American Country Awards: In Photos

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Luke Bryan was the star of the evening at the American Country Awards on Monday (Dec. 10). The Georgia native earned guitars for Artist of the Year, Male Artist of the Year, Album of the Year (Tailgates & Tanlines) and four guitars for “I Don’t Want This Night To End” (including Single by a Male Artist, Single of the Year, Music Video by a Male Artist, Music Video of the Year). A clean sweep.

Luke Bryan. Photo: Frazer Harrison

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Miranda Lambert‘s “Over You,” which she co-wrote with her husband Blake Shelton, won Single by a Female Artist and Video by a Female Artist.

Miranda Lambert took home two awards at the American Country Awards. Photo: Frazer Harrison

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Jake Owen, who recently welcomed his first child on Thanksgiving, won for Breakthrough Artist of the Year.

Jake Owen accepts a guitar for Breakthrough Artist of the Year. Photo: Getty Images

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Jason Aldean won a guitar for Touring Artist of the Year at the American Country Awards. He said the Touring Award “means more to me than anything.”

Jason Aldean with wife Jessica on the American Country Awards carpet. Photo: Frazer Harrison

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Little Big Town won a guitar for Music Video of the Year: Group or Collaboration for chart-topping single “Pontoon.” The quartet also performed current single “Tornado.”

Little Big Town performed and won at the American Country Awards. Photo: Frazer Harrison

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Trace Adkins and Kristin Chenoweth co-hosted the American Country Awards for a second year. This year, the gags included Chenoweth dressing up as a parody of the television personality Honey Boo Boo.

Trace Adkins and Kristin Chenoweth. Photo: Getty Images

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Luke Bryan performed his hit “Kiss Tomorrow Goodbye” during the American Country Awards.

Luke Bryan performs at the American Country Awards. Photo: Getty Images

*For a full list of winners, click here.

Artist Updates (12/11/2012)

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Kellie Pickler

Kellie Pickler’s 100 Proof, Jamey Johnson’s Living For A Song: A Tribute to Hank Cochran, Lionel Richie’s Tuskegee, JB and the Moonshine Band’s Beer for Breakfast and Easton Corbin’s All Over The Road have been named the Best Country Albums of 2012 by Rolling Stone magazine.

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Craig Campbell‘s six-song EP Outta My Head is available today (Tuesday, Dec. 11), exclusively at Walmart.

 

 

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Downtown Music Publishing, a New York-based rights management firm, has signed signer-songwriter Jewel to a worldwide, long-term publishing agreement, which covers her complete catalog as well as future works.

 

 

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Lynyrd Skynyrd will headline Chopper Live: The Revenge on Tuesday (Dec. 11) at 9 p.m. ET/PT on Discovery. The band joins an already extensive list of  talent participating in this major television event, including American Chopper stars Paul Teutul Senior and Paul Teutul Junior, Outlaw Garage star Jesse James, and Fast ‘N Loud stars Richard Rawlings and Aaron Kaufman.

On The Cover: Toby Keith (Dec 2012/Jan 2013)

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There are few safe bets in life, even fewer when it comes to entertainment. A new Toby Keith album, however, is as close to a sure thing as can be found. As he releases Hope On The Rocks, Keith is coming off yet another No. 1 country album, Clancy’s Tavern, which included the biggest viral event in the genre’s history, “Red Solo Cup.” That effort was just the latest in a long run of chart-topping albums and singles that form an unmatched model of consistency. Starting with his first single, 1993’s “Should’ve Been A Cowboy,” Keith has had No. 1 hits every year.

Keith’s tours, and his long running association with title sponsor Ford Trucks, are annually among the nation’s top draws. His “I Love This Bar And Grill” restaurants are perhaps the fastest growing of any celebrity chain and now include 15 locations. His signature Wild Shot Mezcal has almost single handedly stoked growth in an entire segment of the spirits industry. Those successes led Forbes to once again feature Keith in the Forbes Celebrity 100 this year, the annual ranking of the most powerful stars in movies, television, sports and publishing. He is the top earning country male musician on the list.

Remarkable as they are, however, those achievements pale in comparison to the singular vision behind an astonishingly focused creative process. He remains the principal songwriter of his many hits, to the tune of more than 75 million airplay performances, according to BMI. That number puts him among the top songwriter/artists of all time in any genre.

Artist Name Toby Keith
Label Show Dog-Universal Music
Current Album/Single Hope On The Rocks
Current Producer Toby Keith
Management TK Kimbrell / TKO Artist Management
Booking Curt Motley / Paradigm Agency
Recent Hits “Red Solo Cup,” “Beers Ago,” “I Like Girls That Drink Beer”
Special Film Appearances Principal Actor in Beer For My Horses and Broken Bridges
Hometown Norman, Okla.
Birthdate 7/8/61
Musical Influences Roger Miller, Merle Haggard, Willie Nelson
Favorite Songs “Same Thing Happened To Me” John Prine, “Wichita Jail” Charlie Daniels, “Yesterday’s Wine” Willie Nelson, “It Happened Just That Way” Roger Miller
Awards CMA and ACM Video of The Year for “Red Solo Cup,” three time BMI Songwriter of the Year, two time NSAI Songwriter of the Year, Billboard and ACA Artist of the Decade awards, NSAI Songwriter/Artist of the Decade

RIAA Certifications
18 Gold or Platinum albums
37 million albums sold

Interesting Facts:
• He played semi-pro football and is interested in golf, horse racing and coaching football.
• Wild Shot is the No. 1 premium Mezcal in the United States and it has a worm in it. “Blame it on the worm.”
• Keith has once again played to packed houses across America on his “Live In Overdrive Tour, presented by Ford F-Series.”
• He completed his 10th annual USO tour in 2012 and has performed for over 220,000 service men and women since 2002. He has played over 192 shows mostly in the Persian Gulf area.
• Following his hugely successful European tour in late 2011, Keith was recently awarded the International Act of the Year & International Album of the Year for Clancy’s Tavern at the British Country Music Awards (the biggest country award show in the UK).

rpm entertainment Enters Revenue Sharing Agreement With Clear Channel

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rpm entertainment, headed by Scott Siman, has entered an agreement with Clear Channel Media and Entertainment to share in Clear Channel’s broadcast revenues. Terms of the deal were not disclosed, but similar agreements between broadcasters and labels have included setting streaming radio royalties at a predictable amount. Similar deals have been made by Clear Channel with Big Machine Label Group, Glassnote Entertainment Group, Naxos and DashGo. These agreements are important because they are designed to drive growth and innovation in Internet radio, and because artists aren’t typically paid a broadcast performance royalty for radio airplay.

rpm entertainment, which includes rpme records, rpme music group and rpme management, was launched in May 2012 by Siman. Maggie Rose is rpme’s debut artist signed to the label, management and publishing rosters. rpme music group owns the rights to such hit songs as “It’s Five O’Clock Somewhere” (Alan Jackson), “I’m Movin’ On” (Rascal Flatts) and “Leave the Pieces” (The Wreckers), among others. rpme management also represents Yarn, Humming House, Carolina Story and a rising country group, The Command Sisters.

“Country music has always been a part of my life – it runs in my veins,” said Siman. “While I am immensely proud of my accomplishments so far, the future is what motivates me. This agreement represents where music is going, and I’m excited that rpm entertainment will be pioneering with Clear Channel.”

“Scott Siman knows country music inside and out,” said Bob Pittman, Chief Executive Officer of Clear Channel. “His years of experience and his reputation in the industry make him and his company an ideal choice for this partnership. His focus on emerging country artists makes this business model, which allows new acts to reach bigger, more diverse audiences, even more relevant.”

Luke Bryan Wins Big at ACA Awards

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Luke Bryan. Photo: Frazier Harrison

Luke Bryan was the biggest winner at the 2012 American Country Awards Winners, handed out Monday night (Dec. 10) at Las Vegas’ Mandalay Bay Events Center. The singer took home the fan-voted show’s top prize, Artist of the Year, and eight other trophies, more than any other artist.

Bryan was followed by Miranda Lambert, who received three awards. Carrie Underwood earned two guitars, for a total of 11 ACA awards, the most of any artist. Lady Antebellum’s wins in Artist of the Year: Group, and Single of the Year: Group, plus their five previous awards, make them the group with the most ACA honors ever. The show aired live on Fox.

Fans logged on to www.theacas.com to cast votes in support of their favorite country music artists.

ARTISTS
Artist of the Year
Luke Bryan

Artist of the Year: Male
Luke Bryan

Artist of the Year: Female
Carrie Underwood

Artist of the Year: Group
Lady Antebellum

Artist of the Year: Breakthrough Artist
Jake Owen

Artist of the Year: New Artist
Lauren Alaina

Album
Album of the Year
Luke Bryan, “tailgates & tanlines”

SINGLES
Single of the Year
Luke Bryan, “I Don’t Want This Night To End”

Single of the Year: Male
Luke Bryan, “I Don’t Want This Night To End”

Single of the Year: Female
Miranda Lambert, “Over You”

Single of the Year: Group
Lady Antebellum, “We Owned The Night”

Single of the Year: New Artist
Hunter Hayes, “Wanted”

Single of the Year: Breakthrough Artist
Brantley Gilbert, “You Don’t Know Her Like I Do”

Single of the Year: Vocal Collaboration
Brad Paisley (Duet with Carrie Underwood), “Remind Me”

TOURING
Touring Artist of the Year
Jason Aldean

VIDEOS
Music Video of the Year
Luke Bryan, “I Don’t Want This Night To End”

Music Video of the Year: Male
Luke Bryan, “I Don’t Want This Night to End”

Music Video of the Year: Female
Miranda Lambert, “Over You”

Music Video of the Year: Group or Collaboration
Little Big Town, “Pontoon”

Music Video of the Year: New Artist
Hunter Hayes, “Wanted”

Song of the Year:
Eric Church, “Springsteen” (Eric Church, Jeff Hyde and Ryan Tyndell)

Additionally, the following MOST PLAYED RADIO TRACK awards determined by Mediabase, were announced during tonight’s telecast:
Most Played Radio Track
Luke Bryan, “I Don’t Want This Night to End”

Most Played Radio Track: Male
Luke Bryan, “I Don’t Want This Night to End”

Most Played Radio Track: Female
Miranda Lambert, “Over You”

Most Played Radio Track: Group
Zac Brown Band, “Keep Me In Mind”

Most Played Radio Track: New Artist
Kip Moore, “Somethin’ ‘Bout A Truck”

Dawn Gates Upped at UMG Nashville

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Dawn Gates

Dawn Gates has been promoted to Vice President, Digital Marketing for UMG Nashville. Gates will continue to report to Cindy Mabe, SVP Marketing for UMG Nashville, and will oversee all digital marketing efforts for the label group which represents artists including Alan Jackson, Dierks Bentley, Gary Allan, George Strait, Keith Urban, Lady Antebellum and Little Big Town, among others.

“Dawn is one of the most creative, dynamic marketers I have ever known,” says Mabe. “She brings ideas that help drive our artists’ careers and connect to their fans and consumers. I have had the privilege to work with Dawn for nearly six years where she has continued to improve her game. I am so proud to announce her as Vice President Digital Marketing for UMG.”

Gates was with Capitol Records Nashville for seven years, where she most recently held the title of Senior Director, New Media. Prior to her tenure at Capitol Nashville, Gates spent eight years working for Word Label Group, a division of Word Entertainment, LLC where she established its first New Media department.

Artist Pics (12/10/2012)

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•••Blake Shelton performed at jcpenney in Culver City, Calif. to wrap up the jcp Holiday Giving Tour – a 12-day tour across the U.S. in which jcpenney carried out a special act of generosity in a new city each day. Shelton and former The Voice contestant RaeLynn performed a free concert for fans to end the tour.

Blake Shelton closes the jcp Holiday Giving Tour. Photo: Charley Gallay, Getty Images for jcpenney

 

•••RaeLynn took a turn on the red carpet prior to a performance at jcpenney in Culver City, Calif. to wrap the jcp Holiday Giving Tour. She and Blake Shelton played the free and open to the public concert.

RaeLynn on the red carpet for the jcp Holiday Giving Tour. Photo: Charley Gallay, Getty Images for jcpenney

 

•••Scotty McCreery was surprised backstage at the Grand Ole Opry on Friday (Dec. 7) with a plaque commemorating his Gold-certified holiday album Christmas with Scotty McCreery.

Photo (L-R): UMG Nashville Chairman & CEO Mike Dungan, McCreery, Grand Ole Opry VP/General Manager Pete Fisher. Photo: Chris Hollo, Grand Ole Opry

•••Shania Twain‘s fans aren’t the only ones excited about her Las Vegas show–so are her fellow country artists. Members of Lady Antebellum and Little Big Town caught up with Twain backstage after one of her performances of Shania: Still The One.

(L-R): Karen Fairchild, Charles Kelley, Jimi Westbrook, Shania Twain, Phillip Sweet, Kimberly Schlapman, Dave Haywood

 

 

 

 

American Country Awards To Air Tonight

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The American Country Awards will air live tonight (Dec. 10) from Mandalay Bay in Las Vegas on FOX at 8 p.m. ET.

Trace Adkins and Kristin Chenoweth will host the two-hour special for a second year. The awards show will feature performances from both Adkins and Chenoweth, in addition to Keith Urban, Lady Antebellum, Dierks Bentley, Jason Aldean, Rascal Flatts, Luke Bryan, Kip Moore, Jake Owen, and Little Big Town.

Additional appearances will include Country artists Eli Young Band, Florida Georgia Line, Gloriana, Love and Theft, Casey James, Miranda Lambert, LeAnn Rimes, Lee Brice, Jana Kramer, Dustin Lynch, Natasha Bedingfield, Scotty McCreery, Lauren Alaina, and Chris Young. Ron White and the San Francisco Giants’ Brandon Belt and Barry Zito will also be in attendance.

For a complete list of nominees, click here.

Industry Ink (12/10/2012)

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Melissa Spillman

••• Melissa Spillman has joined Brave Music Company, which she and husband Jeremy Spillman opened in January 2011. The company has had recent cuts by Luke Bryan, Keith Urban, Randy Rogers, Jon Pardi, Charlie Worsham and others. Spillman formerly worked in A&R with Capitol Nashville. She can be reached at melissa@bravemusiccompany.com.

 

Odie Blackmon

••• Songwriter Odie Blackmon (Gary Allan‘s “Nothing On But The Radio,” Lee Ann Womack‘s “I May Hate Myself in the Morning”) will teach a session on The Nashville Number system for songwriters and performers, presented by the Blair School of Music at Vanderbilt University, from Jan. 10 through April 22.

The course is scheduled on Tuesdays from 7 p.m. until 9 p.m. This class is open to the Nashville community and is for songwriters, singers, instrumentalists, DJs, and performers who don’t read traditional music notation. Click here for registration information.

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The Academy of Country Music welcomed Warner Music Nashville recording artist Charlie Worsham to its offices while he was in Los Angeles last week. While at the Academy he performed new single “Could It Be” and signed up for professional ACM membership, as part of the Academy’s complimentary one-year membership offered to support emerging artists.

Artist Updates (12/10/2012)

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Lee Greenwood

Lee Greenwood is slated to appear on ABC’s  Extreme Makeover: Home Edition during a two-hour, holiday-themed episode that airs Monday (Dec. 10). Greenwood performs “God Bless The USA” in a tribute to wounded veterans during the episode, which airs beginning at 8:00 p.m. ET. The episode honors SSG Shilo Harris, who was struck by a massive improvised explosive device (IED) in 2007 while on patrol in Iraq.

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Blake Shelton

Through Blake Shelton‘s recent holiday special (NBC’s Blake Shelton’s Not So Family Christmas), as well as his role on NBC’s The Voice, the singer-songwriter has proven his onscreen charisma, and Shelton’s fans think he would be a perfect choice to host Saturday Night Live. A Facebook page has been created as part of a rally to convince SNL producers to bring on Shelton as host, and Shelton’s wife Miranda Lambert as musical guest.

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Taylor Swift

 

Taylor Swift, who turns 23 on Thursday (Dec. 13) made an appearance at the 2012 Z100’s Jingle Ball at Madison Square Garden on Friday (Dec. 7). The singer-songwriter performed over half a dozen songs, including “We Are Never Ever Getting Back Together,” “Love Story” and “I Knew You Were Trouble.” Others in attendance include Justin Bieber, One Direction, Ed Sheeran (who performed with Swift), Members of the Wanted and others.

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Kristian Bush

Sugarland’s Kristian Bush has co-written “Stuck In The Middle” included on the new album from pop-punk band Boys Like Girls, Crazy World. The album is slated to release on Tuesday (Dec. 11). Bush is also scheduled for a few overseas dates in early 2013, including the CMA Songwriters Series for shows in London, Belfast and Dublin (February 21-26) and for the inaugural C2C: Country To Country Music Festival, to be held at London’s O2 arena on March 26. Other artists on the bill include Little Big Town, Vince Gill and headliner Tim McGraw.

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Kacey Musgraves

Kacey Musgraves has been tapped by VEVO to be its next “LIFT” artist starting Monday (Dec. 10). She is the first country artist selected for the initiative which supports emerging acts. Past LIFT artists include Jessie J, Dev, One Direction and Rita Ora. LIFT will feature exclusive interviews, behind-the-scenes footage, video premieres and live performances with Musgraves. http://vevo.com/lift.