Spotify Launches ‘Lite’ App

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Spotify has revealed a ‘Lite’ version of its app, aimed at older phones or for anyone with a small monthly data allowance. The app, which is compatible with devices running Android 4.3 or higher, weighs in at 10MB.

The Lite version of the app continues to offer access to millions of songs and can be used alongside the main Spotify app, with support for both free and Spotify Premium users.

For users with small data capacities, when the limit is reached, the app pops up a notification to ensure a user does not exceed the data limit and incur charges.

“Spotify Lite was built from the ground up based on user feedback from around the world, allowing millions more to enjoy the world’s best music experience — especially in areas with limited bandwidth and phone storage,” says Kalle Persson, Senior Product Manager at Spotify. Lite can be downloaded separately, both for Free and Spotify Premium users, and used either alongside or independently from the main Spotify app on all Android phones running version 4.3 or higher.

Android users in 36 markets across the Americas, Asia, Middle East and Africa are free to download the app from the Google Play Store.

Cracker Barrel Uses 50th Anniversary To Spotlight Female Country Voices

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Cracker Barrel Old Country Store has long been a support and sales outlet for country artists and leading up to its 50th anniversary, the company is launching a campaign to highlight several established and rising female country artists, with the help of superstars including Trisha Yearwood, Lady Antebellum’s Hillary Scott, Little Big Town’s Karen Fairchild and Kimberly Schlapman, and Tanya Tucker with Brandi Carlile.

Each artist has selected an emerging female artist or writer to spotlight through one-on-one conversation as well as recording songs together. The conversations and recordings are featured as part of Cracker Barrel’s Five Decades, One Voice campaign leading up to its 50th anniversary celebration in September.

Little Big Town’s Fairchild and Schlapman have partnered with Ingrid Andress. Carlile partnered with Tenille Townes for a special performance alongside Tucker. Yearwood has partnered with female hit songwriters Caitlyn Smith and Connie Harrington. Lady Antebellum’s Scott has teamed with Bailey Bryan.

The campaign will include the release of an exclusive compilation album with songs hand-selected by artists featured in the “Five Decades, One Voice” campaign, with one dollar from every album sold benefitting She Is The Music, a nonprofit organization whose mission is to increase the number of women working in music—songwriters, engineers, producers, artists and industry professionals.

Additionally, an all-female in-store playlist will be available in every Cracker Barrel location in September during the company’s anniversary month, with songs hand-selected by the artists included in the “Five Decades, One Voice” campaign.

Loretta Lynn serves as the voice of “Five Decades, One Voice,” narrating its vision and noting, “For five decades, I have seen many female artists who are still fighting for the chance to be heard. I want to help them bring their talents to the table and have a chance to be heard, and trust me, there’s plenty to go around.”

“This initiative was a no brainer for us to be a part of,” says Schlapman of Little Big Town. “We’ve been in the music business for 20 years and have had the highest of highs and lowest of lows. We looked up to the women trailblazers before us—Loretta, Emmylou, Reba, Dolly, Trisha, Martina—to inspire us and guide us through all these moments in our career. It’s so important for us all to lift each other up and even the playing field for these girls to have a shot at success. There is no reason why the world shouldn’t hear their voices for years and years to come.”

“It is beyond my wildest dreams to get to get to collaborate with Karen and Kimberly so early in my career,” said Andress. “These are women who have forged a path in this format like no one else and have so fearlessly used their voices and their music to promote other women and lift so many up. They are powerful advocates and change makers in our community and beyond, and we are lucky to have them. I am thrilled to partner with Cracker Barrel and other incredible women in this campaign to be able to share our stories and create new, impactful moments to hopefully inspire the next generation of women in country music.”

“It is truly an honor to take part in a campaign that celebrates women in country music,” said Yearwood. “Not only do I admire each of these artists, but I’m thrilled to support and uplift the women behind the music as well. Songwriters play such an integral part of the business and it was such a wonderful experience getting to sing my latest single, ‘Every Girl in this Town,’ with those who wrote it.”

“I wouldn’t be here today if it weren’t for Patsy Cline, Loretta Lynn, Tammy Wynette and all the women who came before me, so I think it’s really great what Cracker Barrel is doing with ‘Five Decades, One Voice,'” said Tucker. “There are so many talented young ladies out there who need a lift—just someone to raise them up so fans can discover them. And who doesn’t love Cracker Barrel’s country cookin’?!”

“It is such an honor to be a part of ‘Five Decades, One Voice’ and to have the opportunity to follow in the footsteps of the women who have come before me,” said Townes. “Getting to stand in a circle and sing with Brandi Carlile and Tanya Tucker is one of those ‘is this actually real life’ moments that I will forever hold on to.”

“Five Decades, One Voice” follows Cracker Barrel’s long history of iconic female-driven artist partnerships—working with some of the biggest names in the industry, including Alison Krauss, Dolly Parton, Reba McEntire, and Carrie Underwood—who have been at the heart of Cracker Barrel’s music history since the very beginning and instrumental in fostering the warmth and hospitality felt at America’s home-away-from home.

“As we celebrate our golden anniversary, we want to acknowledge and give back to the voices that have supported us and help lift up the next generation of female country music artists,” said Cracker Barrel’s Senior Vice President of Retail Laura Daily. “Music has always been a soundtrack to our heritage, so it’s an honor to be a part of the conversation and help raise awareness for the important role women play in the country music industry.”

Porter’s Call Receives $15,000 Grant From Record Union Initiative

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Digital music distributor Record Union is donating $30,000 to boost projects that aim to prevent or treat mental illness among music makers. After more than 200 projects were submitted through the initiative The 73 Percent, three projects have now been selected to receive the donation.

Nashville-area service Porter’s Call was among the three chosen, and will receive a $15,000 donation to aid in its proactive strategies to help prevent mental illness. Porter’s Call offers free counseling for full-time, touring artists. The organization has a proactive strategy to help artists learn management strategies to handle the pressures of their career. As part of this “prehab” strategy, the organization is planning a boot camp program where musicians will be trained for a career within music.

Forty-five projects out of the initial 200 submitted were chosen for the public to vote on. The 10 projects with the most votes were pitched to a panel of experts in Stockholm for two days in mid-June. Porter’s Call (prevention), What’s Your Story (research) and The Crash and Ride podcast (awareness) were chosen as the recipients. 

“To meet the people behind the finalist projects together with the expert panel was a truly amazing experience. I was so impressed by the panel’s richness in perspectives and expertise, yet it was still difficult to decide what projects to award with the donations. I truly wish we could have given money to all projects, but we had to make a decision. So, we landed on Porter’s Call, What’s Your Story and The Crash and Ride podcast. Our hope is that the combination of the three will have a widespread impact on the music climate in terms of prevention, research and raising awareness,” says Johan Svanberg, CEO of Record Union.

By The 73 Percent initiative, Record Union is hoping to put the state of artists’ mental health on the agenda before streams and commercial success, and also to have a long-term impact on the music climate.

 

Weekly Register: Blanco Brown, Luke Combs Hold Top Country Sales Positions

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Blanco Brown and Luke Combs are entrenched in their top slots for country album sales and streaming songs this week, according to Nielsen Soundscan.

Brown’s “The Git Up” continues to ride high on the top country streaming songs chart, with 21 million streams this week. Blake Shelton‘s “God’s Country” follows at No. 2 with 12 million streams this week, with Morgan Wallen‘s “Whiskey Glasses” at No. 3. Luke Combs‘ “Beer Never Broke My Heart” is at No. 4 with 9.7 million streams, while Lee Brice‘s “Rumor” rounds out the Top 5 with 91 million streams.

Meanwhile, Combs continues his reign at the top of the country albums chart, with This One’s For You moving 25K in total consumption this week. Dan + Shay‘s self-titled project is at No. 2 with 18K, followed by Combs’ The Prequel EP at No. 3 with 16K. Thomas Rhett‘s Center Point Road is at No. 4 with 15K, followed by Morgan Wallen‘s If I Know Me at No. 5 with 14.5K.

Mount Music Group Signs Erin & The Wildfire To Management Deal

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Mount Music Group has inked a long-term management deal with soul-pop R&B group Erin & The Wildfire.

“Since the first time I heard Erin’s limitless vocals and the band’s incredible mastery of instrumentation, I knew I had to work with them,” said company founder David MacMahon Mount. “Their message and what they believe in is compelling. I couldn’t be happier to welcome Erin & The Wildfire to the MMG family!”

The band features Erin Lunsford (vocals), Matt Wood (bass), Ryan Lipps (guitar), and Nick Quillen (drums). They met in college and have been evolving their sound together for six years with a rotating menagerie of talented musicians out of Virginia. The band released their first full-length project, Thirst, in 2017. The band’s latest single, “Yours Anymore,” released in May.

”We are thrilled to have David from Mount Music Group come on as our manager! It has always been our dream to have a manager that has a passion and a fire for our music. David’s ambition and enthusiasm for our project has us feeling incredibly excited for what is coming. He’s driven and has big goals for us, so we are stoked to get to work and make waves,” the band said in a statement.

Garth Brooks Plots Dive Bar Tour

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Garth Brooks.

Superstar Garth Brooks is returning to the local dive bars for a seven-city run of concerts.

In honor of National Dive Bar Day, Brooks announced via his Inside Studio G series that he will play seven shows at local dive bars, beginning with a show in Chicago on July 15. He advised Chicago fans to listen to their local country station on Monday (July 8) for more information on the specific Chicago venue.

So far, only the Chicago show has been announced.

The Dive Bar Tour coincides with Brooks’ current single, “Dive Bar,” featuring Blake Shelton. Shelton is set to perform the collaboration as part of Brooks’ July 19 show at Albertson Stadium in Boise, Idaho.

Though Brooks did not officially mention any other cities or dates that are part of the Dive Bar Tour, he did mention that if he does play a Nashville dive bar as part of the trek, he hopes it will be Layla’s, the venue on Nashville’s Lower Broadway where he previously performed an invite-only show in February 2018 as part of the annual Country Radio Seminar.

Blake Shelton Reaches Chart Pinnacle For 26th Time With “God’s Country”

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Photo ID (L to R): Brandon Blackstock (Starstruck Entertainment); Narvel Blackstock (Starstruck Entertainment); John Esposito (Chairman & CEO, WMN); Blake Shelton; Scott Hendricks (EVP A&R, WMN)

Blake Shelton‘s latest single, “God’s Country” crowns both the Mediabase/Country Aircheck and Billboard Country Airplay charts in less than four months since its radio debut. The tune is Shelton’s 26th country radio No. 1 and earlier this year became his 16th Billboard Hot Country Songs chart-topper.

“This is such a powerful song and I’m so proud to be a part of it,” said Shelton. “When I first heard the song I thought it sounded like a remedy. Like a cure. It just sounds like a missing link in country music for the last 10 or 12 years. It feels like a combination of ‘Ole Red’ and ‘Country Boy Can Survive’ to me which definitely have a place in country music. Those songs are just rare. As long as I’ve been making music I’m still shocked and amazed at the power of a song and I’m never prepared for it.‘God’s Country’ is an anthem for anybody and everybody who’s proud of where they come from. I’m honored to have been given this song from Devin Dawson, Hardy and Jordan Schmidt who are incredible writers.”

With more than 125 million on-demand streams already, the song is the fastest country single in the past year to reach one million track equivalents.

Ashley Gorley Reclaims The No. 1 Spot On ‘MusicRow’ Top Songwriter Chart

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Ashley Gorley is back at No. 1 on the MusicRow Top Songwriter Chart this week, with seven charting titles. Michael Hardy moves down a slot to No. 2. Hillary Lindsey advances to No. 3, Bobby Pinson to No. 4 and Ben Burgess to No. 5.

Jon Nite rises into the Top 10, propelled by the songs: “I Hope” (Gabby Barrett), “Knockin’ Boots” (Luke Bryan) and “Living” (Dierks Bentley).

The MusicRow Top Songwriter Chart, published every week, uses algorithms based upon song activity garnered from airplay, digital downloaded track sales and streams. This unique and exclusive addition to the MusicRow portfolio is the only songwriter chart of its kind.

Click here to view the full MusicRow Top Songwriter Chart.

New Hires, Promotions At Round Hill Music

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(Pictured, clockwise from top left): Emily Corter, Chelsea Grim, Amanda Hruska, Mikaela Hutson, Rebecca Turner, Casey Reznik, Ben Jones

Round Hill Music has promoted five members of its administration and royalty services teams. Amanda Hruska has been promoted to Senior Director and Head of Administration – Nashville, Rebecca Turner to Senior Director and Head of Royalty Services, Casey Reznik and Chelsea Grim to Manager of Administration and Emily Corter to Senior Coordinator of Royalty Services.

Nashville GM Mark Brown commented, “I am very impressed with these team member’s great work and the growth they have exhibited since joining Round Hill. I am pleased to announce these well-deserved promotions.”

Round Hill has also hired Mikaela Hutson as Manager of Royalty Services and Ben Jones as Coordinator of Royalty Services. Hutson, a native of St. Louis, earned a B.S. in Entertainment Management from Missouri State University and an M.B.A. from Belmont University. Her previous stops include Live Nation, CRS, ClearBox Rights and Warner Music Group. Jones, a native of Pittsburgh and a graduate of Belmont University, previously worked in Publishing Administration at Bailer Music and held the title of Royalty Analyst at Universal Music Publishing Group.

Brown said, “We are lucky to have the opportunity to work with such talented and capable young people as Mikaela and Ben. They will be a valuable addition to the Round Hill team.”

Round Hill Music Nashville’s writer roster includes Ashley Gorley, Dallas Davidson, Danny Myrick, Derek Austin, Devin Guisande, Eric Arjes, Gareth Dunlop, Jimmy Robbins, Katie Pruitt, SHEL, Suzie McNeil and Wade Kirby. Through its partnership with Big Loud, Round Hill also represents Chris Tompkins, Craig Wiseman, Jamie Moore, Joey Moi, Matt Dragstrem and Rodney Clawson.

Old Dominion Sets New Album For October

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Photo credit: Mason Allen

Old Dominion will release its third studio album on Oct. 25, it was announced Monday morning (July 8) on Good Morning America. The new self-titled project finds the band co-producing their album for the first time, alongside longtime collaborator Shane McAnally.

The group recently celebrated its seventh No. 1 song, “Make It Sweet,” and released a followup radio single in “One Man Band,” which has earned more than 40 million streams to date.

Old Dominion’s 2017 sophomore album, Happy Endings, debuted at No. 1 and the band is the reigning ACM Vocal Group of the Year for 2019.

In addition, Old Dominion’s Matthew Ramsey was recently featured on “And the Writer Is…with Ross Golan,” a songwriting podcast produced by Joe London and Ross Golan.