Industry Ink Tuesday

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• • • Toby Keith is heading into the Oct. 24 release of Clancy’s Tavern with a No. 1 hit. The album’s lead single “Made In America” is his 29th charttopper and recently went to No. 1 on MusicRow’s CountryBreakout chart. He penned the track with frequent co-writer Bobby Pinson. A Deluxe Edition of Clancy’s Tavern includes four extra songs that are covers recorded live at Keith’s 2010 Incognito Bandito club show at The Fillmore in New York City.

• • • Over 250 members of the industry gathered for the annual End of the Row Party to raise money and awareness for the TJ Martell Foundation on Sept. 22. The event was hosted for the second year by law firm Crownover, Blevins behind their offices and sponsored by Merrill Lynch’s Raj Patnik and Zach Richards. The night netted over $5500 for the Foundation and featured performances by hit songwriters Barry Dean, Brett James, Luke Laird and Shane McAnally. Laura Bell Bundy was the host and emcee. Other up-and-coming writers who performed were Liz Moriondo, Jeremy Parsons, James Hunter, Julie Foresterand Jen Foster.

• • • Last week Belmont University welcomed Grand Ole Opry GM and VP Pete Fisher as guest speaker for the Mike Curb College of Entertainment and Music Business seminar series. Fisher also serves on the Curb College advisory board.

(L-R): Rush Hicks, Belmont Music Business program chair; Wesley Bulla, Curb College Dean; Pete Fisher, Grand Ole Opry; Sarita Stewart, Entertainment Industry Studies

• • • Grammy winning artist and songwriter Peter Frampton will join the Music City Walk of Fame, presented by founding sponsor Gibson Guitar. Frampton will be recognized officially with the unveiling of a commemorative sidewalk marker on Sat., Oct. 22 at 1:00 p.m. in Walk of Fame Park in downtown Nashville. The induction ceremony sponsored by GAC, is free and open to the public. Frampton lived in Nashville for seven years, and many of his band and crew live here. He continues to write, record and rehearse in the city regularly.

• • • Gene Watson’s tour bus was in a wreck over the weekend. Thankfully no one was seriously injured. He was eight miles from his show in Sandstone, MN when the bus lurched off the road and nearly flipped over. He is now back in Nashville where he will join Randy Travis on the Grand Ole Opry tonight to sing “Didn’t We Shine,” which was recorded for Travis’s 25th Anniversary Celebration album.

• • • APA’s David Plyler was the top fundraiser for the Cystic Fibrosis Foundation of Middle Tennessee’s “Nashville’s Top 30 Under 30” initiative. He was honored at a party Sat., Sept. 24 on the 21st floor of The Pinnacle at Symphony Center. The event had raised more than $55,000 for cystic fibrosis research.

David Plyler of Agency for the Performing Arts is recognized by (L-R): Nashville’s Top 30 Under 30 co-chairmen Tim Bewley and Fiona Haulter, and Cystic Fibrosis Foundation of Middle Tennessee Director of Development Lesley McMahan

Pictured following the Women's Half-Marathon in Nashville. (L-R): Caitlin King Rossman (Associated Press), Cindy Heath (Monarch Publicity), Lori Christian (Capitol Records)

 

Good Works: The Roys, NSAI, Big & Rich, and Flatts

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The Roys

Sibling duo The Roys have been tapped to headline the Musicians On Call benefit tonight (10/4) at the Hard Rock Cafe in downtown Nashville. Doors open at 7 pm, with the music starting at 8 pm. Also on the bill are Kimberly Wolff, Hannah Anders and Jason Gregory. Roys members Lee and Elaine Roy are the reigning two-time Inspirational Country Music Duo of the Year, and have performed at country and bluegrass festivals all over the country.

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Tomorrow (10/5) at 9 pm the Bluebird Cafe will host a benefit show for Faith Family Medical Clinic, featuring songwriters Steve Bogard, Brett James, Wayland Holyfield and Monty Powell. Faith Family is a faith-based, non-profit organization that provides affordable health care to uninsured Nashville-area songwriters and musicians. As part of a new partnership with NSAI, songwriter members can now present their NSAI cards to be established as patients. “Many songwriters don’t have health insurance and don’t receive needed health care services because they simply do not know that clinics like Faith Family Medical exist,” says NSAI’s Susan Myers, director of sponsorships. “This affiliation will save local songwriters and musicians tens of thousands of dollars in medical expenses.”

• • • • •

Big & Rich will also pick up the hospital fundraising torch, when the duo is featured at the Baptist Hospital Foundation’s Rock The Cradle event October 25 at the Loveless Cafe Barn. The dinner and cocktail reception begins at 6:30 pm, and includes a silent auction with exclusive travel packages. Proceeds will support babies born at Baptist and the Beaman Neonatal Intensive Care Unit. Table sponsorships, as well as a limited amount of individual tickets, are available for purchase at www.rockthecradlenashville.com. “This is a causal, fun event that offers the chance to listen to some of Nashville’s best country artists in an intimate setting and we’re extremely excited to have Big & Rich involved this year,” says Bernie Sherry, president and CEO of Baptist Hospital. In 2010, Rock the Cradle featured Martina McBride and Faith Hill performing together for the first time and raised over $225,000.

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Rascal Flatts is offering fans a unique opportunity to see them at a private fundraiser for the Monroe Carell Jr. Children’s Hospital at Vanderbilt. One hundred tickets will be made available to Flatts fans on a first-come, first-serve basis for the November 2 event. Over the last five years, Rascal Flatts has been hosting concerts for Children’s Hospital in a secluded Nashville location, in conjunction with Bridgestone Arena concerts also benefiting the hospital. Attendees will also have the chance to bid on a full travel package for two for a 2012 Flatts concert date, two tickets and meet & greet passes to see the group at a 2012 Opry appearance, or two tickets to the 2012 ACM Awards with passes for Rascal Flatts show rehearsal. Fans can order tickets here.

Tuesday News Roundup

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CMA ONLINE SOCIAL AUDIENCE IS NO. 1: The cumulative CMA online social audience is ranked No. 1 among all awards shows for biggest social network audience, topping the Grammys and the Oscars! As of 9/27/2011:

 

The Entrepreneur Center has received confirmation of its $2.5 million EDA grant application. The money will be used to renovate and buildout the Center’s new permanent facility at Trolley Barn No. 1, Rolling Mill Hill. “In the wake of Nashville’s disaster, the EDA funding represents an investment in the future of our city,” said Michael Burcham, who runs the EC. “The Center that we build will help entrepreneurs turn ideas into reality, support innovation, and drive economic growth and job creation for thousands and tens of thousands of Tennesseans.”

Trolley Barn #1 at Rolling Mill Hill is a 22,000 square foot space that will house 72 incubation space. Since it’s launch in 2010, the center has helped launch 19 companies and helped them raise over $5.2 million in seed stage and venture funding.  While the EDA grant will partly cover the construction buildout of the center, as a non-profit 501c3 organization, public and private funding and corporate sponsorships are needed to support the center’s operations.

“Nashville is a city full of creative, smart, hard-working people, and the Entrepreneur Center is harnessing this resource, cultivating ideas and incubating inventive businesses to help continue moving the city forward and create jobs in the process,” Mayor Karl Dean said.

 

Scotty McCreery, Season 10 winner of American Idol is scheduled to perform the National anthem prior to Game One of the World Series, Oct. 19. “This is absolutely incredible for me,” said McCreery. “I have two loves in life—music and baseball.” McCreery’s debut album launches October 4 on Mercury Nashville/19 Recordings/Interscope Records.

 

 

Ralph Murphy Book Details Songwriting Laws

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Hit songwriter, publisher, veteran ASCAP executive, author and former President of the Nashville Songwriters Association International, Ralph Murphy will be talking about his recently released book Murphy’s Laws of Songwriting, The Book, Oct. 4, 4 p.m. at ASCAP’s Nashville offices.

Murphy has been successful as a songwriter for five decades. Consistently charting songs in an ever-changing musical environment makes him a member of that very small group of professionals who make a living doing what they love to do. Murphy’s book helps arm songwriters for success by demystifying the process and opening the door to serious professional songwriting.

Nashville Songwriters Association Executive Director Bart Herbison called the book, “A must read.” Grammy winnning Hall of Famer songwriter Don Schlitz has said about the book, “Ralph has taught countless grateful students (myself included) and still loves the art, the craft and the process. Now he has taken the time to write it down… lucky us!”

 

TN Proclaims Oct. Country Music Month

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Tennessee Governor Bill Haslam has proclaimed October as Country Music month. The CMA is celebrating with promotions, events and activities designed to drive awareness of the format and to lead up to the 45th annual CMA Awards on Wed., Nov. 9.

Haslam’s proclamation cites the Appalachian foothills as origins of country music and the format’s principles and values. “This art form remains quintessentially American, uncovering the poetry embedded in everyday life, and celebrating the same traits that inspired those who laid its foundation,” reads the proclamation.

Country Music Month was first created by the CMA in 1964 to highlight the format, landmark events and the formation of CMA and the anniversary of the WSM Grand Ole Opry. This year’s Awards will be held at the Bridgestone Arena in Nashville and broadcast live on ABC TV. The Grand Ole Opry will celebrate its 86th birthday (visit opry.com). CMA is making Web tools available for partners including logos, graphics, banners, video and audio files, and more. For information visit CountryMusicMonth.com/webtools.

 

Photo Spread

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Jason Aldean’s sixth annual “Concert for the Cure” on Friday (9/30) raised $315,000 for Susan G. Komen for the Cure® during a sold-out show in Roanoke, Va. “This is one of my favorite things we do all year,” said Aldean. “All of the money we raised will go to the local Roanoke effort, allowing them to give free mammograms to those who can’t afford it. We’ll pick a different spot for next year and try to beat it. October is a big month for raising money and awareness, and I have to thank my fans for doing their part! Seeing an arena filled with pink is just a really cool thing!”

Photo: Rick Diamond, WireImage

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Several Nashville songwriters headed to Georgia for the 10th Annual John Jarrard Foundation Concert on Sept. 24 at Brenau University. Marc Beeson, Steve Dorff, Bruce Burch, Jan Smith, Will Robinson, Greg Barnhill, John Driskell Hopkins performed and helped raise over $115,000 for local charities that were dear to the heart of late tunesmith Jarrard, such as The Boys and Girls Clubs, Good News Clinics, and Challenged Child. The John Jarrard Foundation has topped $1,000,000 for the 10 years.

(L-R): Marc Beeson, Steve Dorff, Bruce Burch, Jan Smith, Will Robinson, Greg Barnhill, John Driskell Hopkins

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Columbia Nashville artist Bradley Gaskin made his fourth appearance at the Grand Ole Opry on a recent Saturday night. Backstage, he took a photo with the renowned Nitty Gritty Dirt Band.

(L-R): Jeff Hanna, Bob Carpenter, Bradley Gaskin, also the legendary Charlie McCoy, NGDB's Jimmie Fadden and John McEuen. Photo: Rick Malkin

 

 

Antony Bruno Joins NARM

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NARM, National Association of Recording Merchandisers has hired noted technology/music journalist Antony Bruno to join the organization’s digital initiatives at digitalmusic.org. Bruno has been named Community Manager.

“Antony has spent the past seven years examining all the players in the digital media arena, making him the perfect person to build up the digitalmusic.org community,” said Bill Wilson, VP of Digital Strategy & Business Development at NARM. “Our goal is to bring together all of the companies that are critical for the business of music in the digital realm, and Antony can bring the right people to the table and then conduct meaningful, productive conversations that move the business forward.”

Bruno was previously Executive Director of Content & Programming, Digital/Mobile at Billboard, where he spent seven years reporting on the intersection of new media and music. He will continue to be based in Denver, CO, and also operate an independent consulting business. Reach him at [email protected].

 

Radio/Promo Update: WSM Mornings, Nathan Cruise

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Change is afoot at Cumulus’ 95.5 FM WSM/Nashville, as afternoon personality Lisa Manning will move to mornings and team with Rick Marino for “Marino and Manning.” Station PD Dan Bowen is searching for Manning’s replacement in the afternoon time slot. Interested parties can email materials to him here. Former morning personality Beth Brightwell has exited WSM, which she joined in July 2010 after a decade at WTRS/Ocala. Reach her at 352-875-1530.

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Nathan Cruise has joined the Tenacity Records promotion team as National Dir., effective today. Cruise joins previously announced National Directors Gary Greenberg and Jeff Davis, in addition to SVP Promotion David Haley and label President Mike Kraski. Cruise’s career in music stretches back to 1986, as on-air talent for a Top 40 station. He got into the record promotion business in 1994, and most recently worked with Warner Bros. Nashville. “I am thrilled to add a promotion executive of Nathan’s experience and passion to the Tenacity team,” says Kraski. The Tenacity crew is currently working to promote flagship artist Bill Gentry’s single “This Letter.” Reach Cruise at [email protected] or 615-496-6356.

AIMP Nashville Elects Officers

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The Association of Independent Music Publishers (AIMP) Nashville Chapter announced newly elected officers of its steering committee: President Jill Napier, VP Tim Fink, Co-Secretaries Dianna Maher and Jewel Coburn, and Treasurer Eli Ball.

“We are pleased that a chapter of the AIMP has been approved for our close-knit community,” commented Napier. “Independent music publishing is more prevalent than ever. Our chapter will focus on exploiting and monetizing music in a positive way and provide its membership with educational opportunities on the latest national and international trends, as well as addressing issues specific to the Nashville music community.”

All members of the music community are encouraged to join now before the holiday mixer and the first membership meeting in February 2012. Membership dues are $74 per year. To register go to www.aimp.org.

Back row (L-R): Teri Nelson Carpenter (LA Chapter Board Member), Randy Watchler, David Preston, Ross Archer, Walter Campbell, Kevin Lamb, Kerry O’Neil, Josh Collum, Marc Driskill. Front row (L-R): Jewel Coburn, Eli Ball, Jill Napier, Tim Fink, Dianna Maher

 

2011 October/November—On The Cover: Jake Owen

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CLICK HERE TO GET YOUR COPY

Label: RCA Records Nashville
Current Album: Barefoot Blue Jean Night
Current Single: “Alone With You”
Current Video: “Barefoot Blue Jean Night”
Management/Booking: Morris Artist Management
Current Producers: Tony Brown, Rodney Clawson and Joey Moi
Recent Hits: “Barefoot Blue Jean Night”
Awards: ACM Top New Male Artist
RIAA Certs to date: “Barefoot Blue Jean Night”-Platinum single, “Eight Second Ride”-Gold single
Hometown: Vero Beach, FL
Birthdate: August 28
Interesting Facts: After a serious wakeboarding accident, Jake had reconstructive shoulder surgery. During that time with his left arm in a sling, he learned to play guitar and started writing songs.
Outside Interests: Wakeboarding, Wakesurfing
Musical Influences: Alabama, Vern Gosdin, Waylon Jennings, Tom Petty
Favorite Record: Too many to choose from

Guided by musical instinct, a drive for self-improvement and a willingness to experiment, Jake Owen has crafted Barefoot Blue Jean Night as one of the most innovative and refreshing country collections of the year. The CD’s title tune is already exploding as the biggest hit of Owen’s career to date.

“I never wanted to be the guy that did everything the way you’re supposed to do it,” says the candid and outgoing music maker. “And that led me to make this record, which I think really represents who I am more than anything I’ve ever recorded. If nothing else happens after this, I can honestly say that I did the absolute best that I can do. I’ve never felt this good about music, or anything in my career, as I do right now.”

In 2005, Jake went from performing in Florida bars to moving to Nashville and within months he had a Music Row song-publishing contract. Less than a year later, he was signed by RCA Records and was on the charts with his first two singles, “Yee Haw” and “Startin’ with Me.” He went from being a speck in a stadium crowd at a Kenny Chesney concert to opening shows for the superstar. Then Brad Paisley took him on the road as Owen scored his third hit, 2007’s “Something About a Woman.” In 2008, Owen opened shows for Sugarland and this year, Keith Urban asked Jake to be his touring partner on the Get Closer 2011 World Tour.

Jake has previously enjoyed major-league success with such performances as 2006’s “Startin’ with Me,” 2008’s “Don’t Think I Can’t Love You,” and 2009’s “Eight Second Ride.” His revival of “Life in a Northern Town” with Sugarland and Little Big Town in 2008 earned him Grammy and CMA Award nominations. Owen was named 2009’s Top New Male Vocalist by the Academy of Country Music. But nothing, he says, compares to the impact his new music is making.
“If you want to get better at your craft, you have to push yourself, take risks and try something
different,” he reflects. “In order to grow and not be complacent, you have to open your mind, expand your horizons and be grateful. That’s what this record represents for me.”