Carrie Underwood Sells First Home

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carrie-underwood-blown-away1Carrie Underwood has sold the Franklin, Tenn. home she purchased after winning American Idol in 2005. The home, which was originally purchased for $384,000, sold for $372,500. The 2,956 square-foot stone and stucco home was built in 2008, and boasts three bedrooms, 3.5 bathrooms, a family room with cathedral ceilings, a library and a bonus room.
carrieunderwoodhome111The home was first listed for sale in 2011 for $419,900. The listing was then removed in July 2012 before it was sold in August 2012.
According to zillow.com, Underwood only lived in the home for two years; in 2007, she purchased another home in Brentwood, Tenn. for nearly $1.4 million. In 2011, Underwood and husband Mike Fisher purchased 400 acres of land outside of Nashville to build a new home.

Charity News: Gary Allan, Hudson Moore, Rumble on the Row

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Photo (L-R): Tommy Disanto, Joe’s Bar Co-Owner; Gary Allan; Ed Warm, Joe’s Bar Co-Owner and ACM Lifting Lives and ACM Board Member).

Photo (L-R): Tommy Disanto, Joe’s Bar Co-Owner; Gary Allan; Ed Warm, Joe’s Bar Co-Owner and ACM Lifting Lives and ACM Board Member.


Gary Allan headlined Joe’s Bar in Chicago recently, with a portion of the proceeds going to ACM Lifting Lives, which oversees charitable efforts for the Academy of Country Music. Allan’s concert raised over $11,000 for the cause.
Allan has previously been involved as a volunteer with the ACM Lifting Lives Music Camp, an annual event held in Nashville that benefits campers with developmental disabilities.

• • •

Hudson Moore

Texas artist Hudson Moore raised over $24,000 during his second annual Christmas concert in support of the Wounded Warrior Project.

The concert took place at the Ridglea Theatre in Fort Worth, Texas. Moore had a special treat for his audience, as Texas entertainer Pat Green made a special appearance during the event. The two performers collaborated on a cover of The Rolling Stones’ “You Can’t Always Get What You Want.”

• • •

The ninth annual “Rumble on the Row” will take place March 8, 2013 at Liberty Hall in the Factory at Franklin. The event will be the ninth “Ringside: A Fight for Kids” boxing event and benefits The Charley Foundation, a Nashville non-profit that supports charitable agencies for area children. This year’s returning “Rumble” champion Keith Gale (SVP National Promotion, RCA Nashville) will take on EJ Bernas (Director of National Promotion, Bigger Picture). Previous “Rumble” belt-holder Jimmy Rector (VP of Promotion, EMI Records Nashville) will compete against Damon Moberly (VP National Promotion, Mercury Nashville).

Tickets are $250 each and the evening includes gourmet dining, live music and celebrity guests. Show Dog-Universal VP of Promotion Tom Baldrica will serve as the ring announcer. For more information visit charleyfoundation.org.

keith gale ej bernas111

Keith Gale and EJ Bernas

Watch a teaser video for the 2013 Rumble on the Row below.

Weekly Register: Year End Edition—Country Rises 4.1%

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Welcome back from your holiday slumbers to the Weekly Register: Year End Edition. Hopefully, everyone enjoyed some quality time with family and friends. But let’s get back to work.
The graphs tell the top level tale. Country and All-genre album sales ended about 4 percentage points on opposite sides of flat. Country finished the year up 4.1% (44.694 million; 2011—42.923; + 1.77 million) and all-genre sales shrunk -4.5% (315.844 million).
Country also enjoyed stronger increases in digital album sales (country +38%; all genre +14.1%) and track sales (country +12.8%, all-genre +5%).
weeklygrid12-30-12As expected, when measuring digital albums as a percentage of total albums sold the shift to digital continues. The all-genre audience has a higher preference for digital product (country 25.3%; all-genre 37.2%), but both groups added about 6 percentage points to last year’s tally (see grid).
For the past few weeks we have focused upon Taylor Swift’s incredible sales performance—a lot. Is that because we can’t spell any other artist names? Or because Ms. Swift is sending us to the Caribbean for a vacation? Unfortunately, “no.” We are highlighting her achievements because they are astronomical. Red reigns at No. 1 again on both the country and Top 200 album charts with weekly sales of over 241k, creating a 10-week total of 3.11 million units.
Swift also topped both the country and all-genre digital tracks charts—with different songs! “We Are Never Ever…” topped the country tracks chart with almost 236k downloads for the week (3 million RTD). “I Knew You Were Trouble” was No. 1 on Current Digital tracks with over 582k mouses clicking to download the track!!!! (2.04 million RTD).
Evaluating The Bigger Picture
weeklygrid12-23-12Country album sales increased 4.1% this year, or by 1.77 million albums. Is that good?
It’s fair to conclude that it could be much better. Like every year, there were winners and losers—but a problem facing everyone is profitability. While costs are rising across the board for artist development, marketing, promotion and distribution, prices are falling and margins are shrinking. Sadly, the music industry witnessed the demise this year of once proud major label Capitol/EMI. And the worrisome all-genre showing (-4.5%) fuels speculation that more shrinkage lies ahead.
Many pundits believe the music industry is transitioning from physical product to an “access” model. Someday soon streaming will made as easily available on your auto dashboard as it already is on the desktop and mobile. Are you going to care about moving files from hard drive to hard drive once you see that all the music you ever wanted is instantly available wherever/whenever you want it? Right.
But does the industry have a model that can compensate its creators—songwriters, publishers, labels, artists and producers? Unfortunately, the answer is “Not yet.” That is a concern as we enter 2013.
According to SoundScan, country sold 77.912 million albums in 2004. Eight years later we find ourselves selling 43% less, with lower margins, prices and profits.
So yes, it’s exhilarating to watch Taylor Swift wave the country banner proudly around the world on her way to becoming the largest selling Nashville artist ever. It’s also rewarding to note that Nashville has become a creative mecca with highly distinctive artists such as Jason Aldean, Carrie Underwood, Eric Church, Brantley Gilbert, Little Big Town, Lady Antebellum, Zac Brown Band, Miranda Lambert, Blake Shelton, Jamey Johnson, Colt Ford and more. But there are challenges ahead for music professionals from all genres.
It’s time we started to prepare…
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tea12-30-12

The MusicRow TEA Index sums physical, digital and TEA (track equivalent albums; 10 tracks=1 album) then calculates the percentage of total album sales that come from TEA. The idea is to measure the TEA effect against total album sales. (Our baseline numbers are gathered by industry sources from Nielsen SoundScan.) The 2011 full year TEA Index was 25% country and 27.7% all-genre, and it has expanded to 27.2% and 29.73%, respectively.
The holiday album rush lowered the last month’s numbers which dropped about 2 percentage points for both categories. The TEA index is another way to show that despite the popularity of tracks, they still account for less than one-third of overall album/track sales.

Bill Ivey Pens Book On American Democracy

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Screen shot 2013-01-03 at 10.45.59 AMBill Ivey has penned the book Handmaking America: A Back-to-Basics Pathway to a Revitalized American Democracy. In the book, Ivey challenges the view that an “unfettered marketplace, low taxes, and international adventurism” are the right path for America’s economy.
Ivey has also penned the books Arts, Inc.: How Greed and Neglect have Destroyed our Cultural Rights, and Engaging Art: the Next Great Transformation of America’s Cultural Life.
billIvey1Ivey was the director of the Country Music Foundation in Nashville from 1971 to 1998 and was twice elected board chairman of NARAS. Ivey has been nominated for four Grammy Awards (best album notes category). In 2012, he received an Honorary Doctorate of Fine Arts from Watkins College of Art, Design & Film. Ivey is also the founding director of the Curb Center for Art, Enterprise and Public Policy at Vanderbilt University.
Ivey holds a B.A. in history from the University of Michigan and an M.A. in folklore and ethnomusicology from Indiana University.
For more information on Handmaking America, visit powells.com or amazon.com.
 

DISClaimer: It’s a day of dueling divas

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divas3It’s a day of dueling divas. Both LeAnn Rimes and Miranda Lambert have terrific new singles this week. Since one is a ballad and one is a tempo tune, I don’t want to compare apples to oranges. So they are sharing the Disc of the Day award.
I have never done this before, but I am giving a repeat DisCovery Award. Singer-songwriter Charlie Worsham won it last June, and I am bestowing it again, for the same song, no less. If you seek a complete unknown, give a second DisCovery prize to another singer-songwriter, Max Gomez.
LEANN RIMES/Borrowed
Writer: LeAnn Rimes/Darrell Brown/Dan Wilson; Producer: Darrell Brown & LeAnn Rimes; Publisher: Curb/Lucky in Love/Grey Ink/Chrysalis, ASCAP; Curb
—Enchanting. Softly strummed guitars, brushed drums and sighing steel back a delicately shaded vocal performance. Cheating has never sounded so lovely. Her finest single in years.

Charlie Worsham

Charlie Worsham


JOHN LOWELL/I Am Going to the West
Writer: Connie Dover; Producer: John Lowell & Fred Baker; Publisher: Taylor Park, BMI; JL (track) 
—The title tune of this flattop guitarist’s debut solo CD has a pleasant, languid, folky quality. The lyric seems to recall the Lewis & Clark Expedition in its evocation of American scenic splendor.
RASCAL FLATTS/Changed
Writer: Gary LaVox/Neil Thrasher/Wendell Mobley; Producer: Dann Huff & Rascal Flatts; Publisher: Sony-ATV/BMG Gold/We Jam Writers Group/BMG Chrysalis/Songs of Peer/Warner-Tamerlane/Boatwright Baby, ASCAP/BMI; Big Machine
—The stately rhythm track gives low, undertow power to the track, which contrasts nicely with Gary’s high-tenor vocal performance. The lyric’s Christian imagery should make this attractive to CCM broadcasters as well as to the group’s country constituency.
JILLIAN KOHR/What You’ve Done
Writer: Kohr/Cirimelli/Kohr; Producer: Gary Cirimelli; Publisher: Jillian Kohr, BMI; HMG Nashville 
—Her soulful, raspy vocal is ear catching, but the instrumental track just lays there.
MIRANDA LAMBERT/Mama’s Broken Heart
Writer: Brandy Clark/Shane McAnally/Kacey Musgraves; Producer: Frank Liddell, Chuck Ainlay & Glenn Worf; Publisher: Tunes of Bigger Picture/Vista Loma/Crazy Water/Little Blue Egg/Kobalt/Warner-Tamerlane, ASCAP/BMI; RCA 
—Very cool. The production is loaded with little audio tricks and unexpected turns. As usual, Miranda sings her face off. The sassy lyric outlines a feisty response to a breakup, and she delivers it with pounds of personality.
Max Gomez

Max Gomez


JOHN DRISKELL HOPKINS & BALSAM RANGE/Daylight
Writer: John Driskell Hopkins/Sean McIntyre; Producer: John Driskell Hopkins & Balsam Range; Publisher: Brighter Shade, BMI; JDH (track)
—Hopkins is a founding member of the Zac Brown Band. On this CD, he is teamed with bluegrass headliners Balsam Range, plus several guest stars. In the cast are Joey + Rory, Jerry Douglas, Zac Brown and on this title tune, banjo master Tony Trischka. It meanders melodically, but is consistently listenable, as is the whole project. Recommended.
FLORIDA GEORGIA LINE/Get Your Shine On
Writer: Tyler Hubbard/Brian Kelley/Rodney Clawson/Chris Tompkins; Producer: Joey Moi; Publisher: Big Loud Mountain/Big Red Toe/Amarillo Sky/Big Loud Bucks/Big Loud Songs/Angel River, BMI/ASCAP; Republic (track) 
—Country rock with big echoey guitars and stomping percussion. He’s cuddling up to his honey with some ‘shine in the bright sunshine, and the sound is appropriately ebullient.
RICH MAHAN/Mama Found My Bong
Writer: Rich Mahan; Producer: Brian Harrison & Rich Mahan; Publisher: Rich Mahan, BMI; Snortin’ Horse (track) 
—Ya gotta love a title like this. Elsewhere on the CD, you’ll find “Rehab’s for Quitters,” “Overserved in Alabam” and “I’ll Get Off the Booze.” Mahan’s singing voice is an almost strangulated wail and the production is minimal, but he keeps you listening. The album is titled Blame Bobby Bare, since he was inspired to write these songs by listening to “Tequila Sheila” and “Drop Kick Me Jesus.”
CHARLIE WORSHAM/Could It Be
Writer: Charlie Worsham/Ryan Tyndell/Marty Dodson; Producer: Charlie Worsham & Ryan Tyndell; Publisher: Purple Cape/Dad’s Retirement/Black to Black/I Hope Mama’s Listening, BMI; Warner Bros. 
—I reviewed this when it was an ole Publishing EP tune last summer. Now it’s a real single, so here we go again: This guy sings with immense warmth and personality. The production is an ear-tickling, acoustic-with-a-thump delight. The harmony work is flawless. And the song is a melodic wonder. Make this man a star.
MAX GOMEZ/Run From You
Writer: Max Gomez/Jeff Trott; Producer: Jeff Trott; Publisher: Warner-Tamerlane/Marveltone/New West Independent/Cyrillic Soup/Wixen, BMI/ASCAP; New West (track) 
—The song is super rhythmic and catchy. So much so that it really doesn’t matter that his vocal performance of it is somewhat laid back. The punch in the production helps, as do a splendid steel solo and some echoey background singing. Promising. The CD is titled Rule the World. Lend it your ears.

Artist News (1/3/2013)

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official zac brown band1Though the group maintained a heavy touring schedule stateside in 2012, Zac Brown Band says it has international touring plans already in place for 2013.
“I know we’re going to be going to Australia to do some touring there.  We’re gonna go back to the U.K.,” lead singer Zac Brown tells ABC News Radio. Zac Brown Band performed in London with group Kings of Leon in 2012.

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easton corbin11Easton Corbin has released his new single, “All Over The Road,” penned by Carson Chamberlain, Ashley Gorley and Wade Kirby. The song is the title track from his sophomore album, which released in September 2012.

“It’s a feel-good song,” Corbin says of the release. “It’s one of those songs that on a great day you want to roll down the windows, crank it up and have a good time.”

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highvalleyofficial

Trio High Valley is set to make their Grand Ole Opry debut on Saturday (Jan. 5) at the Ryman Auditorium. Bluegrass legend Ricky Skaggs is also on the evening’s bill.

 

WMBA Announces Officers, Chairmen for 2013

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The Women’s Music Business Association (WMBA) announced today (Jan. 3) its 2013 officers and chairmen.
The following women have been elected as officers:
President: Trina Lloyd-Weidner (BMI)
Vice President: Becky Lynn Street (Revolution PR)
Treasurer: Amery Fridenstine (Flood, Bumstead, McCready & McCarthy)
Secretary: Raeanna Mowl (HoriPro Entertainment Group)
Events and Education Chairmen: Chelsea Kempchinsky (Loretta Lynn Enterprises) and Jen Wolczyk (WhizBang)
Membership and Marketing Chairmen: Becky McIntosh (Luna Chica Publishing) and Michelle Tigard Kammerer (Country Radio Broadcasters)
The WMBA is governed by a Board of Directors that includes Chairman of the Board Becky Harris (Huskins-Harris Business Management), Virginia Davis (B.A.D. Management), Hank Adam Locklin (Tennessee Film, Entertainment & Music Commission), Fred Gill (Two Foot Fred), and Cindy Heath (Monarch Publicity), with legal counsel provided by Heather Hubbard (Waller, Lansden, Dortch & Davis, PLLC). WMBA’s alumni branch is headed by co-chairmen Rachel Rodriguez and Dottie Rager.
WMBA is currently booking guest speakers and panelists from the music industry, seeking educational opportunities for its membership, and accepting sponsorships for 2013. For more information about the WMBA, visit www.wmbanashville.org.

wmba2

(L-R, front row): Michelle Tigard Kammerer, Raeanna Mowl, Trina Lloyd Weidner, Becky McIntosh. Back row: Jen Wolczyk, Amery Fridenstine, Chelsea Kempchinsky, Becky Lynn Street. Photo: Amanda Fletcher

More Cumulus Stations To Use PPM

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ppm

Portable People Meter


Cumulus will be using Arbitron’s Portable People Meter (PPM) and diary radio ratings services for 450 radio stations.
Arbitron Inc. and Cumulus Media Inc. have signed a multi-year agreement for the ratings services which covers all stations in the 100 Cumulus radio markets currently surveyed by Arbitron.
For the first time in more than three years, Cumulus stations in 44 diary markets will have access to the Arbitron radio ratings service. The agreement also renews ratings agreements in 17 PPM markets and 39 diary markets.
Cumulus and Arbitron will collaborate on cross-platform services to quantify the total impact of the Cumulus radio brand.
In addition to diary and PPM local market ratings, the agreement provides Cumulus with access to Arbitron software applications, Scarborough consumer profile services, and national and network radio ratings for Cumulus Media Networks.

Adrian Michaels Departs Curb Records

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Adrian-Michaels1Industry veteran Adrian Michaels has exited his post as senior vice president of promotions at Curb Records.
“Adrian has done an outstanding job during his 10 years at Curb Records. Mike [Curb] and I wish Adrian all the best in his new opportunity. Adrian Michaels is a true professional,” said Sr. VP Dennis Hannon in a statement.
Michaels has accepted a new position as president of Top Notch Entertainment and will begin in his new role on Jan. 14.
Michaels joined Curb Records in 2003, where he was responsible for obtaining radio airplay for the roster’s country artists. Prior working at Curb Records, Michaels worked as a vice president of Asylum Records, a southeast regional rep for Curb Records and and a southwest regional rep for RCA Records.

Artist News (1/2/2013)

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American Idol Season 12. Pictured (L-R): Mariah Carey, Keith Urban, Ryan Seacrest, Nicki Minaj, and Randy Jackson

American Idol Season 12. Pictured (L-R): Mariah Carey, Keith Urban, Ryan Seacrest, Nicki Minaj, and Randy Jackson


Nashville’s Regal Green Hills Cinema will be among a select group of theaters in 11 states to receive a sneak peek of American Idol’s Season 12 premiere this Wednesday, Jan. 9.
After the screening, Keith Urban will participate in a live Q&A session alongside judges Mariah Carey, Randy Jackson, and Nicki Minaj with host Ryan Seacrest, which will be live streamed online.
Theater tickets will be available on a first-come, first-served basis, with confirmation on the guest list.
Idol will premier in a two-part segment on FOX, Wednesday Jan. 16-17.

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Natalie Maines

Natalie Maines


Natalie Maines announced she has finished work on her forthcoming solo album titled Mother. According to Maines, the Rock album is produced with Ben Harper and set for release on May 7.
The Pink Floyd cover and title track will be available as a single from the West of Memphis: Voices for Justice soundtrack this January 15.
All three members of the Dixie Chicks are slated to unite for two Canadan performances this year, the Cavendish Beach Music Festival on July 7, and the Craven Country Jamboree on July 13.
 

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Jason Aldean

Jason Aldean


Jason Aldean will make his acting debut in a New Mexico-based Western titled Sweetwater, on Jan. 24 as part of the Sundance Film Festival.
Aldean performs alongside cast members Ed Harris, Jason Isaacs, Eduardo Noriega, Steven Root and Mad Men’s January Jones.
The film, directed by Logan Miller and Noah Miller, will be featured at various other times throughout the end of the festival after its premier.
Sundance is held in Park City, Utah from Jan 17-27.