Artist Photos (7-25-13)

Brooklyn, Mich.’s inaugural Faster Horses Festival attracted more than 20,000 fans for the music and camping festival, which boasted a strong lineup of entertainers, including Jason Aldean, Dierks Bentley and Luke Bryan.

Jason Aldean. Photo: Scott Legato

Jason Aldean. Photo: Scott Legato


Luke Bryan. Photo: Scott Legato

Luke Bryan. Photo: Scott Legato


Dierks Bentley. Photo: Ryan Silver

Dierks Bentley. Photo: Ryan Silver

• • •

MCA Nashville recording artist Vince Gill and famed steel guitarist Paul Franklin held an intimate evening with Eddie Stubbs on Monday night (July 22) at the Ford Theater at the Country Music Hall of Fame, where they discussed Gill and Franklin’s historical tribute album Bakersfield which MCA will release July 30.

Pictured (L-R): Mike Dungan (UMG Nashville), Eddie Stubbs, Cindy Mabe (UMGN), Paul Franklin, Katie Dean (UMGN), Vince Gill, Annie Ortmeier (UMGN), Brad Clark (UMGN), Tom Lord (UMGN)

Pictured (L-R): Mike Dungan (UMG Nashville), Eddie Stubbs, Cindy Mabe (UMGN), Paul Franklin, Katie Dean (UMGN), Vince Gill, Annie Ortmeier (UMGN), Brad Clark (UMGN), Tom Lord (UMGN).

• • •

Singer-songwriter Whisperin’ Bill Anderson and producer Rex Schnelle visited The Row, one of Nashville’s newest restaurants. Located near the Music Row area, the restaurant is dedicated to the city’s “working class poets.” Many songwriters, including Anderson, are recognized with booths decorated in their honor.

Pictured (L-R): Rex Schnelle and Bill Anderson

Pictured (L-R): Rex Schnelle and Bill Anderson

Date Set For 47th Annual CMA Awards

Logo for "The 47th Annual CMA Awards"The ABC Television Network and the Country Music Association (CMA) have announced that “The 47th Annual CMA Awards” will air Wednesday, Nov. 6 (8:00-11:00 PM/EST). The ceremony will be held from the Bridgestone Arena in Nashville, Tenn., and will be televised live on ABC.
“The CMA Awards is recognized as ‘Country Music’s Biggest Night’ and that is what sets us apart from every other award show,” said Ed Hardy, President of the CMA Board of Directors. “This is the night we recognize the best in the format – as chosen by the industry – and it is undeniably the most highly anticipated event of the year for our constituents. It’s a night to honor our finest performers, songwriters, record producers, musicians, and music video directors.”
“The 46th Annual CMA Awards” were presented on Nov. 1, 2012 at the Bridgestone Arena and were hosted by Brad Paisley and Carrie Underwood. The CMA Awards presentation was televised live on the ABC Television Network.
The CMA Awards nominees and winners are determined by more than 7,000 industry professional members of CMA, which was the first trade organization formed to promote an individual genre of music in 1958.
The second ballot will be emailed to CMA members Tuesday, Aug. 20. Voting for the second ballot closes Friday, Aug. 30 (5 p.m./CT). The final nominees in each of the 12 categories will be announced in September.  Visit www.cmaawards.com/vote for more information.

Charity News (7-25-13)

dailey_vincent

Dailey & Vincent


On Tuesday, Aug. 6, a special “Jimmy-Jam” concert will be held at Nashville’s 3rd and Lindsley. The concert will feature performances by Dailey & Vincent, Del McCoury Band, Sam Bush, The Grascals and others. The concert begins at 7:30pm. Tickets are priced at $25 for reserved VIP early access, $15.00 for general admission, and can be purchased at the door. There will also be a silent auction with items donated by many artists.
Net proceeds from the benefit concert and auction will go to help pay extensive medical expenses for Jim VanCleve, an award-winning founding member of the contemporary Americana/Roots group Mountain Heart, who has recently recovered from a near fatal bout of Dengue Hemorrhagic Fever, contracted from mosquito bites he received while performing in St. Croix in late March. VanCleve, who is also an in-demand session player and record producer was hospitalized, bedridden and out of work for over six weeks.

For more information about the special event, please visit 3rdandlindsley.com.

• • •

beer pong1The inaugural Blood, Sweat, and Beers Flip Cup and Beer Pong Tournament will take place at the Tin Roof on Aug. 31. The event runs from 2 p.m until 8 p.m.; proceeds benefit the American Heart Association. Team fees are $20 for Beer Pong (teams of 2) and $50 for Flip Cup (teams of 5). There will be up to 30 teams for each event. The deadline to register teams is Aug. 30 at 11:55 p.m. CT. The event is sponsored by Tin Roof, SESAC and Dickson Resources. To register, visit bloodsweatandbeersnashville.eventbrite.com

• • •

Martina McBride and her nationwide volunteer group, Team Martina, recently awarded the “Martina McBride Breast Cancer Research Grant” in the amount of $40,550 to Nashville’s Vanderbilt Ingram Cancer Center. The grant was given through T.J. Martell Foundation, the music industry’s largest charity that funds leukemia, cancer, and AIDS research. The funds will be used to assist triple negative breast cancer research at Vanderbilt.

martina charity1

Martina McBride (center) with members of Team Martina.

 • • •

Jack Ingram performs at the VAULT Concert Stage at LP Field in Downtown Nashville June 14. Photo: John Russell

Jack Ingram. Photo: John Russell


Texas head football coach Mack Brown, recording artist Jack Ingram, and actor Matthew McConaughey, will hold the second annual Mack, Jack & McConaughey (MJ&M) fundraising and entertainment series of events on April 24-25, 2014 in Austin, Texas. Talent and a complete schedule of events will be announced soon.
The inaugural event was on April 11-12, 2013, and raised nearly $1 million to benefit a handful of organizations that all reflect MJ&M’s goal to empower kids. In 2013, the funds raised through MJ&M supported The Rise School of Austin, just keep livin Foundation, HeartGift, CureDuchenne, and Grounded in Music.

Weekly Register: Danielle Bradbery Debuts Hit Single

danielle bradbery sliderThe only notable country debut this week comes from The Voice winner Danielle Bradbery. “The Heart of Dixie” entered the digital downloads chart with 78K units, landing at No. 2 on Soundscan’s Country tracks chart behind BMLG labelmates Florida Georgia Line who are hanging in the No. 1 slot. The guys sold another 137K units, for a release to date total of 5.236 million (both versions combined).
FGL is also at the top of the Country Albums chart, with debut Here’s To The Good Times heading for platinum, with an added 31K this week. After 33 weeks on the chart it has sold 887K. Others still moving a noteworthy amount of product months after release are Blake Shelton (17 weeks on chart/ 21K TW/ 763 RTD), Darius Rucker (9 weeks/ 13K TW/ 278 RTD) and Hunter Hayes (93 weeks/ 13K TW/ 895 RTD).
Jay Z stayed in the No. 1 overall album spot, scanning 129K TW, for a release to date total of 658K.
Year To Date Stats
• Overall (all genre) album sales are down -6.4 percent (156.506 million YTD).
• Country album sales are down -2.3 percent (21.352 million YTD), which includes Country digital albums (up 11.6 percent/ 6.547 million YTD).
• YTD Country album market share is about even with last year at 13.6 percent.

Chase Rice To Launch Headlining Tour

chase rice tour
Chase Rice, co-writer of Florida Georgia Line’s massive hit “Cruise,” will launch his Ready Set Roll tour in October. The tour, which includes House of Blues’ Ones to Watch tour dates, will kick off in Cincinnati.
“If y’all like partying, make sure you find a city that we’re bringing the ‘Ready Set Roll’ Tour to this fall. I don’t want anyone coming just expecting to see a concert. We want y’all to come expecting a way bigger experience than that. A get away,” says Rice. “For two to three hours of your lives, drop your worries and come party with me and the crew. I promise, it’ll be a night you’ll never forget.”
Tickets are available at chaserice.com. VIP Tickets will be offered in select areas.
House of Blues’ Ones to Watch Tour Dates:
Oct.3 – Cincinnati at Bogarts
Oct. 4 – Washington at The Fillmore, Silver Spring
Oct. 11 – Philadelphia at Xfinity Live
Oct. 12 – New York City at The Gramercy Theatre
Oct. 17 – Cleveland at House of Blues
Oct. 18 – Indianapolis at Deluxe at Old National Centre
Oct. 19 – Detroit at St. Andrew’s Hall
Oct. 20 – Chicago at House of Blues
Oct. 26 – Minneapolis at The Varsity Theatre
Nov. 8 – Charlotte, N.C. at The Fillmore
Nov. 9 – Orlando, Fla. at House of Blues
Nov. 21 – Houston at House of Blues
Nov. 22 – New Orleans, La. at House of Blues
Nov. 23 – Dallas at House of Blues
Nov. 27 – San Diego, Calif. at House of Blues
Nov. 29 – Anaheim, Calif. at House of Blues
Nov. 30 – Los Angeles at House of Blues

Nashville Artists Collaborate for 32-Track Civil War Songs Tribute

Randall Poster & ATO Logo

Randall Poster & ATO Logo


Loretta Lynn, Chris Stapleton, Dolly Parton, Lee Ann Womack, Ashley Monroe, Vince Gill, Jamey Johnson and Cowboy Jack Clement are among stars recognizing the 150th anniversary of the Civil War in a forthcoming two-disc tribute released by ATO Records and music supervisor Randall Poster (Moonrise Kingdom; Boardwalk Empire; Rave On Buddy Holly).
Titled Divided & United, the fall 2013 release will feature fresh interpretations of many period parlor songs, spirituals, abolition and minstrel tunes.
Poster was inspired to develop the collection while working in Nashville for the film Country Strong. After extensive research and the help of bluegrass guitarist Bryan Sutton, Poster was able to assemble the titles and artists.
“This record aspires to erase the legacy of segregation and through music seeks reconciliation instead, in order to celebrate a great musical heritage of America, born in pain, war and prejudice,” notes John Cohen, whose essay is also included in the collection.
Rolling Stone has a clip of Lynn’s “Take Your Gun and Go, John” here.
Divided & United  Track Listing:
(Disc 1)
1.      Take Your Gun and Go, John – Loretta Lynn
2.      Lorena – Del McCoury
3.      Wildwood Flower – Sam Amidon
4.      Hell’s Broke Loose In Georgia – Bryan Sutton
5.      Two Soldiers – Ricky Skaggs
6.      Marching Through Georgia – Old Crow Medicine Show
7.      Dear Old Flag – Vince Gill
8.      Just Before the Battle, Mother/ Farewell, Mother – Steve Earle and Dirk Powell
9.      The Fall Of Charleston – Shovels & Rope
10.     Tenting on the Old Campground – John Doe
11.     Day Of Liberty – Carolina Chocolate Drops
12.     Richmond Is a Hard Road to Travel – Chris Thile and Michael Daves
13.     Two Brothers – Chris Stapleton
14.     The Faded Coat Of Blue – Norman Blake, Nancy Blake and James Bryan
15.     Listen to the Mockingbird – Stuart Duncan feat. Dolly Parton
16.     Kingdom Come – Pokey Lafarge
(Disc 2)
1.      Rebel Soldier – Jamey Johnson
2.      The Legend of the Rebel Soldier – Lee Ann Womack
3.      The Mermaid Song – Jorma Kaukonen
4.      Dixie – Karen Elson with Secret Sisters
5.      The Vacant Chair – Ralph Stanley
6.      Hard Times – Chris Hillman
7.      Down By the Riverside – Taj Mahal
8.      Old Folks at Home/ The Girl I Left Behind Me – Noam Pikelny & David Grisman
9.      Secesh – The Tennessee Mafia Jug Band
10.     The Battle of Antietam – T Bone Burnett
11.     Pretty Saro – Ashley Monroe
12.     Aura Lee – Joe Henry
13.     Johnny Has Gone for a Soldier – AA Bondy
14.     When Johnny Comes Marching Home – Angel Snow
15.     Battle Cry of Freedom – Bryan Sutton
16.     Beautiful Dreamer – Cowboy Jack Clement

Live Nation Amphitheaters To Offer Local Food Options

LiveNation250Live Nation Entertainment will begin serving locally grown produce and meat products certified under animal welfare programs recognized by The Humane Society of the United States. It will also introduce vegetarian meal options in its 38 owned and operated amphitheaters across North America.
Beginning this month, the produce used on hamburgers served during events will be sourced from farms local to each venue. For example, produce served at the Bank of America Pavilion in Boston will be sourced from one of three local farms: Wilson Farms in Lexington, Mass., Maitland Mountain Farm in Salem, Mass., or Eva Garden’s in Dartmouth, Mass.
All of the hamburgers, hot dogs, Italian sausages and chicken tenders served in Live Nation amphitheaters will now carry either Certified Humane, Global Animal Partnership or Animal Welfare Approved certification. Live Nation will also introduce a veggie burger and a signature vegetarian meal item developed by Chef Hugh Acheson (a judge on Top Chef and a contestant on Bravo’s Top Chef Masters).
Live Nation sells more than 800,000 meals in its amphitheaters each summer. Live Nation will absorb any cost increases related to the new policies, so music fans across the country will not see an increase in meal prices based on similar product size.
“I know in my own home it’s important for my family to buy locally grown produce, to know where our meat comes from, and to have a variety of vegetarian options whenever possible,” said Live Nation CEO Michael Rapino. “We know from working so closely with the artist community and from the fans that come to our events, that it’s important to many of them as well. So we felt as a company that we should be able to deliver the same quality food to our millions of fans, and we will continue to look for ways in which we can improve the concert experience for the people that come to our amphitheaters every summer.”

ole Acquires Better Angels Catalog, Active Writers

ole logo111ole has acquired the music publishing catalog of Nashville-based Better Angels Music Publishing Group. The catalog includes more than 2,000 unexploited songs, as well as more than 100 commercially-released songs, and several master recordings.
Notable copyrights acquired through the deal include several cuts from the debut album from Thompson Square, along with songs from artists Brad Paisley, Jason Aldean and Kip Moore, among others. Active songwriters moving to ole include Josh Thompson, Matthew Rogers and Brian Callihan.
Better Angels Music current General Manager, Gary Ray, will assist ole in integrating and further exploiting the catalog. Shellien Kinsey, who had previously held various positions at Better Angels, has joined ole as Office Coordinator at the company’s Nashville office.
“The purchase of Better Angels Music reiterates ole’s commitment to Music Row and Nashville’s songwriting community,” says ole GM, Nashville Creative, John Ozier. “Our Creative staff looks forward to adding value to both the catalog and the writers of Better Angels Music.”
“We’ve been speaking with ole for over a year and I couldn’t be more pleased that we’ve finally circled the wagons on a win/win deal for ole and Better Angels,” adds Better Angels CEO John McDonald. “I’m excited to be in business with such a successful and forward-thinking company.”

Kristofferson To Join 'Troubadour, TX'

Kris Kristofferson

Kris Kristofferson


Kris Kristofferson will join television series, Troubadour, TX for its third season, which begins airing in late September.
The legendary singer-songwriter will appear weekly as a segment host for the 22-episode series. Kristofferson will share personal stories of his life as a singer/songwriter, the influence of Texas music and artists and offer his unique perspective into the challenging journey of artists. He will also star in a one-hour music special, presented by Troubadour, TX.
Troubadour, TX is a weekly television series that documents the lives of singers and songwriters. The show can be viewed on Nashville’s WNAB.
Kristofferson, originally from Brownsville, Texas, was inducted into the Country Music Hall of Fame in 2004. He is best-known for penning and recording hits such as “Me and Bobby McGee,” “For the Good Times,” “Sunday Mornin’ Comin’ Down,” “Why Me Lord” and “Help Me Make it Through the Night.”

iPod Sales Slump

2012-ipodtouch-product-step1Apple’s third quarter report shows a slump in iPod and iPad sales, but a gain in iTunes store purchases, for the period ended June 29. Apple posted quarterly revenue of $35.3 billion and quarterly net profit of $6.9 billion, or $7.47 per diluted share. These results compare to revenue of $35 billion and net profit of $8.8 billion, or $9.32 per diluted share, in the year-ago quarter.
The iTunes store had its best quarter to date, with gross billings of $4.3 billion, which yielded revenue of $2.4 billion. Sales of movies, TV shows and apps boosted the bottom line 29 percent from the prior year.
iPod sales dropped 32 percent YOY and revenue fell 31 percent. Instead of iPods, consumers are opting for iPhones or iPads, which offer the same features as iPods, in addition to other capabilities. But this trend didn’t keep iPhone and iPad sales from a quarter-to-quarter slump.
Compared to the same quarter last year, iPhone purchases increased from 26 million to 31 million, but iPad sales fell for the first time in history, down from 17 million to 14.6 million.
Next up: Leaders of the Cupertino based company say they are focusing on new products for the automobile, but won’t elaborate.