GAC Hosts Multiple Events For CMA Music Fest

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gacGreat American Country has joined with CMA Music Fest for several events this week.
Wednesday (June 5) will mark GAC’s 6th annual Fan Kick-off Breakfast, which will be held at 7 a.m. at the Country Music Hall of Fame and Museum. GAC’s Storme Warren will host performances from Easton Corbin, Lonestar, Eric Paslay, Drake White and fans will also have the opportunity to meet and greet with the artists.
At 11 a.m. Wednesday, the 9th Annual CMA Music Festival Kick-Off Parade will usher in the weekend’s events; Warren and fellow GAC personality Nan Kelley will serve as parade hosts. The parade will begin at Broadway and 10th Ave.
GAC will also have a booth at Fan Fair X in the new Music City Center. Additionally, GAC will also host the The Lodge, located at Fourth Ave. S., opposite the Hilton Hotel, from Thursday (June 6) through Sunday (June 9).
The GAC Stage Lineup:
Thursday, June 6: (Big Machine Label Group Day)
10 a.m.: Thomas Rhett appearance
11 a.m.: TBD
12 p.m.: TBD
1:30 p.m.: A Fan Q&A and Special Presentation with Brantley Gilbert
3 p.m.: Justin Moore appearance
4:30 p.m.: Florida Georgia Line appearance
Friday, June 7:
10 a.m.: Kip Moore performance
12 p.m.: Brett Eldredge performance
1 p.m.: Lauren Alaina performance
2 p.m.: David Nail performance
3 p.m.: Phil Vassar performance
4 p.m.: Casey James performance
Saturday, June 8:
10 a.m.: Jerrod Niemann performance
11 a.m.: Chris Stapleton performance
12 p.m.: DJ Silver as MC – will be serving as MC until approx 4:30pm
12:00p.m.: Tate Stevens performance
1:30 p.m. – DJ Silver performance
2:15 p.m.: Little Big Town – autographs only
3:15 p.m.: Lisa Marie Presley – autographs only
5 p.m.: Goo Goo Dolls performance
Sunday, June 9:
10 a.m.: Joe Nichols performance
12 p.m.: Kristen Kelly performance
1 p.m.: TBD
3 p.m.: TBD
 
 
 
 
 

Steve Hauser Joins APA

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Steve Hauser

Steve Hauser


Longtime agent Steve Hauser has joined APA as Sr. VP. The former Partner at WME brings with him clients including Darius Rucker, the Charlie Daniels Band, Chris Cagle and Clint Black.
Hauser spent 17 years at WME, where he also worked with Clay Walker, Easton Corbin, Lonestar and Montgomery Gentry.
Prior to joining the William Morris Agency in 1996, Hauser was president of Pace Concerts. His charitable initiatives include serving on the T.J. Martell Foundation board of directors.
APA’s Nashville office is home to Travis Tritt, Don Williams, Sawyer Brown, Phil Vassar, Jo Dee Messina, Nitty Gritty Dirt Band and others.
 

Artist Updates (6-3-13)

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swiftTaylor Swift will be the special guest for The Rolling Stones‘ concert tonight (June 3) in Chicago.

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fgl nelly111Florida Georgia Line and hip hop star Nelly will perform tonight (June 3) on Stageit, a web-based platform that enables artists to easily create paid live shows directly from their laptops. The concert will begin at 5:30 p.m. PST here. Today, the duo also debuted the video for “Round Here” on CMT and CMT.com. The video aired at the top of each hour throughout the morning.

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Katie-HRThe Hard Rock Cafe has memorabilia from another country artist to add to its massive collection. Katie Armiger has donated the black dress that she wore during an appearance on the Grand Ole Opry in August 2012, the night her “Better In A Black Dress” video went No. 1 on GAC’s Top 20 Countdown.

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scotty52611Scotty McCreery will perform his current single “See You Tonight” on The Tonight Show with Jay Leno tonight (June 3) beginning at 10:35 p.m. CT on NBC. “See You Tonight” is the lead single from McCreery’s upcoming sophomore single, to release later this year on Mercury Records/19/Interscope.

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billy curringtonBilly Currington is set to perform at Nashville’s Tin Roof on June 21. Doors will open at 5:30 p.m., with the concert starting at 6 p.m. For tickets, click here.

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Josh Turner shared the Grand Ole Opry stage with a special guest recently. Turner was joined by 21-year-old singer/songwriter Logan Blade. At age 2, Blade was diagnosed with autism. Blade just released his first album, Fitting In, and is a fan of Turner’s.

Pictured (L-R): Josh Turner and Logan Blade

Pictured (L-R): Josh Turner and Logan Blade

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leann rimes high res 2011LeAnn Rimes and husband Eddie Cibrian are developing a scripted reality show. The project does not yet have a working title or network.

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billkcyrusBilly Ray Cyrus is currently filming the project Like A Country Song in the Nashville area. Cyrus has previously filmed several movies and television appearances, including Doc, 18 Wheels of Justice and Disney’s Hannah Montana.
 

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The Casey Donahew Band recently premiered the Western-themed video for “Whiskey Baby” on several CMT platforms.

Pictured (L-R): TAZ, Josh Moore, Casey Donahew, Evan Kaufmann (director), J.J. Soto,Steve Stone and A.C. Copeland

Pictured (L-R): TAZ, Josh Moore, Casey Donahew, Evan Kaufmann (director), J.J. Soto,
Steve Stone and A.C. Copeland


 

CMT Taps Hector Campos as Vice President Programming and Strategy

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Hector Campos

Hector Campos


CMT has tapped Turner Broadcasting veteran Hector Campos as Vice President Programming and Strategy. Campos will be responsible for planning and implementing short-term schedules for the network’s linear and VOD program platforms, and will oversee the day-to-day management of the Program Planning and Scheduling Department. Effectively immediately, Campos reports to Katie Buchanan, Sr. VP of Programming Strategy and Acquisitions, CMT, and is based out of CMT headquarters in Nashville.
“Hector is joining CMT at a time of significant growth and we know that his experience will be an asset in managing our expanding slate of programming, “ says Buchanan.
Campos comes to CMT from over a decade at Turner Broadcasting System in Atlanta, where he held a variety of positions, most recently as Director of Program Acquisition and Sales, where he acquired licensed series and movies for all Turner Entertainment Group Networks (TBS, TNT, TruTV, TCM and Cartoon). He also provided acquisition support to the Turner’s News Division (CNN and HLN) and was responsible for monetizing Turner’s existing programming assets. Previous to that he was Director of Program Planning, where he planned short and long-term program schedules to determine movie and series needs.
Prior to his time at Turner Broadcasting System, Campos was the Director of Business Development and Content Planning at Connecting with Kids Network in Atlanta, and he also served as the Manager of “Six Sigma” Quality Programs at NBC in New York.
Campos graduated from Villanova University and earned a Masters of Business Administration degree from Emory University’s Goizueta Business School (GBS).

TobyMac, Casting Crowns, Big Daddy Weave Win at K-LOVE Fan Awards

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TobyMac

TobyMac. Photo: David Molnar


The Christian music industry’s elite gathered at the Ryman Auditorium on Saturday evening (June 1) for the inaugural fan-voted K-LOVE Fan Awards. The Ryman Auditorium, which first opened as the Union Gospel Tabernacle in 1843, proved a fitting setting for the show. TobyMac launched into the high-energy “Me Without You.” The first award of the evening, Male Artist of the Year, went to Chris Tomlin, who accepted via video from Atlanta, where he was participating in a worship conference.
Cast of Duck Dynasty

Cast of Duck Dynasty. Photo: David Molnar


Duck Dynasty‘s Phil and Kay “Miss Kay” Robertson, along with Jase and Missy Robertson, served as hosts for the show. “I play an instrument,” said Jase Robertson, pulling out his signature duck call and squeaking out a few sounds before quoting Psalm 100. “Make a joyful noise to the Lord,” he quipped. The jokes continued throughout the evening, focusing on everything from the benefits of having a beard (“Nobody tries to mug us, we save on shaving, it keeps us warm and it makes good camouflage,” said Jase), to musicians wearing skinny jeans (“I think they just need some good cooking,” said Kay, who is currently working on the release of a cookbook).
Nashville Predators hockey player Mike Fisher took home the Sports Impact award, while Alex Kendrick, director and writer for Sherwood Pictures’ projects Courageous, Flywheel, Fireproof and Facing the Giants, accepted awards for Movie Impact (Courageous) and Book Impact (The Love Dare). He encouraged the crowd to support all the projects and directors that were nominated in the category. “You are affirming so many of us. If you support any of us, you are supporting all of us,” said Kendrick.
big daddy weavefeatured111

Big Daddy Weave. Photo: David Molnar


More than 20 artists performed during the nearly four-hour show. Big Daddy Weave earned a standing ovation for their stripped down rendition of “Redeemed,” which ultimately earned Song of the Year honors. Big Daddy Weave lead vocalist Mike Weaver gave an emotional acceptance speech regarding his long-time struggle with self-esteem and the healing that writing the song gave hm.
Newcomer act For King and Country likewise got the crowd on their feet with the high-energy rendition of “The Proof of Your Love,” which featured two singers trading lead vocal duties. Laura Story drew a collective coo from the audience as she performed her hit single “Blessings” on a grand piano surrounded by candles, with her six-month-old daughter Josephine cradled in a baby sling while Story performed. Jamie Grace, who was discovered by TobyMac through a video performance Grace posted to YouTube, performed an acoustic version of her hit “Hold Me” and welcomed TobyMac to the stage to guest on the song. NeedtoBreathe had the audience stomping the Ryman’s wooden floorboards to the swampy sounds and four-part harmonies of “Difference Maker.”
Kari Jobe

Kari Jobe. Photo: David Molnar


Other performances during the evening included Francesca Battistelli (“Strangely Dim”), Newsboys (“God’s Not Dead”), Casting Crowns (“The Well”), Rhett Walker Band (“When Mercy Found Me”), Audio Adrenaline (featuring former DC Talk member Kevin Max), Tenth Avenue North (backed by a choir of fans for the song “Losing”), Citizen Way, Amy Grant (“Don’t Try So Hard”), Steven Curtis Chapman (who debuted a new song on the Ryman stage), Michael W. Smith with Missy Robertson, Natalie Grant and Kari Jobe (“Your Great Name”), Colton Dixon (“You Are”), Matthew West (“Hello My Name Is”) and Building 429 (“Where I Belong”).
Winners:
Male Artist of the Year: Chris Tomlin
Female Artist of the Year: Kari Jobe
Group/Duo of the Year: Casting Crowns
Breakthrough Artist of the Year: For King and Country
Movie Impact: Courageous (represented by Alex Kendrick, director/writer
Sports Impact: Mike Fisher (Nashville Predators)
Book Impact: The Love Dare, written by Alex and Stephen Kendrick (B&H)
Song of the Year: “Redeemed,” performed by Big Daddy Weave; written by Mike Weaver and Benji Cowart
Artist of the Year: TobyMac

Mark Your Calendar – June 2013

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Cassadee Pope

Cassadee Pope

Single Releases

June 3
Love and Theft/If You Ever Get Lonely/RCA Nashville
B.J. Thomas (feat. Vince Gill)/I Just Can’t Help Believing/Wrinkled
Florida Georgia Line/Round Here/Republic Nashville
Lauren Alaina/Barefoot and Buckwild/19-Interscope-Mercury
Tyler Barham/17 & Young/YN
Lydia Hollis/All For You/HMG
Chelsea Bane/James Dean/Jobe
Steve Richard/Keep On Rollin’/Force MP
June 10
Thompson Square/Everything I Shouldn’t Be Thinking/Stoney Creek
Kenny Chesney/When I See This Bar/Blue Chair-Columbia Nashville
Dierks Bentley/Bourbon In Kentucky/Capitol Nashville
Cassadee Pope/Wasting All These Tears/Republic Nashville
Andy Ross/Cold Dead Hand/Buck Shot Collective
Elizabeth Lyons/Everything Tonight/Roar Records
Sawyer Brown/Shadows of the Heartland/Beach Street Records
Greg Susoreny/Gently Breathe/Aqua Blue
Denae Gardner/Sound Of A Woman Sayin’ Goodbye/4D Records
June 17
Travis Tritt (feat. Tyler Reese)/Sometimes Love Just Ain’t Enough
Andy Gibson/Best Thing/Curb
Wynn Varble/Freak Show/Steele Mansion Records

MRawardsIndustry Events

June 4

  • Country Music Hall of Fame and Museum’s Hot Nights with Ashley Monroe
  • For the Linds (Remembering & Celebrating the life of Lindsay Walleman) on the Warner Music Nashville patio from 6-9 p.m.

June 5

  • 6th annual GAC Kick-off Breakfast at 7 a.m. at the Country Music Hall of Fame
  • CMT Music Awards air live from Nashville
  • R.O.P.E. Breakfast/Show with Mel Tillis
  • USPS releases Johnny Cash Forever stamp at the Ryman Auditorium. Doors open for stamp sales at 9 a.m. and the event is free and open to the public

June 6
Music Row SunTrust Hot Dog Day 11:30-2
June 6-9
CMA Music Festival
June 8
SOLID‘s annual yard sale at the Bridgestone Arena
June 4-8
Country Music Yard Sale each day through CMA Music Fest at Music City Bar & Grill
June 10 

  • T.J. Martell Foundation’s Sports & Entertainment Celebrity Golf Classic at Brookhaven Country Club in Dallas
  • WWDC in Moscone Center in San Francisco, Calif.

June 12
Final Ballot due for CMA’s 2013 SRO Awards
June 13
Nashville Dancin’
June 13-16
The Bonnaroo Music & Arts Festival in Manchester, Tenn.
June 16
2013 Daytime Emmy Awards in Beverly Hills, Calif., airing on the cable network HLN
June 19-20
Country Radio Seminar Agenda Committee meeting in Nashville
June 20
Nashville Dancin’
June 25
MusicRow Awards; subscriber-voted ceremony at ASCAP
June 27

  • Nashville Dancin’
  • Warner Music Nashville’s Pickin’ on the Patio

Hunter-HayesAlbum Releases

June 4
Lonestar/Life As We Know It/4 Star Records-The Orchard
LeAnn Rimes/Spitfire/Curb Records
June 11
Various/Now That’s What I Call Country Vol. 6/Universal Music Group Nashville
June 18
Hunter Hayes/Encore/Atlantic-WMN
LoCash Cowboys/LoCash Cowboys/Average Joes

Rodney Atkins to Host Oklahoma Relief Benefit Concert

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rodneyRodney Atkins will host the third annual Music City Gives Back benefit concert on June 4 in Nashville. The event will accept donations and raise money on behalf of victims of the recent tornado which decimated Moore, Okla. The “Take a Back Road” singer will perform alongside Jana Kramer, Justin Moore and Josh Thompson.
“Each year I gather some of my friends together to put on this show and have fun with our fans before CMA Music Fest, but the reason we get up here is to help the community come together to give our support to those in need,” says Atkins. “With the recent disaster in Moore [Okla.], I knew that’s where we had to focus our efforts this year. I’m looking forward to the big night with Justin, Jana and Josh – we’re going to rock!”
The concert will be held on an outdoor stage on Lower Broadway at Fifth Avenue at 6 p.m. It is free and open to the public. Fans can stream the concert live at facebook.com/WranglerWestern. For more information, visit musiccitygivesback.com

Apple Radio Service Nears Launch

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appleApple is working to complete licensing deals with record and publishing companies so it can launch a streaming radio service. According to numerous reports, including one in the New York Times, Apple would like to debut the offering at its annual developers conference which opens June 10 in San Francisco.
Unofficially nicknamed iRadio, the service is expected to offer free, ad supported streaming. It would be similar to Pandora, which allows users to tailor the song selection.
The Times reports that Universal has signed on for recorded music licensing, but not publishing, and that Warner Music is on board with both sets of rights.

SunTrust's 15th Annual Hot Dog Day To Be Held June 6

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hot dog day111SunTrust’s Music Row branch and the Country Music Hall of Fame and Museum are hosting the 15th Annual Hot Dog Day on Thurs., June 6. Members of the music business are invited to the bank parking lot (located at 1026 17th Ave. S) from 11:30 a.m. until 2 p.m. for free food and good music.
Live entertainment will be provided by Big Yellow Dog Music.
The fun event is typically held the week of CMA Music Festival and serves hot dogs to over 1000 members of the music industry each year.

Townsquare Media Acquires The Boot

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AOL Music111AOL began shutting down its AOL Music properties on April 26, but now AOL has sold hip-hop site The BoomBox, country site The Boot and metal site Noisecreep (plus Comics Alliance) to Townsquare Media Group, a Connecticut-based radio station owner.
The sites will come full circle under this deal, as it puts the properties under the ownership of Townsquare Media’s executive vice president Bill Wilson, who was formerly president of AOL Media in 2008-2009 when all four sites were created. Townsquare Media has hired some former AOL staffers and has plans for others to come aboard.
“The acquisition of these assets from AOL represents the continued rapid growth of Townsquare Media’s portfolio of owned and operated music and entertainment websites,” commented Townsquare Media Group Chairman and CEO, Steven Price. “Adding these premium brands to Townsquare Media’s comprehensive offering propels our scale beyond today’s 52 million US monthly unique visitors, allowing advertisers and agencies even greater access to this highly engaged and demographically desirable audience.”
Townsquare Media operates more than 240 stations, and runs another 250 associated websites, along with other sites like Taste of Country, Loudwire and ScreenCrush.
In related news, Beville Darden Dunkerley, co-founder of The Boot, recently signed on as a contributor for Rolling Stone.