October 2015 - Page 12 of 25

Winners of CMA Broadcast Awards Announced

October 16, 2015/by Craig_Shelburne

Derek Haskins, Patrick Thomas, and Sean Powell of “The Big D and Bubba Show” were named CMA National Broadcast Personality of the Year.

The winners of the CMA Broadcast Awards received the good news through surprise calls from “Love Me Like You Mean It” singer Kelsea Ballerini today (Oct. 16).

“I absolutely love visiting with my radio friends while I’m touring,” said Ballerini, who is in the running for Female Vocalist and New Artist of the Year. “Today was so fun calling to surprise them with the news of their win!”

“Part of our mission as a trade organization is to recognize excellence in this genre,” said Sarah Trahern, CMA Chief Executive Officer. “Country radio has significant impact on this format and I would like to thank these winners for their many contributions to our industry and congratulate them on an outstanding year.”

The winners of the 2015 CMA Broadcast Awards are:

2015 CMA Broadcast Personality of the Year Winners

National – “The Big D and Bubba Show” (Derek Haskins, Sean Powell, and Patrick Thomas) – Compass Media Networks

Major Market – “Ben and Matt in the Morning” (Ben Campbell and Matt McAllister) – KNIX, Phoenix, Ariz.

Large Market – “Karen, Scott & Radar” (Karen Dalessandro, Scott Dolphin, and Tony “Radar” Hess) – WMIL, Milwaukee-Racine, Wis.

Medium Market – “Andy & Alison and The Morning Crew” (Andy Ritchie, Alison Mencer, and Jimmy Holt) – WIVK, Knoxville, Tenn.

Small Market – “The Dex & Mo Show” (Bill “Dex” Poindexter and Melissa “Mo” Turner) – WUSY, Chattanooga, Tenn.

2015 CMA Radio Station of the Year Winners

Major Market – WPOC – Baltimore, Md.

Large Market – WMIL – Milwaukee-Racine, Wis.

Medium Market – WIVK – Knoxville, Tenn.

Small Market – KCLR – Columbia, Mo.

The categories are established by market size based on population as ranked by Arbitron. Entries for Broadcast Personality of the Year are judged on aircheck, ratings, community involvement, and biographical information. Candidates for Station of the Year are judged on aircheck, ratings history, community involvement, and format leadership.

To be eligible, National Broadcast Personality of the Year candidates must be syndicated, short-form, hub voice-tracking, and satellite personalities heard in at least three markets with a minimum of 40 shows per year.

CMA members who are full-time, on-air personalities and CMA member radio stations in the United States and Canada were eligible. The entries are judged by a panel of distinguished broadcast professionals, representing all market sizes and regions.

CMA Broadcast Award winners are not eligible to enter in consecutive years; therefore, those who received trophies in 2014 were not eligible in 2015. Deloitte & Touche LLP tabulates scoring by the judges.

Tucker Beathard Releases Demos to Spotify

October 16, 2015/by Eric T. Parker

Dot Records’ Tucker Beathard, son of hit songwriter Casey Beathard, signed to the label in September. The 20-year-old now has a five-track collection of unmastered demos, released to Spotify today.

TUCKER BEATHARD: THE DEMOS VOL. 1 is a sample of the upcoming debut album slated for release next year.

Beathard started playing drums and guitar in a band with his brothers at 10 years old and had an early influence on his father’s songwriting—Tucker’s rebellious attitude as a teenager that inspired the lyrics for “Homeboy” (Eric Church). Beathard is signed for publishing with Big Machine Music.

Beathard has opened for superstars Dierks Bentley, Eric Church, Miranda Lambert, Keith Urban and is currently out of the road with Maddie & Tae on their Start Here Tour. For more information, visit tuckerbeathardmusic.com.

TUCKER BEATHARD: THE DEMOS VOL. 1 Track List:
1. Rock On
2. Momma And Jesus
3. 20-10 Tennessee
4. Better Than Me
5. Free

Pandora Hires Former Borman Exec As Lead Country Curator

October 16, 2015/by Jessica Nicholson

Rachel Barnhard Whitney

Pandora has tapped Rachel Barnhard Whitney to join the company as Lead Curator-Programmer, Country.

Whitney was most recently was Director, Digital Marketing at Borman Entertainment where she was an advocate on behalf of the Borman roster for new and existing partner programs via a variety of streaming, sales and marketing partners such as iTunes, Spotify, Amazon, Google, and Pandora.

Prior to her work at Borman, she co-founded the digital marketing company Bigdata Marketing. Whitney has an MBA from Vanderbilt University.

Artist Updates: Kelsea Ballerini, Reba, Kacey Musgraves, Tootsie’s Nash Bash

October 16, 2015/by Jessica Nicholson

Kelsea Ballerini Added To ‘Rock The Room Tour’ Nashville Show

Kelsea Ballerini has been added to the Nashville show of the Rock The Room Tour. The Nashville set will also feature performances from Reba, Martina McBride, and Kelly Clarkson.

The tour will launch at Nashville’s City Winery. The nearly sold-out show will honor Musicians On Call supporter Shane Tarleton (WMN’s VP and Creative Director) with a “Golden Ukelele” for the Leadership in Music Award. The event will also honor Musicians On Call volunteer recipients Harlan Pease with the Volunteer Musician Award, and Sandra Morgan with the Volunteer Guide Award.

For more information and tickets, visit musiciansoncall.org/RTRT.

Reba To Appear As Guest Announcer For ‘Best Time Ever With Neil Patrick Harris’

Reba McEntire performing in Together in Vegas. Photo: Caesars Palace.

Reba will serve as a guest announcer for the sixth episode of Best Time Ever with Neil Patrick Harris, set for Tuesday, Oct. 20 at 8 p.m. ET on NBC. Reba will appear throughout the hour from the guest announcer booth, providing commentary and previews of what is to come during the show.

The show will also feature “Cheerleader” singer OMI, as well as Jesse Tyler Ferguson.

Kacey Musgraves’ Lucchese Boot Line To Debut Nov. 1

Kacey Musgraves will officially debut her Kacey for Lucchese boot collection on Nov. 1, when the collection hits stores. Kacey for Lucchese features four styles. Golden Arrow, for example, is constructed of marbled white leather, with metallic accents and Musgraves’ signature golden arrow on the side seam.

“This boot is majorly influenced from a 1950s pair that are my absolute favorite…I probably wear them at every show,” said Kacey. “Also the symbol that has brought me so many reasons to celebrate – the arrow.”

For more, visit lucchese.com.

Additionally, Musgraves will help flip the switch for Opry Goes Pink at the Grand Ole Opry on Tuesday, Oct. 27. The show, which will also feature Terri Clark and Montgomery Gentry, supports Women Rock for the Cure, in the fight against breast cancer. For tickets, visit opry.com.

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Tootsie’s Orchid Lounge To Celebrate 55th Anniversary NASH Bash

TootsiesLogo_Orchid_blk_lg Tootsie’s Orchid Lounge will celebrate 55 years with a free Nashville concert on Broadway on Wednesday, Oct. 21.

The party, which will be located between 4th and 5th Avenue, will feature music from Randy Houser, Terri Clark, LOCASH, Chase Bryant, Michael Ray, Trick Pony, Confederate Railroad, Amanda Watkins, John Stone, Scott Collier, Anthony Orio, and more.

Jon Nite Discusses Risks in the Writing Room

October 16, 2015/by Eric T. Parker

Jon Nite recently visited MusicRow to discuss his songwriting process for our 2015 Publisher Issue print magazine.

Nite is the recipient of three MusicRow No. 1 Challenge Coins for writing “Strip It Down” (Luke Bryan), “Smoke” (A Thousand Horses), and “Beachin'” (Jake Owen). His significant success continued over the years with “Glass” (Thompson Square), “Tip It On Back” (Dierks Bentley), and “Whatever She’s Got” (David Nail).

The Sony/ATV songwriter gave insight into the Nashville songwriter community, citing Cam’s Sony Nashville breakthrough–“Burning House” (Jeff Bhasker/Tyler Johnson/Cam)–as unique because usually fewer risks are taken when writing music for radio. That song, he says, gives writers hope.

“’Burning House’ is a breath of fresh air,” noted Nite. “To see something on the radio that’s not worried about what anyone thinks is really motivating.”

As the conversation turned to digital music, Nite said, “Songwriters know streaming music is either going to save us or doom us. Most songwriters are optimistic, I am too. Someone will figure out how to compensate people for music.

“I’m thankful that [Nashville songwriters] Lee Thomas Miller and Nicolle Galyon are talking face-to-face to congressmen to plead our case because I’m not a talker. But it can’t hurt for those songwriters who go to Washington to show the power a hit song can have to change someone’s life, or to lay out the family budget compared to streaming compensation. I’m optimistic, but there needs to be about 1,000 percent difference to compensate for the loss of income from downloads.

“It’s funny when you talk to the songwriters who have been around for multiple decades, because they always refer to the ‘90s income boom. They say that 80 percent of the songwriters that would have been in a job are not in a job now. I’m the lucky one to get up and do it but it does feel like there is only a small community who are doing super well—I imagine probably 15 top songwriters and 200 professional writers.

“With such few songwriters, there is a decrease in songs like ‘Burning House.’ You can get in this self-perpetuating cycle where the sound of a hit is everywhere if songwriters think they can’t pay their bills or may get dropped unless they produce something that sounds like a radio hit. ‘Burning House’ is a backlash from the economics where you need to have a radio-sounding song.

“But even if we’re writing them, they still may not be pitched as a single. Even still, the songs that provide for your family are the ones that make it to terrestrial radio—radio listeners decide. All I know is there are lesser risks in the writing room, even less that are cut, not to mention singled.”

To read more, pick up your Publisher Issue print magazine available or purchase online for $30, and are included with yearly subscriptions at no additional cost.

Jason Aldean Announces We Were Here 2016 Tour

October 16, 2015/by Craig_Shelburne

Jason Aldean will launch his We Were Here 2016 Tour on Jan. 15. Tickets for select shows on the 24-city run with special guests Thomas Rhett and A Thousand Horses go on sale on Friday, Oct. 23.

The tour title comes from the title of his latest single, “Gonna Know We Were Here.” The music video premiered today exclusively on Yahoo.

“This song pretty much sums up how I feel like me and my fans live our lives,” said Aldean. “That same excitement is what we feel out there on the road every night, which made it a great name for next year’s tour. It was pretty cool that we could bring that vibe to the music video too by shooting it back in Macon with a ton of people from my hometown. Getting back there and on that high school football field really reminded me of that rush of just living life without any regrets.”

Jason Aldean: We Were Here 2016 Tour Dates:

Jan. 14: Moline, Ill.
Jan. 15: Evansville, Ind.
Jan. 16-17: Bloomington, Ill.
Jan. 21: Des Moines, Iowa
Jan. 22: Omaha, Neb.
Jan. 23: Springfield, Mo.
Jan. 28: Grand Forks, N.D.
Jan. 29: Bismarck, N.D.
Jan. 30: Sioux Falls, S.D.

Feb. 4 : Southaven, Miss.
Feb. 5 Oklahoma City, Okla.
Feb. 6: Columbia, Mo.
Feb. 18: Roanoke, Va.
Feb. 19: Charlottesville, Va.
Feb. 20: Fayetteville, N.C.
Feb. 25: Manchester, N.H.
Feb. 26: State College, Pa.
Feb. 27: Atlantic City, N.J.

March 8: Melbourne, Australia*
March 9 : Sydney, Australia*
March 12: Willowbank, Australia*

April 28 : Portland, Maine
April 29 : Uncasville, Conn.
April 30 : Uncasville, Conn.
May 5: Erie, Pa
May 6: Allentown, Pa

*Australian dates do not include Thomas Rhett and A Thousand Horses

Bobby Karl Works Carrie Underwood’s ‘Storyteller’ Album Release Party

October 16, 2015/by Bobby Karl

BOBBY KARL WORKS THE ROOM

Chapter 511

Pictured (L-R): Lesly Simon, VP, Promotion, Arista Nashville; Jim Catino, VP, A&R, Sony Music Nashville; Ann Edelblute, Carrie Underwood’s manager (The HQ); Ken Robold, Executive VP/Chief Operating Officer; Carrie Underwood; Randy Goodman, Chairman & CEO, Sony Music Nashville; Paul Barnabee, Senior VP, Marketing, Sony Music Nashville; and, Steve Hodges, Executive VP, Promotion & Artist Development.
Photo: Chris Hollo

One of the Grand Ole Opry’s greatest voices previewed new music this week, and Music Row’s party people were there to celebrate.

Superstar Carrie Underwood was in the spotlight on Wednesday (Oct. 14). Sony hosted a wonderfully imaginative party to introduce her album at The Standard downtown. The restaurant is located in the city center’s last standing Victorian mansion.

The building’s historic rooms were decorated to reflect the CD’s songs. Storyteller is the collection’s title, and its marketing slogan is, “Her Voice Carries the Story.” “Carries,” get it?

The first “theme” room was for the song “Dirty Laundry.” It was decorated with clotheslines. The bar there was serving, of course, dirty martinis. The song’s co-writer, Ashley Gorley, was there to greet you. So were Steve Buchanan, Kay West, Nancy Shapiro, Pete Fisher, Scott McDaniel and Jody Williams.

The second room was “Church Bells.” Rose petals covered the floor, and a wedding gown was on display. The bar served, naturally, champagne. Co-writer Zach Crowell hovered. So did Jon Freeman and Shannon McCombs.

Next, we wandered into “Heartbeat.” This room was decorated with heart symbols. Ben Carver and Sara Haze were in there, even though they co-wrote “Relapse,” a different song on the record.

Carrie Underwood celebrates with a fun photo in the “Renegade Runaway” room, with her mother and aunt during Underwood’s album release party. Photo: Carrie Underwood/Facebook

The “Renegade Runaway” room was an Old West barroom serving whiskey. It had a photo booth where you could pose for a souvenir snapshot as a “Wanted” mini-poster. Co-writer Hillary Lindsey was lingering nearby. I complimented her and Liz Rose for their outstanding performance at the Nashville Songwriters Hall of Fame ceremony.

Onward we went, into the “Smoke Break” room. This one had closed French doors, since it was a cigar lounge with brandy varieties for libations. Also, a big video screen showed Carrie’s rocking video of the song. Co-writer Chris DeStefano was puffing away.

At the rear of the building was the “Grand Ballroom.” Screens in this elegant space showed slides of the remaining eight songs on the CD, with writer credits.

This was the schmooze headquarters. Fabulons in the cast of thousands – okay, hundreds – included Brett James, Leslie Fram, Lisa Konicki, Chuck Dauphin, Allen Brown, Pat Higdon, Carla Wallace, Bill Catino, Kos Weaver, Chris Oglesby, Paul Barnabee, Cindy Watts and the enduringly endearing Mark Bright.

Host Randy Goodman informed us that the laminates around our necks had “iDitty” download codes that contain the whole Storyteller album. The only thing is, “You have to wear this constantly between now and Oct. 23,” for this to work, Randy joked.

“You know all the stats,” he said. “She’s such a phenomenal artist.

“Thank you guys so much for coming out this evening,” Carrie said to the throng. She looked amazingly slim in her fetching, lace-embellished black cocktail dress. “They did such a great job of putting this party together.” Amen to that.

“I’m so excited to see what we do with this ‘era’ of music…I’m so glad that I get to do what I love.”

The Standard’s hors d’oeuvres included salmon and roasted capers with cream cheese, pimento cheese, bacon plus tomato bits and other delicacies on toast points. The wait staff seemed way under-manned for the size of the crowd.

Guest Deborah Evans Price came bearing news. Her book, Country Faith Christmas, comes out on Monday. “It’s not War and Peace,” she blushed. No, but it is a big-time brand. Cracker Barrel is stocking it, plus its companion CD, as well as, get this, a jewelry line. She was wearing its charm bracelet. The book contains stars’ holiday kiddie photos, memories and recipes.

Storyteller releases Oct. 23. Parties Are Us. Onward to the next.

The dandy party was put on by Legacy-PR and Events.

Chris Janson To Join Blake Shelton Tour in 2016

October 16, 2015/by Jessica Nicholson

Pictured (L-R): Blake Shelton, Chris Janson

Warner Bros. Records/Warner Music Nashville artist Chris Janson will join his WMN labelmate Blake Shelton on stage next year for the majority of Shelton’s 2016 Tour, Presented By Gildan. The tour kicks off Feb. 8 in Cincinnati, Ohio.

“I couldn’t be more stoked to get on tour with my label mate Blake Shelton,” said Janson. “‘Boys Round Here’ is one of my favorite songs! I know we’re going to have a blast on the road and it’s always exciting to play for the hometown crowd in Nashville. This has definitely been a big year for me and I’m excited to see what’s next in 2016!”

Janson’s “Buy Me A Boat” topped the music charts last month and is the title track for his forthcoming debut album. Featuring 11 songs, all co-written by Janson, the album will be available Oct. 30 and also includes his new single, “Power Of Positive Drinkin’.”

On Saturday, Oct. 17 at 10 a.m. CT, the March 4, 2016 Nashville, TN show will go on sale via Ticketmaster. Ticket prices for the tour range from $29.75 – $69.75.

MusicRowPics: Dianna Corcoran

October 16, 2015/by Jessica Nicholson

Dianna Corcoran visits MusicRow.

In Australia, country singer-songwriter Dianna Corcoran is a household name, having earned two Golden Guitar Awards, including one for Female Artist of the Year, from the Australian Country Music Awards. She has earned 10 No. 1 songs and released five No. 1 music videos in Australia.

Now, Corcoran has set her sights on success in country music’s bedrock of Nashville. Corcoran relocated to Music City in 2011, and signed with Krian/Universal.

During a visit to the MusicRow offices, she performed an three-song acoustic set. Her songs stem from Corcoran’s resilient, optimistic outlook, including her acoustic set starter, “Thank You For Cheating On Me.” The song earned her an Australian Independent Country Music Awards – Single of the Year honor in 2010. “I have a cheating ex-boyfriend to thank for that one,” she quipped.

She also offered the realistic tune, “Therapy,” where she checks off various forms of help, from drugs to Pilates. “This could be about any town,” she mused.

The singer-songwriter’s pluck and grit isn’t just song inspiration, it’s something she lives day-to-day. Corcoran is currently on a radio tour, often making the drive between stations and shows on her own by traveling via microcar and camping a tent. “When you come to the States on an O1 Visa [for individuals with extraordinary ability or achievement], you can do music, but can’t get paid through other means,” she explained. “So you have to save before you come. Others can work in a bar or something part-time to make extra, but we can’t, not until you get a green card.” Corcoran said that, ironically, now that she has her green card, she is on the road too often to nail down any time-honored, stationary musician side gigs.

“I’m smart about it,” Corcoran commented of her travels. “I’ve always been an outdoors person, and sometimes I’ll stay in a budget hotel.”

She ended her acoustic performance with the pitch-perfect purity of “Not Ready To Lose.”

The singer-songwriter will celebrate her first American release, aptly titled In America, on Jan. 29, 2016.