Ricky Skaggs to Celebrate 30 Years With the Opry

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The Grand Ole Opry will honor Ricky Skaggs on his 30th anniversary as an Opry member during the Tuesday Night Opry May 15.

The 14-time Grammy winner was inducted into the Opry on May 15, 1982. In addition to performances by Skaggs, his anniversary will be celebrated by fellow Opry members Alison Krauss, Josh Turner, and The Whites, plus special guests two-time IBMA Entertainers of the Year Dailey & Vincent.

“Not unlike Ricky’s music, the list of artists lined up to honor him on May 15 is eclectic and award-winning,” said Opry Vice President and General Manager Pete Fisher. “It’s going to be a night of great musicianship as we celebrate all that Ricky means to the Opry family.”

Topspin and TuneCore Join Forces

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TuneCore and Topspin have announced plans to integrate and offer full services under one umbrella. The integration is planned for late summer 2012.

The combined services will have the ability to pair TuneCore’s ability to distribute music to all digital platforms (iTunes, Amazon, Spotify, and more) with Topspin’s fan-driven marketing capabilities, while still maintaining 100% of their rights. The service is for artists both established and independent.

Artists already using Topspin will receive a 30% discount on TuneCore distribution, and artists using TuneCore will receive a free month of Topspin Plus, a $49.99 value. These discounts are available immediately.

When the technical portion of the integration is finished, users can have their music delivered from one service to the other without having to re-upload. Topspin sales info will appear on the TuneCore artist dashboard.

More info here.

Wade Bowen Classic Adds Concert Performers

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Wade Bowen’s 14th Annual Bowen Classic celebrity golf tournament and concert has added Randy Rogers, Reckless Kelly, Dustin Lynch, Eric Paslay, Cory Morrow, Kyle Park, Bleu Edmondson, and Max Stalling to the event’s musical lineup. Galleywinter contest winners Bri Bagwell, Josh Ward and The Rankin Twins will also appear, along with some surprise guests.

The benefit is scheduled for May 6-7 in Waco, TX supporting the Advocacy Center for Crime Victims and Children. The concert, which takes place May 6 at Noon in Indian Springs Park, will feature over 25 artists in addition to Bowen, including previously announced Jason Boland and the Stragglers, Casey James and Charlie Robison.

Registration for the classic and individual tickets are available here.

Wednesday Photos (5/2/12)

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L-R: SESAC’s President/Coo Pat Collins, John Mayer, NARAS President Neil Portnow, Rep. Howard Berman and NARAS Chief Advocacy & Industry Relations Office Daryl Friedman.

SESAC sponsored the 2012 Grammys on the Hill Awards in Washington, D.C. on April 25 at the Liaison Capitol Hill hotel. Rep. Howard Berman (D-Calif.) and seven-time Grammy winner John Mayer were honored for their commitment to improving the working environment for the nation’s music community. Mayer was also honored for his commitment to music education

Monty Powell entertained the crowd by performing a song he wrote with Senator Orrin Hatch, the very first Grammy On The Hill Awards honoree. Meanwhile, SESAC’s Pat Collins was on hand to present the award to Rep. Berman citing the lawmaker’s steadfast defense of intellectual property rights for songwriters and publishers.

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Bradley and Senior Historian John Rumble. Photo: Donn Jones

The Country Music Hall of Fame and Museum recently hosted an interview with music executive Jerry Bradley. Bradley shared some of his favorite music business stories including those from his time as Chet Atkins’ assistant and, later, as head of RCA Nashville. The interview was offered as part of the special exhibition Chet Atkins: Certified Guitar Player, made possible through the support of the Gretsch Company with additional support provided by Great American Country Television Network.

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L–R: Seth England, Kimberly Gleason, Craig Wiseman, Heather Buresh, Amy Allmand & Steven McMillian

Big Loud Shirt & Big Loud Bucks staff recently hosted its Annual Big Loud Parking Lot Party, themed “The Hungover Games.”

Weekly Register: Discounters Create Sales Iceberg

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This week’s quick take away is—the sky is not falling (any faster than it was last week); physical sales are weakening while digital sales get stronger; and Lionel Richie remains country’s newest and best seller.

Unfortunately, the real story, like an iceberg under water, is hidden from view. That real story is a too familiar parable of revenues and costs which is being redefined by retailers like Google with its regular $3.99 album specials. For example, this week a quick search for country in the $3.99 digital bin found found Taylor Swift’s Fearless, Sugarland’s Incredible Machine, Martina McBride’s Eleven, Alison Krauss A Hundred Miles.. and more. We’ve been told that discounters like Google, Amazon and others are still paying labels the normal wholesale value, but this activity is a ticking time bomb sure to redefine music pricing going forward which can’t be good for record label bottom lines, long term.

Average Joes Entertainment CEO Shannon Houchins, in this week’s two-part MusicRow interview says he believes music sales will no longer be a revenue stream in as soon as a few years. [Click HERE to read.] It’s hard to accept that vision might become reality in the country industry. However, as music sales from all formats converge into a single handheld mobile device, it seems likely that what happens in one format will quickly spread to all. Imagine how the Nashville landscape might look if the revenue landscape were to alter itself that dramatically!

Albums
For the week ended 4/29/12 we see the overall industry struggling to remain even with last year, and falling .9% behind. As the grid shows, if one includes YTD TEA numbers, then sales are up slightly, 1.3%. Nashville-based Jack White debuts Blunderbuss this past week and sees it sit on top of the Top 200 list with sales of almost 138k.

In the world of country, Lionel Richie remains at No. 1 scanning an additional 78k units to push his 5-week total above 615k and YTD country album sales ahead 5.9%. Debuts take spots No. 2 and 3 on the country list; Curb’s Lee Brice sells 46k with Hard 2 Love and MCA’s Kip Moore scans 37k with Up All Night.

Carrie Underwood’s Blown Away just hit bins and next week’s debut numbers will surely bump up and keep country album sales in positive territory.

Tracks
Digital track sales are ahead for all genre and for country which explains why YTD TEA album numbers are higher than pure album sales. On the country list we see the usual suspects holding court in the Top Ten; Taylor, Eric, Luke, Carrie, Kip, Jason, Lee, Miranda, a Kenny/Tim duet and Eli Young Band. Eric Church’s “Springsteen” moves up a spot to No. 2 notching sales of almost 79k units.

Church’s tough-edged attitude brought him a few media lessons this past week when he dissed TV singing contests in a Rolling Stone interview and then incurred the Twitter wrath of Miranda and Blake. Church later apologized saying it was about the shows and “not the artists themselves.” We’ll watch next week for any chart fallout.

Country track sales are doing nicely passing the 54.7 million mark and up a robust 21.7% YTD.

See you next week!

Industry Updates (5/2/12)

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Bluegrass duo The Roys have joined SESAC for performing rights representation. The brother and sister act have just released their debut project on Rural Rhythm Records entitled Lonesome Whistle. “We are extremely excited to welcome The Roys into the SESAC family,” says SESAC’s Vice President, Tim Fink. “The Roys are a unique act with such an exciting and definable sound. Everyone at SESAC looks forward to being a part of the great things to come from The Roys. Pictured (L-R): Lee Roy, Elaine Roy, Tim Fink. Photo: Peyton Hoge

• MusicRow magazine founder David Ross will celebrate the release of his first book Secrets of the List with a reception Tues., May 22, 4:30 p.m. at BMI’s Nashville offices. Ross’ guide to digital marketing has been well received.

Manager and author Stuart Dill (L) appeared on NPTV’s “Word on Words” with John Seigenthaler (R) to discuss his debut novel "Murder on Music Row." The episode airs Sun., May 6 at 10:00 a.m.

• Mark De Lelys has been named Director of Merchandising and Retail Development at the Country Music Hall of Fame® and Museum. Reporting to Vice President of Sales and Marketing Sharon Burns, De Lelys will oversee retail operations, including the upcoming Museum Store expansion and new retail space for Hatch Show Print; and merchandise design and development. De Lelys most recently served as director of retail and visitor services for the Pennsylvania Academy of the Fine Arts. During his 18-year tenure there, De Lelys’ accomplishments included developing the concept for the academy’s new 1,800-square-foot retail store, and initiating the academy’s web store.

• Beginning June 11, The Time Jumpers will relocate from The Station Inn, where it has performed nearly every Monday night since June 9, 1999, to the recently renovated and enlarged 3rd & Lindsley. The band is making the change primarily to accommodate fans who are routinely turned away for lack of seating. “We are looking forward to making 3rd & Lindsley our new home,” says bandleader Kenny Sears. “The larger venue will enable us to accommodate our fans in a more comfortable way. We are so grateful to [owner] J.T. Gray and the Station Inn for taking a chance on us 13 years ago and giving us a place to play our music. Leaving here is truly like leaving home.” The Time Jumpers is made up of prominent musicians Sears, Joe Spivey, Vince Gill, “Ranger” Doug Green, Andy Reiss, Paul Franklin, Dennis Crouch, Larry Franklin, Dawn Sears, Jeff Taylor and Billy Thomas.

•  Congratulations to artist Josh Kelley and actress wife Katherine Heigl who recently adopted a daughter. She joins 3-year-old big sis Naleigh, who was adopted from South Korea.

• Music Row will soon have a new dining option. Soulshine Pizza is set to open in midtown in the former Hollywood Disco building, reports the Nashville Scene. The Mississippi chain is a favorite in Oxford and Jackson.

Sirius XM Reports Positive First Quarter

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Sirius XM reported an all-time high of 22.3 million subscribers on its first quarter 2012 financial results, released on Monday (4/30). Based on the growth, CEO Mel Karmazin raised the 2012 subscriber growth projection to 1.5 million, an increase of 2 million.

Sirius XM is installed in more than 60 percent of new vehicles. The current basic package costs $14.49 per month.

Revenue for the first quarter was $805 million, up 11% over Q1 2011 revenue of $724 million. Net income for the first quarters of 2012 and 2011 were $108 million and $78 million, respectively.

Karmazin also said the company plans to introduce a personalized radio service later this year which would be similar to Pandora.

 

DISClaimer Single Reviews (5/2/12)

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(L-R): Ice Cream Sundae, Jack White

It looks like Nashville is going to continue to rule the top of the pop album charts, with Jack White predicted to replace Lionel Ritchie at No. 1 next week in the U.S. and knocking even Adele from that perch in the U.K.

Jack’s Third Man Records label is in the spotlight of this week’s pop/rock “DisClaimer” column. His debut solo disc is here, as are such company products as Jeff the Brotherhood and Karen Elson. Naturally, all of them are available on vinyl.

As good as they are, they have plenty of competition from such Music City pop-rockers as Dave Barnes, Etta Britt and our DisCovery Award winning Ice Cream Sundae.

But as for Disc of the Day? That one has to belong to Jack White alone.

ICE CREAM SUNDAE/Video Games
Writer: Zak Monnet; Producer: Bryan Clark; Publisher: none listed; Rainfeather (track) (www.icecreamsundaemusic.com)
—Ice Cream Sundae is singer-songwriter and Belmont grad Zak Monnet, aided and produced by his former college professor Bryan Clark. This track from their debut We’re Just As Sweet CD is a frothy, electro-pop chamber tune featuring synth blurps, twizzles, strings and wooshes, plus percussion hiccups and an airy, wafting tenor vocal that pleads to be allowed to play, yes, video games. Definitely different.

DAVE BARNES/Mine to Love
Writer: Dave Barnes; Producer: John Fields & Dave Barnes; Publisher: No Gang/Razor & Tie, ASCAP; Razor & Tie (track) (www.davebarnes.com)
—Fresh from his across-the-board success with “God Gave Me You,” Barnes returns with a new collection titled Stories to Tell. Its beautifully melodic lead-off single finds his engaging, earnest tenor soaring above a churning, rhythmic track with insistent, jangling guitar work, softly sighing strings and a percussive pulse that just doesn’t quit. If this doesn’t make your heart beat a little faster, you haven’t got one.

RON BRUNK/Dance Floor
Writer: Ron Brunk; Producer: Paul Allen; Publisher: Ugly Brunk Dog, no performance rights listed; RB (track) (www.ronbrunk.com)
—This veteran Nashvillian returns with a 13-tune batch called Funk the Brunk. He exhorts listeners to “let it burn” out on the dance floor while an electric guitar grinds out the repeated riff and electronic beats propel the track. It’s maniacally repetitive but somehow weirdly likable.

JACK WHITE/Sixteen Saltines
Writer: Jack White; Producer: Jack White III; Publisher: Third String Tunes, BMI; Third Man  (www.jackwhiteIII.com)
—Yes, we loved The White Stripes, The Raconteurs and The Dead Weather, but what we’ve wanted all along is a Jack White solo album. Now we have Blunderbuss, and lo-and-behold, it’s a chart-topping hit. Some are saying that Nashville is rubbing off on White via his incorporation of Fats Kaplan’s fiddle and steel into some of its tracks. But this kick-off single (available as a 45 rpm, just as the album is available on vinyl) rocks with as much snark as anything he’s ever recorded. Plus, it’s short and snotty, like a Ramones tune. There are actually two singles available from the new collection. The other is the haunting, minor-key “Love Interruption,” featuring Ruby Amanfu’s harmony singing.

CHRISTINA RECKARD & RAUL MALO/Each Other
Writer: Alan Miller/Raul Malo; Producer: Eddie Perez & Christina Reckard; Publisher: EMI Blackwood/Toto Tunes/Winning Circle, no performance rights listed; Velvet Fusion (track) (www.christinareckard.com)
—Christina is a pop-Latin Nashville singer and dancer who puts on quite a show, I am told. Her CD is titled Kaleidoscope. The esteemed Mr. Malo offers both his vocal and composing talents on this steamy slow samba while trumpets and guitars trill along. Elsewhere on the set, the salsa beats are even more throbbing and frenetic. Music City’s diversity rules!

ETTA BRITT/Dog Wants In
Writer: Don Von Tress/John Brannen; Producer: Bob Britt; Publisher: War Pony/Savannah Son/Harry Barker, BMI/SESAC; Wrinkled (track) (www.ettabritt.com)
—Etta and her rock-guitarist hubby Bob have been heating up Nashville nightspots for years, both with her solo shows and her gigs with fellow Kentucky Thunder members Vickie Carrico, Sheila Lawrence and Jonell Mosser. Her new solo CD is Out of the Shadows. This single from it perfectly captures her blue-eyed, soul-sister style. “Out of the shadows,” my eye: This is straight outta the swamp. The album’s cast includes not only Mosser, Lawrence and Carrico, but Delbert McClinton, Bekka Bramlett, The McCrary Sisters, Jimmy Hall, Scat Springs, John Jarvis, Chad Cromwell and Tom Bukovac. Yowsah.

JEFF THE BROTHERHOOD/Whatever I Want
Writer: Jake Orrall/Jammin Orrall; Producer: Jack White III; Publisher: Infinity Cat/Automatic Bzooty/Otissery, ASCAP; Third Man (www.thirdmanrecords.com)
—After years of making their mark on the Nashville pop/rock scene on their own Infinity Cat imprint, the alt-rock Orrall brothers have been taken on by Jack White’s Third Man label. Jeff the Brotherhood’s Jack-produced single is a minimalist, buzzy  guitar grinder with the act’s typically quirky lyrics and shifting tempi.

ERISA REI/Black Ball
Writer: Erisa Rei Kopp; Producer: Mike Kyle, Neil Kyle & Trey Gray; Publisher: Pesky Fly, no performance rights listed; Pesky Fly (track) (www.erisareimusic.com)
—Erisa is showcasing her new CD on Saturday at 5 p.m. at the Hard Rock Cafe. Its title tune is a dark thumper that spotlights her throaty lower register as well as her piercing upper tones. Passionate sounding.

KAREN ELSON/Vicious
Writer: Lou Reed; Producer: Jack White III; Publisher: Spirit One/Oakfield Avenue, no performance rights listed; Third Man (www.karenelson.com)
—Jack produced a surprisingly fine LP called The Ghost Who Walks for his fashion-model-turned-songwriter wife in 2010. Now amicably divorced, the couple re-teamed for this superbly rocking single as well. The band cooks with gas, and Karen has a born-to-rock voice full of attitude, elan and natural rhythm. Buy this at once at the Third Man Record Shop (623 7th Avenue South, behind the Union Mission). While you’re there, check out the label’s fine offerings by everyone from The Greenhornes and The Black Belles to Wanda Jackson and Jerry Lee Lewis.

JAS PATRICK/I Know
Writer: Jas Patrick; Producer: Jas Patrick; Publisher: Tiny Lion, BMI; Tiny Lion (track) (www.jaspatrick.com)
—This Nashvillian’s five-song EP is titled Tributaries. It seems to be a real d.i.y. affair, since he writes, sings, produces and plays drums, guitar and keyboards on it. The lead-off track features a Winwood-type, blue-eyed-soul vocal on a cool, catchy, pop/rock tune. It manages to be simultaneously relaxed and almost jazzy, yet urgent and forceful. Promising.

Part 2: Houchins Busts Average Joes Out Of The Box

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Shannon Houchins quietly moved Average Joes Entertainment into the Music Row neighborhood a few years ago. 

But unlike most newcomers, Houchins (pronounced How-chins) had already achieved a lot, especially for someone in his early 40s. He arrived with a portfolio of hits, fresh ideas and a track record of success. There was only one problem, he didn’t know exactly how it worked on the Nashville side of the tracks. (Read Part 1 HERE)

MR: Do you really believe that music sales might stop generating revenue in a few years?
Shannon: I want people to buy music for as long as possible, but music sales are shrinking. For us it’s now all about the profitability of each project, not just record sales. So we look at touring numbers, too. An artist might only break even on record sales, but if the music drove up touring receipts from $3,000 to $120,000 per month, then that’s a big success. That’s how we look at it. For the majors, as long as they are getting more money out than they put in, it will remain a good business. But the majors only have Plan A, a full blown radio campaign, there is no Plan B. We rarely start with Plan A. Most of our acts start slowly and build their story.

MR: Do you see the country format as an album or a single business?
Shannon: Obviously we’d rather sell albums, even though we are in a single business because it’s a larger sale. I look first at the album chart when it comes in, but we are headed toward a single business, we see it in the numbers every day.

MR: Hiring Tom Baldrica made some people take notice of AJE for the first time. How did it happen?
Shannon: I was in the process of building my radio team and read Tom had left Sony. I thought, “This guy looks like he knows what he is doing.” I called Tony Morreale and he said, “Yeah, I know Tom we worked together at Sony. Everyone and their brother will try to hire Tom.” I asked, “Can we at least meet with him?” I meet with everybody, because you never know what can happen, it’s a relationship business. Tom wanted some time to decide his next move, so we checked in with each other for about three months. Ultimately he decided he liked the way we did business. Tom can pitch the Average Joes story about a million times better than I can. He understands our model 100%. It couldn’t have been a better situation for us and not just because of what Tom’s done in his past life, but for the person he is and how he operates from within our business model.

MR Has the move to Nashville matched your expectations?
Shannon: I like the people and the Nashville way of doing business. You can’t go to lunch or breakfast without running into somebody, because people are just on top of each other. Where I came from everything had a price tag on it. If you called somebody and said, “I’d like you to jump on this record with this other artist,” you better be ready to work out the deal or have some cash on you that day. Here it’s like, “I’ll jump on this, you jump on that. Sure, I’ll show up at your golf tournament.” It’s a people-based atmosphere and I love that about this town. If I had a choice about where to launch the label from and start all over again, I’d say Nashville.

(L-R) Colt Ford and Shannon Houchins

MR: Colt Ford’s music is such a hybrid body of work—with traditional country instruments and lyrics, but also hip-hop stylings.
Shannon: How we make a Colt Ford record changes constantly. Sometimes we start with the music and build off that, then sometimes Colt has co-written with someone and we’ll listen back and figure what we want to do from the song demo. It’s a combination. We may use live drums, loops or combine the two. It may sound rock heavy or softer. We’ll use fiddle, steel or banjo. Noah Gordon (AJE A&R) and I went in with just a guitar and wrote choruses for four of the songs on the upcoming record. We sent them to Colt, who said, “Yeah I love em.” Then we built and structured the song without any live instrumentation, just loops and acoustic guitar. Finally we went in the studio and cut over the top of it. By mix time I have a bunch of stuff from which to decide what stays or goes. I compare it to shooting a movie because you shoot a lot and decide what gels later. Dann Huff is producing four songs on Colt’s new record, too. I’m having just as much fun getting Dann’s perspective on what Colt Ford does as I do making the record myself. I’ve already heard some of what they’ve done and it’s awesome. He’s doing a great job.

MR: What about all the guest artists on Colt’s records that sing the choruses?
Shannon: For his first record we thought the only way to get people to understand it’s a country record was to soften the blow by getting somebody country to participate. But we didn’t know anybody. We met John Michael Montgomery and after about three months of courting he agreed to cut “Ride Through The Country.” Then the Jamey Johnson thing happened. Jamey wasn’t even in a deal at the time. He wrote “Tailgate” with Colt. A lot of people think that Jamey appears on the album singing the song he wrote, but actually he’s singing a song I wrote, “Cold Beer.” Then before we put out the record Jamey’s career blew up so we then had two country guests on the record. In between the first and second album, Colt became more integrated into the Nashville scene and we were able to attract different folks. Now it’s just kind of a thing.

It was tough in the beginning, but I told Colt, “Look at this guest process like the Michael Keaton Batman movies, where the big star was really Jack Nicholson.” I said, “Pretty soon you’ll be able to shine on your own.” And that is what the series did because it’s cool now to be on a Colt Ford record. Of course we’ve been respectful of people’s releases and not doing singles that conflict. It’s about the creative process. If having two people on a song makes something special that the fans are going to love, then do it. And we’ve returned the favor ten times over because people call and ask, “Can I get Colt?” and zoom he’s right over there.

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Miller Elevated At Borman Entertainment

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Daniel Miller

Gary Borman has announced that Daniel Miller has been named Vice President of Artist Management at Borman Entertainment.

Miller joined the company in 2000 and has played a significant role in developing the careers of many Borman artists including Lady Antebellum. Since the trio’s formation, Miller has served as Lady A’s point for day-to-day matters and will continue in this role going forward.

“Daniel plays an incredibly valuable role in our company,” said Borman. “He continues to thrive as a leader on our team and inspires us all with his incredible work ethic, commitment to excellence and love of the music and those who create it.”

Congratulate him here.