Kenny Chesney To Release Vinyl Version Of ‘Here And Now’

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Kenny Chesney will release a vinyl project on Aug. 21, with the release of his Here and Now vinyl LP.

“Music is medicine,” Chesney says. “And No Shoes Nation is people who work hard, rock hard, play hard. They’re always in their truck or their car, headed somewhere, so I like the idea they take these songs along with them.

“But with so many of us staying home, having the time to really dive into the music and listen—and based on the passion for this project, it seemed like now is the time to do vinyl. I had a friend give me a stack of albums from the ’70s and ’80s a few years ago, and there really is something different about settling in and listening. It’s warmer. It has a bit more presence sonically. It’s a whole other way to listen, and right now, that feels like a good thing,” says Chesney.

Here and Now will be pressed on clear vinyl and will be available exclusively through Walmart and via kennychesney.com.
“One of the most difficult things for people seems to be actually getting their hands on physical recordings,” he explains. “It used to be so easy to drop into Tower Records and get lost for a while. Today people have so much they have to do, plus they really don’t want to go out right now, so this seems like the easiest and best way to get the vinyl Here And Now into the fans’ hands.”
His latest single “Happy Does” was most-added at country radio in its first week.

“There were a couple other songs we were talking about,” Chesney says of his current single, “but it felt like right now, remembering to see the glass as half full, to find the best possible reality in any given moment is so important. ‘Happy Does’ is filled with people doing just that, and it’s why in the end, we decided that would be the song we’d send out there for summer.”

Terri Clark’s Upcoming Holiday Album To Feature Vince Gill, Dierks Bentley, And More

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Terri Clark will release a new holiday album It’s Christmas…Cheers! on Sept. 25. The album marks Clark’s first new project to be released on Mercury Nashville in 15 years.

Produced by Clark herself, the album features special guests Dierks Bentley, Vince Gill, Ricky Skaggs, The Oak Ridge Boys, Pam Tillis, and Suzy Bogguss, while the Time Jumpers play on all 10 tracks. Each album will include a Christmas postcard and the LP will also feature holly green vinyl.

“I resisted making and releasing a Christmas album for many years even though I’m a big Christmas person and love the music of the season. It’s been done by the best in so many amazing ways and I wanted to wait until I felt I could make it special, be excited about it, and do it justice in my own way. Having The Time Jumpers to collaborate with and the wonderful guest artists featured – it did just that.  I am eager for everyone to hear the record that was almost 2 years in the making but took 25 years to get around to.”

Clark took to the airwaves in 2016 in a whole new way with her internationally syndicated radio show Country Gold with Terri Clark.  The show can be heard on over 170 stations across the U.S. and Canada and has garnered her CMA and ACM nominations. Throughout her career she’s sold over five million albums, and garnered hit singles “Better Things To Do,” “Poor Poor Pitiful Me,” “Girls Lie Too,” “Northern Girl,” and “I Just Wanna Be Mad.”

It’s Christmas… Cheers! Track Listing:

1)- Winter Wonderland
2)- Jingle Bells
3)- The Christmas Song (Chestnuts Roasting On An Open Fire)
4)- I’ll Be Home For Christmas
5)- Cowboy Christmas (featuring Ricky Skaggs)
6)- Let It Snow! Let It Snow! Let It Snow! (with Dierks Bentley)
7)- Silent Night (featuring Vince Gill)
8)- Up On The Housetop
9)- Silver Bells (featuring The Oak Ridge Boys)
10)- Away In A Manager (with Pam Tillis & Suzy Bogguss)

Sony Music Nashville Promotes Lauren Thomas

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Lauren Thomas

Sony Music Nashville radio promotion exec Lauren Thomas has been promoted to the role of Vice President, National Promotion. She will work with Exec. VP of Promotion and Artist Development Steve Hodges and others leading the helm of the Arista, Columbia and RCA Nashville promotion teams to focus on national strategies to achieve the label group’s airplay and artist development goals.

“Watching someone’s hard work and dedication to their craft rise to fruition is an absolute joy,” Hodges says. “To be able to award LT her VP stripes is an honor. She embodies the true spirit of innovation in challenging times. I could not be more proud of her accomplishments.”

Thomas joined Sony Music Nashville in October 2009 as National Promotion Coordinator for Arista Nashville. Within a year, she was promoted to Regional Promotion Manager for the imprint, and, in 2016, named Director of Promotion for Sony Music Nashville.

Randy Travis Returns With New Single "Fool’s Love Affair"

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Today, the vocalist and songwriter that helped bring country music back to its traditionalist roots in the 1980s returns with a never-before-heard song, as Randy Travis releases “Fool’s Love Affair.”

The song marks Travis’ first single release to country radio since his near-fatal stroke in 2013. Travis originally recorded “Fool’s Love Affair” prior to the release of his 1986 debut project Storms of Life, the album that would issue radio hits including “On The Other Hand,” “1982,” “Diggin’ Up Bones” and “No Place Like Home,” and go on to be certified 3x multi-Platinum by the RIAA.

Randy Travis and Charlie Monk.

“Fool’s Love Affair” was recorded as a demo tape and was tucked away in storage before songwriter, publisher and radio personality Charlie Monk (who co-wrote the track with Keith Stegall and Milton Brown) came across the demo and brought it to Travis’ longtime producer Kyle Lehning, who updated the recording to modern standards.

Today also marks the 35th anniversary of Travis’ first major label radio single, “On The Other Hand,” written by Paul Overstreet and Don Schlitz. The track had previously been included on Keith Whitley’s album L.A. To Miami. In its initial release, Travis’ rendition of “On The Other Hand” peaked at No. 67 on the country radio chart. After “1982” reached the Top 10, Travis’ team re-released “On The Other Hand,” bringing his very first No. 1 hit, the first of 22 chart-toppers Travis has earned during his career.

Travis became a member of the Grand Ole Opry in 1986; three decades later, he became a member of the Country Music Hall of Fame in 2016.

 

 

Shannon Sanders, Alanna Royale Set For MusiCares COVID-19 Relief Benefit Concert

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Several local, independent Nashville artists will perform on Thursday, July 30, as part of the inaugural Music City Showcase, presented by Nashville’s MusiCares Ambassadors, to help raise funds for MusiCares’ COVID-19 Relief Fund.

Two-time Grammy winner and 102.1 The Ville founder/music programmer Shannon Sanders will host the virtual event, which will highlight artists in various genres performing their original music.

Performers will include Austin Grimm (of ROAR), Whoa Dakota, Daisha McBride, Alanna Royale, Whit, Samuel Lee, and Laurin Floyd.

For a limited time, Spotify will offer a full monetary match for each donation.

The show will begin at 7 p.m. CT. To register, click here.

Garth Brooks Pulling Out Of CMA Entertainer of the Year Nominations: “It’s Time For Someone Else To Hold That Award”

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Garth Brooks has opted to remove himself from the pool of nominees for the Country Music Association Entertainer of the Year category.

“It’s time for someone else to hold that award and know what Entertainer feels like,” Brooks said during a virtual press conference on Wednesday, July 29. He clarified that he is also withdrawing from the CMA’s Entertainer of the Year category for future years.
Brooks said the decision came about after last year’s CMA awards, when Brooks took home his seventh CMA Entertainer of the Year award, in what was considered by some in the industry an upset win over strong fellow contenders including Carrie Underwood and Eric Church.

“There’s one tweet in there that really stuck in my head,” Brooks said. “It said, ‘Hey, man. This guy, why doesn’t he just step down (and leave) the entertainer for the next generation?’ 100% agree.”

Recalling last year’s CMA Awards, Brooks told reporters he had been expecting to give a standing ovation to Carrie Underwood. “It’s the female’s night…I think that was a big jolt of it. No matter what the start of it was, the result of millions of tweets, that one little tweet caught my eye. This might be Carrie’s year.”

Brooks said following last year’s win, he discussed with the CMA the possibility of introducing a CMA Entertainer of the Year Emeritus award.

“That was my idea…but the CMAs can’t just create a title and give it to someone and I totally get it. If I had my dream, that’s how it would be handled… This would have been done with in two or three months, and they exhausted every [avenue]. They couldn’t do it, so we are taking it upon ourselves. I would have loved to do this in January and February, and it was planned for CMA Fest, but that got wiped out by the pandemic as well. Nominations are coming out and I don’t want to get in the way of anybody.”

He also spoke of what the Entertainer of the Year honor means to him.

“When I think of it I think of Reba and Dolly Parton and George Strait. Strait is going to be the last guy to tell you he’s an entertainer, but when you go see him, you see 60 No. 1’s and he’s only going to get to play 40 of them. Chesney’s on there. You’re not going to find a harder-working guy than Chesney. The last thing I want to appear today is ungrateful. The CMA has listened, they’ve tried and the truth is they can’t separate an artist out and they have my respect.”
Though Brooks has asked the CMA to remove him from upcoming EOY categories, he is still hopeful for nods and wins in other categories.

“I’m extremely competitive,” he told reporters during the press conference. “Would I love to walk away with Video [of the Year] for ‘Dive Bar’ [featuring Blake Shelton]? Sure. Make no mistake, I’m very competitive and this means the world to me.”
He continued, “With all the love in the world, we are officially pulling ourselves out of Entertainer of the Year…We’ve been lucky enough to carry it home a number of times and I feel like it’s somebody else’s turn.”

The second round ballots will be sent to CMA members on Friday (July 31), while final round voting closes in October.

The Country Music Association released the following statement to MusicRow in response to Brooks’ press conference:

The nominees and winners of the CMA Awards are selected by the vote of eligible members of the Country Music Association and not by CMA. The long-standing CMA Awards rules do not allow individuals to remove themselves from the balloting process at any point. The 2020 CMA Awards second ballot will be emailed to eligible voting members this Friday, July 31. If voters have nominated Garth Brooks in the first round, his name will appear on the second ballot. It will then be up to voters in this second round to select their top finalists. The final 2020 CMA Awards nominees, which will consist of five nominees in each category, will be announced in the coming weeks, with a final round of voting taking place in October. We look forward to seeing who our members vote for when “The 54th Annual CMA Awards” air on ABC in November.

This is a developing story….

Nellen Dryden Signs With AHP Records

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Nellen Dryden

Nellen Dryden has signed with AHP Records.

With a sound anchored in the roots and grooves of Americana music, Dryden offers up a mix of past and present. Originally from Connecticut, Dryden began mixing her childhood influences, including her father’s country favorites, with the jazz, soul, and blues music she studied at Sarah Lawrence College in New York. Influenced by Lucinda Williams’ phrasing, Erykah Badu’s rhythmic emphasis, Bonnie Raitt’s bluesy belt, and Patti Griffin’s melodies, Dryden has adopted Nashville as her hometown.
Helmed by industry veteran Steve Emley, the label will release Dryden’s debut project in early 2021.

“I’m excited to expand the label’s roster and follow up the music we released last year,” says Emley. “Nellen’s pure voice and timeless approach, along with her lyric perspective on the human condition is the perfect antidote to our culture’s current crisis. AHP is blessed to be a part of her journey.”

Emley formed AHP Records in 2019 and released singles on Cash Campbell (“Bump”) and Joanna Janét (“I Don’t Know Why”), as well as Eric Paslay’s critically acclaimed Live From Glasgow album recorded during his European tour.

The AMG Grows Team With New Additions Diana Garcia, David Colón

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Diana Garcia and David Colón have joined management firm The AMG.

Marketing strategy specialist Garcia has over two decades of experience working with Rascal Flatts, Madonna, Red Hot Chili Peppers, Kanye West, Brooks & Dunn, Dolly Parton, Eric Church and more. Most recently, Garcia launched House of Darlings, a fashion brand that focuses on funding charitable endeavors through each collection. Garcia’s fashion house has paid for four philanthropic initiatives in various parts of the world.

Colón will serve as Creative Director at The AMG, where he will spearhead video content ranging from music videos for the company’s clients to mini-documentaries and marketing clips. He is the producer and founder of Motion Poet Productions, a full-service video content provider for the corporate, broadcast and film industries. Colón was the writer, producer and director of the 2014 Civil War-based feature film Possessions and the documentary A Hope for Samoa. In 2015, he became creative director of The Dance Network where he branded and created multiple shows for the network, including its flagship The Breakdown-The Science of Dance.

“We are thrilled to welcome Diana and David to our team,” said The AMG general manager Kristy Reeves. “We have worked with them both extensively in the past and are happy to have them officially join the AMG team. Their experience and expertise will be invaluable resources for our clients.”

Q2 Results: Spotify Grows Subscribers But Incurs Higher Than Expected Operating Loss

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In the second quarter of 2020, Spotify grew to 299 million monthly active users (MAUs), marking a 29% year-over-year increase, and 139 million subscribers, a 29% year-over-year increase.

However, the company’s revenues were impacted by a 48% increase in operating expenses, due to taxes on stock-related compensation for employees, directly related to the gains in the company’s stock price in the quarter. Ad revenues also fell 21 percent.

Consumption hours returned to normal levels and podcast consumption continues its surge, with 21% of MAUs now listening to podcasts. In music, growth in the number of artists making up Spotify’s top tier (those accounting for the top 10% of streams) is now over 43,000 artists, up 43% from one year ago.

Spotify recently announced several new partnerships, including The Joe Rogan Experience and Warner Bros. and DC Comics, as well as details regarding The Michelle Obama Podcast. They also announced a $20 million partnership with Omnicom Media Group and announced a launch in Russia and 12 other European markets. They also inked a multi-year contract with Universal Music Group.

“Investors often ask me what our secret sauce is, expecting that there is some sort of silver bullet to our growth. The reality is that at a platform of our scale, it is rarely about one thing,” Spotify Founder/CEO Daniel Ek said in a statement. “Instead it is about setting up a culture of experimentation and being willing to double down on opportunities if we believe they have the potential to enhance our user experience and change the slope of our growth curve. I want to share two recent examples that exemplify this point. Over the last two years, we’ve tripled the number of experiments from a few hundred to thousands of a/b tests. Some of these experiments yield nothing more than a few key learnings, while others have shown great promise. In one of our recent podcast experiments, we increased listening among the test group by 33 percent. That’s just one small example of many.

“When we see results like this, you should expect us to invest even more. We know that no one experiment is going to materially impact us even in the next year. It’s the thousands of little things that we’re doing, which will gradually add up over time. The second is new market launches. Just this month, we launched in Russia and 12 other European countries. Our first week in Russia was huge, even bigger than our first week in India. If we do this right, we have the opportunity to reach 250 million more listeners in these markets over the long-term. We’re now operating in nearly every country across Europe, but there’s still a lot of pent up demand for Spotify in markets around the world, which is why we have plans for further expansion globally.”

Brandi Carlile, Emmylou Harris, Yola Lead First Programming Lineup for Thriving Roots Virtual Conference

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The Americana Music Association Foundation has revealed the first programming lineup for Thriving Roots: A Virtual Community Music Conference. The three-day online gathering, set for Sept. 16-18, will host intimate conversations between Brandi Carlile and Yola; Emmylou Harris and Ken Burns; and Jackson Browne and Mavis Staples.

Carlile and Yola will be opening up about experiencing “overnight success” after years of hard work, as well as representation, advocacy and staying true to your art. Harris will be chatting with renowned filmmaker Burns for “Country Music One Year Later,” a look back at his critically acclaimed eight-part documentary on the genre. Browne and Staples will be coming together for a special conversation as well during the virtual conference.

Engaging panel programming has also been scheduled featuring Black Pumas, Mary Gauthier and Taj Mahal. Additional panels will include the Woody Guthrie Center’s “Music as a Rallying Cry,” an examination on the use of music in political campaigns and its effect on messaging that may differ from the songwriter’s original intent. Indie artists and industry professionals will also want to check out “The Anatomy of a Publicity Campaign,” which will group top PR pros to dissect the many components of both a new artist and an established artist’s campaign.

With over 50 panel discussions and more than 40 special events filled with music, Thriving Roots will bring the Americana music community together from across the world for three full days of engaging insight from its top industry professionals and leading artists.