Warner Music Nashville To Celebrate Opening of Student-Run Record Label

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wmnWarner Music Nashville has partnered with Pearl-Cohn Entertainment Magnet High School, supported by the Music Makes Us Initiative, to create the nation’s only high school to have a student-run record label. The label will have distribution in conjunction with Warner Music Nashville. A grand opening event will be held May 8.
John Esposito, president & CEO of Warner Music, The Recording Academy’s Producers & Engineers Wing, and award-winning recording studio designer Steven Durr, a Nashville resident and owner of Steven Durr Designs, have guided the project.
“The students at Pearl-Cohn are engaged in a highly creative endeavor that will bring tremendous value to their post secondary choices,” Laurie Schell, Director of Music Makes Us, states. “They are the very fortunate beneficiaries of the expertise and generosity of our professional music community in Nashville.”
The recording studio features a 32-channel API 1608 console in the main control room. It has two editing suites and audio equipment from industry leaders, including Harman Professional, which includes the JBL/AKG/ and Lexicon brands; API; Audio-Technica; Fredenstein Professional Audio; Shure, Inc.; and Solid State Logic.
Pearl-Cohn students will also run a record label modeled after a corporate music label. Every year, a Pearl-Cohn student is named head of the record label. Pearl-Cohn students sign, record and promote student artists from the school district. Revenue generated from the school’s record label through the sale of songs will go to advancing music education through Music Makes Us.
A virtual tour of the recording studio may be seen here.
 

Dee Jay Silver Signs With Sony Music Nashville

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Pictured (L-R): F3 Entertainment’s Ken Madson, Sony Music Nashville A&R VP Jim Catino, Dee Jay Silver, Average Joes Entertainment CEO Shannon Houchins, and Sony Music Nashville Chairman & CEO Gary Overton. Photo Credit: Alan Poizner

Pictured (L-R): F3 Entertainment’s Ken Madson, Sony Music Nashville A&R VP Jim Catino, Dee Jay Silver, Average Joes Entertainment CEO Shannon Houchins, and Sony Music Nashville Chairman & CEO Gary Overton. Photo Credit: Alan Poizner


DJ/remixer/producer Dee Jay Silver has signed a recording contract with Sony Music Nashville. As part of an overall deal to help support marketing and production of this project, Sony Music Nashville has struck a deal with Average Joes Entertainment to produce country remix albums of new and existing Sony Music catalogue.
Silver’s first release under the new arrangement will be the early-summer arrival of his four-song EP, Country Club.
On the announcement, Silver remarked, “What an honor to be a part of the Sony Music Nashville family! I appreciate the opportunity and all the hard work by the staff at Sony, as well as Sony A&R VP Jim Catino, my manager Ken Madson, Jarred & KO at Phive Starr, and Average Joes’ CEO Shannon Houchins. Thank you for believing in me. Can’t wait for the world to hear what we’ve done!”
Average Joes has already produced several remixes for Montgomery Gentry, Joe Nichols and others over the past few years. Sony Music Nashville’s catalogue remixes under the relationship also promise to include some new guest appearances.
A top concert DJ/remixer/producer for the past decade, Dee Jay Silver’s brand of music has been heard on tour with a variety of artists, most recently on back-to-back outings with Jason Aldean on Aldean’s My Kinda Party Tour and his current Night Train Tour.
Fans can look for a feature on Silver in the new episode of GAC’s Headline Country, premiering today, April 25, at 3 p.m ET.

Texas Artists Team Up To Help West, Texas Community

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PrintThe Randy Rogers Band, Josh Abbott Band, Wade Bowen, Stoney LaRue and others will join the Texas Thunder Festival on May 17-19 in Gardendale, Texas. All net proceeds will benefit the community of West, Texas, to raise funds for those affected in the explosion last Wednesday.
“For 13 years now our band has been traveling I-35 and stopping in West, Texas along the way to sample the good food,” said Randy Rogers. “It’s become a staple on our tour. Now it’s time for us to give back.”
“We are disheartened by the tragedy in West, Texas,” says event organizer Brian Andrews. “Texans are passionate about their communities and upon hearing of this tragedy, the Texas music community reached out to lend a helping hand. 100 percent of net proceeds from the Texas Thunder music festival will benefit the schools and first-responders of West, Texas.”
Weekend passes are available for a discounted price of $65 with camping starting at $110. A limited number of single-day tickets are available for $35.
For more information, visit www.texasthunderfest.com or call (855) 362-0535.

Nashville Songwriters Take Part in 8th Annual ASCAP "I Create Music" Expo

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The 8th annual ASCAP “I Create Music” EXPO, held April 18-20 in Los Angeles at the Loews Hollywood Hotel, once again featured several Nashville-based ASCAP members and music industry leaders.

On the EXPO’s closing day, ASCAP member Brett James represented the songwriter’s perspective on the legislative panel “Securing Fair Compensation Online: How You and the U.S. Congress Can Make a Difference.” The panel, which also included ASCAP President and Chairman of the Board Paul Williams, U.S. Representative Marsha Blackburn (R-TN), U.S. Representative Judy Chu (D-CA) and ASCAP CEO John LoFrumento, discussed the ways in which the ability of songwriters, composers and music publishers to be compensated fairly for their work is being challenged on more than one front.Later that afternoon, James performed alongside ASCAP Nashville songwriter Brandy Clark (“Better Dig Two,” “Mama’s Broken Heart”) as well as ASCAP members Tom Higgenson of the Plain White T’s (“Hey Delilah,” “1,2,3,4”) and Stacey Barthe (“Cheers (Drink to That),” “Hummingbird Heartbeat”) to close out the EXPO with “The Writers Jam.”
Additional Nashville-based participants in this year’s ASCAP EXPO included Darrell Brown, Wrensong’s Ree Guyer Buchanan, Randy Goodrum, Ralph Murphy, Infinity Cat’s Robert Ellis Orrall, Warner/Chappell’s Ben Vaughn and more.
Pictured (L-R): Paul Williams, Marsha Blackburn, Judy Chu, Brett James and John LoFrumento participate in the "Securing Fair Compensation Online: How You and the U.S. Congress Can Make A Difference" panel. Photo: by Brian Dowling/Invision for ASCAP/AP Images)

Pictured (L-R): Paul Williams, Marsha Blackburn, Judy Chu, Brett James and John LoFrumento participate in the “Securing Fair Compensation Online: How You and the U.S. Congress Can Make A Difference” panel. Photo: by Brian Dowling/Invision for ASCAP/AP Images)


Pictured (L-R): ASCAP songwriters Tom Higgenson (Plain White T's), Brandy Clark, Stacey Barthe (with guest guitarist) and Brett James participate in "The Writers Jam" closing panel at the 8th annual ASCAP "I Create Music" EXPO. (Photo by Brian Dowling/Invision for ASCAP/AP Images)

Pictured (L-R): ASCAP songwriters Tom Higgenson (Plain White T’s), Brandy Clark, Stacey Barthe (with guest guitarist) and Brett James participate in “The Writers Jam” closing panel at the 8th annual ASCAP “I Create Music” EXPO. (Photo by Brian Dowling/Invision for ASCAP/AP Images)


 

Martina McBride To Help Grand Ole Opry Salute Cancer Survivors

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Martina McBride Photo: Randee St. Nicholas

Martina McBride Photo: Randee St. Nicholas


Martina McBride will join with other special musical guests to help salute and celebrate women cancer survivors at the famed Grand Ole Opry on August 24.
McBride and the Opry are joining with the Women Survivors Alliance and the National Women’s Survivors Convention to celebrate women survivors from across the country, and especially those attending the National Women’s Survivors Convention that same weekend at the Gaylord Opryland Resort and Convention Center in Nashville.
The Grand Ole Opry will recognize these women throughout the night.  Olympic Gold Medalist and cancer survivor Scott Hamilton will serve as a guest announcer.
“We’re delighted to be a part of these survivors’ visits to Nashville,” said Opry Vice President and General Manager Pete Fisher. “We are going to have a lot of fun while also helping them take great steps toward creating awareness and a real movement about survivorship.”
“We are so grateful to Martina and our partners at the Grand Ole Opry for making this night so special,” said Karen Shayne, founder of the Women Survivors Alliance. “Women cancer survivors will be ready to celebrate as we wrap up our national convention and their collective efforts to create a national movement to help other women dealing with life after cancer.”

Travis Tritt Duets with Daughter on New Single

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Tyler Reese in the studio with dad, Travis Tritt

Tyler Reese in the studio with dad, Travis Tritt


Travis Tritt will release a remake of “Sometimes Love Just Ain’t Enough,” the Patty Smyth and Don Henley duet, with his 15-year-old daughter Tyler Reese this Father’s Day (June 16).
Tritt took control of the master recording from his former label after the song failed to make it onto Tritt’s 2007 album, The Storm. The duet will be the lead single from an upcoming re-release of the album. It will mark Tritt’s first single in six years.
Tritt explains his daughter had never heard the song before stumbling upon it driving from Florida last year on an iPod. “She started singing along in the backseat,” explains Tritt. “When it ended she made me play it again five or six more times. When we got home, I told my wife that I thought Tyler Reese could really do a great job on this song. We agreed and I took her in the studio to sing her parts. She really nailed it.”
A video for the title is forthcoming, expected be released to cable and online outlets. Meanwhile, Tritt will continue touring with a full band throughout the year, joined by Reese on select dates.
Travis Tritt 2013 Tour Dates
April 26– Edgewater Casino Laughlin, Nev.
May 10– L’Auberge Casino Baton Rouge, La.
May 11– Mill Town Music Hall Bremen, Ga.
May 17– Crossroads Arena Corinth, Miss.
May 25– Lady Luck Casino Caruthersville, Mo.
June 6– Bobby Orr Community Center Parry Sound, ON
June 7– Metropolis Montreal
June 8– Maritime Country Fest Fredericton, NB
June 12– Mile One Centre St.John’s, NL
June 22– Ft.Monroe Beach Stage Ft.Monroe, VA June 26 Count Basie Theatre Red Bank, N.J.
June 27– Turning Stone Resort & Casino Verona, N.Y.
June 28– Palace Theatre Greensburg, Pa.
June 29– JD Legends Entertainment Complex Franklin, Ohio
July 12– Seven Clans Casino Thief River Falls, Minn.
July 19– Chautauqua Institute Chautauqua, N.Y.
July 20– Beckley YMCA Sports Complex Beckley, W.Va.
Aug. 1– Campbell Country Fair Gillette, Wyo.
Aug. 8– Tillamook County Fair Tillamook, Ore.
Aug. 9– Umatilla County Fair Hermiston, Ore.
Aug. 16– Havelock Country Jamboree Havelock, ON
Aug. 30– Fort Randall Casino Pickstown, S.D.
Sept. 28– Hot Springs Balloon Festival Hot Springs, Ark.
Oct. 19– Mark G Etess Arena Atlantic City, N.J.
Oct. 26– Pensacola Interstate Fair Pensacola, Fla.
Nov. 2– New Barn Theater Mount Vernon, Ky.
Nov. 9– Founder’s Day Festival Ocoee, Fla.

Country On Television

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gretchen_wilson_10692Gretchen Wilson will guest co-host “The View” on Thursday (April 25). She will join Whoopie Goldberg, Elisabeth Hasselbeck, Sherri Shepherd and Barbara Walters, as longtime co-host Joy Behar transitions out of the show.
“I’m not sure if they knew what they were getting themselves into, when they booked me for the show,” said Gretchen. “This will be completely different from what I do every day, but I’m really looking forward to hanging out with these strong women and maybe even stirring things up!”

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Tate Stevens.photo credit Jeff LipskyTate Stevens will perform his single “Power Of A Love Song” on ABC’s Good Morning America on Friday (April 26), before a tour stop that evening in Atlanta, Ga. with Alan Jackson.

 

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MorganCraig Morgan will share his top spot in Nashville as HLN accompanies him for “My City, My Secret.” The episode will air Thursday (April 25) at 6 a.m. ET during HLN’s Morning Express with Robin Meade.

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pistol annies annie upPistol Annies will debut their single, “Hush Hush,” on the Today Show on Tuesday, May 7.  The single is the trio’s first from their upcoming album, Annie Up, which will release the same day. “We are so excited to release the new album,” said Pistol Annies member Miranda Lambert. “It’s been like waiting for Christmas morning to come.”
Fellow Pistol Annies member Ashley Monroe has a more relaxed approach to the upcoming release. “I’m not nervous about it,” says Monroe. “I have such a calm feeling. I have great faith in this record and I really think that people are going to understand it. We’re all super proud of it and ready for it to be out!”

Bobby Karl Works The Nashville Film Festival's 'Muscle Shoals Documentary'

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Nashville Film Festival LogoSaturday night’s screening of the Muscle Shoals documentary was instantly sold out at the Nashville Film Festival (April 20).
That isn’t particularly newsworthy, since almost all of the festival’s offerings were sell-outs this year. What is notable about Muscle Shoals is that it had a private screening as well. On Tuesday (April 23), BMI hosted an intimate gathering at its sixth-floor screening room for some of us who didn’t get to see the film’s Music City debut.
The engrossing documentary tells the unlikely story of how a small, out-of-the-way, northern Alabama community became a recording hotbed. It also explores the social fabric of the 1960s and 1970s when a group of white studio musicians, The Swampers, teamed up with soul singers during the Civil Rights era to create records of undying power.
The soundtrack includes “You Better Move On,” the first Muscle Shoals hit, as well as such timeless masterpieces as “Steal Away,” “I’d Rather Go Blind,” “I Never Loved a Man,” “Mustang Sally,” “Land of 1,000 Dances,” “When a Man Loves a Woman,” “R-E-S-P-E-C-T” and more. Intercut with the interviews are scenes of Alabama cottonfields, rural shacks, farmlands and the shoals of the Tennessee River.
The assembled cast is stunning. Among those telling the tale on camera are Aretha Franklin, Mick Jagger, Bono, Gregg Allman, Steve Winwood, Wilson Pickett, Alicia Keys, Keith Richards, Jerry Wexler, Candi Staton, Dan Penn, Spooner Oldham, Barry Beckett, Clarence Carter, Percy Sledge and John Paul White of The Civil Wars. Not the least of those testifying in the film isthe cornerstone Muscle Shoals business figure, Rick Hall. The life story of this tempestuous and driven musical great is reason enough to watch the film.
Rick & Linda Hall were there for the screening. So were T.K. Kimbrell, Hank Adam Locklin, Jon Freeman, Jody Williams, Susan Stewart, Whitney Daane, Natasha Powell, Tom Roland, Keb Mo, Mark Mason, Bob & Leslie Tomasina DiPiero, Clay Bradley, Abby White and Charlie Feldman.
I complemented Abby on her Nashville Scene story about the decaying animatronic animal band at the Strike & Spare. It turns out that Shooter Jennings wants to do a benefit to help raise the $10,000 needed to restore the attraction, which is one of only two left in the U.S.
As for Muscle Shoals, it has already drawn raves at several other American film festivals. Next, it heads to the London Film Festival and on to a European screening tour. PBS will air it in the future.
After the screening, BMI hosted a reception for the lucky attendees.

Kenny Chesney’ 'Life On A Rock' Streaming on iTunes

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kenny chesney life on a rock11Fans can listen to Kenny Chesney’s new album Life On A Rock before it hits stores on April 30. The project is streaming in its entirety on the iTunes Store (iTunes.com/KennyChesney). The album stream will remain available until release day on April 30.
“When I wrote these songs, it was to capture a time and a place, friends, memories and the way it all felt,” Chesney says of the collection. “But the more you live, the more you realize how precious those things are… and now, iTunes is helping me share these stories, these people, these songs with music lovers everywhere.”
 Life On A Rock, co-produced by Chesney and Buddy Cannon, was recorded in Nashville, London, Malibu and Jamaica.
1)  “Pirate Flag” – Written by Ross Copperman/David Lee Murphy
2) “When I See This Bar” – Written by Kenny Chesney/Keith Gattis
3) “Spread The Love” (featuring The Wailers with Elan) – Written by Kenny Chesney/Elan Atias/Aston “Familyman” Barrett/Carlton Barrett/Tyrone Downie/Brett James
4) “Lindy” – Written by Kenny Chesney
5) “Coconut Tree” (with Willie Nelson) – Written by Casey Beathard/Michael White/Monty Criswell
6) “It’s That Time Of Day” – Written by Kenny Chesney
7) “Life On A Rock” – Written by Kenny Chesney
8) “Marley” – Written by Kenny Chesney/Tom Douglas
9) “Must Be Something I Missed” – Written by Kenny Chesney/Mac McAnally
10) “Happy On The Hey Now” (A Song For Kristi) – Written by Kenny Chesney

Warner Music Nashville Promotes Tree Paine

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Tree Paine. Photo: Nashville Lifestyles

Tree Paine. Photo: Nashville Lifestyles


Warner Music Nashville has promoted Tree Paine to Sr. VP, Publicity, WMN. Paine will oversee all publicity for Warner Music Group’s country and Christian divisions, which include Atlantic, Elektra, Warner Bros., LoudMouth and Word Entertainment. She previously served as VP, Publicity, and will continue to report to John Esposito, President and CEO, WMN.
“What makes Tree such an incredible publicist is her broad understanding of the business, which covers everything from artist development and management, to touring and marketing,” said Esposito. “She is a tremendous asset to our team, has great relationships with each of our artists, and time and again produces fantastic media coverage on their behalf. Tree’s promotion is a deserving recognition of the fact that she’s a vital part of our senior team.”
“Warner Music Nashville is home to many of the most talented artists and dedicated staff I’ve ever had the pleasure of working with,” said Paine. “I’m fortunate to be working alongside John Esposito and Peter Strickland (EVP & GM, WMN). They have created a company that allows the staff to be creative and forward-thinking, by giving all of us at WMN the tools to do the very best job for our artists. I am immensely grateful to be a part of such a fun and creative company, and excited to continue my tenure, now as Senior Vice President.”
Paine began her career as an intern at Mute Records in the Sales & Marketing department which help her land her first job as a National Marketing Manager at World Domination Records, followed by an executive assistant position in the A&R department at Maverick Records. In 1995, Paine joined Interscope Records as a West Coast Marketing & Artist Development representative, where she worked with No Doubt, The Wallflowers, Snoop Dogg, Nine Inch Nails and Marilyn Manson. Paine left Interscope to launch her own street marketing company, retaining Bonnie Raitt as her first client. She developed street marketing campaigns around Raitt, Liz Phair, and Meredith Brooks’ Lillith Fair appearances.
Over the years, her client roster grew to include Warner Bros. Records, Capitol Records, London Records, and 143 Records. In 1999, Paine merged her company with Immortal Records and created IR Street Marketing, where she managed more than 300 street reps across the country. Having built experience in street and tour marketing, Paine took a job at the William Morris Agency in Beverly Hills, where she worked with Gayle Holcomb in the Fairs & Festivals department.
Holcomb was then the Vice Chairman of the Academy of Country Music (ACM) and became instrumental in Paine’s hire to oversee all media, radio, and marketing at the ACM. At the ACM, Paine was part of the formation of the ACM Charitable Foundation, which later became Lifting Lives, and helped organize and implement functions based around it along with the Awards’ move to Las Vegas. After five years at the ACM, Paine joined Warner Music Nashville in 2007.