BBR Music Group Adds Staff

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Chelsey Flick

Chelsey Flick


Broken Bow Records (BBR) Music Group has added Chelsey Flick as its Promotion Coordinator for both Broken Bow and Stoney Creek Records. Flick will assist the Radio Promotion team for both labels and report directly to Sr. VP of Promotion Carson James.
“Chelsey’s attention to detail and incredible attitude made her the perfect choice to be promotion coordinator for both the Broken Bow and Stoney Creek imprints,” says James. “We’re ecstatic to add her to the team.”
Flick, a Belmont University graduate, most recently served as office manager for Crowd Surf. She has also worked as a booking agent assistant at Artist Events and as a publicity assistant for Loudmouth PR. Flick can be reached at [email protected].
Brittany Farrar

Brittany Farrar


Brittany Farrar has been promoted to Executive Assistant to both BBR Music Group Exec. VP Jon Loba and General Manager Rick Shedd. She will assist both executives in their daily duties and will continue to manage the company’s travel needs.
“Brittany was originally hired on a temporary basis but her hard work and desire to stay made it clear that we needed to bring her on board permanently. She will be a great addition to our team,” says Shedd.
Farrar is a graduate of California State University, with a degree in Business Administration and is a Certified Associate in Project Management. Farrar can be reached at [email protected].

SESAC Sells Majority Stake

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sesacPrivate-equity firm Rizvi Traverse Management, LLC has closed a deal to buy a majority stake in performance rights organization SESAC, Inc. for approximately $600 million, as reported by The Wall Street Journal.
The purchase will give Rizvi 75 percent ownership of SESAC, which has been on the block for months and received interest from various private-equity firms, the Journal said.
Based in Nashville, SESAC has the exclusive rights to the public broadcast or performance of such legendary artists as Bob Dylan and Neil Diamond.

FCC Approves Application To Control SiriusXM

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SIRIUS XM RADIO LOGOThe Federal Communications Commission has given its approval for Liberty Media Corp. to assume broadcast licenses from SiriusXM Radio, Inc. according to a press release from Liberty Media on Thursday (Jan. 3).
SiriusXM uses satellites licensed by the FCC, so approval is required for Liberty to complete its intended takeover.
Liberty expects the transfer of control of SiriusXM to be complete within 60 days.
In 2008, Sirius merged with XM Satellite Radio.
 

9th Annual 'Music in the City' to Showcase Rising Stars

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nashvillelifestylesNashville Lifestyles magazine will present the 9th annual Music in the City, a concert featuring Nashville’s top up-and-coming artists.
Hosted by CMT, the evening of music will feature live performances by Kelleigh Bannen, Kristy Lee Cook, Edens Edge, High Valley, Casey James and Clay Cook of the Zac Brown Band.
“This year’s lineup is jam-packed with diverse, dynamic talent,” said Stacie Standifer, publisher and editor of Nashville Lifestyles magazine, via a release. “It’s such a fun evening of Music City’s talent featuring entertainment in a festive environment. We’re pleased to partner with W.O. Smith Music School, and hope the proceeds will help give music lessons to the next generation of Music City’s top talent.”
The event will take place on Tuesday (Jan. 22) at 5:30 p.m. at The Tin Roof. Tickets are $20 in advance and $25 at the door, with a portion of proceeds benefiting the W.O. Smith Music School. Tickets and more information are available at www.nashvillelifestyles.com.

American Idol Premiere Event Coming To Nashville

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Photo (L-R): Mariah Carey, Keith Urban, Ryan Seacrest, Nicki Minaj and Randy Jackson.

Photo (L-R): Mariah Carey, Keith Urban, Ryan Seacrest, Nicki Minaj and Randy Jackson.


American Idol fans are anxious to watch the show’s 12th season, as a new set of judges–including Mariah Carey, Keith Urban and Nicki Minaj–join returning judge Randy Jackson. Nashville fans of American Idol will be able to catch an early look at the music competition’s first episode of its 12th season.
Fans can attend an American Idol Premiere Event at the Regal Green Hills Cinema 16 on Wednesday (Jan. 9), one week before the season premieres on FOX on Jan. 16 and Jan. 17. Nashville will be one of 11 cities nationwide that will be uplinked via a television satellite from Los Angeles to receive a satellite feed of the first episode, as well as a live Q&A session with the judges (via satellite from Los Angeles), to be hosted by Ryan Seacrest.
To reserve a place, visit idolrsvp.com. If you are given a seat, the doors will open at 5 p.m., with the episode beginning at 6 p.m. and a live Q&A with the judges beginning at 7:30 p.m. Those who do not receive a ticket can still watch the Q&A event, which will also be streamed at americanidol.com.
 

Artist News (1/4/2012)

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KWBRHusband-and-wife duo, Bruce Robison and Kelly Willis, will release a new 13-song album, Cheater’s Game, on Feb. 12.
The Premium Records project, produced by Brad Jones, features seven new songs in addition to six remakes paying tribute to Don Williams, Razzy Bailey, Hayes Carll, Dave Alvin and Robert Earl Keen. A nationwide tour will follow, including a stop at Nashville’s 3rd and Lindsley on April 25. Full list of tour dates here.

• • •

Keith Urban1Season 12 American Idol judge Keith Urban announced 12 of his favorite songs from 2012 via a web posting on Dec. 30.
“Impossible to narrow it down to 12 without leaving out equally great songs for 2012….BUT in no specific order, here we go!! 12 songs that lodged in my head and inspired me this year,” said Urban.
“Springsteen” (Eric Church)
“Somebody That I Used To Know” (Goyte)
“Dirt Road Anthem” (Jason Aldean)
“Pontoon” (Little Big Town)
“Wide Awake” (Katy Perry)
“I Love It” (Icona Pop)
“Fastest Girl In Town” (Miranda Lambert)
“Cruise” (Florida Georgia Line)
“I Knew You Were Trouble” (Taylor Swift)
“Titanium” (David Guetta feat Sia)
“Doom and Gloom” (Rolling Stones)
“Brother” (Matt Corby)

• • •

zbb90211Four members of The Zac Brown Band (Zac Brown, Clay Cook, Jimmy De Martini and John Hopkins) are scheduled to sing the national anthem for the 2013 Discover BCS National Championship game between Notre Dame and Alabama on Monday (Jan. 7).
The event, which determines this year’s NCAA football champion, will be held at Sun Life Stadium in the South Florida. ESPN will broadcast the game at 8 p.m. ET.

Charlie Cook On Air: Music Row Predictions

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CCook-onair-sm111This being my first column for 2013 I was tempted to submit some predictions for the year. Before doing that I thought it wise to look back at the predictions I (and others) made during this time last year.
I predicted 20 stations would flip to country music in 2012. After CBS flipped to Country Radio late in 2011, I thought it would lead a rush to the format. I fell short by at least half. I thought there would be more top 100 market stations coming aboard last year. Not so. However, I am not going to back off thinking 2013 will see more stations coming into the fold. The music is just too good right now. It seems like more stations flipped to CHR. Top 40 music is as good as it’s been in years.
I predicted Miranda Lambert would continue to set the pace in 2012. That was pretty easy to predict, and she got even more influential in the last 12 months. I saw Carrie and Taylor kicking butt in 2012 and both had record breaking years.
I told you to watch for Brantley Gilbert, Luke Bryan, Easton Corbin and Jana Kramer in 2012. In 2013, I predict Thomas Rhett and Greg Bates are going to have breakout years.
I thought Ronnie Dunn would have a number one record in 2012. I missed that one. He has too much talent to be off the chart for so long. Kix is continuing to show strength and with him being on the radio as a host for about 40 hours a week, he should have a great 2013.
Last January I said, “The top 5 Country Radio performers for 2012 will be (in no particular order) Zac Brown Band, Blake Shelton, Carrie Underwood, Kenny Chesney and Miranda Lambert.”  The top five were Luke Bryan, Eric Church, Jason Aldean, ZBB and Kenny Chesney. In 2013, I think Miranda will find her way into the top 5.
I predicted some major changes in the record company landscape but that was already in play in 2011, so not much danger of being wrong on that one. There were more changes than I originally thought, but things look settled today. We’ll look at it again next January.
Tim McGraw was in two of my predictions. I saw him and Kenny setting the summer on fire with their tour. I believe I mentioned this before the tour was officially announced.  And before signing with his new label, I predicted Tim would be back big time on the radio. That was an easy prediction because he has been “big time on the radio” for 20 years now.
In 2013, I think Kenny is going to lead the way again on the No Shoes Nation tour with Eric Church as his support act. I have mentioned in this space that Eric’s show was the best one I saw in 2012 and he has the ability to hold an audience for 90 minutes.
I talked up HD radio one year ago. We did not see the kind of growth that I thought we would see in 2012 so I am going to stay with this prediction. Sooner or later both radio and the consumer are going to discover this is a treasure for the industry. Maybe there can be a partnership between the record industry and radio to program HD channels. Everyone can win, including the listener.
Regardless of the outcome from my 2012 predictions, I did better than the Mayans.
(The views expressed in this article are those of the author and do not necessarily reflect those of MusicRow.)

Top Selling Albums of the Year

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redFor the first time, country albums scored five slots in the year’s top 10 best sellers list, thanks to albums by Taylor Swift, Carrie Underwood, Luke Bryan, Lionel Richie, and Jason Aldean.
More year-end news includes Adele’s record breaking streak, and the best digital tracks week in history.
Top selling albums of 2012
based on Nielsen SoundScan transactions between Jan. 2, 2012 and Dec. 30, 2012, reported by Billboard.
carrie-underwood-blown-away-album-cover_0No. 1—Adele, 21. For the first time in SoundScan history, the same album is the top U.S. seller two years in row. In 2012, the project sold 4.41 million copies, in 2011 it moved 5.82 million.
No. 2—Taylor Swift, Red, 3.11 million
No. 3 and 5—One Direction, Up All Night, 1.62 million, and Take Me Home, 1.34 million. It is the first time the same artist has had two projects in the top 5 of the year.
No. 4—Mumford & Sons, Babel, 1.46 million
lukeNo. 6—Justin Bieber, Believe, 1.34 million
No. 7—Carrie Underwood, Blown Away, 1.20 million
No. 8—Luke Bryan, Tailgates & Tanlines, 1.10 million
No. 9—Lionel Richie, Tuskegee, 1.07 million
No. 10—Jason Aldean, Night Train, 1.02 million
Top digital songs of 2012
No. 1—Gotye, “Somebody That I Used to Know” (featuring Kimbra), 6.80 million
lionelrichie_2012cdcvr_hNo. 2—Carly Rae Jepsen, “Call Me Maybe,” 6.47 million
No. 3—fun., “We Are Young” (featuring Janelle Monae), 5.95 million
Digital tracks— The week ended Dec. 30 set the record for most tracks downloaded in a week with 55.74 million digital songs purchased, driven largely by Christmas gift card redemptions.
nightVinyl album sales increased for the fifth consecutive year, with the top seller being Nashvillian Jack White’s Blunderbuss (34k). For the year, vinyl albums were up 18 percent to 4.55 million.
Read more in MusicRow’s exclusive Weekly Register Year End Edition.

GAC Honors Ed Hardy's Retirement

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Photo (L-R): Tony Conway, W.O. Smith board president, Jonah Rabinowitz, W.O. Smith executive director and Ed Hardy. (Photo credit: Ed Rode.)

Photo (L-R): Tony Conway, W.O. Smith board president, Jonah Rabinowitz, W.O. Smith executive director and Ed Hardy. (Photo credit: Ed Rode)


Former GAC President Ed Hardy celebrated his decorated career with a gathering of associates and friends at the Country Music Hall of Fame and Museum recently. Hardy retired from his post at GAC at the end of 2012; Sarah Trahern was named as his successor.
GAC honored Hardy with a donation to Nashville’s W.O. Smith Music School. Hardy has been involved with the school as a past board president.
Hardy’s career includes several years as a chief executive at Deschutes River Broadcasting in Tri-Cities, Wash. When Deschutes merged with Citadel Broadcasting, as president of Citadel’s West Division, Hardy helped grow the company to more than 200 stations in over 40 markets.
His previous work includes serving as President/CEO of MeasureCast, an Internet-streaming broadcast audience measurement company, and as a consultant to MediaBlue/Nox Solutions, a provider of website design, hosting and fulfilling products for nationally syndicated and network radio talk show hosts.
 
 

Memorial Services for "Tennessee Waltz" Singer Patti Page

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Patti Page

Patti Page


Patti Page, singer of “Tennessee Waltz” and over 100 other charted hits, died on Jan. 1 in Encinitas, Calif. She was one of the best selling artists of the 1950s with pop classics including “(How Much Is That) Doggie In the Window” and “Old Cape Cod.” She was 85 years old.
Born Clara Ann Fowler, Page recorded 50 albums, with 19 gold and 14 platinum singles.
In 1950, Page’s landmark recording of “Tennessee Waltz” made significant headway for Nashville’s music business, according to historian Robert K. Oermann. “She helped put Nashville on the map,” he explained, adding that the single sold six million copies. “It was a defining moment for Nashville as a song town. She had the most flawless diction and pronunciation—it was unmatched in her era. Her influence reached Anne Murray, Trisha Yearwood, and Kathy Mattea.”
Penned by Redd Stewart and Pee Wee King, and published by Acuff-Rose, “Tennessee Waltz” is a state song of Tennessee.
In the 1970s Page’s focus turned from pop to country music with singles “I Wish I Had a Mommy Like You,” “Give Him Love,” and the Tom T. Hall duet “Hello, We’re Lonely.” Page’s country albums were produced by Shelby Singleton, and later, Jon Vezner, and released by Mercury, Columbia, and Epic.
She was recognized with the Academy of Country Music’s Cliffie Stone Pioneer Award, and with a star on the former Country Music Hall of Fame and Museum Walkway of Stars, now part of the Music City Walk of Fame.
Page was to be honored with The Recording Academy’s Lifetime Achievement Award at a ceremony on Feb. 9. Her album Patti Page Live at Carnegie Hall–the 50th Anniversary Concert earned a Grammy Award. She has a star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame.
Page is survived by her son Daniel O’Curran, daughter Kathleen Ginn, and sister Peggy Layton.
Private Viewing:
Tuesday, January 8, 2013, 4:00 p.m. to 8:00 p.m.
El Camino Memorial – Sorrento Valley, 5600 Carroll Canyon Road, San Diego, CA 92121
Flowers can be sent to this service.
Phone: (800) 352-2646, http://www.sorrentovalleychapel.com
Public Viewing:
Wednesday, January 9, 2013, 10:00 a.m.
Solana Beach Presbyterian Church, 120 Stevens Avenue, Solana Beach, CA 92075
858-509-2580, www.solanapres.org
Burial will be private
Memorial donations can be made to:
Society of Singers, Inc., 26500 W. Agoura Rd., 102-554, Calabasas, CA 91302, 818-995-7100, www.singers.org
or
GRAMMY Foundation, Attn: Annual Giving, 3030 Olympic Blvd., Santa Monica, CA 90404, www.grammyfoundation.org