Network TV Finales Crown Country Winners

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Tate Stevens

Tate Stevens, a 37-year-old Belton, Mo. native, received a $5 million recording contract from Sony Music/Syco and a music video premiere at the 2013 Grammy Awards for his win on FOX’s X Factor last night (Dec. 20).

Performances earlier this week included Little Big Town’s “Pontoon” with Stevens in addition to 13-year-old runner-up Carly Rose Sonenclar’s head-turning “How Do I Live” duet with LeAnn Rimes. More than 35 million viewers reportedly cast votes for the season finale.

Throughout the program’s second season, Stevens performed country hits including Chris Young‘s “Tomorrow,” Clay Walker‘s “Fall,” Shania Twain‘s “From This Moment On,” Garth Brooks‘ “If Tomorrow Never Comes,” Keith Urban‘s “Somebody Like You,” Lonestar‘s “I’m Already There” and Craig Morgan‘s “Bonfire” and “Tough.”

Cassadee Pope and Avril Lavgine during The Voice live finale. Photo: Tyler Golden/NBC

The X Factor crowning comes on the heels of NBC’s The Voice, which recently named Cassadee Pope the winner from Team Blake. Pope made impressive single sales, as examined in our Weekly Register for her cover of Keith Urban‘s “Stupid Boy,” which scanned 117k units this week. Pope also performed Miranda Lambert‘s “Over You” and Faith Hill‘s “Cry” during the NBC season.

The Guitar: An American Love Story, Ends Dec. 30

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An exhibit at the State Museum featuring a selection of some of the rarest guitars ever created ends December 30. The free exhibition, entitled, The Guitar: An American Love Story, showcases more than 150 world-class guitars gathered from both private and museum collections. This is the only time in which this remarkable, assembled collection has appeared together in one gallery, available to the general public.

Earlier this month at the gallery, City National Bank sponsored an invitation-only members holiday evening for The Douglas Henry State Museum Commission and The Board of the Tennessee State Museum Foundation. Martha Henderson, Exec. VP and Manager of City National’s entertainment division attended while representatives from CNB’s Nashville office included Holly Bell, Sr. VP Team Manager; Lori Badgett, VP Entertainment, Diane Pearson, VP Entertainment/Team Leader and Mandy Gallagher, Relationship Manager. The packed gala celebrated The Guitar exhibit, along with exhibits Elvis at 21: Photographs by Alfred Wertheimer and Tim Nichols: Images from a Songwriter’s Camera. The event provided attendees a great opportunity to mix and mingle while viewing the impressive exhibits in the hall. The reception was followed by a performance by Vince Gill.

Vince Gill's 1942 Martin D-28

Highlights of the exhibit include:
• One of the King of Rock ‘n’ Roll Elvis Presley’s personal guitars. Courtesy of Graceland, Memphis, TN.
• Standout guitars from Grammy-winning entertainer Vince Gill’s private collection including his cherished 1942 Martin D-28.
• Three-time Rock and Roll Hall of Fame inductee Eric Clapton’s 1958 Gibson Explorer. On loan from a private collection.
• A historically significant Lloyd Loar quartet featuring a mandola, mandocello, mandolin and guitar. Matched set, circa 1924. On loan from a private collection.
• The 1953 Fender Telecaster played by famed Rolling Stone band guitarist Keith Richards. On loan from a private collection.
• Singer and actor Roy Roger’s OM-45 Deluxe guitar made by C.F. Martin & Co., circa 1930. On loan from a private collection.
• Rickenbacker “Frying Pan,” one of the very first solid body electric guitars.
• 1919 Martin 000-30-, likely the only one ever made. On loan from a private collection.
• c1900 guitar and mandolin made by Orville Gibson, the founder and namesake of Gibson Guitars. On loan from a private collection.

Nashville Scene‘s Jack Silverman offers an in-depth look at this stunning exhibit here.

WMN Hires Topspin Media Exec

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Wayne Leeloy

Warner Music Nashville announced the appointment of Wayne Leeloy as Senior Director of Digital Marketing, in an announcement yesterday (12/20). Leeloy will report to Jeremy Holley, VP, Consumer & Interactive Marketing.

Leeloy previously served as Senior Director, Artist Services at Topspin Media in Nashville, responsible for business development, focusing on relationships with artists, management, labels for Country, Americana and Christian genres.

“His commitment to innovation, extensive experience in the direct-to-fan space, and strong ties to the tech community make him a superb addition to our team,” said Holley. “Wayne will be a valuable resource as we continue to grow and evolve our digital business.”

Prior to his work at Top Spin, Leeloy established the artist development consultancy, Foundation Music Group and launched Ticketmaster’s custom marketing and sales division.

Charlie Cook On Air: Merry Christmas

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Can you believe that it is Christmas next week? Well of course you can, there are decorations all over the place, you’ve spent more time at the mall or on-line shopping and you’re winding down for the year.

I hope that you’re ready. I hope that you have wrapped up your shopping. Though I suspect with a three-day weekend going into Christmas on Tuesday you may have procrastinated like I have.

Because I am not done with my shopping I thought that I would make a list. I am not going to speak for all of Nashville, just for myself, with an eye to what some people might be hoping for under the tree.

  1. More primary color CDs. Red was a huge seller. How about Blue and Green. And then in 2014 Cyan, Magenta and Yellow.
  2. Two more record company jobs. There appears to be one more person than jobs. This is the living and breathing musical chairs but with two more jobs there would always be one open.
  3. A solution to the performance rights battle. Maybe we put Bob Pittman and Kenny Chesney in a room and whoever comes out wins.
  4. A new chart system where nothing is older than 2 weeks. That way it is always fresh and an artist can chart each cut on their CD in 6 months.
  5. Reduced airfares between Nashville and Atlanta.
  6. To even the ratings landscape in multiple country station markets, the leading station must play “Achy Breaky Heart” at least once per shift.
  7. The very talented Trace Adkins has his sentence commuted so that he doesn’t have to host the ACAs next year.
  8. More TV shows like Nashville. Maybe Branson. The same topics but with more of an accent. And an older cast for CBS TV.
  9. More instances where the Grammys reach out to Nashville. Like awarding a country song the Grammy in the Country category.
  10. Fifty-three number ones next year. We’ll work out the details.

Merry Christmas. May you get what you wish for.

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

Artist Pics: Kellie Pickler, Darius Rucker (12/21/2012)

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Kellie Pickler sits in a Mine Resistant Ambush Protected simulator during a visit for the USO.

Kellie Pickler returned from her sixth USO tour on Dec. 19. The country entertainer performed for U.S. troops as part of the Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff Gen. Martin Dempsey’s annual USO holiday tour.

The seven-day, four-country tour of the Middle East also included performances by artists Ross Detwiler and Craig Stammen of the Washington Nationals, Matt Hendricks of the Washington Capitals and comedian Lliza Shlesinger.

Stops included Bagram Air Base and Kandahar Air Field in Afghanistan; U.S. Army Garrison Stuttgart in Germany and a visit with sailors stationed aboard aircraft carrier USS John C. Stennis, among other locations.

“[During] the holidays, everyone wants to be home with their families and loved ones. And I know it’s just as hard for [your] families back home, so they’re making a sacrifice as well,” Pickler said via a release. “I just want to say thanks so much for all that you do, and thank you to your families as they make a huge sacrifice. This time of year is really hard so I hope that you know that we love you. The USO, all of us, we are praying for a safe return home for you all. We wish you a Merry Christmas and a Happy New Year.”

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Photo (L- R): Lance Corporal Morales; Sergeant Cory Tribble and Darius Rucker

Darius Rucker visited Toys “R” Us in Carle Place, N.Y. on Dec. 17 to donate over $10,000 worth of toys to benefit the U.S. Marine Toys for Tots program. The toys will be distributed to children in the Lindenhurst, N.Y. area, which was recently affected by Hurricane Sandy.

Rucker partnered with digital media company Eventful, and over 30,000 music fans in 3,028 cities “Demanded” that Rucker bring his $10,000 worth of donated toys to their city. Fans used Eventful’s social media platform “Demand It!” to spread the word virally on Facebook and Twitter and invited friends to help their city win.

Artist Pics (12-20-2012)

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Big Ride’s Craig Wayne Boyd participated in the annual Christmas 4 Kids tour bus tour held in Hendersonville, Tenn. on Monday (Dec. 17), where he met with Nashville area children. Proceeds from the event benefited more than 400 underprivileged Middle Tennessee children during the holidays.

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Photo (L-R): "Cowboy" Jack Clement and studio manager Juanita Copeland

“Cowboy” Jack Clement dropped by the legendary Sound Emporium Tuesday to visit the studio he founded in 1969. Pictured here are Cowboy and Studio Manager, Juanita Copeland, in the lobby under a gallery of photos from the 70s that feature him. He toured the recently remodeled lobby and saw the recent updates to the world-famous “A room,” which include a much anticipated drum booth.

PLA Publicist Job Opening

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Nashville-based public relations organization PLA Media is looking for a motivated and experienced publicist to join their team. A minimum of two years experience coordinating publicity campaigns for entertainment and/or corporate clients is required.
PLA Media is owned by veteran publicist Pam Lewis. The operation’s clients include Justin Moore, William Lee Golden, The Johnny Cash Museum, Lynn Anderson, Scarletta and many more.
Resumes can be sent to info@plamedia.com.

 

Artist Updates (12/20/2012)

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Zac Brown Band, Kellie Pickler, Easton Corbin, Brantley Gilbert and Billy Currington will perform at Nashville’s Marathon Music Works on Dec. 29 as part of the ‘2012 Ram Jam’ concert. The web broadcast of the event can be accessed here. Beginning Jan. 16, select concert performances will be available for on-demand viewing. Each participating artist received a lease on a 2012 Ram 1500 Laramie Longhorn truck. Each truck will be auctioned off in early 2013 with proceeds going to a charity of each artist’s choice.

The first auction, featuring Pickler’s truck, will be held Jan. 22, to benefit the USO. For more information on the auction, visit www.ebay.com/roadtoramjam.

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Singer-songwriter Sarah Buxton and husband, session guitarist Tom Bukovac, welcome son, Marshall. “Tom and I are in love with our sweet baby boy, Marshall! He came December 4th. My little Sagittarius,” Buxton said via Twitter. Bucovac won MusicRow‘s Top 10 Album Album All-Stars award in 2005, 2006, 2007 and 2008.

The couple were married on Nov. 20, 2010. Buxton penned Keith Urban’s “Stupid Boy” and “Put You In A Song.”

 

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Miranda Lambert is slated to be a guest judge on the upcoming season of Lifetime’s Project Runway.

Other guest judges for the season include Bette Midler, Susan Sarandon, John Legend, Emmy Rossum and Kristin Davis. Season 11 of Project Runway premieres Jan. 24 at 8:00 p.m. CT.

 

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Craig Campbell will have a front row seat at the upcoming game between the Tennessee Titans and the Green Bay Packers on Sunday, Dec. 23. Campbell is slated to perform the national anthem prior to the game. CBS will air the game from Lambeau Field beginning at 12:00 p.m. CT.

 

 

 

 

 

 

Decosimo Nashville Adds Larry Felts

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Larry Felts

Larry Felts, CPA, has joined the Nashville office of Decosimo as assurance principal. He has more than 30 years of accounting and management experience, including serving as an office managing principal with two Big Four international accounting firms.

“Adding Larry supports our firm’s strategic initiative for growth in our current markets,” said Nick Decosimo, managing principal of Decosimo. “His leadership strengths and strong relationships across many of our firm’s industry focus areas like manufacturing and distribution, healthcare and financial services groups will be critical to our firm as we grow in Nashville and beyond.”

Felts’ experience with both public and private company clients extends into industries such as manufacturing and distribution, higher education, financial services, retail, government and technology. His significant experience with financial institutions has ranged from major public clients to many Tennessee community banks, credit unions and savings banks. He has extensive experience in SEC services, including initial and secondary public offerings, periodic reporting, and advisory services for client and audit committees. He is also experienced in performing employee benefit plan audits.

Felts is a member of the American Institute of Certified Public Accountants, as well as the Tennessee Society of Certified Public Accountants (TSCPA), where he has served on the Financial Institutions and Sports and Entertainment Committees.

With the addition of Felts, Decosimo has 38 active principals across the firm’s nine locations in Tennessee, Georgia, Alabama, Ohio and the Cayman Islands. Decosimo is a nationally recognized firm, perennially ranked by Accounting Today as a Top 100 accounting and business advisory services firm. Additionally, Decosimo is an independent firm associated with Moore Stephens International Limited to provide clients with access to a depth of resources and expertise comparable to Big Four accounting firms.

Swift Among Highest-Paid Women In Music

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Taylor Swift is the second highest paid woman in music according to the latest report from Forbes. She grossed $57 million between May 2011 and May 2012, and is the only country star on the top 10 list.

Significantly contributing to Swift’s coffers were her tour, which reportedly raked in about $1 million per night before expenses, and major marketing partnerships with CoverGirl and Sony.

Barely edging out Swift for first place is Britney Spears with $58 million, followed by Rihanna in third place with $53 million. Touring, endorsements, and fragrances boosted their income.

See the complete list and methodology here.