City Of Nashville Honors Americana Music Association

Pictured (L-R): Cliff O’Sullivan (Pres. AMA Board of Directors), Kenneth Pattengale (Milk Carton Kids), Rodney Crowell, Jed Hilly (Exec. Dir. Americana Music Association), Mary Gauthier, Councilwoman Nancy VanReece, Whitney Holmes (Americana Music Association), Sarah Comardelle (Americana Music Association), Michele Rhoades (Americana Music Association), Jim Lauderdale, Tim Fink (Americana Board/SESAC), Councilman Jeff Syracuse, Danna Strong (Americana Music Association) and Councilwoman Mina Johnson. Photo: Councilmember Kathleen Murphy

Americana Music Association was honored on Tuesday evening (Nov. 15) by Nashville’s Metro Council with a special resolution drafted and proposed by Councilwoman Nancy VanReece, Councilwoman Mina Johnson and Councilman Jeff Syracuse. Resolution No. RS2016-410 recognizes the significant cultural contributions and tourism impact of the Americana Music Association, its volunteer Board of Directors, and Executive Director Jed Hilly.

On hand to witness the special presentation were volunteer board members, members of the Americana Music Association staff and artists including Kenneth Pattengale of the Milk Carton Kids, Rodney Crowell, Mary Gauthier and Jim Lauderdale.

“Americana is the heart and soul of Nashville, and we are truly honored to be recognized by the Metro Council and especially appreciate Councilwoman Nancy VanReece for her commitment to the artists in our community,” said Hilly following the presentation.

Hot Schatz PR Signs American Soul Singer-Songwriter/Producer Brian Owens

Brian Owens

Media and artist development firm Hot Schatz PR has signed American Soul singer-songwriter and producer Brian Owens to its roster.

Owens gained national recognition in 2011 as the lead singer of the Air National Guard band Sidewinder, whose video drew more than 2.5 million YouTube viewers and led to national appearances on The Ellen DeGeneres Show, Entertainment Tonight and more. Owens released his critically-acclaimed debut album Moods and Messages, distributed by Sony/BDG/Red, in 2012. Since then he has toured with Ramsey Lewis and Michael McDonald, and performed for First Lady Michelle Obama. Owens also recorded a duet with McDonald, which will release in early 2017.

 

Plowboy Records Inks Distribution Agreement With Select-O-Hits

Pictured (L-R): Shannon Pollard, Plowboy Records; Johnny Phillips, Select-O-Hits

Plowboy Records has inked a distribution agreement for its recording catalog with Select-O-Hits. Plowboy Records was formed by Eddy Arnold’s grandson, Shannon Pollard and Select-O-Hits is the distribution arm of the Phillips family (Sun Records) in Memphis. The Plowboy Catalog includes titles from the Kentucky Headhunters, Blackfoot Gypsies, Bobby Bare Sr. and Paul Burch.   

 

Music City Media Moves Offices

Music City Media has moved to a new location, with its new offices at 21 Music Square West, First Floor in Nashville. Music City Media is led by Kat Atwood and Jeff Prescott, and supports clients including Buddy Lee Attractions, Allie Louise, Mike Smith, and more.

Cox Media Group’s Rare Country outlet has revealed nominees for its newly announced Rare Country Awards. Carrie Underwood leads the nominations with four nods, followed by Miranda Lambert and Sam Hunt with three nominations each.

The online awards will honor the year’s best in country music, as determined solely by fans. Voting will be open for four weeks at rarecountryawards.com, with winners to be announced on Thursday, Dec. 15.

The award consist of eight categories of five nominees in each. Additionally, Rare Country’s Humanitarian of the Year will be announced in the coming weeks.

Rare Country leader Laurissa Phillips announced the inaugural awards during an interview with MusicRow. A 2016 ceremony is not planned.

2016 Rare Country Award Nominees:

Rare Country Female Artist of the Year
Carrie Underwood
Kellie Pickler
Kelly Clarkson
Miranda Lambert
Reba McEntire

Rare Country Male Artist of the Year
Blake Shelton
Tim McGraw
George Strait
Kid Rock
Luke Bryan

Rare Country Duo/Group of the Year
Florida Georgia Line
Joey + Rory
Lady Antebellum
Little Big Town
Rascal Flatts

Rare Country Grand Ole Opry Moment of the Year
Carrie Underwood performs “Heartbeat” with a brand new look
Cole Swindell sings “You Should Be Here” as a tribute to his father
RaeLynn sings “Love Triangle,” an ode to children of divorce
Scotty McCreery sings “Five More Minutes” as a tribute to his grandfather
Toby Keith performs a rousing medley of Merle Haggard’s greatest hits

Rare Country New Artist of the Year
Cam
Kane Brown
Kelsea Ballerini
Maren Morris
Sam Hunt

Rare Country Tour of the Year
Carrie Underwood – “The Storyteller Tour – Stories in the Round” – Special Guests: Easton Corbin, The Swon Brothers
Garth Brooks – “The Garth Brooks World Tour with Trisha Yearwood” – Special Guest: Trisha Yearwood
Jason Aldean – “Six String Circus” Tour – Special Guests: Thomas Rhett, A Thousand Horses
Kenny Chesney – “Spread the Love 2016 Tour” – Special Guests: Miranda Lambert, Sam Hunt, Old Dominion
Luke Bryan – “Kill the Lights” Tour – Special Guests: Little Big Town, Dustin Lynch

Rare Country Story of the Year
The love story of Joey + Rory
The hot GRAMMY duet featuring Carrie Underwood and Sam Hunt
CMA’s 50th Anniversary’s “Forever Country” video and song
Blake Shelton’s post-divorce comeback song “Came Here to Forget”
The irreplaceable loss of country music legend Merle Haggard

Rare Country Fan Moment of the Year
Garth Brooks sings Happy Birthday for a grieving mother (Ottawa, Canada)
Keith Urban plays guitar onstage alongside one of his most talented fans (Gilford, NH)
Miranda Lambert gets emotional over soldier’s sign (Hartford, CT)
Rascal Flatts gives a young fan the chance of a lifetime (Dallas, TX)
Kenny Chesney tracks down one special fan (Virginia Beach, VA)

Mike Dungan

During the 2017 convention, the Music Business Association (Music Biz) will present its Presidential Award for Outstanding Executive Achievement to Mike Dungan, Chairman and CEO of Universal Music Group Nashville.

The presentation will take place Wednesday, May 17, 2017, during the Music Biz 2017 convention’s Awards Breakfast at the Renaissance Nashville Hotel in Nashville. The Breakfast will be sponsored for the second consecutive year by the CMA.

“Mike’s journey in the music business spans more than four decades,” said James Donio, President of Music Biz. “He has grown to be such an integral industry player, building Capitol Nashville into a major force before developing UMG Nashville into the dominant country powerhouse it is today. Mike unquestionably represents the exceptional vision, leadership and commitment that perfectly exemplifies our Presidential Award recipients.”

Dungan follows an esteemed list of previous honorees, which includes: John Esposito, Dick Clark, Walter Yetnikoff, Ahmet and Nesuhi Ertegun, Jim Urie, Ted Cohen, Clive Davis, Don Cornelius, Casey Kasem, Sylvia Rhone, John Marmaduke, Bob Higgins, Paul Smith, Scott Borchetta, Akio Morito, Eric Paulson, Henry Droz, and Russ Solomon as well as organizations including the CMA, The Recording Academy (NARAS), and the Recording Industry Association of America (RIAA).

“I’m honored to be selected for the Music Biz Presidential Award, and to be counted among those who have been recognized with this award in the past, many of whom are my personal heroes,” said Dungan.  “I have always strived to spread the word about the music that I love, and music that I feel will affect people’s lives. Continuing this on such a grand scale with the spectacular roster we have here at UMG Nashville has been the most rewarding experience of my career. Now, to be recognized in this way by Music Biz is truly humbling.”

Dungan has worked in the music business since he was 16 years old. In 1979, he began his label career as a Pop Promotion Rep for RCA, working in the Cincinnati, Detroit, and Minneapolis markets. In 1987, he took a sales position with RCA and Arista Records parent company, BMG. Two years later, Arista Records hired him as its Director of Marketing for the Midwest. In 1990, Dungan moved to the newly-formed Arista Nashville label to head up Sales and Marketing, later rising to the post of Sr. VP and GM. In 2000, Dungan was named President of EMI Music’s Capitol Records Nashville.

In May of 2012, Dungan moved to the Universal Music Group as Chairman and CEO. Shortly after, Universal purchased EMI, reuniting Dungan with his old roster at Capitol. Now, he oversees UMG Nashville and its four label imprints – Capitol Nashville, EMI Records Nashville, Mercury Nashville, and MCA Nashville – which are home to 35 major artists, including Luke Bryan, Keith Urban, Sam Hunt, Chris Stapleton, Lady Antebellum, Little Big Town, Dierks Bentley, George Strait, Eric Church, Kacey Musgraves, Darius Rucker, Alan Jackson, Shania Twain, Gary Allan, and Vince Gill.

Pictured (L-R): Sony Music Nashville EVP & COO Ken Robold; SVP Promotion RCA Nashville Keith Gale; Sony Music Nashville Chairman & CEO Randy Goodman; Kane Brown; Martha Earls, EFG Management; EVP Promotion & Artist Development Steve Hodges; Noah McPike, Almon Law; and EVP/GM Universal Music Publishing Group Kent Earls.

In the past nearly two years, Kane Brown’s career has shifted swiftly into full-throttle. He has transitioned from viral sensation based on the strength of YouTube cover videos, which have garnered millions of views, to one of country music’s most promising newcomers. In June Brown previewed the original track “Ain’t No Stopping Us Now,” on Facebook, where the clip earned 11.1 million views. He’s gone from recording performances in his bedroom to opening for Florida Georgia Line’s Dig Your Roots Tour, and is now on his own headlining Ain’t No Stopping Us Now Tour, presented by Monster Energy Outbreak.

Signed to RCA Nashville/Zone 4, Brown welcomed Nashville’s music industry to preview tracks from his upcoming full-length, self-titled album, which releases Dec. 2.

The evening was a mixture of album previews as well live performances, including a cover of Randy Travis’ “Three Wooden Crosses.” Highlighted songs included “Granddaddy’s Chair,” “Cold Spot,” “Hometown.”

Flanked by musicians and songwriters onstage, Brown’s muscular voice belies his humble, even shy offstage persona. Brown penned seven of the 11 tracks on the project, assembled into perhaps one of the most personal albums to come out of Nashville recently.

“It’s been a team effort and fun to work with the Earls’ as we have been on this project,” said Sony Music Nashville Chairman/CEO Randy Goodman, referring to Brown’s manager Martha Earls and Universal Music Publishing Group Nashville’s Kent Earls, who also represents Brown.

“I had the pleasure of meeting Kane about a year and a half ago,” recalled Kent Earls. “He would come by when he was in town and he would play me the newest thing that he wrote. In about a two-day period he brought ‘Used To Love You Sober’ and ‘Love You Hate You.’ It was like, ‘Wow, this guy is starting to figure it out.’ When you are a publisher, what you look for in writers and artists is that moment when they turn that corner. He was starting to write with the right guys that he connected with on an emotional level. We were so excited, we all got together after that and realized that all this stuff is happening [quickly] for this guy [and thought we’re] going to have a limited amount of time to write. Who are the right people who understand his depth, his uniqueness? We came up with a list. And all these people are on this record. And what Kane brought into the room and into those co-writes were his story.”

Pictured (L-R): Jimmie Deeghan, Kane Brown; and Alex Anthony.

Goodman recalls the suggestion that Brown write with Tom Douglas, a notion supported by fellow Sony Music Nashville VP, A&R Jim Catino. The pairing produced “Cold Spot,” which the duo penned with Douglas’ “The House That Built Me” co-writer Allen Shamblin.

“Tom and Allen thank you for that song and coming into Kane’s life and bringing out of him that obviously very vulnerable side,” Goodman offered to the two hit makers.

“If y’all knew how I grew up, I didn’t get a lot of chances, so for y’all to give me a chance means the world to me,” Brown told the audience.

To that end, the Brown-penned “Learning” is one of the album’s most personal tracks, written alongside Shy Carter and Sam Ellis. The transparent track showcases a strength built through his turbulent childhood, and resolve to forgive and move forward.

“I told [them] how I was raised,” Brown recalled of the writing session. “I went through child abuse, and I didn’t have a lot of money, so I lived in a car with my mom for a while. I went through racism, bullying. Once we got to high school and middle school, I had a lot of friends that started experimenting with drugs and guns. Some of my best friends OD’d or were shot and killed–not even on purpose. I had one friend that was cleaning his gun and it went off and shot his girlfriend that was in the room asleep. So we just wrote this song and came out with this title at the end. Just where I’m at today, I realize I can be a role model for a lot of kids and that’s what I want to do.”

Goodman recalled how producer Dann Huff originally signed on to produce only two tracks on the project but after hearing “Learning,” he cleared his schedule to be more involved. Brown recently posted a preview clip of “Learning,” which pulled in more than 1 million views in less than an hour.

A further stamp of approval for Brown’s artistry came from the superstar artists whose writing credits were featured on the album. Florida Georgia Line’s Tyler Hubbard and Brian Kelley co-wrote “Hometown,” while Chris Young co-wrote the track “Comeback,” along with Mark Fuhrer, Josh Hoge, and Matthew McVaney.

Young was in the audience to support Brown at the album preview. “He is my idol out of everybody,” said Brown. “I’m his biggest fan and for him to even want to get into a room to write with me means the world to me.”