40th Annual ASCAP Christian Music Awards Set For October

ASCAP has announced the 40th annual ASCAP Christian Music Awards will be held on Monday, Oct. 15, at the Franklin Theatre in downtown Franklin, Tennessee. The evening will honor the songwriters and publishers of Christian music’s most performed songs of the past year, and will be hosted by ASCAP President and Chairman Paul Williams, Executive Vice President of Membership John Titta and Vice President of Nashville Membership Michael Martin.

MusicRow Awards Voting Begins Friday For Subscribed Members

Voting begins this Friday, May 18, for MusicRow‘s 30th annual MusicRow Awards.

Readers must have a valid and current subscription to vote.

Click here to purchase or renew subscription.

The invitation-only MusicRow Awards reception will be held Wednesday, June 27, 2018.

The event will feature award presentations for Breakthrough Artist of the Year, Song of the Year, Producer of the Year, Breakthrough Songwriter and Breakthrough Artist-Writer of the Year. Winners of these categories will be determined by the votes of subscribed members to MusicRow.

In addition, the publication will honor recipients of the 2018 Top 10 Album All-Star Musician Awards. These honors are determined by tabulating the work of Nashville’s session players. Each player earns one credit for each instrument played on qualifying albums that made the Top 10 of Billboard’s Country Album Chart during the eligibly period.

Read more about last year’s exciting event: Bobby Karl Works The Room: 2017 MusicRow Awards

The Sisterhood Band, Steven Tyler To Release New Projects After Weekend Tour Stop In Nashville

The Sisterhood Band. Photo: Brenton Giesey

Sony Music Nashville female duo The Sisterhood Band is set to release their Summer Setlist EP on June 8.

Comprised of Rod Stewart and Baillie And The Boys’ daughters Ruby Stewart and Alyssa Bonagura, the duo made the announcement during their supporting set at Nashville’s Woods at Fontanel for the kickoff to Steven Tyler & the Loving Mary Band’s international tour. The Sisterhood Band will appear during a dozen dates with the outing.

During their 30-minute supporting set in Nashville, The Sisterhood Band revealed its newest “brother in the sisterhood,” Atlantic Records/WMN recording artist Hunter Hayes. Although having the talented multi-instrumentalist play in it’s supporting lineup, a cover of “Gasoline Alley” lacked mandolin. Sir Stewart suggested the two become a duo.

With charisma, the two blazed through their own stadium rockers including the traveling “Tenderize My Heart,” a title previously released anthem among an independent, six track project.

“You’re hearing this new music first,” said Bonagura. “Nashville is my hometown and I’ve seen a lot of shows at Fontanel but I have never played on this stage, so it’s a big night for me.”

Sharing the spotlight, Bonagura and Stewart donned hippie-cool swag with a fringe silk jacket, dream catcher guitar swag and a tasseled tambourine. Those rocker tempos included “Walk Away” and “Dirt Cheap.” Stewarts soaring vocals belted out the two-step stomper “Closing In From Miles Away,” while the swings of an early swain’s were found in ending songs, including “Halfway Out The Door.”

Steven Tyler performs during the 2018 Nashville Film Festival with The Loving Mary Band. Photo: NaFF

Steven Tyler with director Casey Tebo at the 2018 Nashville Film Festival premiere. Photo: NaFF

Consummate entertainer, Steven Tyler played nearly two hours at the Fontanel outing, mixing hit songs he wrote (“Dream On,” “Walk This Way” and “Jaded,” with bandleader Marti Frederiksen) with covers (“Piece Of My Heart,” “Come Together” and “Mercedes Benz,” which he performed with Loving Mary bassist Rebecca Lynn Howard) and tracks from his Big Machine Label Group country project (Bonagura’s solo-write “I Make My Own Sunshine,” and a shoutout to Dann Huff, Rhett Akins and Chris DeStefano before “Only Heaven,” “Own Worst Enemy” and “If Love Is Your Name”).

“When I moved to Nashville years ago and heard ‘If Love Is Your Name,’ I thought, if I [was] gonna do a country record apart from Aerosmith, this is what I wanted to be,” said Tyler of what would become his debut country single. “Country music went straight through my heart.”

The performance comes seven months after Tyler calling off the remainder of Aerosmith’s Aero-Vederci South American tour for “unexpected medical issues.” That tour was billed as Aerosmith’s “farewell” tour. Despite promising “be back,” Tyler has appeared solo at recent events, such as BMI’s Maui Songwriter Festival, Phoenix’s Celebrity Fight Night, a 2018 Superbowl commercial and will release his Steven Tyler Out On A Limb documentary tomorrow (May 15) on demand and Digital HD.

Although Tyler is no longer listed on the Big Machine Label Group Roster, he was in Nashville May 10 to kick off the Nashville Film Festival with The Loving Mary Band. The documentary details much of the 2016 album.

Steven Tyler/Loving Mary Tour Dates:

June 12                 Lewiston, NY                         Artpark Amphitheater
June 18*              New York, NY                       SummerStage/Central Park
*City Parks Foundation Annual Gala
June 21                 Vienna, VA                           Wolf Trap
June 24                 Bethlehem, PA                     Sands Bethlehem Event Center
June 27                 Detroit, MI                           MotorCity Casino Hotel
June 30                 Northfield, OH                     Hard Rock Live
*Public Benefit for Akron Children’s Hospital
July 7                     Naperville, IL                        Exchange Club of Naperville’s Ribfest
July 11*                 Calgary, AB                           Cowboys Stampede Tent
July 15*                 Sion, Switzerland                 Sion Sous Les Etoiles Festival
July 18                  Trieste, Italy                         Trieste Piazza Unita D’Italia
July 24                   Barolo, Italy                           Collisioni Festival, Piazza Colbert
July 27                   Rome, Italy                           Rome Cavea
July 30                   Madrid, Spain                       Teatro Real
August 2*               Marbella, Spain                     Starlite Festival
August 7               London, UK                           O2 Forum Kentish Town

*The Sisterhood Band not appearing

Kane Brown Partners With Sony To Demo New Xperia Wireless Headset

Kane Brown has partnered with Sony Mobile Communications and Sony Music Nashville in a unique collaboration to showcase the recently introduced wireless headset Xperia Ear Duo. 

The Xperia Ear Duo features dual listening technology, allowing music listeners to enjoy music while also receiving notifications and simultaneously hearing environment sounds or conversation. The Xperia Ear Duo will be demonstrated at the 23rd Annual Cine Gear Expo at Paramount Studios in Hollywood May 31 through June 3, 2018. Cine Gear Expo 2018 offers over 300 exhibits and dozens of complimentary seminars and panels covering filmmaking insights, techniques, and technology from top makers and content creators.

Jessica Phelps To Lead The Orchard’s Nashville Team

Jessica Phelps

The Orchard has named Jessica Phelps General Manager, Nashville. As head of The Orchard’s Nashville team, Phelps will lead strategy, development, label management and marketing for key Orchard artists and labels in the market. She will also heighten and maintain relationships with key accounts and clients across a variety of genres, as well as attract, sign and retain new talent in order to grow The Orchard’s business in Nashville. The hiring marks a return to the Orchard for Phelps, who previously worked for the company as Director of Retail Marketing.

Phelps will report to The Orchard’s COO Colleen Theis.

“We’re super proud to welcome Jess back to The Orchard family,” Theis said. “She is a highly experienced executive with a strong network, a strategic vision and a clear understanding of where the industry is headed. As an established and respected member of Nashville’s independent music community, she will be a force for our labels and artists.”

“The Orchard is home to so many amazing labels and artists; it’s an honor to rejoin the company,” Phelps said. “I look forward to working with their impressive staff and roster, and helping grow The Orchard’s relationships with Nashville’s creative community.”

Phelps joins The Orchard from Q Prime Management, where she acted as Head of Sales in the Label Services Department. At Q Prime, Phelps spearheaded retail promotion, sales strategy, and distribution operations for artists such as Metallica, Dawes, Cage The Elephant, Gillian Welch & David Rawlings and Marty Stuart. Previously, Phelps worked as Sales Director at Mom+Pop Music, and at Lagardère SCA’s mobile division.

Industry Pics: Carrie Underwood Celebrates Opry Anniversary, Maren Morris Takes NYC

Carrie Underwood Celebrates Opry Anniversary

Sally Williams, Carrie Underwood, Steve Buchanan

Carrie Underwood celebrated her 10th anniversary as a Grand Ole Opry member with an appearance on the Opry Friday night (May 11) at the Grand Ole Opry House. Underwood was inducted into the Opry family on May 10, 2008 by Opry member Garth Brooks.

In March 2008, Underwood was surprised with her membership invitation by Opry member Randy Travis after she performed her No. 1 hit “I Told You So,” a song written and originally recorded by Travis. Over the weekend, after again performing “I Told You So,” Underwood was surprised when Travis made another appearance to congratulate her on 10 years of Opry membership.
Underwood, whose new album Cry Pretty will be released by Capitol Records Nashville on Sept. 14, is also scheduled to play two shows at the Opry on June 5 as part of the Opry’s kick off to CMA Music Festival.

Randy Travis, Carrie Underwood.

 

Maren Morris Performs At Gotham Hall in NYC

Maren Morris is seen backstage prior to performing exclusively for Hilton Honors members at Gotham Hall on May 11, 2018 in New York City.

Maren Morris performed an intimate concert on May 11 at New York City’s Gotham Hall, hosted by Hilton Honors in partnership with Live Nation. The Hilton Honors program gives members access to top concerts, private meet-and-greets, one-on-one artist experiences and exclusive concerts. Previous performers have included OneRepublic, Lady Antebellum, Kip Moore, Jason Derulo, Elle King and more.

Maren Morris performs exclusively for Hilton Honors members at Gotham Hall on May 11, 2018 in New York City.

 

 

Nashville Film Festival To Celebrate Songwriters With Documentary Screening

It All Begins With A Song: The Story of the Nashville Songwriter, a new documentary that takes an in-depth look at Nashville’s songwriting community, will be shown at a special public screening on May 17 during the Nashville Film Festival.

The 82-minute film explores Nashville’s songwriting community — their creative processes, their inspiration, their struggles and the impact their songs can have on everyday life. The screening is at 6 p.m. on Thursday, May 17 at Regal Hollywood 27. visitmusiccity.com/itallbeginswithasong

The film has been under production for two years. It involved 80 interviews with songwriters and industry figures and more than 100 hours of footage. Some songwriters featured in the film include Jessi Alexander, Garth Brooks, Mac Davis, Bob DiPiero, Mikky Ekko, John Hiatt, Brett James, Claude Kelly, Shane McAnally, Keb’ Mo’, Brad Paisley and Ray Stevens.

“This kind of film is a complete departure for a destination marketing organization,” said Butch Spyridon, president and CEO of the Nashville Convention & Visitors Corp. “At the heart of Nashville’s success as a destination is our music and creative community represented best by our songwriters. Through them, we present Nashville as a unique, authentic and creative destination unmatched anywhere in the world.”

Jessi Alexander, one of the singer/songwriters featured in the film, said, “Finally, a movie that captures the day in the life of a Nashville songwriter and the poets that create the soundtrack to our lives. This film gives viewers an inside look into the ups and downs and the highways and heartbreaks that lead writers to pick up their guitars, put pen to paper and pour their hearts out — beginning the journey of a song that goes down in history. Songwriters are the unsung heroes in Nashville, and now we have a movie to tell our story.”

It All Begins With A Song: The Story of the Nashville Songwriter was created by the Nashville Convention & Visitors Corp. It was produced by the NCVC, along with John Godsey and VML, a global marketing agency. It was directed by Chusy Jardine of Plan A Films. It is being shopped worldwide to major buyers.

The songwriting documentary is a follow-up to the 2013 film created by the NCVC, For the Love of Music: The Story of Nashville, which chronicles the 130-year evolution of how Nashville became Music City. For the Love of Music was awarded silver and bronze lions at the 2014 Cannes Lions International Festival of Creativity in the category of Branded Content & Entertainment.

 

Bobby Bones Announces Six-Show Nashville Residency

Bobby Bones is bringing his Red Hoodie Comedy Tour back home to Nashville this Fall for a limited six-show residency at the historic Franklin Theatre. Bones will perform two shows nightly during the local stint across dates in September and November. Singer/songwriter Tenille Townes will open for Bones on the added dates.

“I’m excited to get to bring the tour home for a few dates,” Bones said. “I can tell jokes and then go sleep in my own bed.”

The shows will be held at the Franklin Theatre on Sept. 1 (at 7 p.m. and 9:30 p.m.), Nov. 23 (7 p.m. and 9:30 p.m.) and Nov. 24 (7 p.m. and 9:30 p.m.).

Tickets go on sale this Friday, May 18 at bobbybonescomedy.com.

Alicia Pruitt, Jennie Smythe, Tina Parol Join Music Health Alliance Board

Pictured: Alicia Pruitt, Jennie Smythe, Tina Parol

Music Health Alliance has added Alicia Pruitt (Warner/Chappell Music, Sr. Vice President, A&R), Jennie Smythe (Girlilla Marketing, CEO) and Tina Parol (Disney Music Publishing, artist & songwriter) to its Board of Directors.

The 18-member board, comprised of business leaders across multiple industries, helps develop the strategic plans of Music Health Alliance in support of its mission to protect, direct and connect members of the music community with medical and financial solutions.

Since founding in 2013, the Nashville-based non-profit has served 8,400 members of the music community nationwide, saving them over $33,000,000 in healthcare costs including insurance premium savings, medical bill reductions and discounted medications. Music Health Alliance has also spared 428 families from bankruptcy due to a medical crisis, provided eight patients with access to transplants including heart, lung, kidney and liver, and facilitated access to over 200 trauma counseling sessions for the Las Vegas shooting survivors and their families. 

Music Health Alliance Board of Directors:
President – Kris Wiatr, Wiatr & Associates, LLC
Vice President/Past Board President – Jay Williams, William Morris/Endeavor Entertainment
Treasurer – Earle Simmons, SunTrust Bank
Secretary – Dr. Michael Allsep
Todd Cayce, Richards & Southern
Rodney Crowell, Songwriter/Recording Artist
Christie Hauck, Christie Cookie Co., Christie Retail Group & Goozy
Sandy Knox, Songwriter, Knox Creative
Linda Edell Howard, Adams and Reese LLP
Cindy Hunt, Monarch Publicity
John Lytle, Lytle Management
Tina Parol, Artist and Songwriter, Disney Music Publishing
Alicia Pruitt, Warner/Chappell Music
Jennie Smythe, Girlilla Marketing
Kristin Vanderkooi, Center for Elder Veteran Rights
Rebecca Warner Strang, Philanthrophist
Dr. Herman Williams, RegionalCare
Tatum Allsep, Founder, Music Health Alliance

Dierks Bentley To Perform Late Night Album Release Show At Ryman

Dierks Bentley will celebrate the release of his latest album The Mountain with a special late night album release show June 7 at the Ryman Auditorium. All ticket proceeds from the special show will go to benefit the Opry Trust Fund. The show will begin at 10 p.m. CT.

Bentley will perform all 13 tracks from The Mountain, his ninth studio album, during the show, which will also feature Bentley’s 2018 tour opener LANCO. Pre-sale tickets are available tomorrow (May 15) with public tickets on sale this Friday (May 18). Tickets are available for $80, $55, and $45.

“This album started as the smallest seed of an idea,” said Bentley. “It was inspired by where I am in my life right now, but also by the people I meet out on the road who triumph over hardship every day. We all share this underlying sense of gratitude and hope, which really became the base of The Mountain, so I wanted to introduce it as a whole story for the first time with all the fans in town for CMA Music Fest. Doing it at the Ryman and to help out the Opry Trust Fund makes the night even more special.”

Started in 1965, the Opry Trust Fund’s mission is to help those in the country industry when they need it the most by offering financial assistance during their time of need. Since its inception, the Opry Trust Fund has distributed more than $2 million.