Industry Ink: Devon Kolozsi, Barbershop Harmony Society, Benefit For CCM Artist Rick Elias

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Devon Kolozsi Joins Marketing Agency k2forma

Devon Kolozsi

Former BMI exec Devon Kolozsi has joined Nashville-based marketing and creative services agency k2forma as Director, New Business. Kolozsi spent 13 years at BMI, working in general licensing and sales.

k2forma, launched by Kelly Koeppel in 2007, has worked with companies including Third Man Records and Houzz. “I identified Devon as a self-starter, driven by big-picture growth. She’s someone who shares our commitment to customer satisfaction and high-quality service. That mindset, combined with her existing knowledge of branding solutions makes her a welcomed addition to the team” said Koeppel.

 

Barbershop Harmony Society To Hold Midwinter Convention Beginning Jan. 22

The Barbershop Harmony Society will host its annual Midwinter Convention at Nashville’s Grand Ole Opry Jan. 22-27. Notably, this marks the first convention following the June 2018 announcement that the organization would begin accepting women for the first time in the organization’s 80-year history. In 2009, women were allowed to participate in the organization as associates, but couldn’t join chapters or quartets.

This year’s convention will celebrate the rule change, with performances from all-female quartets, mixed-gender choruses and more, as well as groups of all ages, backgrounds, race, sexual orientation and more. On Thurs., Jan. 24, the Heritage of Harmony event will highlight performances from the Fisk Jubilee Singers®, The Fairchild Four, HALO quartet and past world champions Crossroads and After Hours. This event seeks to embrace the culture of barbershop back to its roots in African American history.

Free events include performances by Barbershop members at the Second Harvest Food Bank and the Nashville Farmer’s Market on Fri., Jan. 25, as the organization helps give back to Nashville’s community by way of song. Individuals can also donate to the American Red Cross of Nashville on Sat., Jan. 26 for the convention’s Red Cross Blood Drive from 10 AM CST – 5 PM CST at Gaylord Opryland Resort.

A full schedule of events can be found at barbershop.org

 

Amy Grant, Michael W. Smith Set For Benefit Concert For Rick Elias

Contemporary Christian music artist Rick Elias, a founding member of A Ragamuffin Band, was recently diagnosed with terminal brain cancer. Friends and colleagues have banded together to produce a benefit concert slated for Feb. 2 at Christ Community Church in Franklin, Tennesee, designed to help defray the expenses associated with the treatment of the disease.

A Ragamuffin Benefit for Rick Elias: The Jesus Record Live concert event will raise money for his medical expenses, and allow attendees to hear the 1998 album The Jesus Record performed live in its entirety. The concert will feature performers from the original recording, including Elias, Amy Grant, Michael W. Smith, A Ragamuffin Band (Elias, Mark Robertson, Jimmy Abegg, and Aaron Smith), and more. Even the sound engineer, concert producers, graphic artist, select session players and others who contributed to the original album are donating their time for this significant evening.

The historic Jesus Record was scheduled to be the ninth release by the late Rich Mullins (1955-1997). When Mullins met an untimely death, his foundation, band, and record company determined to move forward with recording the project in Rich’s honor with guest artists who were his friends. The project included two discs; Disc One–the nine rough song demos recorded by Mullins, and Disc Two–the studio version of the same songs, produced by Elias. The Jesus Record was released on July 23, 1998. Shortly thereafter, A Ragamuffin Band toured the U.S., featuring music from The Jesus Record on their Homeless Man Tour.

Tickets to A Ragamuffin Benefit for Rick Elias: The Jesus Record Live concert event may be purchased online at eventbrite.com.  A GoFundMe page has also been set up.

Old Dominion Expands 2019 Make It Sweet Tour With New Spring Dates

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Old Dominion. Photo: Mason Allen

Reigning CMA and ACM Vocal Group of the Year Old Dominion has announced new dates have been added to their 2019 Make It Sweet Arena Tour. The band will include 14 additional shows throughout April, May and June.

Bringing along special guests Jordan Davis, Morgan Evans, Mitchell Tenpenny, Michael Ray, Carlton Anderson, The Washboard Union, Jason Benoit, Brandon Lay and more on select shows, the Make It Sweet Tour kicks off Jan. 18 at Allstate Arena in Rosemont, IL to a sold-out crowd.

Tickets are available here.

Make It Sweet Tour 2019 Newly Announced Dates:
April 10 – Casper, WY – Casper Events Center >&
April 11 – Loveland, CO – Budweiser Events Center >&
April 13 – Tupelo, MS – Bandcorp South Arena ^&
May 3 – Nashville, TN – Ascend Amphitheater ^* (On-Sale Jan. 25)
May 8 – Halifax, Nova Scotia, Canada – Scotiabank Centre #%
May 10 – Moncton, New Brunswick, Canada – Avenir Centre #%
May 12 – St. John’s, Newfoundland, Canada – Mile One Center #%
May 17 – New York, NY – Hulu Theatre at Madison Square Garden ^*
May 18 – Philadelphia, PA – Skyline Stage @ The Mann ^*
May 23 – Portland, ME – Thompson’s Point ^*
May 24 – Gilford, NH – Bank of New Hampshire Pavilion ^*
May 25 – Farmingville, NY – Brookhaven Amphitheater ^*
May 31 – Virginia Beach, VA – Patriotic Festival +@
June 1 – West Windsor, NJ – Thunder 106 Presents Country in the Park &

Make It Sweet Tour 2019 Previously Announced Dates:
Jan. 18 – Chicago, Illinois – Allstate Arena ^+
Jan. 19 – Bloomington, IL – Grossinger Motors Arena ^+
Jan. 24 – Bemidji, MN – Sanford Center^+
Jan. 25 – Brookings, SD – Swiftel Center^+
Jan. 30 – Scottsdale, AZ – Birds Nest WM Open
Feb. 2 – Durant, OK – Choctaw Grand Theater^+
Feb. 7 – Lowell, MA – Tsongas Center^+
Feb. 8 – Uncasville, CT – Mohegan Sun Arena^+
Feb. 9 – Washington, DC – The Anthem^+
Feb. 27 – Athens, GA – Akins Ford Arena*
Feb. 28 – Asheville, NC – U.S. Cellular Center^*
March 1 – North Charleston, SC – North Charleston Coliseum^*
March 4 – Houston, TX – Houston Livestock Show and Rodeo
March 7 – Pensacola, FL – Pensacola Bay Center^*
March 8 – Tallahassee, FL – Donald L Tucker Center^*
March 10 – Plant City, FL – Florida Strawberry Festival
March 28 – Madison, WI – Alliant Energy Center^*
March 29 – St. Louis, MO – Chaifetz Arena^*
March 30 – Omaha, NE – CenturyLink Center^*
March 31 – Cedar Rapids, IA — US Cellular Center ^*
April 25 – Boise, ID – CenturyLink Arena^*
April 26 – Reno, NV – Reno Events Center*
April 27 – San Jose, CA – San Jose Events Center*
April 28 – Indio, CA – Stagecoach Country Music Festival
May 2 – FT Wayne, IN — War Memorial Coliseum^*
May 8 – Halifax, Canada – Scotiabank Centre
May 10 – Moncton, Canada – Avenir Centre
May 12 – St. John’s Canada – Mile One Centre
June 13 – Windsor, Canada – Caesars Windsor ^
June 15 – Winsted, MN – Winstock Country Music Festival
June 21 – Manhattan, KS – Country Stampede
June 28 – Dauphin, Canada – Dauphin’s Countryfest
July 10 – London, Canada – Rock the Park Music Festival
July 12 – Rhinelander, WI – Hodag Country Festival
July 27 – Hillsboro, OR – Washington County Fair
Aug. 3 – Camrose, Canada – Big Valley Jamboree
Aug. 4 – Merritt, Canada – Rockin’ River Music Festival
Sept. 11 – Morrison, CO – Red Rocks Amphitheater
Sept. 12 – Salt Lake City, UT – Utah State Fairpark
Sept. 19 – Puyallup, WA – Washington State Fair

^+* on select dates
Jordan Davis ^
Morgan Evans +
Mitchell Tenpenny*
Michael Ray >
Carlton Anderson &
The Washboard Union #
Jason Benoit %
Brandon Lay @
Support TBD &

Industry Pics: Jimmy Buffett, Lukas Nelson, Caroline Jones, Andy Albert, Carlton Anderson

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Jimmy Buffett, Lukas Nelson & Promise Of The Real, Caroline Jones Make Surprise Nashville Appearance

Jimmy Buffett, Lukas Nelson and Caroline Jones.

On Friday (Jan. 11), Jimmy Buffett made a surprise appearance at his Margaritaville venue in Nashville, along with Lukas Nelson & Promise of The Real and Caroline Jones. Buffett and Nelson were in town to perform as part of Willie Nelson’s star-studded Life & Songs Of An American Outlaw shindig at Music City’s Bridgestone Arena on Jan. 12. Later this year, Jones will join Kenny Chesney as the opener on the country superstar’s Songs for the Saints tour. The Florida-based Jones opened for Buffett on tour in 2018, and has a distribution deal with Buffett’s Mailboat Records.

Lukas Nelson & Promise of The Real recently appeared in the Bradley Cooper/Lady Gaga remake of A Star Is Born; Nelson also helped pen songs for the film, and served as a coach for Cooper in developing the characteristics of his leading role.

 

Downtown Music Publishing’s Andy Albert Celebrates First No. 1 With Success Of “Good Girl”

Pictured (L-R): Caylan Hays, Kyle Coker, Katie Roth, Matt Turner, Andy Albert, Steve Markland (Sr. VP, A&R), Natalie Osborne, Garrett Stephenson, and Emily Stephenson

Downtown Music Publishing songwriter Andy Albert earned his first No. 1 song yesterday (Jan. 14) with Dustin Lynch’s “Good Girl,” co-written with Lynch and Justin Ebach. He stopped by the Downtown Nashville offices to celebrate.

“Been dreaming of this since the day I moved to Nashville,” Albert posted on socials. “Beyond thankful to be a part of this song with @dustinlynchmusic and @ebachmusic!”

Albert’s chart-topper continues Downtown Nashville’s recent string of country No. 1s, including Marc Beeson’s “Hometown Girl,” performed by Josh Turner, and two from Kelly Archer: “Sleep Without You,” performed by Brett Young, and “Somebody Else Will,” performed by Justin Moore.

 

Carlton Anderson Celebrates Grand Ole Opry Debut Performance

Carlton Anderson receives congratulations backstage following his Grand Ole Opry debut. Pictured (L-R): Clint Higham, Morris Higham Management; Randy Goodman, Chairman and CEO Sony Music Nashville; Carlton Anderson; Sally Williams, Senior VP Programming and Artist Relations, Grand Ole Opry, Ryman Auditorium/General Manager Grand Ole Opry; Robert Filhart, Morris Higham Management; Will Hitchcock, Morris Higham Management; Jim Catino Executive VP A&R Sony Music Nashville.
Photo: Chris Hollo for the Grand Ole Opry.

Arista Nashville artist/songwriter Carlton Anderson earned a standing ovation and an endorsement from host Larry Gatlin during his Grand Ole Opry debut at the historic Ryman Auditorium over the weekend. During his Opry appearance, Anderson performed “Country Music Made Me Do It” and “Keep Abilene Beautiful.”

Tucker Beathard Signs With Warner Music Nashville

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Photo (L-R): Kristen Williams (SVP Radio & Streaming); John Esposito (Chairman & CEO); Cris Lacy (SVP A&R); Tucker Beathard; Shane Tarleton (SVP Artist Development); Matt Signore (COO)

Tucker Beathard has signed a major recording deal with Warner Music Nashville. Beathard inked the contract following the independent release of the first installment of his debut double album, Nobody’s Everything. The second chapter will be released in the coming months on Warner Music Nashville.

“To quote Tucker’s song, when we first heard this music, it was clear that he had ‘somethin’ to say,’” said WMN SVP A&R Cris Lacy. “That’s the hallmark of a true artist. You couple that with the raw depth of his lyrics, some brilliant musicianship, and that old soul voice, and it was a no brainer. Tucker HAD to be part of the Warner Music family.”

“It was really important to me during this album-making process, that I didn’t immediately rush into signing a record deal,” said Beathard. “With everything I’ve learned during this journey, I wanted to be sure whenever I add a new layer into the fold it’s the right fit and that it’s always about the music. The first time I met with the team at Warner, I knew they were the right ones to help get more of my music out into the world.”

In November, MusicRow spoke with Beathard about the new project, the product of a years-long fight for creative freedom to make music he believed in. Beathard began work on the album following his split from former recording home Big Machine Label Group. Beathard also inked a new publishing deal with Little Louder Music back in August.

“I think it definitely worked out and now I’ve learned a lot about myself as an artist and about the business…at the end of the day I want the best way to reach out to as many people as possible,” Beathard said.

 

Musicians Corner Presents Industry Panel Series MUSICSPEAK

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Musicians Corner, the annual free outdoor music series, is introducing a music industry panel series, MUSICSPEAK. The bi-monthly educational events will focus on a variety of topics, feature a panel of respected music industry professionals, and host an hour of connection and networking over appetizers and beverages.

The inaugural MUSICSPEAK event will take place on Wednesday, Feb. 27 at Nashville’s Fort Houston and will discuss the topic Festival 101. Panelists will include Justin Branam (Musicians Corner Program Director), Sarah Comardelle (AMERICANAFEST Festival Producer), Christopher Paxton (Live On The Green Festival Director), and Christina Persico (AC Entertainment Director of Strategic Partnerships).

Future topics will include artist management, publishing, and branding and marketing, among others. Panelists for upcoming events will be announced at a later date.

“Musicians Corner is always seeking new ways to connect with Nashville’s music community,” said Musicians Corner Event Manager Leah McMullin. “We are excited to introduce MUSICSPEAK as both an educational and a networking opportunity for young music industry professionals and those seeking to learn more about the music business.”

Musicians Corner will host six MUSICSPEAK events in 2019 on the last Wednesday of February, April, June, August, and October, and the second Wednesday of December. Events will take place at a different location each month from 6:30–8:30 PM. The series is sponsored in part by First Tennessee Bank’s Music Industry Group.

MUSICSPEAK 2019 DATES & DISCUSSION TOPICS:
FEBRUARY 27: Festival 101
APRIL 24: Artist Management 101
JUNE 26: Publishing 101
AUGUST 28: Branding and Marketing 101
OCTOBER 30: Music and Mental Health
DECEMBER 11: Music and Entrepreneurship

Tape Room Music, Artist Publishing Group Sign Benjamin Johnson

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Pictured (L-R): Ashley Gorley, Kelly Bolton (Tape Room Music), Lauren Johnson, Benjamin Johnson, Penny Gattis (Round Hill Music), Josh Saxe (Round Hill Music), Blain Rhodes (Tape Room Music)

Ashley Gorley‘s Tape Room Music, along with Artist Publishing Group, have signed a worldwide co-publishing deal with multi-genre songwriter and producer Benjamin Johnson.

Originally from Meridian, Mississippi, Johnson attended Belmont University on a cello scholarship. He is on the current Charlie Puth record and is co-producing Kylie Morgan with Shane McAnally, along with the new Hunter Phelps project. In addition, Johnson is a member of Track 45 with his sisters Jenna and KK, who are managed by Borman/Gallimore.

“We are thrilled to have Ben join the Tape Room family. It is rare to find such a triple threat as an Artist, Writer, and Producer who can work in multiple genres. We look forward to celebrating many hits with Ben and APG.” boasts Blain Rhodes, Tape Room’s VP & GM.

“Ben is a true songwriting gem. Between being the only writer to land an outside song on Charlie Puth’s last album (“Patient” from Voicenotes) and being taken under Ashley Gorley’s wing and mentorship, he is clearly destined for greatness. We’re so excited and lucky to have him as a part of our APG family,” said Miles Beard, VP of A&R for APG Music.

Gorley created Tape Room Music in 2011. Writers for Tape Room have already celebrated 15 No. 1 songs, and eight Top 10 singles by artists such as Florida Georgia Line, Charlie Puth, Keith Urban, Dustin Lynch, Jason DeRulo, Kane Brown, and Sam Hunt, including the 2018 ASCAP Country Song of the Year, “Body Like A Back Road.”

Pictured (L-R): Angie Pagano (Artist Publishing Group), Miles Beard (Artist Publishing Group), Ashley Gorley, Benjamin Johnson

MV2 Entertainment Signs Houston Phillips

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Pictured (Back row, L-R): Mike Whelan, Senior Creative Director; Tony Harrell, General Manager; Ben Strain, Creative Director. (Front Row, L-R): Lauren Davis, Artist Management and Contract Services; Houston Phillips; Nicole Sherrill, Creative Director. Photo: Courtesy of MV2.

MV2 Entertainment has added songwriter Houston Phillips to its publishing roster. Phillips’ career has included cuts with Jerrod Niemann (“Free The Music”), Tyler Farr (“Redneck Crazy,” “Suffer In Peace”), Jason Aldean (“Rearview Town”) and Colt Ford (“Love Hope Faith”), among others.

“Houston Phillips is at the beginning of an awesome songwriting career and we are thrilled to have him join our team at MV2,” said MV2 General Manager Tony Harrell. “He is a self-starter full of drive, integrity and talent, making him a great fit for our company.”

Phillips, a Cleveland, Tennessee native, graduated from Belmont University with a degree in Music Business, after which he held many music industry jobs including four years as Tyler Farr’s tour manager. After stepping off the bus, Phillips decided to pursue songwriting full time.

MV2’s roster of writers also includes Thomas Archer, Nick Donley, Jimmie Deeghan, Eric Dodd, Clay Mills, Robert Arthur and artist Nora Collins.

Pandora Launches Voice-Enabled Smart Assistant For Mobile App

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Pandora has introduced a new Voice Mode native smart assistant that enables listeners to control Pandora’s mobile app and enjoy new music discovery using simple voice commands, providing a hands-free experience tailored to the unique tastes of each user. The company will roll out access to Voice Mode to select listeners on iOS and Android beginning today (Jan. 15), with general availability for all mobile users coming soon.

“Pandora is the leader in personalized audio entertainment, and millions of our listeners are already loving the experience we’ve created on smart speakers and other voice-enabled connected devices,” said Chris Phillips, Chief Product Officer, Pandora. “With Voice Mode, we are introducing an even more natural and conversational way for listeners to discover new music and enhance their experience directly in the Pandora mobile app, like getting recommendations from a friend who really knows you.”

By saying the wake phrase “Hey Pandora” followed by a request, users can effortlessly control and continually refine their listening experience by just speaking naturally. Voice Mode allows listeners to seamlessly enjoy the full range of the Pandora experience hands-free and uses advanced Natural Language Understanding technology to respond to a wide array of requests with the perfect music for each user’s personal tastes via Pandora’s pioneering music recommendation technology. 

Pandora’s uniquely predictive understanding of individual listener preferences is powered by its Music Genome Project – the richest dataset of music-listening information in the world. For Voice Mode, Pandora combines this deep user knowledge, an in-house curation team, and advanced natural language search and personalized machine learning search algorithms to provide the best and most personalized listening experience available.

Weekly Register: Dan + Shay Again Hold Top Two Country Streaming Song Positions

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Dan+Shay. Photo: Patrick Tracy

Country Streams

Dan + Shay again hold the top two slots on the Country Digital Song Sales chart and Country On-Demand Streaming Songs charts, according to Nielsen Soundscan. “Speechless” has sold an additional 14K this past week (292K RTD) and streamed an additional 9.8 million (185 million RTD). The duo’s “Tequila” hits the No. 2 spots on the sales and streaming charts, moving 8.4K (518K RTD) and streaming 8.7M (363M RTD).

Debuting this week is Chris Young‘s “Raised on Country,” at No. 48 this week after moving 5.4K units.

Falling in third on the Country Digital Song Sales chart behind Dan + Shay is Luke Combs‘ “Beautiful Crazy” with 8.4K (276K RTD). Jake Owen moves up one slot from last week to No. 4 with “Down to the Honkytonk” (6.5K, 117K RTD), and again Combs bringing it home with an additional 6.4K on “She Got the Best of Me” (329K RTD).

Following up Dan + Shay’s top two holds for Country On-Demand Streaming Songs chart is Combs’ “She Got the Best of Me” with an additional 8.4M this week (186M RTD). Coming in at No. 4 is Mitchell Tenpenny‘s “Drunk Me” with 8.4M (164M RTD) and No. 5 is Combs’ “Beautiful Crazy” with 8.2M (212M RTD).

Albums

Interesting for albums overall, A Boogie wit da Hoodie‘s Hoodie SZN moved only sold 823 albums, but was streamed 83 million times to become the No. 1 album on the Top 200 (Total Activity: 58K). This marks the lowest sales number for a No. 1 album in chart history.

Turning to country albums this week, there is no debut.

Not much changed this week with the Country Albums chart. The sales chart is the exact same as last week with Luke Combs at the top with This One’s For You (25.5K in total activity this week, 27 million song streams), Dan + Shay’s self-titled effort moving 19K at No. 2, Kane Brown’s Experiment moved 13K units at No. 3. And No. 4 is Chris Stapleton’s Traveller (12), followed again by Thomas Rhett’s Life Changes (11K).

Brian O’Connell Announces Michigan’s Faster Horses Festival Lineup

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Pictured (L-R): Kip Moore, Dylan Scott, Live Nation’s Brian O’Connell, Cassadee Pope, Lindsay Ell

Brooklyn, Michigan’s Faster Horses Festival announced the lineup for its seventh year during a special “Faster Horses Happy Hour” live online event yesterday afternoon (Jan. 14), hosted by festival creator and President of Country Touring at Live Nation, Brian O’Connell.

Toby Keith, Keith Urban and Zac Brown Band will headline the three-day camping festival at Michigan International Speedway from July 19-21.

Additional performers include Brothers Osborne, Danielle Bradbery, Old Dominion, Lindsay Ell, Morgan Evans, Randy Houser, LANCO, Kip Moore, Maren Morris, Cassadee Pope, Michael Ray, Tyler Rich, Dylan Scott, Mitchell Tenpenny, Brett Young and Dee Jay Silver.

Pass will go on sale Friday, Jan. 25 at 10 a.m. ET at fasterhorsesfestival.com.

Yesterday’s interactive streaming announcement also saw in-person cameos from Moore, Pope, Ell and Scott as well as appearances via online from Keith and Urban available to watch here.