Collin Raye, ACM Lifting Lives Team For Route 91 Remembrance

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To honor those lost or affected by the tragic events of Oct. 1, 2017, Nathan Adelson Hospice, Southern Nevada’s largest non-profit hospice organization, will host a free, commemorative butterfly release ceremony at 2 p.m. Sunday, April 8 at the Las Vegas Community Healing Garden, highlighted by a special performance from Collin Raye.

Raye, who had 16 No. 1 hits and 24 top ten records, including “Love, Me,” will perform as 900 butterflies are released, representing the number of victims and families directly affected by the tragedy.

The event is presented by Nathan Adelson Hospice in conjunction with ACM Lifting Lives, The Community Foundation of Middle Tennessee, The City of Las Vegas and Get Outdoors Nevada and Music City Cares Fund. The special tribute will feature a short, nondenominational ceremony, remarks by Las Vegas Mayor Carolyn Goodman.

“As an organization that provides extensive grief and bereavement outreach in the community, we understand trauma and its impact on individuals and their loved ones,” said Carole Fisher, President and CEO of Nathan Adelson Hospice. “With help from a grant from The Community Foundation of Middle Tennessee and the generous support of The City of Las Vegas, Get Outdoors Nevada, the Lifting Lives arm of the Academy of Country Music and the Music City Cares Fund, we are able to continue the healing process of our community in a visible and meaningful way.”

“ACM Lifting Lives is proud to partner with Nathan Adelson Hospice in this special ceremony honoring the victims and families of the October tragedy,” said Pete Fisher, ACM CEO. “All of us at the Academy of Country Music and ACM Lifting Lives truly believe in the powerful role music plays in healing lives, and now in our 15th year, feel a genuine and heartfelt connection to Las Vegas and its people.”

The Las Vegas Community Healing Garden, established shortly after the event, is located at 1015 S. Casino Center Boulevard. Free parking is available.

Still Working Music Group Names New Creative Director

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Emily Olson

Still Working Music Group has named Emily Mueller Olson as Creative Director. Emily will oversee the extensive Still Working catalog and work closely with Still Working writers to make sure their amazing songs are heard.

“We feel so lucky to have Emily join our Still Working family. She is extremely passionate and talented and we can’t wait to see what the future holds!” said Alex Orbison.

Emily moved to Nashville in the Summer of 2005 with a passion for songs and songwriters. She graduated from Belmont University with a Music Business degree and has over 10 years of experience in publishing including stops at Disney Music Publishing, Tom-Leis Music, Pain in the Art Productions, ole, and launching her songwriter/producer/musician management business called listen + connect creative. Notably, Emily holds the credit of Production Assistant on almost a dozen major label projects, including Taylor Swift’s Speak Now album and The Band Perry’s self-titled debut. She has secured over 150 cuts for artists including Brett Young, Randy Houser, Sara Evans, Mickey Guyton, Justin Moore, Sister Hazel, and Trent Harmon.

“All I really want is to be surrounded by great music and great people…get incredible songs floating around Nashville heard….and to help songwriters I really believe in get to where they want to be. Getting to work with the Still Working roster is a dream come true,” said Olson.

Still Working Music was founded in 1990 by the late Barbara Orbison and is now run by her sons, Alex Orbison (President) and Roy Orbison, Jr. (Co-President) along with Chuck Fleckenstein (COO and General Manager). Recent Still Working successes include Kenny Chesney’s No. 1, “All The Pretty Girls,” Miranda Lambert’s “Tin Man” (nominated as 2017 Country Song of the Year) and Lost Frequencies’ “Are You With Me,” a No. 1 in 18 countries around the world. Still Working’s catalog includes hits by Taylor Swift, One Direction, Ashley Monroe, Travis Denning, Blake Shelton, Tim McGraw, Brooks & Dunn, and George Strait as well as cuts by Carrie Underwood, Dierks Bentley, Rascal Flatts, Easton Corbin, Reba McEntire, Martina McBride, Faith Hill, Celine Dion, and Joe Walsh.

Still Working Music writers include Tommy Lee James, Gordie Sampson, Jon Randall, Chase Bryant, Dylan Altman, Alana Springsteen, Dominic Scott Kay, and Lance Miller. Still Working Music partners with BMG, Kobalt, and Big Deal, among others.

Recording Academy To Honor Little Big Town, Reps. Judy Chu And Doug Collins

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On April 18, the Recording Academy will celebrate 20 years of advocacy in Washington, D.C., by honoring Karen Fairchild, Kimberly Schlapman, Phillip Sweet, and Jimi Westbrook of three-time Grammy-winning group Little Big Town at the annual GRAMMYs on the Hill Awards. Little Big Town’s contributions to the music industry align with some of the Recording Academy’s key advocacy and organizational causes, including advocating for music education and supporting MusiCares®, a charity founded by the Academy that provides a safety net of support for the music community. The evening will also feature a performance by the band.

Uniting the worlds of music and politics, GRAMMYs on the Hill also recognizes legislators who have improved the environment for music by advocating for music creators’ rights. The 2018 congressional honorees are Rep. Judy Chu (D-Calif.), a long-time champion of music creators, and Rep. Doug Collins (R-Ga.), author of the songwriter-focused Music Modernization Act (H.R. 4706) and a senior member of the House Judiciary Committee. Chu and Collins also both serve as co-chairs of the Congressional Creative Rights Caucus.

“Little Big Town’s advocacy efforts, coupled with the legislative momentum on Capitol Hill to protect creators, further the Academy’s vision of a brighter future for music—something the Recording Academy has been championing since its inception, and made an even greater commitment to when it established its D.C. offices in 1998,” said Recording Academy President/CEO Neil Portnow. “We also are privileged to recognize the significant contributions of Reps. Chu and Collins, who have long supported the creative community’s right to be fairly compensated and to have meaningful copyright protections, advocating for the current comprehensive legislation, and supporting our continuing campaign for a terrestrial performance right.”

“We’re honored to stand alongside the Academy and Reps. Chu and Collins in speaking out and protecting an industry that has done so much for us,” said Sweet.

“Music is healing and powerful, and music education gives our children an outlet for expression that is absolutely necessary for their overall growth and well-being,” continued Fairchild. “We will continue to do our part to protect music education, songwriters, recordings, and the artists who bring them to life.”

Don Henley, Jennifer Hudson, Alicia Keys, John Mayer, Keith Urban, and Zac Brown Band are all past honorees at the GRAMMYs on the Hill Awards. Previous GRAMMYs on the Hill congressional honorees include former Vice President Joe Biden; Sens. Hillary Clinton (D-N.Y.), Susan Collins (R-Maine), Orrin Hatch (R-Utah), Ted Kennedy (D-Mass.), John McCain (R-Ariz.), and Tom Udall (D-N.M.); and House Leaders Kevin McCarthy (R-Calif.) and Nancy Pelosi (D-Calif.).

The awards dinner and show will take place at the Hamilton Live in Washington, D.C., and will feature unique live performances and musical surprises. The GRAMMYs on the Hill Awards are sponsored by music rights organization SESAC Inc.

10th Annual Nashville Honors Gala Raises Over $425K

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Pictured (Front row, L-R): Dr. James Netterville, Mike Smardak, Janet Ayers, Frank Bumstead, David Poile. (Back row, L-R): Danny Gokey, Storme Warren, Natalie Grant, Jeff Foxworthy, Laura Heatherly, Lauren Alaina, Mike Fisher, Charles Esten, Danielle Bouharoun, Shawn Parr. Photo: Rick Diamond for T.J. Martell Foundation

The T.J. Martell Foundation raised more than $425,000 for cancer research during the 10th annual Nashville Honors Gala on Monday (March 26), which featured performances from Keith Urban, Thomas Rhett, Natalie Grant and more.

The evening marked the 25th anniversary of the T.J. Martell Foundation’s partnership with the Vanderbilt-Ingram Cancer Center. The Nashville Honors Gala alone has raised more than $4 million for cancer research since the event was launched in 2009. Monday’s event was hosted by Nashville actor/singer Charles Esten, and also included performances and appearances from Lauren Alaina, Danny Gokey, Jeff Foxworthy, Agenia Clark, Dr. Ron Eavey, Frank Thomas, and Mike Fisher.

This year’s honorees were:
Janet Ayers – Lifetime Humanitarian Award
David Poile – Spirit of Nashville Award
Frank Bumstead – Frances Preston Outstanding Music Industry Achievement Award
Mike Smardak – Tony Martell Outstanding Entertainment Achievement Award
Dr. James Netterville – Medical Research Advancement Award

Natalie Grant. Photo: Rick Diamond for T.J. Martell Foundation

Keith Urban. Photo: Rick Diamond for TJ Martell Foundation

 

Thompson Square Returns After Five-Year Hiatus With ‘Masterpiece’

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Thompson Square are back with their first new album in more than five years, MASTERPIECE, which is set for release June 1. The duo worked with producers Nathan Chapman and Dann Huff on the new project, but also self-produced a few of the independent CD’s 11 new tracks which feature touches of R&B, reggae and hard rock influences.

“This album is called MASTERPIECE, and the definition of a masterpiece is an artist’s life’s work,” Keifer says. “When we’re 80 years old and we look back, we want to be able to say we’re really proud of all the stuff we did.”

Five songs from the album, “Masterpiece,” “A Love Like This,” “Millionaires,” “Up In Smoke” and “Let’s Do Something Stupid,” are available now for fans, and the full length album is available for pre-order here.

The duo will return to the road later this year for a slate of acoustic and full-band shows which will be announced soon.

 

Ty Herndon, Cody Alan To Host 2018 Concert For Love And Acceptance

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GLAAD, the world’s largest LGBTQ media advocacy organization, announced the 2018 Concert for Love and Acceptance set for June 7 at the Wildhorse Saloon in Nashville. The show, taking place the night after the 2018 CMT Music Awards, will feature a coalition of artists and celebrities appearing and performing to accelerate acceptance for the LGBTQ community. Ty Herndon and CMT’s Cody Alan will host, and the event will feature performances by Herndon, as well as Terri Clark, Cassadee Pope, Michael Ray, Calum Scott, Brandon Stansell, and more. CMT will return as the event’s media sponsor and will amplify the event and line-up across its radio and social platforms. Additional support for the event is provided by Nissan.

“We’re proud to once again lock arms with our friends at GLAAD to lend our voice and support to an event that champions love and acceptance through the power of music,” said Frank Tanki, General Manager of CMT and TV Land.

“I’m thrilled to partner with GLAAD once again for this show that has broken so much new ground and started so many important conversations over the past three years,” said Herndon. “Letting our LGBTQ friends, family, and neighbors know they are accepted and loved just as they are isn’t just making the world a better place – it’s literally saving lives – and I’m so proud to be a part of it.”

The inaugural Concert for Love and Acceptance was held in 2015 to kick off GLAAD’s Southern Stories Tour and the second iteration was held in 2017. The event has been supported by artists like Reba McEntire, with a lineup of performances has included Chris Carmack, Crystal Gayle, Billy Gilman, Dana Goldberg, Kree Harrison, Mickey Guyton, Levi Hummon, Runaway June, Ryan Kinder, Meghan Lindsey, Street Corner Symphony, Thompson Square, and Trent Harmon. GLAAD’s Southern Stories initiative tells the stories of LGBTQ people and their allies in the South to create a cultural shift towards LGBTQ acceptance and understanding in the region.

For more information or to purchase tickets, visit glaad.org.

In Pictures: Rising Women On The Row 2018

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On Tuesday (March 27), MusicRow magazine celebrated six of the music industry’s top female executives, with this year’s Rising Women On The Row event honoring Marbaloo’s Faithe Dillman, Tree Vibez Music’s Leslie DiPiero, WME’s Becky Gardenhire, River House Artists’ Lynn Oliver-Cline, UMG Nashville’s Annie Ortmeier, and Red Light Management/42 Entertainment’s Janet Weir.

Read Bobby Karl Works The Room for a full recap of the event.

Pictured (L-R): Honorees Faithe Dillman and Janet Weir. Photo: Bev Moser/Moments By Moser Photography

Pictured (L-R) Universal Music Group Nashville Chairman/CEO Mike Dungan and MusicRow Magazine Publisher/Owner Sherod Robertson. Photo: Haley Crow/MusicRow

Pictured (L-R): Stacey Willbur (Full Circle Music), Woody Bomar (Green Hills Music Group), and Leslie Mitchell (Grin Like A dog Songs). Photo: Haley Crow/MusicRow

Pictured (L-R): CEO of Marbaloo Marketing and honoree Faithe Dillman and Senior Vice President Julie Behr Sturdivant of Marbaloo Marketing. Photo: Allie Krause

Pictured (L-R): Sarah Buxton and RaeLynnPhoto: Haley Crow/MusicRow

Photo: Moments By Moser Photography

Photo: Bev Moser/Moments By Moser Photography

Pictured (L-R): MusicRow‘s Sherod Robertson, Rose Palermo and Jamey Ryan. Photo: Haley Crow/MusicRow

Photo: Bev Moser/Moments By Moser Photography

Photo: Bev Moser/Moments By Moser Photography

Pictured (L-R): Belmont University student volunteers Cassidy Zuver and Madison Policastri. Photo: Bev Moser/Moments By Moser Photography

Pictured (L-R): Belmont University student volunteers Haley Delpico and Claire Karliak. Photo: Bev Moser/Moments By Moser Photography

Warner Music Group Acquires A&R Tool Sodatone

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Warner Music Group has acquired Sodatone, a tech start-up for an A&R insight tool founded in 2016. Sodatone’s proprietary technology combines streaming, social and touring data with machine learning. The platform identifies unsigned talent by tracking early predictors of success, such as the loyalty and engagement of a growing fan-base, and the potential virality of a track or demo. In addition, Sodatone provides insight into audience reaction to releases from established artists and songwriters. The service is particularly versatile in providing global and regional views, enabling A&R users to focus on specific territories as well as global reach.

The company will continue to be run by its founders, Arjun Bali and Jerry Zhang, two innovators with a background in data science, artificial intelligence and engineering. Reporting to Vinnie Freda, WMG’s Chief Data Officer, the duo will collaborate closely with A&R executives across WMG’s recorded music and music publishing operations.

Max Lousada, CEO, Recorded Music, Warner Music Group, says, “At Warner Music, we’re creating an entrepreneurial environment where art and technology thrive together. Arjun and Jerry are two talented pioneers, whose passion for algorithms and trends is matched by our love for music and culture. They understand that A&R instinct has always been informed by different types of data, and have created a tool that brings new sophistication and foresight to creative decisions. As the youngest member of our growing family of brands, Sodatone will help to differentiate us in the search for the superstars of tomorrow.”

Zhang and Bali added, “We chose Warner Music Group as our new home because we respect the company’s openness to experimentation and admire their approach to artist development. Having worked with so many music companies, it will be inspiring to be closer to the music-making process, and explore how we can fine-tune our technology to make it an even more powerful tool in the hands of the creatives. Max, Jon, Steve, Vinnie and the rest of the leadership team are very supportive of our ambitious plans for the future.”

Sodatone was originally hosted at the ‘Music Den’ incubator at Toronto’s Ryerson University and the University of Waterloo’s Velocity program.

iHeartCountry Festival Announces Daytime Village Lineup

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Luke Combs, Brett Young, Lauren Alaina, Dylan Scott and Danielle Bradbery will perform at the iHeartCountry Festival at the Daytime Village on May 5 at Frank Erwin Center’s North Box Office Plaza in Austin.

The free daytime event will also feature fan zones and interactive experiences by iHeartRadio’s brand partners.

The Festival’s main stage event hosted by Bobby Bones will feature performances from Luke Bryan, Keith Urban, Dustin Lynch, Cole Swindell, Maren Morris, Sugarland, Luke Combs, Billy Currington, Dan + Shay, Jon Pardi and Brett Young, with more set to be announced.

iHeartMedia will broadcast the event live nationwide across its country stations. A limited number of tickets for behind the stage seats are available beginning today for $20 (plus tax and fees) at texasboxoffice.com. The festival is donating $1 for every ticket sold to St. Jude Children’s Research Hospital to help fund lifesaving treatments and research.

Point Of Grace To Release First Full-Length Hymns Album

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CCM group Point of Grace will return April 3 with a new collection, Beautiful Name. The album marks the trio’s first full-length recording of hymns and worship songs, with Point of Grace’s signature harmonies atop 10 fresh arrangements of beloved favorites.

Produced and arranged by Kent Hooper and Phillip Keveren, Beautiful Name features cherished hymns “All Creatures of Our God and King,” “Holy, Holy, Holy” and “Blessed Assurance,” among others, alongside such worship classics as the Twila Paris-penned “How Beautiful”; Hillsong Worship’s anthemic “Cornerstone”; and renowned modern hymn “In Christ Alone (My Hope Is Found),” by Keith Getty and Stuart Townend.

“We have always known at some point in our career we would record a hymns and worship project,” said Point of Grace’s Shelley Breen. “After being together for 25 years, this seemed like the perfect time. So much of our ministry is based on the foundation we received growing up in the Church and singing these hymns that are so theologically rich and full of verity.”

Point of Grace has sold more than 8 million units; garnered two platinum records; three Grammy nominations, as well as 27 No. 1 singles and numerous Dove Awards. Comprised of Shelley Breen, Denise Jones and Leigh Cappillino, the group founded the Girls of Grace conference and have authored multiple books. Point of Grace regularly appear on the Grand Ole Opry stage.