Mark Lowry Will Receive ASCAP’s Golden Note Award

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Mark Lowry

Mark Lowry

ASCAP will present songwriter-artist and comedian Mark Lowry with its Golden Note Award at the 38th annual ASCAP Christian Music Awards, to be held on Monday, Sept. 26 at Rocketown in downtown Nashville.

The invitation-only gala will be hosted by Michael W. Smith alongside ASCAP’s President and Chairman Paul Williams and Vice President of Nashville Membership Michael Martin.

Lowry’s lyric to “Mary Did You Know?” resulted in one of the most-loved modern Christmas songs of the century. The captivating song, which he co-wrote with Buddy Greene, has been recorded more than 400 times by artists from every genre including: Reba McEntire, Pentatonix, Cee Lo Green, Clay Aiken, Michael English, Kenny Rogers, Wynonna Judd, The Gaither Vocal Band and a long list of others.

Lowry spent more than 20 collective years as the baritone singer for the Grammy-winning Gaither Vocal Band, and has served as the comedic sidekick for Bill Gaither through live concert tours and the best-selling Gaither Homecoming video and television series.

The ASCAP Golden Note Award is presented to songwriters, composers, and artists who have achieved extraordinary career milestones. Past recipients include Bob McDill, Don Williams, Mary Mary, JD Souther, Reba McEntire, Michael W. Smith and more.

Change The Conversation Panel To Highlight Female Producers, Engineers

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Change the ConversationChange The Conversation, a coalition aimed at helping to level the playing field for women in country music, will focus on opportunities for female music producers and engineers during its next installment on Aug. 3 at BMI. The event will begin at 6 p.m.

The event will welcome Adrienne Gonzalez, Victoria Shaw, Lari White, Alex Kline, Shani Gandi and Gena Johnson. The panel will be moderated by producer Dave Cobb (Jason Isbell, Chris Stapleton, Sturgill Simpson).

Producer/artist Gonzalez found success as a solo artist and as a member of The Rescues.

Shaw has produced artists including Lady Antebellum and Jessie Farrell, and penned four No. 1 songs including Garth Brooks’ “The River” and John Michael Montgomery’s “I Love The Way You Love Me.”

White enjoyed a successful recording career that included a gold album and Top 10 hits including “That’s My Baby” and “Now I Know.” She has produced artists including Toby Keith, Billy Dean, and Shawn Mullins.

Kline is co-owner of Cotton Gin Productions, a full-service music production company based in Nashville. Her songs have been recorded by Ronnie
 Dunn, Lonesome River Band, and Jess Moskaluke. Kline produced the new album from Tara Thompson.

Gandhi has worked on projects for artists ranging from Frankie Ballard and Will Hoge to Sarah Jarosz, Sara Watkins and The Cox Family.

Johnson has worked as an engineer on projects such as Kacey Musgraves’ Pageant Material, Ben Folds’ So There, Lee Brice’s I Don’t Dance, Hunter Hayes’ Where It All Begins and Dave Cobb’s Southern Family.

The event is free and open to the public, though space is limited. An RSVP is required. Change the Conversation was formed by industry executives Tracy Gershon, Leslie Fram and Beverly Keel in 2014.

Lynn Oliver-Cline Launches Label and Publishing Company

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Lynn Oliver-Cline

Lynn Oliver-Cline

Thirty Tigers and former Southern Ground executive Lynn Oliver-Cline has launched River House Artists (RHA), an independent record label and publishing company developing new talent in Nashville.

RHA’s first artist signing is country newcomer Luke Combs. Combs just finished recording his debut album, which is set to be released this fall with at least eight of the tracks being co-written with Ray Fulcher. Fulcher will be the first songwriter to sign to Oliver-Cline’s publishing division.

“I find it most rewarding to build something from the ground up, so RHA will be a true artist development company to help new talent get to the next level,” Oliver-Cline says. “I’ve always believed in being a cheerleader and advocate for the artist, and I’m confident in my ability to discover and nurture talent.”

Thirty Tigers will be enlisted for marketing and distribution of RHA.

“Lynn was a valued member of our team at Thirty Tigers, so it was an easy decision when she was starting her own label to ask if we could be of service in that venture,” Thirty Tigers founder David Macias said. “Fortunately for us, she said yes! She is someone that has a knack for recognizing special talent, and her first signing is no surprise. Luke Combs is a fantastic artist, and I think that we’re all going to be very successful together.”

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Oliver-Cline’s previous experience includes interning for Hootie & The Blowfish and Fishco Management in 1994. Over the next 10 years she served as a talent scout and A&R Director for producer Matt Serletic (Matchbox 20, Gloriana) in Los Angeles and New York. In 2007 she joined Zac Brown’s ROAR as the band’s day-to-day manager. She then moved to Nashville from Atlanta to work with Southern Ground Artists, where she oversaw the publishing company and label. She was most recently VP of Marketing at Thirty Tigers, serving as project manager for Lucinda Williams as well as Jason Isbell’s Grammy Award-winning album Something More Than Free.

Rezonant Music Publishing Opens With Wipperman, Velletri, Walter

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Pictured (L-R): Tim Wipperman and Garry Velletri

Rezonant Music Publishing has opened offices in Nashville, New York, and Los Angeles. The company is led by CEO Tim Wipperman, Exec. VP Creative Garry Velletri, and financial consultant Alan Walter.

Wipperman, a former executive at Warner Bros. Music (now Warner/Chappell Music), will be based in Nashville, while longtime Bug Music executive Velletri will be based in New York. Walter will be based in Los Angeles. His career stops have included Bug Music, Famous Music, and MCA Publishing.

The company has entered into a catalog, co-publishing and joint venture deal with hit songwriter Kevin Kadish and will represent his music moving forward. Kadish’s previous success includes co-writing and producing Meghan Trainor, including the hit “All About That Bass.” Under this joint venture, Kadish has signed writer/artist Jake Scherer to his new publishing venture.

Rezonant has also acquired rights to songwriter Matt Jenkins’ catalog and will be working in conjunction with Combustion Music and Warner/Chappell to exploit his catalog.

Rezonant will be fully funded by an L.A. and New York-based private equity fund that manages more than $750 million in assets. Wipperman says the funding will allow the new company to work aggressively to sign writers and to acquire existing companies and catalogs.

“Too often in today’s catalog acquisition model, larger publishing companies buy out a majority share of another publishing catalog, and then eliminate the people with the historical knowledge,” Wipperman says. “We see that as a mistake. They jettison the creative engine and too many great songs get lost. That means, not only is there fifty pounds of intellectual property in a five pound sack, but too few knowledgeable staff to mine the songs and work with the writers. Our goal is to create real equity partnerships with the prior owners and build value with them for the future.”

“We see this as a great opportunity to partner with the talent that creates the songs, both writers and other publishers,” Velletri explained. “Tim and I have a long history of putting the music first and we both knew what kind of company we wanted to create when we talked about starting a new publishing company. We wanted it to be a new KIND of publishing company. What separates us from the pack is that we do look at these catalog acquisitions and co-venture deals as partnerships. There is a wealth of great music that hasn’t been given the opportunity to be heard. We hope to change that.”

Rezonant’s Nashville office is located at 1209 16th Ave. South. Rezonant’s New York office is located at 332 Bleecker Street, D46.

Wipperman can be reached at timwipp@rezonantmusic.com. Velletri can be reached at GarryV@rezonantmusic.com.

Weekly Register: Florida Georgia Line Continues “H.O.L.Y.” Reign

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Florida Georgia Line. Photo: James Wright

Florida Georgia Line. Photo: James Wright

Florida Georgia Line‘s hit “H.O.L.Y.” regains its hold atop the digital country tracks chart this week, and No. 8 overall, selling 53K (973K RTD). Miranda Lambert‘s latest single, “Vice,” falls to No. 2 this week, with 39K sold.

Brantley Gilbert‘s “The Weekend” makes its debut at No. 3, with 30.5K sold. Dan + Shay‘s “From The Ground Up” is at No. 4 with 25.5K. Dierks Bentley‘s “Different For Girls,” featuring Elle King, rounds out the Top 5 with 23.5K.

Major Lazer debuts atop the overall tracks chart, with “Cold Water” moving 169K.

Overall track sales have declined 25.2 percent year to date, while country track sales have declined 23.5 percent year to date.

Big Smo We The People

On the country albums chart, Smo makes this week’s highest debut at No. 13, with his Warner Bros. Nashville project We The People selling 3.4K. Mitch Rossell debuts at No. 34 with Raised By The Radio and Shotgun Rider debuted at No. 75 with its EP Whirlwind.

Chris Stapleton‘s Traveller is at No. 1 this week on the country albums chart, with 13K, followed by Blake Shelton‘s If I’m Honest at No. 2 (10K), Steven Tyler‘s We’re All Somebody From Somewhere at No. 3 (6K), Sam Hunt‘s Montevallo at No. 4 (5.5K) and Keith Urban‘s Ripcord at No. 5 (5.5K).

Overall album sales year to date have decreased 15.2 percent, while overall digital album sales have declined 20.3 percent. Country album sales have dropped 8.7 percent, while country digital album sales have fallen 15.4 percent YTD.

On the Americana/Folk album chart, Stapleton’s Traveller leads with 13K, followed by The Lumineers‘ Cleopatra at No. 2 (4.5K),  Kaleo‘s A/B at No. 3 (3.2K), Paul Simon‘s Stranger To Stranger at No. 4 (3.2K), and The Avett Brothers‘ True Sadness at No. 5 (3K).

Information provided by Nielsen Soundscan

 

Industry Ink: APA Nashville, IBMA, Rock Ridge Music

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APA Holds Happy Hour For Hill Entertainment

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APA Nashville hosted colleagues from Hill Entertainment Group on Thursday (July 28) for an APA Nashville Happy Hour.

“Our new space at One Nashville Place gives us the opportunity to host our creative friends and partners for some one on one time with our growing staff of Music, TV & Film and Branding agents in the Nashville office” said Steve Lassiter, Partner and Head of Concerts for APA Nashville.

 

IBMA Final Round Nominees

 Pictured (L-R):  IBMA Executive Director Paul Schiminger, Earls of Leicester’s Shawn Camp and Jerry Douglas who also earned Male Vocalist of the Year (Camp) and Dobro Player of the Year, Instrumental Recorded Performance (Douglas) and Kyle Cantrell, host of SiriusXM’s Bluegrass Junction channel which was named an IBMA Distinguished Achievement Award recipient.

Pictured (L-R):  IBMA Executive Director Paul Schiminger, Earls of Leicester’s Shawn Camp and Jerry Douglas, and Kyle Cantrell, host of SiriusXM’s Bluegrass Junction channel.

The final round nominees for the International Bluegrass Music Awards were announced earlier this week. The Earls of Leicester lead the pack with eight total nominations, earning three as a group and five for individual band members.

The IBMA Awards take place Sept. 29 at Raleigh’s Duke Energy Center.

 

Rock Ridge Music Signs Matt Hires, Granville Automatic To Management Deals

Matt Hires, Granville Automatic

Matt Hires, Granville Automatic

Nashville-based Rock Ridge Music, which has both label and management divisions, has signed two artists to management deals: alternative singer-songwriter Matt Hires and Americana duo Granville Automatic.  They join a management roster that already includes such artists as Christian Lopez, Tony Lucca, Ike Reilly, JD Eicher, Matt Brown, Kyle Cox, and Riley Etheridge Jr.

“We’re thrilled to be adding both Matt Hires and Granville Automatic to the RRM family,” says Rock Ridge Music President Cynthia Cochrane. “We’ve been a fan of Matt’s for a long time and his new album exhibits so much depth and pure talent; it’s the perfect evolution in an already strong catalog and we’re excited to help him shape the next phase of his career. The addition of Granville Automatic brings us two individuals who are equally talented as writers as they are performers. We were incredibly impressed by Elizabeth Elkins and Vanessa Olivarez’s passion, intelligence and unique approach to storytelling.”

Carter Winter Visits BMI For New Album Listening Party

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Pictured (L-R): songwriter Tommy Cecil, manager Zach Beebe, BMI’s Bradley Collins, singer-songwriter Carter Winter, producer Mark Bright, producer Chad Carlson, and APA’s Jim Butler.

Pictured (L-R): songwriter Tommy Cecil, manager Zach Beebe, BMI’s Bradley Collins, singer-songwriter Carter Winter, producer Mark Bright, producer Chad Carlson, and APA’s Jim Butler.

Newcomer Carter Winter celebrated the release of his new independent project, The Whiskey In Me, with a listening party at BMI. BMI’s Executive Director Bradley Collins invited producers Bright and Carlson to speak about their involvement in The Whiskey In Me. After praising Carter for his authentic artistry and dedication in the studio, the attendees were treated to an acoustic set of songs from The Whiskey In Me.

The Whiskey In Me was produced by Chad Carlson and Mark Bright, and includes the single, “Lipstick On My Bottle.” The album released on Friday (July 29). The project placed in the top 5 on the iTunes Country chart and No. 21 across all genres within hours of release.

Carter will play a sold-out show and album release party on Friday in Dublin, Ohio.

SESAC Reveals Online Tool To Accelerate Revenues, Expedite Clearances

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SESAC unveiled a new online tool to accelerate revenues and expedite clearances for publishers and distributors. The tool integrates with the combined database of SESAC Performing Rights, Rumblefish and The Harry Fox Agency, allowing publishers to link their compositions to recordings.

The new secure web application is available immediately through the Online Account of publishers that license streaming services through HFA. In the coming months, SESAC will expand the tool’s user group to include clients of Rumblefish, SESAC Performing Rights affiliates, the broader HFA publisher affiliate community and, finally, publishers and writers that are not affiliated with HFA or SESAC. Uniquely, this app is neither rights-type nor distributor-specific.

“Our investments in technology and database management allow our team to offer better service and enhanced revenue opportunities for songwriters and their business partners,” said John Josephson, Chairman and CEO of SESAC Holdings, Inc. “By powering our licensing and administration business units with the industry leading combined SESAC Holdings database, we’re able to make rights administration more efficient, simpler, and more lucrative.”

“Today’s launch,” said Michael Simon, President of SESAC’s Rumblefish, “is the first in a series of technical enhancements that will be rolled out to make work easier and more profitable for our clients.”

BMI Kicks Off Lollapalooza Chicago With Rising Stars

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The Weathers on the 2016 BMI Stage at Lollapalooza.

The Weathers on the 2016 BMI Stage at Lollapalooza.

Photos: Erika Goldring

Day one of Chicago’s Lollapalooza (Thursday, July 28), BMI kicked off the four-day series on its stage during the event’s 25th Anniversary. Among those artists included the first day were singer-songwriter Lucy Dacus, rock band The Arkells, indie collective Wild Child, singer/guitarist firekid, and R&B vocalist SoMo.

The BMI/Lollapalooza stage is known for showcasing the hottest new artists and has served as a launching pad for performers including Halsey, Neon Trees, Ke$ha, Lady Gaga, Chance the Rapper and Cage the Elephant among others.

For more information on the BMI Stage, please visit, bmi.com/lollapalooza.

firekid

firekid on the 2016 BMI Stage at Lollapalooza.

 

Wild Child on the 2016 BMI Stage at Lollapalooza.

Wild Child on the 2016 BMI Stage at Lollapalooza.

 

Arkells on the 2016 BMI Stage at Lollapalooza.

Arkells on the 2016 BMI Stage at Lollapalooza.

 

SoMo on the 2016 BMI Stage at Lollapalooza.

SoMo on the 2016 BMI Stage at Lollapalooza.

 

Lucy Dacus on the 2016 BMI Stage at Lollapalooza.

Lucy Dacus on the 2016 BMI Stage at Lollapalooza.

Sony Music Nashville Names Hannah Dudley VP, Marketing Strategy

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Hannah Dudley

Hannah Dudley

Hannah Dudley has been promoted to the role of Vice President, Marketing Strategy, Sony Music Nashville. In her new role, Dudley will be responsible for the strategy, development and execution of targeted marketing campaigns for Sony Music Nashville’s Arista, Columbia and RCA Nashville rosters. Consequently, she will oversee the product management team in the Sony Music Nashville marketing department and continue to report directly to Paul Barnabee, Sr. Vice President, Marketing, Sony Music Nashville.

Paige Altone, Bob Foglia, Kristen Kee and Lyssa Wheaton, each holding the title of Manager, Marketing, Sony Music Nashville, will report directly to Dudley.

Barnabee says, “I am so proud of what Hannah has accomplished in the time she has been here at Sony Nashville. She has really immersed herself in the music and the artists and brought in a fresh perspective to the projects she has been working on. Hannah will lead a strong team of marketing managers who have been instrumental in the marketing plans for the artists over the past several years. Together I believe they will create new and exciting ways to engage the fans and bring our artists to new heights.”

Dudley says, “It is an incredible honor to be part of the Sony Nashville family and to have the opportunity to work with such a world class roster of artists. I am extremely grateful for Paul Barnabee and Randy Goodman’s trust and support and excited for our next steps together as a team. I am so thrilled to work side by side with Paige, Bob, Kristen and Lyssa.”

Dudley brings more than eight years of experience in digital and traditional marketing, brand partnerships and product management. She worked for East West Records/Rhino/Label Services at Warner Music Group UK from 2013-2015, and for Parlophone and Virgin Records at EMI Music UK from 2008-2014.

While at Warner UK, Dudley led Hunter Hayes’ recent album launch and also set up recent releases for Brett Eldredge and Ashley Monroe. She also facilitated global campaigns for catalog projects on Pink Floyd, David Bowie and blur, and new albums for Robert Plant, Pink Floyd and Bette Midler. At EMI UK, she worked projects on The Beatles, Iron Maiden and Daft Punk.

Once Dudley moved from the UK to the United States, she became a marketing consultant for Nashville-based Dream Big Entertainment Group. Most recently Dudley has been Director, Marketing, Sony Music Nashville.

Dudley can be reached at hannah.dudley@sonymusic.com.