Lifenotes: Hit Songwriter / Sideman X. Lincoln Passes

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candle lifenotes11Aries X. Lincoln, who made his mark as a touring band member and songwriter in Country music, has died of liver cancer at age 76.
He is perhaps best known as the co-writer of “Goin’ Down Hill” with John Anderson. In 1983, this top-10 hit was the follow-up single to Anderson’s signature song “Swingin.’”
Lincoln was born Billy Lee Tubb in San Antonio, TX. His family moved to Nashville, and he attended Donelson High School. He is the brother of hit country songwriter Glenn Douglas Tubb, the cousin of Grand Ole Opry star Justin Tubb and the nephew of Country Music Hall of Fame member Ernest Tubb.
After performing in the rockabilly act The Tubb Brothers and recording as “Ronny Wade” for King Records, he became a regular in Nashville nightspots such as Tootsie’s Orchid Lounge. He also recorded for Dot Records.
Lincoln toured as a sideman with Bob Luman, Roger Miller, Sheb Wooley, Hank Williams Jr., LeRoy Van Dyke, Sammi Smith, George Jones, Deborah Allen and others.
A bass player and guitarist, he joined the John Anderson Band in 1981 and remained with the group until 2000.
X. Lincoln, which was his legal billing, is survived by wife Connie, daughter Victoria Leigh Tubb, stepdaughter Lynda Joyce Kerney, grandsons Bryce Louis Planchard and Jesse Drew Planchard,  brother Glenn Douglas Tubb and sisters Betty Tubb Drozer, Loretta Tubb Jordan and Marietta Tubb Raiber, as well as numerous nieces, nephews and cousins.
A memorial jam session will be held at the AFM office, 11 Music Circle North, on Sunday, Oct. 13.

CRS Early Bird Rate Deadline Approaching

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CRS2014-Logo The 2014 Country Radio Seminar Early Bird rate deadline for registration is fast approaching. The early rate of $399 will expire Nov. 1.  After Nov. 1, registration for the annual event jumps to the regular rate of $499. Nov. 1 is also the last day stations can sign up to receive digital liners, a program introduced in 2010 to replace the on-site Artist Radio Taping Sessions.
The Country Radio Seminar Board and Agenda Committee gathered in Nashville last week to discuss ideas for the upcoming seminar.
“Plans are coming together to make this year’s event an unforgettable one and one you can not afford to miss,” said Country Radio Seminar Executive Director, Bill Mayne. “Ideas are flying in and the planning teams are building an incredible list of events and panels for the CRS 2014 attendees to enjoy.”
Those registering for CRS will receive a ticket to the annual New Faces Show until the event is sold out. The show has sold out in advance for the past three years. Country Radio Seminar 2014 will be held at the downtown Nashville Convention Center February 19-21, 2014. To register for the three-day event, please visit countryradioseminar.com.

Streamsound Records Relocates

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Streamsound Records executives and staff gather in front of their new offices. Pictured below L to R are: Steve Richardson (COO), Steve Pleshe (Regional), Mike Culotta (President), Eric Beggs (Regional), Mary McAllister (Office Coordinator), Tyler Waugh (Regional), Theresa Ford (Regional), Stan Marczewski (Regional), Cheri Cranford (Office Manager) and Byron Gallimore (CEO)

Pictured (L-R):  Steve Richardson (COO), Steve Pleshe (Regional), Mike Culotta (President), Eric Beggs (Regional), Mary McAllister (Office Coordinator), Tyler Waugh (Regional), Theresa Ford (Regional), Stan Marczewski (Regional), Cheri Cranford (Office Manager) and Byron Gallimore (CEO).


Streamsound Records has relocated to a new address in Brentwood, Tenn. The new building is located at 320 Southgate Court, Brentwood, TN 37027. In addition, Streamsound’s phone and fax numbers have changed and effective immediately, the office can be reached at 615-377-0495 (phone) and 615-377-0497 (fax). All staff email addresses stay the same.
Streamsound Records was launched in 2012 by Grammy award-winning producer, Byron Gallimore (Tim McGraw, Sugarland, Faith Hill) and Jim Wilkes. Artists on the roster include Dakota Bradley, Jaida Dreyer and Austin Webb. Streamsound principals are Tim McHugh and Wilkes (label co-chairs), Gallimore (CEO), and Steve Richardson (COO).
Independent music publishing company Red Vinyl Music will also operate out of the new building. Red Vinyl Music represents songwriters Dave and Julia Carlson, Ben Daniel, Ed Hill, Mark Irwin, Chris Janson, and Streamsound artists Bradley, Dreyer and Webb. Red Vinyl Music was established in 2010 under a partnership with Gallimore, Wilkes and McHugh.

ACM Reveals Ballot Timeline For 2014 ACM Awards

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acmA ballot timeline for membership voting for the upcoming 49th Annual ACM Awards this Spring has been announced. The timeline for professional members is as follows:
Nomination Round Ballot Opens – Wednesday, Dec. 4, 2013
Nomination Round Ballot Closes – Wednesday, Dec. 11, 2013
Second Round Ballot Opens – Monday, Jan. 13, 2014
Second Round Ballot Closes – Tuesday, Jan. 21, 2014
Final Round Ballot Opens – Monday, Mar. 10, 2014
Final Round Ballot Closes – Monday, Mar. 17, 2014
New membership applications must be completed by 5:00 PM CT on Friday, Oct. 25, 2013 for members to be eligible to vote during the 2014 Awards cycle, and existing membership renewals must be completed by 5:00 PM CT on Friday, Nov. 1, 2013 for members to be eligible to vote during the 2014 Awards cycle.
The 49th Annual ACM Awards will air live on Sunday, April 6 at 8 p.m. ET. on CBS.

Lifenotes: Musician, Author Barry McCloud Passes

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Barry McCloud

Barry McCloud


Barry McCloud, best known as the author of Definitive Country, has died at age 70.
McCloud died on Sept. 26. His book Definitive Country: The Ultimate Encyclopedia of Country Music and its Performers was first published in 1995 and remains one of the genre’s essential reference works. He was also a journalist, a photographer, a songwriter, a record producer and an educator. He taught at Belmont University.
McCloud was born and raised in England. He became a performer at age four. As a teenager, he took up the guitar and played in jazz, rock, folk and country bands.
In the 1960s, he operated the largest folk talent agency in the U.K. In the 1970s, he became a booking agent for such bands as Mungo Jerry, Humble Pie and Fleetwood Mac. During this same period, he became a popular disco DJ.
He also fronted the rockabilly band Barry McCloud and His Blue Tears. His British country band was called The Bounty Hunters. His singles have included “Lady Rodeo Rider” and “No Problem.”
McCloud began concentrating on songwriting in the 1980s. His collaborators have included Buddy Cannon, Fred Koller, Don Goodman, Jeff Tweel and Karen Taylor-Good.
He moved to Nashville in 1992. He has operated Barry McCloud Management & Productions for the past 17 years. His Blue Mountain Photography Studio has been in business for the past eight years. He formerly managed Nashville guitar great Muriel Anderson. As a journalist, he has written for Country Song Roundup, Tour Guide Journal and MusicRow. He has also written liner notes for Rhino Records, Varese Sarabande, Scotti Brothers and Readers Digest. He has produced records for the rock band Mr. Blister, bluegrass performer Jimmy Bowen, singer Kacie Edwards and folk artist Terry Duggins.
McCloud worked on his book for more than a decade before publishing it. His widow plans to publish his photographs of country-music celebrities in a coffee-table book.
At the 2008 International Country Music Conference at Belmont, Barry McCloud was presented with the Charlie Lamb Lifetime Achievement Award.
He was a member of the Nashville Association of Talent Directors, the Recording Academy, the International Entertainment Buyers Association and Meeting Professionals International.
Barry McCloud is survived by his wife Tricia Miller McCloud, sons Elliott Saville and Alex Saville, two grandchildren and two step grandchildren. Plans for a jam session in his memory are still being finalized.

First Performers Unveiled For 47th Annual CMA Awards

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Artwork for "The 47th Annual CMA Awards"Jason Aldean, Luke Bryan, Miranda Lambert, Little Big Town, Tim McGraw, Blake Shelton, Taylor Swift and Keith Urban are the first performers announced for the upcoming 47th Annual Country Music Association awards.
Aldean and Bryan have three nominations each, while Lambert is the reigning CMA Female Vocalist of the Year. Little Big Town is the reigning CMA Vocal Group of the Year and Blake Shelton is the reigning Male Vocalist of the Year. Swift has taken home the Entertainer of the Year trophy twice, while McGraw and Urban have both previously taken home CMA Entertainer of the Year honors.
Aldean is nominated this year for Entertainer and Male Vocalist of the Year, as well as Musical Event of the Year for “The Only Way I Know” with Bryan and Eric Church. Aldean is a two-time CMA Award winner with 13 career CMA Awards nominations.
Nominated this year for Entertainer and Male Vocalist of the Year, and Musical Event of the Year for “The Only Way I Know” with Aldean and Church, Bryan has seven career CMA Awards nominations. He was first nominated in 2010 for New Artist of the Year and has been a presence at the CMA Awards every year since. This marks his first nomination for the night’s highest honor, CMA Entertainer of the Year.
Lambert has three individual nominations (Female Vocalist of the Year, and Single and Music Video of the Year for “Mama’s Broken Heart”) and two with Pistol Annies (Music Video and Musical Event of the Year for “Boys ‘Round Here” with Shelton). Lambert is a six-time CMA winner with 25 career CMA Awards nominations.
Reigning CMA Vocal Group of the Year Little Big Town is nominated in that category again, as well as for Album of the Year for Tornado, and Music Video of the Year for the album’s title track. In addition to their win last year for Vocal Group of the Year, their song “Pontoon” was named Single of the Year.
McGraw has won 12 CMA trophies throughout his career, including two for Male Vocalist of the Year and one for Entertainer of the Year. He is a three-time nominee this year, with nods for Single, Musical Event, and Music Video of the Year for “Highway Don’t Care” with Swift and Urban. He has 33 career CMA Awards nominations.
Shelton finds himself tied with Lambert this year with five nominations, including Entertainer and Male Vocalist of the Year, Album of the Year for Based On A True Story, and Musical Event and Music Video of the Year for “Boys ‘Round Here” with Pistol Annies. Shelton has taken home the Male Vocalist of the Year trophy for the past three years (2010-2012), and is a six-time CMA Award winner.
Swift, a seven-time CMA Award winner, is a top nominee this year with six nominations, including Entertainer and Female Vocalist of the Year, Album of the Year for RED, and Single, Musical Event, and Music Video of the Year for “Highway Don’t Care” with McGraw and Urban, bringing her total career CMA Awards nominations to 21.
Male Vocalist of the Year nominee Urban is also nominated for Single, Musical Event, and Music Video of the Year for “Highway Don’t Care” with McGraw and Swift. Urban has been named Male Vocalist of the Year three times (2004-2006) and is a six-time CMA Award winner with 29 career CMA Awards nominations.
Hosted for the sixth consecutive year by Brad Paisley and Carrie Underwood, “The 47th Annual CMA Awards” will air live from the Bridgestone Arena in Nashville on Wednesday, Nov. 6 (8:00-11:00 PM/ET) on the ABC Television Network.

Name Change, Restructure For NARM and Digitalmusic.org

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MBA.stack_.logo_NARM (National Association of Recording Merchandisers) and its digital industry hub digitalmusic.org have changed their names to The Music Business Association to fully encompass everyone involved in music business commerce in the U.S., and reorganized the two entities into six industry sectors, with six new directors named to head the respective areas. The organization will continue to be headed by President Jim Donio, and the current team will remain headquartered in Marlton, NJ.
“The music industry has changed dramatically over the past decade, and NARM has been evolving along with those changes, bringing in more voices from the online and mobile industries with the creation of digitalmusic.org, as well as from other areas that were not traditionally associated with music retail,” said Donio. “More segments of the business than ever before now play an active role in the commerce side of the business, so the name ‘National Association of Recording Merchandisers’ no longer reflected everyone who can participate in the organization. ‘The Music Business Association’ makes it crystal clear – and for the first time in the organization’s history, the ‘M’ stands for music.”
The Music Business Association will be structured into several sectors designed to allow members to focus their activities and interests into areas relevant to their business functions and needs. The Digital Sector work group will be co-chaired by Christina Calio of Microsoft and Kevin Arnold of OpenAura, and will focus on seamless transition of the digitalmusic.org work groups business development, subscription, and digital marketing.
The Business Development work group will be helmed by Bill Wilson and Cindy Charles of Music Biz and will help spur on innovation in the field of digital music by reducing barriers to entry for startups, entrepreneurs and others interested in creating digital products and services around music.
The Digital Marketing work group will be co-chaired by Chuck Fishman of Acquia, and Lee Hammond of Universal, and will focus on coordinating the best practices for direct marketing and CRM for websites, such as tools, platforms, and strategic integrations that utilize the artists site as a hub for activity.
The Subscription Services work group will be chaired by Jack Isquith of Slacker and will focus on advocating the business of on-demand streaming and subscription services.
The Digital Supply Chain and Operations Work Group will be co-chaired by Chris Read of Sony DADC, and Shachar Oren of Neurotic Media, and will help streamline operations in the content supply chain and reporting process.
 The Digital Asset Management Work Group, co-chaired by Maureen Droney of the Recording Academy and Paul Jessop of County Analytics, will help coordinate and standardize all non-recorded music assets relevant to the digital music chain, including artist images, credits, liner notes, and more.
The Knowledge Sector work group will be co-chaired by Jim Donio and Nicole Hennessey of Music Biz and will encompass areas such as events, published material and research, funding, etc.
The current members of the Board of Directors will remain in place, and six new seats have been added. Four of those new directors come from the former NARM Music Industry Advisory Council members. They are:
Brad Navin, The Orchard
Darren Stupak, Sony Music Entertainment
Matt Signore, Warner Music Group
Jim Urie, Universal Music Group

Aristo Int'l Report: British Country Music Awards, Q&A with Heather Cochran Cunningham

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Click above to view the report.

View the report above.


The AristoMedia Group has released the October 2013 issue of its Aristo International Report. Highlights include:

  • The British Country Music Awards have been set for Nov. 24.
  • Terri Clark, Gord Bamford were big winners at the 2013 Canadian Country Music awards.
  • Aristo Q&A with Sister Cities Executive Director Heather Cochran Cunningham.
  • Australians make beautiful music at the 2013 Americana Music Festival and Conference.
  • Sounds Australia visits Nashville’s Bluebird Cafe.

AristoMedia has been issuing this quarterly review of global activities since 2008. Please click to view the newsletter online at aristomedia.com.

NaSHOF Names Executive Director

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Mark Ford

Mark Ford


The Nashville Songwriters Hall of Fame Foundation (NaSHOF) has appointed industry veteran Mark Ford to the newly created position of Executive Director. In his new role, Ford will oversee strategic planning, fund raising, education, operations and brand development for the non-profit.
“It’s been a remarkable year for the Nashville Songwriters Hall of Fame Foundation,” said Hall of Fame songwriter and NaSHOF Board Chair Pat Alger. “Following the celebration of the new Hall of Fame in the Music City Center, we are excited to welcome Mark as our organization’s first Executive Director. His long-standing personal relationship with our music community – and songwriters especially – coupled with his knowledge, experience and commitment to the Hall of Fame, make him the ideal person to lead us into the future.”
Prior to joining the Foundation, the South Carolina native spent 23 years at the Nashville Songwriters Association International (NSAI), most recently in the position of Associate Executive Director. During his time with NSAI, Ford worked closely with NaSHOF, directing the Foundation’s annual hall of fame induction dinner since 2001 and serving as that organization’s manager of affairs since 2004.
“I’m honored to represent this hall of fame and such an amazing group of songwriters,” said Ford. “The creative genius of these talented men and women has influenced American culture, added to the nation’s economy and launched countless careers – all while marking the most memorable moments of our lives. I look forward to working with Pat and the board to preserve and promote such a unique songwriting legacy.”

Songwriting Competition Deadline Extended

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isc11The International Songwriting Competition (ISC) has extended the deadline for entering songs until Nov. 4, 2013. ISC is open to amateur and professional songwriters; entries are accepted online through the ISC platform, Sonicbids, ReverbNation, Broadjam, or through mail.
Judges for this year’s ISC include Martina McBride, Josh Turner, Florida Georgia Line, Craig Morgan, Ketch Secor (Old Crow Medicine Show), Jeremy Camp, Michael W. Smith, Selena Gomez, Jimmy Needham, Matt Thiessen (Relient K), Imagine Dragons, Darryl McDaniels (Run DMC), Dido, Garbage, James Cotton, Keane, Robert Smith (The Cure), Bruce Hornsby, Tom Waits, Nas, Joshua Redman, Gerald Casale (Devo), John Mayall, Black Francis (The Pixies), Chayanne, Jason Isbell, Jon Secada, Anoushka Shankar and others.
ISC gives away a total of more than $150,000 in cash and prizes (including $25,000 cash for the Grand Prize winner alone), and gives songwriters opportunities in 22 different categories, including Adult Album Alternative (AAA), Adult Contemporary (AC), Americana, Blues, Children’s Music, Comedy/Novelty, Country, Dance/Electronica, Folk/Singer-Songwriter, Gospel/Christian, Instrumental, Jazz, Latin Music, Lyrics Only, Music Video, Pop/Top 40, Performance, R&B/Hip-Hop, Rock, Teen, Unsigned Only, and World Music.
Entry information can be found at songwritingcompetition.com.