Willie Nelson Concert To Be Featured On SiriusXM’s NYE Live Concert Series

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Willie Nelson

Willie Nelson

SiriusXM will broadcast exclusive concerts, DJ sets and special performances live on New Year’s Eve, including a performance from Willie Nelson at ACL Live at the Moody Theater, which will air live on SiriusXM’s Willie’s Roadhouse.

SiriusXM’s New Year’s Eve Live Concert Lineup also includes performances from Maroon 5, Diplo and Steve Aoki, Widespread Panic, KC & The Sunshine Band, Kool & The Gang, The Cowsills and more.

SiriusXM will also present special performances and encore broadcasts of exclusive concerts in 2016 including:

· Garth Brooks’s concert at the Ryman Auditorium to launch his SiriusXM channel, The Garth Channel, with a special encore only heard by those in attendance that night

· Kenny Chesney celebrating the launch of his SiriusXM channel No Shoes Radio at the Stone Pony

SiriusXM will also launch New Year’s Nation, a limited-run party music channel (ch. 18) launching Friday, December 30 at 5:00 pm ET and airing through Monday, January 2 at 3 a.m. ET.

ASCAP Renews Agreement With Estate Of Songwriter Johnny Marks

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Johnny Marks in the 1950s. Photo: ASCAP

Johnny Marks in the 1950s. Photo: ASCAP

ASCAP has renewed its agreement with the estate of songwriter Johnny Marks, the writer of classic holiday songs including “Rudolph the Red-Nosed Reindeer,” “A Holly Jolly Christmas,” “Rockin’ Around the Christmas Tree,” “Silver and Gold” and ”I Heard the Bells on Christmas Day.” ASCAP will continue to license public performances of his extensive songwriting catalog throughout the world.

“It simply wouldn’t be the holidays without the music of Johnny Marks,” said ASCAP President Paul Williams. “His enduring songs have provided a timeless soundtrack for holiday sing-alongs and family gatherings for over 75 years, and ASCAP is proud to keep the tradition going.”

“My father was an ASCAP member from the beginning of his career,” said Johnny Marks’ son, Michael, who now runs St. Nicholas Music, the publishing company founded by his father. “It has been a long and rewarding relationship, and I look forward to continuing to work with our friends at ASCAP in the years to come.”

Marks was born in Mt. Vernon, New York on November 10, 1909. Though he was active as a songwriter since 1935, Marks earned his first major hit when Gene Autry’s recording of “Rudolph the Red-Nosed Reindeer” became the first No. 1 song of the 1950s, and sold 1.75 million copies in its first year. His many awards include an induction into the Songwriters Hall of Fame and the inaugural award from the International Society of Santa Claus in 1973, in tribute to his contributions to the spirit of Christmas.

Aside from his holiday canon, Marks composed scores for commercials and TV specials which have been viewed by over a billion people, including the 1964 Rudolph, the Red-Nosed Reindeer program with Burl Ives (among the longest-running specials in TV history). He found success with non-holiday music too, including the country hit “Everything I’ve Always Wanted” recorded by Porter Wagoner; “She’ll Always Remember,” introduced by Kate Smith; “Anyone Can Move a Mountain,” recorded by Kate Smith and Harry Simeone; “Address Unknown” with the Ink Spots and “Who Calls” with Bing Crosby.

From 1940 until his death in 1985, Marks was an active member of ASCAP and served on its Board of Directors from 1957 through 1961. He founded his own St. Nicholas Music in 1949 to publish his songwriting catalog, and it is still active today.

Old Dominion Teams With Stagecoach Festival For Sold-Out Tour

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Credit: Tommy Garris

Old Dominion’s 2016’s Meat and Candy Tour comes to an end in Kansas City after a 33-date run. (L-R): Old Dominion’s Brad Tursi and Geoff Sprung; Meat and Candy Tour special guest Steve Moakler; Old Dominion’s Matthew Ramsey, Trevor Rosen and Whit Sellers. Photo: Tommy Garris

 

Old Dominion’s amazing 2016 included a successful partnership with major music festival Stagecoach. As the artist on the inaugural Stagecoach Spotlight Tour, 15 of Old Dominion’s headlining Meat and Candy Tour stops were co-branded with the festival powerhouse, with the band playing to fully packed houses.

This year, lead singer Matthew Ramsey, lead guitarist Brad Tursi, multi-instrumentalist Trevor Rosen, bassist Geoff Sprung and drummer Whit Sellers tallied 182 dates and over 60,000 fans rocked in North America on the 33-date Meat and Candy Tour. This doesn’t include fans they played to on Kenny Chesney’s Spread The Love Tour.

Recently, the album Meat & Candy was officially RIAA Gold certified and Old Dominion celebrated the No. 1, “Song For Another Time.”

The band will kick-off 2017 with Miranda Lambert on her Highway Vagabond Tour.

Randy Rogers Band Wraps Sold-Out Run, Preps New Music in 2017

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randy-rogers-bandThe Randy Rogers Band just wrapped a sold-out run on the West Coast, and isn’t slowing down in 2017.

Known for performing more than 100 dates a year, the group’s upcoming schedule includes stops in Boston, Washington DC, and NYC. They have announced concerts through April 28 at the Stagecoach Festival in Indio, Calif.

The six-piece’s independently-released Nothing Shines Like Neon landed in the top five on the Billboard Country Albums Chart. They are currently working on new music for 2017.

Singer-songwriter Randy Rogers will also play a rare acoustic show at the Black Tie and Boots 2017 Presidential Inaugural Ball in January. In addition to the band, he has plans to return to the studio in January to record with fellow Texan Wade Bowen.

160-Capacity Venue Opens In Nashville’s Germantown Neighborhood

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The Back Corner venue in Nashville's Germantown neighborhood. Photo: TBC

The Back Corner venue in Nashville’s Germantown neighborhood. Photo: TBC

Chattanooga-based restauranteur Daniel Lindley has opened a 160-person capacity concert lounge in Nashville’s Germantown neighborhood called The Back Corner (TBC).

Located behind the chef’s upscale 5th & Taylor restaurant, the two-tier venue publicly opened its doors on Dec. 16 after already hosting a songwriter event with Laura Veltz, Jonathan Singleton and Luke Combs for the Big Machine Label Group’s staff retreat. Shows are expected to begin in January 2017.

“The Back Corner is equipped to be Nashville’s premier small cap venue,” said Nate Cannon, of the venue. “Our capacity is 160, although we can hold more for special events. We are taking time and care compiling our opening calendar. In the meantime, we are concentrating on being the easiest place to drink in the neighborhood and city.”

A suspended sculpture is from Chattanooga-based artist Cessna Decosimo. The menu for the 44′ diamond shaped bar will launch tonight (Dec. 21) with 5th & Taylor-favorite cocktails and fresh juice-based libations, which are a continuation of a partnership with I Love Juice Bar. A bar menu will highlight small plates, provided from 5th & Taylor’s kitchen.

The stage is 225 sq. ft. with a 11′ x 9′ LED screen backdrop. There is a green room with exterior access and private bathroom. Full sound equipment details can be found at thebackcorner.com. Custom steel and glass railings are featured throughout with a mix of reclaimed and custom furniture and lighting, all from designer Daniel James.

Hours are 6 p.m.-12 a.m. Monday-Thursday, and 6 p.m.-1 a.m. Fri./Sat. Contact the venue at 615-242-4747.

Nielsen To Purchase Gracenote Metadata Company

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nielsenNielsen announced it will purchase Gracenote, provider of media and entertainment metadata.

Expected to be final at the close of the first quarter of 2017 with financing through a combination of cash and debt, the noted $560 million transaction will allow Nielsen the acquisition of data and technology that underpins the programming guides and personalized user experience for major video, music, audio and sports content. Currently, the 18 year old Gracenote provides reference information for over 12 million movie and television listings and 200 million music tracks, and drives the interfaces of the major streaming digital media services, as well as the connected technology systems in over 75 million automobiles.

The acquisition extends Nielsen’s footprint with major clients by including Gracenote’s global content database which spans across platforms including multichannel video programming distributors (MVPDs), smart televisions, streaming music services, connected devices, media players and in-car infotainment systems.

The purchase from Tribune Media Company, which acquired the company three years ago for $170 million, will allow Nielsen the ability to provide clients with deeper analytics on consumer behavior and view of audience engagement from discovery to consumption.

“Gracenote’s metadata and content recognition technology fuels the interfaces of the major video, music and in-car infotainment systems that consumers engage with every day. This acquisition provides Nielsen with a significant asset in our mission of measuring and understanding consumer behavior,” said Karthik Rao, President, Expanded Verticals at Nielsen.

“For the past decade, Gracenote has connected millions of people every day to the TV shows, sports, movies and music they love, making entertainment more accessible and discoverable,” said John Batter, Chief Executive Officer of Gracenote. “We are excited for the opportunity to take the next step with Nielsen and expand our global reach by continuing to deliver innovative, insights-based solutions to clients.”

Nielsen, while best known for its television ratings, has become increasingly interested in tracking consumers not only through the shows they watch and the music they listen to but also through what they shop for.

When Adele’s hit album 25 was released, for example, Nielsen prepared a profile of the album’s typical fan: a college-educated woman, 25 to 44 years old, who watches Family Guy and visits Target and Victoria’s Secret stores.

Yet despite Nielsen’s push into more expansive and detailed means of tracking consumers, it has faced steady criticism for outdated methods of measuring media ratings. In recent years, the company still relied on paper diaries to track television viewing, for example, and TV networks have said repeatedly that Nielsen’s ratings are unreliable. —Ben Sisario, New York Times

Gracenote will operate as a business unit within Nielsen. The company will continue to operate from its headquarters in Emeryville, California.

Tony Brown, John Mason Launch Velvet Stone Management

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Pictured (L-R): Caballo, Stone, John Mason, Tony Brown.

Pictured (L-R): Rick Caballo, John Mason, Melissa Core, Tony Brown.

Legendary country music producer, executive, and musician Tony Brown has teamed with entertainment attorney John Mason to launch Velvet Stone Management.

Brown and Mason have teamed with Nashville-based branding company Dead Horse Branding, led by Melissa Core and Rick Caballo. Dead Horse Branding has worked with brands including Jep and Jessica Robertson of A&E’s Duck Dynasty, as well as Australia’s lifestyle doctor Dr. Karen Phillip.

Velvet Stone has announced the signing of the Grammy-nominated O’Connor Band featuring Mark O’Connor.

Brown has worked with an array of artists including Reba, George Strait, Trisha Yearwood, Jimmy Buffet, Brooks and Dunn, Steve Earle and Lyle Lovett. Brown worked for MCA Records for 25 years, where he served as the Vice President for 10 years, eventually becoming President of the label. Brown is the producer on nine Grammy Award-winning songs, and took the Grammy home for Country Album of the Year with George Strait, the same year he was honored by the Americana Music Association with a Lifetime Achievement Award in 2008.

Mason has represented high-profile deals for the movie Grease, and represented talent including Reba, Frankie Valli and The Four Seasons (Jersey Boys), Smokey Robinson, Travis Tritt, Olivia Newton-John, Shakira, and Brian Wilson. Brown has represented directly or through their heirs six Oscar winners. He has been named “Entertainment Lawyer of the Year,” by Billboard Magazine and earned the A/V national attorney rating in the Martindale Hubbell Law Directory for more than 30 years.

“Velvet Stone is where art marries commerce… A braintrust of experience, style, taste and enough blind faith to take on any challenge. Four partners who complement each other like no other team before,” said Brown.

“The opportunity to help artists in a new and unique way where I can combine my decades of business and legal experience with the creative genius of Tony Brown and the branding and marketing expertise of Melissa Core and Rick Caballo was irresistible—and here we are!” said Mason.

 

 

 

‘Hee Haw’s’ Gordie Tapp Dead At Age 94

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gordie_tappCanadian Country Music Hall of Fame inductee Gordie Tapp has passed away at the age of 94.

He is best known in the U.S. for his long-running tenure in the cast of the Hee Haw country comedy TV series. The show aired for an impressive 25 years, first as a network series and then in syndication. It was launched in 1969 and endured until 1994.

Tapp portrayed “Cousin Clem” on the show, a member of the “Culhane family.” These deadpan characters sat on a parlor sofa and humorously related their tribulations. He and Archie Campbell also sang and spoke the “Pfft! You Was Gone” and the “Gloom, Despair and Agony on Me” segments each week on the telecasts.

Tapp also starred in the “Samuel B. Sternwheeler” bits, offering nonsensical homilies. Following his ridiculous recitations he would be hit over the head with a rubber chicken or be handed an exploding bomb that left him covered in soot. “Sternwheeler” was also the plantation daddy of Marianne Gordon’s pampered Southern-belle character.

He was the proprietor of the fictional Kornfield Kounty establishment “Gordie’s General Store,” wherein he traded comedic banter with his incompetent employee Gailard Sartain. He partnered with Roni Stoneman to enact the squabbling backwoods couple “LaVern and Ida Lee Nagger.” And like the other cast members, he popped up to deliver one-liners in the show’s cornfield set.

Gordie Tapp and his fellow cast member Charlie Farquharson were both already well known in their native Canada prior to Hee Haw. Tapp had been a broadcast personality for years. During the 1950s, he was a founding cast member of Main Street Jamboree, a radio and TV series produced in Hamilton, Ontario. Between 1956 and 1965, he hosted the national CBC radio program Country Hoedown.

Despite his TV success in the U.S., Tapp was resolute about staying in his homeland. He was very proudly a Canadian.

After Hee Haw ended, he appeared in TV commercials for Ultramafic beds. He also raised funds for Easter Seals and for the Muscular Dystrophy Association. He annually portrayed Santa Claus on the Hamilton radio station CHML, taking calls from children and talking to them about their Christmas wishes.

In recent years, Gordie Tapp and his wife were residents of a Canadian retirement center. He died there on Sunday, Dec. 18. He is survived by his wife Helen and his children Kate, Jeff and Barbara.

Headliners Announced For 7th Annual Americana Spring Celebration

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Pictured (L-R): Loretta Lynn, The Milk Carton Kids, Margo Price

Pictured (L-R): Loretta Lynn, The Milk Carton Kids, Margo Price

The Americana Music Association will welcome Loretta Lynn, Margo Price and The Milk Carton Kids as part of its 7th annual Americana Spring Celebration. The event will be held March 30-April 1 at Tennessee’s Blackberry Farm.

“We are so excited to be returning to Blackberry Farm to produce this important and truly spectacular fundraiser. It just keeps getting better and better,” said Jed Hilly, Executive Director of the Americana Music Association. “A weekend at this intimate venue with Loretta, Margo, and Kenneth and Joey will truly be a once-in-a-lifetime experience that no one will soon forget.”

Blackberry Farm, a Relais & Châteux Resort, features 62 accommodations and a plethora of activities, including fly fishing, horseback riding, hiking, cycling, sporting clay, and mountain biking opportunities. The venue also offers a destination spa and an annual series of culinary events.

Reservations are available by calling 1-800-557-8864 or visiting blackberryfarm.com.

Word Records Invests In Christian Hip-Hop With New Imprint

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Joseph Prielozny

Joseph Prielozny

Word Records has launched the hip-hop imprint IVAV (4 Against 5), led by producer Joseph Prielozny. The imprint recently signed artist Steven Malcolm, with a debut self-titled album slated for release Feb. 17.

Prielozny served as an on-staff producer at Reach Records since 2008. At Reach Records, his production duo COBRA worked with chart-topping Christian hip-hop artist Lecrae. Prielozny began working in Word’s A&R department in 2015.

Prielozny brings his production skills to Malcolm’s upcoming project, which includes a collaboration with former Group 1 Crew member Blanca.

While finishing his self-titled album, Malcolm has been touring as part of the 2016/2017 Winter Jam Tour.

The label imprint comes as Christian hip-hop has become increasingly popular in recent years. Artist Lecrae‘s sixth studio album, Gravity, released in 2012 and earned a Grammy. His seventh album, Anomaly, released in 2014 and debuted atop the Billboard Top 200, becoming the first album to top both the Billboard 200 and the Gospel chart simultaneously

malcolm