Entries by admin

Swift and Pickler Set Musicfest Plans

Two of country music’s biggest stars (and best buds) Taylor Swift and Kellie Pickler have unveiled their ambitious game plans for the upcoming CMA Music Festival. Pickler will be visiting with fans and signing autographs at Opry Originals: The Shop on Broadway located at 300 Broadway on Thursday, June 10, from Noon-2:00 PM. 

The singer […]

Throwdown Forced To Trim Dates

The Country Throwdown Tour has announced it will cancel four upcoming shows in Houston (6/9), Dallas (6/10), San Diego (6/17) and Phoenix (6/18). In addition, the Bakersfield date (originally set for 6/16) has now moved to Friday, 6/18. Tickets from the above listed shows will be honored at all other Country Throwdown tour dates and […]

Country Sales Slide Continues

After a 38% drop over the previous three years (2007—2009), we are again facing declines. We started 2010 with an 18% YTD gain, but as we near the end of May country album sales have slipped to -5.6%, according to Nielsen SoundScan.

Morgan Tells Troops You’re Not Alone

Artist Craig Morgan has become a spokesperson for Not Alone, an organization that empowers warriors and families dealing with combat stress through training, education, counseling and support. “When I heard about what Not Alone was doing, I knew I wanted to be involved,” said Morgan. “We can’t sit quietly aside while our country’s bravest are struggling. […]

Bentley Wows Reverent Ryman Crowd

Dierks Bentley’s Up On The Ridge tour closed at the Ryman Auditorium in Nashville on May 22 after visiting 24 cities in 30 days to build demand for the album’s release on June 8. The final show featured Bentley’s backing band the Travelin’ McCourys and the Punch Brothers with Chris Thile (Nickel Creek) on mandolin […]

Physical Still Country Fan Favorite

It’s not uncommon for debut week albums to sell 20% and more in digital format. But what happens to hit albums over the long term? Are country album sales compensating for shrinking shelf space at mass merchants by increasing their digital share? The answer is yes….and no. Only five country artists placed in the Top […]

Ryan Beuschel Becomes ASCAP Nashville Creative Manager

ASCAP has named Ryan Beuschel, who most recently held the post of A&R Manager at Universal Music Group, as Creative Manager for its Nashville branch. “We couldn’t be more excited to have Ryan come on board and bring to ASCAP his unique talents, experience and passion for songwriters and their craft,” said Tim DuBois, VP […]

Unbundling’s Curse On Profitability

“Record labels have depended on album sales to boost profits. But in the digital music era, consumers prefer single songs over music ‘bundles.’ The result? It is time for the industry to rethink its products and prices.”

MusicRow Award Nominations Coming Wed.

Voters on your mark, get ready to choose the winners for the 22nd Annual MusicRow Awards. Final nominees for Producer of the Year, Song of the Year, Breakthrough Artist and Breakthrough Songwriter will be announced Wed., May 19 in our @MusicRow morning report and your picks will decide the winners. Ballots, which contain safeguards to […]

Holidays Drive Sales For Week Ended 5-9-10

According to Nielsen SoundScan, the week ended 5-9-2010 saw country sales jump 12% from the previous seven days thanks to the Mother’s Day holiday, a new Zac Brown Band live offering (26k) and the Courtyard Hounds debut (61k).