Photo: Wild Cub Wins Round Two of Road To Bonnaroo

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Keegan Dewitt of Wild Cub. Photo: Drew Maynard

BMI, Mercy Lounge, the Bonnaroo Music and Arts Festival, and the Nashville Scene hosted the second round of Road to Bonnaroo 2012 to a packed house at 8 off 8th on Monday night (3/26). Artists competing for a performance slot at the annual summer festival scheduled for June 7-10 in Manchester, TN, included Evan P. Donohue, Wild Cub, The Running, Static Revival, Nikki Lane, Five Knives, Tesla Rossa, and Marquee Mayfield.

Wild Cub emerged as the evening’s winner after delivering an energetic set of percussive, danceable pop with shades of New Wave. Also promising: Evan P. Donohue, who showed his knack for fuzzy pop anthems and brought his buddy Caitlin Rose out for a duet; and Nikki Lane, who has a kind of dark, rockabilly Nancy Sinatra vibe, but unfortunately got stuck with the last slot of the night as the crowd was thinning.

(L-R): Roxanna Haynes, BMI’s Mary Loving, MusicRow’s Jon Freeman, Evan P. Donohue, and BMI’s Julie Stuckey and Mark Mason. Photo: Drew Maynard

The Weekly Register: Digital Albums Rising

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The growing acceptance of digital formats by consumers is a constant theme across the Nielsen SoundScan, units-based reports and the recent RIAA net sales shipments accounting. However, the focus is usually on tracks. But is the digital wave also boosting country album downloads? Answer: Yes.

As our table shows, growth in the digital album format as viewed by percentage of total country album sales, appears to be pretty consistent, growing at about 5% per year. However, based upon the actual sales numbers the increases from 2010-2012 are more dramatic—21% and then 33%, respectively.

Theses numbers are based on about the first three months of each year, YTD. As sales sleuths know, it’s the final quarter of each year when the registers ring robustly and mouses mightily move. So we’ll revisit this chart later in the year to see if the heavier sales flow affects digital percentages. My guess is we will see the current 33% increase (2011 to 2012) grow larger by year end, especially with shrinking shelf space for music which is forcing consumers online.

The Weekly Register
Like some kind of rare sales equinox, we have an unusual synchronicity this week. Country and all-genre YTD album sales are each exactly .1% ahead of last year. (Last week country sales were ahead 1.8%.)

We should savor the positive territory, because next week we will likely slide out of the plus side of the graph. Why are sales off? The economy and/or having less product in the stores isn’t helping, but probably the primary fault lies in our format’s weak release schedule YTD. There simply haven’t been enough register ringing recordings released and the results are showing.

This week’s Top 75 country currents, for example, totaled a sickly 248k total units, down from last week’s 252k. (eeeech!)

We used to see a lone debut album beat those numbers! However, before we wring our hands and begin fasting, realize that the record labels are likely plotting some monster-sized mashups for later in the year (at least we hope so). (Rascal Flatts‘ Changed arrives April 3, a new Carrie Underwood, Blown Away will hit bins May 1 and Kenny Chesney is set to sing on June 19 with an as yet unnamed project.) Also, Lionel Richie’s duets set just hit stores and is already getting predictions of first week sales in the 150k range!

Highlights for the week include Casey James‘ No. 2 country debut with about 14k units. Luke Bryan however beat out James to grab the No. 1 position with 18k units of his Tailgates & Tanlines, on the charts now for 33 weeks. Mention must also be given to the Hunger Games Soundtrack which debuted this week at No. 1 on the Top 200 chart scanning 175k units. The soundtrack includes Nashville artists such as Taylor Swift, The Civil Wars and Miranda Lambert.

As has been the case lately, the Digital Genre Country Tracks chart seems to be where the action is. And this week it’s all about Ms. Swift who owns the No. 1 and No. 2 positions with Hunger Games tracks “Eyes Open” (176k debut) and “Safe & Sound” (93k). Nailing No. 3 is Carrie Underwood with “Good Girl” (69k).

New artists with momentum on the tracks parade include Kip Moore’s “Somethin’ Bout A Truck” (No. 7; 46k) and Lee Brice’s “A Woman Like You” (No. 5; 57k).

Until next week…

Americana Music Festival Submissions Due

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The 2012 Americana Music Festival is set for Sept. 12-15 at various Nashville venues, and the deadline for artists to be considered for showcase spots is quickly approaching. Applications for this year’s event will be accepted through Saturday, March 31.

Applicants may submit information either electronically via SonicBids or via standard mail. Details on mailing and the application form can be found here. Applicants will be notified by Friday, June 29, if they have been selected or not.

Additionally, AMA Members have until April 6 to submit nominations for the 2012 Awards Show in the categories Album of the Year, Song of the Year, Artist of the Year, Emerging Artist of the Year, Duo/Group of the Year, and Instrumentalist of the Year. The eligibility period runs April 1, 2011 through March 31, 2012.

The conference portion of the annual event will again take place at the Sheraton Downtown Nashville, and the hotel is currently offering a special rate of $169/night for single or double occupancy. Details here.

Nashville Shines at T.J. Martell Honors Gala

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(L-R): Thomas G. Cigarran (Spirit of Nashville Award), C. Wright Pinson (Lifetime Medical Achievement Award), Kris Kristofferson (Frances Williams Preston Lifetime Music Industry Award), Joe Galante (Tony Martell Lifetime Entertainment Achievement Award), Colin V. Reed (Lifetime Humanitarian Award)

The fourth annual T.J. Martell Honors Gala was held at the Hutton Hotel this past week, raising over $400,000 for 11 top U.S. cancer research hospitals, including the Frances Williams Preston Laboratories at the Vanderbilt-Ingram Cancer Center.

The sold-out event was hosted by Vince Gill and musical performances included K.T. Oslin (“80s Ladies”); Emmylou Harris (Kris Kristofferson’s “The Last Thing to Go”); Gill (“Together Again”); Charlie Daniels (Johnny Cash’s “Folsom Prison Blues”); Martina McBride (“Independence Day”); Ronnie Dunn (Brooks & Dunn’s “Believe”); and Bruce Hornsby (a piano interpretation of “A Night on the Town”).

Former TN Governor Phil Bredesen and Nashville Chamber President Ralph Schulz presented Tom Cigarran with the Spirit of Nashville Award for professional and charitable work within the Nashville community.

Kris Kristofferson was honored with a standing ovation while accepting the Frances Williams Preston Lifetime Music Industry Award, presented to him by Harris and the legendary BMI executive herself, Frances Williams Preston.

Gaylord Chairman and CEO Colin Reed received the Lifetime Humanitarian Award from Gill and Lew Conner, who spoke of Reed’s leadership during the 2010 Nashville flood.

C. Wright Pinson, who founded Vanderbilt University’s liver transplantation program and liver surgery division in 1990, was awarded by Vanderbilt’s liver transplant recipient Julie Damon with Charlie Daniels.

The final, Tony Martell Lifetime Entertainment Achievement Award, went to music executive Joe Galante. Dolly Parton and Kenny Chesney presented Galante, who thanked his mentors: Jerry Bradley, Frances Preston, Joe Talbot and Irving Waugh.

“I didn’t get the town or the music,” said Galante. “But that all changed when I was asked to go with Dolly on a promo trip in New York City. Dolly was to ride the Long Island Rail Road and at every stop get out and sing a song on a flatbed car…In between stops we just talked and laughed. It became a turning point for me. I know I’m home now in Nashville — this has been a very special night.”

Over the last four years, the Honors Gala, which is a part of The T. J. Martell Foundation, has raised a total of $1.8 million for leukemia, cancer and AIDS research. The foundation was founded in 1975 by music executive Tony Martell and his colleagues, in memory of his son, T.J., who died of leukemia. The Foundation has provided over $250 million dollars for research at top research hospitals in the United States.

(Photos: Rick Diamond, Getty Images)

 

ACM Awards: McBride and Monahan’s Wedding Duet, Plus More Performers Added

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The Academy of Country Music has announced that Martina McBride, along with Train frontman Pat Monahan, will perform her new single “Marry Me” on the 47th Annual ACM Awards Sunday, April 1. To celebrate the message of the song, McBride and Monahan will perform the duet during a live onstage wedding ceremony—an ACM Awards first. The song was written by Monahan and released in 2010 as the third single from Train’s album Save Me, San Francisco.

McBride personally selected couple Christina Davidson and Frank Tucci for the onstage nuptials. In 2009, Frank lost his wife to thyroid cancer and Christina lost her husband in a tragic drowning accident. As a way to deal with the grief of losing her husband and raising her two sons on her own, Christina started a support group for young widows and widowers in New Jersey, where she met Frank and their friendship blossomed into love. The wedding marks a new chapter in their lives, an intimate moment which they will graciously share onstage. Fans can also follow Christina and Frank’s journey at www.ACMwedding.com.

Also newly added to the performance lineup are ACM Awards nominees Brad Paisley and Dierks Bentley, and Taylor Swift and Lionel Richie will be presenting Awards during the ceremony. Paisley and Bentley join previously announced performers Jason Aldean, Luke Bryan, Kenny Chesney, Eric Church, Sara Evans, Toby Keith, Miranda Lambert, Tim McGraw, Blake Shelton, Carrie Underwood, Keith Urban, Chris Young, The Band Perry, Lady Antebellum, Little Big Town and Rascal Flatts.

The ACM Awards is produced for television by dick clark productions and will be broadcast Live from the MGM Grand Garden Arena in Las Vegas Sunday, April 1, 2012 at 8:00 PM live ET/delayed PT on the CBS Television Network.

DISClaimer Single Reviews (3/28/12)

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(L-R): Jessie James, Matraca Berg

Sometimes less is more.

And sometimes you have to vote for class rather than flash. Matraca Berg’s “The Dreaming Fields” is a very simple production, but it packs a big emotional wallop. There are more famous record makers in this week’s stack, but this Nashville Songwriters Hall of Fame member wins the Disc of the Day.

Both of the DisCovery Award contenders are Universal products. Greg Bates records for Republic, and Jessie James is on Show Dog. In a tight contest, I’m giving the nod to Jessie James.

I don’t give out an Album of the Day award. But if I did, it would most certainly go to Tuskegee by Lionel Richie and his country pals. Those songs of his are just so enduringly extraordinary.

EDEN’S EDGE/Too Good to Be True
Writer: Gordie Sampson/Hilary Lindsey/Troy Verges; Producer: Dann Huff; Publisher: No Such Music/Bug/Music of Windswept/BMG Chrysalis/Songs of Southside Independent/Raylene/Songs of Universal/Songs From the Engine Room, SOCAN/ASCAP/BMI; Big Machine
—This is a trio, but somebody decided to make it sound like a female solo performance with some background vocalists. Next time, bring the other two voices up in the mix. The song is cool and so are the Dobro licks.

DANIEL SMITH/Sometimes Love
Writer: Daniel Smith; Producer: none listed; Publisher: Daniel Smith, ASCAP; DLS (www.danielsmithmusic.net)
—I’ve always liked this guy in the past. This new ballad is about the sad side of love that you discover when a loved one passes away. He aches in all the right places.

MATRACA BERG/The Dreaming Fields
Writer: Matraca Berg/Gary Harrison; Producer: Matraca Berg; Publisher: Songs of Universal/Hannaberg, BMI; Dualtone (track) (www.matracaberg.com)
—The yearning title tune of Matraca’s lustrous album mourns the loss of her grandparents’ farm. Her trembling, highly emotional vocal is accompanied only by her piano playing and a sighing, moaning cello. Which makes it all the more moving. The song has just become the subject of her new video.

LIONEL RICHIE & SHANIA TWAIN/Endless Love
Writer: Lionel Richie; Producer: Nathan Chapman & Lionel Richie; Publisher: none listed; Mercury (track)
—Thirteen songs from Lionel’s awesome catalog have become country duets on his new CD Tuskegee. Some of the biggest stars of the genre eagerly participated — Tim McGraw, Blake Shelton, Willie Nelson, Jason Aldean and Rascal Flatts among them. Shania takes the Diana Ross part on what was a massive, massive hit in 1981. She has a fuller, richer voice than the reedy Supremes diva, so this raises genuine goose bumps. This is a thrilling performance by both partners. The whole album is one delight after another. And I have always believed that Lionel Richie was really a country artist.

RACHELE LYNAE/Party ‘Til the Cows Come Home
Writer: Rachele Lynae/Stephanie Bentley/Jamie O’Neal/Jimmy Murphy; Producer: Jamie O’Neal; Publisher: Rachele Lynae/Fru Fru/Sugar Dumplin/Pakimo, ASCAP; Momentum (www.rachelelynae.com)
—It sounds pretty much like you’d expect it to, given the title. Lots of screaming guitar work, pumping percussion and crowd shouting. Pass.

SCOTTY McCREERY/Water Tower Town
Writer: Cole Swindell/Lynn Hutton/Tammi Kidd; Producer: Mark Bright; Publisher: Sony-ATV/House of Sea Gayle/Mike Curb, BMI/ASCAP; Mercury/19 (track)
—The production on this celebration of small-town life rocks brilliantly. Scotty keeps up with it, but sounds like he’s having to make an effort.

JESSIE JAMES/When You Say My Name
Writer: Marshall Altman/Dylan Altman/Rose Falcon; Producer: Mark Wright; Publisher: Sons of the Galt Line/Razor and Tie/Music of Cal IV, BMI; Show Dog Universal
—Lively and tuneful, this has the sound of young romance running all through it. James has an intriguing vocal delivery, throaty in her lower register and brightly sunny on her soprano notes. Very radio ready.

DIERKS BENTLEY/5-1-5-0
Writer: Jim Beavers/Brett Beavers/Dierks Bentley; Producer: Brett Beavers & Luke Wooten; Publisher: Sony-ATV Tree/Beavertime/BMG/Chestnut Barn/Big White Tracks, BMI/IMRO/ASCAP; Capitol Nashville (track)
—The girl is driving him insane, and he can think of nothing else. It’s Dierks in his upbeat rocker mode, accompanied by plenty of stuttering, twang guitar and thumping beats. Highly infectious.

JASON STURGEON/Time Bomb
Writer: Jason Sturgeon; Producer: Greg Archilla & Jason Sturgeon; Publisher: Jason Sturgeon, BMI; Tool Pusher (www.jasonsturgeonmusic.com)
—It’s a roaring, rocking car song. It also has no melody.

GREG BATES/Did It for the Girl
Writer: Greg Bates/Lynn Hutton/Rodney Clawson; Producer: Jimmy Ritchey; Publisher: Super Effusion/Big Music Machine/Bates ‘N’ Hooks/Songs of Universal/House of Sea Gayle/Big Red Toe/Big Loud Bucks/Amarillo Sky, BMI/ASCAP; Republic Nashville
—This sways like a summer hammock in the backyard. He cleans up to look sharp for her. He shines his car for her. He plays his favorite George Strait tunes for her. He dances, sips Corona, enjoys the moonlight, lights candles and drives slow. Let’s face it, the boy is dizzy in love. An excellent debut.

Jagermeister Partners with Randy Houser for Tour

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Jagermeister Herbal Liqueur has announced the Jagermeister Presents Tour featuring country music singer/songwriter Randy Houser. The tour will kick off April 26 in Knoxville, TN and hit 16 cities across the nation. Render Records artist Rick Monroe will serve as the supporting act.

“We’re thrilled to be working with Randy Houser again, someone who appreciates our brand and knows how to enjoy it! He’s grown as a musician and songwriter and Jager’s been with him from the beginning,” says Rick Zeiler, Director of Strategic Marketing at Sidney Frank Importing Company, Inc.

Houser adds, “In 2009 I had the chance to be out on Jagermeister’s first country tour with my buddy Pat Green right as I was about to put out my first single, so I couldn’t be more excited to be out on this Jagermeister Presents Tour. It’s gonna be one hell of a party!”

Houser is also currently working on his upcoming full length album for Stoney Creek Records, and a single is slated for release in Spring 2012.

For additional information visit www.JagerMusic.com. Tickets can be purchased at www.randyhouser.com/tour. Tour dates are as follows:

4/26 Knoxville, TN    Cotton Eyed Joe’s
4/27 Columbia, SC          Tin Roof
4/28 Duluth (Atlanta), GA  Wild Bill’s
5/11 Baton Rouge, LA       Texas Club
5/24 Davie, FL             The Roundup
5/25 Fort Walton Beach, FL The Block
6/14 Fort Wayne, IN        Piere’s
6/16 Charlotte, NC         Coyote Joe’s
6/21 Salisbury, MA     Blue Ocean Music Hall
6/22 Portland, ME      Asylum
6/24 Keene, NH         Colonial Theatre
6/28 Winston Salem, NC  Johnny & June Saloon
6/29 Raleigh, NC       City Limits Saloon
6/30 Murrells Inlet, SC The Beaver Bar
7/13 Evansville, IN    Stoney’s
7/27 Chicago, IL       Joe’s Sports Bar

New YouTube Revenue Streams for Publishers

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Since it’s inception in 2005, YouTube has provided a platform for users from around the world to upload audiovisual content. Major labels, with the exception of Warner Music, independently reached agreements to receive compensation for their master recordings with YouTube, but publishers have been unable to establish any formal agreement with the video provider.

As a result, the publishing community, in accordance with the NMPA, set out a longstanding class action lawsuit against YouTube and its owner, Google. In recent months, legal rulings for the suit have favored YouTube over publishers. As the case waits in the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Second Circuit, YouTube has prepared three licensing options for publishers to begin receiving compensation. If a publisher chooses to enter any agreement, they release all pending litigation rights to the class action suit and forgo the ability to benefit from future judgments from those suits.

The licensing process is being facilitated by RightsFlow, a royalty service provider purchased by YouTube in January of this year. Earlier this month, YouTube and RightsFlow representatives held a small conference for independent music publishers at Nashville’s BMI offices to discuss the available licensing options.

Option 1: The first option available for independent publishers is a three-year agreement with the Harry Fox Agency (HFA) under terms negotiated by the NMPA. Under the terms, the HFA charges a 7.5 percent administrative fee from YouTube earnings. Those publishers who opted into the HFA agreement by mid January of this year were subject to share in a $4 million recoupable advance determined by mechanical earnings and market share between 2007-2010. The advance is not a settlement; just a pool paid-forward towards future earnings by YouTube. The HFA has also secured exclusive rights for auditing YouTube’s royalty statements on behalf of its participating publishers. For delinquent payment over 45 days, the HFA has secured a 1.5 percent, per month late provision.

Option 2: Publishers can sign a five-year direct license with the video site. Through this option, publishers evade the third-party HFA administrative fees, but forgo audit rights or the late payment provisions. A publisher also retains direct control with their YouTube online content ID tool. This site manages publishers’ accounts including blocking, monetizing and tracking musical works on YouTube. Under the HFA agreement, the HFA would perform content monitoring on behalf of its clients.

Option 3: Independent publishers can enter Third Party Aggregator agreements. These arrangements enable publishers to collaborate amongst each other to negotiate alternative terms with YouTube. Specific terms of this option have yet to be determined.

The proposals are not retroactive for revenue previously accrued from the site, nor will royalties be based on ‘per view’ rates. Rather, revenues will be based on ad sales within the particular upload as outlined below.

Under the agreements, videos are classified within three categories. 1) Official Commercial Artist Music Videos; royalties typically handled directly between labels and publishers, therefore not included in the agreement. 2) User-Uploaded Videos with Commercial Recordings earn 15 percent of net ad revenue from the video. 3) User-Uploaded Cover Videos can earn 50 percent of net ad revenue.

VEVO President/CEO Rio Caraeff shed light on rarely seen financials for his company in a recent interview. About 35-40 percent of VEVO’s traffic comes from YouTube, which is an outlet for VEVO’s syndicated content. In an effort to provide perspective, Caraeff’s financials surrounding digital video income for his site will be helpful.

“In the last year alone we’ve generated over $150 million,” he explained. “We paid the labels about $100 million over the last two years, specifically to artists, songwriters and content owners. Today we’re seeing 3.5 billion views per month. That’s about 42 billion views per year.”

If you’re calculating a per-view rate on today’s numbers, the average view turns out to earn $0.0012. 100,000 views averages $120.00, and 1 million views, $1,200.00. Granted, YouTube agreements do not propose calculating royalties on a per-view basis. However, for the purposes of this article, it is easy to see how royalties of $100 million spreads thin.

Perhaps the most important aspect of these proposals, as they unfold over the next few months, is that they set out to establish a framework of aqueducts hopeful to carry revenue from digital-age sources to claimants. Time will tell if substantial resources will ever flow.

McGraw Returns to the U.S. For Series of Appearances

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Tim McGraw recently returned from Australia with wife, Faith Hill, following their first tour down-under together. The couple performed for sold-out crowds in Adelaide, Brisbane, Sydney, Melbourne, and helped set an attendance record at the CMC Rocks the Hunter festival.

“I’ve toured Australia before, and each time it gets better and better,” said McGraw. “We had an awesome time traveling around the country and getting to meet and play for so many fans…they love their country music, and they really showed us a great time.”

McGraw will head to Las Vegas next, where he will perform at the 47th ACM Awards on Sun., April 1. He will also make a special appearance on The Ellen DeGeneres Show, Wed., April 4 and will perform on the ACM Presents: Lionel Richie and Friends In Concert airing on Friday, April 13 on CBS.

Preparations are under way for McGraw’s 20-city stadium tour with Kenny Chesney this Summer. The Brothers of the Sun Tour reunites McGraw and Chesney for the first time in 10 years. The tour kicks off June 2 in Tampa and runs through August.

Aaron Lewis Reveals Album Details

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Aaron Lewis has revealed details for his upcoming full length release, which follows his successful 2011 solo EP Town Line and Gold single “Country Boy.” The Staind frontman turned solo country artist will release his new album The Road on June 26 via R&J Records.

R&J President James Stroud is once again in the producer’s chair for The Road, which includes the current single “Endless Summer.” Lewis wrote every song on the 10 track collection, except for “Grandaddy’s Gun” which was penned by Dallas Davidson, Rhett Akins, and Bobby Pinson, which marks the first time Lewis has recorded outside material for an album. Full track listing is below.

Lewis is currently offering a free download of his song “Red, White & Blue” here.

Additionally, Lewis is nominated as artist and co-producer for ACM Awards Vocal Event of the Year for “Country Boy,” along with his collaborators George Jones and Charlie Daniels. The song’s video has racked up over 15 million views to date on YouTube.

Track listing:
75
The Road
Endless Summer
Red, White & Blue
Lessons Learned
Forever
Grandaddy’s Gun
State Lines
Anywhere But Here
Party In Hell