Republic Nashville Signs RaeLynn

RaeLynn. Photo: Jewel Cole

Republic Nashville announced today (7/13) the signing of 18-year-old RaeLynn.

The artist appeared on Season Two of NBC’s The Voice. She was on Team Blake Shelton and performed Pistol Annie’s “Hell on Heels” during her blind audition. Since the show she has appeared at California’s Stagecoach Festival with Miranda Lambert, and been writing and recording songs for her first album.

Born and raised on a farm in Baytown, TX, she began performing early on with her family at church and local events.

On Sun., July 29, RaeLynn will perform with several BMLG artists at the Crown Royal Presents the “Your Hero’s Name Here” 400 at the Brickyard Powered byBigMachineRecords.com. This is the second year BMLG artists will entertain the audience at the NASCAR Sprint Cup Series race at Indianapolis Motor Speedway.

Republic Nashville’s artist roster includes Martina McBride, The Band Perry, Eli Young Band, Sunny Sweeney and Greg Bates.

RIAA Certifications Recap

Several Nashville stars celebrated RIAA certifications last month, including a few first-timers.

Albums:
Carrie Underwood received her fourth Gold album for Blown Away (19 Recordings/Arista Nashville). EMI Nashville’s Eric Church earned a Platinum album plaque for Chief.

Tracks:
First-time Platinum song certifications were awarded to Lee Brice, Eric Church and Kip Moore, for “A Woman Like You,” “Springsteen,” and “Somethin’ ‘Bout A Truck,” respectively. Atlantic artist Hunter Hayes earned his first Gold single award for “Wanted.”

Record-setting certifications:
The Black Eyed Peas earned the highest-ever digital single award for the 8x multi-platinum Interscope track “I Gotta Feeling.” As a group, The Peas have more digital singles certified than any other band: 22 million.

Gotye also set a G&P record in June, becoming the first artist to release and certify a digital song 5x multi-Platinum in less than six months with “Somebody That I Used To Know.”

Whitney: The Greatest Hits captured June’s top album award by being certified 5x multi-Platinum. The late artist has more than 57 million certified album sales.

The RIAA also debuted a Gold & Platinum Facebook page with artist award news, plaque presentation photos, giveaways and more.

Snapshots 7/13/12

WSM-AM’s Eddie Stubbs visited Black River Entertainment’s Sarah Darling prior to her Opry appearance on July 3. Darling is continuing her nationwide radio tour in the WSM branded bus, sponsored by the Nashville Convention and Visitors Bureau, to promote her upcoming single, “Home To Me.”

Eddie Stubbs (L), Sarah Darling (R)

• • •

The Band Perry partnered with their hometown baseball team the Greeneville Astros on June 28 for a special acoustic concert for 200 VIP guests to thank those who made donations to United Way. The private event took place just before the Astros game.

The team celebrated The Band Perry’s appearance and showed additional support for the non-profit by creating custom bobbleheads for the game. That night, all patrons received the collectables and $1 of every ticket sold benefited United Way.

After their performance, Kimberly, Reid and Neil threw the first pitch of the game and had the opportunity to visit with The Astros’ General Manager David Lane and Owner Scott Niswonger.

(L-R): David Lane, (GM Greeneville Astros); The Band Perry's Neil Perry, Kimberly Perry and Reid Perry

• • •

Whisperin’ Bill Anderson and Willie Nelson posed for pictures after Anderson’s performance at Willie’s 4th of July Picnic in Ft. Worth, Texas. It was Anderson’s first appearance at the event he dubbed the “Willienic.”

Bill Anderson (L) and Willie Nelson (R)

 

CMT Pure Debuts McClymonts’ Music Video

CMA Global Artist of the Year award winners, The McClymonts, have taken to the airwaves with the video debut of their latest single, “I Could Be a Cowboy,” on CMT Pure. The video ranks as the second most watched on CMT.com.

“I Could Be A Cowboy” is the group’s second single from the Wrapped Up Good album and currently No. 35 on the charts. The project also yielded a single that reached No. 28 on MusicRow’s chart last year. Wrapped Up Good, produced by Nathan Chapman (Taylor Swift) and Adam Anders (FOX TV’s Glee), climbed to No. 5 on the year-end Australian country sales charts.

The McClymonts are currently on tour in the U.S. For the latest updates and tour information, visit: www.TheMcClymonts.net.

Weekly Chart Report (7/13/2012)

Flying Island's Gwen Sebastian visited WGTY's Dan Douglas while she was in Gettysburg, PA. Her single “Met Him in a Motel Room” hits our chart at No. 44 this week.

SPIN ZONE
This week The Band Perry‘s “Postcard From Paris” slides into the No. 1 spot in its 19th week on the chart. Kenny Chesney‘s “Come Over” leaps from No. 4 to No. 2 with a 248 spin gain followed by Keith Urban‘s “For You” maintaining the No. 3 position. Blake Shelton‘s “Over” enters the Top 5 at No. 4 sliding up 2 spots, followed by Gloriana‘s “Kissed You” holding at No. 5 for the second week.

Little Big Town‘s “Pontoon” continues its momentum this week with 199 additional spins and moves up 2 spots to No. 7 in its 11th week on the chart. Meanwhile, Phil Vassar‘s “Don’t Miss Your Life” doesn’t miss the chance for a Top 10 as he moves from No. 11 to No. 10.

Tim McGraw‘s “Truck Yeah” jumps from No. 60 to No. 32 in its second week on the chart and receives the largest increase in spins again this week with 725. Carrie Underwood‘s “Blown Away” keeps climbing with another 456 spins, upping 11 spots to No. 33. Sara Evan‘s “Anywhere” lands the highest chart debut at No. 65. Other debuts include Kip Moore‘s “Beer Money” at No. 68, Corey Wagar‘s “Take Ya Back” at No. 71, Bill Gentry‘s “That Kind of Life” at No. 75 and Sawyer Brown‘s “Ain’t Goin’ Out That Way” at No. 76.

Frozen Reports: KDOL, KDXY, KMOK, WDHR, WDKN, WKWS, WXXK

Upcoming Singles
July 16
Lauren Alaina/Eighteen Inches/Mercury Nashville-19 Recordings-Interscope
Kelleigh Bannen/Sorry on the Rocks/EMI Nashville
Levi Riggs/There’s Still A Place For That/Flying Island
Lonestar/The Countdown/4 Star Records
Shooter Jennings/The Real Me/eOne
John Karl/Redneck Rich (Hillbilly Happy)/Pour Boy
Don Williams feat. Alison Krauss/I Just Come Here For The Music/Sugar Hill
Brinn Black/Should Have Been Us/SMG Records

July 23
Sara Evans/Anywhere/RCA
Jaida Dreyer/Confessions/Streamsound
Sarah Jarosz/Annabelle Lee/Sugar Hill
Brian Milson/Too Damn Young/Permian-Quarterback
Rich O’Toole/Red Wine On Your Lipstick/Triple Crown
Doug Briney/It’s All Country/DB Songs
Tyler Barham feat. Casey Walker/Meet Me In Montana/YN Records
Cloverdayle/Like We Were Kids Again/New Voice

• • • •

New On The Chart—Debuting This Week
Artist/song/label — chart pos.
Sara Evans/Anywhere/RCA Nashville – 65
Kip Moore/Beer Money/MCA – 68
Corey Wagar/Take Ya Back/GTR – 71
Bill Gentry/That Kind of Life/Tenacity Records – 75
Sawyer Brown/Ain’t Goin’ Out That Way/Beach Street Records – 76

Greatest Spin Increase
Artist/song/label — spin+
Tim McGraw/Truck Yeah/Big Machine – 725
Carrie Underwood/Blown Away/19-Arista Nashville – 456
Kenny Chesney/Come Over/Blue Chair-Columbia Nashville – 248
Zac Brown Band/The Wind/Southern Ground-Atlantic – 220
Miranda Lambert/Fastest Girl In Town/RCA Nashville – 211

Most Added
Artist/song/label — New Adds
Carrie Underwood/Blown Away/19-Arista Nashville – 16
Miranda Lambert/Fastest Girl In Town/RCA Nashville – 16
Tim McGraw/Right Back Atcha Babe/Curb – 12
Aaron Lewis/Endless Summer/Blaster Records – 12
Trace Adkins/Them Lips (On Mine)/Show Dog-Universal – 10
Casey James/Crying On A Suitcase/19-Columbia Nashville – 9

On Deck—Soon To Be Charting
Artist/song/label — spins
Brandon Holland/Man In The Moon – 187
Tommy Steele/My Side Of The Street – 174
Britt & Blaire/Young Summer/Mt. Juliet Records – 169
Bobby Dean/Me and George Strait/Lamon – 160
Kelly Parkes/All Cried Out – 150

Toby Keith took a moment to visit with WLHK/Indy PD Bob Richards before performing to a sold out show in Indianapolis on his Live in Overdrive Tour.

Arista Nashville’s Kristen Kelly was in Lexington, KY recently to perform at WBUL’s Red, White and Boom show. Her single, “Ex Old Man” lands at No. 52 on our MusicRow CountryBreakout Chart this week. Pictured (L-R): WBUL PD Michael Jordan and Kristen Kelly

Columbia Nashville's Tyler Farr (center) and WCTK Providence MD Jessica Tyler share the joy of having the same name during a recent visit. Playing the odd man out is WCTK PD Bob Walker (R).

 

Songwriter Benefit for Miller Harris Asthma Camp

Pictured (L-R): J.T. Hodges, Dave Pahanish, Bud Lee, Miller Harris Foundation's Judy Harris, Lisa Carver, Doug Johnson, Miller Harris Foundation's Karen Sturgeon, and John Wiggins. Photo: Alan L. Mayor

Nashville songwriters performed a two-show benefit for Miller Harris Asthma Camp on Tues., July 10 at the Bluebird Cafe.

Both shows, hosted by Doug Johnson, sold-out to raise over $3,000 for the organization. Songwriters for the first round included Bud Lee, John Wiggins, Dave Pahanish and Lisa Carver, with a special appearance by JT Hodges. The second show featured songwriters Wynn Varble, David Lee, Kendell Marvel and Leslie Satcher.

The foundation sends innner-city asthmatic children ages 6-13 to a week long day camp at Camp Widjiwagan where volunteer doctors, nurses and respiratory therapists from Vanderbilt Children’s Hospital educate them about their condition.

Pictured (L-R): Wynn Varble, Karen Sturgeon, David Lee, Doug Johnson, Judy Harris, Kendell Marvel, and Leslie Satcher. Photo: Alan L. Mayor

 

JT Hodges Turns To Fans To Pick Next Single

JT Hodges is letting fans pick his next single through a poll on his Facebook page. The Show Dog-Universal Music recording artist opened the polls last week and voting will continue through July. Fans will be able to listen and choose between “Sleepy Little Town,” “Leaving Me Later,” and “Rather Be Wrong Than Lonely.”

Two weeks before the Aug. 21 street date of his self-titled debut album, the label will announce the fans’ choice and release the single to radio.

“JT’s fan base is one of the most active I have seen for a new artist,” said SDU VP Sales, Marketing and New Media Bill Kennedy. “They have already purchased more than 130,000 downloads of his two singles and we at the label thought it would be a smart idea to let these people who really get him and his music weigh in on the next single.”

Hodges revealed the fan initiative via the special video message posted below.

Lambert Taps Fastest Girl Around For Music Video

Miranda Lambert recently shot a music video for “Fastest Girl in Town” featuring NASCAR driver Danica Patrick and actor W. Earl Brown. Directed by Trey Fanjoy, it is the first Lambert video with no vocal performance scenes. “I really get to act in the video. We have live sound and action scenes which feel more like a mini-movie than a music video,” shares Lambert.

“Danica was the person I thought of immediately when I envisioned the video. We had so much fun playing two bad ass chicks up to no good,” Lambert laughs. “Danica has a really busy schedule, and I’m thrilled she was able to take time to come to Tennessee and be a part of this.”

Actor W. Earl Brown is the co-star of HBO’s Deadwood and upcoming film The Lone Ranger with Johnny Depp. Among his 90-plus film credits, he is best known for playing the brother of Cameron Diaz’s character in There’s Something About Mary.

Miranda Lambert and Danica Patrick on set.

Charlie Cook On Air: When Songs Push Boundaries

Radio stations, record companies and artists all have similar customer relationships. Many marketers think that if a customer likes something, that equals usage and purchase. This is not always the case, so moving the consumer from like to action is a challenge we deal with everyday.

I remember a story told by Dick Purtan, one of my all time favorite radio personalities from Detroit. WXYZ radio was doing a call out contest. He got a listener on the air and asked her if she knew the cash call number. She commented that she and her husband had met Dick at a party recently and she remarked about how funny and engaging he was at the event. How much she and her husband enjoyed his company that night.

Again, he asked if she knew the cash call amount and her comment was, “Oh no. We listen to JP McCarthy.” JP was the long time Purtan competitor on cross-town WJR Radio.

Engagement. Positive impression. Great memory. No sale.

How often do we do that? Most of us live within our unique business world and think that everyone else understands the importance of that world.

In radio we often refer to the station as a utility. It is there whenever you flip the switch and consumers begin to take the ability to control the switch for granted. We tell radio stations to do something special that helps you stand out and creates a bond with the audience.

We refer to some artists as radio hit makers who have not yet been able to translate into record sales. Getting out on tours and performing live in front of fans and appearing on TV as often as possible help artists gain that all-important “face time” with fans.

Obviously building a long term trusting relationship takes more than just exposure and time. Researchers will tell you that consumers are looking for someone that shares their values. How can artists do this? How important is the individual song in connecting with the fans values?

Some artists can get past one song that raises eyebrows. I caught more crap from listeners in LA when “Toes” was on the radio every four hours. Zac Brown Band was still relatively new in its career and this was a huge hit for the band. Apparently it caused no lasting problems with enough listeners to do any damage to the group.

Sugarland pushed the boundaries with “Shhh it happens.” They have a strong fan base and if this lyric tested listeners’ values they just turned their heads the other way.

“Last Name” by Carrie Underwood continues to test below play levels and I think that this is because it is out of character for Carrie and doesn’t meet the values that listeners have for her in their minds.

“Fancy” by Reba was recently the lowest rated song on a test that I saw. Is this what people think about when Reba comes to mind? (Maybe we have just heard the song for 43 years. Not just from Reba, the Bobbie Gentry version is from 1969.)

The most recent song that might test Country Radio’s family friendly image is “Truck Yeah” by Tim McGraw. Tim has more radio airplay than anyone in the last 10-15 years. He has a long list of huge hits and a great following. This song is perfect for live performances and his tour with Kenny Chesney is a MUST SEE event. The jury is still out with the radio listener, who makes up a very small percentage of concert goers.

Country programmers, including this one, were all quick to add this song. It is a great summer song and quite frankly, the way it is sung does not lead you to insert the obvious double entendre that seeing the title would lead you to believe. Still there will be some parents, with 4-11 years olds sitting in the back seat, holding their breath.

This is not going to do any damage to Tim. He has as solid a reputation with fans as any act. They love him and they should for his enormous body of work.

I am waiting to hear from my radio stations.

(The views expressed in this article are those of the author and do not necessarily reflect those of MusicRow.)

Benken Exits Quarterback Records, Announces New Venture

Tony Benken

Quarterback Records VP Promotion Tony Benken is exiting the company to open his own boutique cigar shop in Nashville, it was announced today (7/12) by Quarterback founder Chris Allums. Benken joined the label in January 2011.

“It’s with 20 years of fond memories (Chesney, Aldean, Alabama, Lorrie, Craig, Martina, and others), that I announce my retirement from the music business to pursue my other passion, cigars,” said Benken. “I thank John and Chris for their terrific friendship and thank the Quarterback team, which I’ve been honored to lead.”

Benken and his business partner, Scott Partridge, will open Big Star Cigar in Mt. Juliet on Sept. 1. He will remain with Quarterback through July 31, and his new email address will be tony@bigstarcigar.com.

During his 20 year music industry career, Benken worked with BNA Records, RCA Records, Virgin Records, Universal South, Broken Bow, and Treehouse.

“We hate to see Tony go,” said Allums. “He has been a great asset to our growth here. He is chasing his passion and we wish him well in his new career.”

Quarterback Partner John Ettinger added, “Tony will be missed. He exemplified the energy and integrity we instill in our team. Smoke one for us, Tony!”

Allums is currently searching for Benken’s replacement. Reach him at 615-300-5321.