Who’s Earned Gold And Platinum in Nashville?

riaalogoThe Recording Industry Association of America (RIAA) has released Digital Singles and Standard Album Gold & Platinum Awards, up to January 2015.

Among those standard certifications are the 4x Platinum Taylor Swift (1989) and the Platinum Garth Brooks (Man Against The Machine) and Blake Shelton (Loaded: The Best Of Blake Shelton). Adele‘s 2011 project 21 has now been certified at 11x Platinum.

Digital certifications–which include one download for one certification and 100 on-demand audio and/or video streams as 1 certification–find Florida Georgia Line‘s single “Cruise” at 9x Platinum, and the duo’s 2014 single “Sun Daze” takes in Gold. Brantley Gilbert‘s single “Bottoms Up” moves 2x Platinum.

Swift’s 2008 single “You Belong With Me” moves into 7x Platinum, followed by her 2008 “I Knew You Were Trouble” at 6x Platinum, the 5x Platinum “Shake It Off” from 2014 and “Blank Space” strangely finds two slots, one at 3x and 2x Platinum (we’ll just assume it’s the former). Swift plots five additional singles on the January singles chart, including “Welcome To New York,” the single that donates the profits to NYC public schools.

Meghan Trainor‘s “All About That Bass” single has sold 6x Platinum, followed by her “Lips Are Movin” at 2x Platinum (again listed twice, another at 1x Platinum). The Band Perry‘s 2010 “If I Die Young” slides in with 6x Platinum, while label mates Eli Young Band takes in Platinum for “Drunk Last Night.” “Shotgun Rider” gives Tim McGraw Gold sales, next to BMLG rising star RaeLynn, whose “God Made Girls” also earns the status. Blake Shelton also earns Gold for “Neon Light.”

The full report can be found here.

Capitol Christian Music Group Honors TobyMac For Career Milestone

Capitol Christian Music Group President & CEO Bill Hearn presents TobyMac with a plaque to commemorate five studio records RIAA Certified Gold

Capitol Christian Music Group President & CEO Bill Hearn presents TobyMac with a plaque to commemorate five studio records becoming RIAA Certified Gold

Capitol Christian Music Group artist TobyMac‘s album Eye On It recently earned an RIAA Gold Certification, marking a new career milestone.

TobyMac was honored during a staff presentation at Capitol Christian Music Group (CCMG) by President & CEO Bill Hearn, recognizing that the honor makes TobyMac the first artist in CCMG history to have five studio solo projects achieve Gold certification.

“The fact that Eye On It and now all five of TobyMac’s albums have been certified Gold by the RIAA is a testimony to how deeply his music resonates with music lovers all over the world. This remarkable achievement is also a first for any artist at Capitol Christian Music Group. The team at Capitol could not be more proud of our history and now extended partnership with the iconic TobyMac,” said Hearn.

Nashville Music Moguls Make ‘Billboard’ Power 100 List

PIctured (clockwise, L-R): Scott Borchetta, Clint Higham, Mike Dungan, Brian O'Connell, Clarence Spalding, Louis Messina, and John Esposito.

Pictured (clockwise, from top left): Scott Borchetta, Clint Higham, Mike Dungan, Brian O’Connell, Clarence Spalding, Louis Messina, and John Esposito.

Billboard recently released its 2015 Power 100 Index, and some of Nashville’s power players are included alongside other top industry moguls.

Topping the list is Universal Music Group chairman/CEO Lucian Grainge, who led the charge in breaking four new artists in 2014, including Iggy Azalea, 5 Seconds of Summer, Sam Smith,and Ariana Grande, each selling more than 1 million albums and track equivalents in the United States in 2014. UMG also distributed the year’s best seller, Taylor Swift‘s 1989.

At No. 2 is Live Nation president/CEO Michael Rapino. Live Nation claimed 22 of 2014’s top 25 tours. Rapino helps guide some 20,000 employees in 100 offices around the world.

Rounding out the Top 10 are: Azoff MSG Entertainment’s Irving Azoff (No. 3), Sony/ATV Music Publishing’s Martin Bandier (No. 4), Apple’s Jimmy Iovine (No. 5), Red Light Management owner/founder Coran Capshaw (No. 6), Sony Music Entertainment CEO Doug Morris (No. 7), iHeartMedia Chairman/CEO Bob Pittman (No. 8), Creative Artist Agency’s Rob Light (No. 9), with Apple’s Eddy Cue and iTunes’ Robert Kondrk at No. 10.

Several power players with strong Nashville ties also made the rankings, including:

No. 23: Big Machine Label Group Founder/CEO Scott Borchetta
No. 33:  Universal Music Group Nashville Chairman/CEO Mike Dungan
No. 37: Live Nation president of country music touring Brian O’Connell
No. 66: Warner Music Nashville president/CEO John Esposito
No. 74: The Messina Group president Louis Messina
No. 76: Maverick partner Clarence Spalding
No. 93: Morris Higham Management’s Clint Higham

Nashville Artists Added As Presenters at 57th Annual Grammy Awards

grammy 2014Dierks Bentley and Keith Urban will join the cast of presenters during the upcoming 57th Annual Grammy Awards on Sunday, Feb. 8.

Country-turned-pop star Taylor Swift, and “All About That Bass” songstress (and Big Yellow Dog songwriter) Meghan Trainor are also among the latest names revealed as presenters, in addition to James Corden, Miley Cyrus, Josh Duhamel, Jamie Foxx, Barry Gibb, Dave Grohl, Jennifer Hudson, Enrique Iglesias, Nick Jonas, Anna Kendrick, Shia LaBeouf, Katharine McPhee, Nicki Minaj, Gwyneth Paltrow, Pentatonix, Smokey Robinson, Nile Rodgers, Gina Rodriguez, Ryan Seacrest, The Weeknd, and Stevie Wonder.

Among the country performers Sunday night will be Best New Artist nominee Brandy Clark, Miranda Lambert, Tim McGraw (in tribute to Glen Campbell), Eric Church, and Dwight Yoakam.

The 57th Annual Grammy Awards will air live from the Staples Center in Los Angeles, beginning at 5 p.m. PST on CBS.

Weekly Chart Report (2/6/15)

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Brad Paisley’s Summer Tour To Feature Mickey Guyton, Justin Moore

Brad Paisley 2014

Brad Paisley. Photo: Jim Shea

Brad Paisley will welcome Mickey Guyton and Justin Moore for his 2015 Crushin’ It World Tour, slated to launch May 15 in Philadelphia, Pa.

Paisley is currently headlining his Country Nation World Tour presented by KRAFT Cheese through March 2015. He recently partnered with Boot Barn® to develop an exclusive line of jeans, hats, T-shirts, jewelry, belts and woven shirts called Moonshine Spirit by Brad Paisley.

2015 Crushin’ It World Tour dates

May 15| Susquehanna Bank Center|Philadelphia, PA
May 16| Walnut Creek Ampitheatre|Raleigh, NC
May 17| Shaky Boots Music Festival|Atlanta, GA *
May 30 | Blue Ridge Music Festival|Salem,VA *
May 31| PNC Music Pavilion|Charlotte, NC
June 4 | Ak-Chin Pavilion |Phoenix, AZ
June 5| Hollywood Bowl|Los Angeles, CA
June 6 | Sleep Train Amphitheatre|San Diego, CA
June 12| Sleep Train Amphitheatre|Sacramento, CA
June 13| Shoreline Amphitheatre|Mountain View, CA
June 20| Windy City LakeShake Festival|Chicago, IL *
June 26| First Niagara Pavilion|Pittsburgh, PA
June 27 | FarmBorough Country Music Festival|New York, NY *
June 28 | Darien Lake Performing Arts Center| Darien Center, NY
July 17| Blossom Music Center|Cleveland, OH
July 18 | Faster Horses Country Music Festival|Brooklyn, MI *
July 24| Bethel Woods Center for the Arts|Bethel, NY
July 25| XFINITY Theatre|Hartford, CT
July 26| Saratoga Performing Arts Center |Saratoga Springs, NY
July 31| Mountain Home Country Music Festival|Mountain Home, ID *
Aug. 1| Camrose Regional Exhibition|Camrose, AB
Aug. 7| Boots & Hearts Music Festival|Oro-Medonte, ON *
Aug. 9| Bank of New Hampshire Pavilion|Gilford, NH
Aug. 21| Texas Thunder Country Music Festival| Gardendale, TX *
Aug. 22| Winstar Casino|Thackerville, OK
Aug. 28 |Riverbend Music Center |Cincinnati, OH
Aug. 29| Klipsch Music Center | Indianapolis, IN
Aug. 30| Hollywood Casino Amphitheatre| St. Louis, MO
Sept. 17| Isleta Amphitheater|Albuquerque, NM
Sept. 19| USANA Amphitheatre | Salt Lake City, UT
Sept. 25| XFINITY Center | Boston, MA
Sept. 26| Jiffy Lube Live| Washington, DC
Sept. 27| Farm Bureau Live | Virginia Beach, VA
Oct. 2|  MIDFLORIDA Credit Union Amphitheatre|Tampa, FL
Oct. 3| Cruzan Amphitheatre | W. Palm Beach, FL
*Dates are festivals – include Paisley and multiple artists

U.S. Copyright Office Recommends Major Reform

Copyright and the Music MarketplaceOn Thursday (Feb. 5), the U.S. Copyright office drew to a close an extensive music licensing review with the release of the 245-page study Copyright and the Music Marketplace: A Report of the Register of Copyrights. The full report is available here.

“Few would dispute that music is culturally essential and economically important to the world we live in,” said Maria A. Pallante, Register of Copyrights, “but the reality is that both music creators and the innovators who support them are increasingly doing business in legal quicksand. As this report makes clear, this state of affairs neither furthers the copyright law nor befits a nation as creative as the United States.”

The study revealed broad consensus among study participants on four key principles:
1) fair compensation to music creators for their contributions
2) the need for a more efficient licensing process
3) access to authoritative data for identifying and licensing sound recordings and musical works
4) more transparent usage and payment information that is accessible to rights owners

The office identified principles it believes should guide any reformation processes:
1) government licensing processes should aspire to treat like uses of music alike
2) government supervision should enable voluntary transactions while supporting collective solutions
3) rate-setting and enforcement of antitrust laws should be separately managed and addressed
4) a single, market-oriented rate-setting standard should apply to all music uses under statutory licenses

The Copyright office made an array of recommendations, including extending the public performance right in sound recordings to terrestrial radio broadcasts. It also recommended bringing pre-1972 recordings, which are currently protected only under state law, fully under the federal scope with the same rights, limitations, and scope of more recent recordings.

The report supported reconsidering ASCAP and BMI’s 75-year-old antitrust decrees, though the Copyright office acknowledged in the report that Congress, not the Department of Justice, would have the ability to address the full range of issues that impact the music licensing system. The report recommended giving rights owners (including publishers) the ability to withdraw streaming rights. The Copyright office believes the government should pursue changes that would encourage bundled licensing, which would eliminate redundant resources from licensors and licensees. This move would allow organizations such as BMI, ASCAP, HFA, and other entities to become music rights organizations (MROs), which would be authorized to license both performance and mechanical rights.

The recommendations include allowing SoundExchange to administer record producer payments, and allowing music industry members to create a public database of music data.

Under the Copyright Office’s proposal, rate-setting by the Copyright Royalty Board would shift from a five‐year cycle to a system under which the CRB would step in only as necessary when an MRO or SoundExchange, and a licensee could not agree on a rate. The new model would create opportunities for combined rate-setting proceedings for non-interactive services, including both sound recordings and musical works.

Several organizations have commented on the report.

ASCAP President Paul Williams:

With its report today, the US Copyright Office was clear: the current music licensing system needs reform and fast. The report emphasizes how the current system undervalues musical works—something many of our members experience daily. The many proposed updates—particularly recommendations intended to make the system more equitable for songwriters—underscore yet again the inefficiency of the current system for music fans and creators alike. As outlined in the report, the current marketplace is strained by the 70-year old consent decree regime and is not appropriately responsive to the free market, particularly in our new digital world. As we continue to advocate for our members in Washington, today’s report is an important step towards meaningful reform.

National Music Publishers Association President and CEO David Israelite:

We appreciate the Copyright Office’s in-depth review of issues so important to the American songwriter. The report bolsters much of what the publishing and songwriting industries have long said, that the legal framework devised over 100 years ago should not be applied to the music licensing landscape of today. We applaud the recognition that music creators should be fairly compensated. However, while there is much to like in this report, we hope that Congress rejects any further regulation of songwriters. It is critical that songwriters are given the freedom of other intellectual property owners—to sell their creations in a free market. Until they can do so, they will continue to be treated unfairly by the very industry they fuel.

American Association of Independent Music (A2IM) President Rich Bengloff:

We at A2IM, the American Association of Independent Music, would like to thank Register Maria Pallante and her colleagues at the U.S. Copyright Office for their “Copyright and the Music Marketplace” report which covers many issues of importance to our Independent music label community of Small and Medium-Sized businesses (SMEs). Our community of sound recording owners invests in the creation of music and collectively, per Billboard Magazine, comprised over 35% of recorded music industry copyright ownership sales revenues in 2014. We agree and support the Copyright Office’s copyright revision recommendations in almost all areas, especially related to licensing rate parity for all creators and users, thus eliminating “breakage” and ensuring greater licensing transparency, as well as, the enactment of Performance Right legislation so that sound recording creators are compensated for their investments in music by AM/FM Terrestrial radio and the federalization of Pre-1972 copyrights, among many other important recommendations crucial to the financial well-being of our SME creator community. We note numerous references to A2IM’s filings and A2IM member discussion comments in the Register’s report and we thank the Register’s Office for listening. We look forward to having an ongoing dialogue as Congress moves forward to create pro-creator revisions to music copyright law.

Clark and McAnally Salute ‘Hee Haw’ With New Musical

Shane McAnally

Shane McAnally. Photo: Alysse Gafkjen

In addition to their day jobs as award-winning tunesmiths, Brandy Clark and Shane McAnally have been hard at work developing a musical comedy loosely inspired by the the classic television series Hee Haw. The much anticipated production Moonshine: The Hee Haw Musical will premiere on Sept. 2, 2015 at Dallas Theater Center. Moonshine will run through Oct. 11.

The production features direction from Gary Griffin (“Honeymoon in Vegas,” “The Color Purple”), a book by Robert Horn, choreography by Denis Jones, and musical supervision/arrangements/orchestrations from Stephen Oremus.

The musical tells the story of Misty Mae, a resident of Kornfield Kounty. Mae leaves the hayfields to follow her dreams in Tampa, Fla., only to return home to introduce her city-boy beau to her friends and family.

Brandy Clark. Photo: David McClister

Brandy Clark. Photo: David McClister

“We both grew up watching ‘Hee Haw,’ so it’s thrilling that we get to make our musical theater writing debut using source material that really shaped and defined so much in terms of the history of country music,” composers Clark and McAnally commented. “We’re loving the collaborative process of writing for the theater too, and can’t wait to get the show in front of audiences!”

Moonshine: That Hee Haw Musical will be produced by Opry Entertainment (Steve Buchanan, Sally Williams) and Fox Theatricals (Kristin Caskey, Mike Isaacson), in conjunction with Dallas Theater Center. The design includes Tony Award-winner John Lee Beatty (Scenic Design), Mara Blumenfeld (Costume Design) and Tara Rubin (Casting). Nina Lannan serves as Executive Producer.

Subscriptions for the complete Dallas Theater Center season (including Moonshine: That Hee Haw Musical) go on sale Feb. 9, 2015 and will be available starting at $126. Subscriptions can be purchased online at www.dallastheatercenter.org or by calling the AT&T Performing Arts Center Box Office at (214) 880-0202.

The First And The Worst: Really Bad Songs By Really Good Writers

TheFirstAndWorstLogoThe inaugural The First And The Worst songwriter concert, benefitting the Music Health Alliance, will take place April 1 at 3rd and Lindsley. Set to perform the first and the worst songs they ever wrote, along with their biggest hits, are Richard Leigh (“Don’t It Make My Brown Eyes Blue,” “The Greatest Man I Never Knew”), Liz Rose (“Tim McGraw,” “You Belong With Me”), Phil Barton (“A Woman Like You,” “Yeah Yeah Yeah”), Roxie Dean (“When I Think About Angels,” “Why They Call It Falling”), Wynn Varble (“Waitin’ On A Woman,” “I’m A Little More Country Than That”) and other songwriters to be announced.

The First and The Worst is the brainchild of Grammy-nominated songwriter Sandy Knox (Reba’s “Does He Love You,” “She Thinks His Name Was John,” “Why Haven’t I Heard From You,” and her own early gems “Upchuck” and “Mr. Phone”).

Songwriter, producer, and music critic Peter Cooper will host the event. All proceeds will benefit the non-profit’s work assisting songwriters, artists and music industry professionals in finding affordable health solutions and financial resources. Tatum Hauck Allsep is Founder/Executive Director of MHA.

The show will start at 6:30 p.m. Tickets start at $20 and are available here. Table sponsorships start at $1,500 by contacting Shelia Shipley Biddy at shelia@musichealthalliance.com.

Celebration of Life Service Set For Claudia Mize

Claudia Mize Celebration of Life

A Celebration of Life service has been set for longtime industry executive Claudia Mize. Mize died Jan. 3 in Nashville at age 61.

A Celebration of Life will be held for Mize on Monday, Feb. 23 at the W.O. Smith Music School in Nashville. The service will begin at 11 a.m., and end at 12:30 p.m. The venue will open at 10 a.m., and valet parking will be available. Those who would like to honor Mize can make a donation in her name to the W.O. Smith School in lieu of flowers.

Mize was a former A&R executive and production coordinator at Mercury Records, and also worked at Warner Bros. Nashville during her career. She worked on albums by Johnny Cash, Billy Ray Cyrus, Terri Clark, John Anderson, Steve Azar, Wynonna, Neal Coty, Kim Richey, Ronna Reeves and many others.