CMT Disaster Relief Concert Tonight

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[Updated 5/12: The concert will feature call to action messages from President Obama, Big Kenny, Carrie Underwood, Courteney Cox, Ellen Degeneres, University of Alabama Coach Nick Saban, Nicole Kidman, Shania Twain, Taylor Swift and more.
MusicRow has the exclusive list of stars who will be manning the phone bank tonight, including Alabama, Ashton Shepherd, Big Kenny, Clay Walker, Clint Black, Crystal Bowersox, Danny Gokey, Darryl Worley, David Nail, Hank Williams, Jr., Hillary Williams, Holly Williams, Kellie Pickler, Montgomery Gentry, Phil Vassar, Randy Houser and Ricky Skaggs.
Alan Jackson will perform on the show and live stream it at AlanJackson.com.]




Robin Meade




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Robin Meade, CNN HLN anchor is set to co-host “Music Builds: The CMT Disaster Relief Concert.” The show will air live from the Grand Ole Opry House stage and Studio A on Thur., May 12, 9 p.m. ET/8 p.m. CT.
HLN will re-broadcast the show in its entirety on Sun, May 15, 9 p.m. ET/8p.m. CT, to build additional awareness. Funds will benefit the American Red Cross Disaster Relief effort in the South and Red Cross and phone lines will also be open for HLN’s re-air on Sunday.
“When I anchor stories about the recent storms in the South, my mind isn’t on the statistics, or the footage, or the sound bites,” says Meade. “My thoughts are with that person who looks around and wonders, ‘what am I going to do now that everything is gone?’ I’m so touched by the resiliency of the storm victims, and the generosity of music fans and viewers to help these folks whose lives are now in disarray, and that’s what this telethon is going to be about, lifting up storm victims, letting them know, they’re not alone.”
Joining Meade as co-hosts will be ESPN’s Erin Andrews and comedian Ron White. Country artists scheduled to appear include Hank Williams Jr., Alabama, Alan Jackson, Keith Urban, Lady Antebellum, Little Big Town, Ronnie Dunn, Sara Evans, Tim McGraw and Trace Adkins. All money raised will benefit the American Red Cross Disaster Relief. Highlighted regions affected by recent storm, tornado and flooding damage will include Tuscaloosa and Birmingham, Ala.; Natchez and Vicksburg, Miss.; Vidalia, La.; Dyersburg and Tiptonville, Tenn.; and Raleigh, N.C.
Meade will also provide live reports from the Grand Ole Opry House and interviews with featured musicians on Thu and Fri for her popular HLN morning show, “Morning Express with Robin Meade” (6 a.m. – 12 noon, ET).
Information is as follows: Visit www.redcross.org, call 1-800-RED CROSS or text “REDCROSS” to 90999 to make a $10 donation to support the American Red Cross Disaster Relief efforts.

Shania TV Show Debuts With Solid Ratings

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Shania Twain has been making the media rounds supporting her new book From This Moment On, and her new show on OWN: Oprah Winfrey Network. She covers the new issue of People, appeared on Oprah, and was interviewed on Nightline.
The OWN original series Why Not? With Shania Twain, premiered Sunday, May 8 at 11 p.m. ET/PT, and debuted as the highest rated premiere to-date outside of the launch weekend for the network. The series ranked third in its timeslot in the key female demo among ad-supported cable networks.
Why Not? with Shania Twain moves to its regular time period Sundays at 10 p.m. ET/PT this week (May 15).

Pictured left: (L-R): Damon Moberly, Shania Twain, “Party Marty” Mitchell (WKMK/PD), Lexi Carter (WKMK APD/MD), and Sally Green at a book signing at the Barnes at the Noble in Princeton, NJ. Pictured right: Shania Twain stopped by the Premiere Radio studios in NY with (L-R): UMG’s Royce Risser, Premiere’s John Weber, Twain, UMG’s Katie Dean and Sandbox Management’s Jason Owen

Chet Atkins Exhibit Coming To Hall of Fame

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"The isolation, the poverty; that's what I came from. It's what makes you fight. It's what makes you work to develop your talent, if you have any, to get out. I picked my way out of East Tennessee." — Chet Atkins


The Country Music Hall of Fame and Museum is planning a cameo exhibition about revered musician and producer Chet Atkins. The Luttrell, Tennessee native, who died in 2001, made his mark as one of Nashville’s A-Team studio musicians, a performer, recording artist, producer and record executive.
“His signature guitar licks shaped recordings by scores of legendary artists, including the Everly Brothers, Elvis Presley and Kitty Wells, and his playing influenced future rock gods Duane Eddy, George Harrison, Mark Knopfler and many more,” explains Museum Director Kyle Young. “As a producer, Chet was an architect of the ‘Nashville Sound;’ he was also a brilliant record executive who signed and propelled a generation of country artists, including Waylon Jennings, Dolly Parton and Charley Pride, to fame.”
Chet Atkins: Certified Guitar Player opens in the Museum’s East Gallery on August 11, 2011, and runs through June 2012. Atkins was signed as a Gretsch signature guitar artist in 1954 and the upcoming exhibition is made possible by the Gretsch Company, with additional support by Great American Country Television Network.
Meanwhile, the Museum is preparing to dim the lights on Tammy Wynette: First Lady of Country Music, Presented by Great American Country Television Network. In anticipation of the exhibit’s June 12 denouement, the Museum is offering a packed lineup of Wynette-themed programs including a series of film screenings and a special program starring Georgette Jones on Saturday, May 28.
In related news, the official Country Music Hall of Fame inductions will take place during the Medallion Ceremony on Sunday, May 22. The event is invitation-only, but the public is welcome to watch the red carpet.
Also, catch Rivers Rutherford at Saturday’s (5/14) Songwriter Sessions, and don’t forget the Cookin’ Out Country lunchtime series on Wednesdays in May. Details at CountryMusicHallofFame.com.

Hometowns Not Forgotten By Rising Stars

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Kimberly Perry hands out food to those affected by the tornado that hit her hometown.


Greeneville, Tennessee natives Kimberly, Neil and Reid Perry (The Band Perry) visited their hometown earlier this week to help with tornado relief efforts. They joined the local Red Cross and the Greene County Disaster Relief/Donation Center to distribute food and supplies, offer solace, and express gratitude to the first responders and community volunteers.
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The recent tornado also struck close to Chatom, Alabama, the hometown of Thompson Square’s Shawna Thompson. One of the hardest hit families in the area was the Box family of Deer Park, who lost three members. Thompson is auctioning off the dress she wore in the music video for the duo’s No. 1 hit, “Are You Gonna Kiss Me Or Not” to benefit the family.
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Missouri native David Nail will headline a flood relief benefit concert in Sikeston, MO on May 27 to raise money for the thousands of residents in southeast Missouri.
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Fellow Missouri native Trent Tomlinson has recruited Uncle Kracker and Keith Anderson for a benefit concert in his hometown Kennett. Proceeds from the May 24 event will go to the Delta Children’s Home.
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Edens Edge (Hannah Blaylock, Cherrill Green and Dean Berner) returned home to Arkansas last week to perform and promote environmental awareness with stops in Fayetteville and Bentonville.

John Rich Makes "The Celebrity Apprentice" Final Four

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John Rich is one of the final four contestants on this season’s The Celebrity Apprentice. He is competing against rapper Lil Jon, actress Marlee Matlin, and actor/ singer Meatloaf for the win.
In the most recent episode (5/8), Rich recruited help from late-night talk show host Jimmy Fallon, who donated $10,000 to Rich’s team. Also on Sunday’s night installment, Meat Loaf told Donald Trump that working with Rich has made him “want to be a better person.”
Rich is competing on the show to raise money for St. Jude’s Children’s Research Hospital.
The season wraps with a two-part finale. Part one airs Sunday, May 15, with past winners including Piers Morgan, Joan Rivers and Bret Michaels returning to interview the remaining four. Trump will fire two contestants. The second part of the season finale airs May 22.

DISClaimer Single Reviews (5/10/11)

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You remember albums, don’t you?

They are collections of songs that ask you to experience several of a favorite performer’s thoughts of the moment. Mind you, there aren’t a whole lot of folks in Music City that you want to spend that much time with. But one of them most certainly is Emmylou Harris. So for album achievement, her Hard Bargain is a Disc of the Day.
Country music is, was and probably always will be centered on hit singles. With that in mind, hand a Disc of the Day to the fun, catchy “Take It Off” by the always listenable Joe Nichols.
I am happy to report that there are three brand-new faces in this stack of platters. One of them, Jason Jones, wins our DisCovery Award with “Ferris Wheel.”
RIDIN’ HIGH BAND/Go Crazy With My Heart
Writer: M. Jason Greene/Chris Cagle; Producer: none listed; Publisher: Anjelito/Do Write/Sony-ATV Tunes, BMI/ASCAP; Centennial Records of Texas (409-296-2953)
—There’s talent here: The lead vocalist has personality and the band plays well. My suggestion is that they hire someone to actually MIX the sound the next time they record.
DARIUS RUCKER/I Got Nothin’
Writer: Darius Rucker/Clay Mills; Producer: Frank Rogers; Publisher: Universal/Cadaja/MXC/Still Working for the Woman/EverGreen, ASCAP; Capitol Nashville (track)
—Very cool. In a sea of happy-happy ditties, Darius puts out a defeated, dejected heartache song that captures loss beautifully. The steel playing and his soaring voice on the choruses are particularly gripping.
SHAWNA RUSSELL/Get Right Or Get Left
Writer: Shawna Russell/Keith Russell/Tim Russell; Producer: Julian King, Clif Doyal & Tim Russell; Publisher: Blue Buckaroo, BMI; Way Out West
—She’s a wailer. And this take-a-hike-buddy attitude is perfect for her rocking vocal chops.
ZAC BROWN BAND & JIMMY BUFFETT/Knee Deep
Writer: Zac Brown/Wyatt Durrette/Coy Bowles/Jeffrey Steele; Producer: Keith Stegall & Zac Brown; Publisher: Weimerhound/Lil’ Dub/Angelika/Poppsolotamus/Jeffrey Steele/BPJ, BMI; Atlantic (track)
—As breezy as a ride on Buffett’s boat. It takes you straight to that wave-washed beach in your mind. In other words, pretty darn irresistible.
DEBORAH ALLEN/Anything Other Than Love
Writer: Deborah Allen/Gary Burr; Producer: none listed; Publisher: none listed; Delta Rock (615-476-4086)
—She’s singing as soulfully as ever. The song and production are straightforward and sturdy.
THE LUNABELLES/A Place To Shine
Writer: Natalie Hemby/Angela Lauer; Producer: Jeff Coplan; Publisher: Tiltawhirl/Carnival/Bluewater/Sophie Park/Kobalt, BMI/ASCAP; BNA
—It somehow manages to be both acoustic/rootsy and pop/crunchy simultaneously. The banjo licks, percussion thump and feathery femme harmonies are all ear catching. I’m in.
JASON JONES/Ferris Wheel
Writer: Kyle Jacobs/Josh Kelley/Rachel Thibodeau; Producer: Brett Beavers; Publisher: Curb/Jacobsong/Fortune Favors the Bold/Kohaw/Dudeski/Bicycle/Little Champion/Dream Rock, ASCAP; Warner Bros.
—The delicate instrumental track practically twinkles. His boyish tenor vocal matches the innocent-romance lyric perfectly. Dizzy and captivating.
JOE NICHOLS/Take It Off
Writer: Dallas Davidson/Ashley Gorley/Kelley Lovelace; Producer: Buddy Cannon; Publisher: EMI Blackwood/String Stretcher/Songs of Southside Independent/External Combustion/Out of the Taperoom/EMI April/Didn’t Have to Be, BMI/ASCAP; Show Dog Unversal
—It’s not exactly life changing as a song. But this man’s superb voice can make even the trivial sound important. And the whole lovable thumping country thang is absolutely the Sound of Summer. I remain an enormous fan.
EMMYLOU HARRIS/Six White Cadillacs
Writer: Emmylou Harris/Will Jennings; Producer: Jay Joyce; Publisher: Poodlebone/Almo/Will Jennings/Irving, ASCAP; Nonesuch (track)
—Hypnotic. Electric guitars stutter and shuffle while percussion patters steadily behind her hushed, ghostly vocal delivery of a funeral lyric. This is the tune she chose to perform on Letterman to introduce her new Hard Bargain CD. But it could just as easily have been any of its other dozen shining gems. Jay Joyce’s minimalist sonic approach keeps you hanging on every line of this largely self-penned collection. Check out her moving odes to Gram Parsons (”The Road”) and the recently deceased Kate McGarrigle (”Darlin’ Kate”).
PHIL VASSAR/Let’s Get Together
Writer: Phil Vassar/Tony Mullins; Producer: Phil Vassar & Ross Copperman; Publisher: Phylvester/TMullins, ASCAP; Rodeowave
—Hey, everybody. There’s a party at Phil’s house, and we’re all invited.

Paisley Preps Album Release, Int'l Tour

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Brad Paisley is prepping for the Mon., May 23 release of This Is Country Music, his first all-new studio set since 2009’s acclaimed American Saturday Night.
The new project from Arista Nashville has already produced two radio hits: the title track and current single “Old Alabama,” which is No. 1 this week on MusicRow’s Country Breakout chart.
Paisley teamed with longtime producer Frank Rogers for the album—their work together has yielded career sales in excess of 12 million units.
During release week, Paisley will promote the album with high-profile performances on ABC’s Good Morning America, CBS’s The Late Show with David Letterman, and ABC’s The View.
Paisley, the reigning CMA Entertainer of the Year, launches his H2O II World Tour presented by Chevy May 28 at Pittsburgh’s Heinz Field. The 33-city outing includes five stadiums and an international trek. Special guests include Blake Shelton and Jerrod Niemann, with emerging acts Brent Anderson, Edens Edge and Sunny Sweeney on the “Water World Plaza Stage.” Paisley’s H20 World Tour played to over 879,000 fans in 2010 and placed No. 1 in Pollstar’s country tour attendance rankings.

Industry Ink Tuesday (5/10)

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Logan Bosemer


Logan Bosemer Joins KCA
Keith Case & Associates has added booking agent Logan Bosemer. She will be responsible for placing artists in venues across the western and mid-western territories.
Prior to joining KCA, Bosemer was an agent at New Frontier Touring in Nashville. Her career background also includes artist management, touring, label operations and publicity. The MTSU graduate grew up in New Orleans and Houston.
“We are excited about Logan joining our team,” said Pres. Keith Case. “We were in need of someone who would have the knowledge and ability to begin working with our clients immediately and Logan has already proven that she can do that.” The agency represents Dan Tyminski, Elizabeth Cook, Guy Clark, Peter Rowan, Ralph Stanley, and many more.
Loretta Lynn Added To Dale Franklin Award Line-up
Loretta Lynn has been added to the list of tribute performers for the Leadership Music Dale Franklin Award, a gala event honoring the CMA on Tuesday, May 17 at the Renaissance Hotel in Nashville. The evening will be hosted by Martina McBride and include appearances from previously announced luminaries Little Big Town, Ronnie Milsap, Brad Paisley and Keith Urban. Tickets and details at www.dfa.eventbrite.com; password DFA2011.
Opry House Restoration on Today Show
The Grand Ole Opry and the Opry House’s refurbished backstage area will be featured in a segment on Today Show Weekend on Sun., May 15. NBC’s Lester Holt visited the Opry last month for the story that showcases the Opry House following its $20 million refurbishment after May 2010 flooding placed much of the venue under four feet of water.
Inside Music Row’s 200th Episode
With its total reach now exceeding 100 million U.S. homes, country music news and entertainment program Inside Music Row is proud to announce the airing of its 200th episode. The Nashville-based television show added 30 million households to its overall viewership recently with the addition of the FamilyNet network to its list of affiliates.
Headed by Executive Producer Jeff Moseley and Director Brian Covert, Inside Music Row airs in Nashville on WNAB/CW58 every Saturday night at 8:30 p.m. CST.
In addition to its U.S. affiliates, the weekly program also airs internationally in more than 40 million households. The program can be viewed online at www.InsideMusicRow.com, www.truecountry.tv, iTunes, and AOL Television.
Summer NAMM in Nashville
The 2011 Summer NAMM (National Association of Music Merchants) show will be held at the Nashville Convention Center Thursday through Saturday, July 21-23, 2011. More than 12,000 attendees and 400 music exhibitors are expected to attend the showcase of the latest musical instruments and state-of-the-art technologies. There will be master artist clinics, workshops, panels, and live music.
Also being held in conjunction with Summer NAMM is “Wanna Play Music Day” which is open to the general public, the Muriel Anderson All-Star Guitar Night, and Guitar Player Magazine’s Guitar Superstar 2011, an acoustic & electric guitar talent competition.
Local Drummer Offers Instructional Materials
Nashville based drummer Spencer Strand has released Volume 10 in his “Test Of Time” series. Strand has worked in the drum industry as a publisher of instructional materials and other capacities for several years and his educational series has been lauded by the Berklee College of Music.

Chris Young's "Neon" Lights Up Release Schedule

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Chris Young’s third album, Neon, will be released July 12 by RCA Nashville. James Stroud produced the ten track project, which has seven songs co-written by Young, including the hit lead single “Tomorrow.”
Penned with Frank Myers and Anthony Smith, it is the fastest-rising single of Young’s career. It has scanned more than 225,000 digital downloads since its release in February. See the video here.
In preparation of the upcoming release ChrisYoungCountry.com has been relaunched with a new look, additional fan features, and pre-order options. The website includes the latest news, photos, tour dates, merchandise and social networking updates.
Young’s career has been building momentum, with three consecutive No. 1’s at radio, and an album approaching Gold certification. He also garnered his first Grammy Award nomination for Best Male Country Vocal Performance with his hit, “Gettin’ You Home.” He will spend the summer on the road with Jason Aldean’s sold out My Kinda Party Tour.
Other upcoming releases include two John Rich Six Paks on May 17, Brad Paisley on May 24, Ronnie Dunn on June 7, and Blake Shelton on July 12. See the complete calendar.

Google Unveils Cloud Lockers: Analysis

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Various sources are reporting that Google will announce a new unlicensed cloud locker service as early as today (5/10). Amazon recently debuted something similar and received strong criticism from the four major record labels who believe that a service which allows users to store music files in the cloud must be licensed.
Both Amazon and perhaps Google seem to believe that as long as the lockers are merely a storage facility for individual users a license is not necessary. The more streamlined approach—which apparently would require a license— would be to have one copy of a song in the cloud and allow various users to link and listen to it on demand. Apple is said to have such a system ready to roll as soon as it is able to negotiate licenses.
Google’s new system, termed a “passive” locker offers a limited set of fucnctions. Speculation is that the Google service will allow users to listen to songs they have uploaded in streaming mode, but users will then be unable to download them.

The WSJ explains, “Users of the service are expected to be able to listen to songs they have uploaded to the service in a so-called streaming mode but won’t be able to download the files themselves. That limit appears to be a bid by Google to hinder the service from being used to spread pirated music.”

Analysis: In essence the Google offering will resemble a personalized streaming music service, such as Spotify with the restriction that users will only be able to listen to music which they have uploaded themselves. This is a time consuming endeavor. Amazon has a similar unlicensed service which has some added bells and whistles as it is tied closely to Amazon’s MP3 music store and allows downloads. European company Spotify, has a complete streaming music service which is ad supported and/or subscription based. Labels are resisting a licensing deal which would allow Spotify to launch in the U.S. due to concerns that it will not generate enough revenue. Labels are also resisting a deal with Apple for a comprehensive streaming music service.
But is this smart? Pirated downloads outnumber paid downloads 20 to 1. Isn’t there something to be gained by subsidizing new business models and helping to create new “paid” consumer listening habits? Wouldn’t the music industry have benefited if it had nurtured Napster, for example, instead of litigating it out of existence which only succeeded in stimulating a new generation of filesharing sites and a decade of disastrous falling sales?