DISClaimer: Christmas Tidings

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Brett Eldredge

Brett Eldredge


Seasons greetings, faithful readers.
Here’s our “DisClaimer” column rounding up some of the rest of Nashville’s holiday musical offerings. Today, we hear from representatives from our bluegrass, Christian and Americana communities, as well as some mainstream country stars.
The Disc of the Day is a tie between Brett Eldredge, with a single, and the five-man a cappella group Home Free, with an album.
This week’s DisCovery Award goes to Sammy Hakim.
Brett Eldredge/Mary, Did You Know
Writers: Lee Rufus Greene/Mark Alan Lowry; producer: Ross Copperman; Publisher: Rufus/Word, ASCAP; Warner Bros.
-Eldredge has seldom been as impressive as a vocalist as he is on this stately ballad. This is easily one of the finest performances of the season. Copperman’s delicate, piano-focussed production is flawless.
SAMMY HAKIM/This Christmas Love Me
Writers: Samantha Hakam; Producer: Kevin Gutierrez; Publisher: none listed; BMI; EXT (CDX)
-Indie artist Hakim’s original holiday tune is a sprightly rocker that yearns for a ex lover’s return. Her delivery ranges from a breathy whisper to a sassy wail. Promising.
TEEA GOANS/All I Want For Christmas Is You
Writers: Troy Powers/Andy Stone; Producer: Terry Choate; Publishers: Songs of Peer LTD/Songs of Delta Boy/Good Ole Delta Boy peertunes LTD, ASCAP/SESAC; Crosswind (CDX)
-Still one of our finest young country vocalists, Goans gives this evergreen ballad plenty of bluesy soul. This gal can really sing, folks.
LARRY WEISS/Christmas Without You
Writers: Larry Weiss; Producer: Larry Weiss; Publisher: Rhinestone Cowboy, ASCAP; Cape (CDX)
-For some people, Christmas is a downbeat, sad time of year. The “Rhinestone Cowboy” songwriter offers an aching ballad for the blue and broken hearted.
DARIUS RUCKER/What God Wants For Christmas
Writers: Darius Rucker/Frank Rogers/Monty Criswell; Producer: Frank Rogers; Publishers: Universal/Cadaja/House of Sea Gayle/Sony-ATV Tree/Dixey Bar, ASCAP/BMI; Capitol (track)
-Opry star Rucker’s first Christmas album is Home for the Holidays. It is dominated by standards, including his duet with Sheryl Crow on “Baby It’s Cold Outside.” But there are some new tune contributions, too. This one is a dreamy meditation loaded with orchestral backing. CMT is currently airing its video.
THE ROYS/Bluegrass Kinda Christmas
Writers: Elaine Roy/Lee Roy/Steve Dean; Producer: none listed; Publishers: Wings of a Butterfly/Mandolin Man/Bethar, SESAC/BMI; Rural Rhythm
-The title tune of this bluegrass duo’s holiday CD is a toe tapper with rippling banjo, lively fiddle and Lee Roy’s deft mandolin picking. Innocent sounding.
NASHVILLE CAST/Celebrate Me Home
Writers: Kenny Loggins/Bob James; Producer: Jay DeMarcus; Publishers: none listed; Big Machine (track)
-All of your TV favorites from the Nashville series are gathered together on their Christmas With Nashville album. Sam Palladio, Connie Britton, Hayden Panettiere, Chip Esten (dueting with Vince Gill), Clare Bowen, Jonathan Jackson, the Stella sisters, Will Chase, Aubrey Peeples and Chaley Rose all have turns in the spotlight on holiday standards. The whole cast assembles for this album-closing anthem.
home freeGUY PENROD/A Cradle in Bethlehem
Writers: Alfred Bryan/Larry Stock; Producer: Michael Omartian; Publisher: Sony-ATV, ASCAP; Servant/Gaither
-This star CCM vocalist has one of the strongest 2014 Christmas albums. Its 15 tracks are dominated by standards, both secular and religious. This lesser-known song is taken at a slow, steady pace with an appropriately hushed, devout vocal performance. The orchestrated arrangements are impressive throughout the collection.
FARMER JASON/Christmas on the Farm
Writers: Jason Ringenberg; Producers: Thom Jutz/Peter Cooper; Publishers: Jason Ringenberg/Bug, BMI; Courageous
-This guy has the kiddie Christmas album of the year. He made his reputation leading the cowboy-punk Jason & The Scorchers. But before that he was a farmer, hence his alter-ego as a children’s entertainer. This is the zippy, fun, bluegrass-flavored title tune of his CD, which also includes the merry “Eat Your Fruitcake,” “Santa Drove a John Deere,” “The Animals Song” and “All I Want for Christmas (Is a Punk Rock Skunk),” as well as holiday standards aimed at the younger set.
HOME FREE/Grandma Got Run Over by a Reindeer
Writers: Randy Brooks; Producers: Home Free/Darren Rust; Publishers: none listed; Columbia (track)
-These guys won on The Sing Off as a country a cappella act. Their Full of Cheer collection kicks off with this hillbilly standard. If anything, it’s even funnier than the original, with each group member sounding more yokel than the last as they take lead-vocal turns. Absolutely essential listening. The rest of the CD is more serious, but as the title promises, there’s enormous good cheer glowing throughout the collection.

Entrepreneur Center CEO Michael Burcham To Exit

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nashville entrepreneur centerNashville Entrepreneur Center (EC) founding President & CEO Dr. Michael Burcham plans to leave the nonprofit for a new opportunity in the private sector. He has served in that capacity at the nonprofit since 2010.
The EC’s ties to the music industry include Project Music, a music and technology business accelerator program which is a partnership between EC and the Country Music Association.
John R. Ingram, Chairman of the EC Board of Directors, said the board will launch a nationwide search for the next CEO, and that Burcham will remain in his post until his successor is chosen. Ingram will chair the search committee, and board member Mark Montgomery, founder of FLO | CO, will be the vice-chair. Interested candidates should apply to [email protected].
Burcham has extensive experience in healthcare innovation, entrepreneurship, and start-up venture coaching. Over the past five years, Burcham has led Nashville’s rise as a nationally recognized destination for start-up and entrepreneurial endeavors. In 2011, he launched “Start-up Tennessee” in partnership with Tennessee Governor Bill Haslam and Start-up America. He teaches healthcare innovation and strategy at Vanderbilt University’s Owen Graduate School of Management.
Burcham has been honored at the White House as a “Champion of Change” for his leadership in mentoring the next generation of entrepreneurs. He is Chair of the Global Advisory Board for Entrepreneurship at King Fahd University in Saudi Arabia. In October, U.S. Secretary of Commerce Penny Pritzker appointed him Co-Chairman of the National Advisory Council on Innovation and Entrepreneurship.

BMLG Publicity Team Earns 'PRWeek' Award Nomination

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Pictured (L-R): Jake Basden, Katie Rose, Erin D. D. Burr and Charlotte Burke. Photo: Larry Busacca/Getty Images

Pictured (L-R): Jake Basden, Katie Rose, Erin D. D. Burr and Charlotte Burke. Photo: Larry Busacca/Getty Images


Big Machine Label Group’s Publicity and Corporate Communications team has earned a nomination for In-House PR Team of the Year at the 2015 PRWeek Awards. BMLG is the only music industry company in the category, which also includes NASCAR, the United States Olympic Committee, Leo Burnett and IMAX. The In-House PR Team of the Year nomination is open to any in-house corporate, government, or nonprofit communications team. The award recognizes success in addressing issues related to management, corporate communications and campaign execution, including crisis situations. The honor is based on work completed between Oct. 3, 2013, and Oct. 7, 2014.
BMLG’s publicity team includes Jake Basden, Erin D.D. Burr, Katie Rose, and Charlotte Burke, who recently replaced Nikki Burns.
BMLG counts Taylor Swift, Rascal Flatts, Tim McGraw, Reba, The Band Perry, Florida Georgia Line, Brantley Gilbert, Justin Moore, Thomas Rhett, Eli Young Band, The Mavericks, Maddie & Tae, Cassadee Pope, RaeLynn, The Cadillac Three, Danielle Bradbery, Laura Bell Bundy, Lauren Jenkins, A Thousand Horses, Levi Hummon, Drake White and Seth Alley among its artists, in addition to overseeing a Country tribute to Mötley Crüe and soundtracks for ABC’s Nashville. The team also headed the public relations campaign surrounding the documentary Glen Campbell…I’ll Be Me.
This nomination marks the second time the BMLG publicity team has been included in the category.
More details are available on PRWeek.com and featured in the January issue.

Gibson Brands Launches 'Neat' Microphones

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(L-R): Saulespurens, Wise, Wolf, Niles


Gibson Brands has announced the launch of Neat microphones. Neat’s first two product lines will debut at the 2015 CES and 2015 Winter NAMM shows.
Henry Juszkiewicz, CEO and Chairman of Gibson Brands, states “The time for entirely new thinking in how microphones are designed, manufactured, and applied is overdue—not only to benefit professionals, but also to create products that improve the audio experience of all consumers.”
Neat will comprise of Skipper Wise (President), Martin Saulespurens (Head of R&D), General Manager Marty Wolf and Creative Director Ken Niles.
According to Wise, “Neat is about creating the next generation of microphones—one that innovates from manufacturing processes to final look and feel. Our products are designed to sound better, look better, and be simpler to operate, while helping to pass the torch of musical creativity and excellence to the next generation. Even better, Gibson understands that just because we’re making ground-breaking, serious products doesn’t mean we can’t have fun creating a brand and culture.”

ACM Gives $169k To 'Improve Lives With Music'

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ACMLiftingLivesThe ACM Lifting Lives has announced 2014 giving reached $169,000 in 2014, for the benefit of improving lives with music.
In addition to funding its 5th Annual ACM Lifting Lives Music Camp in June, the organization has announced support for 10 music-related programs around the country (detailed below). Half of the beneficiaries are based in Nashville.
“ACM Lifting Lives is honored to support these wonderful organizations nationwide that value the healing power of music,” said ACM Lifting Lives Chairman Bill Mayne, “We are so grateful that we were able to increase our giving this year thanks to the artists, industry members and fans that support ACM Lifting Lives throughout the year.”
CreatiVets in Washburn, IL seeks to aid in the coping process for veterans by providing an all-expenses paid trip to Nashville to create songs with professional songwriters about their experiences to ease psychological and emotional trauma.
LiveBeyond in Nashville, TN will implement a music therapy program to benefit the people of Thomazeau, Haiti.
Notes for Notes in Los Angeles, CA will continue to offer a fully-equipped recording studio inside the Boys & Girls Clubs in Santa Monica and West Gabriel for youth to explore, create and record music for free.
Porter’s Call in Nashville, TN will add a part-time staff counselor for artists facing the challenges of performing and creating.
The Quest Center for Arts & Community Development in Dickson, TN received funds for new music education services for a general after-school program, available to all members of the community.
Rochelle Center in Nashville, TN received funds to implement a music therapy program for adults with intellectual and developmental disabilities.
Shepherd Center Music Therapy for Veterans in Atlanta, GA received funds to purchase instruments and gear to enhance the music therapy program for patients with brain and spinal cord injuries as well as certain Gulf War Veterans.
T.I.P. in Nashville, TN received funds to support around 30 financially disadvantaged music students with lessons.
W.O. Smith Nashville Community Music School in Nashville, TN received funds to provide music supplies and continued music study for children who would otherwise not have access to such opportunities.
Youth For Tomorrow–New Life Center in Bristow, VA received funds for music therapy components of their Girls On A Journey program, providing residential, educational and counseling services for girls victimized by domestic minor sex trafficking.

Coburn Sells Portion of Ten Ten Music To Nettwerk

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Jewel Coburn, co-founder and co-owner of Ten Ten Music, has sold her half of the independent publishing company to Nettwerk.
Over the last 30 years, Ten Ten has boasted more than a dozen No. 1 singles and Top 20 hits and album cuts. Coburn will shift her focus into Eleven Eleven Music, which she co-founded in 2011 with publishing veteran Jason Morris.
“I was a writer and an artist from an early age,” says Coburn. “So I always felt an affinity with writers and artists. I feel my talent has been to recognize great writers and artists and help them realize their dreams. I love nothing more than to hear a great song and get it where it needs to go. Nothing has changed. That is my passion.”
Eleven Eleven have just scored their first Top 10 single with Big & Rich’s “Look At You,” co-written by Shannon Lawson and John Rich. Other writers on the Eleven Eleven roster include Angela Kaset, Charley Stefl, Max T Barnes, Nathan Bell and Wendy Waldman. The company also represents the catalogs of Shannon Lawson and Lauren Lucas.
In a story published last week on MusicRow.com, it was reported that Nettwerk One Music (NW1) has acquired a 50 percent stake in Ten Ten Music and the two companies have formed a publishing joint venture. To read this full story, Click HERE.

Spotify Phases Out Merch Provider

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Spotify-BandpageSpotify‘s merchandising relationship with BandPage has fully edged out its previous merchandise provider ArtistLink (formerly Topspin).
Announced by the streaming service yesterday (Dec. 16), the BandPage partnership will exclusively list merchandise, experiences or crowd funding offers without retaining any commission fees from either of the two companies. Registration on BandPage is free.

 “If you had previously used ArtistLink to send merch to Spotify this will no longer work,” Spotify announced. “However, you can still display your merchandise and offers on Spotify through our other partner BandPage..We apologize for any inconvenience caused.”

In August, Spotify announced that it would be phasing out TopSpin merchandise in favor of BandPage. Former Topspin founder Ian Rogers, was recently tapped as head of iTunes Radio since his company’s purchase by Beats Music.

Industry Pics: Reba McEntire, Carrie Underwood, Nicolle Galyon, Gwen Sebastian

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Kix Brooks, John Dickey of Cumulus Media, Scott Borchetta of Big Machine Label Group, Reba McEntire, and Lew Dickey of Cumulus Media attend the Inaugural Nash Icon ACC Awards post-show party honoring Reba as the first recipient of the NASH ICON Award on Dec. 15, 2014 in Nashville, Tenn.

Photo: Rick Diamond for Big Machine Records

Photo: Rick Diamond for Big Machine Records

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Carrie Underwood celebrated the launch of her new album Greatest Hits: Decade #1 with a performance at the Grand Ole Opry Saturday night (Dec. 13).

Pictured (L-R): Carrie Underwood and Cumulus Nashville's Charlie Cook

Pictured (L-R): Carrie Underwood and Cumulus Nashville’s Charlie Cook

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BMI and Warner/Chappell songwriter Nicolle Galyon celebrated her 2014 achievements including Grammy nomination for Country Song of the Year (“Automatic”), winning the NSAI Song of the Year award (“Automatic”), being named MusicRow Breakthrough Songwriter of the Year, winning a BMI Award for #1 Song “We Were Us,” and a CMA Nomination for Song of the Year (“Automatic”).

Pictured (L-R): Jody Williams (BMI), Galyon, BJ Hill (W/C) Ben Vaughn (W/C)

Pictured (L-R): Jody Williams (BMI), Galyon, BJ Hill (W/C) Ben Vaughn (W/C)

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Flying Island’s Gwen Sebastian hangs with coach Gwen Stefani while on the set of The Voice. “I’ve looked up to Gwen for a long time. And now that I’ve met her, I love her even more. She was so down to earth and a really genuine person,” Sebastian said.

Pictured (L-R): Gwen Stefani with Gwen Sebastian

Weekly Register: Underwood's Greatest Hits Debuts At No. 1

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Carrie Underwood Greatest HitsBells are jingling and cashiers are ringing! We are deep into the holiday shopping season and all-genre music sales are up 17 percent week over week. But it’s not enough to bring up the year-to-date stats, check out the graphic below.
Carrie Underwood’s Greatest Hits: Decade #1, enters the country chart at No. 1, selling 94K. Driven by the success of hit single “Something in the Water,” the album swam into No. 4 on the overall chart.
Meanwhile, Craig Wayne Boyd’s star keeps rising—he won season 7 of The Voice last night (Dec. 16). His version of the classic “The Old Rugged Cross” is this week’s top-selling country track, with 64K units. It is also the top debut for the week, both country and overall (No. 13).
Top 5 country albums this week
Carrie Underwood, Greatest Hits, 94K
Garth Brooks, Man Against Machine, 62K
Jason Aldean, Old Boots, New Dirt, 35K
Florida Georgia Line, Anything Goes, 25K
Darius Rucker, Home For The Holidays, 24K
Top 5 country tracks this week
Craig Wayne Boyd “The Old Rugged Cross” 64K
Blake Shelton ft. Ashley Monroe “Lonely Tonight” 41K
Carrie Underwood “Something in the Water” 30K
Tim McGraw “Shotgun Rider” 29K
RaeLynn “God Made Girls” 22K
Also worth noting, Meghan Trainor’s “All About that Bass” bumped past the 4 million tracks sold mark.
sales graphic 121714

Nashville Singer Craig Wayne Boyd Wins 'The Voice'

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The Voice - Season 7

‘The Voice’ Season 7 winner Craig Wayne Boyd


Nashville singer Craig Wayne Boyd was crowned the winner of the seventh season of NBC’s The Voice Tuesday night (Dec. 16), winning a Universal Music recording contract and a $100,000 grand prize. Boyd’s songs, including renditions of classic hymn “The Old Rugged Cross” and the Johnny Cash classic “I Walk The Line,” drew a big response-and votes-from viewers, as did Boyd’s collaboration with Lynyrd Skynyrd on their signature tune “Sweet Home Alabama.” Boyd bested other finalists including Matt McAndrew, Damien Lawson, and Chris Jamison.
With three team members in the finals, coach Adam Levine had the best odds of having one of his team members crowned the winner. However, it was coach Blake Shelton‘s team member Boyd who earned the win. Shelton has developed a solid track record of country artists during his time on The Voice, including one-time Team Blake contestants Cassadee Pope, RaeLynn, and Danielle Bradbery.
In the past week, each of The Voice season seven finalists notched songs in the Top 10 on iTunes, including Boyd’s single “My Baby’s Got A Smile On Her Face.”
Boyd has been a fixture on the Nashville music scene for many years. He moved to Nashville 11 years ago, playing in Nashville clubs and garnering a publishing deal in Music City. In 2012, Boyd visited the MusicRow office to perform songs from his independent album “I Ain’t No Quitter.”
Watch Boyd’s winning moment of NBC’s The Voice below.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pfTzQ3LNOmQ