Chris Young, Lee Brice Team For Co-Headlining Tour

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Chris Young Lee Brice

Chris Young and Lee Brice will combine their soulful country voices in 2015, to launch a co-headlining tour that will begin in Syracuse, N.Y. at the War Memorial (at Oncenter) on Thursday, Jan. 22. Some shows will also feature Brothers Osborne as openers.

“Lee and I had a blast last year when we were out with Brad (Paisley) and so we thought it would be great to join up for a co-headlining tour for our fans this winter,” Young said. “I can’t wait to kick things off in Syracuse later this month and head west all the way to Hawaii!”

Brice agrees, “Chris and I have been talking about touring together again for a while. We have a lot of fun together!”

Initial Tour Dates

Jan. 22 – Syracuse, N.Y. / War Memorial At Oncenter**
Jan. 23 – Mashantucket, Conn. / Foxwoods Resort Casino**
Feb. 6 – Jonesboro, Ark. / ASU Convocation Center**
Feb. 7 – Corbin, Ky. / The Arena**
Feb. 19 – Independence, Mo. / Independence Events Center**
Feb. 20 – Bloomington, Ill. / U.S. Cellular Coliseum**
Feb. 21 – La Crosse, Wis. / La Crosse Center Arena**
March 7 – Kahului, Hawaii / Maui Arts & Cultural Center
March 8 – Honolulu, Hawaii / Blaisdell Concert Hall

**with Brothers Osborne

Willing Entertainment Launches Nashville Imprint

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Angela Borchetta White

Angela Borchetta White

Full-service record label Willing Nashville has launched, with Angela Borchetta White serving as President & CEO. Willing Entertainment partners with White House Promotion & Marketing’s Borchetta White to form the US imprint.

Marketing and artist development will be led by Dayna Laverick, while artist management and music publishing will be overseen by Jeffrey R.W. Rath, who will serve as Chairman and General Counsel for the label.

2013 CCMA Rising Star winner Bobby Wills has been signed as the first artist to the imprint. The label will promote his current LP Crazy Enough.

“Jeff sent me a copy of Crazy Enough last summer and it was one of the best collections of songs by a new artist that I’d heard in a while,” says Borchetta White. “Bobby has an exciting sound and the production of this album convinced me that this was an artist and a project that US Radio needed to hear and would be ready to embrace. Jeff has a clear vision for this project which is what intrigued and convinced me to accept the charge of introducing Willing to the U.S. and ensuring everybody has the chance to hear our music. Bobby Wills is a talented singer, songwriter and live performer and I’m excited for us to be partnering together!”

Willing Nashville will produce and record with its production partners in Nashville, Calgary, Toronto, Vancouver, Los Angeles and Muscle Shoals. The company will have offices in Nashville, Atlanta and Calgary.

DISClaimer: Starting The Year Off Bright

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Tim McGraw

Tim McGraw

The winter skies may be unendingly gray, but this week’s country music sounds bright.

Superstar Tim McGraw starts his year off right by slam dunking a Disc of the Day prize. No one else even comes close.

To me, it’s always a sign of good health for the format when there are plenty of talented newcomers vying for attention. Today, they include Mickey Guyton, Nate Green and the winner of the DisCovery Award of the week, Mo Pitney.

NATE GREEN/Back Road
Writer: Nate Green; Producer: Cosme Liccardo/Enrico Carducci; Publisher: none listed; Conway/GMV
-He has an intriguingly husky vocal style, and the production is ear-catching, crunchy and innovative. It sure ain’t your father’s country music, but it has its merits. Recommended listening.

TIM McGRAW & CATHERINE DUNN/Diamond Rings and Old Bar Stools
Writers: Luke Laird/Barry Dean/Jonathan Singleton; Producers: Byron Gallimore/Tim McGraw; Publishers: Songs of Universal/Creative Nation/Twangin and Slangin/Country Paper/Pulse Nation/BMG Gold/Glassbean/We Jam Writers Group, BMI/ASCAP; Big Machine (track)
-Dunn is McGraw’s first cousin (their moms are sisters). Her family harmony with him is perfection on this ballad of regret. Diamonds are for queens, and barstools are for fools, you see. So the two lovers in this song were never meant to blend together. Extremely well done in every department.

PARMALEE/Already Callin’ You Mine
Writers: Matt Thomas/Scott Thomas/Barry Knox/Phil O’Donnell/Wade Kirby; Producer: NV; Publishers: 27861 Music/Revelry/Gallo & Landers/Sixteen Stars/HoriPro/Dirty County/Big Loud Bucks, BMI; Stoney Creek
-These four hard-working dudes continue to impress. This upbeat bopper summons a lady to romance with sunny optimism.

REBA McENTIRE/Going Out Like That
Writers: Ben Hayslip/Rhett Akins/Jason Sellers; Producer: Tony Brown; Publishers: WB/Tar-Cam-Knox/Thankful for This/Sony-ATV/EMI Blackwood/Becky’s Boy/Brooks County Boy, ASCAP; Nash/Valory
-This gal isn’t wallowing in her broken heart. She’s out rocking, throwing back shots, dancing up a storm, dressing in red and being the life of the party. Rock on.

JULIE C. MYERS/Can’t Get My Heart Around That
Writer: none listed; Producer: Dan Hodges; Publishers: none listed; Wild Heart (track)
-The opening line of her publicity bio brags that she is, “arguably the world’s most sought after Stevie Nicks tribute artist,” and that she has been touring for eight years with her “Nearly Nicks” act. Allrighty, then. The production of her debut single owes more to rock traditions than it does to country. Her vocal performance isn’t commanding enough for either genre.

JIM ED BROWN/When The Sun Says Hello to the Mountain
Writers: Harry Pease/Larry Vincent; Producer: Don Cusic; Publisher: Shapiro Bernstein, ASCAP; Plowboy (track)
-The lead-off track of the new CD by this Grand Ole Opry veteran harkens back to his ‘50s and ‘60s performances with his sisters in The Browns. The lovely harmonies match the lilting melody and the icing on the cake is the delicious steel-guitar embellishment by Chris Scruggs. At age 80, Jim Ed still has enormous vocal warmth and class. Get-well wishes are in order — He was recently diagnosed with lung cancer.

Mo Pitney photo Joseph LLanes

Mo Pitney. Photo: Joseph Llanes

MO PITNEY/Country
Writers: Mo Pitney/Bobby Tomberlin/Bill Anderson; Producer: Tony Brown; Publishers: Mike Curb/Sony-ATV Tree/Mr. Bubba, BMI; Curb
-His vocal is effortlessly countrified, with echoes of the great honky-tonk stylists of yore. The lyric is extraordinarily well crafted, full of the little details that make a great song sparkle. I can’t wait to hear more from this guy.

MICKEY GUYTON/Better Than You Left Me
Writers: Mickey Guyton/Jennifer Hanson/Jenn Schott/Nathan Chapman; Producers: Nathan Chapman/Dann Huff; Publishers: Mickey’s Island/Sony-ATV Acuff Rose/Chaylynn/Music of Parallel/Schott Heard Around the World/Downtown DMP/Songs of Universal/Art in the Pain, BMI; Capitol (CDX)
-It takes guts to start your career with a slow ballad. But this gal has the vocal chops to pull it off. The stately drum thump and softly sympathetic electric guitars aid her as she builds to a slow-burn, soulful emotional peak.

RACHEL HOLDER/I Think of You
Writers: Billy Aerts/Scott Lynch/Shea Fisher; Producer: none listed; Publishers: Stormey/BMG Platinum/Baby Gray/Dan Hodges/Shea Fisher, BMI; Curb (CDX)
-The fact this woman isn’t already a star continues to baffle me. Every single has been a vocal tour de force, and this one is no exception. She knocks this ballad out of the ballpark. Stop putting so much compression on her singing, crank up her volume and let her wail.

LOCASH/I Love This Life
Writers: Chris Janson/Preston Brust/Chris Lucas/Danny Myrick; Producers: Lindsay Rimes/Preston Brust/Chris Lucas; Publishers: Red Vinyl/Sony-ATV Tree/Root 49, BMI; Reviver (CDX)
-This made me want to dance around the room. They sing like hillbilly angels, the production is a frothing swirl and the dazzling rhythm track is relentless. I love this life, indeed.

Bowen Firm Merges with Shackelford, Zumwalt & Hayes

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Jay Bowen

Jay Bowen

Nashville litigators Jay Bowen, Will Parsons and Lauren Kilgore have joined mid-sized Dallas-based Shackelford, Zumwalt & Hayes, which opened its Nashville office in 2010. The merger expands the Nashville office to seven attorneys. The Nashville office had previously specialized in entertainment business and commercial law. The Bowen group will head the firm’s litigation section.

The firm will now be known as Shackelford, Bowen, Zumwalt & Hayes.

“Jay Bowen is a legendary litigator whom I have always admired, first as a partner at Bass, Berry & Sims and next when he founded Bowen, Warnock & Jacobson. Joined by Will Parsons and Lauren Kilgore, the three are a very formidable litigation team and a perfect fit for our business transactional practice in the Nashville office,” stated partner Jim Zumwalt. “The Nashville office will now be a very similar practice group to our Dallas office. This is an ideal merger and I expect to see continuing expansion of the Nashville practice throughout 2015.”

Will Parsons

Will Parsons

John Shackelford, founding partner, added “We are extremely proud to have added the expertise and talents of Jay, Will, and Lauren to our firm. Their nationally-known litigation practice expands the areas of expertise our firm offers.”

Bowen has practiced law in Nashville since 1974. He specializes in complex litigation, with a concentration in entertainment, intellectual property, First Amendment, and business issues. Bowen has been listed as a Mid-South Super Lawyer, in Best Lawyers in America, Nashville Post’s “100 Best Lawyers in Nashville,” and Chambers and Partners Best Lawyers for Business. He is a graduate of Davidson College and Vanderbilt University Law School. He is an alumnus of Leadership Music and is a Fellow of the Nashville Bar Foundation. Bowen will lead the litigation division.

Parsons is a litigator with a concentration on entertainment, intellectual property, and business issues. He has represented major recording artists, major and independent record labels, Fortune 500 media companies, and other clients in trial and arbitration matters across the country. He has also represented numerous indigent clients in pro bono matters in the Nashville area. Parsons graduated from the University of Virginia and the University of Tennessee College of Law.

Lauren Kilgore

Lauren Kilgore

Kilgore’s practice and experience is focused on complex litigation for both plaintiffs and defendants, with a focus on entertainment, intellectual property and business litigation. Kilgore also handles a wide variety of transactional entertainment industry matters on behalf of both artists and institutional clients. Her practice is focused on complex business and entertainment-related litigation. Kilgore is a graduate of Vanderbilt University Law School. She previously served as an associate member of the Harry Phillips American Inns of Court, and currently serves as a board member of the Young Lawyer’s Division of the Nashville Bar. Kilgore was also selected as a participant in the Nashville Bar Foundation’s inaugural Leadership Forum for 2014-2015.

Shackelford, Bowen, Zumwalt & Hayes is part of Shackelford, Melton, McKinley & Norton, LLP, a Dallas-based business and entertainment law firm representing financial institutions, recording artists, real estate owners and developers, automobile dealerships, record labels, and other businesses in legal matters across the country.

MusicRowPics: Brian Collins

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Brian Collins visit

Brian Collins visit

Georgia native Brian Collins’ refreshing voice and top shelf songwriting chops are on full display on his recently released album, Healing Highway. The independent singer-songwriter recently stopped by the MusicRow office to offer a three-song preview of the album, including the pensive, rock-influenced “Next 500 Miles,” harmonica-laced “Harder I Run,” and current single, “Never Really Left.”

Collins produced the album alongside Kenny Greenberg (Pam Tillis, The Mavericks) and Mills Logan (Luke Bryan, Eric Paslay).

The Douglasville, Ga., native moved to Nashville two years ago, after spending years performing throughout the Southeast. “I had a whole album ready to go and something didn’t feel right,” said Collins. “I knew I had a message to get across, and so we went back into Quad Recording Studio and crafted this album. I’m so proud of it.”

Collins, who performs more than 150 dates per year, has been crisscrossing the country on a radio tour since June. “It’s the old-fashioned way of shaking hands and getting to know people. Otherwise, we are just another name in a radio programmer’s stack of records,” says Collins.

He was recently named as part of CMT Pure’s Artist Discovery Program, with the video for “Never Really Left” added the network’s video rotation.

“Never Really Left” currently sits at No. 48 on the MusicRow CountryBreakout chart.

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AIMP Announces New National Board of Directors, Nashville Boards

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AIMP LogoThe Association of Independent Music Publishers has announced its national board of directors (based in Los Angeles), as well as the boards for the organization’s New York and Nashville chapters for the 2015-2016 term.

The national officers are: Michael Eames/PEN Music Group (President); Teri Nelson Carpenter/Reel Muzik Werks, LLC (Vice President); Barbie Quinn/BMI (Executive Director); David Weitzman/ole (Secretary); and Cedar Boschan/Green Hasson Janks (Treasurer).

Chapter officers in Nashville are: Marc Driskill/Sea Gayle Music (Executive Director), Denise Nichols/The Primacy Firm, LLC (Secretary) and Ree Guyer Buchanan/Wrensong (Treasurer).

Directors in Nashville are: John Allen/New West Records, Craig Currier/peermusic, Tim Fink/SESAC, Michael Martin/ ASCAP, Kim McCollum/Words & Music, John Ozier/ole and Randy Wachtler/Warner-Chappell Production Music.

New directors include Timothy A. Cohan, Esq./peermusic, Carianne Marshall/SONGS Music Publishing and Jake Wisely/The Bicycle Music Company. They join returning directors Todd Brabec, Esq./Musicandmoney.com, Linda Gallico/Realsongs, Jeff Jernigan/ASCAP, Sam Kling/SESAC, Linda A. Newmark, Esq./Universal Music Publishing Group and Susan Slamer/Sony Pictures.

Chapter officers in New York are: Caroline Bienstock/Carlin America, Inc. (Executive Director), Arthur Levy, Esq./Spirit Music Group (Secretary) and Steven White, CPA/Janover, LLC (Treasurer).

New York directors include: Philip Cialdella/Wonderlous Music, Alisa Coleman/ABKCO Music, Inc., Joyce Dollinger, Esq./ Dollinger, Gonski and Grossman, Julie Lipsius/Lipservices, Mary Beth Roberts/High Standards Unlimited, Debbie Rose/Shapiro Bernstein, & Co., Michael Simon/Harry Fox Agency, Mark Spier/Memory Lane Music Group and Richard Stumpf/Atlas Music Publishing.

 

Live Nation App Now Offers Uber For Concertgoers

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LiveNation250Live Nation has announced that fans attending concerts can now request Uber rides using the updated Live Nation iOS and Android app. The new development will allow fans an easy option for ordering rides to and from events complete with time and cost estimates for Uber users.

“Offering the ability to request a safe and hassle-free Uber ride through our Live Nation app lets fans focus less on arrivals and departures, and more on their great live music experience,” said Mark Campana, Co-President North American Concerts, Live Nation Entertainment.

Live Nation is also creating special Uber pick-up/drop-off zones located close to main entrances of Live Nation Amphitheaters to provide fans faster entry into concerts.

New Uber users are eligible for a $30 discount on their first ride and the app is available for download at both the Apple and Android stores.

“We are thrilled to work with Live Nation to launch this first-of-its-kind partnership,” said Matt Wyndowe, head of product partnerships at Uber. “With this integration, music lovers from across North America will be able to connect with Uber and request a reliable ride at the touch of a button.”

Industry Ink: NMPA, ACM Honors, BMLG Adds Flammia

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The Band Perry Honored by the NMPA

The NMPA recently presented The Band Perry with Gold & Platinum songwriting awards for their hits “Postcard from Paris,” “Done.,” and “If I Die Young.” The presentations were made after The Band Perry had spent the day on Capitol Hill, discussing the need to protect music creators with The Recording Academy.

Pictured (L-R): NMPA Pres & CEO David Israelite, Reid Perry, Kimberly Perry & Neil Perry.
Pictured (L-R): NMPA Pres & CEO David Israelite, Reid Perry, Kimberly Perry & Neil Perry.

 

Nicole Flammia Joins Big Machine Label Group

Nicole Flammia

Nicole Flammia

Nicole Flammia has joined Big Machine Label Group as Creative Director Video & Photo Production. Flammia joins the Creative Team, including Sandi Spika Borchetta, BMLG’s Sr. VP Creative, in working with BMLG’s roster of artists to manage music video and photo shoot production, as well as visual content needs.

Sandi Spika Borchetta comments, “We are very excited to have Nicole join our Creative Team. I have worked with her for years as Executive Producer for other companies. I am very honored to have her join our side of the creative video and photo process.”

Since 2010, Flammia served as Executive Producer of the music video division and Client Liaison at TackleBox Films. Her career also includes stops at Sony Music Nashville, Aristo Media, and Picture Vision.

Flammia can be reached at nicole.flammia@bmlg.net.

 

Date Set for 9th Annual ACM Honors

ACMHonorsThe 9th Annual ACM Honors will take place Tuesday, Sept. 1, 2015 at Nashville’s Ryman Auditorium (116 5th Ave. N.) The evening will include musical tribute performances and award presentations in celebration of the non-televised award recipients and winners from the 50th Annual Academy of Country Music Awards.

Special Award recipients, Studio Recording Award winners, Industry Award winners, and the Songwriter of the Year Award winner will be announced at a later date.

Concert Calendar: Country Stars Coming To Bridgestone Arena

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Jason Aldean

Jason Aldean headlines the Bridgestone Arena next month.

Several big country events are on the schedule at Nashville’s Bridgestone Arena in coming months. Here’s a run-down:

Saturday, Feb. 21—Jason Aldean brings his Burn It Down Tour 2015 with special guest Cole Swindell.

Thursday, March 26—Kenny Chesney launches The Big Revival Tour on his birthday, with special guests Jake Owen and Chase Rice. Tickets on sale Jan. 23 at 10 a.m.

Saturday, April 11—Alan Jackson’s 25th Anniversary Keepin’ It Country Tour visits the arena with special guests Jeff Foxworthy and Jon Pardi. Tickets on sale Jan. 15 at 10 a.m.

Wednesday, Aug. 12—The Charlie Daniels Band’s Volunteer Jam 40th anniversary event features Billy Ray Cyrus, Kentucky Headhunters, Montgomery Gentry, the Outlaws, Lee Roy Parnell and Travis Tritt, with more TBA. Proceeds will go to the The Journey Home Project and The Predators Foundation. Tickets on sale Friday, Jan. 30 at 10 a.m.

Friday and Saturday, Sept. 25 and 26—Taylor Swift’s 1989 World tour stops in Nashville with special guest Vance Joy.

Tickets at www.ticketmaster.com.

Royalty Exchange Launches ARIA Online Tool For Royalty Owners & Publishers

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royalty exchangeOnline auction marketplace Royalty Exchange has launched Accelerating Royalty Insights with Analytics (ARIA), a new online application for music royalty owners and publishers. The tool allows publishers, songwriters and artists to determine out how much Spotify, Pandora and others are paying them per play.

Initially developed for internal use for investors needing analytic research on royalty streams in Royalty Exchange auctions, it is now available for free to individual royalty owners and fee-based for publishers.

“Every royalty owner and publisher should add this tool to their arsenal as they battle for their fair share of royalty payments and collections,” said Sean Peace, President of Royalty Exchange. “The light is shining bright on the issue of royalty rates right now as we wait to see what happens at the Department of Justice with regard to the potential consent decree changes. Artists like Taylor Swift and Bono are also helping to keep this issue in the forefront as they battle over what they are getting paid by streaming services. ARIA helps them tackle these issues by providing them with key information that has been hard to pull together in the past.”

Designed to simplify the traditional royalty analysis process, Royalty Exchange asserts ARIA as a tool that breaks down royalty streams, displaying where royalties are coming from, who is paying what and how much they are worth.