YEP Announces Leadership Council

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yep11The Young Entertainment Professionals (YEP) network has announced the formation of the YEP Leadership Council. The council will host YEP’s events including showcases, monthly mixers and educational programming.
The new YEP Leadership Council consists of Emilija Clark (Made In Network), Kristen Kee (Sony Music Nashville), Caroline Melby (Sea Gayle Music), Katie Roth (Crush Music/I.R.S. Records Nashville), Shannon Saunders (WME), Josh Saxe (BMG Chrysalis), Alina Thompson (CMT), Anna Weisband (THiS Music), Laura Williams (Regions Bank), and Jamie Younger (Warner Music Nashville).
“We have some incredibly exciting education initiatives coming down the pipeline for YEP so this was a great time to bring some really talented newcomers into the leadership fold of YEP as our executive board takes on new initiatives to be announced shortly,” stated Executive Director Andrew Cohen.
YEP is made up of people from multiple aspects of the industry and has grown to nearly 6,700 members in the three years since it’s formation in Nashville.
The YEP network creates a platform for the entertainment industry to thrive in a supportive and creative environment for the betterment of its members as well as the industry as a whole.
For more information on YEP, click yepnashville.com.

Shania Twain Hints at New Tour

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shania111Since 2012 Shania Twain‘s fans have traveled to her during her Shania…Still The One residency at Las Vegas’ Caesar’s Palace. With her commitment with Caesar’s Palace set to run out in July, the entertainer says she is considering bringing her show to the fans. According to an interview with the Calgary Herald, the Canada native says that she and her team are “looking at some dates already, probably in the spring.” Twain hints that an announcement could come after her commitment to Caesars ends, and after another event in P.E.I. in August. The singer’s shows this week, July 9-10, at the Calgary Stampede also signal her return to the stage.
“I think I’m going to do more,” she says. “I guess it’s just something I’m enjoying more now than I have in a long time. Vegas has been a really good transition for me to get back onstage again, and I guess I’m enjoying it. So why not do more?”
Twain says that touring will not necessarily coincide with a new album project, though she says she has plans to return to the studio this year.
“It’s my priority this year and I will be in the studio as soon as I can get in, get my ducks in a row—I’m working on it all the time right now,” she says. “I’ve been writing for it for a long time now, I’ve got lots of things so it’s really about putting the puzzle together now.”

New Renderings Of Proposed Nashville Convention Center Site Released

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Following the opening of the Music City Center, Nashville has plans for its previously existing Nashville Convention Center. In December 2013, a plan was proposed to replace the structure with a one-million-square-foot, mixed-use development. New renderings of the project, designed by Gresham, Smith & Partners, have been released.
As previously reported, the new building will also include underground parking and entertainment complexes. A plaza-like setting along Fifth Avenue will provide a new showcase for the Ryman Auditorium.
The structure will include 840,000-square-feet of office space, a 673-room Nashville Renaissance hotel, along with 244,000 square feet of retail space, and a 50,000 square foot National Museum of African American Music. The latest renderings showcase a multi-story retail space with glass towers.
Construction is estimated to begin in 2017, with an opening tentatively slated for 2019.

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Updated rendering of the new NCC construction


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Updated rendering of the NCC location

'CMA Music Festival: Country's Night To Rock' Airing in August

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Photo: Kayla Schoen / CMA

Jason Aldean. Photo: Kayla Schoen / CMA


Dierks Bentley, Jason Aldean, Hunter Hayes, Brad Paisley, The Band Perry and numerous other Country artists will be featured in CMA Music Festival: Country’s Night to Rock, which is slated to air Tuesday, Aug. 5, beginning at 8 p.m. ET on ABC Television Network. The television special will be hosted for the second year by current CMA Vocal Group of the Year Little Big Town.
This marks the 10th time ABC will broadcast the special. The television event first aired in 2004, and moved to ABC in 2005. The annual special will continue to air on ABC through 2021.
Viewership for 2013’s CMA Music Festival: Country’s Night to Rock, grew by 46 percent over 2012, and by 33 percent in the adults 18-49 demographic.
CMA Music Festival: Country’s Night to Rock is executive-produced by Robert Deaton.

Industry Pics (7/9/14)

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ole songwriter Marty Dodson received a platinum record this week for his song “Fire It Up” with Joe Cocker. The ole team presented the award to Dodson at the company’s offices in Nashville.

Pictured (L-R): Gilles Godard (VP, ole); Emily Mueller (Creative Manager, ole); Shellien Kinsey (Creative Coordinator, ole); Marty Dodson; John Ozier (GM Creative, ole); and Ben Strain (Creative Director, ole).

Pictured (L-R): Gilles Godard (VP, ole); Emily Mueller (Creative Manager, ole); Shellien Kinsey (Creative Coordinator, ole); Marty Dodson; John Ozier (GM Creative, ole); and Ben Strain (Creative Director, ole).

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Lady Antebellum recently invited Grammy U members to soundcheck during a stop at the Verizon Wireless Amphitheatre in Irving, Calif., on their Take Me Downtown Tour. Following soundcheck, Grammy U members did a Q&A with the trio, who answered questions about songwriting, touring and industry topics.

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Pictured: Lady Antebellum with Grammy U students

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The Academy of Country Music welcomed singer-songwriter Robby Johnson to the office while he was in Los Angeles recently. Johnson performed his debut single, “South of Me,” previewed his current single, “Feel Good Song,” and signed up for professional ACM membership, as part of the Academy’s complimentary one-year membership offered to support emerging artists.

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Robby Johnson performs at the ACM office in Encino, Calif.

Industry Ink (7/9/14)

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Screen shot 2014-07-09 at 12.33.17 PM1The annual conference hosted by investment bank Allen & Company is welcoming top leaders from the biggest media and technology companies to Sun Valley, Idaho this week.
According to the NYT, content providers at the deal-making retreat will likely be looking to join forces to gain clout against distributors in the face of acquisitions including Comcast’s proposed $45 billion takeover of Time Warner Cable, and AT&T’s pending $49 billion acquisition of DirecTV. Along these lines, the newspaper reports Discovery Communications and Scripps Networks, home to Great American Country, are dicussing teaming up.
Among those who received invitations to the conference were Tim Cook of Apple, Les Moonves of CBS, Mark Zuckerberg of Facebook, Rupert Murdoch, Barry Diller and leaders from Google, Yahoo, Viacom, Pandora, and the major league sports organizations.

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run the row1The Women’s Music Business Association together with Musicians on Call will hold the inaugural We Run the Row 5K on Saturday, Sept. 13, starting at 6:00 p.m. in the heart of Music Row. The 3.1 mile course will travel on closed roads through Music Row and then end at Owen Bradley park before the party continues on to Tin Roof for a post-race concert. There will be concert ticket prizes for the top three males and females.
All proceeds will benefit WMBA and Musicians on Call. To enter, register at racesonline.com.

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gmaNominees for the 45th annual Gospel Music Association’s Dove Awards nominations will be announced on Wednesday, Aug. 13 at 10 a.m. CT. The nominees will be announced from Lipscomb University in Nashville. The 45th annual GMA Dove Awards will again be broadcast on the UP Network.

Concord Music Prepping Stax Records Musical

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concordConcord Music Group and producer Stuart Benjamin, known for his work on the film Ray, are developing a musical production based on Memphis’ iconic Stax Records. A book will be written by Matthew Benjamin, and the Broadway premiere is expected in spring 2016.
Stax Records began in an old movie theater and became an international hit-making machine, spawning the careers of Otis Redding, Isaac Hayes, Booker T. & the MG’s, The Staple Singers and Steve Cropper, to name few.
As producer of Ray, Benjamin received a Best Picture Oscar nomination. He won a Grammy Award as producer of the film’s multi-platinum soundtrack. He co-founded New Visions Entertainment which has produced the films Against All Odds, White Nights, La Bamba and Everybody’s All American. He has collaborated with artists including Sting, Bon Jovi, Bruce Springsteen and Mariah Carey.
In related Concord news, the company has acquired the catalog of R&B/soul label Vee-Jay Records, which includes over 5,000 master recordings by artists such as Little Richard, John Lee Hooker, Betty Everett, Jimmy Reed, Jerry Butler, The Staple Singers, Gene Chandler and The Dells. The purchase includes Chandler’s “Duke of Earl,” Hooker’s iconic “Boom Boom,” and Everett’s “The Shoop Shoop Song (It’s In His Kiss).”
Concord Music Group’s active roster is home to Sir Paul McCartney, Paul Simon, James Taylor, Alison Krauss, Ben Harper, and Steve Martin and more.

Underwood To Headline Global Citizen Festival

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carrie underwood featured111Carrie Underwood is among the headliners named for the third annual Global Citizen Festival, a free ticketed concert slated for Saturday, Sept. 27, 2014 on the Great Lawn in New York City’s Central Park.
Underwood will be joined by fellow headliners Jay Z, No Doubt, fun., The Roots, and Tiesto. The festival is part of the Global Citizen movement’s aim to eradicate extreme poverty by 2030.
MSNBC and NBC News will serve as official media partners for this year’s Festival. For the first time, the festival will air live on television with MSNBC carrying the full concert on cable and msnbc.com. NBC News will produce a one-hour primetime special of the event to air on NBC at 9 p.m. on Sept. 27. MSNBC and NBC News will also highlight the issues surrounding global poverty in the coming months.
Free tickets to the festival are available beginning today (Wednesday, July 9), by fans participating in online actions at globalcitizenfestival.com. Fans take “action” to earn their admission, by signing petitions and emailing world leaders and sharing content on their social networks. These actions earn fans “points” that can be used to enter the prize draw to win free tickets. Ticket draws will occur throughout summer, and fans will be notified via Ticketmaster when they have been selected. A limited number of VIP tickets will also be available for purchase through ticketmaster.com
The Festival coincides with the UN General Assembly and will serve as a platform to call for tangible commitments from world leaders in the areas of vaccines, education and sanitation. Major campaigns tied to this year’s Festival include: securing contributions for the GAVI Alliance and the Global Partnership for Education, and building momentum by citizens for the Water for the World Act, a Congressional bill that will support efforts to benefit the 1.25 billion women and girls that currently go without safe access to sanitation.

CMA Songwriters Series Continues 10th Anniversary Celebration

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Charlie Worsham, Bob DiPiero, Striking Matches

Charlie Worsham, Bob DiPiero, Striking Matches


By: Laura Hostelley
For the past decade, the CMA Songwriters Series has given the inside scoop to fans across the country on the songs that have impacted them. To celebrate the 10th anniversary, Bob DiPiero will take the stage alongside Striking Matches and Charlie Worsham at Joe’s Bar in Chicago on July 30 to perform their hit songs and share the stories behind them.
The first part of the anniversary kicked off at the Sundance Film Festival in January, and has continued with shows performed in Nashville, New York City, and London already in 2014. Other stops planned for the rest of 2014 include Austin, Nashville, New York and Paradise Island in the Bahamas with Bobby Pinson, Brett James, Caitlyn Smith and Kristian Bush.
The series, which began at Joe’s Pub in New York City, has made 75 appearances in 13 cities with 127 artists sharing their tales.
Tickets for upcoming shows can be purchased at cmasongwritersseries.com, or by calling (312) 337-3486.

Garth Brooks' Press Conference Ignites Speculation

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garthpost1Nashville is rampant with speculation this week regarding Garth Brooks’ future plans. After the cryptic message “The  wait is over…7/7” was posted on his official website last week, the message was changed this week to announce his press conference slated for Thursday, July 10 at 11 a.m CT. The press conference will be streamed live at garthbrooks.com.
Speculation continues with Sony Music Nashville announcing a press conference to be held in Nashville, at the same time and date. Brooks released the majority of his albums via Capitol Nashville (which is now under the UMG umbrella) and Liberty Records, before releasing his most recent projects on his own Pearl Records.
It is likely that the Brooks’ announcement will address the recent cancellation of all five of his Ireland concerts, which were slated for July 25-29 at Dublin’s Croke Park.
It is also possible that Brooks will reveal details of his previously promised upcoming world tour. In December 2013, Brooks announced on Good Morning America, “We’re going on a world tour in 2014.” This would be his first tour in 13 years.
Brooks stopped touring in 2001, trading in the constant traveling to spend time raising his children. He vowed to stay off the road until his youngest daughter graduated from high school, which happened in May. Brooks has occasionally performed, including his successful series of shows at Wynn Las Vegas and a few multi-night runs in Nashville, Los Angeles, and Kansas City, Mo.
It is also possible that in addition to news of a world tour, that Brooks could offer details of a new album. He released the box set Blame It All On My Roots in 2013, but has not released an album of original material since Scarecrow in 2001.
Stay tuned…