Live Nation Expands Utah Presence With United Concerts Acquisition

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Live Nation Entertainment announced Thursday (Oct. 5) it has acquired United Concerts, the leading local promoter in Salt Lake City. United Concerts produces more than 170 live events per year at a wide range of venues throughout Utah, and has produced more than 6,000 events in its 50 years of business.

As a result of the move CEO/United Concerts Jim McNeil will take on the role of President, US Concerts/Salt Lake City, overseeing all local operations and reporting to Bob Roux, Co-President, North America Concerts, Live Nation.

The two companies have co-promoted shows in the region for years, and the acquisition is a natural progression as they aim to bring even more live events to the community. Earlier this year, Live Nation Entertainment’s Ticketmaster division was selected as the exclusive ticketing partner for the Vivint Smart Home Arena, home of the NBA’s Utah Jazz located in downtown Salt Lake City.

“Having partnered with United Concerts on hundreds of shows in the past we’re confident they are the right partners as Live Nation grows our presence in the market,” said Roux.

“Becoming part of Live Nation is a strategic move that will benefit our operated venues, and Utah’s live music community at large,” said McNeil. “We look forward to connecting artists with countless fans here in Salt Lake.”

Country Radio Broadcasters Accepting Rusty Walker Scholarship Applications

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The Country Radio Broadcasters are now accepting applications for the Rusty Walker Scholarship program, which provides for an all-expense paid trip and attendance to CRS 2018, to be held Feb. 5-7, 2018.

Interested parties can apply now at countryradioseminar.com. Each applicant must fill out an online application and submit a paragraph explaining why he/she should be considered as a Rusty Walker Scholar. Eligible applicants must be a full-time radio station employee and a first time CRS attendee. Three individual scholarships will be awarded.

Each scholarship includes a full CRS 2018 registration, as well as airfare and hotel room expenses for three nights (Monday, Feb. 5, 2018 – Wednesday, February 7, 2018). Scholars will be recognized at the CRS 2018 opening ceremonies and will have the opportunity to meet and engage with CRS board members during the three-day seminar. Staff from Rusty Walker Programming will also meet with the winning applicants.

The Rusty Walker Scholarship program is named in honor of Country Radio Hall of Fame member Rusty Walker, who passed away in May 2012 at the age of 59.

BMI Brings Music To 4th Annual Island Hoppers Songwriters Festival

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Skye Claire performs her country hits at the 4th Annual Island Hopper Songwriters Fest.

The 4th annual Island Hopper Songwriters Fest presented by BMI, the Beaches of Fort Myers and Sanibel, and iHeart Media’s Cat Country 107.1 wrapped up this weekend as festival organizers reported record crowds. The 10-day songwriters festival featured 85 BMI singer-songwriters performing in more than 20 venues on Captiva Island, Fort Myers Beach and Downtown Fort Myers, and provided an opportunity for the communities to heal after Hurricane Irma devastated many areas in Southwest Florida.

In addition, it gave BMI songwriters the opportunity to help many businesses that support them throughout the year through their licensing fees by bringing their stories and songs to the venues and in turn helping to boost food and beverage revenue for dozens of bars and restaurants who had to close for more than two weeks because of the effects of Irma. Several establishments commented that the songwriter shows helped them achieve record revenue and help heal the many communities that sustained significant damage from the hurricane.

Paul McDonald performs at Island Hopper Songwriters Fest at Fort Myers Beach on Sunday, Oct. 1.

Songwriter Julia Cole poses in Downtown Fort Myers during Island Hopper Songwriter Fest.

Maggie Rose gets the crowd going at Island Hopper Songwriters Fest in Fort Myers, Florida.

In Pictures: ASCAP Foundation, ‘American Idol’, LANCO, NSAI, Kesha, BMI

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The ASCAP Foundation Christian Songwriters Workshop

Pictured (front, L-R): Workshop participants Audriana West and Nate Cornell, Full Circle Music’s Stacey Willbur, and workshop participant Amanda Tutalo; (back, L-R) workshop participants David Ashley Trent, David Dennis, Madyson Williams and Ian Miller, and ASCAP’s Kele Currier. Not pictured: Workshop participant Karissa Selby.

The ASCAP Foundation Christian Music Songwriters Workshop was held Monday (Oct. 2) and Tuesday (Oct. 3) at ASCAP’s Music Row offices and led by industry veteran Full Circle Music’s ​Stacey Willbur.

The workshop is part of an ongoing series designed to focus on the development and education of promising new songwriters. The sessions included intensives on the craft of songwriting, developing an eye for objectively looking at your songs, expanding your sources of inspiration, nurturing a creative community, marketing your songs and an overview of music publishing.

Support for this workshop is provided by The ASCAP Foundation Bart Howard Fund.

 

‘American Idol’ Kicks Off Auditions in NYC

Pictured (L-R): Lionel Richie, Katy Perry, Ryan Seacrest, and Luke Bryan.

Katy Perry, Luke Bryan, and Lionel Richie, along with host and producer extraordinaire Ryan Seacrest, were on hand when ABC’s American Idol kicked off judge auditions in New York City this week. The three judges round out the panel for the beloved music competition series’ first season on ABC, while Seacrest returns as host.

 

LANCO Visits the Academy of Country Music in LA

Pictured (L-R): LANCO’s Eric Steedly (lead guitar), LANCO’s Tripp Howell (drums), ACM CEO Pete Fisher, LANCO’s Brandon Lancaster (lead vocals), LANCO’s Jared Hampton (keyboards, banjo), and LANCO’s Chandler Baldwin (bass). Photo: Michel Bourquard/Courtesy of the Academy of Country Music

The Academy of Country Music welcomed Sony Music Nashville’s LANCO to their Los Angeles office last week. The band performed a stripped down version of their hit single, “Greatest Love Story,” as well as acoustic renditions of a few fan-favorites from their self-titled EP. LANCO also offered a dose of new music from their upcoming debut album.

To watch LANCO’s exclusive performance and discussion on the rapid rise of success behind their current single, click here.

 

NSAI in DC

Pictured (L-R): NSAI’s Executive Director Bart Herbison, NSAI’s Sr. Director Jennifer Turnbow, TN Senator Bob Corker, and songwriters Deric Ruttan and David Hodges.

Nashville Songwriters Association International was in Washington, DC last week for meetings with members of Congress about songwriter streaming royalties and music licensing legislation.

 

Kesha at Ryman Auditorium

Pictured (L-R): Ellen Truley, SVP, Corporate Relations, SESAC; ET Brown, Manager of Creative Services, SESAC; Kesha; Kelli Turner, EVP and CFO, SESAC; and Vector Management’s Jack Rovner. Photo: Jason Davis

SESAC songwriter and pop star Kesha performed the second night of her Rainbow Tour at the legendary Ryman Auditorium in Nashville on Sept. 27.

 

BMI, ALT 97.5 Host Rockin’ Eastside Sounds Event

Pictured: BMI’s Branden Bosler (left) and Nina Carter (center) with The Cunning.

BMI and ALT 97.5 showcased two up-and-coming rock bands at the Basement East last Wednesday night (Sept. 27) for another installation of the Eastside Sounds series. ALT 97.5’s current Local Artist in Residence, The Cunning, took the stage before South Carolina rock n’ roll band Hannah Wicklund & the Steppin Stones.

 

BMI Presents YEP Rewind: TRL

Pictured (L-R): JT Hodges, artist; Amelia Varni, YEP Executive Director; Jackie Lee, artist; Jessie James Decker, artist; Mickey Guyton, artist; MaryAnn Keen, BMI; and Paul Digiovanni, artist and producer. Photo: Jason Myers

BMI presented YEP Rewind: TRL (Total Recall Live) to a sold-out crowd at Nashville’s The Basement East last Tuesday night (Sept. 26). JT Hodges hosted the throwback night of music while guests enjoyed performances by Jessie James Decker, Mickey Guyton, Jordan Rager, Maggie Rose and others.

Ascot Travel Services Opens Nashville Office

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Ascot Travel Services, which specializes in managing travel logistics for entertainment, corporate and leisure markets, has expanded to Nashville.

The company, which has served clients for 30+years from its offices in New York City and Brooklyn, has opened a Music City location at 1033 Demonbreun Street. Evan Sander serves as COO for the Nashville location.

Among the services offered by ASCOT include negotiating fares, waitlist clearance, preferred hotel/car programs, leisure travel services, 24/7 agent support, private charter and ground transportation, management reporting and back office support, data entry and more.

For more, visit ascot-travel.com.

RIAA’s Cary Sherman To Be Honored During Music Biz 2018 Conference

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Cary Sherman

The Music Business Association (Music Biz) will present its Presidential Award for Outstanding Executive Achievement to Cary Sherman, Chairman and CEO of the Recording Industry Association of America (RIAA), during the Music Biz 2018 Conference’s Awards Breakfast on May 16, 2018, at the Omni Nashville Hotel.

Sherman joins a list of previous honorees that includes Mike Dungan, John Esposito, Dick Clark, Walter Yetnikoff, Ahmet and Nesuhi Ertegun, Jim Urie, Clive Davis, Casey Kasem, Sylvia Rhone, Scott Borchetta, Akio Morito, Eric Paulson, Russ Solomon, and more.

“As the head of RIAA, Cary has worked tirelessly on behalf of the recording industry, and he has done so during some of the most challenging times in the history of the music business,” said James Donio, President of Music Biz. “As he prepares to retire at the end of 2018, we are thrilled to recognize his many achievements by presenting him with our prestigious Presidential Award in honor of the vision and leadership he has shown, and highlighting his commitment to ensuring the recording industry’s growth and vitality.”

Sherman began his career in 1971 at the Washington, D.C. law firm of Arnold & Porter, where he worked his way up to Senior Partner. There, he served as outside counsel to the RIAA and head of the firm’s Intellectual Property and Technology Practice Group. In 1997, he joined the RIAA as General Counsel, becoming President in 2001 and Chairman and CEO in 2011.

Today, Sherman represents the interests of the $7.7 billion U.S. sound recording industry, which now derives more than three quarters of its revenues from digital formats.

Cole Swindell To ‘Stay Downtown’ And Headline Tootsie’s Birthday Bash

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Cole Swindell has been tapped to headline the Stay Downtown at Tootsie’s 57th Anniversary Birthday Bash on Lower Broadway in downtown Nashville on Oct. 10. The celebration and concert for Tootsie’s Orchid Lounge is free and open to the public.

Swindell will arrive downtown early that day to celebrate his most recent No. 1 single “Flatliner” with SESAC co-writers Jaron Boyer and Matt Bronleewe as well as industry friends and family at Tootsie’s prior to the Birthday Bash. “Flatliner,” which features his friend/mentor Dierks Bentley, became his record-breaking seventh consecutive No. 1 single this summer.

In just over three years since he debuted on Warner Bros. Records, Swindell has earned seven chart-toppers, 10 No. 1 singles as a songwriter, a one billion audience-reaching single (“You Should Be Here”), five Platinum singles, one Gold single, a Platinum-certified debut album, and a Gold-certified sophomore album (You Should Be Here).

 

Newcomers Williams Honor Blend Modern, Classic Country On New Project

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Williams Honor performs. Photo: Haley Crow

New country duo Williams Honor hail from the Asbury Park, New Jersey area, an area that helped forge the music of artists such as Bruce Springsteen, but it was a love of both modern and classic country music that drew William Honor’s Reagan Richards and Gordon Brown together.

“We started to realize when we were talking about Jo Dee Messina’s second album, ninth cut on the album, that this isn’t just a very superficial love of country music,” says Richards. “It’s real. So we started writing and it just developed.”

Both Richards and Brown have had extensive careers in music. Richards has toured as a backup singer for artists including Bon Jovi, Joan Jett, and Lisa Loeb, and portrayed Patsy Cline in a two-week run of the musical Always Patsy Cline. Brown is a producer and multi-instrumentalist. His former band, Highway 9, was signed with RCA Nashville.

Williams Honor recently visited the MusicRow offices to preview music from their self-titled project, including the current single, “No Umbrella,” which Richards and Brown co-wrote with singer-songwriter Cyndi Thomson.

“I have been such a fan of Cyndi Thomson,” Richards says. “We were Facebook friends so I wrote to her that we were coming to Nashville and asked if she wanted to write together. I didn’t think she would ever write back, but she did and said she would love to try writing together. So we went to a place off Music Row and wrote ‘No Umbrella.’”

The single is currently at No. 32 on the MusicRow CountryBreakout Chart.

Williams Honor with MusicRow Magazine owner/publisher Sherod Robertson. Photo: Haley Crow

Williams Honor with MusicRow Magazine staffers.

Jim Ed Norman Expands Role At Curb Records

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Jim Ed Norman

Curb Records announced today that Jim Ed Norman will assume additional responsibilities as CEO, Recorded Music and Publishing for Curb / Word Entertainment.

In assuming these additional responsibilities, Norman will oversee Curb / Word Entertainment’s recorded music and music publishing departments.

Curb Music Publishing VP Drew Alexander will be exiting the company. Alexander had been with the company since 1994. He can be reached by email: [email protected]; or on his cell: 615-476-8437

Remaining in their current positions at Curb Publishing are Sr. Creative Director Colt Murski and Catalog Manager Tiffany Goss. Rod Riley continues in his current role as CEO and President of Word Entertainment. Josh Bailey continues his responsibilities as Sr. VP A&R and Publishing for Word Entertainment and Janine Appleton remains in her current role as Head of WordCountry Music Publishing.

 

Kelsea Ballerini Joins Country To Country Festival 2018 Lineup

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Kelsea Ballerini has been announced as part of the lineup for next year’s Country to Country Festival 2018 at The O2, lated for March 9-11.

She joins headliners Tim McGraw and Faith Hill on the bill, who were announced last week as the first headliners for Country to Country 2018.

Country to Country is now entering its sixth year. Last year’s festival welcomed over 80,000 fans and included performances by Reba, Zac Brown Band, Brad Paisley and many more.

The full lineup for the festival will be announced this Friday at the C2C 2018 launch event, which will take place at Bush Hall as part Country Music Week’s New Country US Night featuring Logan Brill, Temecula Road, Levi Hummon and Walker McGuire.