Black River Releases Breakout EP By Kelsea Ballerini

Kelsea-Ballerini-EP-CoverBlack River Entertainment songwriter and recording artist Kelsea Ballerini has digitally released her self-titled EP today (Monday, Nov. 24).
Ballerini, recently named one of CMT’s Next Women of Country, contributed writing credits on all five tracks included on the project, co-produced by Forest Glen Whitehead and Jason Massey.
The acoustic music video for the Knoxville, Tenn.-native’s debut single, “Love Me Like You Mean It,” is featured in CMT’s Artist Discovery campaign and is now playing on CMT Pure. The radio single is climbing the charts, landing at No. 44 on this week’s MusicRow Chart.
“I remember seeing the women that CMT chose last year for Next Women of Country and thinking, ‘I hope one day I can be part of a similar group because it’s such an exciting time for women in country music,’” said Ballerini.
Kelsea Ballerini EP Track Listing:
1. “Love Me Like You Mean It” (Ballerini, Whitehead, Kerr, Carpenter)
2. “Yeah Boy” (Ballerini, Whitehead, Timmer)
3. “The First Time” (Ballerini)
4. “Dibs” (Ballerini, Kerr, Griffin, Duke)
5. “Lookin’ At Stars” (Ballerini, Whitehead, Stepakoff)

Dallas Smith Releases 'Lifted' EP With Big Loud Mountain

DS_COVER_LIFTEDCountry rocker Dallas Smith is bringing new music to his fans today (Nov. 24) with the release of his EP Lifted (Big Loud Mountain). The seven-track project is now available at digital retailers.
MusicRow Magazine’s Robert K. Oermann recently penned a glowing review for the EP’s “Wastin’ Gas”: “The churning production is terrifically exciting. Luckily, he’s got the vocal chops to keep up with it, and the driving song has hooks aplenty.”
Smith teamed up again with producer Joey Moi (Florida Georgia Line, Jake Owen) for the EP, who also produced his award-winning Canadian country debut, Jumped Right In.
Fresh off from performing on Florida Georgia Line’s “This Is How We Cruise” aboard the Norwegian Pearl, Smith, who previously fronted the successful international rock band Default, will embark next year on his headline TIPPIN’ POINT 2015 Tour across Canada featuring special guests Charlie Worsham and Sundy Best. Previously Smith was direct support for music legend Bob Seger.
LIFTED TRACK LISTING
1.) “Wastin’ Gas” (Adam Craig/Matt Dragstrem/Jon Nite)
2.) “Cheap Seats” (Sarah Buxton/Jesse Frasure/Tina Parol)
3.) “Lifted” (Jaren Johnston/Zac Maloy/Jeremy Stover)
4.) “Heat Rises” (Rodney Clawson/Ross Copperman/Jaren Johnston)
5.) “Thinkin’ Bout You” (Rhett Akins/Ashley Gorley/Jimmy Robbins)
6.) “Just Say When” (Rodney Clawson/Ross Copperman/Ben Hayslip)
7.) “Tippin’ Point” (Live) (Tyler Hubbard/Jaren Johnston/Brian Kelley)

Griggs, O'Neal, and Herndon Announce Tour

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Pictured (L-R): Andy Griggs, Jamie O’Neal, Ty Herndon


Country Music stars Andy Griggs, Jamie O’Neal, and Ty Herndon have announced an upcoming tour that will feature all three of their distinctive styles. Although the three artists have respect for each other, they certainly recognize their differences.
“We all blend together about like Tupac, Bill Monroe and Joan Rivers but somehow it works on stage,” Griggs says. “But when we’re not singing our hearts out together it’s the most awkward, misplaced, dysfunctional, hilarious carnival that has ever been displayed!”
Griggs, O’Neal, and Herndon have combined over 40 chart singles on the Billboard Country Singles chart and millions of records sold.
The trio will perform at Charlie Daniels & Friends Christmas for Kids Concert tonight (Nov. 24) at Ryman Auditorium in Nashville.
Official tour dates and cities will be announced soon.

Shelby Kennedy On How TuneCore Can Level The Playing Field

Shelby Kennedy

Shelby Kennedy


Shelby Kennedy has traversed many segments of the music industry during his career, including stints as a songwriter and publisher, time at performing rights organizations BMI and ASCAP, as well as four years as director of the now-defunct Lyric Street Records. Now his priority is reaching out to the Nashville music industry as the local representative for music services company TuneCore.
Brooklyn-based TuneCore began as a distribution company, and now also offers music publishing, mastering tracks, CD duplication, social media services, monetizing YouTube and Facebook for artists, and distributing music to more than 80 digital stores, including iTunes, Google Play and Spotify. TuneCore also aids artists in getting songs placed in television shows, films and commercials. “We are trying to figure out the services that help someone be as autonomous as they choose to be or have to be,” says Kennedy. “I’m trying to be a liaison to find out what things we need to include, in order to meet the needs of artists, managers and other clients.”
TuneCore’s service model seems to be working. It has more than 1 million registered users, and a team of approximately 50 employees.
What drew you to TuneCore?
There’s not many entities in the digital music space that make you feel warm and fuzzy. I thought, “What artists are not here who need instant presence, acceptance and outreach in their first 30 minutes?,” because that’s what TuneCore would provide. And with TuneCore, I felt this is a solution for what is going on in the industry right now.
As an artist, you can choose the stores you want to be in, the territories you want to be in. It gives artists a lot of choice and a lot of control. They aren’t losing any of their rights, and they aren’t losing any of their sales revenue. That’s a no-brainer for me.
How is the TuneCore model different?
Most distribution companies participate in the artist’s revenue by taking a percentage of it. TuneCore is a subscription model, so you can pay a small fee and have the music out to all the digital outlets around the world. You renew the subscription every year. We don’t take a penny of the sales revenue. None. So if someone’s selling thousands of units, it’s the same at TuneCore as if they sold tens of units. It’s not about riding the backs of the artists and labels. To me, that’s awesome. TuneCore’s mission statement is to provide equal access that’s an affordable price to the channels of music distribution.
If you do a single it’s $9.99 for a single song. Next year, when you renew it’s the same price. As soon as you don’t renew, the songs come out of the stores—Spotify, iTunes, all of them. If it were an album, it would be $29.99. Every year, it’s $50 to keep it there. But every penny of revenue goes to the artist.
Who else is using TuneCore?
Publishers are starting to use this and that’s what I’m having fun with. Publishers are starting to realize it’s a tool to develop and break new acts. Exhibit A would be Logan Mize and Big Yellow Dog. They sold around 80,000 of the single and Arista now snagged him. AristoMedia uses it, and management company Red Light is going to do a couple of things. It’s like everybody’s empowered now to not sit and wait for somebody to pick him or her to come play in the superdome, if you will. Everybody is in the stadium. They can play the game.
How does TuneCore help level the playing field for aspiring artists?
Some of the biggest acts that we have in the industry, every label passed on them with the exception of one. That’s how it’s gone, and as we’ve consolidated down to a few labels, those labels are not there to be the one. They rely more on very predictable artists. I’m thinking that’s where TuneCore can help. There’s so much talent that doesn’t get into the “predictables” category. That’s the stuff that really changes our industry, and we need to figure out what gets these artists launched. That’s purpose for our industry as a whole.
We know music is the creative part of the industry, but we’ve entered the time where the business part has to be just as creative as the music. If you’ve got a toolbox, the process of choosing the right mix of tools to use is extremely creative, but I want all the tools I can possibly get, just to have the choice to use the ones I want to use.
What is your biggest challenge?
The biggest challenge is that digital space is static. People don’t know what TuneCore does, versus a Grooveshark or Songza or other tech spaces. So right now for me, awareness is job number one.

Industry Ink: SunTrust, Little Extra Music, MTSU Songwriters Series

(L-R): SunTrust Music Bankers, Front row: Michael Ribas and Blake Zanoni; Back row: Peter Erickson, Dusty Miller, Woody Hartman, Earle Simmons, Harry Chapman (Belmont University), Andrew Kintz, Mark Ford, Bryan Bolton

(L-R): SunTrust Music Bankers, Front row: Michael Ribas and Blake Zanoni; Back row: Peter Erickson, Dusty Miller, Woody Hartman, Earle Simmons, Harry Chapman (Belmont University), Andrew Kintz, Mark Ford, Bryan Bolton


SunTrust Music Bankers swore off shaving in November and presented a check for $10,000 to Harry Chapman of Belmont University on Friday, Nov. 21. These funds are significant because they will endow The Brian Williams Scholarship, allowing it to support a Belmont Music Business student for the first time since the Scholarship was created.
Brian Williams

Brian Williams


The industry lost Brian Williams tragically in 2006. This month on Nov. 14, the SunTrust team opened a Crowdrise campaign for the Belmont Scholarship in his name. SunTrust Music Managing Director, Andrew Kintz, said, “We have been overwhelmed by the generosity on Music Row and beyond for this cause. Even teammates in North Carolina and Georgia who Brian hired stopped shaving! So many artists and people in our industry love Brian and want to honor his legacy. This is truly a gift from the entire music industry to Belmont, just as Brian is still such a gift to us – for the Division and culture he created, and the countless people he has helped.”
The campaign continues to accept donations here.

• • •
Little Extra Music has signed singer/songwriter Kelsey Anna to her first worldwide publishing agreement.
“The first time I heard Kelsey sing, I was totally mesmerized,” said company president Lisa Ramsey-Perkins. “For such a young and beautiful girl, there is so much soul, a little pain and a lot of living felt in everything she writes. Very rarely do you come across a unique talent like her. I’m thrilled that she’s a part of the Little Extra Music family, and I can’t wait to share her music with all of you!”

The Florida panhandle native has played nearly 150 shows a year along the Gulf Coast, and in 2011, she was named Northwest Florida’s Regional X-Factor winner. She won Best Original Song for her composition “Poison,” and took home Best Female Vocalist at the Beachcomber Music Awards. She later moved to Nashville to pursue as career as a singer/songwriter.

Pictured (Seated): Kelsey Anna; (Standing, L-R): Denise Stevens, Loeb & Loeb; Lisa Ramsey-Perkins, Little Extra Music; Denise Nichols, The Primacy Firm

Pictured (Seated): Kelsey Anna; (Standing, L-R): Denise Stevens, Loeb & Loeb; Lisa Ramsey-Perkins, Little Extra Music; Denise Nichols, The Primacy Firm

 • • •

Eric-Paslay Eric Paslay and songwriter Dylan Altman are among the performers taking part in the upcoming Middle Tennessee State University (MTSU) Songwriters Series. The event will take place Sunday, Dec. 7 at The Listening Room in Nashville. The show begins at 6:30 p.m., and tickets are $10 online (available at listeningroomcafe.com) or $15 at the door.
Opening the show are MTSU Songwriting majors Kyle Crownover, Nick Carpenter, Collin Baxter, and others.

Country Winners at the 2014 American Music Awards

Caroline and Luke Bryan on the AMA red carpet. Photo: AMA

Caroline and Luke Bryan on the AMA red carpet. Photo: AMA

The American Music Awards were broadcast live last night (Nov. 23) on ABC from the NOKIA Theatre L.A. Live. Luke Bryan, Carrie Underwood, Florida Georgia Line and Brantley Gilbert were among the winners.

Fans voted for the awards online and via Twitter.

The 2014 American Music Awards® are produced by dick clark productions. Allen Shapiro and Mike Mahan are Executive Producers. Larry Klein, Barry Adelman and Mark Bracco are Producers.

Favorite Male Artist – Country
Jason Aldean
Luke Bryan
Blake Shelton

Favorite Female Artist – Country
Miranda Lambert
Kacey Musgraves
Carrie Underwood 

Favorite Band, Duo Or Group – Country
Eli Young Band
Florida Georgia Line
Lady Antebellum

Favorite Album – Country
Garth Brooks, Blame It On My Roots
Eric Church, The Outsiders
Brantley Gilbert, Just As I Am

Favorite Artist – Contemporary Inspirational
Casting Crowns
Hillsong United
Newsboys

Taylor Swift accepts at the AMA Awards.

Taylor Swift accepts at the AMA Awards.

Artist Of The Year
Iggy Azalea
Beyonce
Luke Bryan
Eminem
Imagine Dragons
John Legend
Lorde
One Direction
Katy Perry
Pharrell Williams

New Artist Of The Year Presented By Kohl’s
5 Seconds Of Summer
Iggy Azalea
Bastille
Sam Smith
Meghan Trainor

Single Of The Year
Iggy Azalea Featuring Charli Xcx – “Fancy”
John Legend – “All Of Me”
Magic! – “Rude”
Katy Perry Featuring Juicy J – “Dark Horse”
Pharrell Williams – “Happy”

Dick Clark Award Of Excellence
Taylor Swift

Favorite Male Artist – Pop/Rock
John Legend
Sam Smith
Pharrell Williams

Favorite Female Artist – Pop/Rock
Iggy Azalea
Lorde
Katy Perry

Favorite Band, Duo Or Group – Pop/Rock
Imagine Dragons
One Direction
Onerepublic

Favorite Album – Pop/Rock
Lorde, Pure Heroine
One Direction, Midnight Memories
Katy Perry, Prism

Favorite Artist – Rap/Hip-Hop
Iggy Azalea
Drake
Eminem

Favorite Album – Rap/Hip-Hop
Iggy Azalea, The New Classic
Drake, Nothing Was The Same
Eminem, The Marshall Mathers LP 2

See complete winners list.

CMA Songwriters Series To Tape Four TV Events

New CMA Songwriters Series logoFour all-new CMA Songwriters Series episodes will tape at Nashville’s Marathon Music Works on Dec. 1 and 2 (two each day), set to air as part of “Front and Center’s” Spring season on public television (check local listings).
Sara Evans and Martina McBride will take the stage on Monday, Dec. 1 (6:30 PM/CT), followed by a performance by Hunter Hayes (9:30 PM/CT). Little Big Town will open the performances on Tuesday, Dec. 2 (6:30 PM/CT), followed by Bob DiPiero and Friends: Brandy Clark, Shane McAnally, and Charlie Worsham (9:30 PM/CT).
“CMA is extremely proud of our songwriters and their many contributions to the success of Country Music,” said Sarah Trahern, CMA Chief Executive Officer. “And we are thrilled to partner with ‘Front and Center’ again to shine a national spotlight on this important segment of our industry. It’s great knowing that we have a partner who truly appreciates the talent of Nashville’s creative community.”
“The reaction that we received as a result of our partnership with the CMA, and subsequently from the shows that we aired with Lady Antebellum and Dierks Bentley, was overwhelming,” said “Front and Center” Executive Producer Don Maggi. “The acceptance that ’Front and Center’ has received from the Nashville music community, and its fans, left no question that we should do even more for the forthcoming Spring season.”
Citi cardmembers currently have access to purchase tickets to these shows through its Private Pass program.
“Front and Center” launched in the spring of 2012 as an original one hour, commercial-free, all-music series, airing nationwide on public television, distributed by American Public Television. Last season “Front and Center” announced its partnership with CMA and taped two shows: Lady Antebellum and a special 10th Anniversary Celebration of the CMA Songwriters Series with Dierks Bentley. The episodes premiered last month as part of The 48th Annual CMA Awards celebration and will continue to air through the end of the year.
All episodes are directed by Pierre and François Lamoureux of FogoLabs.

Rhett Akins Celebrates Award-Winning Year With Nashville Party

2014 BMI Writer of the Year Rhett Akins, along with family, friends and industry members, gathered in Nashville Tuesday evening (Nov. 18) to celebrate the songwriter’s award-winning year. Sony/ATV’s Troy Tomlinson told the crowd he was not only proud to work with such a talented songwriter, but better yet such an overwhelmingly well-liked person in the Nashville music community
Artists attending included Chase Rice, Tyler Farr, Cole Swindell, Chris Young, and more. Some of the top tier writers in attendance included Luke Laird, Craig Wiseman, Bobby Pinson, Jeremy Stover, Lee Miller, Jim Beavers and Chris Janson.

Pictured (L-R): Pam Akins (Mom), Akins, Thomas Rhett (son), with wife Lauren

Pictured (L-R): Pam Akins (Mom), Akins, Thomas Rhett (son), with wife Lauren


Pictured (L-R): Sony/ATV’s Tom Luteran, Chris DeStefano, Akins, Rhett, Chase Rice, SATV’s Josh Van Valkenburg

Pictured (L-R): Sony/ATV’s Tom Luteran, Chris DeStefano, Akins, Rhett, Chase Rice, SATV’s Josh Van Valkenburg


Akins looks at his plaque

Akins looks at his plaque


The Sony/ATV team led by Troy Tomlinson celebrate with Akins

The Sony/ATV team led by Troy Tomlinson celebrate with Akins


Pictured (L-R): SATV’s Terry Wakefield, Rhett Akins, Cole Swindell.

Pictured (L-R): SATV’s Terry Wakefield, Rhett Akins, Cole Swindell.

Meghan Trainor Scores Again With New Single

MeghanTrainorListeners have spoken. It’s another hit for Meghan Trainor.
Trainor’s official video of her new single, “Lips Are Movin,” went live this Wednesday (Nov. 19) and has already reached an impressive 2.5 million views in the first 48 hours. And with its lyric video already grabbing 8 million views since Oct. 21, Trainor’s follow-up release to her smash No. 1 hit,  “All About That Bass,” has cemented her with another bonafide hit.
Written by Trainor and Kevin Kadish, the song was released to radio on Oct. 21, 2014 through Epic Records, and has already jumped to No. 38 on the Billboard Hot 100. The song is from Trainor’s upcoming album, Title, slated for a Jan. 13, 2015 release.
Click here for video.

Artist Updates: Tracy Lawrence, Miranda Lambert, Oak Ridge Boys

Tracy Lawrence

Tracy Lawrence


Tracy Lawrence is set to again host his annual “Mission Possible” Turkey Fry, benefiting the Nashville Rescue Mission. This year’s turkey fry will take place Tuesday, Nov. 25 from 8 p.m. until 5 p.m. in Nashville Rescue Mission’s parking lot, located at 639 Lafayette Street in Nashville.  The event is free and open to the public.
Launched in 2006, turkey fry has brought in close to 8,000 turkeys and provided more than 50,000 meals.

 • • •

Miranda Lambert helped raise nearly $66,000 for her animal rescue operation, the MuttNation Foundation, recently by auctioning off items including a customized Ram Laramie Longhorn truck, which went for $54,901. Other items, which brought in nearly $11,000, included signed copies of Lambert’s Platinum CD, signed guitars and tickets to one of Miranda Lambert’s concerts in 2015, including a pre-show cocktail with her.
The auction is just one step in an ongoing relationship between Lambert and Ram Trucks that will continue to grow in 2015.

MIranda Lambert with the Ram truck that was auctioned off.

MIranda Lambert with the Ram truck that was auctioned off.

 • • •

oak ridge boys111

Oak Ridge Boys


The Oak Ridge Boys will launch the 25th year of their annual holiday tour, Christmas Night Out Tour, tonight (Friday, Nov. 21) at the Golden Nugget in Biloxi, Miss. The tour will visit 23 cities in 11 states. The show features 40 minutes of classic Oak Ridge Boys hits and a 75-minute Christmas show. For more information, visit oakridgeboys.com.