CMA Music Festival Preps For Added Growth in 2015

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Pictured (L-R): Zoe McCadams and Emily Davis from the Nashville School of the Arts Guitar Quartet; Sally Williams, Vice President of Business and Partnership Development of Ryman Auditorium and CMA Board President-Elect; Nashville Mayor Karl Dean; Hunter Hayes; Sarah Trahern, CMA Chief Executive Officer; Butch Spyridon, President, Nashville Convention & Visitors Corp.; Frank Bumstead, Chairman of Flood, Bumstead, McCready & McCarthy and CMA Board Chairman; Sophie Allison and Rachel Hambridge from the Nashville School of the Arts Guitar Quartet. Photo: Donn Jones / CMA

Pictured (L-R): Zoe McCadams and Emily Davis from the Nashville School of the Arts Guitar Quartet; Sally Williams, Vice President of Business and Partnership Development of Ryman Auditorium and CMA Board President-Elect; Nashville Mayor Karl Dean; Hunter Hayes; Sarah Trahern, CMA Chief Executive Officer; Butch Spyridon, President, Nashville Convention & Visitors Corp.; Frank Bumstead, Chairman of Flood, Bumstead, McCready & McCarthy and CMA Board Chairman; Sophie Allison and Rachel Hambridge from the Nashville School of the Arts Guitar Quartet. Photo: Donn Jones / CMA

During a press conference held Friday morning (March 13) at Nashville’s Hard Rock Cafe, The Country Music Association’s CEO Sarah Trahern revealed several enhancements to the upcoming CMA Music Festival for 2015.

In 2014, the event drew daily attendance of more than 80,000 fans, bringing in attendees from every state, as well as more than two dozen foreign countries. According to the Nashville Convention & Visitors Corp., the direct visitor spending generated by the event was $39.3 million, and an estimated 150,000 hotel room nights. The average length of stay for attendees was up to 5.6 days in 2014, vs. 5.2 days in 2013.

“Three months from today, we will be in the middle of CMA Music Festival,” said Trahern. “It will be our 15th Music Fest downtown. The event celebrates the undeniable between the artists and their fans, and this year looks to be better than ever.”

Artist Hunter Hayes was on hand to discuss the role that music has played in his life. “For me, one of the coolest things that CMA does is artists getting to connect with fans, that one-on-one connection that you really don’t have anything quite like anywhere else,” said Hayes. Hayes will be one of four Artists of the Day at the AT&T U-Verse Fan Fair X, located the Music City Center. Hayes will make an appearance on Friday, June 12.

Also on hand for the announcements were Nashville mayor Karl Dean, and Butch Spyridon, President of the Nashville Convention & Visitors Corp. 

Hunter Hayes speaks during the CMA Music Festival press conference. Photo: Donn Jones

Hunter Hayes speaks during the CMA Music Festival press conference. Photo: Donn Jones/CMA

CMA Music Festival aids the work of the CMA Foundation; since 2006, CMA and CMA Foundation have donated more than $11 million to support music education initiatives across the country. Highlighted during the press conference was the musical talent of several Nashville students, by way of a performance from the Nashville School of the Arts Guitar Quartet, under the direction of Dr. James Satterwhite. Additionally, Hume-Fogg Academic High School senior Dana Gipson discussed the personal impact that the CMA Foundation has made in her life, by allowing her to attain a solid musical education on top-quality instruments.

Updates for the 2015 CMA Music Festival include:

  • An expanded apparel line created by Nashville-based A3 Merchandise. Items can be pre-ordered at cmafest.com.
  • Updated CMA Music Fest app for iPhone and Android, offering schedules, maps, parking information, artist performance lineups and more. Last year, more than 38,000 users downloaded the CMA Music Festival mobile app.
  • Returning for its fifth year as a CMA Music Festival partner, Gildan will sponsor The Gildan Broadway Stage at the Hard Rock Cafe, with daily music performances.
  • The Belk Park Stage at Walk of Fame Park will feature the addition of video walls.
  • The CMA Music Festival Kick Of Concert will be held on the Chevrolet Riverfront Stage on Wednesday, June 10 from 11 a.m.-7 p.m. This is a free stage.
  • Given the popularity of the international showcase, known as CMA World GlobaLive!, the annual free concert will move venues to Walk of Fame Park, and will feature international food and beverage vendors. GlobaLive! will take place Monday, June 8 from 4 p.m.-11 p.m.
  • The popular CMA Close Up Stage, housed at Fan Fair X in the Music City Center, will grow from 600 to 800 seats (with additional standing room), due to the popularity of the stage last year. Programming will again be streamed on CMAfest.com. Last year, more than 27,000 fans watched the shows online.

Tickets for the nightly concerts at LP Field sold out in November, months before the talent lineup was revealed. However, there are abundant opportunities for music fans to hear new music from their favorite artists, with the CMA Music Festival boasting 11 music stages, including seven stages that will offer free music around downtown Nashville.

Performance lineups will soon be announced for the Chevrolet Riverfront Stage, Bridgestone Arena Plaza Stage, Belk Park Stage, HGTV Lodge, Gildan Broadway Stage at Hard Rock Cafe, Chevrolet Roadhouse Stage, and BMI Tailgate Party in coming weeks.

The Nightly Concerts will be taped for a three-hour prime time special airing later this summer on the ABC Television Network.

CMA Music Festival will be held Thursday-Sunday, June 11-14 in downtown Nashville.

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Reba Unveils “Going Out Like That” Video on NBC’s ‘Today’

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Reba on the set of "Going Out Like That." Photo: Nash Icon Records

Reba on the set of “Going Out Like That.” Photo: Nash Icon Records

Reba narrates a story of romantic breakups and new possibilities in her latest video for “Going Out Like That.” The entertainer gave fans a look at the sassy new clip when it debuted this morning on NBC’s Today.

Reba will will return to NBC’s Today next month to perform the lead single and to discuss her upcoming album Love Somebody, slated to release April 14 on Nash Icon Records. The performance and interview will mark Reba’s first appearance on NBC’s Today in 10 years.

The video was shot in Los Angeles under the direction of TK McKamy. McKamy has directed music videos for Thomas Rhett, Gary Allan, Lady Antebellum, Newsboys, Third Day, and more.

Fans can pre-order the 12-song project beginning March 23 and will instantly receive “Enough” featuring Jennifer Nettles leading up to the album’s release.

‘Idol’ Takes Spotlight To Middle Tennessee

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American-Idol-NashvilleAmerican Idol season 14 is in full swing with plenty of Middle Tennessee residents onboard.

Clark Beckham, a 22-year-old White House, Tenn., native has remained in the Top 11 after a piano performance of “Takin’ It To The Streets.” Previous contestants in the Top 24 included 19-year-old Sarina-Joi Crowe, from Columbia, Tenn., and 18-year-old Riley Bria, a Spring Hill, Tenn., native. The program auditioned contestants in Nashville last year.

New this year is the addition of Big Machine Label Group Founder/CEO Scott Borchetta as mentor. He will sign the season winner to Big Machine/Universal. The mogul has begun coaching the contestants as if they were his own artists on song selection, performance and look. View clip 1. View clip 2.

Country superstar Keith Urban continues as judge on the program alongside Jennifer Lopez and Harry Connick Jr.

Kelly Clarkson, the first-ever winner of American Idol announced last night (March 12) her return to the program on Wednesday, April 1. The adopted Nashville resident will perform and act as a mentor for the contestants.

Idol will return to FOX next Wed./Thurs. to whittle the contestants even further. For those of you counting down the days, the 2015 finale date will span two nights, starting Tuesday, May 12 and Wednesday, May 13.

Signings: Buddy Lee Attractions, APA Nashville Add To Rosters

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Darryl Worley

Darryl Worley

Buddy Lee Attractions, Inc. (BLA) has signed Darryl Worley to its roster. Worley joins fellow BLA entertainers, including Rhett Akins, Daryle Singletary, newcomers Millennial, Radio Romance, Sonia Leigh, Kristen Kelly and Brooke Hogan.

Worley is gearing up to release his seventh studio album, One Time Around, which is produced by Jim “Moose” Brown and slated for a summer release.

“Darryl Worley is a crowd-pleaser on stage and off. The responses from his fans–who buy tickets to see his show night after night–speak volumes,” said Donna Lee, Owner & CEO, Buddy Lee Attractions. “We are proud to represent an artist whose talents never cease to amaze.”

 

• • •

boxmastersEclectic band The Boxmasters has signed with APA Nashville. Their upcoming fourth album, Somewhere Down The Road, is set to be released later this year. The band is comprised of Teddy Andreadis, who has shared the stage with such legendary artists as Guns N’ Roses, Carole King, Alice Cooper, Chuck Berry, Bo Diddley and B.B. King; engineer J.D. Andrew, whose worked with such icons as The Rolling Stones, Guy Clark and Kanye West; Nashville singer/songwriter Brad Davis; and Bud (a.k.a. Billy Bob) Thornton who, in addition to his successful film and television career, has recorded four solo albums, as well as tribute records to Earl Scruggs and June Carter Cash.

“We’re really looking forward to bringing their live show throughout the U.S. in 2015 and beyond,” commented Steve Lassiter, SVP/Partner and Head of Concerts at APA Nashville. “All of us at APA are very excited to take their extraordinary music to another level and celebrate the release of their forthcoming album this year.”

Artist Updates: Darius Rucker, Big & Rich, Asleep At The Wheel

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DRAF 2015 3Darius Rucker To Host Sixth Annual Darius Rucker and Friends Benefit

For a sixth year, Darius Rucker will host his “Darius Rucker and Friends” benefit concert in Nashville. The event is set for Monday, June 8 at the Wildhorse Saloon, and will benefit the St. Jude Children’s Hospital.

An exclusive pre-sale for Rucker’s fan club members began March 11, and general on sale purchases will begin on Friday, March 13 at 11 a.m. Prices begin at $35 for General Admission, and extend to $100 for VIP tables. Tickets are available through the Wildhorse Saloon box office, wildhorsesaloon.com, and dariusrucker.com.

 

Big & Rich To Headline Military Appreciation Day For PGA

Photo: Courtesy Morris Artist Management

Photo: Courtesy Morris Artist Management

Continuing a PGA Tour tradition of honoring men and women in uniform, The Players Championship unveiled a full slate of military appreciation activities and programs for the 2015 event, including a special performance by Big & Rich on Tuesday, May 5, during Military Appreciation Day. Held on Wednesday of tournament week in the past, Military Appreciation Day has moved to Tuesday this year when the tournament returns to The Players Stadium Course at TPC Sawgrass, May 5-11.

Big & Rich will cap off the Military Appreciation Day program on the TPC Sawgrass Clubhouse Lawn, which will include pageantry by military personnel, a flyover, and a National Anthem performance by rising country artist Cali Rodi. Speakers at the Military Appreciation ceremony will be Sergeant Major Bryan Battaglia, Senior Enlisted Advisor to the Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff; PGA TOUR Commissioner Tim Finchem; Jacksonville Mayor Alvin Brown; and a TOUR player TBD.

Ronnie Reno To Celebrate 60 Years in Music

Lessons LearnedTwo-time International Bluegrass Music Association honoree and “Bluegrass Music’s Youngest Old-Timer” Ronnie Reno is set to celebrate 60 years in entertainment with the release of the new project Lessons Learned. The project, which releases March 17, will feature the single “Lower Than Lonesome.”

Lessons Learned is Reno’s first album in nearly a decade, and his first for Rural Rhythm Records. The 11-track album contains nine songs penned by Reno. The project is produced by Reno.

Asleep At The Wheel To Perform at CMA Theater

AATW ImageBand Asleep at the Wheel is slated to perform at the CMA Theater at Nashville’s Country Music Hall of Fame on Friday, March 27 at 7:30 p.m. Tickets range from $27.50-39.50. For tickets, visit cmatheater.com.

No Shoes Radio Teases Kenny Chesney’s The Big Revival Tour

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Kenny Chesney 2015

Kenny Chesney

As Kenny Chesney prepares for his 2015 The Big Revival Tour, his No Shoes Radio internet station will be featuring a two-hour special to preview the tour. “Big Revival Tour Preview Special” will air at www.noshoesradio.com on Wednesday March 28 at 12 p.m. ET and will be packed with music, memories, fan blasts and memories from every market on the upcoming tour. It will go into a rotation daily for the next week around the world via noshoesradio.com, the Kenny Chesney & No Shoes Radio mobile apps, and via distribution partners TuneIn, iHeartRadio, and iTunes Radio.

“So much has happened over the years,” says Chesney. “When you sit down and start looking at the places we’re going, the stories just emerge. Going through the schedule with Tambo, who was there – and Jon Anthony who watched from the outside – it brings back a lot of memories for all of us. “

The tour will kick off with two shows at Nasvhille’s Bridgetone Arena on March 26 and 27.

 

[Exclusive] Marvin Gaye Attorney: No ‘Blurred Lines’ In Verdict

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Richard Busch

Richard Busch

Nashville-based attorney Richard Busch, a partner at King & Ballow, led the team that represented the family of late entertainer Marvin Gaye in the recent “Blurred Lines” lawsuit against Robin Thicke and Pharrell Williams.

This week, news spread quickly when a jury found Thicke and Williams guilty of copyright infringement of the 1977 Gaye song “Got To Give It Up,” when creating their 2013 hit “Blurred Lines.” Thicke and Williams were ordered to pay $7.4 million to Gaye’s children, who inherited the copyrights to the singer’s music after he passed in April 1984. The news caused a controversy among musicians, music industry members and music fans, as they began weighing in on the verdict and what it could mean for music creators.

According to Busch, the next step in the case aims to ensure the Gaye family earns a share of monies from “Blurred Lines” going forward. “We are going to, and this is not unusual, file a request for a permanent injunction, asking the court to stop the sale or distribution of ‘Blurred Lines’ going forward,” Busch tells MusicRow. “The reason for that is that the damage award is only for monies received up until now. The Gaye family will not be able to share in future sales of ‘Blurred Lines’ unless we are able to work something out with the ‘Blurred Lines’ song owners. We will ask the court to enter a permanent injunction to prohibit the sale and distribution of the song going forward, then we have a negotiation about the terms that will be acceptable for them to continue selling ‘Blurred Lines,’ which would mean we get an ownership share in it and a right to future royalties. Otherwise, the Gaye family would not be able to share in any future royalties.”

Attorneys representing Thicke have stated they intend to file an appeal. Paterno & Berliner, LLP lawyer Howard E. King told FOX Business Network’s (FBN) Liz Claman following the verdict, “We owe it to songwriters around the world to make sure this verdict doesn’t stand,” and, “we are going to exercise every post-trial remedy we have to make sure this verdict does not stand.”

Busch tells MusicRow, “There is no appeal here that would be valid in any way, shape or form. They continue to try this case in the press, saying it was a copy of a genre or a groove, but not of a composition. We had two musicologists, Judith Finell and Dr. Ingrid Monson, the Quincy Jones Professor of African American Music at Harvard. They broke the compositions down and showed note-by-note copying and showed that it is the copying of a composition, not a genre or groove. It’s the same before this decision and it’s the same after. If you copy a musical composition, you’ll be liable for copyright infringement.”

Busch, a Miami, Fla., native, became involved in the case through a working relationship with the Gaye family’s transactional entertainment lawyer Mark Levinsohn. “He and I have worked on many cases together, and he reached out to me at the very beginning,” Busch says. “I heard the music, I believed it was a copy. Pharrell Williams and Robin Thicke took the unusual step of actually suing the Gaye family for having the tenacity to bring this issue up and to want to have a discussion about it. At that point we had no choice, and the rest is history.”

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The “Blurred Lines” case is the latest of many major music business cases Busch was won. In the high-profile case of F.B.T Productions, LLC Vs. Aftermath Records, Busch represented F.B.T. Productions, who discovered, produced, and co-wrote some of recording artist Eminem’s biggest hits. The United States Court of Appeals for the Ninth Circuit ruled in favor of F.B.T., finding that agreements between Universal and digital download providers are licenses. Eminem’s recording contract entitled him and F.B.T. to 50 percent of Universal’s net receipts for sales of Eminem’s songs by iTunes and others. F.B.T had previously lost the case in 2009, but the decision was overturned and the case was settled in 2012.

Busch also represented Eminem’s music publisher Eight Mile Style in a copyright infringement action against Apple Inc., and Aftermath Records, to determine whether Apple obtained necessary publishing licenses to allow it to make the rapper’s songs available for digital download on iTunes.

In 2012, Busch obtained a favorable federal court verdict for Alvert Music for upwards of $2 million in a case against a defendant record label involving bankruptcy and copyright issues.

His entrance into entertainment law started with a taxi cab ride in New York City. “The weather was bad, and so I suggested to the person next to me that we share the next cab that came. We did, and I learned that his wife was the copyright administrator for Bridgeport Music, Inc., and Westbound Records, Inc. At the time, the rap industry was sampling music without licenses and the company was planning a massive, 500-count lawsuit. I met with them in Detroit, and we decided to work together. We won every case. Later, they recommended me to Eminem’s team for the FBT Productions case. I’ve been in entertainment law ever since, but it might not have happened without that cab ride.”

Prior to joining King & Ballow in 1991, Busch was a law clerk for the Honorable John V. Parker, Chief Judge of the United States District Court for the Middle District of Louisiana. He earned his law degree from Loyola University Law School. He is a member of the Nashville, Louisiana, and American Bar Associations. He was named one of the top 100 entertainment Power Lawyers by The Hollywood Reporter (2012), and has been named several times as one of the best 150 lawyers in Tennessee by Business Tennessee magazine. In 2011, he was part of the Nashville Post‘s list of Nashville’s Top 101 lawyers. Busch’s practice areas include litigation (state and federal), entertainment litigation, intellectual property law, commercial litigation, and labor and employment law.

“I’m thrilled to be part of it,” he says of his work with the Gaye family. “The people involved, the song involved. It was an honor to represent Marvin Gaye’s family. It’s one of the best experiences of my life and career. This meant so much to the entire family, and it was satisfying to me to be able to make this happen for them. I’ve said this before, but I’m sure people were wondering who this guy was from Nashville, Tenn., and they know now.”

Legal representatives for Thicke could not be reached at press time.

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Ken Kragen Tapped For Personal Managers Interchange

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ken kragen

Ken Kragen

Author, film & television producer, music manager and motivational speaker Ken Kragen has been tapped to deliver the keynote address, “Accomplishing The Impossible,” at Personal Managers Interchange, a two-day conference presented by the National Conference of Personal Managers. The event offers business insight, education and networking for entertainment, music, sports and talent managers.

A Harvard Business School graduate, Kragen has managed Kenny Rogers, Lionel Richie, Trisha Yearwood, Olivia Newton-John, The Bee Gees, Burt Reynolds and The Smothers Brothers. He was a creator and organizer of “We Are the World” and “Hands Across America.” He produced the Smothers Brothers Comedy Hour on CBS and Kenny Rogers’ five Gambler movies, plus is the author of Life Is a Contact Sport: Ten Great Career Strategies The Work.

The Personal Managers Interchange is slated for April 22-23, 2015, at Morongo Casino Resort & Spa in Greater Palm Springs, Calif.

For more information, visit ncopm.com.

New Radio Single April 6 From Nine North Signee

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Pictured (L-R): Larry Pareigis

Pictured (L-R): Larry Pareigis, Bryan Mayer, Shawn Mitchell (manager). Photo: Kevin Mason/Nine North.

Nine North Records Label Group has signed an exclusive promotion, marketing and social media deal with singer/songwriter Bryan Mayer. His SCE Nashville/Nine North/Turnpike Music/Edgehill Nashville single will impact radio on April 6, titled “This Is Me.”

“Bryan exemplifies the brash artistic independence that my team and I are always looking to partner with and amplify,” says Larry Pareigis, President, Nine North/Turnpike Music/Edgehill Nashville. “The road to Country radio for The Big Man begins now!”

The 6’7″ Mayer, a North Carolina native, began his journey at 13. This son of a US Marine Corps Colonel father and a Navy nurse mother started crafting his style and gutting it out in any bar, restaurant or party that would hire him.

Country radios 95.1 WRNS took notice of Mayer’s talent and began to use him as a frequent opener at concerts for National Country headliners like Trace Adkins, Joe Nichols, Craig Morgan, Eli Young Band, The Band Perry, Thompson Square.

“As a singer, songwriter and artist who has worked very hard to get to this point, I am truly excited and honored to now be a part of the Nine North Records family,” Mayer says. “Larry and his staff have years of expertise and knowledge to help me get in front of a national and international audience on Country radio. I know my family, friends, and especially my fans are ready to see me take this step to the next level!”