Industry Photos (4/28/14)

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Leadership Music recently hosted a quarterly Off the Record with special guest K. T. Oslin, who was interviewed by Leadership Music alum Robert K. Oermann. The sold-out event was a joint lunch-and-learn between Leadership Music and SOURCE.

Pictured (L-R): Oermann, Oslin, surprise guest Lynn Anderson, former RCA Label Chairman Joe Galante, LM Executive Director Debbie Linn and Stan Moress, Oslin’s long-time manager. Photo: Deb Varallo

Pictured (L-R): Oermann, Oslin, surprise guest Lynn Anderson, former RCA Label Chairman Joe Galante, LM Executive Director Debbie Linn and Stan Moress, Oslin’s long-time manager. Photo: Deb Varallo

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Alan Jackson headlined the first day of the 27th annual Merlefest. The Country star performed songs from his project The Bluegrass Album, which spent more than four months atop Billboard‘s Bluegrass Album Sales chart.
Jackson’s backing band included several top-notch bluegrass musicians, including Scott Coney (acoustic guitar), Sammy Shelor (banjo), Tim Crouch (fiddle), Tim Dishman (bass), Rob Ickes (dobro) and Ronnie Bowman and Don Rigsby (vocals) – all of whom played on The Bluegrass Album – along with Sierra Hull (mandolin).

MerleFest close up 4-24-14111

Alan Jackson performs at MerleFest.

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For the second year, CMT Edge and BMI co-hosted an event as part of the Nashville Film Festival. Top music supervisors from across the country were treated to acoustic performances in the round by Ashley Monroe, Amanda Shires, Marc Scibilia and Steve McMorran of Satellite at the CMT studios.

Pictured (L-R): Craig Shelburne, CMT.com senior editor; Penny Everhard, BMI associate director of writer/publisher relations; Marc Scibilia; Amanda Shires; Martin Clayton, CMT.com vice president; Steve McMorran (Satellite); Ashley Monroe; Jody Williams, BMI vice president of writer/publisher relations; Leslie Fram, CMT senior vice president of music strategy

Pictured (L-R): Craig Shelburne, CMT.com senior editor; Penny Everhard, BMI associate director of writer/publisher relations; Marc Scibilia; Amanda Shires; Martin Clayton, CMT.com vice president; Steve McMorran (Satellite); Ashley Monroe; Jody Williams, BMI vice president of writer/publisher relations; Leslie Fram, CMT senior vice president of music strategy.

 • • •

 Singer, songwriter and producer David Fanning stopped by Nashville’s BMI offices to celebrate his debut single, “Drink You Away.” Fanning is best-known for his work with Thompson Square and Parmalee as part of the production group New Voice.

Pictured (L-R): Rough Hollow Entertainment’s Doug Nichols, Red Bow Records artist David Fanning, BMI's David Preston, Penny Everhard and Clay Bradley, and Rough Hollow Entertainment’s Chris Alderman. Photo: Drew Maynard

Pictured (L-R): Rough Hollow Entertainment’s Doug Nichols, Red Bow Records artist David Fanning, BMI’s David Preston, Penny Everhard and Clay Bradley, and Rough Hollow Entertainment’s Chris Alderman. Photo: Drew Maynard

Billy Block Fundraiser 'Play One For Billy' Slated For May 4

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play one for billy1Yep Nashville, Crush Music and I.R.S. Records Nashville have teamed to create Play One For Billy, a musical tribute and fundraiser for Billy Block, who was recently diagnosed with Stage 4 cancer. Play One For Billy will take place Sunday, May 4 at The Listening Room (located at 217 2nd Ave. S. from 5 pm. until 8 p.m.
“Billy has been a friend of all of ours and to every up and coming artist in this community for the past 20 years,” said John Grady, President of I.R.S. Records Nashville. “I would not even try and count how many young, aspiring artists he has given a stage to perform. He has constantly found time to give back to this community, now is our chance to help a friend in need.”
Organizations already supporting the cause include BMI, SunTrust Bank, City National Bank, Mailchimp, I.R.S. Records Nashville, Crush Music, Florida Georgia Line, HoriPro Entertainment Group, Razor & Tie Music Publishing, Curb Records and more. To donate, visit yepnashville.com and click on the “Play One For Billy” banner.
If you have artists who would like to perform during Play One For Billy, or have any questions about the event, please contact YEP board members Andrew Cohen – ([email protected]) and Marc Rucker ([email protected]).

Industry Ink (4/25/14)

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chrisyoungtour

Chris Young previews his new stage show.


Sony Music Nashville artist Chris Young invited a small group of industry friends to a sneak peak of his new stage show and production this week (April 23) during rehearsals at Bandit Lights in LaVergne, Tenn. The new stage includes a video wall, four elevating multi-light displays, a boardwalk and other surprises. Young flawlessly performed his many hits (and future hits) for the guests, as well as, a special acoustic performance of “Text Me Texas.” Young is gearing up for his headlining dates, in addition to the upcoming Dierks Bentley 2014 Riser Tour.

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axs ticketing1
AXS is set to stream the New Orleans Jazz & Heritage Festival presented by Shell through the AXS app. Fans who cannot make it to the festival to witness in-person performances from Jason Isbell, Anders Osborne, Galactic, Vampire Weekend and more can have the festival experience brought directly to them.
AXS will live-stream performances from three bands on Saturday, April 26 and Sunday, April 27, for a total of six free live mobile performances. The AXS app is available in the iTunes App Store or on Google Play.

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moc1Musicians on Call will present Sunny Side Up: A Young Professional Networking Breakfast on April 30 at Bosco’s in Nashville. The breakfast will run from 7:30 – 9:30 a.m. at the Bosco’s 21st Ave. S. location. The event aims to raise awareness and funds for Musicians On Call (MOC), a nonprofit organization that brings live and recorded music to the bedside of patients.
Tickets are $25 and available at stayclassy.org.

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WMN, Game Day Presentation Bring Music To Sports Fans

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wmnWarner Music Nashville has teamed with Game Day Presentation to provide music packages for sports venues. The latest music package features a rain theme, including “Storm Warning” (Hunter Hayes), “I Hope It Rains” (Jana Kramer) and “I Love A Rainy Night” (Eddie Rabbit). Game Day Presentations offers music packages for professional and college sports venues.
Sports venues utilize music in many ways, including pre-game activities, during player introductions, during timeouts, to support promotions, post-game, during rain delays and more. Music videos and movie clips are also used to entertain fans.
A previous collaboration offered a music package featuring Cole Swindell‘s “Chillin’ It,” Brett Eldredge‘s “Don’t Ya” and Blake Shelton‘s “Boys ‘Round Here,” among other titles.
Additionally, WMN made artist artwork available to teams for inclusion in “Name That Tune” and other games used in college and professional pastimes.
“Teams across all leagues and in all sports are first and foremost in the entertainment business,” Danny Murphy. “The actual game is only part of the entertainment they deliver to fans. Music is at the forefront of the complete entertainment package, and we know many baseball games will be delayed by rain. It’s only logical that we work with teams to make sure they have the music they need to entertain their fans, music for when they are winning, losing or when it rains.”

Orbison Documentary to be Screened in Nashville and Los Angeles

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image003A documentary dedicated to Roy Orbison’s album Mystery Girl will screen at Nashville’s Belcourt Theatre on May 19, followed by a screening at Los Angeles’ Grammy Museum on May 20.
Mystery Girl: Unraveled was written and produced by Orbison’s sons Wesley, Alex and Roy, Jr. The film delivers a look inside the creation of the iconic album recorded by their father, Roy, 25 years after the original release. It will feature archived footage, special appearances and on-screen commentary from stars like Tom Petty, Bono, Jeff Lynne, and more. Orbison’s sons will attend the screenings in Los Angeles and Nashville for on-stage discussions of the film.
Both screenings are open to the public. For more information, visit thebelcourt.org or grammymuseum.org

'The Music of Nashville Season 2, Vol. 2' to Release May 6

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NAS_ART_ALBUM_S2V2_Cover_2014.3.21_FNL111Big Machine Records is set to release The Music of Nashville Season 2, Volume 2, which will release to all digital retailers Tuesday, May 6. While the standard version will include 11 tracks, a special deluxe version boasting 21 tracks (including four exclusive tracks) will be available exclusively at Target.
The recent airing of Nashville: On The Record boosted digital sales of previous The Music of Nashville installments, with all three previously released soundtracks climbing into the Top 15 on the iTunes Country chart. All original music is released by ABC Studios, Lionsgate and ABC Music Lounge in association with Big Machine Records.
Tracklistings:
DIGITAL STANDARD
1. He Ain’t Gonna Change/ Connie Britton, Hayden Panettiere (Al Anderson, Karyn Rochelle)
2. I Ain’t Leavin’ Without Your Love/ Sam Palladio, Chaley Rose, Jonathan Jackson (Justin Davis, Sarah Zimmermann, Cary Barlowe)
3. Believing/ Charles Esten, Lennon & Maisy (Emily Shackelton, Kate York, Tami Hinesh)
4. It’s On Tonight/ Will Chase, Chris Carmack, Charles Esten (Dustin Lynch, Brett Beavers, David Lee Murphy)
5. Lately/ Sam Palladio, Clare Bowen (Sarah Siskind, Sally Barris, Ashley Monroe)
6. Joy Parade/ Lennon & Maisy (Jill Andrews, Josh Leo)
7. It All Slows Down/ Aubrey Peeples (Karyn Rochelle, Sarah Siskind)
8. Is That Who I Am/ Chris Carmack (Aaron Benward, Shaun Shankel, Steve Moakler)
9. This Time/ Connie Britton (Allison Moorer, Jeffrey Steele)
10. Black Roses/ Clare Bowen (Lucy Schwartz)
11. Don’t Put Dirt On My Grave Just Yet/ Hayden Panettiere (Trent Dabbs, Caitlyn Smith)
TARGET
1. He Ain’t Gonna Change/ Connie Britton, Hayden Panettiere (Al Anderson, Karyn Rochelle)
2. I Ain’t Leavin’ Without Your Love/ Sam Palladio, Chaley Rose, Jonathan Jackson (Justin Davis, Sarah Zimmermann, Cary Barlowe)
3. Believing/ Charles Esten, Lennon & Maisy (Emily Shackelton, Kate York, Tami Hinesh)
4. Hurtin’ On Me/ Chris Carmack (Josh Osborne, Greg Bates, Shane McAnally)
5. Lately/ Sam Palladio, Clare Bowen ( Sarah Siskind, Sally Barris, Ashley Monroe)
6. Wrong For The Right Reasons/ Connie Britton (Rosi Golan, Natalie Hemby, Chris DeStefano)
7. Everything I’ll Ever Need/ Hayden Panettiere, Jonathan Jackson (Kate York, Dylan Altman)
8. Joy Parade/ Lennon & Maisy (Jill Andrews, Josh Leo)
9. Come Find Me/ Clare Bowen (Sarah Buxton, John Scott Sherill)
10. It’s On Tonight/ Will Chase, Chris Carmack, Charles Esten (Dustin Lynch, Brett Beavers, David Lee Murphy)
11. Hennessee/ Sam Palladio, Jonathan Jackson, Chaley Rose (Joel King, Ricky Young, Eli Wulfmeier, Taylor Burns, Chris Hennessee)
12. It All Slows Down/ Aubrey Peeples (Karyn Rochelle, Sarah Siskind)
13. Is That Who I Am/ Chris Carmack (Aaron Benward, Shaun Shankel, Steve Moakler)
14. This Time/ Connie Britton (Allison Moorer, Jeffrey Steele)
15. Black Roses/ Clare Bowen (Lucy Schwartz)
16. Don’t Put Dirt On My Grave Just Yet/ Hayden Panettiere (Trent Dabbs, Caitlyn Smith)
17. A Life That’s Good/ Connie Britton, Charles Esten, Lennon & Maisy (Sarah Siskind)
TARGET EXCLUSIVE TRACKS
18. Carry You Home/ Chaley Rose (Troy Verges, Caitlyn Smith, Gordie Sampson)
19. Then I Was Loved By You/ Chris Carmack (Kalisa Ewing, Casey Wood)
20. Falling/ Clare Bowen (Gareth Dunlop, Kim Richey)
21. Don’t Put Dirt On My Grave Just Yet (Orchestral Version)/ Hayden Panettiere (Trent Dabbs, Caitlyn Smith)

Eric Church Turns The Tables on Ticket Scalpers

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ericchurchEric Church has turned the tables on ticket scalpers for his upcoming concert at Minneapolis’ Target Center on Sept. 16. More than 14,000 tickets have been sold since Friday, and only a small number of tickets directly behind the stage remain.
However, that will change today (April 25) at 5 p.m. CDT. 902 tickets that have been identified as having been purchased by scalpers in violation of sales limits have been canceled, and will be put back into the system for sale at that time.
“A lot of acts just want to sell as many tickets as they can and they don’t care who they sell them to,” said Church.“I want my fans to be the ones who buy tickets to my shows, and I want scalpers to back off. I can’t stop ticket scalpers completely, but I can definitely make it harder for them.”
All ticket orders for Church’s “The Outsiders World Tour” will be scrutinized to combat scalping, helping Church fans to have the opportunity to attend the concert for the originally intended price.
Opening the tour on different dates throughout the first leg will be rising country music duo Brothers Osborne, critically acclaimed singer/songwriter Brandy Clark, or the hard rocking band Halestorm. For ticket dates and information, visit ericchurch.com.

Beats Becomes Top Downloaded iTunes Music App

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beatsmusic_logo_0After enabling listeners to purchase subscriptions to the service within the iOS application on Sunday (April 20), Beats Music has become the most downloaded app in the music category in iTunes, reports Billboard. As of Wednesday (April 23), Beats Music ranked higher than Pandora, Spotify, and SoundCloud.
On the Top Grossing Music apps list, Beats Music landed at No. 8, below Rhapsody, Slacker and Rdio.
Among all apps, Beats landed at No. 5 among free apps in the iTunes store.
The California-based company has partnered with AT&T to distribute 30-day and 90-day free trials of Beats Music to AT&T customers. The partnership gives listeners the ability to pay $9.99 per month, which involves a payment of 30 percent of the subscription fee to Apple.

Q1 Reports: Amazon, Pandora, SiriusXM

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siriusSiriusXM adds subscribers 
SiriusXM announced first quarter 2014 financial and operating results.
Net subscriber additions in the first quarter of 2014 were 266,799. The total paid subscriber base reached a record 25.8 million, up 6% from the prior year.
Revenue was $998 million, up 11% from the first quarter 2013 revenue of $897 million.
Adjusted net income was $121 million, a 46% increase over $83 million in last year’s first quarter.
• • •
amazon112310Big sales, small profit for Amazon
Amazon.com’s net sales increased 23% to $19.74 billion in the first quarter, compared with $16.07 billion in first quarter 2013.
Profit increased to $108 million in the first quarter, compared with $82 million in first quarter 2013.
Amazon introduced Fire TV, a tiny box that plugs into HDTVs for access to Netflix, Prime Instant Video, Hulu Plus, WatchESPN, Showtime Anytime, video rentals, and HBO Go by year-end. Video streams on Prime Instant Video nearly tripled year over year.
• • • •
pandora-logoDespite increased revenue, Pandora lands in the red
For the first quarter of 2014, Pandora’s total revenue was $194.3 million, a 69% year-over-year increase. Advertising revenue was $140.6 million, a 45% year-over-year increase, driven greatly by mobile advertising.
The company recorded a $28.9 million net loss, giving it another quarter in the red.
Total listener hours grew 12% to 4.80 billion for the first quarter of 2014, compared to 4.26 billion for the same period last year. Active listeners were 75.3 million at the end of March 2014, an increase of 8% from the same period last year.

Chesney's Blue Chair Bay Rum Launches Sampling Tour

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chesney1Blue Chair Bay Rum will be featured in a summer sampling tour. The Nowhere to Be But Here Tour will visit over 25 US cities from April through August. The tour launched April 24 in Dallas, and offers consumers of legal drinking age opportunities to experience the rums created by multi-platinum singer-songwriter Kenny Chesney.
Blue Chair Bay’s three premium rum flavors – White, Coconut and Coconut Spice – are mellowed in casks at one of the oldest, most storied distilleries in the Caribbean. Blue Chair Bay White Rum recently earned one of the industry’s highest honors: a four-star, Highly Recommended rating from leading spirits arbiter F. Paul Pacult.
“This tour is part ‘thank you’ to our great fans who made Blue Chair Bay Rum the fastest growing new company launch in the history of wine and spirits, and part ‘welcome’ to those ready to discover what made it so,” said Mark Montgomery, CEO of Fishbowl Sprits, parent company of Blue Chair Bay Rum. “With spring heating up and summer on the horizon, it’s about time to give people that toes-in-the-sand feeling our rums have a way of bringing on.”
Tour dates include (all dates and cities are subject to change):
April 24-26-Dallas/Ft Worth, TX
April 29-30-San Antonio/Austin, TX
May 1-3-Houston, TX
May 7-8-Tampa, FL
May 9-10-Orlando, FL
May 14-Destin/Panama City, FL
May 15-16-Pensacola, FL
May 16-17-Gulf Shores, FL
June 4-7-Nashville, TN
June 10-11-Champaign, IL
June 13-14-Chicago, IL
June 17-18-Angola/Ft. Wayne, IN
June 20-21-Indianapolis, IN
June 24-45-Buffalo/Rochester, NY
June 27-Syracuse, NY
June 28-Albany, NY
July 1-2-Boston, MA
July 3-5-Cape Cod, MA
July 8-9-Hoboken/Point Pleasant, NJ
July 11-12-Wildwood, NJ
July 15-16-Annapolis/Baltimore, MD
July 18-19-Ocean City, MD
August 5-7-Sacramento, CA
August 8-9-San Francisco, CA (at Outside Lands Festival)
August 12-13-Fresno, CA
August 15-17-San Diego, CA (at Tiki Fest)
And it gets better. Fans visiting sampling tour stops can enter for a chance to win a flyway trip to the first show on Chesney’s next tour along with picking up a variety of exclusive BCB swag.