RCA Studio A has found a last minute savior. Bravo Development announced a finalized contract for the sale of 30 Music Square West to AMT Trust LLC for $5.6 million. Terms of the contract have not been disclosed. Tuesday, Sept. 30 at 5 p.m. was the deadline for interested parties to make a suitable offer to purchase the property.
“From the beginning I invited offers from those who have alternate plans for the building,” said Bravo Development’s Tim Reynolds. “We have worked diligently to find an appropriate buyer, and received multiple offers in the final hours before the deadline including some from developers who did not intend to save the building. In light of public concern, we ultimately decided to select the buyer that plans to preserve the building, and hopefully open it to the public.”
Bravo had previously revealed plans for a 147,000-square-feet, five-story condo to be built on the property. Bravo purchased the property from the Chet Atkins and Owen Bradley estates for $4.075 million.
In June, tenants and music industry members gathered at 30 Music Square West to oppose the selling of the building.
No immediate word on who makes up AMT Trust LLC. Stay tuned.

The 25th Annual International Bluegrass Music Association (IBMA) Awards took place Thursday night (Oct. 2) at Raleigh, N.C.’s Duke Energy Center for the Performing Arts.
Award highlights (full winners list below) include Balsam Range taking home Entertainer of the Year, Vocal Group of the Year, and Male Vocalist (Buddy Melton). Banjo player Noam Pikelny had a breakout night, winning Banjo Player of the Year and Album of the Year for Noam Pikelny Plays Kenny Baker Plays Bill Monroe. At an earlier awards ceremony, Hall of Fame inductee Neil Rosenberg won Best Liner Notes for the same album.
Bluegrass Hall of Fame inductees, The Seldom Scene and Dr. Neil Rosenberg, were honored in special presentations. Rosenberg was celebrated with a performance from fellow Canadians The Spinney Brothers, joined by fiddle players Michael Cleveland, Stuart Duncan, and Jason Carter. Original members Ben Eldridge, John Starling and Tom Gray accepted their award to a standing ovation, noting the late John Duffey and Mike Auldridge. Both original members and current members then performed the signature hit “Wait A Minute.”

Performances included The Boxcars, Claire Lynch, Gibson Brothers, Della Mae, Blue Highway, Noam Pikelny, Del McCoury Band, Balsam Range, Frank Solivan & Dirty Kitchen. Hosts Lee Ann Womack and Jerry Douglas also performed at the 2014 show, which is the centerpiece of the World of Bluegrass Week’s (Sept. 30–Oct. 4) IBMA Business Conference and Wide Open Bluegrass festival.
Awards found broadcast partners including Sirius XM Satellite Radio (Bluegrass Junction) and streaming from Music City Roots. Syndication will take the event to more than 300 U.S. markets and 14 foreign networks. The show will also be posted on AirPlay Direct. Awards are voted on by the professional membership of IBMA.

The 2014 International Bluegrass Music Awards

Hall of Fame Inductees: The Original Seldom Scene, Neil Rosenberg
Entertainer of the Year: Balsam Range
Vocal Group of the Year: Balsam Range
Instrumental Group of the Year:  Frank Solivan & Dirty Kitchen
Male Vocalist of the Year: Buddy Melton
Female Vocalist of the Year: Amanda Smith
Emerging Artist of the Year: Flatt Lonesome
Album of the Year: Noam Pikelny Plays Kenny Baker Plays Bill Monroe – Noam Pikelny (artist) Gabe Witcher (producer), Compass Records
Song of the Year: “Dear Sister” – Claire Lynch (artist), Claire Lynch and Louisa Branscomb (writers)
Instrumental Recorded Performance of the Year: “Thank God I’m A Country Boy”- Special Consensus with Buddy Spicher, Michael Cleveland and Alison Brown (artists), Country Boy: A Bluegrass Tribute to John Denver (album), John Martin Sommers (writer), Alison Brown (producer), Compass Records
Gospel Recorded Performance of the Year: “Won’t It Be Wonderful There” – Dailey & Vincent (artist), Brothers of the Highway (album), Mildred Styles Johnson (writer), Jamie Dailey and Darrin Vincent (producers), Rounder Records
Recorded Event of the Year: “Wild Montana Skies” – Special Consensus with Claire Lynch & Rob Ickes (artists), Alison Brown (producer), Compass Records
Mandolin Player of the Year: Adam Steffey
Dobro Player of the Year: Phil Leadbetter
Bass Player of the Year: Barry Bales
Fiddle Player of the Year: Jason Carter
Guitar Player of the Year: Bryan Sutton
Banjo Player of the Year: Noam Pikelny

Special Awards (presented Oct. 2)

Bluegrass Songwriter of the Year: Tim Stafford
Broadcaster of the Year: Kyle Cantrell, Bluegrass Junction, Sirius XM
Print/Media Person of the Year: Chris Jones, writer at Bluegrass Today
Bluegrass Event of the Year: Bluegrass Underground
Best Graphic Design for a Recorded Project: Lou Everhart (designer), Lonely Comes Easy, Chris Jones & the Night Drivers, Rebel Records
Best Liner Notes for a Recorded Project: Neil V Rosenberg, Noam Pikelny Plays Kenny Baker Plays Bill Monroe, Noam Pikelny, Compass Records
Distinguished Achievement Award recipients: Bill Keith, Deering Banjos, the European Bluegrass Music Association, Hillbilly at Harvard, and The Delmore Brothers.

Momentum Awards (presented Oct. 1)

Instrumentalists of the Year: Dominick Leslie (mandolin), Jake Stargel (guitar), Cory Walker (banjo)
Vocalist of the Year: Jesse Gregory (Jesse Gregory & Faultline)
Band of the Year: The Barefoot Movement
New Festival or Venue of the Year: Bluegrass Situation showcases at Bonaroo & Americana Music Association
Industry Involvement of the Year: Ashlee-Jean Trott, Music City Roots/Bluegrass Underground
Mentor of the Year: Tim Surrett

After last week’s victory over SiriusXM, Flo & Eddie of band The Turtles are waging a new lawsuit against Pandora, which has 200 million registered users. According to Billboard, Flo & Eddie filed a proposed class action lawsuit on Thursday, Oct. 2. The duo seeks approximately $25 million.
“Pandora understands that having a vast range and array of music is critical to the success of any music service which is why pre-1972 recordings constitute a significant part of the Music Service,” says the lawsuit. “Pandora is aware that it does not have any license, right, or authority to reproduce, perform, distribute or otherwise exploit via the Music Service any pre-1972 recordings (including The Turtles’ Recordings),” alleges the complaint.
Pandora states that it pays out publishing royalties for all music plays, including pre-1972 music. This means that songwriters are compensated, but not necessarily performers of the songs. Pandora claims its platform aids in elongating artists’ careers, but says it would lend its support to “the full federalization of Pre-72 sound recordings under a technology-neutral approach that affords libraries, music services and consumers the same rights and responsibilities that are enjoyed with respect to all other sound recordings.”
The Turtles’ recently won lawsuit against SiriusXM involved $100 million in damages. Flo & Eddie claimed SiriusXM did not seek authorization (and did not pay royalties) to play songs including “Happy Together,” “It Ain’t Me Babe,” and other Turtles hits.
Meanwhile, the RIAA is going against Pandora in a separate lawsuit involving pre-1972 music. The RIAA lawsuit is happening in New York, while the Flo & Eddie lawsuit is taking place in California, a state where the plaintiffs hope to use the recent precedent on public performance rights to their advantage.

WSIX/Nashville will host the 2^nd Annual Battle For The Bones Halloween Music Festival on Friday, Oct. 31 at the Cannery Room in Nashville.
The event will benefit the T.J. Martell Foundation’s FTL Sarcoma Fund in honor of Lindsay Walleman, a 28-year-old industry pro who lost her battle with the disease last April. The organization seeks to expand national sarcoma awareness with fundraising initiatives geared specifically towards sarcoma research among the nation’s leading institutions, scientists and doctors.
Thirteen acts across four stages are set to perform that night, including Jake Owen, Big & Rich, Gary Allan, Scotty McReery, and WSIX Morning Show host Bobby Bones & The Raging Idiots.
Tickets to the event range from $45 for general admission to $150 for VIP with limited group packages available. Tickets are now on sale at Ticketweb.com or by visiting wsix.com.