Artist Updates (2/28/14)

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Lukas Nelson and P.O.T.R.


Lukas Nelson & P.O.T.R. got into the 2014 awards season spirit when the film they scored, Satellite Beach, took home the Bruce Corwin Award at the 29th Annual Santa Barbara International Film Festival on Feb. 9 in Santa Barbara, Calif. This is the first film that Nelson and the band have scored.
The movie’s win is in the category of Best Live Action Short Film Under 30 Minutes. The short, directed brothers Luke Wilson (Old School, The Royal Tenenbaums, Idiocracy) and Andrew Wilson (Rushmore, The Royal Tenenbaums, Hall Pass), is about the journey of the Endeavor space shuttle as it travels through Los Angeles to the California Science Center and on to the Kennedy Space Center.

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Taylor Swift


Keds® has signed on as a sponsor for Taylor Swift‘s The RED Tour, making stops throughout Asia this June. The critically acclaimed tour will visit Tokyo, as well as Manila, Bangkok, Kuala Lumpur, and Singapore, where the tour is presented by Cornetto.
Each venue on Swift’s Asian outing will feature the Keds® Style Studio, a unique interactive pop-up brand experience. Throughout the length of the Asian leg, Keds® will be running a series of giveaways that include seat upgrades and backstage tours.

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Jo Dee Messina. Photo: Krista Lee Photography

Jo Dee Messina. Photo: Krista Lee Photography


Jo Dee Messina, in partnership with the Made In Network, will be creating a new music video for her latest single “A Woman’s Rant” with the help of her fans, who are invited to film clips of their personal interpretation and reactions of the scenes portrayed in the song. Due out Tuesday, March 18, Messina’s new ME album is set for release on her own Dreambound Records/eOne Music Distribution.
Video clips can be sent to womansrant@jodeemessina.com. For more information, visit jodeemessina.com.

MusicRowPics: Dallas Smith

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Dallas Smith visit

Dallas Smith visit


Canada native Dallas Smith visited the MusicRow office on Friday (Feb. 27) to preview songs from his EP, Tippin’ Point, which releases in the U.S. and Canada on March 4. Smith began his three-song acoustic set with the Rodney Clawson-penned song “Wrong About That.” “Wrong” aptly showcased Smith’s commanding, rock-tinged voice. “There’s something about the phrasing in Rodney’s songs that are so great to sing to,” says Smith.
The project is produced by Joey Moi (Nickelback, Florida Georgia Line, Jake Owen), who Smith has known from the beginning of his career. Smith previously fronted rock band Default, and says he has always had a love of Country music. When he decided to add a more Country flavor to his sound, he turned to producer Moi. Smith was invited to Nashville, where he began co-writing with songwriters, including writers at Big Loud Shirt. After Big Loud Mountain was created, they signed Smith to their roster.
Now signed to Big Loud Mountain and Republic Nashville, Smith will open for Florida Georgia Line’s Here’s To The Good Times Tour in April.
Smith continued his MusicRow performance with “Slow Rollin’.” Though singer-songwriter Smith has no co-writes on his upcoming EP, he expects that to change on his full-length album. “I co-wrote songs on my debut album, and on this one, we got so many great songs pitched to us. I just wanted the the best song to win. When we make the project a full-length, maybe I’ll have some of my own songs on it.”
Smith closed out the performance with “Tippin’ Point,” which set the record for becoming the fastest Canadian Country single to reach gold status. The song was penned by Jaren Johnston, and Florida Georgia Line’s Brian Kelley and Tyler Hubbard. “I feel so honored that they trusted me with one of their songs,” says Smith.
Photos by Kelsey Grady.
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Leadership Music Accepting Applications For Class of 2015

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leadership musicLeadership Music will begin accepting applications from established entertainment industry leaders for the Class of 2015 beginning March 1. Applications will be accepted throughout the month of March.
The eight-month, Nashville-based, learning program begins in September and is designed to expose participants to every phase of the music industry and to be the link connecting people with the issues. Participants are required to attend an orientation, all-day sessions once a month on Fridays, plus two-day opening and closing retreats during the program. One-time tuition for the program is $1,000.
Application forms, program dates, policies and FAQ’s are available online March 1st at leadershipmusic.org/apply/.
According to Debbie Schwartz Linn, executive director of the 25-year-old organization, “The Class of 2014 began with 43 members who were chosen from among several hundred applicants. Our goal is to select a passionate, balanced and diversified class, who are, individually and collectively, the best and brightest leaders in their field and represent all segments of the music industry. Each year, the selection committee has the challenge of selecting from so many more qualified applicants than we have available slots to fill. I guess you would say that’s a good problem to have, but it is often frustrating for those who have applied multiple times. We strongly encourage applicants to keep applying if not selected. It’s truly a once-in-a-lifetime experience, and well worth the effort.”
Applications must be submitted via the on-line process no later than March 31, 2014.

MusicRowPics: Deana Carter

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Deana Carter visit

Deana Carter visit


Deana Carter visited the MusicRow office yesterday (Feb. 27) to perform songs from her album Southern Way of Life (Little Nugget Records). After a six-year hiatus, Carter returns with a considerable arsenal of new songs, all wrapped in her distinctive, honeyed vocal.
Carter has lived in Los Angeles over the past few years, writing songs for television and films. She still managed to launch a No. 1 song on the Country charts, with “You And Tequila.” “Alicia Pruitt called me and I got signed to Warner/Chappell [Music Publishing], and we did nearly three years of publishing and songwriting,” she says. “You and Tequila” was co-written with Matraca Berg and recorded by Kenny Chesney and Grace Potter.
Southern Way of Life is released on her own Little Nugget Records, which is a tribute to Nugget Records, the independent label imprint her father, Fred Carter, Jr., once owned.
Carter performed the project’s gorgeous and honest first single, “Do Or Die,” accompanied only by her miniature Taylor guitar. “When I wrote this, I was sitting on the kitchen floor, praying and asking, ‘What’s going to happen? Do I need to do something else, or go back and get a graduate degree?’ The shows were becoming fewer at the time, and I just started putting my thoughts and worries and feelings into my music. Not long after the time I wrote this song, I got the Kenny Chesney cut, and that fueled this project.”
She followed up with the clever “I Know Better,” which was co-written with Anne Preven in Los Angeles. “About half the album was written in Los Angeles, and half was written in Nashville,” says Carter. She reports that she has enough song material for two additional albums.
Carter finished with the confident and carefree “That’s Just Me,” co-written with Kacey Musgraves. “We wrote it in about an hour, and it was our first time writing together. She had her guitar and it was on this opening tuning that I loved. I threw out the line about the blown out light bulb on the cafe sign, and it just went from there.”
She says living in Los Angeles has given her a good look at the vibe in the California city since the launch of the ABC show Nashville. “They are clamoring to be around people from Nashville. In Los Angeles, they don’t have the singer-songwriter guitar pulls that are so common in Nashville,” she says. “Where the songwriter just plays the song, stripped down, without a synth or other type of music. Where you can sit down and convey a message in a song and people are mesmerized.”
Carter reported that she has co-writes in Music City set for the coming months, and that she is considering a more permanent move back to Nashville. She finished her acoustic set with her signature 1996 hit, “Strawberry Wine.”
Photos by Kelsey Grady.
 
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Americana Music Association Plans UK-Based Events

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Laura Cantrell performs during AMA-UK.

Laura Cantrell performs during AMA-UK.


The Americana Music Association (AMA) recently announced formal ties to the new Americana Music Association-UK with plans to produce a Americana/UK Music conference during the Maverick Festival at Easton Farm Park in East Suffolk on Friday, July 4.
“I’m excited to attend the first formal Americana showcase in London,” said Jed Hilly, Executive Director of the Tennessee-based AMA. “We are grateful to the AMA-UK, Bob Butler, Bob Paterson, Ken Ansell and Paul Spencer for advocating for the music and artists we love.”
AMA-UK recently produced three nights of showcases at Kings Place in London, February 13-15, featuring North American artists including Laura Cantrell, Sturgill Simpson and Austin Lucas, along with several UK-based bands.
Artist showcase submissions will be accepted for Nashville’s 15th Annual Americana Music Festival & Conference through Friday, March 28. The Music City event brings together fans and music industry professionals alike, offering four days of celebration through seminars, panels, networking opportunities and showcases, Sept. 17-21. The Americana Honors & Awards Show is the centerpiece of the September festivities, kicking-off at the Ryman Auditorium on Sept. 17.

Doobie Brothers To Release Album Featuring Country Stars

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Pictured (l-r): The Doobie Brothers’ Patrick Simmons, Brad Paisley, the Doobies’ Tom Johnston, Josh Leo, Doobie John McFee, and Sara Evans. Photo credit: Alan Poizner

Pictured (L-R): The Doobie Brothers’ Patrick Simmons, Brad Paisley, the Doobies’ Tom Johnston, Josh Leo, Doobie John McFee, and Sara Evans. Photo credit: Alan Poizner


Rockers The Doobie Brothers will release a greatest hits album, featuring Brad Paisley, Chris Young, Zac Brown Band, Toby Keith, Jerrod Niemann, Love and Theft and Sara Evans.
The Doobie Brothers’ Tom Johnston cites Sony Music Nashville Chairman/CEO Gary Overton for bringing the album to fruition. Overton has been a fan of the band since he first saw them perform in Phoenix in 1972.
Johnston says the band has been recording at Nashville’s Starstruck Studios and Blackbird Studios. The album’s track listing has not been revealed yet. In addition to Johnston and Patrick Simmons, the album will feature John McFee, who has been associated with the band since 1978, and Michael McDonald, who left the band in 1982.
The band has leapt into Country music in the past few years, performing at the Grand Ole Opry and participating in CMT Crossroads alongside Luke Bryan in 2011. The Grammy award-winning Doobie Brothers have been rock icons for more than 40 years, with classic hits including “Black Water,” “Jesus Is Just All Right,” “Rockin’ Down the Highway,” “Long Train Runnin,’” “China Grove,” “Takin’ It To The Streets,” “Minute By Minute” and “You Belong To Me.”
Pictured (l-r): Sony Music Nashville Chairman & CEO Gary Overton, the Doobie Brothers’ Patrick Simmons, Sara Evans, Chris Young, Doobie Tom Johnston, Love and Theft’s Eric Gunderson, Doobie John McFee, Jerrod Niemann, Love and Theft’s Stephen Barker Liles, and Doobie Brothers manager Bruce Cohn. Photo credit: Larry Boothby

Pictured (L-R): Sony Music Nashville Chairman & CEO Gary Overton, the Doobie Brothers’ Patrick Simmons, Sara Evans, Chris Young, Doobie Tom Johnston, Love and Theft’s Eric Gunderson, Doobie John McFee, Jerrod Niemann, Love and Theft’s Stephen Barker Liles, and Doobie Brothers manager Bruce Cohn. Photo credit: Larry Boothby

CMT Adds Six Artists To 'Listen Up' Initiative

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CMT_BLACK_WHITE111CMT has added six artists on the verge of breaking out to its 2014 Listen Up campaign, selecting acts from across major and indie labels, as well as unsigned artists. Cole Swindell, Dan + Shay, David Nail, Jerrod Niemann, Sundy Best and Thomas Rhett will be highlighted across CMT platforms throughout the year in a multi-platform initiative. Viewers will get an inside look at the personal lives and careers of these artists through live performances, new photos, social chats and interviews that showcase why fans should “listen up.” Additional Listen Up artists will be named later this year.
Danielle Bradbery kicked off the 2014 class officially last week, debuting five new performances exclusively at listenup.cmt.com, and on the just-launched CMT Artists App for iPhone. The five-song set includes her hit single, “The Heart of Dixie,” as well as “Talk About Love,” “Never Like This,” “My Day” and “Wild Boy,” from her Big Machine Records debut album.
“The idea behind Listen Up is to introduce fans to artists on the rise or artists who are about to take the next big step in their career. It is music discovery at its core,” said Leslie Fram, SVP of Music Strategy, CMT. “We’re excited to get behind this diverse mix of incredibly talented artists, and Listen Up is just the first of many opportunities to highlight them across CMT.”
CMT launched Listen Up in 2011 as a way to showcase emerging artists online. Since then, the franchise has expanded to take advantage of the network’s broad reach across television, radio and on its social networks. More than 22 artists have been featured, including recent alums Hunter Hayes, Kacey Musgraves, Brett Eldredge, Cassadee Pope, Brantley Gilbert, Lauren Alaina, Charlie Worsham, Jana Kramer, Dustin Lynch, Casey James and Jon Pardi, among others.

Amazon Reportedly Considering Music Streaming Service

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amazon112310Could Amazon be inching its way into the world of music streaming? According to recode.net, sources are predicting that Amazon will offer a music subscription service similar to Spotify. This service would most likely be bundled with its Prime delivery option.
Sources say that Amazon is engaged in talks with music labels about making the deal happen, though the discussions have been going on for several months. If the deal succeeds, Amazon will likely offer music content in a manner similar to how it offers videos. The company currently offers certain free movies to customers who pay a Prime membership fee ($79 per year), which is used for free two-day shipping and other perks.
Amazon has strengthened its stable of executives with digital music experience in the past few years. In October 2012, Amazon hired Michael Paull, a Sony music executive, to lead its digital music operations. It also brought in Drew Denbo, who handled business development at Rhapsody and MOG, in the same role at the e-commerce site, as well as Adam Parness, who handled licensing for Rhapsody.
If Amazon does enter the realm of streaming music, it will have no shortage of contenders, including Spotify, Beats Music, and iTunes Radio.

Amazon declined to comment.

Weekly Chart Report (2/28/14)

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Screen Shot 2014-02-28 at 8.43.50 AMClick here or above to access MusicRow‘s weekly CountryBreakout Report
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LifeNotes: Tim Wilson

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Tim Wilson


Comedian Tim Wilson died Wednesday, Feb. 26. He was 52. Wilson recorded nine albums for the Capitol Nashville label from 1999 through 2013, including 1999’s Gettin’ My Mind Right, which peaked at No. 28 on the U.S. Country chart. He was known for his southern-style humor and songs such as “Garth Brooks Ruined My Life.”
“Tim has been part of the Capitol Nashville family since 1998 and will be greatly missed,” said a statement from Capitol Nashville. “His humor and big heart touched so many and will continue to live on through his legacy.”
Wilson is survived by his wife and two children.