CMA Music Festival Direct Visitor Spending Reaches $39.3 Million

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Zac Brown Band performs during CMA Music Festival in 2014. Photo: John Russell / CMA

The 2014 CMA Music Festival contributed a record-setting $39.3 million in direct visitor spending to the local community, according to the Nashville Convention and Visitors Corp. (NCVC). In 2001, the Festival generated $15.5 million in direct visitor spending; by 2013, the figure grew to $31.5 million.

“Since moving to downtown Nashville in 2001, CMA Music Festival has experienced amazing growth, which has benefited our city in numerous ways,” said Sarah Trahern, CMA Chief Executive Officer. “The Festival is a showcase for Music City that drives tourism, benefits music education, and generates a strong base of local revenue, with a significant impact on our community at large.”
The estimated number of room nights for festival attendees was 150,000 and the average length of the visit was 5.6 days, higher than 2013’s 5.2 day average.
Originally started as Fan Fair™ in 1972, the event has featured performances by every major star in the format. What began with 5,000 fans in the Municipal Auditorium has grown to a daily attendance of more than 80,000, with attendees from every state and two dozen foreign countries.
The numbers are based on CMA’s onsite/in-person surveying of 437 attendees over the four days.

CRS 2015 Registration Opens July 15

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crs 20151Registration for Country Radio Seminar 2015 will open Tuesday, July 15. CRS will offer a limited time $349 Summer Super Saver registration rate for CRS 2015, which is scheduled for Feb. 25-27, 2015.
The special rate will be available July 15, 2014 through Aug. 15, 2014, or to the first 349 registrants, whichever comes first. After the offer expires, an early bird rate of $399 will be offered.
A ticket to the annual New Faces of Country Music show is guaranteed to the first 349 registrants.

Industry Ink (7/7/14)

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Taylor Swift's RED Tour. Photo: Getty

Taylor Swift’s RED Tour. Photo: Getty


Taylor Swift has penned her thoughts on the future of the music industry in an essay, titled “For Taylor Swift, The Future of Music is a Love Story,” for the Wall Street Journal. Swift offered her thoughts on maintaining a decades-long artist-fan relationship, the value of music, and the progression–and, according to Swift, the fading-of music genres.
“Another theme I see fading into the gray is genre distinction,” Swift wrote. “These days, nothing great you hear on the radio seems to come from just one musical influence. The wild, unpredictable fun in making music today is that anything goes. Pop sounds like hip hop; country sounds like rock; rock sounds like soul; and folk sounds like country—and to me, that’s incredible progress.” For the full essay, visit wsj.com.

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Singer/songwriter Justin Wilson has signed with SESAC for representation. Wilson, who is signed with Magic Mustang Publishing, visited SESAC’s Music Row headquarters to make it official.

Pictured (L-R): SESAC’s Shannan Hatch, Wilson, Magic Mustang Publishing Juli Newton Griffith and SESAC’s Tim Fink. Photo: Peyton Hoge

Pictured (L-R): SESAC’s Shannan Hatch, Wilson, Magic Mustang Publishing Juli Newton Griffith and SESAC’s Tim Fink. Photo: Peyton Hoge

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Don Light

Don Light


Reminder: A memorial service for veteran music industry leader Don Light is scheduled for July 9 at 6:30 p.m. in the Ford Theater at the Country Music Hall of Fame. Participants in the service will include the Oak Ridge Boys, Bill Gaither, Vince Gill, the Goodman Revival, Marty Stuart, Peter Cooper and host Ray Stevens, as well as other special guests. Valet Parking will be available.
Light established the first Gospel Music booking agency, and discovered Jimmy Buffett, among numerous career accomplishments.

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Kraig Kitchin


Kraig Kitchin has been named as successor to retiring National Radio Hall of Fame chairman Brice DuMont. Kitchin, co-founder and former president/COO of Premiere Radio Networks, is co-president of Sound Mind Inc., which offers management services to radio, television and production organizations.

Derek Crownover And Team Join Dickinson Wright

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Derek Crownover

Derek Crownover


Attorneys Derek Crownover, Austen Adams and Cam Caldwell have joined Dickinson Wright to launch the firm’s Music Row office and lead its expanded Entertainment Law Practice Group. The location at 54 Music Square East, the former home of MCA Records, will complement Dickinson Wright’s offices in downtown Nashville.
Crownover joins as a Member and Practice Leader of the firm’s Entertainment Law practice. He is personal counsel to various tech, entertainment, media and sports franchise executives and athletes. He represents songwriters, artists, publishers and producers who have collectively sold more than 400 million records. Among his areas of practice are LLC funding, real estate acquisition and disposition, asset purchases, recording agreement negotiation, audits, employment counseling, tax matters, and wills and trusts.
Crownover has been recognized by Best Lawyers in America and Mid-South Super Lawyers. He is licensed in Tennessee and New York. He is active with the Copyright Society of the South and the T.J. Martell Foundation.
Austen Adams

Austen Adams


Austen Adams joins Dickinson Wright as Of Counsel. He represents and advises recording artists, songwriters, producers, artist managers, music publishers, technology companies, and other music industry professionals. Adams serves as an Adjunct Professor at Belmont University’s Mike Curb College of Entertainment and Music Business and was previously the Chair of the Entertainment and Sports Law Section of the Tennessee Bar Association.
Robert Cameron “Cam” Caldwell joins Dickinson Wright as Of Counsel. He represents and counsels a wide array of clients, ranging from artists and songwriters to consumer product manufacturers and entertainment-related businesses. He has experience in employment law, Fair Labor Standards Act, alternative dispute resolution, and litigation. Caldwell is knowledgeable about the Federal Middle District Court of Tennessee and has served on the Executive Council of the Entertainment and Sports Law Section of the Tennessee Bar Association.
Cam Caldwell

Cam Caldwell


Marie Gurgel joins as a senior paralegal in the Entertainment Law Practice Group but will also continue her work in the Corporate and Wills and Trusts Practice Group. Charity Asher joins as a legal assistant.
“We are excited to welcome Derek, Austen and Cam and their comprehensive approach to client service in the media, technology, and entertainment industries,” said Dickinson Wright CEO William T. Burgess. “Their leading position in these fields provides an important expansion to our practice offerings as we continue to grow in Nashville and our other offices across North America.”
“This move is not only great chemistry-wise, it’s very strategic because it will allow us to be more effective in our clients’ business growth on a global scale. We have always worked as ‘primary care physicians’ of sorts assisting with LLC funding deals, real estate transactions, asset purchase agreements, recording agreements, audits, employment agreements as well as tax and wills and trusts matters,” said Crownover. “All of that will continue but we will now be able to have more coverage, handle increased business volume, and be more active in client strategies as they grow.”

Jeff Skaggs Joins Creative Nation

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Jeff Skaggs

Jeff Skaggs


Creative Nation has hired Jeff Skaggs to lead the creative department and to oversee the company’s songwriter roster, which includes Luke Laird, Barry Dean, Native Run and Maggie Chapman.
Skaggs most recently served as creative director at Kobalt Music Group, and launched his publishing career at Mighty Isis Music in 2005.
“Jeff is a respected creative executive that will be a great addition to Creative Nation,” says Beth Laird, Co-Owner and General Manager of Creative Nation. “His relationships and passion for music are undeniable and make him a great fit for our company. We are excited to have him join the team!”
More additions to the team include Annalia Alba, Kristen Pellegrino and Sarah Lai. Alba, a former Creative Nation intern, has moved into a graphic design role. Lai (of publicity company SLPR) will oversee publicity and marketing for the company, while Pellegrino will focus on digital marketing.

Music Industry Day Welcomes Musicians to Experience NAMM

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NAMM opens its doors to musicians, songwriters, and sound and staging professionals on Music Industry Day, Saturday, July 19 from 10 a.m.-4 p.m. at Nashville’s Music City Center.

This day offers an opportunity to demo new gear from hundreds of brands, attend workshops, check out live music, and network with music industry leaders at an exclusive, trade-only NAMM event. These workshops will guide musicians on topics ranging from marketing to navigating endorsement deals. The day also includes a session on building the ultimate pedalboard setup.
Songwriting workshops will feature Clay Mills, co-founder of the songwriter support group SongTown USA. GRAMMY-nominated songwriter of the year Thornton Cline will lead a panel titled Hit Songwriting: Secrets of the Pros. The Women’s International Music Network presents the She Rocks Showcase In The Round, highlighting female artists performing their own original music.
Five-time Emmy-winning actor and recording artist Jonathan Jackson and Nashville-native singer-songwriter Greg Bates will play acoustic sets in the afternoon. Rounding out Music Industry Day is a ukulele circle and drum circle. A full schedule of Music Industry Day events can be found online. 

Tickets are available online for advance purchase for $10, $20 at the door.

Nielsen Releases 2014 Mid-Year Sales Report

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NielsenNielsen SoundScan and Nielsen BDS recently revealed the 2014 mid-year U.S. music sales airplay and streaming data for the six-month period of December 30, 2013 through June 29, 2014. Nielsen SoundScan measures U.S. point-of-sale of recorded music product, while Nielsen BDS tracks U.S. radio airplay and music streams.
For the first six months of 2014, album sales were down 14.9 percent (selling 120.9 million units), vs. the first six months of 2013, when 142 million units were sold. Meanwhile, vinyl album sales were up 40.4 percent and overall on-demand streaming services were up 42 percent, with on-demand audio up 50.1 percent and on-demand video up 35.2 percent.
Eric Church and Luke Bryan were among the top ten selling albums for 2014 year-to-date. Church lands at No. 3, with Outsiders selling 642,000 YTD. Bryan’s Crash My Party has sold 455,000 units YTD, both for the week ending June 29, 2014. The Frozen soundtrack topped the chart with 2,696,000 copies sold, followed by Beyonce‘s Beyonce at No. 2 with 702,000 units sold YTD.
When Track Equivalent Albums are also included in the YTD tally, Church’s Outsiders lands at No. 6 YTD, with 755,000 in sales, while Bryan’s Crash My Party lands at No. 7 with 746,000 units sold. Florida Georgia Line lands at No. 10 YTD with 712,000 in sales of Here’s To The Good Times. The Frozen soundtrack also tops this chart with a total of 3,379,000 in sales.
Nashville resident Jack White‘s Lazaretto takes the top spot in the 2014 YTD Top 10 Selling Vinyl albums. Lazaretto sold 491,000 units, followed by Arctic Monkeys‘ AM at No. 2, with 251,000 units sold.
Pharrell Williams’ “Happy” is the year’s most played song. See the full report here Nielsen Music 2014 Mid-Year US Release.

We’ve Been Flocked!

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riser birdsDierks Bentley’s flock of Riser Birds landed at the MusicRow offices to raise funds for Vanderbilt Children’s Hospital. Next we will “Flock It Forward.”
Through Aug. 12, Nashvillians within a certain radius of downtown can support the cause by making a donation and flocking their own yard or someone else’s yard with Riser Birds.
The Riser Bird Movement is helping promote his upcoming Miles and Music For Kids event, which also benefits the hospital.
Visit dierks.com/riserbirdmovement for information about flocking, to buy flocking insurance, or get details about Miles & Music on Sept. 28 in Nashville.
The Riser Bird, the logo from his current album Riser, represents the importance of rising above life’s challenges.
riser bird movement

Merle Haggard, Loretta Lynn To Play Ryman Auditorium

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Merle Haggard


Two Country music legends will be performing at the Ryman Auditorium this year. Merle Haggard and Loretta Lynn have both announced dates for stops at the iconic venue.
Haggard will be touring throughout the summer with his renowned band, The Strangers, and will play a two-night set next month at the Ryman. The shows are scheduled for Monday, Aug. 25 and Tuesday, Aug. 26, both starting at 7:30 p.m. Tickets for both shows will go on sale this Friday, July 11 at 10 a.m.
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Loretta Lynn


Lynn will also play back-to-back nights this October, with tickets on sale now. The Country Music and Songwriter’s Hall of Fame member will play at the Ryman Auditorium on Friday, Oct. 10 and Saturday, Oct. 11, with both shows scheduled to start at 8 p.m. Tickets are on sale now.
For information on these shows or to purchase tickets, visit ryman.com.

Artist Updates (7/7/14)

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Craig Morgan

Craig Morgan


Craig Morgan has returned to the Outdoor Channel for another season of his hit television show, Craig Morgan: All Access Outdoors. The fifth season premiered Sunday, July 6 at 11 p.m. EST/8 p.m. PST.
On June 30, the Black River Entertainment artist released the single, “We’ll Come Back Around,” penned by Brandy Clark, Jessie Jo Dillon and Trevor Rosen.

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Lady Antebellum


Lady Antebellum is among the artists featured in Samsung Telecommunication America’s first commercial for Milk Music powered by Slacker. The streaming service is free and without ads, offering Samsung users a way to discover and enjoy music. The Country trio’s “Long Stretch of Love” will be included alongside songs from John Legend, Iggy Azalea with Charli XCX, Cold War Kids, and others.

Milk Music is available now exclusively for Galaxy consumers as well as Samsung’s latest tablets. The service is ad-free for a limited time.
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whoawoman11Country singer Sarah Darling, a current contestant on ABC’s Rising Star, is the cover girl for WHOAwomen Magazine’s July issue. Darling opened up about how her faith in Christ shapes her life and career. She also discussed her French pastry side business and her new boot line with Durango Footwear.

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danny gokeyDanny Gokey‘s recently released sophomore album, Hope In Front of Me, debuted at No. 1 on the Billboard Christian charts and at N0. 40 on the all-genre Billboard chart.
To celebrate the release, Gokey gave a live-stream performance of all new songs from Hope In Front of Me last week, and offered a preview of the title track’s music video.

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Lyndsey Highlander celebrated yet another week at No. 1 on CMT Pure’s 12 Pack Countdown last week. This is the seventh week Highlander has landed on the countdown and her fourth week at No. 1.

Pictured (L-R): Keith Reagan (Director), Alex Kramer,Top- Rick Patin, Jake Gammon, Chelsea Dartez (C2 Media Relations), Carly Caramanna (C2 Media Relations)Bottom- Jason Nacvo (white tie), Lyndsey Highlander, Kenneth Duncan (co-writer), Brian Smith

Pictured here: Keith Reagan (Director), Alex Kramer, Rick Patin, Jake Gammon, Chelsea Dartez (C2 Media Relations), Carly Caramanna (C2 Media Relations), Jason Nacvo, Lyndsey Highlander, Kenneth Duncan (co-writer), Brian Smith and others