Lady Antebellum Adds Hometown Show To Their ‘Wheels Up Tour 2015’

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Pictured (L-R): Mike Dungan (UMG), Charles Kelley, John Huie (CAA), Hillary Scott, Dave Haywood, Daniel Miller (Fusion Music), Ed Green (Red Light Management).

Pictured (L-R): Mike Dungan (UMG), Charles Kelley, John Huie (CAA), Hillary Scott, Dave Haywood, Daniel Miller (Fusion Music), Ed Green (Red Light Management) during a media brunch in Nashville.

Lady Antebellum announced this morning (Monday, Feb.  2) that Nashville’s Bridgestone Arena has been added to their Wheels Up Tour 2015. The show will take place on Sept. 11, 2015 with tickets going on sale Friday, Feb. 6 at 10 a.m. CST through www.ticketmaster.com.

Special guests Hunter Hayes and Sam Hunt will also be part of the bill.

In celebration of the tour and the newly-announced headlining Nashville show, Lady Antebellum held a private brunch for members of the Nashville media earlier today.

“We started down the road at 3rd & Lindsley, and now we’re playing the Bridgestone Arena,” said Dave Haywood. “It’s a real full-circle moment for us.”

“The lineup, the openers we were able to land with Hunter Hayes and Sam Hunt, it will be an all-around fun show. We have a lot to be thankful for,” said Hillary Scott.

The ACM nominated and seven-time Grammy-winning trio’s fifth studio album, 747, is available now.

The previously announced Wheels Up Tour will launch Feb. 28 with a European trek that will include stops in Norway, Sweden, Ireland, Scotland, the UK, and Australia. The North American leg of the tour will begin May 1 in Lubbock, Texas.

Black River Rages On With New Signing

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(L-R: Catalog Manager Kelly Bolton; Creative Director Dave Pacula; Josh Okeefe; Manager Gillie Crowder; VP of Black River Publishing Celia Froehlig; Black River Entertainment CEO Gordon Kerr)

Pictured (L-R): Catalog Manager Kelly Bolton, Creative Director Dave Pacula, Josh Okeefe, Manager Gillie Crowder, VP of Black River Publishing Celia Froehlig, Black River Entertainment CEO Gordon Kerr

VP of Black River Publishing Celia Froehlig today (Feb. 2) announced the signing of Josh Okeefe to the company. “Josh is a fantastic writer, artist and producer; one of the rare talents we publishers are always on the lookout for,” said Froehlig. “We are so happy to welcome him to the BRE family.”

Okeefe grew up in Derby, England and attended Brighton Institute of Modern Music in the UK. Following the advice of his academic directors, Okeefe left for Nashville at the age of 19.

“Black River was a dream,” said Okeefe, “and still is a dream.”

The announcement of Okeefe’s signing comes on the heels of Black River Entertainment’s CEO Gordon Kerr’s announcement that Froehlig renewed her contract with Black River Publishing.

Music Industry Coalition To Absorb Save Music Row

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Jeannette Porrazzo

Jeannette Porrazzo

Jeannette Porrazzo, the president of organization Save Music Row, announced today that she is merging her organization with the Music Industry Coalition (MIC). Porrazzo has become a member of the MIC.

“I encourage all who have enlisted in the cause with ‪#‎SaveMusicRow‬ to follow my lead and join the efforts of MIC, because together we will be that much stronger in our mission,” said Porrazzo.

After discussing the organizations’ shared goal of helping to preserve Music Row, Porrazzo and MIC leadership decided to join forces. “We all want to be sure the past and future of Music Row is appropriately acknowledged- as advocates for the creative culture unique to this special place in Nashville.”

Mike Kopp, Chairman of MIC noted, “We saw how much passion Jeannette has for this issue and what she was able to accomplish. All of us at MIC are happy to have her investing her energy and passion in the mission alongside us.”

For more information, visit musicindustrycoalition.com.

 

Artists Set To Become “Human Checkers Pieces” For ACMs

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ACMCracker Barrel Old Country Store® and the Academy of Country Music announced today “The Cracker Barrel Old Country Store Country Checkers Challenge” leading up to the 50th Annual Academy of Country Music Awards LIVE on CBS on Sunday, April 19, from AT&T Stadium in Arlington, Texas.

On Saturday, April 18, country music artists and team captains Kellie Pickler and Thomas Rhett will direct their opposing teams to battle it out on Cracker Barrel’s giant checkerboard. The games will take place at the 2015 ACM Party for a Cause Festival: 50 Years of Music & Memories at Globe Life Park in Arlington, Texas, leading up to the 50th ACM Awards.

Through a $35,000 donation from Cracker Barrel, ACM Lifting Lives® will donate $25,000 to the winning team’s charity and $10,000 to the losing team’s charity. Pickler, a USO tour vet, has selected the USO and Rhett has selected DAV as the benefiting charities. SiriusXM “The Highway” Satellite Radio personality Storme Warren will host the event.

“Music is as important to our country spirit as a home cooked meal,” said Chris Ciavarra, senior vice president of marketing for Cracker Barrel Old Country Store. “That’s why Cracker Barrel has partnered with the Academy of Country Music to celebrate their 50th Anniversary. We are excited about offering our fans everywhere an opportunity to connect with Cracker Barrel and the Academy by hosting both an online checkers tournament and an on-site celebrity game.”

Six Grand Prize Winners from the online Cracker Barrel Old Country Store Country Checkers Challenge (which begins today), two participants selected by Cracker Barrel at a later date, 12 country music artists to be revealed later, a representative from the USO, a representative from DAV, and the two spouses of the team captains will be divided equally to create the two opposing teams. Each team member will be a “human playing checkers piece” and will follow directions given by the team captains.

Beginning today (Feb. 2), fans can enter “The Cracker Barrel Old Country Store Country Checkers Challenge” sweepstakes game at crackerbarrel.com. The game will continue until March 23 when six Grand Prize Winners will be crowned. The six Grand Prize Winners will each win a trip for two to the ACM Awards at AT&T Stadium outside Dallas and a spot on the checkerboard to play in the ultimate Cracker Barrel Old Country Store Country Checkers Challenge with team captains Pickler and Rhett. All rules and regulations can be found at CrackerBarrel.com.

Additional details, including the names of the country music artists participating in the checkers game at ACM’s festival, will be revealed soon.

Special ACM retail merchandise will be available for sale at Cracker Barrel Old Country Store® locations beginning Feb. 2. The merchandise will include limited edition ACM 50th t-shirts and hats. Also included is This is Country: A Backstage Pass to the Academy of Country Music Awards, the Academy’s first-ever commemorative hardcover book, written by ACM executive Lisa Lee.

Nashville-based Pop Up Music Adds to Roster

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Pictured (L-R): Nate Towne (Agent, WME), Jared Gutstadt (CEO, Jingle Punks/Pop Up Music), Pete Olson (VP, Artist Mgmt & Development Pop Up Music, Clark Manson (ARTIST), Liz O’Sullivan (VP, Publishing & Artist Dev., Pop Up Music), Scott Safford (Attorney, Safford, Motley)

Pictured (L-R): Nate Towne (Agent, WME), Jared Gutstadt (CEO, Jingle Punks/Pop Up Music), Pete Olson (VP, Artist Mgmt & Development Pop Up Music, Clark Manson (ARTIST), Liz O’Sullivan (VP, Publishing & Artist Dev., Pop Up Music), Scott Safford (Attorney, Safford, Motley)

Nashville-based Pop Up Music has signed a new singer-songwriter to its roster for publishing and artist development. Covington, Ohio native Clark Manson released his debut album in 2013.

Since opening in Nashville in September 2014 as the offshoot of Jingle Punks, Pop Up Music has been led by Vice President of Artist Management & Development Pete Olson and Vice President of Publishing and Artist Development Liz O’Sullivan. The firm itself is anchored creatively by Jingle Punks CEO Jingle Jared (Jared Gutstadt), who has written for artists such as Dierks Bentley, Chiddy Bang and Lynyrd Skynyrd.

Pop Up Music plans to announce additional signings soon. The office address for Pop Up Music Nashville is 2613 Westwood Drive, Nashville, TN 37204.

Music Video Releases: Carrie Underwood, RaeLynn, Brantley Gilbert

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RaeLynn is revealing more of her unique musical journey through a new video profile. From her Baytown, TX roots to spreading her wings on The Voice (season 2) and moving to Nashville, RaeLynn has conquered chords, crowds and coming of age.

The singer-songwriter recently released the EP Me. The project includes five songs RaeLynn wrote, including “God Made Girls,” which topped the iTunes Country Top Songs chart.

• • •

Carrie Underwood premiered her music video of “Little Toy Guns” for fans via social media.

 

• • •

Brantley Gilbert‘s latest video, “One Hell of an Amen,” honors two brave men whose separate legacies prove to be as strong as their fights. One being Brantley’s close friend, Kory, who lost his battle with Leukemia while courageously telling his doctors to “bring it on.” The other is a hometown hero’s best friend named Jon who was killed in combat while defending others in Iraq. 

 “One of my dear friends back home, Josh, went to Iraq on several tours,” said Brantley. “He had a best friend over there who passed away just a couple feet from where he was positioned. Josh told me the story and it made me feel like I was right there with him. I try not to write songs about things I haven’t been through or experienced, but the way Josh told me the story…it punched me in the chest.”

Brantley once again teamed up with director Shane Drake, who spearheaded the singer’s previous video, “Small Town Throwdown” ft. labelmates Justin Moore and Thomas Rhett.

Mark Your Calendar – February 2015

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Mo-PitneySingle Add Date

February 2
Kenny Chesney/Wild Child/Blue Chair-Columbia
Kip Moore/I’m To Blame/MCA Nashville
Parmalee/Already Callin’ You Mine/Stoney Creek Records
Macy Martin/Back To Reality/Go Time Records
James Robert Webb/ Daddy Made A Million/ Bison Creek Records
Jill & Julia/Cursed/Lamon Records
Lost Hollow/Water & Oil/Render
Jason Cassidy/Cowboy Girl/Nine North Records-Turnpike Music-Edgehill Music Nashvile
Kayla Calabrese/Whisper/SMG Nashville
Diana Upton-Hill/Do Love Well/Third Floor Records
Jessica Marie/Don’t Let It Bring You Down/Jessica Marie Music

February 9
Mo Pitney/Country/Curb Records
Waterloo Revival/Hit The Road/Big Machine
Blackberry Smoke/Living In The Song/Rounder Records
Angie Lynn Carter/Simple Man/SMG Nashville

February 16
Michael Ray/Kiss You In The Morning/Warner Bros.-WEA
David Fanning/Doin’ Country Right/Red Bow
Abi Ann/Future Ex Boyfriend/One Country Records
Mitch Goudy/My Girl’s Hand/Third Floor Records
Jordyn Stoddard/Like Me Til’ You Love Me/J Stodd
Presley & Taylor/Lookin For A Cowboy/SMG Nashville

February 23
LoCash/I Love This Life/Reviver Records

CRS2015_post2Industry Events

February 6
MusiCares’ 2015 Person of the Year in Los Angeles

February 7
Pre-Grammy Gala at The Beverly Hilton in Beverly Hills, Calif.

February 8
57th Annual Grammy awards

February 19-21
Pollstar Live! 2015 at Nashville’s Omni Hotel

February 21
The 26th Annual Pollstar Awards at the Ryman Auditorium

February 25
2015 CRS Meet & Greet and CountryBreakout Awards, invitation-only at Margaritaville in Nashville

February 25-27
CRS 2015 at the Nashville Convention Center

Gretchen-Peters-BlackbirdsAlbum Releases

February 3
Lucie Silvas/Lucie Silvas [EP]/Furthestpoint Records-Caroline

February 10
Love and Theft/Whiskey On My Breath/Hate & Purchase Music
Gretchen Peters’/Blackbirds’

February 17
The Mavericks/Mono/The Valory Music Co.
Aaron Watson/The Underdog/BIG Label-Thirty Tigers

AXS TV Zooms In On Colt Ford, Lucy Angel

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colt ford on axs tvAXS TV’s latest country music programming includes the recently launched series Discovering Lucy Angel and Colt Ford’s first-ever concert special.

AXS TV will premiere Colt Ford: Crank It Up! Live At Wild Adventures, Tuesday, Feb. 10 at 9 p.m. CT. The special shot at Wild Adventures Theme Park in Valdosta, Ga. spotlights tracks from Ford’s career, ranging from newest single “Crank It Up” to fan favorites such as “Drivin’ Around Song,” “Ride Through the Country” and “Chicken & Biscuits.”

The concert special follows Ford’s guest-appearance on Discovering Lucy Angel at 8 p.m. CT. AXS TV’s first original docu-series focuses on mother-daughter trio Lucy Angel and their family, The Andertons. It is produced by Taylored TV and Eggplant TV.

FRANKLIN, TN - JANUARY 12: The Andertons, Fletcher, Emily, Kate, Doug (G-MAN), Lindsay, Jake, Anthony Smith and McCartney Blaze Smith attend World Premiere debut party for AXS TV Docu-series "Discovering Lucy Angel" on January 12, 2015 at the Franklin Theater in Franklin, Tennessee. (Photo by Rick Diamond/Getty Images for "Discovering Lucy Angel")

The Andertons attend the debut party for “Discovering Lucy Angel” on Jan. 12, 2015 at the Franklin Theater in Franklin, Tennessee. Photo: Rick Diamond/Getty Images for “Discovering Lucy Angel”

Unstoppable Chief: Eric Church Saves Show Despite Sick Band

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Eric Church. Photo: Jill Trunnell

Eric Church. Photo: Jill Trunnell

After a stomach bug knocked out most of his band and crew in Salt Lake City, UT on Saturday, Jan. 31, Eric Church took the stage at the EnergySolutions Arena for a 19-song acoustic set.

“If you’ve seen our show so far on this tour, you’re probably wondering what the hell is going on right now. Well, so am I,” Church told the crowd. “Here’s the deal: Yesterday we had the stomach flu strike our band, our crew, everyone. We had no one to hang video, lights, nothing. But I’m still here. I’m still standing. We’ve talked about how every show on The Outsiders Tour is different. Well, tonight will be the most different one. Shit there’s nobody left. It’s just me. I’m going to give you everything I got.”

As a consolation, Church announced he will return to play Memorial Day (Mon., May 25) with a full band. Supporting acts will be announced at a later date. Fans wishing to attend should hold onto all physical tickets. Those unable to attend that show can seek a full refund at point of purchase beginning Wednesday, Feb. 4, until 5 p.m. day of concert.

Lzzy Hale‘s rock band, Halestorm, opened the show with a full 45-minute set. The production and stage were scaled back–only four spotlights and a minimal floor lighting package showcased Church in this unique setting. Guitar players Jeff Hyde, Jeff Cease and Driver Williams joined Church for a few songs and Hale came onstage for an acoustic rendition of “That’s Damn Rock and Roll.” Church worked six mic positions (scaled back from the normal 14), still performing to every section of the 360-degree setup.

Fans looking to experience Church live can tune-in to CBS on Feb. 8 for the Grammy Awards, where he is up for Best Country Album and Best Country Song, and will play a yet-to-be-announced song. The Outsiders World Tour will return to the road on Wednesday, Feb. 4, at Sleep Train Arena in Sacramento, California.

Saturday’s complete set list is as follows:
“Talladega”
“Drink In My Hand”
“Guys Like Me”
“How ‘Bout You”
“I’m Getting’ Stoned”
“Creepin’”
“Like Jesus Does”
“Cold One”
“Livin’ Part Of Life”
“Give Me Back My Hometown”
“That’s Damn Rock and Roll”
“Before She Does”
“Homeboy”
“These Boots”
“Like A Wrecking Ball”
“Jack Daniels”
“Smoke A Little Smoke”
“Thunder Road”
“Springsteen”

NMPA Names VP of Industry Relations, Government Affairs

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Amelia Wang

Amelia Wang

The National Music Publishers’ Association (NMPA) has named Amelia Wang Vice President of Industry Relations and Government Affairs. Starting today (Feb. 2), Wang will interact with Capitol Hill and federal agencies, advancing NMPA’s legislative and regulatory policy goals. She will also manage outreach to the music publishing and songwriting industry.

“Amelia’s extensive experience on Capitol Hill, and specifically in the copyright space, will make her an incredible advocate for songwriters and music publishers,” said David Israelite, President and CEO of NMPA. “Her leadership on the Creative Rights Caucus and in multiple Congressional offices has given her a great appreciation for the challenges faced by those in our industry and we’re excited to have her championing their efforts.”

Prior to joining NMPA, Wang was chief of staff to Congresswoman Judy Chu (D-Calif.) for five years and previously worked for Rep. Grace Napolitano (D-Calif.). While working for Chu, she spearheaded the creation of the Congressional Creative Rights Caucus, a 55 member bi-partisan group focused on strengthening copyright protections and fighting to achieve fair compensation to creators for their work.