Entries by Freeman

Apple Unveils iCloud Service

If good things come to those who wait, then Apple is finally ready to reward us by unveiling the long-awaited, long-speculated iCloud today (6/6). Steve Jobs led the presentation at Apple’s Worldwide Developers Conference in San Francisco. The iCloud service will store users’ digital files online and automatically push them to iOS-based devices such as […]

Willie Nelson's Country Throwdown Is A Rowdy Good Time

When Willie Nelson’s Country Throwdown Tour stopped at The Woods at Fontanel in Nashville Friday night (6/3), it was easily in the mid-90s. Which, when paired with some serious outlaw country, helps explain why the event was such a rowdy good time. Back for its second year and now co-branded with Nelson, the Country Throwdown […]

Schmitt Chronicles Arrest and Rehab

Former Tennessean/WKRN-2 entertainment reporter Brad Schmitt wrote the feature article (“Breaking Brad”) in this week’s (6/2) issue of the Nashville Scene, which gives the firsthand account of his DUI arrest last February and recovery process in the year following. Once a high-profile writer and TV personality, Schmitt was fired from WKRN after the arrest and […]

Weekend Notes (6/3/11)

Next week is a busy one, with the Billboard Country Music Summit (June 6-7), CMT Music Awards (June 8), and CMA Music Festival (June 9-12) scheduled. But first we have to survive the weekend. Here’s what’s happening starting today (6/3). Friday, June 3 Country Throwdown Tour: 3 – 10 pm, The Woods at Fontanel. Featuring […]

Paisley's World Tour Launches Today

Following a No. 1 single (“Old Alabama”) and album (This Is Country Music), reigning CMA Entertainer of the Year Brad Paisley will launch his H20 II: Wetter & Wilder World Tour today (6/3) in Virginia Beach, VA. He’ll follow that performance with another tomorrow (6/4) in Hartford, CT. The 30 city trek includes four stadiums […]

Weekly Chart Report (6/03/11)

A scant nine weeks is all it took for Blake Shelton’s “Honey Bee” to make the top of the charts. It’s been on a rapid climb since its ACM Awards debut, and scoots ahead of last week’s No. 1, “Mean” by Taylor Swift. Justin Moore will also be vying for a No. 1 soon as “If Heaven Wasn’t So Far Away” edges up to No. 3. Toby Keith’s “Somewhere Else” sits tight at No. 4, and Luke Bryan’s “Country Girl (Shake It For Me)” packs on 100 new spins to move up to No. 5.

Rascal Flatts Announce Flatts Fest Tour

Rascal Flatts will launch its new tour Flatts Fest on June 18 in Bristow, Virginia, and the trek will take the trio to 23 total cities with opening acts Sara Evans, Easton Corbin and Justin Moore. Full dates are included below.

Tennessee Signs Law Prohibiting Netflix Password Sharing

Tennessee state legislators have passed a bill that would make it illegal to use a friend’s login on music or video services like Netflix and Rhapsody, according to The Tennessean. TN Governor Bill Haslam has signed the bill, which goes into effect July 1. The purpose of the measure is to target hackers who sell […]

Industry Ink: SESAC Awards, SongWriters Fest, Mow the Row

SESAC’s Nashville Music Awards has been set for Monday, November 7 at the company’s Nashville headquarters. The invitation only event, which honors the top songwriters and publishers in country and Americana, awarded Lady Antebellum’s Hillary Scott with its coveted Songwriter of the Year honor in 2010. • • • The 9th Annual Nashville SongWriters Festival tunes up […]

Big Machine and Curb Sponsored Car Wins Indy 500

Scott Borchetta got to have a victory celebration of a different kind along with Mike Curb at the Indy 500 on Sunday (5/29). The record label chiefs/racing buffs sponsored driver Dan Wheldon in the No. 98 William Rast/aigo/Curb/Big Machine/Forsythe Solutions/Dallara/Honda/Firestone car for Bryan Herta Autosport/Curb-Agajanian, which wound up in the winner’s circle after the historic 100th Anniversary Indy 500.