliciting votes. For independent artists, who typically have smaller bank accounts, competing against the majors has always been tough.

Scenarios like this play out on both coasts, in a variety of entertainment industries as competitors vie for bragging rights.

Despite the economical downturn, in Hollywood, attempts to win awards have gotten so out of control that the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences is cracking down. Apparently it has been an ongoing problem for years—those promotional ads that still infiltrate Nashville mailboxes have been banned by the Academy since 1996.

Much like country artist reps send out albums and DVDs to entice awards voters, Hollywood strategists send out promotional copies of film screeners. The difference is that in Los Angeles the Academy regulates the packaging. Negative campaigning against Oscar competitors has long been forbidden, and the rules have now expanded to cover social media. The Academy views the offense as so serious, that punishment is a one-year suspension for the first violation, followed by expulsion for a subsequent mess-up. And that’s just the beginning of the lengths Oscar organizers are going to in an attempt to level the playing field for the 2012 show.

“It’s really a perception problem for us,” Academy COO Ric Robertson told The Hollywood Reporter. “The Oscars are about what our members see on screen and think is quality work. To the extent that the public dialogue about the Oscars is who threw a good party or ran a successful campaign versus the quality of the work, that’s off-point for us. We want people to be talking about the work.”

The main problem last year during voting season was the over-the-top extravaganzas. Star-studded parties for Best Picture nominees The Social Network and The King’s Speech are among the soirees that pushed the envelope too far. There was also a rising trend of Hollywood figures hosting events honoring friends who were in the running. Smaller films simply couldn’t compete with such expensive affairs, leaving them at a disadvantage when it came time to vote.

So the Academy laid down new regulations. Between Jan. 24, 2012 when the final nominations are revealed, and Feb. 21 when voting closes, a strict ban on events designed to lure voters will be enforced for the first time. There will be basically no parties, no post-screening receptions, and limits on panel discussions.

According to The Hollywood Reporter, “Academy members may not be invited to or attend any non-screening event that promotes or honors a nominated movie or individual. Nominees themselves are also prohibited from attending such events. However, the Academy’s own events as well as awards ceremonies held by the guilds, critics’ groups and other organizations are exempted.”

Despite the Academy’s best efforts, the Hollywood party train will keep chugging away—probably just a little earlier in the awards season. The end result will likely be that all the parties are crammed into the weeks leading up to the reveal of the final nominations.

New Big Machine Label Group Signing

Big Machine Label Group has announced the signing of 15-year-old singer/songwriter Ella Mae Bowen to the label group’s roster.

“We couldn’t be more excited to have Ella Mae Bowen join our Big Machine family,” says label President and CEO Scott Borchetta. “She blew me away the first time I heard her sing.”

According to BMLG, original music from Bowen will most likely surface sometime in 2012 but the young performer has a remake of Bonnie Tyler’s “Holding Out For A Hero” on the upcoming Footloose soundtrack. Bowen will be assigned to one of the label group’s three imprints in the future.

The South Carolina native has been singing since childhood, and performing onstage since she was seven. She is currently working on debut music for BMLG, and will attend the Nashville premiere of Footloose tomorrow (10/6). She is being managed by Tracy Gershon (Red Light) and Kip Krones.

CMT Reveals “Artists Of The Year”

The new 90-minute special CMT Artists of the Year will honor Jason Aldean, Kenny Chesney, Lady Antebellum, Brad Paisley and Taylor Swift. The show premieres Tues., Dec. 13 at 9 p.m.

Taped in Nashville, the show will bring the honorees together with country music peers and celebrities across the entertainment spectrum. The evening will feature performances from the country world and beyond, in celebration of the successes of the past year.

CMT Artist of the Year acts were chosen by ranking the top five artists based on sales (physical albums, digital albums, and single downloads), country radio airplay based on spins, concert grosses as a headliner or co-headliner and activity on CMT.com (video streams, searches, and artist page views). The rankings were then compiled to identify the leading performers across the four categories cumulatively.

Over the past 12 months, Aldean, Chesney, Lady A, Paisley and Swift have collectively received over 2.7 million spins of their current songs, sold over 9 million copies of their current albums, sold over 20 million individual downloads of their current singles and have garnered over 10.2 million video streams. In addition, they’ve also topped both the touring and CMT.com charts.

This year, honorees and their guests will be treated to cuisine prepared by celebrity chef Stephanie Izard, Top Chef winner and chef/partner of Girl & The Goat restaurant in Chicago.

Sherrié Austin Wraps Album, Premieres TV Show

After seven years away from the recording world, Sherrié Austin recently completed her new album Circus Girl, a self written, self produced and self financed project. The thirteen-track album will release on Nov. 15.

Austin also finished up shooting a docu-series entitled Girls Who Like Boys Who Like Boys for the Sundance Channel. Now in its second season, the show celebrates and explores the relationships between straight women and their gay best friend. The show features Austin and songwriting collaborator Shane Stevens. The show premieres Nov. 18 on the Sundance Channel.

In the past, Austin has written songs for many country artists including George Strait, Tim McGraw, and most recently a duet for Blake Shelton and Trace Adkins called “If I Was A Woman.”

Hot Times at the Country Music Hall Of Fame

Drummer D.J. Fontana will be honored on Saturday, Oct. 22, as part of the Country Music Hall of Fame and Museum’s series, Nashville Cats: A Celebration of Music City Musicians.

Hosted by Bill Lloyd, the program will include an in-depth, one-on-one interview illustrated with vintage recordings, photos and film clips from the Museum’s Frist Library and Archive.  Immediately following the program, Fontana will sign autographs in the Museum Store.

Fontana has spent more than five decades on the road and in recording studios. Though he is best known as Elvis Presley’s drummer, Fontana has played on recordings by Steve Earle, Lefty Frizzell, Chris Isaak, Waylon Jennings, Paul McCartney, Dolly Parton, Carl Perkins, Charley Pride, Jim Reeves, Keith Richards, Porter Wagoner and more.

The program will be held in the Museum’s Ford Theater at 1:30 p.m. Ticket price is included with Museum admission and free to Museum members. The program will be streamed live on www.countrymusichalloffame.org.

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(L-R) Ricky Skaggs, Del McCoury program host Bill Cody

Last Wednesday (9/29), the Del McCoury Band orchestrated an evening of musical tributes by bluegrass artists in celebration of Bill Monroe’s centennial.

Hosted by Bill Cody, the program mapped Monroe’s history from his birth in Rosine, KY to his work with his brother Charlie as the Monroe Brothers, his arrival at the Grand Ole Opry, the birth of bluegrass with the 1946 band, the evolution of his sound, and his final days. Guest performers included Dale Ann Bradley, Matt Combs, Mike Compton, Claire Lynch, the Nashville Bluegrass Band, Peter Rowan, Ricky Skaggs and Roland White.

The concert was co-presented by Vanderbilt University’s Blair School of Music and the Country Music Hall of Fame and Museum, with additional funding provided by the Foundation for Bluegrass Music.

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The Country Music Hall of Fame celebrated the musical influence of Chet Atkins last Saturday (10/1). Guitarists Joe Robinson, who won the 2008 season of Australia’s Got Talent, and Pat Bergeson, who recorded and toured with Atkins, teamed up for the concert. The concert was offered as part of the Museum’s special exhibition Chet Atkins: Certified Guitar Player.

(L-R) Joe Robinson, Pat Bergeson, Fred Gretsch and Dinah Gretsch

 

 

IEBA Conference Educates and Entertains

Wanda Jackson and Jim Messina. Photo: Rick Diamond, Getty Images

The 41st Annual iteration of the International Entertainment Buyer’s Association (IEBA) conference concluded last night (10/4), following three days of record-breaking attendance, musical showcases, networking and educational sessions for the live entertainment industry.

On Sunday (10/2) evening following a welcome reception, talent agency APA showcased some of its talented artists including Lyndsey Highlander, Aaron Parker, Jim Messina and Ray Scott. But septuagenarian Queen of Rockabilly Wanda Jackson stole the show from all of them. Clad in a glittery pink jacket, Jackson sang spunky versions of her classics “Riot In Cell Block #9,” “I Gotta Know,” and “Let’s Have A Party” as well as “Shakin’ All Over” from her Jack White-produced 2011 album The Party Ain’t Over. Youngsters take note: the lady’s still got it.

Later, attendees flocked over to War Memorial Auditorium for dinner and another round of showcases from Paradigm Agency. Comedian Reno Collier entertained between set changes, and performers included Canadian songbird Marlee Scott; newcomers Dean Alexander and JT Hodges; Texas hitmaker Jack Ingram; and the scary-talented costumed troupe Here Come The Mummies.

Sarah Darling. Photo: Rick Diamond, Getty Images

Educational panel options were numerous on Monday, including an interview of legendary Kiss manager Doc McGhee by Billboard’s Ray Waddell. The two covered McGhee’s experience managing one of the biggest touring acts in history, as well as the future of the live entertainment business. Creative Artists Agency showcased in the early afternoon with its new faces Kip Moore, Edens Edge, Brett Eldredge, Craig Campbell, Sonia Leigh, and Love and Theft.

That evening, Buddy Lee Attractions showcased Bush Hawg, Sarah Darling, Josh Gracin, Mark Chesnutt, Corey Smith, and LoCash Cowboys. Darling showed promise and poise onstage, delivering recent single “Something To Do With Your Hands” and a cover of U2’s “With Or Without You” in fine voice. Corey Smith also displayed his knack for relatable story songs, followed by the big tent rock ‘n’ roll antics of LoCash.

Over at War Memorial, William Morris Entertainment created a stellar lineup that got underway with a fiery full-band set from Wynonna. Neal McCoy engaged the crowd between performers, also debuting his new Miranda Lambert and Blake Shelton produced single “A-Ok.” EMI Nashville’s Eric Paslay performed acoustically, followed by a tandem acoustic set full of hits from buddies Lee Brice and Jerrod Niemann. Brice and Niemann brought out new face Tyler Farr, who showcased his remarkable vocal talents. The Band Perry closed out the evening with a full band extravaganza of fancy lighting and tricked-out LED screens, though some sound mixing issues in the beginning put a damper on the spectacle. TBP will be playing its first headlining show in Nashville at the Ryman February 20, but getting tickets to that sold-out affair will probably take some pretty slick bargaining.

Pictured at the WME showcase are (L-R): Reid Perry, co-head of WME Nashville Rob Beckham, Kimberly Perry, Wynonna, co-head of WME Nashville Greg Oswald, Kerry Hansen with Big Enterprises and Neil Perry. Photo: Rick Diamond, Getty Images

Laura Bell Bundy. Photo: Rick Diamond, Getty Images

Yesterday (10/4), showcases included Cold River Records’ Katie Armiger, DJ Miller and the roster of Paradise Artists that included Glen Templeton, Blackhawk, Paul Revere and the Raiders and more. Ticketmaster CEO Nathan Hubbard delivered a much-anticipated speech on the importance of keeping music fans invested in live shows.

The conference closed out in style with the annual Hall of Fame Induction and Dinner, which was hosted by Laura Bell Bundy and featured performances by Roy Clark and Don Schlitz with live art created by Michael Israel. HoF inductees included Bobby Baker, Houston Livestock Show and Rodeo, Jimmy Jay, Paul Moore, Tandy Rice, Lou Robin, Mike Smardak and Leroy Van Dyke.

“The evening exceeded all expectations. It was a once in a lifetime experience with the great Roy Clark and the many legends of our industry all in the room together. Laura Bell Bundy entertained and charmed everyone. It could not have been more perfect,” said IEBA Executive Director Tiffany Davis.

Pictured at the IEBA Hall of Fame induction: Back Row (L-R): Leroy Van Dyke, Leroy Shafer, Paul Moore, Mike Smardak, Lou Robin, Jimmy Jay; Front Row (L-R): Roy Clark, Bobby Baker and Tandy Rice. Photo: Rick Diamond, Getty Images

The following individuals were also honored by IEBA this year.

Venue Executive of the Year
John Bolton – BOK Center, Tulsa, Oklahoma

Talent Agent of the Year
Stan Barnett – Creative Artists Agency

Club Buyer of the Year
Ed Warm – Joe’s Bar Chicago

College Buyer of the Year – Tie
Rick Stowe – East Coast Entertainment, Inc.
Adam Tobey – Concert Ideas

Corporate Entertainment Buyer of the Year
Paul Creighton – T Skorman Productions, Inc.

Casino Buyer of the Year
Robyn Smith – Hard Rock Hotel & Casino

Fair Buyer of the Year
Renee Pearson – Minnesota State Fair

Festival Buyer of the Year
Bonnaroo – Ashley Capps – AC Entertainment

International Buyer of the Year
Rob Waloschuk – Dauphin’s Countryfest, Manitoba, Canada