Country Sees Digital Surge

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Country consumers arguably have arrived fashionably late to the digital download party, but the YTD 2012 numbers show they are making up for lost time and partying down.

The grids, all based on data from Nielsen SoundScan tell the story. Country digital album sales are up 21.6% over last year and now represent over a quarter of all country physical/digital album sales. Last year at this time the increase in digital album purchases by country consumers was a more modest 13% showing the digital transition is accelerating. That is not to say we should stop manufacturing plastic CDs, since they still account YTD 2012 for about 74.4% of the business.

But the digital wave is not limited to albums. Country track downloads are up 16.5%. Doing the TEA (track equivalent album; 10 tracks = 1 album) math shows that country TEAs are also up a full 16.79%.

This is the first year that we can actually compute an apples-to-apples comparison at album sales with TEAs included. Measuring TEA sales for 2011 and 2012 YTD we find that country TEA album sales are ahead a robust 16.79% and if included in total album sales the TEAs increase country’s YTD lead to 8.87%.

Yes, it’s too early in the year to be cheering as if country had somehow just won the Superbowl, but good news is welcome. So I say to all the country fans arriving at the party via a click or a link, “Come one, come all, buy an album, buy a track, just keep clicking and coming back.”

Underwood And Lady Antebellum Added To Grammy Night

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Current Grammy nominees Tony Bennett and Carrie Underwood will perform together on the 54th Annual Grammy Awards. Five-time Grammy winner Underwood is nominated for Best Country Solo Performance for “Mama’s Song.”

Also added to the line up are nominee Chris Brown, Alicia Keys, and Bonnie Raitt, who will give a tribute to the late Etta James.

Nominees Lady Antebellum, Marc Anthony, and television and radio host/producer Ryan Seacrest will appear as presenters.

The Grammy Awards, hosted by LL Cool J, take place Sunday, February 12 and will be broadcast at 7 PM/CT on CBS. Previously announced presenters for the show include Dierks Bentley, Miranda Lambert, Drake, Gwyneth Paltrow, Jack Black, Fergie, Ahmir “?uestlove” Thompson, and Ringo Starr. Previously announced performers include Jason Aldean and Kelly Clarkson, Taylor Swift, Glen Campbell with The Band Perry and Blake Shelton, Coldplay and Rihanna, Foo Fighters, Bruno Mars, Paul McCartney, Katy Perry, Adele, Bruce Springsteen and The E Street Band, and Nicki Minaj.

Bank Shuttering Music Row Branch

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Bank of America is closing its Music Row branch located at 1013 16th Ave. S. Employees of the local branch are expected to be relocated to other B of A offices.

Customers were notified by letter that the location will shutter on May 18.

According to the New York Times, the bank closed more branches than it opened in 2011.

Last month the Charlotte, N.C.-based lender reported a $2 billion profit in the fourth quarter of 2011, but the newspaper stated that was largely a result of one-time gains. The bank employees about 282,000 and is expected to trim about 30,000 jobs going forward, according to the NYT.

New UMPG Nashville Signing

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(L-R): Kent Earls, Executive Vice President/General Manager, UMPG Nashville; Nathan Chapman; Ron Stuve, VP of A&R/Special Projects, UMPG Nashville; Freeman Wizer, Creative Manager, UMPG Nashville

Universal Music Publishing Group has signed hit producer Nathan Chapman to a worldwide publishing deal. Chapman is well known for producing Taylor Swift’s three multiplatinum albums, as well as The Band Perry’s current hit “All Your Life.”

“We are incredibly excited to have such a special songwriting talent as Nathan join our Universal Music Publishing family,” said Evan Lamberg, President, Universal Music Publishing Group, North America, “With Kent Earls now leading UMPG Nashville and great creative executives such as Ron Stuve signing Nathan, we look forward to partnering with him in all of his creative and songwriter endeavors.”

“We are honored and excited Nathan has entrusted this UMPG team to further his already illustrious career,” said Kent Earls, Executive Vice President/General Manager, Universal Music Publishing Group, Nashville. “Nathan’s musical knowledge, immense talent and impressive work ethic make him a tremendous asset not only for Nashville but all of Universal Music Publishing.”

Chapman has earned two Grammy Awards, for Album of the Year and Country Album of the Year, along with CMA and ACM Album of the Year awards for his work with Swift. Hits he has produced for her include “White Horse,” “You Belong With Me,” “Mean,” “Back To December,” and more. He also produced The Band Perry’s “All Your Life,” Lauren Alaina’s “Like My Mother Does,” and two songs on the upcoming Lionel Richie album Tuskegee.

Reba Preps TV Pilot, GAC Concert Special

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Reba has been on the racetrack supporting son and professional driver Shelby Blackstock. (L-R) Narvel Blackstock, Shelby, and Reba at the Daytona Continental Tire Challenge race

Reba McEntire has been busy preparing for the pilot episode of primetime ABC TV show Malibu Country, first reported by MusicRow last September.

Reba said, “ABC loves the pilot script of Malibu Country that Dave Stewart thought up, Brandon Blackstock brought to me, and Kevin Abbott wrote! What a team, April is gonna be a fun month!”

According to The Hollywood Reporter, McEntire will executive produce and star in the multi-camera comedy from ABC Studios. Her husband and manager Narvel Blackstock joins Abbot as a writer. Full production is expected to start in August 2012.

Reba brought along a video crew to a recent tour stop at the Cajun Dome in Lafayette, LA, to capture the show for her first concert special in 15 years. All The Women I Am was produced by Jon Small, a creative partner of Reba’s since the mid-‘80s. It will premiere Sat., March 17, 10:00 pm/ET on GAC.

In addition, Reba will host the March 24 Celebrity Fight Night benefit in Phoenix, and co-host the 47th Annual ACM Awards with Blake Shelton April 1 on CBS.

Reba will also be featured in upcoming episodes of NBC’s Who Do You Think You Are and Oprah’s Master Class. Reba’s episode of Who Do You Think You Are will premiere March 2, offering an up-close look inside her family history. “I can’t wait to watch the final edit,” McEntire said. “We filmed for 11 days! So worth it.”

Oprah’s Master Class airs Sunday nights on OWN and will feature McEntire on a yet-to-be-announced date.

Reba will also perform away from the camera on the International Festival of Country Music tour, hitting London, Belfast, Zurich and Mannheim, February 26-March 4. The singer is hosting a sweepstakes through Feb. 22 for tickets and backstage passes to the international dates here.

Reba is set to release her latest Dillard’s Reba collection in June, with clothes, luggage, furniture, dishes, flatware, shoes, table linens and bedding.

All that on top of recently falling victim to a death hoax fabricated by the Global Associated News. McEntire clarified, “I definitely did not fall off a mountain, nor am I dead. I am alive and kicking!”

Turner & Nichols Adds Associate Partner

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Turner & Nichols Management Company has announced the addition of music industry veteran Chris Alderman as Associate Partner.

“We are excited to have Chris join our management team,” says partner Trey Turner. “He brings tremendous value and character to our company.”

Alderman’s music business journey started in 1999 and includes time as a production manager for Jo Dee Messina, tour manager for Rascal Flatts, and most recently three years as tour manager for Dierks Bentley. Congratulate him here.

Turner & Nichols was started in 2001 by Trey Turner and Doug Nichols. They managed superstar trio Rascal Flatts for nearly a decade from the beginning of the group’s career, and the company’s current roster includes Easton Corbin, the JaneDear girls, and new Republic Nashville artist Jackie Lee.

Redbox/Verizon To Marry Content And Distribution

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A newly announced joint venture between Redbox and Verizon Communications has Netflix looking over its shoulder and movie content owners happily anticipating a new round of licensing revenues. The Redbox/Verizon strategy pairs content and distribution together. Financial analysts however, have been unable to assess the new deal because many key details are yet to be announced.

Redbox, owned by Coinstar, secured success by renting physical DVDs from strategically placed kiosks. Redbox’s 2011 Q4 net income nearly tripled to $31.5 million, almost $1 a share, and handily beating estimates of $.65 per share.

In return for its $26 million investment, Verizon will own 65% of the new venture, but few hard details have actually been answered about what content will be available over the new Internet streaming channel and what a subscription will cost. Reuters reports that packages will start at $6/mo. for movie streaming and one DVD rental at a time, but the companies have not commented. Netflix streaming and rental packages start at $15.98. One key differentiator is that Netflix incurs postage expenses sending the DVDs through the mail. Redbox customers will have to drive to the machines to exchange discs.

“We are confident we will have a very competitive offering at a great value,” Coinstar Chief Executive Paul Davis told the Wall Street Journal. The new venture’s spending would “not be at the Netflix level,” he added.

Key to the success of the new streaming venture will be content licensing costs for which Netflix now spends over $1 billion/yr.

In making the announcement, Coinstar also revealed that it will buy additional kiosk vending machines from NCR in a deal valued at around $100 million.

At the end of December, Netflix had about 24.4 million subscribers. Coinstar has about 30 million customers (not subscribers) who rent an average 1.9 million movies daily at its 35,000 kiosks.

MR Exclusive: Taillight Taps Director Becky Fluke

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Director Becky Fluke has joined Taillight, it was announced yesterday, Feb. 6, working under Partner/Executive Producer for Music Videos Chandra Pereira. Both directors talked exclusively with MusicRow about the announcement, and the focus and determination necessary to excel at video production.

Fluke’s independent credits include Pistol Annies’ “Hell on Heels,” The Civil Wars‘ “Barton Hollow” and “Poison & Wine,” Martina McBride‘s Road To Eleven (GAC special), and videos for Josh Kelly, Trent Dabbs, Matthew Perryman Jones, Donnie & Marie, Little Big Town and Ashton Shepherd.

Fluke started her career in high school in Macon, GA with a foothold that set the trajectory for her career—a teacher’s husband provided the opportunity to shoot at concerts for his former bandmate, Kristian Bush.

“I shot photos for Sugarland right before they signed with Universal to go to free concerts in Atlanta,” explained Fluke. “When the band was in the studio with their second record, they asked me to come in and shoot video. I ended up driving down from college in Western Kentucky and documented the whole recording process.”

The opportunity provided Fluke a remarkable break, when in 2006, Universal purchased her footage and brought her in-house to work with the roster for a year and a half. “It was a time when concert footage, EPK’s and webisodes were becoming increasingly important, and [former UMG exec] Jason Owen played a big role in realizing the importance of my position.”

“The position at Universal allowed me to work in different environments and eventually lead to creating my first music videos, including Sugarland’s ‘Life In A Northern Town’ as a sponsorship ‘thank you’ to CMT for the tour.” The video went on to be nominated for a CMT award and the song earned nominations at the Grammys, ACMs, and CMA Awards.

“It has always been more about the opportunity than the money. I take jobs because I am passionate about the music. Most cases I heavily pursued projects simply because I loved the music, I didn’t wait for them to come to me. I want to create work for people and music that I am passionate about. The ultimate goal is not to compare production budgets, but to provoke a feeling—if it moves you, I’ve done my job.”

“That is exactly what I wish all of our industry award shows, music videos, and production work could be based on,” Pereira added. “A music video should do nothing more than evoke an emotion, and if it does that, then it’s done its job. They are the major marketing tool to set, foster or change an artist’s image. Our job is to think smarter to provide the same impact with smaller budgets. This particular market is facing smarter and smaller technology where anyone can get a Canon 5d and say they are a director, but it comes down to trust with an artist, label and management.

“The cream rises to the top. You can’t hire a guy because they say they can do it, it depends on real and experienced players. Becky is the perfect example of where talent, not just luck, can take you. This combined with her drive to chase after projects she believes in, helped me realize the limitless potential she will be capable of with full-blown production support. I look forward to creating amazing work ahead.”

Fluke is starting immediately. Her bio and reel can be seen on the Taillight website here.

Jeffrey Steele & Friends Concert Adds Performers

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The 5th annual Jeffrey Steele and Friends benefit show on March 13, 2012 at the Franklin Theatre has added several more artists to the line up.

Artists performing with Steele and his band include John Rich, Chuck Wicks, James Otto, Pearl Heart, Chris Janson, David St. Romain, Emerson Hart of the band Tonic, Jared Blake from The Voice, and others to be announced. Great American Country’s Storme Warren will host the event. Doors open at 6:30 p.m., with the show starting at 7:00 p.m. There will also be a live auction. VIP packages and general admission tickets are available. Details at www.NowPlayingNashville.com.

Proceeds will benefit the Alex LeVasseur Memorial Fund of the Community Foundation of Middle Tennessee, which supports youth programs. The event will also be partnering with Clean Break, which promotes sobriety on high school and college campuses.

2012 sponsors and supporters include BMI, Carrabba’s Italian Grill, Suntrust, 3 Ring Circus Music, Barefoot Wine & Bubbly, BMG/Chrysalis, City National Bank, Currin Kozak/Bob Parks Realty, Dr. Linda Gill, The Joyce Family, John and Cindy Langan, Wendell Moore, and Sylvia Roberts.

For more information on the Alex LeVasseur Memorial Fund and its initiatives, visit www.rememberalex.com or www.cfmt.org.

 

Industry Ink Tuesday

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New Mercury artist Canaan Smith visited MusicRow yesterday to delight the staff with songs from upcoming album, including current single "We Got Us."

• The Copyright Society of the South has named its 2012 Board of Directors. Officers are: President John Barker (ClearBox Rights), VP John Rolfe (Rolfe Entertainment Law), Secretary Kele Currier (ole Music and Media), and Treasurer Casey McGinty (EMI Christian Music Group). New board member at large Jill Napier joins incumbents Amy Cranford (Amy Cranford Consulting), Dan Ekback (Platinum Pen Publishing), Ted Goldthrope (Sony/ATV Music Publishing), Misha Hunke (BMI) and Bob Mather (EMI Music Publishing).

• Save the Date: The 2012 Leadership Music Digital Summit will be Wed., April 25 in Nashville. The announcement was made recently on Twitter. Visit the LMDS Facebook page.

• A new songwriters series the Saturday Night Music Club has launched in Franklin. Last Saturday’s (2/4) edition featured Marty Dodson, Melissa Fuller, and Steven Clawson with special guest Michael Logen. The shows are presented by Gasoline Studios at The West Barn, 4526 Gosey Lane, Franklin, TN 37064. Each week’s proceeds go to charity. Other recent performers include Jimmy Wayne, Wynn Varble, Blaine Larson, and Joey & Rory. Tickets are $20 each. Details by emailing here or visiting the Facebook page.

• DeeJay Silver, who spins tunes between sets on Jason Aldean’s tour, has signed with booking agent Kevin Neal of Buddy Lee Attractions, Ken Madson of Average Joes Management, and Carri Hyde & NVRDUL for endorsement/sponsorship representation.

• An upcoming benefit, The Songs of our Lives & the Writers Who Wrote Them, will feature L. Russell Brown (“Tie A Yellow Ribbon ‘Round the Ole Oak Tree”), Roger Cook (“I’d Like to Teach the World to Sing”), Larry Henley (“Wind Beneath My Wings”), Rafe Van Hoy (“Golden Ring”), and Kerry Kurt Phillips (“I Don’t Need Your Rockin’ Chair”). The concert is Sat., Feb. 18, 7:00 p.m. at West Nashville United Methodist Church to benefit the Parent’s Day Out program. Details and tickets, $27.50, at www.westnashvilleumc.com or by calling 615-297-3216.

• Songwriter, publisher, veteran ASCAP executive, and author Ralph Murphy will hold a book signing and discussion about his newest release Murphy’s Laws of Songwriting, The Book on Wed., Feb. 8, 5:00 p.m. at Two Old Hippies store in the Gulch.

• Songwriters Danny Myrick (Root 49 Music), the JaneDear Girls’ Danelle Leverett (Sony/ATV Tree) and Tim James (Warner/Chappell) co-wrote “Good Girls Gone Bad,” which was recorded by the JaneDear Girls and is being used on promotional spots for ABC’s upcoming series, GCB.

• Local company DWP Live was behind part of the on-field production during the Super Bowl half-time show. More from The Tennessean.

• Rascal Flatts bassist and vocalist Jay DeMarcus and his wife Allison, a former Miss Tennessee and a current CMT personality, are anticipating the birth of their second child this summer. The baby will join their one-year-old Madeline Leigh.

• GoodStuff PR owner Shari Lacy has joined Williamson Social Magazine as Managing Editor. Lacy will continue to operate GoodStuff.