Additional Performers Announced For Wide Open Bluegrass 2019

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A new round of performers has been announced for this year’s International Bluegrass Music Association World of Bluegrass Wide Open Bluegrass festival that takes place at Raleigh’s Red Hat Amphitheater and on seven additional stages in downtown Raleigh Sept. 27-28.

I’m With Her (Sara Watkins, Sarah Jarosz, & Aoife O’Donovan), Doyle Lawson & Quicksilver, Balsam Range, Sister Sadie, and Frank Solivan & Dirty Kitchen join previously announced Del McCoury and special guests and Molly Tuttle for Main Stage performances during the free weekend festival, with additional performers to be announced in the coming weeks.

Beginning this year, the performances at Raleigh’s Red Hat Amphitheater will be open to the public for free, subject to venue capacity. A limited number of reserved seats in prime sections of the venue are available for purchase to ensure admittance for every performance.

“This year, we are raising the bar on our ‘wide open’ brand of bluegrass in Raleigh,” says William Lewis, executive director of PineCone, the Piedmont Council of Traditional Music, and producer of Wide Open Bluegrass. “The new model in Red Hat Amphitheater – coupled with seven other stages of free musical performances and a wide array of accessibility services – is an intentional effort to take bluegrass to the masses by reducing barriers to participation. All are welcome. We sincerely appreciate our sponsors for helping make this dream a reality.”

NPR And Edison Research Release Spring Smart Audio Report

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NPR and Edison Research has released the Smart Audio Report 2019, which reveals how smart speaker user behavior and perceptions are evolving as owners ‘settle in’ with their devices and the market matures out of its introductory phase.

According to the survey, seven in 10 smart speaker owners use their device daily despite common concerns around security and privacy, and those same factors are leading reasons non-owners have not acquired a device.

“We are starting to see more pragmatic usage of these devices,” said Tom Webster, SVP of Edison Research. “The longer people have these devices, the less experimentation they do with them — but the more ingrained into everyday life these devices become.”

Among the over 53 million smart speaker owners 18 and up in the U.S.:

  • 69% of smart speaker owners use their device daily, and households with children are even more likely to use them daily
  • Smart speaker owners who have owned the device for 2+ years use an average seven (7) skills per week, compared to an average 12 skills per week among those who have owned the device for less than three (3) months
  • 66% of those who own a smart speaker with a screen say the screen has made it easier to discover new content, and the same number say having a screen makes the smart speaker “easier to use”

“We continue to see those that have voice assistant devices love them, using them every day to get the news, listen to podcasts, live stream radio stations and more,” said Joel Sucherman, NPR Vice President, New Platform Partnerships. “The latest data suggest we’ve moved into a maturation phase in this space, in which earning and maintaining the trust of potential smart speaker buyers, while also demonstrating new functionality, may be a key to continuing dynamic growth.”

While almost half of smart speaker owners are planning to acquire another device, the report also finds a slowing interest among non-owners in acquiring their first smart speaker. Among people who do not own a smart speaker and are interested in acquiring one, the top two reasons they have not are concern that hackers could use a smart speaker to gain access to their home or personal information, and worry that smart speakers are always listening. 

The Smart Audio Report Spring 2019, part of the industry’s longest-running public research series about smart speaker consumer behavior in the U.S., is available now at npr.org/smartaudio.

 

Exclusive: Reservoir Announces First Signing To New Nashville Office

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Pictured (L-R): Greg Gallo, Reservoir VP of Creative; Josh Mirenda; John Ozier, Reservoir EVP Of Creative; Chandler Cunningham, Reservoir Creative Coordinator

Reservoir has announced the first signing to its newly-opened Nashville office, under the leadership of its EVP of Creative John Ozier. The company has signed hit writer-artist Josh Mirenda to a worldwide publishing deal. The deal includes an interest in Mirenda’s entire catalog of works, plus exclusive representation on all future titles.

A Nashville native, Mirenda has co-written three No. 1 singles in as many years. The Platinum-selling “Somewhere On A Beach,” performed by Dierks Bentley, topped Billboard’s Country Airplay and Hot Country Songs charts and earned Mirenda the ASCAP Song of the Year award. Meanwhile, “They Don’t Know” and “Girl Like You” written for frequent collaborator Jason Aldean reached the top of the Mediabase Country Airplay chart and the Billboard Country Airplay chart, respectively.

In 2017, Mirenda released his debut single as a performer, “I Got You,” which has since climbed to 22 million streams globally. Following the launch of his 2018 self-titled EP, Mirenda went back to the studio with plans to drop a full-length debut album later this year. Over the past few years, he has opened shows for Easton Corbin, Rodney Atkins, Dylan Scott, Chris Young, and more.

“Josh is an unbelievably talented songwriter and artist,” Ozier said. “He has already written three huge hits and is just getting started. We are so excited to be working with him as we build out the Reservoir Nashville roster.”

Added Mirenda, “I am both honored and excited for this opportunity to work alongside John Ozier, Greg Gallo, and the entire Reservoir staff. Their commitment to writers, as well as artists, is unparalleled.”

Pictured: Stephanie Mundy-Self (JM business manager), Stephanie Taylor (JM attorney), Josh Mirenda, John Ozier (Reservoir EVP Creative)

Metro Planning Commission To Hold Public Hearing For Music Row Vision Plan

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The Metro Planning Commission will hold a public hearing before considering the adoption of the Music Row Vision Plan Thursday, June 27, 2019, beginning at 4 p.m. in the Sonny West Conference Center in the Howard Office Building, 700 Second Avenue South.

The 87-page plan aims to offer preservation for the buildings that make up the character of Nashville’s Music Row area, while also balancing opportunities for development in the area. The plan notes that 12 different multi-family residential developments have been built in the Music Row area since 2010, with 3,274 residential units added to Music Row between 2010-2019.

There has been an 176% increase in property values on Music Row between 2010 and 2019, nearly two-and-a-half times that of Davidson County as a whole, and just trailing Downtown Nashville at 228% increase in property value.

The draft of the plan offers a “Music Row Character Area Map,” which establishes a framework for the desired characteristics of land use, development pattern, etc. The plan outlines four character areas, including “Music Row Center” (which serves as a gateway to the Gulch, Midtown, and Downtown Nashville), “Music Row Core” (north of Grand Avenue, primarily along 18th and 19th avenue south, and extending west to include Warner Music, BMI and Best Western Plus), “Music Row Village” (Primarily between Horton and Grand Avenues) and “Music Row Neighborhood” (Primarily located between Horton and Wedgewood Avenues).

See the full draft of the Music Row Vision plan here.

Dan + Shay Celebrate Gold With “All To Myself”

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Pictured (L to R): Lisa Ray (Sandbox Entertainment); Ben Kline (EVP/GM, Warner Music Nashville); Dan Smyers; John Esposito (Chairman & CEO, Warner Music Nashville); Shay Mooney; Jason Owen (Sandbox Entertainment); Scott Hendricks (EVP A&R, Warner Music Nashville); Matt Signore (COO, Warner Music Nashville) Photo Credit: Catherine Powell

Grammy award-winners Dan + Shay have had the fortune of celebrating a triple-Platinum, a double-Platinum and now a Gold single with their current smash “All To Myself,” all stemming from their self-titled third album. “All To Myself” has accumulated more than 109 million on-demand streams to date and is Top 10 and rising at country radio.

Dan + Shay will continue the party this Friday on the TODAY plaza for the Citi Summer Concert Series.

Weekly Register: Blanco Brown Tops Country Streaming Songs Chart

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Blanco Brown‘s viral hit “The Git Up” tops this week’s on-demand country streaming songs, according to Nielsen Soundscan. The track moved 13.5 million streams this week (with 28 million to date).

Morgan Wallen‘s “Whiskey Glasses” is at No. 2 with 11 million streams this week, with Blake Shelton‘s “God’s Country” at No. 3 with 10 million streams. Luke Combs‘ “Beer Never Broke My Heart” is at No. 4 with 9.5 million streams, while Lee Brice‘s “Rumor” is at No. 5 with 9.4 million streams.

Combs also takes the top two slots on the country albums sales chart, with This One’s For You returning to No. 1 with 25K in total consumption. His latest effort, The Prequel EP is at No. 2 with 20K in total consumption. Thomas Rhett‘s Center Point Road is at No. 3 with 18K, followed by Dan+Shay‘s self-titled effort with 16.5K and Morgan Wallen‘s If I Know Me rounding out the Top 5 with 14K in total consumption.

Chris Tomlin To Kick Off Fall Tour In October

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Chris Tomlin has announced his Fall tour, “An Evening of Worship with Chris Tomlin.” The tour will launch on Oct. 2 and visit 20 cities including Louisville, Pensacola, Minneapolis, Midland and more through Nov. 3. Singer/songwriter Pat Barrett, who became the first artist signed to Chris’ imprint record label Bowyer & Bow last year and recently celebrated his first No. 1 on the Christian Airplay Chart with “Build My Life,” is the special guest.

“Worship is so much more than just a concert and this tour is focused on bringing people back to what it is all about, the heart of worship,” said Tomlin. “My hope and prayer for these intimate nights is really that people encounter the living God, and leave changed after their experience.”

Tickets for the Fall tour go on sale Friday, June 28 at christomlin.com. Tomlin has had a big year of touring beginning in March with his “Holy Roar Tour” playing nearly 30 shows in six weeks. He followed that up with his third-annual ‘Good Friday Nashville’ concert at Bridgestone Arena where he smashed his own attendance record as the largest ticketed Christian concert in the history of the venue. On May 4 his sold-out headline concert at the iconic Hollywood Bowl became the highest attended concert of his career.

Later this month Tomlin will perform his first-ever concerts in Israel, Chris Tomlin Worship Nights in Israel- A Journey Through the Holy Land, a 7-day destination/ concert event that will tour Galilee, the Dead Sea, Nazareth, Capernaum, Mount of Beatitudes, the Garden Tomb, and more. On July 29 & 30, Chris will return for two shows to Red Rocks Amphitheatre, where in 2017 he became the first Christian artist to play sold-out back-to-back concerts at the historic venue.

“An Evening of Worship with Chris Tomlin” Dates:
Oct 2    Carmel, IN                   Northview Church
Oct 3    Clarkston, MI               Mt. Zion Church
Oct 4    Louisville, KY             Northeast Christian Church
Oct 5    Brandon, MS               Pinelake Church
Oct 10  Fargo, ND                    Fargodome
Oct 11 Sioux Falls, SD             Denny Sanford Premier Center
Oct 12 Minneapolis, MN         Target Center
Oct 13 Des Moines, IA             Wells Fargo Arena
Oct 15 Jackson, TN                  Carl Perkins Civic Center
Oct 17 Grove City, OH             Grove City Church of the Nazarene
Oct 18  Woodbridge, VA          Hylton Memorial Chapel
Oct 19 Greensboro, NC           Westover Church
Oct 20 Arden, NC                   Biltmore Baptist Church
Oct 24 Midland, TX                Wagner Noel PAC
Oct 25 Corpus Christi, TX       Selena Auditorium
Oct 26 Covington, IA              First Baptist Church
Oct 27 Pensacola, FL              Saenger Theatre
Nov 1 Richmond, KY            EKU Center for the Arts
Nov 2 Troy, OH                     Hobart Arena
Nov 3 Toledo, OH                  Stranahan Theatre

Key Dates, Deadlines For 62nd Grammy Awards Announced

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The Recording Academy has announced dates and deadlines for the 62nd Annual Grammy Awards and key Grammy Week events. The awards return to Los Angeles’ STAPLES Center on Sunday, Jan. 26, 2020, and will be broadcast live on CBS at 8 p.m. ET/5 p.m. PT. Nominations will be announced in all 84 categories on Wednesday, Nov. 20, 2019, and will honor the best in recordings released between Oct. 1, 2018, and Aug. 31, 2019.

Key dates and deadlines:

June 24–July 8, 2019: First-Round Online Entry Process Access Period

July 17–Aug. 2, 2019: Final-Round Online Entry Process Access Period

Sept. 25–Oct. 10, 2019: First-Round Voting Access Period

Wednesday, Nov. 20, 2019: Nominees Announced for 62nd Annual GRAMMY Awards

Dec. 9, 2019–Jan. 3, 2020: Final-Round Voting Access Period

Wednesday, Jan. 22, 2020: Producers & Engineers Wing® GRAMMY Week celebration

Thursday, Jan. 23, 2020: Music Educator Award™ Presentation
GRAMMY In The Schools® Live!

Friday, Jan. 24, 2020: Entertainment Law Initiative® Event & Scholarship Presentation
MusiCares® Person of the Year

Saturday, Jan. 25, 2020: GRAMMY Nominees Reception Clive Davis’ and the Recording Academy’s Pre-GRAMMY Gala

Sunday, Jan. 26, 2020: GRAMMY Awards Premiere Ceremony® 62nd Annual GRAMMY Awards GRAMMY Celebration®

Brittany Howard Steps Out On Her Own With Solo Debut ‘Jaime’

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Photo Credit: Danny Clinch

Brittany Howard, lead vocalist/guitarist for the band Alabama Shakes, is releasing her solo debut, Jaime, on September 20 via ATO Records. She shared the leadoff track, “History Repeats” today.

“‘History Repeats’ is as much a personal song as it is a song about us as a human species. Our times of success may propel us forward, but our repeating failures hold us back from evolving into harmony,” says Howard.

Howard recorded the album after a cross-country drive that took her from Nashville to a small house in Topanga, CA – a rustic Los Angeles county town wedged between the mountains and the beach. She titled the album after her sister, who taught her to play the piano and write poetry, and who died of cancer when they were still teenagers.

“The title is in memoriam, and she definitely did shape me as a human being,” says Howard. “But, the record is not about her. It’s about me. I’m pretty candid about myself and who I am and what I believe. Which is why I needed to do it on my own. I turned 30 and I was like, ‘What do I want the rest of my life to look like? Do I want to play the same songs until I’m 50 and then retire, or do I do something that’s scarier for me? Do I want people to understand me and know me, do I want to tell them my story? I’m very private, but my favorite work is when people are being honest and really doing themselves.”

 

 

Howard examines spiritual ritual on the project on the track “He Loves Me” and celebrates love with “Georgia.” “Goat Head” is informed by her experience of growing up as a mixed-race child in the South while “13th Century Metal” grew out of jazz-based keyboard player Robert Glasper and drummer Nate Smith jamming in the studio.

Howard will support the album with a North American tour, which includes two-night stands at intimate venues in Asheville, NC, Washington, DC and Los Angeles. The headline run will also include shows at the Ryman Auditorium in Nashville (Aug. 19) and New York City’s Beacon Theatre. Howard and her band made their live debut last week at the prestigious Cannes Lions International Festival of Creativity.

The fan ticket pre-sale begins today and tickets go on sale to the public on Friday, June 28. Every online ticket purchased for the U.S. dates on the fall tour will include a CD of the new album, Jaime.

Jaime – Track Listing:
  1. History Repeats
  2. He Loves Me
  3. Georgia
  4. Stay High
  5. Tomorrow
  6. Short and Sweet
  7. 13th Century Metal
  8. Baby
  9. Goat Head
  10. Presence
  11. Run To Me

Carole King, Lee Brice, Colbie Caillat To Perform On ‘A Capitol Fourth’

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Carole King. Photo Credit: Kirsten Schultz

This July 4, PBS’ A Capitol Fourth continues its 39-year tradition of celebrating Independence Day on the West Lawn of the United States Capitol building.

The show will feature Grammy-winning legend Carole King with the Broadway cast of the Tony, Grammy and Olivier Award-winning musical BEAUTIFUL starring Vanessa Carlton. Others on the bill include Lee Brice,Lindsey Stirling, Keala Settle, Vanessa Williams, Colbie Caillat with her new band Gone West,Yolanda Adams,Laine Hardy; Angelica Hale,and Voice winner Maelyn Jarmon performing the national anthem with the National Symphony Orchestra under the direction of top pops conductor Jack Everly. Actor and producer John Stamos returns as host.

The 39th annual broadcast of A Capitol Fourth airs on PBS Thursday, July 4, 2019 from 8 to 9:30 p.m. ET before a concert audience of hundreds of thousands, millions more at home, as well as to the U.S. troops serving around the world on the American Forces Network. The program can also be heard live over NPR member stations nationwide.