Industry Ink: Copyright Society of the South, Team WEA, CMA

The Copyright Society of the South recently hosted its 18th annual Copyright Year in Review luncheon featuring the Associate Professor of Music & Entertainment Industry Studies University at Colorado, Stan Soocher, J.D.
Soocher spoke to a standing room-only membership about cases including: Lady Gaga winning summary judgment in defending against the song, ‘Juda’; a case where there was no substantial similarity between a plaintiff’s rap song and Usher’s R&B song in Edwards v. Raymond, 13 Civ. 7985; and discussing the distinct acts of infringement at issue in a copyright suit over card game rights.

Pictured (L-R, front row): Denise Stevens, Treasurer of CSOS; Stan Soocher, Karl Braun, CSOS board member (back row) – John Barker, Chairman of CSOS, Jill Napier, Vice Chairman of CSOS, Kele Currier, Secretary of CSOS.  Photo:  Kathryn Graham

Pictured (L-R, front row): Denise Stevens, Treasurer of CSOS; Stan Soocher, Karl Braun, CSOS board member (back row) – John Barker, Chairman of CSOS, Jill Napier, Vice Chairman of CSOS, Kele Currier, Secretary of CSOS. Photo: Kathryn Graham

 • • •

Blake Nixon

Blake Nixon


Team WEA has welcomed Blake Nixon as the team’s new Promotion coordinator. The Brentwood, Tenn., native is a Belmont University graduate, and previously served as an account representative for three years with Word Entertainment.
His prior experience also includes event promotion for WSM radio and interning for UMG’s radio promotion team. He replaces Stephanie Holzer, was was recently promoted to the role of Southwest Regional Manager.

                                                        • • •

Zach and Colton Swon of The Swon Brothers recently visited the Country Music Association to entertain the staff.

Pictured (L-R): Brandi Simms (Senior Director of Membership and Balloting), Sarah Trahern (Chief Executive Officer), Zach Swon, Colton Swon (The Swon Brothers) and Greg Hill (CEO of Hill Entertainment Group), Brenden Oliver, Membership and Balloting Coordinator and Carrie Tekautz, Membership and Balloting Assistant.

Pictured (L-R): Brandi Simms (Senior Director of Membership and Balloting), Sarah Trahern (Chief Executive Officer), Zach Swon, Colton Swon (The Swon Brothers) and Greg Hill (CEO of Hill Entertainment Group), Brenden Oliver, Membership and Balloting Coordinator and Carrie Tekautz, Membership and Balloting Assistant.

Positions Eliminated at Show Dog Nashville

sduAs previously announced, Show Dog Nashville is restructuring its exclusive worldwide agreement with Universal Music Group Nashville resulting in a closer relationship between the two companies.
UMGN will provide A&R, creative, finance, marketing and sales services to the independent label. Show Dog will maintain a full radio promotion team and Toby Keith will remain Principal of the company. Show Dog Pres. Mark Wright is exiting the company.
As a result of this new relationship, a number of employees will not be transitioning to the new entity. Show Dog would like to acknowledge and thank the staff who have been an important part of building the company over the years.
The following positions have been eliminated due to the restructuring and these employees are seeking their next opportunities.
Cliff Audretch
Senior Director, A&R
cliffaudretch11@gmail.com
615.406.0920
Bill Kennedy
VP Sales, Marketing and Digital
billk8@gmail.com
615.473.1959
Sloane Cavitt Logue
Director, Digital
sloanecavitt@gmail.com
615.717.5671
Carie Long
Senior Director, A&R Operations
carielong.music@gmail.com
615.419.1061
Natalie Moore
Director, Artist Development and Creative Services
natalie.mooremusic@gmail.com
615.828.7991
Macy Morganthaler
Regional Director, Promotion and Marketing
Macy.morgenthaler@gmail.com
P.J. Olsen
Director, Research & Information Systems
peejolsen@comcast.net
615.243.0130
Jordon Petty
A&R Coordinator
Jordonpetty90@gmail.com
615.891.9863

Live Nation Introduces New Texas Performance Venue

Rendering of the DFW Pavilion

Rendering of The Pavilion at The Music Factory


Live Nation has signed on to exclusively own, operate, book and promote The Pavilion at The Music Factory, a new entertainment venue in Irving, Texas. Slated to open in 2016, The Music Factory will be an all-in-one dining and entertainment destination. The Pavilion will feature the flexibility to convert from a 4,000-seat indoor theater to an 8,000 capacity open-air pavilion. The live entertainment space is slated to hold approximately 250+ events annually.
The Music Factory will include 50,0o0 square feet of plaza space. In its first phase, the project will offer 250,000 square feet of entertainment, retail, and restaurant space, including a movie theater, bowling alley, comedy club, and 20+ restaurant options. THe site is servicd by DART Orange Line, which has five stations, and transports more than 2,000 daily riders.  The Las Colinas Area Personal Transit System (APT) will have a station on-site, allowing easy access to and from the business center of Las Colinas.
The site is 20 minutes from downtown Dallas, and seven minutes from DFW airport.
Rendering of the DFW Pavilion at The Music Factory

Rendering of The Pavilion at The Music Factory


Rendering of The Music Facotry

Rendering of The Music Factory

Benefit News: Ways To Spread Holiday Cheer

bluebird cafe 2014The Bluebird Cafe is hosting benefit shows this month for NSAI, Best Buddies and Crossroads Campus.
Tonight, Dec. 9, 6 p.m.— Legislative fundraiser for NSAI featuring hit songwriters Luke Laird, Natalie Hemby, Barry Dean and Steve & Maggie. $15.
Dec. 9, 9 p.m.—Show hosted by duo Striking Matches to benefit Best Buddies, which creates opportunities for people with special needs. $20.
Dec. 17, 9 p.m.—The Bluebird Café’s annual Holiday Bash will feature Jay Patten, Toni Sehulster, Ric Lonnow and a host of others. It will benefit Crossroads Campus, which connects people in need with animals in need. $20.
Details and reservations at www.bluebirdcafe.com.
• • •
Cumulus Nashville is hosting a toy drive for the Salvation Army today, Dec. 9, 6 a.m. – 7 p.m. The 7th annual Toy Field will be at the east side of LP Field, between Gates 1 and 2. This holiday season, the Salvation Army Forgotten Angel Program will reach over 9,000 children and elderly.
• • •
Nashville’s The Little Pantry That Could is in the running for Walmart’s Food Pantry Holiday Makeover, which will award 75 food pantries each a $20,000 prize. The organization, which is supported by music industry leaders including CMT’s Leslie Fram and husband Lanny West of Tipping Point Entertainment, needs online votes to secure the money. Votes can be cast daily through Dec. 12 at walmart.com/holidaymakeover.
• • •
The Band of Merrymakers has released debut single “Must Be Christmas” with a portion of proceeds to benefit MusiCares Foundation. The Band of Merrymakers is the brainchild of hit songwriters Sam Hollander and Kevin Griffin, and is comprised of a rotating cast of members of Lady Antebellum, Neon Trees, Fitz and The Tantrums, 311, Better Than Ezra, 3OH!3, Smallpools, The Mowglis, Sinclair, and The Honeymoons. 

Ralph Stanley Pairs with Cracker Barrel for Duets Album

Ralph-Stanley-Cracker-BarrelThree-time Grammy winner and International Bluegrass Hall of Honor inductee Dr. Ralph Stanley has announced an exclusive Cracker Barrel release, Ralph Stanley & Friends: Man of Constant Sorrow.
Produced by duet partners Buddy Miller and Jim Lauderdale, the album features additional duets with Dierks Bentley, Elvis Costello, Del McCoury, Old Crow Medicine Show, Robert Plant, Ricky Skaggs, Nathan Stanley, Josh Turner, Gillian Welch & David Rawlings, and Lee Ann Womack. Stanley also performs two solo songs (full listing below).
The 13-track collection will be available for $11.99 on Jan. 19 at the Old Country Store, online at crackerbarrel.com and select digital retailers.
Track Listing for Ralph Stanley & Friends: Man of Constant Sorrow:
1)   “We Shall Rise” with Josh Turner
2)   “I Only Exist” with Dierks Bentley
3)   “Sweethearts in Heaven” with Ricky Skaggs
4)   “Rank Stranger” with Nathan Stanley
5)   “I Am the Man, Thomas” with Buddy Miller & Jim Lauderdale
6)   “White Dove” with Lee Ann Womack
7)   “Red Wicked Wine” with Elvis Costello
8)   “Pig in a Pen” with Gillian Welch & David Rawlings
9)   “Two Coats” with Robert Plant
10) “Brand New Tennessee Waltz” with Del McCoury
11) “Short Life of Trouble” with Old Crow Medicine Show
12) “Hills of Home”
13) “Man of Constant Sorrow”

Briggs Joins U.S. Bank's Private Client Reserve in Nashville

John Briggs

John Briggs


U.S. Bank has added John Briggs as a wealth management consultant and entertainment industry specialist for The Private Client Reserve in Nashville. Briggs is responsible for developing relationships with clients in the entertainment industry, and for assembling a team of wealth management professionals to deliver customized wealth management solutions.
Briggs previously spent 25 years at ASCAP, where he worked his way into a vice president role. John has spent his career assisting clients by evaluating entertainment industry-related businesses opportunities and creating high-net-worth networking alliances. He is a founding and current board member of the Integrity Foundation, and a new board member of Help the Good Guys. He serves on the Advisory Board of Pantheon Park and the Nashville Legal Aid Society.
“We are thrilled that John has chosen to join our team in the Entertainment & Pro-Sports Group. While John brings with him a vast network of industry professionals, he also brings an extensive 25-year history of managing domestic and international royalty collections across all genres of music, television and film.  That deep industry knowledge will be very valuable to both our team, as well as our new and existing clients,” said J. Steven Cook, regional market leader for The Private Client Reserve.

SRO Award Winners Presented By CMA

Photo: John Russell

Photo: John Russell


The CMA presented its touring industry honors, SRO Awards, at Marathon Music Works in Nashville last night (Dec. 8). Kix Brooks hosted the affair, which featured 15 categories voted by CMA members.
2014 SRO Award Winners of the Year
Business Manager of the Year: Duane Clark (Flood, Bumstead, McCready & McCarthy)
Coach/Truck Driver: Ron Easley (Jason Aldean)
Front of House Engineer: Jeff Parsons (Blake Shelton)
Lighting Director: Steve Richards (Taylor Swift)
Manager: Kerri Edwards (Red Light Management)
Tour Manager: Kevin Canady (Blake Shelton)
Monitor Engineer: Brad Baisley (Blake Shelton)
Production Manager: Todd Ortmeier (Miranda Lambert)
Publicist: Mary Hilliard Harrington (The GreenRoom)
Talent Agent: Rob Beckham (WME)
Talent Buyer/Promoter: Brian O’Connell (Live Nation)
Tour Caterer: Dega Catering
Touring Musician: John Thomasson [bass] (Little Big Town)
Venue: Ryman Auditorium (Nashville, Tenn.)
Tour Video Director: Scott Scovill (Moo TV)

Allison Moorer To Release eOne Nashville Album

ImageProxyAllison Moorer is set to release her eOne Nashville debut, Down To Believing, on March 17, 2015. Produced by Kenny Greenberg, the album was recorded over two years in Nashville while Moorer commuted back and forth from her New York City home.
This will be Moorer’s eighth studio album since her debut in 1998 with Alabama Song. The recording for Down To Believing began in January 2012, the same month her son was diagnosed with autism. The song “Mama Let The Wolf In” is her response to the diagnosis.
Moorer is an Academy and Grammy Award nominee and has had her songs appear on records by Miranda Lambert, Steve Earle and more.
In support of the album, Moorer will be performing new songs during the 30A Songwriters Festival in South Walton, Fla., next month. She will also be at the Celtic Connections Festival in Scotland, as well as performing upcoming tour dates with Mary Gauthier.
Tour Dates with Mary Gauthier:
March 19- Vienna, Va., Jammin Java
March 20- Princeton, N.J., Folk Society
March 21- Wilmington, Del., World Café Live
March 22- Cambridge, Mass., Passims
March 24- Portland, Me., One Longfellow Square
March 25- Fairfield, Conn., FTC Stage One
March 26- Buffalo, N.Y., 189 Public House
March 27- Albany, N.Y., Sawyer Theatre

Honorees Announced for 7th Annual T.J. Martell Foundation Honors Gala

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Steve and Judy Turner, Ken Levitan, Billy Ray and Bill Hearn, Becca Stevens, and Jeffrey Balser have been named as the 2015 honorees for the 7th annual T.J. Martell Foundation Honors Gala. The celebration will be held March 30 at the Omni in Nashville. The gala begins at 5:30 p.m. with a cocktail reception and premiere silent auction, followed by a dinner at 7:00 p.m., the awards presentation, musical performances, and a live auction.
Steve and Judy Turner will be honored with the Spirit of Nashville award; Dr. Jeffrey Balser, the Medical Research Advancement award; Bill and Billy Ray Hearn, the Frances Preston Lifetime Music Industry Achievement award; Ken Levitan, the Tony Martell Outstanding Entertainment Achievement Award, and Becca Stevens, the Lifetime Humanitarian award.
Co-chairs for the 2015 event are Ree Buchanan, George Anderson, and Danielle Bouharoun.
The gala has netted over $2 million since 2009. Ticket, table and sponsorship information can be found at tjmartell.org. Table sponsorships range from $11,500 to $100,000. Individual tickets are $1000.
nashville honors galaThe Honorees:
Steve Turner is a former chairman and chief executive officer of FNB Financial Corporation and founder of MarketStreet Equities Company, and investment firm with diversified holdings and active in community banking. Steve and wife Judy moved to Nashville in 1986.
Judy Turner previously served on the Metropolitan Nashville Historic Commission for 12 years. The Kiwanis Club named Steve and Judy Turner “Nashvillians of the Year” in 2001, and in 2012 they received the Jeannie R. Hastings Vision Award. The Turners are involved with Vanderbilt University (Steve is a member of the Board of Trust), the Nashville Symphony Association, Nashville Library Foundation, Nashville Public Television, Senior Citizen’s Fifty Forward Award, Nashville Convention & Visitors Bureau, Cumberland Region Tomorrow, the Leadership Nashville Foundation, the Nashville Area Chamber of Commerce and others. Steve is the chairman of the Country Music Foundation and has led the $100 million expansion of the Country Music Hall of Fame and Museum.
Jeffrey Balser is the Dean of the School of Medicine at Vanderbilt University. He also serves as the Vice Chancellor of Health Affairs, overseeing all health-related programs. He currently sits on the board of the Institute of Medicine of the National Academy of Sciences.
Bill Hearn, president and CEO of Capitol Christian Music Group, oversees a leader in the Christian/Gospel music industry. After assuming the role of CEO of Sparrow Records from his father in 1996, Hearn worked to secure that Gospel music was recognized through Soundscan, which, at the time, did not record Christian retail sales. He also initiated the successful WOW multi-artist compilation series.
Billy Ray Hearn formed Sparrow Records in 1976 in California, and went on to produce or executive produce more than 2 million selling and Grammy Award-winning projects. He sold his label to EMI Music in 1992. Hearn is a member of the Gospel Music Hall of Fame and the recipient of the Lifetime Achievement Award from the Gospel Music Association. He is active in various charitable endeavors including the Nashville Symphony, Baylor University, the American Cancer Society, T.J. Martell, and the Easter Seals. He also chairs his own Sparrow Foundation.
As founder and co-president of Vector Management, Ken Levitan has guided the careers of Kings of Leon, The Fray, Hank Williams, Jr., Emmylou Harris, Meat Loaf, and others. After graduating from Vanderbilt University and earning a law degree from University of Dayton, he returned to Nashville and co-founded Vector Recordings. He serves on the boards of the Country Music Hall of Fame, Country Music Association, Nashville Convention & Visitors Bureau, and the Music City Council.
Becca Stevens is an author and founder of Nashville-based Thistle Farms and Magdalene. Stevens is an Episcopal priest at St. Augustine’s Chapel on Vanderbilt University’s campus. She attended University of the South and the Vanderbilt Divinity School. She is married to singer-songwriter Marcus Hummon. Since founding Thistle Farms in 2001, Stevens and graduates of the program have raised more than $15 million for supported organizations. Stevens recently released her 7th book, The Way of Tea and Justice: Rescuing the World’s Favorite Beverage from its Violent History.
In 2011, Stevens was named a Champion of Change by the White House. She has been inducted into the Tennessee Women’s Hall of Fame and Tennessean of the Year and Social Entrepreneur of the Year. She was recently conferred an honorary doctorate by the University of the South and is the youngest and first female recipient of their Distinguished Alumnus award.

SOLID Announces Board Members for 2015

Pictured (L-R): 2015 SOLID Officers Eric Wright, Berkley Myers, Brian O’Neil and Kent Wolfenbarger. Photo: Lauren Robertson

Pictured (L-R): 2015 SOLID Officers Eric Wright, Berkley Myers, Brian O’Neil and Kent Wolfenbarger.
Photo: Lauren Robertson


Music industry organization The Society of Leaders in Development (SOLID) has announced its board members for 2015.
2015 SOLID Board members:
President: Brian O’Neil, Iconic Entertainment
Vice President: Kent Wolfenbarger, Law Office of David Wykof
Treasurer: Berkley Myers, APA
Secretary: Eric Wright, SESAC
Education Chair: Stefany Reed, Aloompa, LLC
Education Co-Chair: Jenny Smith, NAXOS
Communications Chair: John Huelsman, Big Enterprises
Communications Co-Chair: Cassandra Lavoro, Sony/ATV
Social Chair: Jaime Sarrantonio, The Agency Coalition
Social Co-Chair: Ryan Slone, New Frontier Touring
Community Outreach Chair: Emma Tur, Warner Music Group
Community Outreach Co-Chair: Basak Kizilisik, Morris Higham Management
University Outreach Chair: Jeff Hoehne, Nashville Symphony
University Outreach Co-Chair: Rachel Cunningham, The Collective
In 2014, SOLID raised $46,158 for charities including Big Brothers Big Sisters of Middle Tennessee, St. Jude Children’s Hospital and the Muscular Dystrophy Association, with special funding donated to SOLID alumni Ryan Huie’s MusiCares Fund and Matt Rizor’s RizeUp Fund. SOLID also collected 2.5 tons worth of food for Second Harvest Food Bank of 2014.
SOLID recently named Tim Gray of Grayscale Entertainment its 2014 Member of the Year.