Icon Entertainment Group Celebrates Opening Of Johnny Cash’s Kitchen & Saloon

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Icon Entertainment Group Founder Bill Miller was joined by members of both the Cash and Carter families, including John Carter Cash, Tommy Cash, Joanne Cash and Carlene Carter, on Wednesday morning (July 31) for the grand opening of Johnny Cash’s Kitchen & Saloon in downtown Nashville.

The restaurant is located at 121 Third Ave. S.,  and features food from longtime Nashville institution Swett’s, which has been in operation since 1954.

“We are thrilled and honored to introduce Johnny Cash’s Kitchen & Saloon to the world,” says Icon Entertainment Group Founder Bill Miller. “It’s one of the most unique venues anywhere, anchored by one of the biggest and most beloved personalities in the history of entertainment. Johnny’s legions of fans from around the world will be immersed in the hospitality and ambience they’d find if they had been to Johnny and June’s home for dinner.”

“I am thrilled about the new restaurant, Johnny Cash‘s Kitchen & Saloon,” says John Carter Cash. “Dad‘s favorite foods in the world are exactly what you will find on the menu. I remember my father and mother bringing me to Swett’s when I was but a small boy. Southern cooking was my father’s very life blood and tradition, and I firmly believe it does not get any better than this.”

“It has been a pleasure working with Bill and his team to train the staff at Johnny Cash’s Kitchen & Saloon,” says Swett’s owner David Swett. “We have enjoyed helping to put this restaurant together and know it will be a success for downtown Nashville.”

Icon Entertainment Group owns and operates the Johnny Cash Museum, Patsy Cline Museum, Nudie’s Honky Tonk, Music City Threads, House of Cards and Skull’s Rainbow Room in Nashville, Tenn. Coming in 2020 is the Sinatra Bar and Lounge to the Southern Turf building.

Tech Company FUGA Acquires Nashville-Based Platform Songspace

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Technology company FUGA has acquired Nashville-based rights management and workflow platform Songspace. Songspace will continue to operate as a standalone platform, and leadership for the company will remain in place, as FUGA invests in the company over the next two years to build out the offering.

Songspace’s software centralizes publishing assets including metadata, audio files, writer contacts, agreements and more, as well as identifying data gaps such as lyrics and accreditation.

Songspace works with over 250 publishers and labels including Kobalt, Reservoir Media, Downtown Music Publishing, Big Deal Music and Sentric, while FUGA’s 500+ clients including Ultra, Mom+Pop, and mtheory. The acquisition also grows FUGA’s presence in North America through Songspace’s base in Nashville, one of the three music capitals of the USA, alongside their existing office in New York.

Songspace CIO/CTO Darren Briggs said, “The combined strength and capabilities of the Songspace and FUGA teams and technologies position us to expand and enrich our agnostic products and services across the entire music IP and rights lifecycle.”

Songspace co-founder and Director of Engineering Christopher Igoe added, “I’m personally excited to deliver new features and improvements even faster while improving music metadata for all of our current and future clients.”

FUGA CEO Pieter van Rijn said, “New technology has the potential to revolutionize digital rights management for rightsholders, streamlining the ecosystem in a way which makes businesses more efficient and profitable. We are looking forward to significantly investing in Songspace’s excellent platform and creating synergies in the field of data transparency and matching, which will ultimately enable our clients to manage all rights data under one roof.”

Morgan Wallen Celebrates Three-Week No. 1 Hit “Whiskey Glasses”

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Pictured (L-R): ASCAP songwriter Kevin Kadish, Morgan Wallen, BMI songwriter Ben Burgess. Photo: Steve Lowry

Big Loud Records artist Morgan Wallen celebrated the success of his second No. 1 single and three-week chart-topper “Whiskey Glasses,” during a party at Nashville’s The Sutler Saloon on Monday (July 29).

“It’s worth pointing out not only the quality of the song, but how hard Big Loud worked to get this song up there. In this format, it’s really hard to keep a song at No. 1 longer than a week, so for them to keep it for three weeks just shows the quality of the song and how hard they were willing to work,” BMI’s Josh Tomlinson said.

The single follows Wallen’s Platinum-certified debut single “Up Down.”

“This is a special day for me,” Wallen said. “I have to give so much credit to my family. They’ve always made every sacrifice. I don’t know if that’s because God let them see something in me that I never saw, but huge shout out to my family. And to Big Loud for believing in me from the day I walked in the door. I remember playing a few mediocre songs fro them, but I felt a connection and they believed in me, and what I was trying to do. I don’t feel like I work for a company, I work with my friends.”

ASCAP and BMI, to honor the song’s writers Kevin Kadish (ASCAP) and Ben Burgess (BMI), hosted the shindig. “Whiskey Glasses” marked Burgess’ very first No. 1 song.

Pictured (L-R): Warner Chappell’s Travis Carter, BMI’s Josh Tomlinson, BMI songwriter Ben Burgess, Endurance Music Group’s Michael Martin, Morgan Wallen, ASCAP’s Beth Brinker, Big Loud’s Seth England, ASCAP songwriter Kevin Kadish, Big Loud’s Joey Moi, Sony/ATV’s Dane Schmidt, Sony/ATV’s Josh Van Valkenburg. Photo: Steve Lowry

“The first time I met Ben was at a write,” Wallen said of Burgess. “I was like, ‘Man, this guy has lost his mind and I want to hang out.’ We’ve been boys since we met. You are a special person not only as a creator but also a friend. Kevin and I don’t know each other that well, but your talent and passion for what you do is obvious. I appreciate you letting me be a part of this song.”

Kadish, who is well known for penning hits including Meghan Trainor’s smash “All About That Bass,” celebrated his very first No. 1 country song.

“Whiskey Glasses” is from Wallen’s debut project If I Know Me, which was produced by Joey Moi and has been a mainstay in the Top 5 best-selling country albums in recent weeks.

Among those celebrating were ASCAP’s Beth Brinker, Warner Chappell’s Travis Carter, BMI’s Josh Tomlinson, Endurance Music Group’s Michael Martin, Big Loud’s Seth England and Joey Moi, Sony/ATV’s Dane Schmidt, and Sony/ATV’s Josh Van Valkenburg. Pinnacle Bank and Taylor Guitars were also on hand to celebrate the event.

“I can’t really put it into words but I’m going to, Burgess said. “To everyone with a dream and a vision and a goal. You are going to hear no a million times and then you are going to hear it another million times. I feel like I’m proof right now, and Mo, and Kadish, no matter how many times they say it, it only takes one yes and a prayer. I don’t want anyone to give up or to feel like their songs aren’t as good as ‘Whiskey Glasses,’ because they are. I believe in y’all. To all the underdogs in the room…”

Back Row (L-R): Big Loud Records’ Brittani Koster, Big Loud’s Joey Moi, Big Loud Records’ Nikki Wood, Big Loud Records’ Patch Culbertson, Big Loud Records’ Candice Watkins, Big Loud Records’ Ali Matkosky, Big Loud Records’ Dave Kirth, Big Loud’s Troy “Tracker” Johnson, Big Loud Records’ Tyler Waugh. Front Row (L-R): Big Loud Records’ Stacy Blythe, Big Loud Records’ John D’Amico, BMI songwriter Ben Burgess, Morgan Wallen, ASCAP songwriter Kevin Kadish, Big Loud Records’ Brianne Deslippe, Big Loud’s Seth England

He added that the song has a personal connection, partly inspired by his late father, Steve Burgess. “We lost him in January and it’s been hell but this is so sweet because when we wrote this song, we were like, ‘Whiskey Glasses.’ We wrote the hook and were like ‘What do we do for the verse? How do we start this?’ I remember pops used to wake up in the morning after one too many and he’d be on the couch looking at me like, [sings] ‘Pour Pappy….’ I told Kadish and he made that hook around it. I know pops is on this and will be there forever. I remember he heard it on SiriusXM even before it really got to Dallas radio and he was over the moon. He would have loved everyone in this room. Shout out to mama over there with big ole tears, she supported me all the way.”

“I can’t follow that,” Kadish commented. “I don’t have the swagger. Ben and I have been through it, we’ve written so many songs together over 10 years. To finally get one that people really connected with is amazing to us. This is super special to me because Ben is like my brother.

“Thank you to Big Loud, I don’t even know how you did this. The song was on an EP, it wasn’t the single and then you went and made a record and I thought that was the life of the song, which was fine. I was just glad somebody cut it. Then I got a call from someone who said it was going on the record. Then someone said after ‘Up Down’ went No. 1, they said ‘Whiskey Glasses’ is going to be the next single. Then Jake was talking to someone at Big Loud and said, ‘Oh, the save rate is through the roof on this song, that is a No. 1.’ I was like, ‘What the hell is a save rate?’ Later my wife and I were at an awards show and the person we were sitting next to said, ‘Yeah, I got Morgan Wallen’s next single,’ and I was like, ‘I’m not sure that you do…’ I’m so blessed to be here. This is not wasted on me. This is just amazing to have people show up for a song. That’s incredible. Morgan, good lord you can sing.”

Wallen and company are already back at radio with his next single, “Chasin’ You” which has become the most-added single of the week, with 40 stations already playing the track.

 

PRWeek Names BMLG’s Jake Basden To ’40 Under 40′ List

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Jake Basden. Photo: Robby Klein

Jake Basden, Big Machine Label Group Senior Vice President of  Publicity and Corporate Communications, has been named to PRWeek‘s annual 40 Under 40 list. Basden is the only music company PR executive named to the list, which also includes PR representatives from Nike, Procter & Gamble, Starbucks, Anheuser-Busch, PepsiCo, Facebook, Dunkin Brands, PayPal, CVS, and more.

“I have been blessed to work with some of the most singular artists in the genre, as well as helping realize the unique vision Scott Borchetta has for this company,” Basden says. “Scott’s leadership combined with the caliber of our artist roster makes you want to do more and reach higher.”

PRWeek writes, “Jake Basden joined Big Machine in 2011 as a publicist who could take the music label to the next level. The results speak for themselves.”

Basden was also named the Country Music Association’s Publicist of the Year in 2018. He oversees public relations strategies for over 25 artists and various corporate initiatives across all facets of entertainment. He has created campaigns for Jennifer Nettles’ potent, bold “I Can Do Hard Things” video, as well as the Academy Award-nominated Glen Campbell…I’ll Be Me documentary, and Steven Tyler’s debut solo album.

Before joining BMLG, Basden worked in the New York offices of Edelman—the world’s largest PR firm—where he was a Media Relations Director in the sports and entertainment practice.

Chris Janson Sets New Album Release For October 18

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Chris Janson will release his third album for Warner Music Nashville on Oct. 18. Titled Real Friends, the album features his current single “Good Vibes,” penned by Janson, Ashley Gorley and Zach Crowell.

Janson has released two additional tracks in advance of the album release, including “Say About Me” and “Waitin’ On 5.”

“Real Friends is my favorite album I’ve made yet, hands down,” Janson said. “I made Real Friends with actual real friends. I produced the album with real friends, wrote all the songs with real friends, took all the photos for the project with my best friend and wife, Kelly, and I also have a huge collaboration on this album with one of my favorite ‘Ole’ friends! I’m more excited about music now than I have been in all of my career. Thank you to my fans, who truly are my real friends and helped me get where I am today.”

Old Dominion’s Album ‘Happy Endings’ Reaches Heavy Metal Status

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(L-R): Taylor Lindsey, VP A&R SMN; Dennis Reese, SVP Promotion RCA Records Nashville; Caryl Atwood, SVP Sales/Streaming SMN; Will Hitchcock, Manager Morris Higham Management; Ken Robold, COO/EVP SMN; Old Dominion’s Brad Tursi, Trevor Rosen, Matthew Ramsey, Geoff Sprung, and Whitt Sellers; Randy Goodman, Chairman/CEO SMN; Clint Higham, President Morris Higham Management; Paige Altone, Sr. Director Marketing SMN; and Jim Catino EVP A&R SMN. Photo Credit: Alan Poizner

Old Dominion’s sophomore album Happy Endings has officially reached Gold certification by the RIAA. The album produced three No. 1 singles: “No Such Things As A Broken Heart” (Platinum), “Written In The Sand” (Platinum), and “Hotel Key” (Gold).

The band will follow up Happy Endings with their recently-announced, self-titled third studio album set for release on Oct. 25. Old Dominion will be co-producing the new album for the first time alongside longtime collaborator Shane McAnally. The group released “Never Be Sorry,” from the new album on Friday, and recently named “One Man Band” as their next radio single due to popular demand. The track already has more than 47 million streams.

Sony/ATV Music Publishing Speeding Royalty Payments With Major Admin Upgrades

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Sony/ATV Music Publishing has made several major administration upgrades to the way it reports and pays royalties to its songwriters. Over the next year, the company will roll out new initiatives that will speed up how quickly songwriter earnings are processed and to allow songwriters to get paid faster.

Sony/ATV is introducing real-time inter-company processing for all foreign earnings from every territory in which the company operates. As a result, foreign earnings will now be reported and paid in the same period in which they are collected. For example, a U.S. songwriter with earnings in December 2019 from one or more overseas territories will now receive these royalties in the next regular distribution rather than in the following period, as is industry standard.

In addition, Sony/ATV will offer a new Cash Out service which will allow its writers to request some or all of their current royalty balance to be paid immediately, instead of having to wait until the next distribution. This service will be offered to the company’s writers without a fee. Once they have made any withdrawals, they will then receive the remainder of their balance during the next regular distribution.

“I am proud to announce these ambitious new initiatives that will help to deliver our strategy to be the best service company in the world for songwriters,” said Sony/ATV Chairman and CEO Jon Platt. “Powered by our industry-leading administration operations and best-in-class technology, we can now give our songwriters even greater control over their royalties and ensure that they get paid quicker than ever before.”

Real-time, inter-company processing and the Cash Out service will start to be made available over the next year to all Sony/ATV songwriters who are signed up to the company’s royalty portal and app SCORE, which gives songwriters and their teams real-time access to their current royalty account and historic earnings. The account information on the portal and app is constantly updated so songwriters are able to see their latest earnings from all sources as soon as the company receives them rather than having to wait until their next royalty statement. SCORE also provides an overview of historic earnings information that can be searched and organized by song title, income source, time period and territory.

Warner Chappell Music Adds Summer Overstreet

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Pictured (L-R): Christian Barker (Attorney), Jessi Vaughn (WCM), Summer Overstreet, Christina Wiltshire (WCM), Ben Vaughn (WCM)

Warner Chappell Music (WCM) has signed a global publishing agreement with rising singer/songwriter, Summer Overstreet.

The Nashville native and daughter of Nashville Songwriters Hall of Fame songwriter Paul Overstreet, she started writing songs at an early age and has been collaborating with artists Gone West and Avenue Beat, among others.

Guitar Center Opens New Audio Visual Experience Center, Custom House

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Photo by Yu Howe. © 2019.

Guitar Center is announcing the grand opening of Nashville-based Custom House, a new AVDG and Guitar Center Professional multi-functional experience center. This new location features the latest in audio and video solutions from a collaboration between Guitar Center Professional and GC’s Audio Visual Design Group. Located in Berry Hill at 2810 Azalea Place, the facility was developed as a platform to help provide clients with state-of-the-art, one-of-a-kind A/V solutions focusing on the entertainment, residential and commercial market sectors.

The Custom House team in Nashville now has the combined resources of a leading integrator/design-build firm AVDG and GC Pro and will be able to serve clients with fully customized audio and video solutions for businesses, houses of worship, bars/restaurants, music venues, corporate headquarters and more.

“With the opening of Custom House, we are now able to provide Nashville and the Southeast region with new, expanded resources and services to handle our clients’ residential or commercial space needs,” said Doug Carnell, Guitar Center Vice President of Business Solutions. “Nashville has been rapidly expanding, and we wanted to give our customers a full understanding of what the AVDG/GC Pro teams can do for them. Custom House is an experience center that not only showcases the latest state-of-the-art customized A/V solutions, but also provides clients an environment to relax and discuss their specific needs with Custom House staff.”

Industry Ink: Ritholz Levy Fields, NATD, CMA

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Ritholz Levy Fields Expands Nashville Offices, Adds Senior Associate

Jenna Harris

Entertainment law firm Ritholz Levy Fields has expanded its offices in Germantown, and has hired senior associate Jenna Harris to join the firm’s growing litigation and fashion practices.

Harris brings a broad-based litigation practice to the firm’s Nashville office, with a primary focus on intellectual property and commercial litigation and experience in complex disputes relating to entertainment, copyright, trademark, and trade secrets. Harris also assists clients with business-minded counseling and transactional matters in the music, media, entertainment, fashion, technology, e-commerce and consumer products industries.

Adam Ritholz, founder and managing partner of Ritholz Levy Fields, says: “We are very pleased and fortunate to have Jenna join us. She brings a unique blend of expertise and talents to our practice and we look forward to what we are sure will be a long and successful association.”

“I am thrilled to take the next step in my career with Ritholz Levy Fields. Joining a firm with a strong national presence and broad entertainment practice will give me the opportunity to represent a wide range of clients with litigation and trademark needs,” says Harris. “Ritholz Levy Field’s sophisticated fashion practice is something I especially look forward to expanding in Nashville, as that industry has developed rapidly in our city over the last few years and continues to do so.”

CMT’s Leslie Fram, Radio Disney’s Phil Guerini and Opry Entertainment’s Jordan Pettit to Participate in NATD Speaker Series Panel

The Nashville Association of Talent Directors (NATD) will host the next installment of their Breaking Artists Speaker Series, focusing on new artist pathways through strategic partners including CMT, Opry Entertainment and Radio Disney.

Leslie Fram, SVP of Music Strategy and Talent for CMT; Phil Guerini, VP Music Strategy Disney Channels Worldwide and GM, Radio Disney Networks and Jordan Pettit, Director of Artist Relations & Programming Strategy for Opry Entertainment Group, will speak on a panel to NATD members and guests on Tuesday, Aug. 6 from 6 p.m. – 7:30 p.m. at the CMA Event Space, Level One. Cassetty Entertainment’s Todd Cassetty will moderate the discussion. This event is free for NATD members (membership can be renewed for 2019 here); all other attendees can purchase tickets for $10 here.

 

Carrie Underwood Surprises Elementary School Choir During CMA Fest

Carrie Underwood gave students from Old Hickory, Tennessee’s Andrew Jackson Elementary School the surprise of a lifetime. The superstar stopped by the school’s Eagle Honor Choir’s rehearsal days before they were set to perform Underwood’s hit “The Champion” at Nashville’s Nissan Stadium during CMA Fest in June.

Under the direction of music specialist Franklin Willis, the students released a music video for “The Champion” in May, which caught Underwood’s attention. Watch the music video here. The school, which is part of Metro Nashville Public Schools, is a grantee of the Country Music Association’s nonprofit arm, the CMA Foundation, which works to ensure every child has the opportunity to participate in music education. CMA Fest is a one-of-a-kind festival with artists donating their time to perform so ticket proceeds can directly benefit high-quality music programs across the country through the CMA Foundation. Willis is also a three-time CMA Foundation Music Teacher of Excellence, an honor bestowed to selected music educators around the country for their exemplary work. For more information about the CMA Foundation, visit CMAfoundation.org.

Carrie Underwood appears as part of “CMA Fest” this Sunday (Aug. 4) at 8/7c on the ABC Television Network.