Super D Buys Alliance Entertainment

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logo-sdidSuper D Independent Distribution has purchased Alliance Entertainment, and with the acquisition will now become the second largest music wholesaler in the country, with revenues of around $920 million, according to Billboard.com. The combined company will have music sales of about $450 million and a market share of 6.64 percent, putting it in the fourth spot of top music accounts just behind ITunes, Anderson Merchandisers, and Amazon.
The deal closed yesterday and though terms were not disclosed, it is estimated that Super D paid in the range of $85-125 million for the deal. The remainder of the companies’ combined business after music sales, around $470 million, comes mostly from DVD sales and a small amount of accessories. With this merger and Anderson Merchandisers acting essentially as a rack-jobber, Baker & Taylor becomes the lone remaining large competitor in both the one-stop store and Internet CD fulfillment space.

Nashville Set To Get 'Crazy' Music Industry Reality Show

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a&e networksNashville will get another Music City-centric show thanks to A&E. The cable network, under Executive VP and GM David McKillop, has ordered the series Crazy Hearts: Nashville, a docuseries chronicling the lives of aspiring country music artists, according to a statement from A&E.
Production is set to begin immediately on the series, which is based in Nashville. The series will include eight hour-long episodes that follow a group of aspiring musicians in their pursuit of music careers as they balance life, love and music.
Crazy Hearts: Nashville comes from Eastern’s Toby Barraud and Stefan Springman. A&E’s Drew Tappon, Fred Grinstein and Evan Lerner will executive produce the series.
A premiere date for the series has not been announced.

Irving Azoff Announces New Venture

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Irving Azoff

Irving Azoff


Legendary music industry executive Irving Azoff, 65, has announced the creation of Azoff MSG Entertainment. The company includes his artist management business (with clients including the Eagles, Steely Dan, Van Halen and Christina Aguilera), a television/live event division, a 50 percent stake in Digital Brand Architects, and a 90 percent interest in a publishing venture headed by former ASCAP executive Randy Grimmett. The company is backed by the Madison Square Garden Company, which supplied $175 million to the company. Azoff counts Madison Square Garden Company’s executive chairman James L. Dolan as a longtime supporter.
The Madison Square Garden Company will pay $125 million for a 50 percent stake in Azoff MSG Entertainment, and will provide up to $50 million of credit to the company. Azoff will also serve as a consultant to the Madison Square Garden Company.
In a joint interview, Azoff and Mr. Dolan described the mission of the new company as being somewhat loose, saying they see it as a lean, digitally focused company that will address the needs of the evolving music business. Azoff’s career began in artist management in the 1970s.
Dolan joined Live Nation’s board in 2011, after the company merged with Ticketmaster and Azoff was named Executive Chairman. After Azoff exited his post as Chairman of Live Nation Entertainment and CEO of Front Line Management Group in January of this year, Dolan resigned from the board; Dolan’s company did away with its 3.9 million shares in Live Nation for $44 million.

Black River Entertainment Names VP, Sales & Marketing

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Dan Anderson

Dan Anderson


Black River Entertainment has named Dan Anderson as VP, Sales & Marketing. In his new role, Anderson will oversee all aspects of marketing, sales and new media for Black River Entertainment.
“I first met Dan nearly 20 years ago and was impressed with him then,” states Black River Entertainment General Manager Greg McCarn. “Dan’s diverse background both on the label and management side make him uniquely qualified for his new role at Black River. I’m excited to work along side of him as we continue to grow this company.”
“I’m looking forward to working with Greg, Gordon Kerr and the team at Black River Entertainment,” says Anderson. “Being a part of a label, and entertainment company, that reflects a forward thinking model of the business is an exciting prospect.”
The Nashville native and Belmont alumnus most recently spent four years in artist management at Red Light Entertainment. Previously, he served more than 10 years at what is now Sony Nashville, where he rose to the rank of Director of Artist Development & Marketing. He also spent five years working with Moress Nanas Entertainment.
Anderson will be based in Nashville, working out of Black River Entertainment’s Music Row offices, and may reached via e-mail at [email protected] and by phone at 615-780-3079.

LifeNotes: Cole Swindell's Father Passes

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cole swindell11

Cole Swindell


[Update, 3:30 p.m., Sept. 4, 2013]

In lieu of flowers the family is asking for donations to be sent to:
Morgans Chapel UMC
c/o The Building Fund
3308 Shellman Bluff Road, NE
Townsend, Ga. 31331
Phone: 912-832-2772
Cards can be sent directly to Redlight Management at:
40 Music Sq. W.
Nashville, TN 37203

[Previous Story, 9:35 a.m., Sept. 3, 2013]
MusicRow sends its condolences to singer-songwriter Cole Swindell and his family. The singer’s father, William Keith Swindell, 64, died unexpectedly over the Labor Day weekend.
“Lost the greatest man I’ve ever known today,” Swindell shared via Twitter Monday night (Sept. 2), “the kind of Dad that made this world a better place. He always did everything he could to make mine better … doesn’t seem real. Hard to understand. Please keep my family in your prayers. Thanks for all the love, msgs, & support already.”
Swindell also shared a photo of the singer as a child, looking on as his father played guitar.
Georgia native Swindell is slated to open shows for Luke Bryan‘s Dirt Road Diaries Tour this fall. Swindell recently inked a label deal with Warner Bros. Records after his single, “Chillin’ It,” sold more than 100,000 copies without the aid of a label.

Brett Eldredge To Launch Headlining Club Tour in October

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Brett-EldredeBrett Eldredge, who recently celebrated his first No. 1 hit single, “Don’t Ya,” is gearing up for his first-ever headlining club tour. The Bring You Back Fall 2013 Tour commences in October and includes an already sold-out hometown show at Joe’s Bar in Chicago on Oct. 5. Eldredge released his debut album, Bring You Back, in August.
The Bring You Back Fall 2013 Tour will make 20 stops, 14 announced now, including major cities Austin, Boston, Chicago, Jacksonville, Fla., Milwaukee and Washington D.C. Eldredge has previously opened for Taylor Swift, Dierks Bentley and Miranda Lambert, and will be opening the final leg of Keith Urban‘s Light The Fuse Tour 2014 in January.
Brett Eldredge “Bring You Back” Fall 2013 Tour:
Oct. 3 Oxford, Ohio – Brick Street Bar
Oct. 4 Milwaukee – The Rave II
Oct. 5 Chicago – Joe’s Bar
Oct. 10 Davie, Fla. – The Round Up
Oct. 11 Jacksonville, Fla. – Mavericks
Oct. 12 Bradenton, Fla. – JoyLand and Nightclub IV
Oct. 17 Chattanooga, Tenn. – Track 29
Oct. 25 Boston – Paradise Rock Club
Oct. 30 St. Louis Park, Minn. – Toby Keith’s I Love This Bar & Grill
Oct. 31 Lincoln, Neb. – Single Barrel
Nov. 16 Decatur, Ala. – Herb’s Music Hall
Nov. 22 Austin, Texas – Midnight Rodeo
Nov. 30 Washington, D.C. – 9:30 Club
Dec. 7 Springfield, Ill. – Boondocks

Weekly Register: Alabama & Friends

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alabama & friends1Alabama & Friends is the top Country album debuting this week, landing at No. 2 on the Country albums chart, (No. 8 overall) and selling 32k units. The release from Show Dog-Universal Music features Jason Aldean, Luke Bryan, Kenny Chesney, Eli Young Band, Florida Georgia Line, Jamey Johnson, Toby Keith, Rascal Flatts and Trisha Yearwood covering Alabama‘s most memorable and biggest hits of their career. The project also includes two new tunes from the Hall of Famers, including “All American,” which is at Country radio now and debuted last week on the MusicRow CountryBreakout Chart at No. 77.
In its third week, Luke Bryan‘s latest release Crash My Party sells another 92k albums (779 RTD) and sits at No. 1 on the Country sales chart and No. 2 on the Top Albums charts, right behind Avenged Sevenfold‘s Hail To The King (debuting with 159k units sold).
Other album debuts this week include Sundy Best Door Without A Screen (2k) and Due West Move Like That – EP (1k). Overall, album sales are down 5.9 percent over prior year while Country albums have a shortfall of 1.8 percent. Taking into account TEA (track equivalent albums; 10 tracks=1 album), Country albums are up .5 percent over last year while overall, all-genre albums are down 4.9 percent.
Bryan’s “That’s My Kind Of Night” sits in the top position of the Country tracks again this week with 112k sold this week (402k RTD). The top Country track debut this week is Cassadee Pope‘s “11” selling 21k units sitting at No. 19 (No. 72 overall). The top song on the overall tracks chart is Katy Perry’s single, “Roar,” selling 448k units in its third week (1.4 million RTD). Country tracks are up 6.6 percent over last year while overall, tracks are down 3.1 percent.

John Mayer Books Nashville Tour Date

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JohnMayer

Singer-songwriter John Mayer will perform at Nashville’s Bridgestone Arena on Wednesday, Dec. 4 in support of his new album Paradise Valley. The tour date is part of Mayer’s Born and Raised World Tour 2013.
Mayer will be joined by special guest, former American Idol winner Phillip Phillips. Tickets will go on sale Friday, Sept. 13 at 10 a.m. at ticketmaster.com.

Industry Ink (9-4-13)

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Pictured (L-R): G Major Management’s Samantha Thornton, Virginia Davis,Thomas Rhett’s wife Lauren Akins, Thomas Rhett, BMLG President/CEO Scott Borchetta, BMLG’s Kelly Rich,Nikki Burns, Allison Jones, Jake Basden and G Major Management’s Whitney Cheshier.(Courtesy of The Valory Music Co.)

Pictured (L-R): G Major Management’s Samantha Thornton, Virginia Davis,
Thomas Rhett’s wife Lauren Akins, Thomas Rhett, BMLG President/CEO Scott Borchetta, BMLG’s Kelly Rich, Nikki Burns, Allison Jones, Jake Basden and G Major Management’s Whitney Cheshier. Photo: The Valory Music Co.


Singer-songwriter Thomas Rhett stopped by the Valory Music Co. offices yesterday (Sept. 4), where Scott Borchetta and the Big Machine Label Group informed him that his current single, “It Goes Like This,” was certified gold by the RIAA for shipping more than 500,000 units to date. Rhett’s debut album, It Goes Like This, will release Oct. 29.

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Eric Beggs

Eric Beggs


Streamsound Records has added Eric Beggs and Stan Marczewski to the label’s promotion team. Beggs has spent over 20 years in the record industry working for Capitol Nashville, Epic Nashville, ShowDog Records, CBS Records, Liberty Records and Patriot Records.
Stan Marczewski

Stan Marczewski


Marczewski worked as Promotion Coordinator, then in managing licensing, sports marketing and sponsorships for Sony’s four imprints. He also worked with RLM/Mission Management with Little Big Town and Marty Stuart, among others.
Most recently, Beggs and Marczewski worked at Rodeowave Entertainment, representing Phil Vassar. Both start in their positions immediately.

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Mountain Man and BMI's David Preston

Pictured (L-R): Mountain Man and BMI’s David Preston.


Duck Dynasty’s Mountain Man recently visited the BMI Nashville offices to join the organization. Known to TV audiences as a slow-talking, radio talk show host and A/C repair man, Mountain Man has actually been in Nashville writing songs and working on music projects.

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(l-r): BMI’s Mark Mason, The Nashville Convention Center and Visitors Bureau’s Butch Spyridon, C3 Presents Ken Levitan and Charlie Jones

Pictured (L-R): BMI’s Mark Mason, The Nashville Convention Center and Visitors Bureau’s Butch Spyridon, C3 Presents Ken Levitan and Charlie Jones


BMI recently hosted an invitation-only reception at their Music Row headquarters to offer up a small preview of some of the tastes that will be featured at the upcoming first annual Music City Eats: Nashville Food, Wine & Spirits Festival. The evening featured bites from local barbecue restaurant The Peg Leg Porker and the Catbird Seat, as well as spirits from Deep Eddy. The festival’s grand tasting will be held Sept. 21 and 22 at Downtown’s Public Square Park.

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photo 9

Pictured: BMI’s Mark Mason and Brooke Ivey joined the Nashville-based Lonely Biscuits backstage after their set. Photo: Caitlin Meyer

BMI hosted a special 8 off 8th Back to School Spectacular Aug. 26 at Mercy Lounge in Nashville featuring eight up-and-coming bands: Lauren Rantala, The Get Togethers, Scale Model, The Lonely Biscuits, The Wans, Vinyl Thief, Staying for the Weekend, and Levi Ray. Pictured are BMI’s Mark Mason and Brooke Ivey who join the Nashville-based Lonely Biscuits backstage after their set.

Artist Updates (9-4-13)

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Kenny Chesney

Kenny Chesney


• Kenny Chesney will be featured in an upcoming CBS Sunday Morning profile on the singer’s “Spread The Love” fund for the Boston Marathon victims and his final weekend of the No Shoes Nation Tour, which marked his 10th and 11th sellouts of Foxboro’s Gillette Stadium. The crew joined Chesney on an emotional tour of Boston Medical Center, which partners with him for the Spread the Love Fund, and witnessed his meeting with several of the fund’s beneficiaries to hear their stories and share their courage and optimism.
Lucinda Williams

Lucinda Williams


• Lucinda Williams will close out this year’s Americana Festival Sept. 22  at 3rd and Lindsley with an intimate showcase of songs from her self-titled CD, which was first released 25 years ago. Invites were sent to registrants this week; a limited number of tickets will go on sale to the public. The performance is not a wristband showcase. More details about the show can be found at americanamusic.org.
Tyler Farr

Tyler Farr


 • Tyler Farr has been chosen as NRA Country‘s Artist of the Month. As part of the promotion, fans can register to win a Tyler Farr prize pack including: a “Redneck Crazy” ballcap, backpack, water bottle, and an autographed copy of his CD. Fans can also check out an exclusive behind the scenes video from Tyler Farr’s recent visit to the NRA headquarters. For more information, visit NRAcountry.com.
• Steven Tyler made a surprise appearance last night (Sept. 3) at Nashville’s Bluebird Cafe. He performed after and in-the-round featuring Mallary Hope, Phil Barton, Lindsey Lee and Marti Frederiksen (an Aerosmith collaborator). Tyler performed two songs–“Jaded” and “Dream On”–during the appearance.
Steven Tyler and Mallary Hope

Steven Tyler and Mallary Hope. Photo: George Uribe