CMT Artists Of The Year Celebration To Be Transformed Into Night Of Hope And Healing

This year’s CMT Artists Of The Year Special has been transformed from a year-end celebration into a night to help bring hope and comfort to those affected by the recent hurricanes, as well as the tragic mass shooting in Las Vegas.

The evening has been slated to feature honorees Jason Aldean, Chris Stapleton, Florida Georgia Line, Keith Urban, and Luke Bryan. Breaking from the show’s traditional formal presentations of awards and speeches, this year’s show will include messages from the honorees directly to their fans.

Grammy-nominated Andra Day and Grammy Award-winners Lee Ann Womack and Little Big Town have been announced to set the tone with an opening performance of the anthemic “Rise Up,” in addition to a performing Day’s new collaboration, “Stand Up For Something,” with Grammy Award-winner Common. Additional performers will be announced at a later date.

“Given the devastation of Hurricanes Harvey, Irma and Maria and the mass shootings in Las Vegas, we feel a commitment to our fans to address all of the tragedies not in one somber and solemn moment or segment, but rather devote the entire evening to uplifting the fans through high-spirited music,” said Frank Tanki, General Manager of CMT and TV Land. “Both ‘Rise Up’ and ‘Stand Up for Something’ are inspirational anthems that perfectly sum the message for the evening. The special has always been a place where artists from different genres can stand side-by-side, and now more than ever, we want to showcase the power of unity and resilience through music.”

The eight annual special will air live from Nashville’s Schermerhorn Symphony Center on Wednesday, Oct. 18 at 8 p.m. ET.

Spirit Music Group Appoints Steven Singer As VP, Digital Strategy

Steve Singer

Spirit Music Group has named Steven Singer as VP, Digital Strategy. Singer will be based in the company’s Nashville office and will report to Art Levy, Sr. VP of Business Affairs and Administration. Singer will be responsible for developing new business and partnerships in the digital music space, negotiating new deals and managing marketing efforts to increase revenue.

Singer’s 30+ year career began at Polygram/Universal Music in 1991, where he was a Classical & Jazz Account Service Representative at the Boston sales branch for the Deutsche Grammophon, Decca, Philips and Verve labels. In 1994 he was promoted to PolyGram Classics & Jazz in the New York headquarters where he held a number of positions including Product Manager for Decca Records, Senior Director New Media and Vice President of Marketing. He remained part of the company’s core team as it went through two mergers – Seagram/Universal in 1998
and Vivendi 2000.

In 2013, Singer left Universal to work as a marketing consultant before joining Naxos of America to serve as General Manager of their owned ArkivMusic. At ArkivMusic, he was responsible for new feature development, marketing, merchandising, and financial planning. Singer graduated from Northeastern University’s Music Industry program in 1991 and currently lives in Nashville.

“This is an incredible exciting time to join Spirit while it is experiencing worldwide growth and I look forward to exploring the boundless new opportunities in the digital world to help with this period of growth. I’d like to thank Art and the rest of the team for the opportunity to serve such an amazing global roster of talented songwriters and artists,” said Singer.

Big Deal Music Announces Rebranding

Big Deal Music has rebranded as Big Deal Music Group, which will house the existing companies Big Deal Music Publishing, Words & Music Administration and Big Deal Media, a recently developed content division, as well as other related ventures to be announced.

“The past five years have felt like Mr. Toad’s Wild Ride,” said Big Deal Music Group President and co-founder, Kenny MacPherson. “We’ve grown from a small independent publishing company with a handful of clients and a three person staff, to a top 10, self-administered publishing group with global reach. We felt it was time to organize our teams to better serve the needs of our songwriters and artists in this continually evolving music business climate.”

Big Deal Music Publishing was founded in September 2012, by former Chrysalis Music colleagues MacPherson, Jamie Cerreta, Dave Ayers, along with Pete Robinson, and veteran artist manager Michael McDonaldCasey Robison signed on shortly thereafter to head the pop division.
In the past five years, the company has celebrated milestones including work on a No. 1 Top 200 album and No. 1 country album (Thomas Rhett’s Life Changes, which includes work from Joe London, Julian Bunetta and John Ryan), the No. 1 country album Happy Endings from Old Dominion (Brad Tursi), chart-topping singles including “The Fighter,” “Don’t Wanna Know,” “Stitches,” and “Chains,” as well as platinum hits “Chains” and “Antidote.”

The company has employed some out-of-the-box means of promoting their songwriters, including the podcast And The Writer Is…, which launched in January. The podcast, hosted by songwriter Ross Golan, explores the creative process and challenges that songwriters face. The podcast has been downloaded more than 535,000 times, putting it in the top 5 percent of all podcasts. Guests for the second season of the podcast include Thomas Rhett, Charlie Puth, Dan Wilson, Babyface and Jack Antoff.

With offices in New York, Los Angeles, Nashville, and London, Big Deal Music Group’s roster includes My Morning Jacket, Sleater-Kinney, Dan Wilson, St. Vincent and Ray LaMontagne.

Cole Swindell Celebrates 7th Consecutive No. 1 Single “Flatliner”

“Flatliner” songwriters. Pictured (L-R): Matt Bronleewe (SESAC), Cole Swindell (BMI) and Jaron Boyer (SESAC). Photo: Steve Lowry

Cole Swindell joined co-writers Jaron Boyer (SESAC) and Matt Bronleewe (SESAC) to celebrate the No. 1 hit “Flatliner,” which marks Swindell’s seventh consecutive No. 1 single on the Mediabase chart.

BMI’s David Preston and SESAC’s Shannan Hatch hosted the event, which was held in downtown Nashville at Tootsie’s, before Swindell headlined the 57th annual Birthday Bash for the Nashville institution.

BMI writer Swindell had plenty to celebrate during the event, as he was surprised onstage with a Platinum certification plaque for his song “Middle of a Memory,” which was certified earlier this summer.

Among those celebrating the chart-topping success were Warner Music Nashville’s Cris Lacy, Sony/ATV’s Josh Van Valkenburg, KP Entertainment’s Kerri Edwards, producer Michael Carter, and peer music’s Kim Wiggins.

Each of the six previous singles and two albums Swindell has released since he signed with Warner Bros. Records three years ago have not only all gone to No. 1 on the country charts but have been certified by the RIAA for reaching Gold (500,000+) and/or Platinum (1,000,000) status.

Pictured (L-R): Sony ATV’s Josh Van Valkenburg; KP Entertainment’s Kerri Edwards; producer Michael Carter; songwriter Matt Bronleewe (SESAC); Cole Swindell (BMI); songwriter Jaron Boyer (SESAC); BMI’s David Preston; SESAC’s Shannon Hatch; peermusic’s Kim Wiggins; Warner Music Nashville’s Cris Lacy. Photo: Steve Lowry

Pictured (L-R): BMI songwriter Cole Swindell with BMI’s Creative Sr. Director David Preston. Photo: Steve Lowry

Cole Swindell and Warner Music Nashville’s Cris Lacy

Q & A: Luke Dick’s Creative Edge In Country Music

Since landing in Nashville about four years ago, Luke Dick has had a hand in some of the most clever songs to come out of Music City in recent memory. Often working in his East Nashville garage-turned-studio, his credits include Eric Church’s “Kill A Word” and “Round Here Buzz,” and Miranda Lambert’s “Highway Vagabonds” and “Pink Sunglasses.”

For more on Luke Dick, purchase MusicRow’s 2017 Publisher print issue, or subscribe to MusicRow here.

You wrote “Round Here Buzz” and “Kill A Word” with Eric Church. How did those songs come about?

We wrote “Kill A Word” and “Round Here Buzz” on the same day, and that was the first time I ever met Eric. It was probably one of the luckiest days of my life.

A few weeks before, I was writing with Jeff Hyde. I had a verse and a refrain of “Kill A Word,” and played it for him on the guitar. He liked it, so I turned around to produce it and start getting the guitar sound. When I turned around again, he had the whole next verse written.

Then Eric heard a little bit of what Jeff and I had worked up. He loved it and showed up with the bridge-chorus ready to go: “give me sticks, give me stones”—which makes that song. We tackled the third verse together. It was great, then we were done in an hour.

And he had the idea and chorus for “Round Here Buzz” and we launched off into a verse. It’s not that far of a stretch to imagine a love lost who moves off somewhere, and there you are back at home. A majority of that song is Eric being creative because he’s such a great songwriter. That’s one thing that really struck me, is how creatively frenetic he is and creatively driven by his own impulse.

I remember trying to find images from my childhood, and it took me back to Minco, Oklahoma, and the gravel parking lot behind the bleachers and the field house. Scotty’s, the bar in the song, was a mini-stop in Minco. Eric had that great line, “Scotty’s ain’t got no vibe, got no gas in his neon light, but he’s got 2 for 1 til 2 tonight.” Using real things makes the song more real.

When I lived in Oklahoma, the first time I came to Nashville was the first time I had been east of Memphis. So that’s where the line “I’ve never been east of Dallas,” came from, because you’ve had this colloquial existence your entire life.

Growing up in Oklahoma, what were your influences? How does country fit in the mix?

Only in books was I able to get outside my little Oklahoma world. I became a big reader in college and I started liking literature in high school. It was a window into different kinds of existences, and a way to learn about words, how they are put together, and also about other people’s stories and how to get inside the head of other characters beside yourself. If I just wrote about myself all the time it would be boring, so you try to get in other people’s worlds.

My parents had a stack of records and my dad listened to a lot of Hank Jr. and Marshall Tucker Band. That was the country selection. Old traditional country, wasn’t part of my upbringing. My mom was a songwriter fan. She liked Harry Nielsen, James Taylor, Bruce Hornsby, Dire Straits. These records were a big part of my youth.

Walkmans came out about the time I started actively selecting music, like Michael Jackson and The Cars, on tape. When Guns N’ Roses came out, I flipped out over that stuff.

Country fell off my radar until the 5th or 6th grade when Garth Brooks came out. I always considered myself a rock kid, so I acted like I didn’t like it but I really did. I actually graduated from the same high school as Garth.

When I came to Nashville for the first time I liked old traditional country music, Hank Williams, Hank Snow and Keith Whitley, but that wasn’t en vogue in ‘05 -06. On the way into town, I heard three or four songs that I really liked: Alan Jackson’s “Talkin’ Song Repair Blues” and Brad Paisley’s “Alcohol.”

Dennis Lindy wrote “Talkin’ Song Repair Blues.” It’s voices like his, and Shel Silverstein and Kris Kristofferson who give weirdos hope, that you can have a place in the world. I always thought that if that song can work, maybe I can work.

Even at my weirdest, country’s influence to me means having a lyrical, narrative or thematic focus. No matter the subject. You can be more abstract or less abstract, but have an idea of what you’re writing, about because you want to communicate.

Your publisher Arturo Buenahora has been a big part of your career. How has he embraced your talent?

Because he works with big artists like Dierks Bentley and Eric Church, his faith in me allowed me to keep being myself and know it would all work out. It’s not like I have a million hits, but I feel like I’m doing my best work so far. I feel comfortable and creatively energized. A lot of it has to do having a publisher who loosens the reigns on me rather than trying to tighten them. He has been patient with me having a new wave punk band, Republican Hair, without batting an eye—because it’s hard when your writer comes in and you hope they have country hits, but they spend days crafting a record that you don’t know where it’s going to fit in the universe, because it’s not anywhere close to Music Row. But he knows I’m passionate about it and I’m turning out good music. Having an open-minded publisher who has faith in my creative impulse allows me to get up every day and be excited and want to keep writing.

What did you discover early on about Nashville’s songwriting circles?

It’s tricky writing with somebody new, because people already have their circles that they are working with, and you can’t force your way into a new circle just because you want to be in it, or you think they are talented. They might be further along in their career, so their schedule is more booked and they are in demand. As a younger writer, or someone with no proven edges in the market, it becomes harder for writers higher up the ladder to say “yes” to writing with somebody new.

One of the best things that happened to me was meeting Natalie Hemby, because we hit it off creatively right off the bat. And to have somebody who has written so many great songs embrace you is validating to your creativity and in the community. You can’t make that happen by picking up a phone, it has to happen naturally. You have to be patient. You have to be yourself and have this weird creative faith in what you do, even if it hasn’t been recognized yet as a radio single or a big hit.

Miranda Lambert recorded two songs you wrote with Natalie Hemby, “Highway Vagabonds” and “Pink Sunglasses.” What is the story behind those?

“Highway Vagabonds” was mine and Natalie’s first collaboration together, along with Shane McAnally. He’s such a lighting rod, he brings such a freedom into the room. It’s like having four gallons of Mountain Dew on hand. And it’s not fabricated, he is genuinely excited and it’s his true gift that he can maintain that kind of energy and excitement, on top of his creative sensibilities. Writing rooms are about creative energy and talent. And you want somebody who can contribute to all of it.

Natalie is always digging for something that moves her, that may be off the beaten path thematically. “Pink Sunglasses” was inspired by her Instagram post of her daughter. We wrote that with Rodney Clawson.

You have a song on the new Kip Moore album, and it is one of the first times he has recorded an outside song.

“The Bull” is a song I’m really excited about. That was my first collaboration with Jon Randall. Kip latched on to it. He was over here writing and I played it because I was so proud of it. He wanted to cut it immediately. He came over and sang on my production of it, so I was excited in a couple of capacities. It reinforced faith in my own creative abilities to have an artist that I respect want to sing an outside song. Also he did such a good job and nailed the vocal. It’s believable and perfect for his voice. Also to have the production and the sounds that you dream up be a part of his record is really validating.

I knew it was special when I made it, and so did Jon. The song just came out, so I love that now people are hearing it and it means something to them.

In this business there are two or three years from when the song comes to life in your studio, to when it even has the potential of coming out and being part of the world. I find it exciting because you are on the front end of music culture, knowing that song could potentially connect with a lot of different people on different levels.

10-DVD Set To Highlight Top CMA Awards Moments

Time Life in conjunction with the Country Music Association (CMA) will release CMA Awards Live: Greatest Moments 1968-2015, an extensive 10-DVD set of many of country’s musical moments that have made history over the years. Time Life will begin taking pre-orders Wednesday, Oct. 11, with a 30-minute infomercial promoting the package airing throughout the fourth quarter of 2017. CMA Awards Live will be officially released to retail early next year.

The set includes 127 performances from five decades of the nationally-televised ceremony, with performances from many of the premier artists in the genre – Glen Campbell, Johnny Cash and June Carter Cash, Barbara Mandrell, Buck Owens and Kenny Rogers. Outside of their original airings, these performances have never been commercially available.

Besides the performances, the set also includes bonus features and interviews with artists who have performed – and won – on the telecast over the years, including Naomi Judd and Charley Pride, as well as the last interview with the longest-serving CMA Executive Director, Jo Walker Meador, and CMA’s current Chief Executive Officer Sarah Trahern. Other moments include:

• Merle Haggard’s performance of the iconic “Okie From Muskogee,” the Single of the Year from 1970 – the same night that he was named CMA Entertainer of the Year.

• Dolly Parton and Kenny Roger’s performance of “Islands In The Stream,” which opened up the 1983 telecast – the same year that the song topped the country and pop charts throughout the world.

• Alan Jackson’s 2001 world premiere performance of “Where Were You (When The World Stopped Turning)” which captivated America following the tragic 9/11 attacks.

• CMA Entertainer of the Year winners Brooks and Dunn (1996) and Reba McEntire (1986) performing a passionate version of “Cowgirls Don’t Cry” in 2008.

• Alan Jackson and George Strait’s tender tribute to George Jones following his passing in 2013 with a soaring version of “He Stopped Loving Her Today,” a CMA Single and Song of the Year winner from 1980.

And, speaking of collaborations, there are plenty in the collection, like once-in-a-lifetime pairings of artists Loretta Lynn, Dolly Parton and Tammy Wynette, from 1993 performing “Silver Threads and Golden Needles,” and an performance from Miranda Lambert, Loretta Lynn, and Sheryl Crow of Lynn’s signature “Coal Miners’ Daughter” from 2010.

Charlie Monk Honored At Music Row Storytellers Event

Pictured (L-R): John Zarling, event co-chair and EVP/Marketing & New Business, Sony Music Nashville; Tatum Hauck Allsep, Founder & Executive Director, Music Health Alliance; Music Row Storytellers honoree Charlie Monk; Sheila Shipley Biddy, COO, Music Health Alliance; Maurice Miner, event co-chair and President, Maurice Miner Media & Marketing

Music industry veteran Charlie Monk was honored Monday night (Oct. 9) at the second annual Music Row Storytellers event, benefiting Music Health Alliance. The event honors those in the industry, the journalists, interviewers, reporters, show hosts and others who chronicle and share the often fascinating stories of Music Row and its music makers.

With his six decades in the business, Monk was a natural choice for this edition of the storytellers event. He began his career as a DJ in the 1950s in his home state of Alabama, moving to Music City in 1968. A role at ASCAP was followed by a move into publishing, eventually under his own banner, Monk Family Music, where he signed an unknown Randy Travis, nurtured the career of Kenny Chesney, and developed the talents of some of Nashville’s biggest songwriters. Following a brief tenure at Acuff-Rose, he has served on the boards of NARAS, Nashville Songwriters Association International, the GMA, the CMA, and others. A founder of the Country Radio Seminar, his decades as the host of the New Faces Show allowed his humor to shine brightly, as it still does each week on SiriusXM Channel 59 (Willie’s Roadhouse).

Pictured: Music Row Storytellers honoree Charlie Monk & Grand Ole Opry star Jeannie Seely

Pictured (L-R): Scott Borchetta, Founder/President/CEO, Big Machine Label Group; Sandi Spika Borchetta, Sr. VP Creative, Big Machine Label Group; Capucine Monk (Charlie Monk’s daughter); Music Row Storytellers honoree Charlie Monk

Pictured (L-R): Steve Blatter, SVP & General Manager, Music Programming, SiriusXM; J.R. Schumann, Sr. Director, Country Programming, SiriusXM; Music Row Storytellers honoree Charlie Monk; Storme Warren, event host and SiriusXM personality

Terri Clark, Pam Tillis, Suzy Bogguss Launch Chicks With Hits Tour

Pictured (L-R): Terri Clark, Pam Tillis, Suzy Bogguss

Terri Clark, Pam Tillis, and Suzy Bogguss have announced their acoustic Chicks with Hits tour, kicking off Oct. 19 in Clayton, North Carolina, with dates through January 2018.

“I had been thinking about putting together an all-female package like this for a few years,” Terri Clark notes. “There is short list of women who can play and sing and have the hits to back it up. Pam and Suzy were a great fit and we are pretty sure it’s going to be a blast for us all.”

With 36 top 10 singles, over 10 million records sold, and numerous GRAMMY, ACM, CMA awards among them, the trio will celebrate the ’90s – a time when female artists tested the boundaries of the genre.

Bogguss elaborates, “All three of us have kept sight of the things that made us love making music in the first place — the love of singing, and the desire to make people feel something with the songs. And we’re hams! Anybody could tell that we love what we do! We are going to have BIG FUN and those we have the opportunity to share it with will too!”

“Our music blends beautifully, we all have an appreciation for traditional, folk and country rock and share many of the same influences,” Tillis states. “Between the harmonies and the humor it’s gonna be pretty darn fun.”

Exclusive meet and greet VIP experiences for the Chicks With Hits Tour are available for $100 per person here, after purchasing your concert ticket.

Chicks With Hits Tour

October 19: Clayton, NC – The Clayton Center
October 20: Bristol, TN – Paramount Bristol
October 21: Rising Sun, IN – Rising Star Casino
October 26: Newport, AR – ASU Center for the Arts
October 27: Sioux City, IA – Anthem Hard Rock Hotel
October 29: Catoosa, OK – Hard Rock Hotel & Casino Tulsa
November 3: Mahnomen, MN – Shooting Star Casino
November 4: Johnson Creek, WI – The Gobbler Theater
November 5: Pontiac, MI – Flagstar Strand Theatre
November 17: Lake Charles, LA – Golden Nugget
November 18: Gulfport, MS – Island View Casino Resort
January 24: Airway Heights, WA – Northern Quest Casino
January 26: Pendleton Oregon – Wildhorse Resort & Casino
January 27: Fort Hall, ID – Fort Call Casino

RIAA Certifications For September: Luke Bryan, Zac Brown Band, Taylor Swift, Dolly Parton, Judah & The Lion

Several artists with Nashville ties earned multi-Platinum, Platinum, and Gold honors from the Recording Industry Association of America (RIAA) for September 2017. All together the RIAA certified 174 song awards and 11 album awards ranging from Sept. 1-Sept. 30, 2017.

A full list of September 2017 certifications is available at riaa.com.

Multiplatinum Album

Luke Bryan, Tailgates & Tanlines (4x)

Luke Bryan, Crash My Party (4x)

 

Multiplatinum Single

Luke Bryan, “Drunk On You” (4x)

Luke Bryan, “That’s My Kind of Night” (4x)

Luke Bryan, “Crash My Party” (4x)

Luke Bryan, “Play It Again” (4x)

Luke Bryan, “Country Girl  (Shake It For Me)” (5x)

Zac Brown Band, “Toes” (3x)

Zac Brown Band, “Chicken Fried” (5x)

Zac Brown Band, “Whatever It Is” (2x)

Zac Brown Band, “Knee Deep” (3x)

Zac Brown Band, “Colder Weather” (2x)

 

Platinum Singles

Brett Young, “Sleep Without You”

Chris Young, “Think Of You”

Dolly Parton, “9 To 5”

Dylan Scott, “My Girl”

Kenny Chesney, “Setting The World On Fire”

Luke Bryan, “Kiss Tomorrow Goodbye”

Luke Bryan, “Home Alone Tonight”

Luke Bryan, “All My Friends Say”

Miranda Lambert, “Vice”

Taylor Swift, “Look What You Made Me Do”

Zac Brown Band, “Free”

Zac Brown Band, “As She’s Walking Away”

Zac Brown Band, “Highway 20 Ride”

Zac Brown Band, ” Keep Me In Mind”

Zac Brown Band, “Goodbye In Her Eyes”

 

Gold Single

Brad Paisley, “Perfect Storm”

Dolly Parton, “Jolene”

Dolly Parton, “I Will Always Love You”

Judah & The Lion, “Take It All Back”

Kenny Chesney, “Wild Child”

Kenny Chesney, “Save It For A Rainy Day”

Danielle Bradbery To Offer A Reintroduction With ‘I Don’t Believe We’ve Met’

Danielle Bradbery. Photo: Haley Crow.

With her sophomore album, Danielle Bradbery wants fans to get to know the real person behind those flawless vocals that earned her the winner’s trophy on NBC’s The Voice in 2013.

“I’ve been waiting for these moments to reintroduce myself. I’ve been introducing myself as because I was 16 when I won The Voice and now I’m 21 so there’s a lot that I had to figure out as a person and an artist and a songwriter so it’s been really fun,” Bradbery says.

Bradbery’s sophomore effort, I Don’t Believe We’ve Met, releases Dec. 1 via BMLG Records. The title is appropriate, as Bradbery offers listeners her own perspective on the issues that matter to her, both as a person and as an artist. Bradbery co-wrote seven of the album’s 10 tracks, marking her first time co-writing.

“It was a whole new thing for sure,” she says of the writing process. “I had to ease my way into it, just going from not writing to now writing, it’s a huge difference. I didn’t realize it could open so many doors. On the first album I was on the outer shell of the songs, I didn’t really feel like I was 100 percent connected. Now I feel like I’m one with the songs. That’s a really surreal feeling.”

As the album’s release date draws near, Bradbery has given fans a taste of the project, releasing instant-grat tracks “Hello Summer” and “Human Diary.” During her visit to the MusicRow offices, Bradbery performed two new songs she co-wrote on the project, including light-hearted, dance-ready “Sway” and uplifting, introspective album cut “Worth It.”

Danielle Bradbery with MusicRow Magazine owner/publisher Sherod Robertson. Photo: Haley Crow

Thomas Rhett, who shares the same manager with Bradbery, co-wrote two tracks on the album, including “What Are We Doing” and “Hello Summer.”

“I see him as a big brother and he’s taken me under his wing by allowing me to be on the song “Playing With Fire,” which is amazing. He has given me so much amazing advice on how to perform and be myself and just watching him onstage is advice enough.”

“My goal with this album was to be as honest and real as I could. I love talking about real situations. Hopefully my fans and a lot of people will relate. Personally when I hear an artist hat sings a heartfelt song, I love that feeling and I want it to be that. I’m crossing my fingers that I come across that way.”

Danielle Bradbery with MusicRow Magazine staffers.