$39M Settlement To Indiana Stage Collapse Victims

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The Indiana State Fair stage collapse.

The Indiana State Fair stage collapse.


Country duo Sugarland, concert promoter Live Nation and 16 additional defendants have reportedly reached a settlement with victims of a stage collapse during the band’s performance at the Indiana State Fair in 2011. The collapse killed seven and injured nearly 100.
Thirty-nine million dollars will be paid out based on the severity of injury. Each defendant’s financial contributions are confidential.
A previous $11 million settlement was made with the state, with some plaintiffs refusing to accept. Attorney Kenneth J. Allen confirmed this latest mediation involves all victims, however one defendant, ESG Security, is not included and may eventually go to trial. The lawsuits against all other defendants were dismissed Friday, Dec. 19, Allen confirmed to Tammy Webber of the AP.
Since the collapse, two investigations reported the rigging did not meet industry safety standards and fair officials did not have a proper emergency plan. As a result of the findings, new regulations have been made and relatively minimal fines were issued, the largest of the first investigation was $63,000.

"Lost In Transaction" Panel Held At Ocean Way Studios in Nashville

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L-R: Shannon Sanders, Nashville P&E Wing Committee Co-Chair; panelist Joe D’Ambrosio, talent management company head; Julian King, Nashville P&E Wing Committee Co-Chair; panelist and attorney Elizabeth Gregory; panelist Jay Frank, entrepreneur and author and Owner/CEO of DigSin; moderator Dan Daley; and Jeff Balding, President of The Recording Academy's Nashville Chapter Board of Governors. Photo courtesy of The Recording Academy.

Pictured (L-R): Shannon Sanders, Nashville P&E Wing Committee Co-Chair; panelist Joe D’Ambrosio, talent management company head; Julian King, Nashville P&E Wing Committee Co-Chair; panelist and attorney Elizabeth Gregory; panelist Jay Frank, entrepreneur and author and Owner/CEO of DigSin; moderator Dan Daley; and Jeff Balding, President of The Recording Academy’s Nashville Chapter Board of Governors. Photo courtesy of The Recording Academy.


The Producers & Engineers Wing of The Recording Academy, in conjunction with The Recording Academy Nashville Chapter, recently hosted “Lost In Transaction” at Ocean Way Studios in Nashville on Wednesday, Dec. 3, 2014. The panel included Attorney Elizabeth Gregory, Entrepreneur and author Jay Frank, and Joe D’Ambrosio, head of the talent management company Joe D’Ambrosio Management, Inc. The discussion focused on the increasingly complex and intricate landscape that the music industry has become for artists, record producers and recording engineers.
“‘Lost In Transaction’ has become a highly anticipated event for both the Producers & Engineers Wing and The Recording Academy Nashville Chapter,” stated Maureen Droney, Managing Director of the P&E Wing. “It covers an often overlooked but critical aspect of music production, which is the business of music production. We all love the technical aspects of making music, and our passion for music itself has never been stronger. But without a firm understanding of the how our industry is changing around us, our ability to continue to make music for a living becomes imperiled. ‘Lost in Transaction” is how we keep our members aware of how the music business is changing.”

Rewind: 2014 MusicRow Events

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MusicRow looks back on its 2014 events, including the MusicRow Chart Annual Airplay Awards during CRS, the third annual Rising Women On The Row breakfast and the reader-voted MusicRow Awards.

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MusicRow Magazine presented its 26th annual subscriber-voted MusicRow Awards on June 18 during a ceremony hosted by BMI at the performing rights organization’s Nashville offices. The awards event, led by MusicRow Publisher and Owner Sherod Robertson, recognized the 2014 Breakthrough Artist Brandy Clark, Breakthrough Songwriters Nicolle Galyon and Cole Swindell, Song of the Year (“All Kinds of Kinds,” penned by Phillip Coleman and Don Henry), and Producer of the Year Frank Liddell.
Additionally, Top Ten Album All-Star Musician Awards were presented to session players who performed on the most top ten albums during the eligibility period.

26th annual MusicRow Awards

26th annual MusicRow Awards celebrates Breakthrough Artist Brandy Clark.


26th annual MusicRow Awards

26th annual MusicRow Awards celebrates Breakthrough Songwriter Nicolle Galyon.


MusicRow celebrates Song of the Year "All Kinds of Kinds."

MusicRow celebrates Song of the Year “All Kinds of Kinds.”

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MusicRow‘s 2014 Rising Women on the Row event honored Flood, Bumstead, McCready & McCarthy’s Julie Boos, Sony Music Nashville’s Caryl Healy, Big Machine Label Group’s Kelly Rich, Essential Broadcast Media’s Ebie McFarland, and Warner/Chappell Music’s Alicia Pruitt.

The event took place at the Omni Hotel Nashville on March 21.

MusicRow's 3rd Annual Rising Women on the Row.

MusicRow‘s 3rd Annual Rising Women on the Row.


MusicRow's 3rd Annual Rising Women on the Row.

MusicRow’s 3rd Annual Rising Women on the Row.

• • •

MusicRow Magazine presented its 12th annual CountryBreakout Awards at Margaritaville in Nashville on Feb. 18. Entertainers at the event included Native Run, and Natalie Stovall and The Drive.

The CountryBreakout Awards recognize success at radio on the MusicRow chart during the preceding year (January to December 2013). A list of award recipients is below.

12th annual MusicRow CountryBreakout Award winners:
Male Artist of the Year–Blake Shelton
Female Artist of the Year–Miranda Lambert
Group of the Year–The Band Perry
Breakout Songwriter-Rodney Clawson
Breakout Artist of the Year–Kacey Musgraves
Independent Artist of the Year –Tracy Lawrence
CountryBreakout Reporter of the Year– Kelly Green of WEIO (Huntingdon, Tenn.)

MusicRowPics: CRS CountryBreakout Awards

CRS CountryBreakout Awards


MusicRowPics: CRS CountryBreakout Awards

CRS CountryBreakout Awards


MusicRowPics: CRS CountryBreakout Awards

CRS CountryBreakout Awards

Country Stars On 'Pollstar's' Top 20 Tours List

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pollstar top 20 2014
Three country stars ranked on Pollstar’s Year End Top 20 Worldwide Tours chart, based on gross box office receipts from Jan. 1, 2014 through Dec. 31, 2014.
Luke Bryan grossed $62.8 million, coming in at No. 17 on the list. The WME artist sold more than 1.2 million tickets at 72 concerts. His average ticket price was about $50.
George Strait ranked No. 18 on Pollstar’s list, grossing $61.8 million on his farewell run which had an average ticket price of almost $109. Strait sold more than a half million tickets and played 26 shows. His booking is handled by The Erv Woolsey Agency.
Jason Aldean secured the No. 20 spot by grossing $52.5 million. He sold more than one million tickets over the course of 70 shows. Tickets to see the WME artist averaged $48.
The top three slots on the list are occupied by One Direction ($282M), Justin Timberlake ($184M) and The Rolling Stones ($165M).
Read more and see the full chart.

Charlie Daniels 40th Anniversary Volunteer Jam Coming in August

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CharlieDaniels_5860_shades_lrg

Charlie Daniels


The Charlie Daniels Band’s 40th Anniversary Volunteer Jam presented by Copperweld will feature performances from the Charlie Daniels Band, Billy Ray Cyrus, Kentucky Headhunters, Montgomery Gentry, the Outlaws, Lee Roy Parnell and Travis Tritt. The Volunteer Jam will take place Aug. 12, 2015 at Nashville’s Bridgestone Arena.
The first Volunteer Jam was held in 1974 at War Memorial Auditorium in Nashville, and included members of the Marshall Tucker Band and the Allman Brothers Band. The next year, Volunteer Jam II  took place at Murphy Center on Middle Tennessee State University’s campus. The event has grown into an annual favorite for fans and artists alike.
“We never had any idea how big it would become, broadcasting around the world and on Voice of America,” Daniels says. “We thought it was a hometown thing. We never realized it would become an international event. I hope to see more Nashville Volunteer Jams in the future.  I’m very very excited to continue the Jam tradition 40 years later. Ain’t it good to be alive and be in Tennessee.”
Tickets for the 2015 event go on sale Friday, Jan. 30 at 10 a.m. CT at the Bridgestone Arena Box Office and all Ticketmaster locations. Tickets range from $17.48 to $500 (VIP seating). Profits benefit The Journey Home Project, which helps aid veterans of the United States Armed Forces, as well as The Predators Foundation.
95.5 Nash Icon serves as the event’s official radio partner, while the event is produced and promoted by Corlew & Associates in association with Mike Smardak/Outback Concerts.

Nashville Music Venue The Basement To Open Second Location

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the basement nashville11Popular live music venue The Basement will soon expand to include a second location, set for East Nashville.
The new venue, Basement East, will be located at 917 Woodland Street, and is set to open in March 2015. The Basement is currently operated on 8th Ave. S., below Grimey’s New & Preloved Record Store. The 8th Ave. location opened in 2005, and is curated by Mike “Grimey” Grimes.
 
 

'Live From the Artists Den' Enlists Zac Brown Band To Launch Ninth Season

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ZacBrownBand2014

Zac Brown Band


Zac Brown Band will help launch the ninth season of Live From The Artists Den, which premieres on public television Jan. 30. The band will offer a performance at the historic Forest Hills Stadium in New York.
The new season also features performances from Alabama Shakes (performing at Nashville’s Loveless Barn), as well as Cage the Elephant and Damien Rice.

Live From The Artists Den has teamed with Samsung’s Milk Video to broadcast mobile versions of the episodes each week, while Samsung’s Milk Music will launch live audio tracks from each episode as part of its new Artists Den Live Music station.
The music series is funded in partnership with Barnes & Noble, Citi, Lexus and Samsung to create free secret shows throughout the year.

Americana Spring Celebration Coming To Blackberry Farm

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Sheryl Crow 2014

Sheryl Crow


The 5th Annual Americana Spring Celebration will be held April 23-26, 2015 at Blackberry Farm in East Tennessee. This year’s musical lineup will feature nine-time Grammy-winning recording artist Sheryl Crow, three-time Grammy winner Keb’ Mo’, and critically acclaimed songstress Holly Williams playing to benefit the not-for-profit artist advocacy group.
“We are honored that artists of this caliber will be participating in our Americana Spring Celebration. This event has become an important fundraiser complementing the wide array of events we produce throughout the year,” said Jed Hilly, Executive Director of the Americana Music Association, adding, “and it just keeps getting better and better.”
Reservations are available by calling 1-800-557-8864 or visiting blackberryfarm.com.

2015 International CES Draws Top Brands To Vegas Convention

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CES 2015 screenshotThe 2015 International CES will attract leaders of some of the world’s biggest brands for the event running Jan. 6-9, 2015 in Las Vegas. CES will feature more than 3,500 exhibitors unveiling consumer technology products and services, as well as numerous top-level keynote speakers.
Bob Pittman, chairman and CEO of iHeartMedia Inc., will give a headline address with Ryan Seacrest at CES’s C Space at ARIA on Wednesday, Jan. 7. C Space is the official destination for the marketing, advertising, content and creative communities at the event.
More CES keynoters will include CBS Corp. president and CEO, Leslie Moonves; Ford Motor Co. president and CEO Mark Fields; Samsung Electronics’ president and CEO, Boo-Keun Yoon; chairman of the board of management of Daimler AG and Head of Mercedes-Benz Cars, Dr. Dieter Zetsche; and Intel CEO, Brian Krzanich.
Elsewhere, top executives from Condé Nast, Fox Networks Group, Google, McDonald’s, and The Walt Disney Co. will join the Brand Matters keynote for a panel discussion. Leaders from Electrolux, General Motors, Philips and Qualcomm will take part in a discussion regarding How Mobile is Fundamentally Changing Our World.
For entertainment professionals who need help navigating the large event, CES offers the specialized Entertainment Matters program.
Additionally, the hit TV program Shark Tank will host an open call for entrepreneurs who wish to appear on the show.

Weekly Register: Craig Wayne Boyd Dominates Tracks Chart

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craig wayne boyd blake shelton The voice 2014

Craig Wayne Boyd and Blake Shelton on “The Voice.”


Country album sales experienced a 22 percent bump week over week (up 1.379 million), on the most recent Nielsen Soundscan chart (week ending 12/21/14). But year-to-date sales are still slumping -9.7 percent (32M TY vs. 35.4M LY).
Top 5 Country Albums TW
Garth Brooks, 81K
Carrie Underwood, 66K
Jason Aldean, 52K
Florida Georgia Line, 35K
George Strait, 26K
During the same week last year, Brooks also reigned, owning the No. 1 country spot by moving 199K copies of Blame It All On My Roots.
This week, The Voice winner Craig Wayne Boyd continued to score on the country tracks chart. He placed four songs in the Top 10, including No. 1 “My Baby’s Got A Smile On Her Face” (99K), No. 3 “In Pictures” (30K), No. 6 “The Old Rugged Cross” (28K), and No. 9 “Boots On” ft. Blake Shelton (23K).
Taylor Swift stayed at No. 1 on the overall Top 200 album chart, with 1989 earning total activity of 375K units. Swift is in a race with the Frozen soundtrack to become the best-selling album of 2014. In the eight weeks since release, Swift has sold 3.335 million copies, and 4 million including TEA (track equivalent albums). By comparison, Frozen has sold 3.46 million copies, and 4.25 million including TEA, since its release in late 2013.
sales graph dec29 2014