Pittman and Houle Kick Off CRS 2012

/by

Country Radio Seminar 2012 officially opened its first full agenda day, Wednesday February 22, with a keynote address form Clear Channel CEO Bob Pittman and a presentation from futurist David Houle.

But first, Country Radio Broadcasters Executive Director Bill Mayne welcomed the crowd with hopes that the upcoming event might accomplish three basic things for the gathered attendees—increase station revenues, market share and advance personal careers.

Next it was Nashville Mayor Karl Dean’s turn to salute the convention crowd. Dean pleaded with a big smile, “Please spend a lot of money while you’re here.” Dean then told the crowd about the city’s new convention center scheduled to open in April 2013, Music City Center. He also discussed the new Omni Hotel that would connect with a Country Music Hall of Fame that would double in size. “The Hall of Fame has seen about 450,000 visitors in the past year,” Dean said. “And that is during very challenging times, especially with all the construction and parking issues in the area. We’re confident that once completed that visitor count will double.”

Bob Pittman

Bob Pittman, a former CEO of MTV Networks and COO of America Online was next. “America loves radio,” said Pittman. “There’s nothing wrong with this business. It’s the most exciting business in the the country, with nothing but upside.” The Clear Channel executive showed research that named TV, Radio and the Web as the media with which people spend the most time. “Country radio reaches over 65 million listeners every week,” he said. “The consumer loves radio.”

Pittman noted that digital was “wonderful” for the future of radio because radio is not about a tower and transmitter, but a content franchise. Pittman showed that radio can drive social media and offered the iHeart Radio concert last year as an example. The digital app’s Facebook Page had about 80,000 likes, but after an extensive concert promotion that number grew to over 1.5 million.

Pittman also touched on the subject of Radio vs. “music collection” or “audio stream” technologies such as Pandora, Spotify, Rdio and others. “Listeners want to hear about the outside world and get new music,” he explained. “That’s what radio is about. Music Collection is more about being inside your own world. People can’t bond with a thing or a technology,” he added. “Only to humans.”

Pittman’s feel-good, warm and fuzzy analysis never identified even one challenge facing radio for the future. For example, he talked glowingly about the synergistic relationship between radio and the record labels, but never discussed whether that meant he might consider agreeing to pay a sound copyright royalty to artists and labels. Pittman never discussed the fact that radio ad revenues have fallen over the past few years, or for that matter that his own company is struggling under a debt load of over $20 billion dollars and still paying more in interest than it makes through operations. Also missing from the dialogue was any consideration about the expanding reach of the Internet into automobile dashboards.

• • •

David Houle

The morning’s next presentation, “Flows” was from futurist David Houle who discussed material from his upcoming book, Entering The Shift Age. Houle described his futurist role as acting as a catalyst to get people thinking about the future. He told the attendees, “I’m going to speak about change in the larger context of the future, you’ll have to decide how it fits for the radio business.”

Houle suggested that compared to 1,000 years ago, (1012), the rate of change in our world has increased perhaps 100 times. Therefore, what took 1,000 years to happen will now happen in ten years. Part of his premise is that we are experiencing three major force flows as part of the ShiftAge. First is a “Flow to Global.” The world is no longer city, state or national, it is happening on a global scale. “This is why national governments can’t seem to solve the problems they are facing anymore,” he explained.

The second force is a “Flow to the Individual,” which has resulted from an explosion of choice. Thirdly was the “Flow of Accelerated Connectedness,” which has meant that the time communication differential between speaking to someone 25 ft. away or 12,000 miles away (via cellphone) is only about 2 seconds. Place is now irrelevant to communication.

Houle covered numerous additional topics, but one of my favorite was his coining the phrase “Digital Natives” to describe people under 18 years old. Everyone else is a “Digital Immigrant” he said.

“Radio and the music business will change shape and form over the next decade,” he warned. “Legacy thinking will no longer work.” At the end of his talk he called Facebook the first 21st Century online utility, but said that like the phone company, it really didn’t have much brand loyalty. “The digital natives will show us the next big thing,” he predicted. “Keep your eyes on them.”

(L-R) Clear Channel CEO Bob Pittman, Lauren Alaina who sang "The Star Spangled Banner" and CRS Executive Director Bill Mayne

Bobby Karl Works MusicRow’s CountryBreakout Awards

/by

Chapter 388

Listen, I live all year long in one unending schmoozathon, but nothing tops CRS in the schmooze department.

The 43rd annual Country Radio Seminar got underway Tuesday afternoon (2/21) with the presentation of the 10th annual Country Breakout Awards by MusicRow magazine. Staged in the upstairs party room at Margaritaville, in reality the event was a manic gab fest. Talk about a tough room – the schmoozers just barely paused to applaud Artist of the Year Brad Paisley.

(L-R): MR Managing Editor Jon Freeman, Sony Music Nashville Chairman & CEO Gary Overton, Brad Paisley and MR Publisher/Owner Sherod Robertson. Photo: Izzynashville.com

Brad didn’t seem to mind – he knows what CRS is all about. “I hope you have a great week,” he told the babbling crowd. “Take care of yourselves. Don’t drink too much. But don’t abstain from drinking, either.”

The CMA Entertainer of the Year was accompanied by Gary Overton. “It’s a real honor to work with Brad Paisley,” said Gary O. “You can’t ask for a better partner.”

Thompson Square won the Breakthrough Artist award. “Shawna and I are pretty humbled today,” said Keifer Thompson. “We played this [Lower Broadway] strip for years and years.” Margaritaville, you see, lies in the heart of the district where country dreams are born and die in Music City.

(L-R): Jon Freeman, Thompson Square's Keifer & Shawna Thompson and Sherod Robertson. Photo: Izzynashville.com

For the seventh consecutive year, Capitol Records was named Label of the Year. Steve Hodges led the company’s promo staff in accepting.

The Independent Artist of the Year honor went to Eric Lee Beddingfield. “I take a lot of pride in being an independent artist,” he said. “Thank you MusicRow for helping artists such as myself and giving us the chance to get our music heard.”

(L-R): Jon Freeman, Sherod Robertson and WPPL's Jim Quinton

The magazine’s awards are based on the number of spins that artists or labels receive from its 102 chart reporting stations. Of those stations, the Reporter of the Year went to Jim Quinton at WPPL Mountain Country in Blue Ridge, GA. In a room full of his peers, Jim received the afternoon’s rowdiest ovation.

“I love the music that we have right now – so many different styles to choose from,” Jim said. “Our audience is just growing and growing. Use this time [in Nashville at CRS] to re-charge yourself.”

Some of that diverse music was performed during the event. Marlee Scott is a Canadian now living in Nashville. The porcelain skinned, raven-haired beauty is a FaceBook sensation with 25,000 followers. She has topped the country charts in England, Germany ahd Holland. Marlee offered the partiers a sprightly “Crazy for You,” the tuneful hit “Beautiful Maybe” and her funky current single “Train Wreck.”

JT Hodges Performs

For my money, the performer of the day was JT Hodges. His gleaming smile, neo-rockabilly hairstyle and pent-up intensity added up to a charismatic stage presence, and his urgent singing completed the package. The rollicking “Hunt You Down,” driving “Sleepy Little Town” and throbbing “Goodbyes Made You Mine” all sounded like hits.

The McClymonts probably commanded the crowd’s attention the most. Although performing last, no one at the bash left while those three Aussie charmers were on stage. Their harmony singing was flawless, as always.

Joanna Smith, who showcased at last year’s MR event, dropped by to offer the attendees the world premiere of her new single “We Can’t Be Friends.” She got the song from Kenny Chesney, she said.

More than 500 people rsvp’d, setting a record for this shindig. Bobby Karl spotted Oak Ridge Boy William Lee Golden, plus Ron Allen, Allen Brown, Steve Ferguson, Steve Markland, Shelly Marks, Chuck Dauphin, Chuck Thompson, Frank Myers, Isabel Ross, Tinti Moffatt, Paul Ciliberto, Ed Carter, Mike Thomas, Martha Moore, Ed Spacek, Bill Wence, Sherrill Blackmon, Tom Long, Teddi Bonadies, Paula Szeigis, Clif Doyal and Becky Harris in the schmoozing throng.

The Margaritaville staff was super attentive, passing around the club’s signature Cheeseburgers in Paradise snacks and offering a tasty nacho bar. Not to mention plentiful adult beverages.

“We are so honored to start off your CRS,” said the mag’s head honcho Sherod Robertson. “Hope your CRS is off to a great start,” added co-host Jon Freeman. Thank you. It is.

EMI Records Announces New Signing

/by

EMI Records Nashville has signed singer/songwriter Kelleigh Bannen to the label. The Nashville native has been hard at work in the studio working with Paul Worley and Jerry Smith on her debut album. Bannen’s first single will hit radio later this year.

Standing: Cindy Mabe (Capitol/ EMI Records Nashville SVP Marketing), Jerry Smith (Co-producer), Paul Worley (Producer), Autumn House (Capitol/ EMI Records Nashville VP A&R) Seated: Mike Dungan (Capitol/EMI Records Nashville President/CEO ), Bannen, Tom Becci (Capitol/EMI Records Nashville COO)

Amy Staley Joins Valory Promotion Team

/by

Amy Staley (Director of West Coast Promotions, Valory Music)

The Valory Music Co. announced Amy Staley as Director of West Coast Promotion effective immediately.

Staley will lead west coast promotions for the label’s roster of artists including Reba, Justin Moore, Brantley Gilbert and new additions The Mavericks and Thomas Rhett.

Staley majored in Music Business from MTSU and most recently served as Director of Sales for Biomin Industries. Previously, she had stints at Nashville’s William Morris and has coordinated VIP events for entertainers.

“After spending years in booking and venues, I am thrilled to be transitioning into radio and to become a part of sharing great new music with the world,” said Staley. “Being from Nashville, country music has always been my first love and I am especially excited and honored to be joining the Valory family.”

Congratulate her here.

Rascal Flatts Hits Big Screen for New Album

/by

Rascal Flatts will hit the big screen Thursday, April 5 for a special album release week feature film. Rascal Flatts-Changed: One Night Exclusive Theater Event, presented by AEG Live and NCM Fathom, will offer behind-the-scenes access into the lives of Gary LeVox, Joe Don Rooney and Jay DeMarcus along with live performances of hits and music from their new album, Changed, set for release April 3 (Big Machine Records).

Tickets will be available to the in early March at www.FathomEvents.com.

For the CD release of Changed, the ACM Vocal Group of the Year nominees partnered with ‘ZinePak to produce a small-format magazine featuring photos, personal interviews, lyrics and a set of guitar picks. The magazine, which includes the deluxe album, will be on sale exclusively at Walmart.

Changed Track Listing

1.  Changed
2.  Banjo
3.  Hot In Here
4.  Come Wake Me Up
5.  She’s Leaving
6.  Let It Hurt
7.  Lovin’ Me
8.  Hurry Baby
9.  Sunrise
10. Great Big Love
11. A Little Home

Deluxe Album Bonus Tracks
1. Friday Can’t Come Fast Enough
2. Fall Here
3. Right One Time
4. Next To You, Next To Me

Nashville Makes An Impression On “The Voice”

/by

The second season of NBC’s The Voice is well underway, and Nashville’s considerable talent pool is being represented so far by three singers.

Gwen Sebastian (R) interviews with Premiere Radio Networks’ Rosemary Young during Country Radio Seminar in Nashville.

Early in the season, North Dakota-born singer/songwriter Gwen Sebastian landed a spot on team Blake Shelton by delivering a stirring rendition of Sugarland’s “Stay.” Blake commented, “Hey listen, you are a great country vocalist. You have every quality. You are tender in the right places, and you are powerful in the right places, and it matches the lyrics. I just think you really know what you are doing. You have a great sound and you’re developed.” Sebastian will also be blogging about the experience on the show on gactv.com.

If Sebastian’s name sounds familiar, it’s because she actually had a little success on MusicRow’s CountryBreakout Chart back in 2010 with a single called “Hard Rain.” She’s currently being represented by Flying Island Entertainment.

Brian Fuente

Additionally, Team Blake picked up Nashville resident Brian Fuente after his audition with the Grace Potter song “Paris (Ooh La La).” Fuente moved to town in 2007 and is a self-taught guitarist who formerly fronted the rock band Newmatic.

Also representing Music City is Nicolle Galyon, who turned in a performance of Kenny Chesney’s “You Save Me.” This time around, judge Adam Levine was the one to pounce, and selected Galyon for his team. See the audition here.


Galyon, a Kansas native, is a graduate of Belmont University and Warner/Chappell songwriter who has penned songs for Laurena Alaina, Josh Kelley, and Brent Anderson. She’s also a classically trained pianist and played Belmont’s yearly showcase The Best of the Best while she was a student.

A Belmont University representative also informs us that three other alumni are part of this season. Contestants Katrina Parker (Team Adam), Hailey Steele (of The Line, Team Christina) and Tony Vincent (Team Cee-Lo) all previously lived in Nashville and attended Belmont at some point in time.

Go Nashville!

Photos: Joe Nichols, The Band Perry, Ira Dean and More

/by

Joe Nichols recently headlined the San Antonio Stock Show and Rodeo and performed for 15,000 country music fans indoors at the AT&T Center. He joined a 2012 headliner list for the rodeo that includes Keith Urban, Lady Antebellum, Alan Jackson, Miranda Lambert and more.

(L-R): CAA's Rod Essig, San Antonio Rodeo Entertainment Director Mallory Schrade, Nichols and his manager George Couri/Triple 8 Management.

• • • •

The Band Perry garnered a nomination at the 54th Annual Grammy Awards in the “Best New Artist” category and was asked to join Glen Campbell and Blake Shelton onstage at the Awards for a tribute to Campbell’s music.

“Performing in such a historical moment is something that we will remember forever. We grew up listening to songs like “Gentle on My Mind” and then to be able to perform it as a tribute to the man himself was just incredible,” says Reid Perry.

(L-R): Neil Perry, Glen Campbell, Kimberly Perry and Reid Perry

• • • •

Mark Woods Founder and CEO of Operation Troop Aid enlisted the help of some of his music friends to perform for wounded soldiers at Bethesda Naval Hospital in Bethesda, MD on Thursday (2/16). Soldiers were treated to performances by Average Joe’s artist Ira Dean, American Idol contestant Lacey Brown, Kaleb Hensley, and The Red Airplane’s Nathan Walker. After the performance, the artists helped Woods hand out 75 kitchen sets to soldiers donated by kitchen retailer The Pampered Chef.

(L-R) Ira Dean, American Idol's Lacey Brown, The Red Airplane's Nathan Walker, and Kaleb Hensley

 

 

 

Exclusive: Q&A With Chris Woods, EVP/COO, TuneSat

/by

TuneSat is a service provider that monitors television and internet sites for copyright usage using fingerprint technology.  It provides near real-time reporting to content owners showing all performances that were detected with the date, time, channel, show, episode, composition, duration of time played, as well as, the recording of the captured performance as proof positive of the use. For internet usage, TuneSat reports the website, the hosting site, and contact information. TuneSat also provides reports comparing detected performance with royalty statements showing variances between the two.

Chris Woods, EVP/COO of TuneSat

MusicRow recently sat down exclusively with Chris Woods, Executive Vice President and Chief Operations Officer of TuneSat for a candid discussion about this innovative company and the services offered from its audio fingerprinting technology. Woods, a graduate of the Berklee School of Music, has created music branding packages for numerous television networks, including Fox Sports, Versus and Big Ten. As a music composer himself, Woods knows first-hand the challenges of music royalty licensing and collection issues which led him to co-found TuneSat in 2007.

MusicRow: The royalty payment process requires the licensee to obtain a license in order to report all the music they use to the PROs (Performance Rights Organizations) which then triggers the royalty payment. What led you to that moment where you believed you had something to offer?

Woods: We conducted case studies over a decade with majors, indies, and small composers like myself to compare detected performance data on television to performance royalties and found empirically that between 60 and up to 80% of music on television is never reported to the societies. In this day and age, technology has the ability to resolve this issue. We decided to start a service for all content owners to be able to know exactly when and where their music is playing.

MusicRow: What was the first step in offering such a service?

Woods: We established a monitoring facility and secured our own technology to constantly listen to 109 national network broadcasters in the US for performances of our clients master recordings in our fingerprint database.

MusicRow: What is the biggest issue with a content owner identifying usage of the copyright?

Woods: The problem with television and other technologies is you have to be able to identify music when it’s buried under dialogue, sounds affect, crowd noise, etc.. We can identify any 3 seconds of a broadcast to make a positive identification with the master recording.

MusicRow: What advice to you give content owners regarding being a curator of their copyrights?

Woods: You have to be business minded.  You have to understand what your rights are, understand where the money comes from and keep track of it. We see ourselves as a tool that music rights owners can use to help them track down that money.

MusicRow: Where does the Nashville music industry fit into the strategic initiatives of TuneSat?

Woods: One of our main initiatives is to get to the songwriter community and let them know we exist and how we can help them. Nashville is a great market for us and one we are heavily pursuing. A lot of the initiatives for us are to be more part of the Nashville organizations and embrace the different societies here. We really want to work with everyone to understand what the challenges are and how we can help monetize their music.

MusicRow: With the sheer expansiveness of the internet, is it something you can actually monitor?

Woods: Everyone knows their music is misused on the internet but finding it, resolving it, dealing with it– it’s a complete mess. Our answer to that is, “yes you can monitor the internet,” and we’re going to do in a way that no one else can. We are monitoring millions of websites around the world for the use of our clients music regardless of whether it’s a hotel website in Italy or a real estate website in Switzerland.  We are going to find the music, detect it, and provide our clients with that information.

MusicRow: Do you see where your service has been successful?

Woods: We’ve recovered millions of dollars on behalf of our clients that have used our information.

Subscribers can sign up online and can choose monitoring of television, internet or both. Customers include record labels, publishers, and individual memberships. Rates are based on amount of content and start at $10 per month for monitoring of up to 10 songs. In the event of a royalty discrepancy, TuneSat subscribers can pursue the claim themselves, or hire the company’s newly-launched Administrative Services branch to pursue unlicensed and unpaid uses of their music.

For more information, visit www.tunesat.com.

Don Schlitz Named To Songwriters Hall of Fame

/by

Don Schlitz

Nashville’s own Don Schlitz is among the new class of inductees for New York’s Songwriters Hall of Fame. He will be inducted at the organization’s 43rd Annual Induction and Awards Dinner on Thurs., June 14 at the Marriott Marquis Hotel in New York City.

Also joining the Songwriters Hall of Fame that night will be folk-pop hero Gordon Lightfoot (“Early Morning Rain,” “Sundown,” “Rainy Day People”), rock stalwart Bob Seger (“Against The Wind,“ “Turn The Page,” “Night Moves”), famed Broadway composers Harvey Schmidt & Tom Jones, and theater/film/pop music composer Jim Steinman (Meat Loaf’s Bat Out of Hell album, “Total Eclipse Of The Heart”).

“Each of our 2012 inductees has created a unique range of extraordinary contributions, a body of work that has resonated with audiences around the world, and greatly enriched our global culture,” said SHOF Chairman Jimmy Webb. “We are looking forward to celebrating their craft and careers at our Annual Awards Gala.”

Schlitz’s first recorded song “The Gambler,” sung by Kenny Rogers, won the 1978 Grammy for Country Song of the Year. Randy Travis’ classic “Forever And Ever, Amen” earned the same award in 1988.

Schlitz’s songbook includes 24 No. 1 hits: “On The Other Hand,” “I Feel Lucky,” “Houston Solution,” “One Promise Too Late,” “He Thinks He’ll Keep Her,” “40 Hour Week (For A Livin’),” “Rockin’ With The Rhythm Of The Rain,” “When You Say Nothing At All,” “Deeper Than The Holler,” “Learning To Live Again,” and “Strong Enough To Bend.”

His songs have been recorded by Reba McEntire, Garth Brooks, Keith Whitley, Alison Krauss, Mary Chapin Carpenter, Tanya Tucker, The Judds and many others. In 2001 he wrote the songs for the Broadway show, The Adventures of Tom Sawyer. This four-time ASCAP Country Songwriter of the Year was inducted into the Nashville Songwriters Hall of Fame in 1993 and the North Carolina Music Hall of Fame in 2010. Schlitz has won three CMA Song of the Year Awards and two ACM Song of Year Awards. Schlitz received the ASCAP Creative Achievement Award in 2007 and in 2010 was honored with the Academy of Country Music’s Poet’s Award for Lifetime Achievement in Songwriting.

Nashville Gears Up For CRS 2012

/by

CRS 2012 will keep the industry hopping this week, with events starting today and the seminar officially opening tomorrow. Country Radio Seminar is headquartered at the downtown Nashville Convention Center, jam packed with educational opportunities, showcases, and parties for Country radio professionals who have assembled in Nashville from around the country.

Overall attendance at CRS has increased two years in a row, and tickets to the Country Radio Hall of Fame ceremony and the New Faces of Country Music Show are sold out.

Here’s a very brief list of highlights:

Tuesday, Feb. 21
• MusicRow’s CountryBreakout Awards and Meet & Greet is today at 2:30 p.m. at Margaritaville
• Sold out Country Radio Hall of Fame dinner honoring Beverlee Brannigan, Ron Rogers, Rusty Walker, Moby, Eddie Stubbs, Bill Whyte, Glen Campbell, and Bob Kingsley
• Sony Music Nashville and Sea Gayle Records present the “Official Country Radio Hall of Fame After Party” at 8:30 p.m. in the Renaissance Hotel

Wednesday, Feb. 22
• Keynote address by MTV co-founder and Clear Channel exec Bob Pittman, remarks by futurist David Houle, and the expansive CRS research study
• UMG Nashville luncheon at the Ryman with performances by its roster
• Lady Antebellum concert at Municipal Auditorium

Thursday, Feb. 23
• Agenda topics include diary methodology, PPM strategies, coaching air talent, social media, and CMA’s “Year of Country Radio” presentation
• Alan Jackson at Capitol Nashville luncheon
• WCRS Live! with hit songwriters Matraca Berg, Natalie Hemby, Lori McKenna and Ashley Monroe

Friday, Feb. 24
• Panel topics include mobile device usage, marketing case studies, multi-format programming, the Digital University roundtable discussions, and small market programming
• Faith Hill at the Warner Music Nashville luncheon
• CRS 2012 New Faces performers are Eli Young Band, Hunter Hayes, David Nail, Sunny Sweeney and Thompson Square

A detailed schedule with descriptions of all panels and events can be viewed at www.CRB.org.