All Five Garth Brooks Comeback Concerts Canceled

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garth brooks11

Garth Brooks


By: Laura Hostelley
In a statement made today, July 8, by Aiken promotions, all five Garth Brooks Comeback Special Event shows, scheduled at Dublin Ireland’s Croke Park have been canceled. No concerts will take place.
“Aiken Promotions have exhausted all avenues regarding the staging of this event,” a press release read.
Dublin City Council refused licensing for two of Brooks’ shows at the venue. In news that broke last week, Brooks responded to the Council’s decision by saying he would play all five shows or none at all.
Today’s statement notes the return process for the 400,000 fans who purchased tickets for the Dublin events will be “outlined tomorrow.” A previously announced, rescheduled press conference for Brooks is expected to take place Thurs., July 10, live streamed on garthbrooks.com at 11am CT.

Womack and Douglas to Host 25th IBMA Awards

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Jerry Douglas, Lee Ann Womack

Jerry Douglas, Lee Ann Womack


By: Laura Hostelley
Lee Ann Womack will host the 25th annual International Bluegrass Music Awards, part of the 2014 World of Bluegrass event. Womack will be joined by Dobro player Jerry Douglas as they honor outstanding achievement in the genre.
The Oct. 2 award show will take place at the Duke Energy Center for the Performing Arts in Raleigh, N.C. and is part of IBMA’s five-day event, running Sept. 30 – Oct. 4.
“Last year, I came as a fan—and I loved every moment of World of Bluegrass!” said Womack. “To be a part of the IBMA Awards is such an honor, and to get to co-host with Jerry Douglas? How lucky can one girl get?”
The week include four parts: the IBMA Business Conference (Sept. 30-Oct. 2), the 25th annual International Bluegrass Music Awards (Oct. 2), the Wide Open Bluegrass Music Festival (Oct. 3-4) and the Bluegrass Ramble, a series of bluegrass showcases (Sept. 30-Oct. 2).
The festival lineup this year includes Ricky Skaggs & Kentucky Thunder with Bruce Hornsby, Gibson Brothers, Steep Canyon Rangers and many more.
Last year’s World of Bluegrass welcomed a total estimated attendance of more than 154,000 to witness over 300 performances from more than 160 different artists. The events, which moved from Nashville two years ago, were estimated to generate $10 million in direct visitor spending in 2013.
Tickets for the Award Show, as well as for the ticketed portion of Wide Open Bluegrass (which takes place at Red Hat Amphitheater and Raleigh Convention Center Ballroom Stages), Bluegrass Ramble Showcase passes, and IBMA Business Conference registration can be purchased at ibma.org.

2014 Nashville Songwriters Hall of Fame Inductees Announced

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Pictured, (back row, L-R): Nashville Songwriiters Hall of Fame Board Chair and Hall of Fame member Pat Alger; inductees John Anderson and Gretchen Peters and Hall of Fame executive director Mark Ford. Front row, (L-R): Inductees Paul Craft and Tom Douglas.

Pictured, (back row, L-R): Nashville Songwriters Hall of Fame Board Chair and Hall of Fame member Pat Alger; inductees John Anderson and Gretchen Peters and Hall of Fame executive director Mark Ford. Front row, (L-R): Inductees Paul Craft and Tom Douglas.


John Anderson, Tom Douglas, Gretchen Peters and Paul Craft are the 2014 inductees into the Nashville Songwriters Hall of Fame. The inductees were announced Tuesday morning (July 8) by Nashville Songwriters Hall of Fame board president Pat Alger at Nashville’s Music City Center.
“This is our first anniversary of the Songwriters Hall of Fame gallery and square at the Music City Center,” said Alger. “I can’t think of a better way to celebrate than to introduce our 2014 inductees. There are few songwriters who write songs that linger long after they are on the chart, and these writers fit that description.”
“I am going to cry in October,” said Peters, who is known for songs including “Independence Day” (Martina McBride), “Secret of Life” (Faith Hill), and “Chill of an Early Fall” (George Strait). “I couldn’t be happier to be in this company,” she added.
Douglas, known for the hits “The House That Built Me” (Miranda Lambert), “I Run To You” (Lady Antebellum) “Little Rock” (Collin Raye) and “Love’s The Only House” (Martina McBride), among others, said, “It is a joy to be with you in this amazing space. We are standing on the shoulders of all those giants who have come before us.”
Anderson penned many of his own signature hits, including “Wish I Could’ve Been There,” “Seminole Wind,” and “Swingin.'” “How flattered and humbled I am to be here,” said Anderson.
“This is very exciting to me,” said fellow inductee Craft. “I look forward to our induction.” Craft’s songs include “Keep Me From Blowing Away” (The Seldom Scene/Linda Ronstadt), “Brother Jukebox” (Mark Chesnutt), “It’s Me Again, Margaret” (Ray Stevens), “Dropkick Me, Jesus” (Bobby Bare), and many others.
The inductions will be made during a banquet at the Music City Center on Oct. 5.

Bentley Reveals Miles And Music Line-Up

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miles and music 2014Dierks Bentley has recruited Randy Houser, Kip Moore, Jon Pardi and Chris Young to participate in his ninth annual “Miles & Music for Kids” celebrity motorcycle ride and all-star concert, scheduled for Sun., Sept. 28 in Nashville. All proceeds will benefit Monroe Carell Jr. Children’s Hospital at Vanderbilt, a Children’s Miracle Network Hospital. To date, Miles & Music for Kids has raised over $2.5 million for Children’s Miracle Network Hospitals across the country.
The event will once again begin at the Harley Davidson of Columbia, TN for a motorcycle trek ending at Nashville’s Riverfront Park for the concert. More performers are expected to be announced as the event approaches.
To build momentum for Miles and Music and raise money for Vanderbilt Children’s Hospital, plastic Riser Birds descended on Nashville yards this week (including MusicRow’s). Nashville residents can “Flock It Forward” and send Riser Birds to their friends at www.dierks.com/riserbirdmovement.
“The Riser bird symbol we’ve been using to represent this album has really come to mean something to my fans,” said Bentley. “I’ve been hearing stories about it on the road, people are getting tattoos of it. It’s a symbol of strength and resilience, and I think it’s perfect to extend into what we do for Miles & Music, especially when we are talking about the history of the event, the bikers and fans who come out every year to support it and most importantly, the children and their families being treated at Vandy. The Riser Bird Movement that started this week is a cool way to get the community involved in a deeper way and earlier this year….it’s been fun to see it start to spread across town.”
Fans can purchase a combo ticket for the ride and concert for $50 or individual concert tickets for $30. Special VIP packages and student tickets are also available. Presale tickets are available beginning tomorrow, July 9 and general public tickets go on sale this Fri., July 11 at 10:00 a.m. CT. For more ticket info, visit www.dierks.com.

[Updated]: Industry Ink (7/8/14)

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Branden Bosler

Branden Bosler


Branden Bosler has been added as Promotion Coordinator for Warner Music Nashville’s Team WMN. Bosler replaces Tyler Wall, who will exit July 25 to pursue his MBA at Vanderbilt.
Atlanta native Bosler interned with WMN through May 2013, and graduated from University of Georgia before earning his Master’s degree in Education from Vanderbilt.
He can be reached [email protected]. He will eventually assume Wall’s direct line at 615-214-1525.

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dolly parton Hope Powell

Pictured (L-R): Dolly Parton, Hope Powell


A memorial service for Nashville photographer Hope Powell will be held on Saturday, July 12.
Billed as, “A Going Home Celebration,” the event will held at Christ Church, 15354 Old Hickory Blvd. in Brentwood. It will begin with a visitation at noon, followed by the service at 1 p.m. Christ Church Choir, of which Powell was a longtime member, will sing.
One of Music City’s premiere celebrity photographers, Powell died at age 90 on July 3 after a bout with lung cancer. She created iconic album jackets for Dolly Parton, Conway Twitty, Tom T. Hall, Porter Wagoner and others and won a 1974 Dove Award for her work with The Blackwood Brothers. Hope Powell was given a SOURCE Award in 2007 as a pioneering woman in the Nashville music business.
-submitted by Robert K. Oermann

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Wendy Newcomer

Wendy Newcomer


Wendy Newcomer, former Sr. Editor at Great American Country, has joined Country Aircheck in the newly created position of Managing Editor. Prior to her nine years with GAC, Newcomer was an associate editor with Country Weekly. Newcomer can be reached at [email protected].

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The Country Music Hall of Fame and Museum honored rock and soul pioneer Buzz Cason recently during its Poets & Prophets series. Cason, a Nashville native, was a member of Nashville’s first rock band, The Casuals, and co-wrote numerous hits including “Everlasting Love” during his 60-year career. The program featured a performance by Cason as well as an in-depth interview led by museum editor Michael Gray.

Pictured are (l-r): Wayne Moss, Chip Young, Scotty Moore, Sonny Curtis, Jerry Chesnut, Buzz Cason, Bob McDill, Allen Reynolds, Dickey Lee, the Country Music Hall of Fame and Museum’s Michael Gray, Dallas Frazier, and Bergen White

Pictured are (L-R): Wayne Moss, Chip Young, Scotty Moore, Sonny Curtis, Jerry Chesnut, Buzz Cason, Bob McDill, Allen Reynolds, Dickey Lee, the Country Music Hall of Fame and Museum’s Michael Gray, Dallas Frazier, and Bergen White.

Spirit Music Group Acquires Cal IV Entertainment

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Pictured (L-R): Peter Shane (SVP, Creative Services, Spirit Music Group), Jon Singer (CFO, Spirit Music Group), Daniel Hill (Cal IV), David Renzer (Chairman, Spirit Music Group), Mark Fried (President, Spirit Music Group), Art Levy (VP of Business & Administration, Spirit Music Group), Ross Cameron (Manager of Finance & Business Development, Spirit Music Group)

Pictured (L-R): Peter Shane (SVP, Creative Services, Spirit Music Group), Jon Singer (CFO, Spirit Music Group), Daniel Hill (Cal IV), David Renzer (Chairman, Spirit Music Group), Mark Fried (President, Spirit Music Group), Art Levy (VP of Business & Administration, Spirit Music Group), Ross Cameron (Manager of Finance & Business Development, Spirit Music Group)


Spirit Music Group has acquired Nashville-based independent music publisher, production and artist management company Cal IV Entertainment, which marks the launch of Spirit Music Nashville.
This is Spirit’s first official presence on Music Row. Spirit will assume the Cal IV Nashville offices, with Cal IV head Daniel Hill being named president of Spirit Music Nashville, Billy Lynn becoming VP of Creative, and other existing Cal IV staffers remaining with the company. Hill will report to Spirit Chairman David Renzer, who was named to that post earlier this year after a long tenure leading Universal Music Publishing Group.
Along with the publishing operation, Spirit assumes ownership of Cal IV’s subsidiary Fore Artists, an artist management company overseen by Dan Harrell.
Renzer stated, “The acquisition of Cal IV represents a ‘trifecta’ for Spirit—adding great catalog including important pop and country copyrights, hot writers and artists and an incredible staff—lead by successful veterans Daniel Hill and Billy Lynn, to build upon an incredibly solid foundation. We couldn’t be more excited about this significant step for Spirit as we accelerate the company’s growth.”
Spirit becomes the publisher of an active roster that includes Eric Paslay, Jim Collins, Rose Falcon, Matt Singleton, Eric Knutson, and Britanny Taylor (Triple Run). The company’s catalog includes “Breathe” (recorded by Faith Hill), “Stupid Boy” (Keith Urban), “Big Green Tractor” (Jason Aldean) and more, as well as an extensive catalog of songs by former Cal IV writers such as Dave Berg (Billboard’s 2007 Country Songwriter of the Year, NSAI’s 2007 Songwriter of the Year, ASCAP’s 2008 Country Songwriter of the Year), Jim McBride, Odie Blackmon, Marla Cannon-Goodman, Trent Tomlinson, Holly Lamar, Georgia Middleman (Blue Sky Riders with Kenny Loggins and Gary Burr) and Ted Russell Kamp (Shooter Jennings), among many others.
Spirit purchased Cal IV from the Turner family, which includes Cal III and Cal, Jr. “I am proud of what we have accomplished over the last fourteen years at Cal IV and am very grateful to Cal, III and Cal, Jr. for their generous support. I am thrilled to be able to continue to build upon their legacy and our considerable momentum as Spirit Music Nashville,” added Hill. “Spirit and Cal IV are kindred companies and the fit between the two could not be better. Joining forces with Spirit Music will create synergies that individually we could not attain, and will enable us to take the catalog and our songwriters to a whole new level of success.”

CMA Music Festival Direct Visitor Spending Reaches $39.3 Million

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Zac Brown Band performs during CMA Music Festival in 2014. Photo: John Russell / CMA

The 2014 CMA Music Festival contributed a record-setting $39.3 million in direct visitor spending to the local community, according to the Nashville Convention and Visitors Corp. (NCVC). In 2001, the Festival generated $15.5 million in direct visitor spending; by 2013, the figure grew to $31.5 million.

“Since moving to downtown Nashville in 2001, CMA Music Festival has experienced amazing growth, which has benefited our city in numerous ways,” said Sarah Trahern, CMA Chief Executive Officer. “The Festival is a showcase for Music City that drives tourism, benefits music education, and generates a strong base of local revenue, with a significant impact on our community at large.”
The estimated number of room nights for festival attendees was 150,000 and the average length of the visit was 5.6 days, higher than 2013’s 5.2 day average.
Originally started as Fan Fair™ in 1972, the event has featured performances by every major star in the format. What began with 5,000 fans in the Municipal Auditorium has grown to a daily attendance of more than 80,000, with attendees from every state and two dozen foreign countries.
The numbers are based on CMA’s onsite/in-person surveying of 437 attendees over the four days.

CRS 2015 Registration Opens July 15

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crs 20151Registration for Country Radio Seminar 2015 will open Tuesday, July 15. CRS will offer a limited time $349 Summer Super Saver registration rate for CRS 2015, which is scheduled for Feb. 25-27, 2015.
The special rate will be available July 15, 2014 through Aug. 15, 2014, or to the first 349 registrants, whichever comes first. After the offer expires, an early bird rate of $399 will be offered.
A ticket to the annual New Faces of Country Music show is guaranteed to the first 349 registrants.

Industry Ink (7/7/14)

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Taylor Swift's RED Tour. Photo: Getty

Taylor Swift’s RED Tour. Photo: Getty


Taylor Swift has penned her thoughts on the future of the music industry in an essay, titled “For Taylor Swift, The Future of Music is a Love Story,” for the Wall Street Journal. Swift offered her thoughts on maintaining a decades-long artist-fan relationship, the value of music, and the progression–and, according to Swift, the fading-of music genres.
“Another theme I see fading into the gray is genre distinction,” Swift wrote. “These days, nothing great you hear on the radio seems to come from just one musical influence. The wild, unpredictable fun in making music today is that anything goes. Pop sounds like hip hop; country sounds like rock; rock sounds like soul; and folk sounds like country—and to me, that’s incredible progress.” For the full essay, visit wsj.com.

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Singer/songwriter Justin Wilson has signed with SESAC for representation. Wilson, who is signed with Magic Mustang Publishing, visited SESAC’s Music Row headquarters to make it official.

Pictured (L-R): SESAC’s Shannan Hatch, Wilson, Magic Mustang Publishing Juli Newton Griffith and SESAC’s Tim Fink. Photo: Peyton Hoge

Pictured (L-R): SESAC’s Shannan Hatch, Wilson, Magic Mustang Publishing Juli Newton Griffith and SESAC’s Tim Fink. Photo: Peyton Hoge

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Don Light

Don Light


Reminder: A memorial service for veteran music industry leader Don Light is scheduled for July 9 at 6:30 p.m. in the Ford Theater at the Country Music Hall of Fame. Participants in the service will include the Oak Ridge Boys, Bill Gaither, Vince Gill, the Goodman Revival, Marty Stuart, Peter Cooper and host Ray Stevens, as well as other special guests. Valet Parking will be available.
Light established the first Gospel Music booking agency, and discovered Jimmy Buffett, among numerous career accomplishments.

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Kraig Kitchin


Kraig Kitchin has been named as successor to retiring National Radio Hall of Fame chairman Brice DuMont. Kitchin, co-founder and former president/COO of Premiere Radio Networks, is co-president of Sound Mind Inc., which offers management services to radio, television and production organizations.

Derek Crownover And Team Join Dickinson Wright

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Derek Crownover

Derek Crownover


Attorneys Derek Crownover, Austen Adams and Cam Caldwell have joined Dickinson Wright to launch the firm’s Music Row office and lead its expanded Entertainment Law Practice Group. The location at 54 Music Square East, the former home of MCA Records, will complement Dickinson Wright’s offices in downtown Nashville.
Crownover joins as a Member and Practice Leader of the firm’s Entertainment Law practice. He is personal counsel to various tech, entertainment, media and sports franchise executives and athletes. He represents songwriters, artists, publishers and producers who have collectively sold more than 400 million records. Among his areas of practice are LLC funding, real estate acquisition and disposition, asset purchases, recording agreement negotiation, audits, employment counseling, tax matters, and wills and trusts.
Crownover has been recognized by Best Lawyers in America and Mid-South Super Lawyers. He is licensed in Tennessee and New York. He is active with the Copyright Society of the South and the T.J. Martell Foundation.
Austen Adams

Austen Adams


Austen Adams joins Dickinson Wright as Of Counsel. He represents and advises recording artists, songwriters, producers, artist managers, music publishers, technology companies, and other music industry professionals. Adams serves as an Adjunct Professor at Belmont University’s Mike Curb College of Entertainment and Music Business and was previously the Chair of the Entertainment and Sports Law Section of the Tennessee Bar Association.
Robert Cameron “Cam” Caldwell joins Dickinson Wright as Of Counsel. He represents and counsels a wide array of clients, ranging from artists and songwriters to consumer product manufacturers and entertainment-related businesses. He has experience in employment law, Fair Labor Standards Act, alternative dispute resolution, and litigation. Caldwell is knowledgeable about the Federal Middle District Court of Tennessee and has served on the Executive Council of the Entertainment and Sports Law Section of the Tennessee Bar Association.
Cam Caldwell

Cam Caldwell


Marie Gurgel joins as a senior paralegal in the Entertainment Law Practice Group but will also continue her work in the Corporate and Wills and Trusts Practice Group. Charity Asher joins as a legal assistant.
“We are excited to welcome Derek, Austen and Cam and their comprehensive approach to client service in the media, technology, and entertainment industries,” said Dickinson Wright CEO William T. Burgess. “Their leading position in these fields provides an important expansion to our practice offerings as we continue to grow in Nashville and our other offices across North America.”
“This move is not only great chemistry-wise, it’s very strategic because it will allow us to be more effective in our clients’ business growth on a global scale. We have always worked as ‘primary care physicians’ of sorts assisting with LLC funding deals, real estate transactions, asset purchase agreements, recording agreements, audits, employment agreements as well as tax and wills and trusts matters,” said Crownover. “All of that will continue but we will now be able to have more coverage, handle increased business volume, and be more active in client strategies as they grow.”