Florida Georgia Line Release New Single, Announce Album

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Florida Georgia Line 2016

Florida Georgia Line released a new single titled “H.O.L.Y.” to country radio on Friday (April 29). It’s the lead single from their third album, Dig Your Roots, which is scheduled for a summer release on Big Machine Label Group.

The duo’s Tyler Hubbard and Brian Kelley once again enlisted longtime collaborator Joey Moi to produce the single, which was written by busbee, Nate Cyphert and William Larsen.

“We really put in the time making sure this song was the strongest it could be and we’re pushing ourselves on all levels: vocally, lyrically, melodically,” said Kelley. “I promise the fans, the wait was worth it.”

Hubbard added, “As we continue to grow and mature in our lives, we really wanted our music to start reflecting those changes. ‘H.O.L.Y.’ definitely lets the fans see a deeper side to us and we’re excited about this next chapter.”

Florida Georgia Line is currently on their Dig Your Roots Tour, which runs through October. In addition, the duo shot a music video for “H.O.L.Y.” on location at The Twelve Apostles, just outside of Melbourne, Australia. Their wives, Brittney Cole Kelley and Hayley Hubbard, also appear in the video. The project premiered on Vevo on Friday.

Scotty McCreery Plans 14-City Book Tour, TV Appearances

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McCreery book cover artScotty McCreery is expanding his reach across various entertainment mediums. Country listeners first knew him as the Season 10 winner of American Idol in 2011, followed by his debut album, Clear As Day topping the all-genre Billboard 200 charts.

Now, McCreery will release his first book, Go Big or Go Home: The Journey Toward The Dream, on Tuesday (May 3) and will make several stops across the country in support of the endeavor. He wrote the book with author Travis Thrasher.

McCreery will hold book signings at bookstores and venues in 14 cities, beginning in New Jersey on Tuesday, and ending in his hometown of Garner, North Carolina, on May 14.

In addition, he is scheduled to perform on NBC’s Today on Tuesday and to appear on FOX & Friends on Wednesday.

 

 

Martina McBride, Cam, Jennifer Nettles To Open American Country Countdown Awards

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ACCA-logo

Martina McBride, Jennifer Nettles and Cam will kick off the 2016 American Country Countdown Awards. The trio will take the stage together for the first time, performing McBride’s 2003 hit, “This One’s For the Girls.”

“I always look forward to singing this song because it resonates with so many different people of all different ages,” said McBride. “With Jennifer and Cam joining me for the first time, the song will be even more fun and I’m so happy we’ll be performing this together.”

The two-hour show will also feature performances from Kelsea Ballerini, Brooks & Dunn, Luke Bryan, Cam, Dan + Shay, Florida Georgia Line, Sam Hunt, Chris Janson, Martina McBride, Thomas Rhett, Cole Swindell, Carrie Underwood, and Toby Keith’s tribute to Merle Haggard, with Haggard’s longtime band the Strangers.

The American Country Countdown Awards will air live from the Forum in Inglewood, California, on Sunday, May 1 (8:00-10:00 PM ET live/PT tape-delayed) on FOX.

Hillary Scott To Perform At Gospel Music Association Honors

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HIllary Scott Thy Will 2016

Hillary Scott and The Scott Family are among the performers slated for the Gospel Music Association (GMA) Honors celebration, set for Tuesday, May 10 at Lipscomb University’s Allen Arena. Scott and her family will perform “Thy Will,” the debut single from her upcoming faith-based project Love Remains.

Additional performers include Amy Grant, Jason Crabb, The Voice‘s Jordan Smith, and more.

GMA Gospel Music Hall of Fame inductees include Hezekiah Walker, Howard Rachinski, The Nelons and Russ Taff.

The event also honors individuals and organizations that are impacting culture both past and present. This year’s honorees include BMI Vice President, Writer/Publisher Relations and Hope For Harvest founder Catherine Brewton, Jars of Clay for Blood: Water Mission, Michael W. Smith for Rocketown, and the Gospel Music Trust Fund.

Artist Updates: Jennifer Nettles, Parmalee, Native Run, Marty Brown

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Jennifer Nettles Performs For Big Machine Rocks

Pictured (L-R): Adam Vasallo, Director of Entertainment & Marketing, HSN; Kelly Rich, SVP of Sales, Marketing and Interactive, BMLG; Andrew Kautz, COO, BMLG; Scott Borchetta, President and CEO, BMLG; Jennifer Nettles; Sandi Spika Borchetta, SVP Creative and Music Has Value; BMLG; John Zarling, SVP Partnership Marketing & Promotion Strategy, BMLG; Jackie Campbell, Director Strategic Partnership, BMLG; Jennifer Conner, EVP of TV Content and Programming, HSN. Photo: Jason Davis

Pictured (L-R): Adam Vasallo, Director of Entertainment & Marketing, HSN; Kelly Rich, SVP of Sales, Marketing and Interactive, BMLG; Andrew Kautz, COO, BMLG; Scott Borchetta, President and CEO, BMLG; Jennifer Nettles; Sandi Spika Borchetta, SVP Creative and Music Has Value; BMLG; John Zarling, SVP Partnership Marketing & Promotion Strategy, BMLG; Jackie Campbell, Director Strategic Partnership, BMLG; Jennifer Conner, EVP of TV Content and Programming, HSN. Photo: Jason Davis

Jennifer Nettles performed during the second installment of the Big Machine Rocks event in Nashville earlier this week, as part of a long-term collaboration between Big Machine Label Group and leading live content retailer HSN. Nettles debuted songs from Playing With Fire, due May 13 on Big Machine Records,. She treated audiences to signature hits and spoke about her career throughout the special.

 

Parmalee Meets With CMT Team

Pictured (L-R, Top Row):   CMT’s Stacey Cato; BBR Music Group’s Jon Loba and Lynette Garonola; (Center Row): CMT’s Jennifer Danielson; Anne Oakley; Leslie Fram; Leeanne Lisk; Julia Blosil; Jordan Stephens; (Bottom Row): Parmalee’s Josh McSwain; Barry Knox; Matt Thomas; Scott Thomas

Pictured (L-R, Top Row): CMT’s Stacey Cato; BBR Music Group’s Jon Loba and Lynette Garbonola; (Center Row): CMT’s Jennifer Danielson, Anne Oakley, Leslie Fram, Leeanne Lisk, Julia Blosil, and Jordan Stephens (Bottom Row): Parmalee members Josh McSwain, Barry Knox, Matt Thomas, and Scott Thomas

Stoney Creek Records group Parmalee met with CMT executives and staffers this week to preview their upcoming single “Roots,” the lead single from their upcoming sophomore album.

 

Native Run Member Engaged To Former Edens Edge Member

Rachel Beauregard and Dean Berner

Rachel Beauregard and Dean Berner. Photo: Dean Berner, Facebook

Native Run singer Rachel Beauregard is engaged to former Edens Edge member Dean Berner. “We’re so excited to share our happiness all our family, friends, and loved ones around the world and elsewhere,” said Berner via social media. “We’re so excited and are currently celebrating over our favorite and most important meal of the day, breakfast. So to sum it up…love and breakfast. But the greatest of these is LOVE!”

 

Songwriter, America’s Got Talent Performer Marty Brown Makes Ryman Auditorium Debut

Marty Brown at the Ryman Auditorium. Photo: Shellie Brown

Marty Brown at the Ryman Auditorium. Photo: Shellie Brown

Singer-songwriter Marty Brown made his debut performance at the Ryman Auditorium earlier this month.

Brown penned Tracy Byrd‘s 1998 hit “I’m From The Country,” as well as “When I Stop Loving You” for Trace Adkins. Brown also appeared on Season 8 of America’s Got Talent, where he performed a rendition of the Bob Dylan classic “Make You Feel My Love.”

Brown has worked with Keith Stegall‘s Dreamlined Entertainment to release a recording of “Make You Feel My Love.”

 

 

 

MTSU Will Host Match Records Showcase On Sunday

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MTSU event

Match Records, a student-run record label at Middle Tennessee State University, will be presenting an artist showcase and fundraiser on Sunday (May 1) at Soulshine Pizza in Nashville.

Held from 2 p.m. to 5 p.m., the showcase will feature performances from Patrick Britt, Brittney Spencer, Reign, and Chasing Lights.

Proceeds will benefit Match Records, which is part of MTSU’s Department of Recording Industry. The event is free but the organization is accepting donations on its ticketing page.

ASCAP Revenue Topped $1 Billion in 2015

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ASCAP logo
ASCAP reports that for the second year, its combined domestic and foreign revenue topped $1 billion, with total 2015 revenue of $1.014 billion.

Domestic revenue topped $716.8 million (a $61 million increase from 2014), with $867.4 million in total royalty distributions. ASCAP reports that it returned 88 cents of every dollar collected to music creators, with an operating expense ratio of 12.3 percent. ASCAP tracked, matched and processed 570 billion performances in 2015, an increase of 14 percent over 2014.

The PRO saw growth in several areas. General Licensing, which covers bars, restaurants, music venues, and similar businesses, garnered $11 million, with growth of 9.1 percent. In the Audio/Visual category, which covers broadcast and cable TV as well as top streaming services like Amazon and Netflix, ASCAP closed 68 agreements representing 245 programming services and their related websites.

Additionally, ASCAP created a new Global Services Team in 2015 to offer services to its music creator and publisher members as well as to its foreign PRO partners, which annually handled over 70,000 inquiries.

According to ASCAP, the company has more than 10 million song in its database, as well as a total of 560,000 songwriter, composer, and publisher members. Nearly 40,000 members joined in 2015, including Kelsea Ballerini and Fetty Wap.

Among the creators renewing their memberships are Ashley Gorley, Kevin Kadish, Meghan Trainor, Calvin Harris, and more.

ASCAP President Paul Williams said, “ASCAP is a tireless advocate for the rights of music creators who depend on ASCAP to earn a living, whether it’s on Capitol Hill or at the negotiating table, and we are truly invested in their success. ASCAP’s superlative results mean we are doing the best job possible for our songwriter and composer members even as we advocate for changes to the outdated music licensing laws that disadvantage songwriters in the today’s digital world. These results are a testament to why the world’s most talented songwriters choose to call ASCAP home.”

ASCAP CEO Elizabeth Matthews said, “2015 was a winning year for ASCAP members, who are the heart and soul of our organization. While the music industry is in the midst of tremendous change, ASCAP has stayed ahead of the curve with a strategic focus on revenue growth, operational efficiencies, technology and service innovations demonstrating that the collective licensing model delivers the best value proposition in the performing rights world. We are happy that we could deliver a 6.2 percent increase in domestic royalties to our members in 2015, and we remain committed to transforming into the most progressive operation ensuring that songwriters, composers, lyricists and music publishers can enjoy a sustainable living in today’s music marketplace.”

The Band Perry’s “Live Forever” Named Team USA’s Official 2016 Summer Olympics Song

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The Band Perry perform on NBC's Today's Citi Concert Series. Photo: Getty Images

The Band Perry perform on NBC’s Today’s Citi Concert Series. Photo: Getty Images

The Band Perry‘s song “Live Forever” has been chosen as the official song of Team USA at the 2016 Summer Olympics in Rio de Janeiro. The band has released an Olympics Edition of their music video for the song to commemorate the occasion.

The Band Perry appeared on NBC’s Today on Wednesday morning (April 27) to deliver a special performance of “Live Forever” on the plaza as part of the Citi Concert Series.

“We wrote [‘Live Forever’] about six to eight months ago, so we never imagined that we would write it, end up recording it, and then allow it to be part of the US Olympic team,” said Reid Perry.

“‘Live Forever’ is really about those moments that make you feel like you are going to live forever, and that really is the spirit of the Olympics and we are really honored to bring that song to these guys,” added Kimberly Perry.

The Love Junkies Play New Songs, Introduce Alyssa Micaela

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Pictured (L-R): Lori McKenna, Liz Rose, Alyssa Micaela, Hillary Lindsey

Pictured (L-R): Lori McKenna, Liz Rose, Alyssa Micaela, Hillary Lindsey

Hillary Lindsey, Lori McKenna and Liz Rose played a handful of new tunes prior to a showcase for Alyssa Micaela, a budding artist/songwriter, on Wednesday night (April 27). The award-winning trio performed three songs at The Country, a new venue near Centennial Park, before bringing Micaela (a writer for Liz Rose Music and Warner/Chappell Music) to the stage. Numerous A&R label executives, PRO representatives and publishing company personnel could be spotted in the crowd.

Lindsey, McKenna and Rose are collectively known as The Love Junkies. They traded lines on their new collaborative compositions “Like Patsy Would” and “Think Like a Man,” then concluded their set with their signature hit, “Girl Crush.”

Pictured (L-R): Hillary Lindsey, Liz Rose, Lori McKenna.

Pictured (L-R): Hillary Lindsey, Liz Rose, Lori McKenna.

Leading up to the show, the three songwriters posed with MusicRow Challenge Coins, presented for writing “Girl Crush.” Starting in 2014, every artist and songwriter with a No. 1 single on the MusicRow CountryBreakout Chart receives a coin. Last June, “Girl Crush” was named Song of the Year at the 2015 MusicRow Awards, leading the way for even more recognition, including ACM nominations, and CMA and Grammy Awards.

Alyssa Micaela coverMeanwhile, Rose has been a longtime supporter of Micaela, a 23-year-old singer-songwriter from Odessa, Texas. Dressed in a vintage Patty Loveless T-shirt, she opened the set with a sassy number titled “Truck Bed.” Her single “Getaway Car” has generated more than 1.6 milion streams on Spotify, due to inclusion on Spotify’s Hot Country, New Boots and Wild Country playlists. She co-wrote the song with Derrick Southerland and Jesse Walker. She also incorporates her Hispanic heritage into her music, offering a bilingual rendition of Roy Orbison’s “Crying.”

Rose personally introduced Micaela to the stage, noting that she thinks of the young talent as her own daughter. They have worked together closely for the last seven years. Micaela is managed by Pete Olson at Master Craft Management.

DISClaimer: Sturgill Simpson Leads Americana Offerings

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Sturgill Simpson

Sturgill Simpson

Americana music covers a whole lot of ground, which today’s stroll through Americanaland proves.

We have everything from the jazz-blues A.J. Croce to the pop of Blue Sky Riders, from the folk of Mary Chapin Carpenter to the rock of Hard Working Americans.

Both of our spotlight records lean toward the country side of things. The Disc of the Day award belongs to the justly heralded Sturgill Simpson.

The Discovery Award goes to Clark Paterson. He has two previous EP’s, and now comes his first full album. He won’t win any prizes as a singer, but he scores big points for songwriting prowess and on-disc raw charisma.

WILD PONIES/Love Is Not A Sin
Writers: Doug & Telisha Williams; Producer: Tres Sasser; Publishers: Bully Goose/American Echo, BMI/SESAC; No Evil (track)
– Fronted by Doug and Telisha Williams, this band has a spare sound dominated by his guitar and her bass. Multi-instrumentalist Fats Kaplan adds other textures. The singing—whether it’s her solo or as a duo—is right on the money, and the songs are sturdy and true. Slated for a May 13 release, the new album is titled Radiant. It’s an alt-country ride.

A.J. CROCE/If You Want Me To Stay
Writers: Sylvester Stewart; Producer: Jim Keitner; Publisher: Mijac/Sony-ATV, BMI; Compass (track)
-Croce’s album That’s Me in the Bar launched him into prominence 20 years ago. Compass Records is celebrating its anniversary by reissuing it and adding this bonus track. His natural jazz/blues vocal phrasing suits the 1973 Sly & The Family Stone classic perfectly. The album’s impressive cast includes Billy Payne of Little Feat, Robben Ford, Ry Cooder, Jonell Mosser, Flea of The Red Hot Chili Peppers and David Hidalgo of Los Lobos. By the way, A.J. Croce is the son of the late singer-songwriter Jim Croce.

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STURGILL SIMPSON/In Bloom
Writer: Kurt Cobain; Producer: Sturgill Simpson; Publishers: The End of Music/BMG Rights Management/Silver Songs, SESAC; Atlantic (track)
-Simpson’s just-released A Sailor’s Guide to Earth is already a contender for Americana Album of the Year. This echoey, melodic Nirvana cover contrasts his country baritone with strings, steel, horns (by The Dap Kings) and spacey atmospherics. It’s all pretty darn dreamy. Apart from this track, the album is totally solo written and produced by the artist. A home run.

R.J. COMER/Nightly Suicide
Writer: R.J. Comer; Producer: Jef Scott; Publishers: Entered Apprentice, no performance rights listed; AJC (track)
– This is just about as gritty as it gets. The title tune of Los Angeleno Comer’s collection is a barroom lament with drinks lined up for hours and hours. A steady, slamming beat and grinding electric guitar slashes punctuate his dour, doomy baritone vocal drone. The new album’s almost-as-dire “The Moon Ain’t Fallen on Me Yet” has a music video.

MARY CHAPIN CARPENTER/Something Tamed Something Wild
Writers: Mary Chapin Carpenter; Producer: Dave Cobb; Publishers: Why Walk, ASCAP; Lambent Light
– This rippling acoustic track kicks off her new CD The Things That We Are Made Of. Her liquid alto has never sounded more enchanting.

JEFFERSON GRIZZARD/Daydream of Hope
Writer: Jefferson Grizzard; Producer: Ben McRee; Publisher: Back Porch Syndicate, BMI; Back Porch
– The title tune of this Georgia-based troubadour’s latest is pretty slow going, with his nearly naked vocal grappling with existence. Elsewhere on the CD you’ll find a solid group of Music Row session aces backing his rocking ruminations.

BLUE SKY RIDERS/Why Not
Writers: Blue Sky Riders; Producer: Blue Sky Riders; Publishers: Blue Sky Riders/Adave/Slattery Songs, ASCAP/SESAC; 3Dream (track)
-This trio—Kenny Loggins, Gary Burr and Georgia Middleman—had the most refreshing new sound of 2013. Its sophomore CD is just as gorgeous. On the bopping title tune, Georgia takes a sprightly lead vocal. All the tracks are dandy, but the rollicking “I’m Lucky Like That,” led by Kenny, is especially catchy. This is joyous music that will be in my speakers for months and months to come.

Clark Paterson

CLARK PATERSON/Sweet Baby
Writers: Clark Paterson/Mark Cline Bates; Producers: Eric McConnell/Clark Paterson; Publishers: none listed, ASCAP; CP (track)
– Paterson’s album is titled The Final Tradition. It includes this jaunty, romping ditty with plinky, plunky steel guitar accompaniment and a wildly clever, quasi-spoken, “talking blues” vocal. Guaranteed to make you smile. Also check out “Hillbilly Shit.” That’s Tim Carroll on electric guitar, incidentally. East Nashvillian Paterson plays a 6 p.m. show at Fond Object on Saturday, May 14. Be there or be square.

HARD WORKING AMERICANS/Opening Statement
Writers: Hard Working Americans; Producer: none listed; Publishers: Shad N Froyd A/Ow My Eye/Grand Island/Bavarian Bombshell/Willy Briar/Eyelid Sky, BMI/ASCAP; Melvin/Thirty Tigers (track)
– Todd Snider and company return next month with their Rest In Chaos third CD. But you can get an advance listen to this track from it on the band’s website. It’s a thumping, echo-soaked outing with a dry, conversational vocal about a losing lover’s journey. Neal Casal’s guitar solo is totally cool.

JANE KRAMER/Carnival Of Hopes
Writer: Jane Kramer; Producer: Adam Johnson; Publisher: Famous Brown Boots, ASCAP; JK (track)
– Her soprano has an ache and a break that are appealing. The title tune of her album is “folk” in all the right ways, with light acoustic instrumentation and a charming melody. She hails from Asheville, North Carolina, and you can hear misty mountains in her sound.