Dove Awards To Be Held Oct. 15 at Lipscomb University's Allen Arena

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doveChristian music’s Dove Awards will return to Nashville after taking place for two years in Atlanta. The Dove Awards will take place at Lipscomb University’s Allen Arena on Oct. 15.
A move to presenting in the fall marks a large shift for the awards show, one that should help build awareness of new releases going into the all-important holiday season. Jackie Patillo, executive director of the Gospel Music Association, told AccessAtlanta that an important factor in the decision to move the awards show back to Nashville is that the bulk of the Christian music industry is still based in Music City. “It was time to come home,” Patillo said.
Dove Award nominees will be announced on Aug. 22. For the first time, the awards will include a feature film category to recognize the impact of inspirational movies within the entertainment community.
GMC TV will air the awards show.
 

[Updated] Lifenotes: Janet Rickman

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Janet Rickman with Reba McEntire in 2012.

Janet Rickman with Reba McEntire in 2012.


Longtime music industry publicist Janet Rickman passed away Tuesday, March 19 at Alive Hospice after a year long battle with cancer.
Her career began as a publicist for PolyGram -Mercury/Nashville in the mid 1970s working with The Statler Brothers, Johnny Rodriguez and a young Reba McEntire. This led to stints in the Los Angeles and New York publicity departments of Mercury Records where she worked closely with Tears for Fears, Rush and John Mellencamp among others. Rickman later returned to her Nashville home to head up the MCA Nashville publicity and video department, where she worked extensively with artists such as Reba McEntire, Vince Gill, George Strait, Patty Loveless, Marty Stuart, Trisha Yearwood and more. She retired from MCA Nashville in the late 90s and began a second career with the Nashville Library.
No memorial service is planned but donations may be made to a library of your choice.
Reba has fond memories of Rickman, sharing a favorite memory. “I just found out today that my friend of many years, Janet Rickman, has gone on to the big library in the sky. We had many good times together but one in particular I remember was the time Janet picked me up at the Nashville airport and drove me to my hotel. She even walked me to my room, to make sure everything was in order, when we found the mattress off the bed, sheets thrown everywhere, lamps turned over and the whole room in a mess. Janet was NOT happy about that! 🙂  She indignantly closed the door and ushered me back to her car. She drove me straight to the Spence Manor, a more private and more up scale hotel off Music Row. Now, I had always wanted to stay at the Spence Manor and Janet was the one to get me in!
“I loved working with Janet,” she continues. “She was one of a kind. I didn’t see her much but knowing she’s passed on, makes me realize, once again, how quickly things can change. Because I didn’t get to say goodbye to Janet, her passing reminded me to let people know how much they mean to me. So while it may take some time of me letting you know in person, let me say now to my friends in the music business, thank you for all your love and support during my years in this wonderful business. Here’s to many more great times together.”
 

Sugar Hill Records Adds Director, Artist & Media Relations

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Jess Draper

Jess Draper


Sugar Hill Records has added Jess Draper as Director, Artist & Media Relations. She replaces Donica Christensen, who left in January.
Most recently, Draper was the Director of Publicity at The Media Collective. Prior to her post at The Media Collective, her career has included time as Manager of Creative Services at ASCAP and Music Editor at Performing Songwriter.
Draper can be reached at (615) 915-3049 or at [email protected].
 

No. 1 Party: Gary Allan's "Every Storm (Runs Out of Rain)"

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Pictured (L-R): BMI’s Clay Bradley, Lytle Management’s John Lytle, producer Greg Droman, Gary Allan, co-writers Hillary Lindsey and Matt Warren, ASCAP’s Mike Sistad, MCA Nashville’s Mike Dungan and BMG’s Kos Weaver. Photo by John Russell

Pictured (L-R): BMI’s Clay Bradley, Lytle Management’s John Lytle, producer Greg Droman, Gary Allan, co-writers Hillary Lindsey and Matt Warren, ASCAP’s Mike Sistad, MCA Nashville’s Mike Dungan and BMG’s Kos Weaver. Photo by John Russell.


Gary Allan, Matt Warren and Hillary Lindsey celebrated their No. 1 single, “Every Storm (Runs Out of Rain)” recently in Nashville. BMI’s Clay Bradley and ASCAP’s Mike Sistad co-hosted the event, held at Nashville’s Sambuca.
Allan received a guitar from BMI for his first No. 1 hit as a co-writer. BMI No. 1 cups were also given to Greg Droman and Mike Dungan. The crowd got a surprise when Dungan, Sr. VP, Promotion Royce Risser and VP, National Promotion Van Haze all took the stage in kilts.
Sistad honored ASCAP writers Warren and Lindsey for the chart-topping single. It also marked the first No. 1 song for Warren, who used to coordinate merchandise on the road for Allan.
Awards and plaques were given to the songwriters and artist from Dungan, the Country Music Association’s Brandi Simms, Country Radio Broadcasters’ Bradford Hollingsworth and Avenue Bank’s Ron Cox. Cox noted that Allan was slated to perform in the New York area when Hurricane Sandy hit earlier this year. On behalf of the songwriters, Avenue Bank made a donation to the Red Cross Hurricane Sandy Relief Fund.
Allan was quick to thank his two co-writers, especially Matt for introducing him to co-writer Lindsey. “I like writing with friends so if you don’t know Matt or Odie [Blackmon], it’s hard to get into my living room [to write],” quipped Allan.
The strong friendship among the three writers was obvious. “We support each other’s successes,” said Lindsey after thanking the crowd for sharing in the moment. “That shows what this town is about.” Lindsey, who has also been a vocalist on the road with Allan, also showed gratitude to his band members. “His band is amazing. Obviously he is a talent, but he’s a good man and has a good heart and good people around him. I’m so happy that you called and brought me in [to co-write].”

Twitter Music App In The Works

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Twitter copyTwitter is preparing a standalone music app, reports cnet. The social media company quietly purchased music discovery service We Are Hunted last year and is using its technology to build the Twitter Music app.
According to cnet, the app could debut by the end of March. Features include song streaming via SoundCloud, brief artist bios, links to song previews on iTunes and music recommendations based on artists followed by Twitter users.
We Are Hunted is based in San Francisco but was created by a group of Australian software developers.
Earlier this year, Twitter launched video sharing app Vine.

Weekly Register: Warming Temps Heat Sales

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heatwaveMusic City marketers got a few rays of sales sunshine this week as warming temps starting making their way into Tennessee. For example, country’s Y/Y comparison  improved by .5 percent while track sales remained ahead by 6 percent. And even all-genre data felt some spring-like fancy as it improved Y/Y from -7.8 percent to -7.2 percent.
Luke Bryan’s party album earned a second week atop the Current Country 75, but units dropped 59 percent from last week to 61k. In two weeks the Georgia lad has amassed a RTD of over 210k units setting him firmly on the road to Gold… and beyond.
Every title in the Top 30 positions sold over two thousand units this week. Let’s check in on some of the 2013 debuts. Tim McGraw’s Two Lanes of Freedom is perched at No. 5 with a RTD of over 226k after six weeks; Gary Allan lands at No. 11 after eight weeks with RTD of about 237k; Emmylou Harris and Rodney Crowell’s three-week old pairing is at lucky No. 13 with 31k RTD; and Ashley Monroe’s second week lands her at No. 18 with RTD of 15k.
weeklygrid3-17-13Rounding out the 2013 debuts in the Top 30 are Shooter Jennings, new this week at No. 19 with 4k units; Mavericks (No. 20; wk 3; RTD23k), Randy Houser (No. 22; wk 8; RTD 67k); and Katie Armiger (No. 28; wk 9; RTD28k).
So while country took the week off in terms of mainstream debuts, Bon Jovi (No. 1; 96k/35 percent digital) and David Bowie (No. 2; 85k/48 percent digital) entered the Top 200 album chart with new product pushing Mr. Bryan’s Spring Break to No. 3.
One of the more interesting new charts which helps us measure the marketplace is YTD Albums with TEA. As Weekly Register readers know, TEA means Track Equivalent Albums where 10 digital downloaded tracks is equated to one album.
weeklygrid3-10-13Country artists enjoying premium Top 30 positions on this all-genre YTD list include Taylor Swift Red (No. 3; 728k), Florida Georgia Line Here’s To The Good Times (No. 17; 347k), Tim McGraw Two Lanes of Freedom (No. 21; 307k), Gary Allan Set You Free (No. 22; 294k) and Hunter Hayes Hunter Hayes (No. 24; 282k). Among these five artists we note that the top three are part of the Big Machine label Group, two are baby acts that are quickly growing up, there’s one superstar and one heritage act. Also high on the chart are Dualtone Records’ roots band The Lumineers Lumineers (No. 5; 600k).
The Music Row release season, like the spring weather forecast, is set to heat up. Click HERE for a full list, but expect new sets from talked about newcomer Kacey Musgraves and Maggie Rose, plus music from Blake Shelton, Alan Jackson, The Band Perry, Brad Paisley and Eric Church. All aboard..

'Dancing With The Stars' Wins Ratings Race

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kellie_picklerDwts

Kellie Pickler and partner Derek Hough, brother of Julianne Hough, on the season premiere.

The season premiere of Dancing With The Stars, which features Wynonna Judd and Kellie Pickler, won the ratings race Monday night (March 18). It attracted over 17 million viewers and was No. 1 with adults 18-49 and with total viewers. However, the ABC show slipped in the 18-49 demographic from last year’s season premiere. It fell 11 percent from a 3.5 rating to a 3.1.

The series airs on Monday and Tuesday nights. This week’s Tuesday night edition (March 19) drew 9.58 million viewers to earn a 2.1 adults 18-49 rating, up 5 percent from a 2.0 for last year’s second-night show.
These ratings are according to Zap2It.com.

DWTS-Wynonna

Wynonna Judd and partner Tony Dovolani.

Sony Nashville Names Marketing Director

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rachel-fontenot

Rachel Fontenot

Paul Barnabee, Sr. VP Marketing at Sony Music Nashville, today announced that Rachel Fontenot has been promoted to Director of Marketing for Sony Music Nashville, effective immediately.

In her newly expanded position, Fontenot will have oversight of the development and execution of strategic and tactical marketing campaigns for her assigned artists, including Kenny Chesney, Sara Evans, Jake Owen, Love and Theft, Bush Hawg and Angie Johnson. She will also facilitate international marketing efforts for the entire Sony Music Nashville roster.

“I first hired Rachel years ago after her time with us as an intern,” said Barnabee. “Her unparalleled work ethic was evident even then, and over the years I’ve watched her play a vital role on our marketing team, time and time again. She brings a great deal of experience, knowledge, and passion to this role, and she is a true asset to our artists. I am thrilled to announce her promotion.”
A 12-year veteran of the company, Fontenot began her career with Sony Music Nashville as a receptionist for RCA Label Group-Nashville and has held several positions of increasing responsibility within sales, artist development and marketing, culminating in her most recent role as Associate Director, Marketing prior to her promotion.
A New Orleans, La., native, Fontenot holds a Bachelor of Business Administration degree in Music Business from Middle Tennessee State University, where she also minored in Marketing and Mass Communications.

George Strait, Garth Brooks To Perform at ACM Awards

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acm awards1George Strait and Garth Brooks, the two most recent ACM Artist of the Decade Award recipients, will perform together for the first time in history to pay tribute to Dick Clark at the 48th Annual Academy of Country Music Awards. The performance will be broadcast live from the MGM Grand Garden Arena in Las Vegas on April 7 (8 p.m.-11:00 p.m., live ET/delayed PT) on the CBS Television Network. The ACM Artist of the Decade Award will be renamed the ACM Dick Clark Artist of the Decade Award, in honor of the iconic figure and longtime producer of the Academy of Country Music Awards.
“Dick helped make country music accessible to a larger fan base and his efforts will not be forgotten,” said Strait. “Garth and I were so grateful when we each received the ACM Artist of the Decade Award, so it’s only fitting that we’ll be honoring him with this tribute performance at the ACMs.”
“I commend the Academy on naming the ACM Artist of the Decade Award after Dick Clark,” said Brooks. “Although there is no award the entertainment industry has that can match the magnitude of the star Dick Clark was, and still is, it is an honor to get to be a part of the Academy’s tribute to him. There may be others who have contributed as much to the music industry, but there is definitely no one that has contributed more than Dick Clark. He was music’s best friend, and a dear friend to me.”
“He was a friend to all of us and helped shape our organization. There’s no doubt the Academy of Country Music wouldn’t be one of the highest-rated and watched awards shows without Dick’s vision and commitment,” commented Bob Romeo, CEO of the Academy of Country Music.
Clark, who passed away last year, began producing the Academy of Country Music Awards in 1979 and helped introduce audiences all over America to the most talented artists in country music. Clark had long been an ambassador for a wide-range of musical genres and with his guidance, ushered the Academy of Country Music Awards through the decades to become one of the industry’s biggest events.
Recipients of the ACM Artist of the Decade Award include Strait in 2009, Brooks in 1998, Alabama in 1988, Loretta Lynn in 1979 and Marty Robbins in 1969.
 

Artist Updates (3-20-13)

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cruise remix11A remix of Florida Georgia Line‘s “Cruise” featuring Nelly will be released April 2. Hear a snippet of the song here.

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Jeremiah and Becky Scott

Jeremiah and Becky Scott


Becky Scott from the group Carter’s Chord and her guitarist/producer husband Jeremiah Scott today announced that they are expecting identical twin girls, due this August. Said Becky, “The Carter’s Chord family is excited to welcome two more girls to the group!”
The band (sisters Emily Fortney, Joanna Ott and Becky Scott) is currently writing new material for an upcoming project.

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nitty gritty dirt band11

Nitty Gritty Dirt Band


Nitty Gritty Dirt Band is set to headline Merlefest 2013 on Saturday, April 27. A celebration of “traditional plus” music, the festival draws over 80,000 attendees annually from all over the world, hosting over 90 artists during the four-day event. They’ll share the stage with Sam Bush and Jerry Douglas, as they perform “Mr. Bojangles” and Top Ten hits such as “Fishin’ In The Dark.”
Last week, the band issued a deluxe 40th anniversary re-mastered triple vinyl and HDTracks edition of Will The Circle Be Unbroken. The Library of Congress-honored album features expanded artwork and new liner notes by John McEuen.

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theroys

The Roys

The Roys will cover new territory May 1-5 as they make their European debut with select dates at two picturesque Danish Culture Houses, Germany’s ever-popular 11th Annual Buehler Bluegrass Festival and the quintessential English theatre, Leicester Square.

The duo will perform on May 1 at Karens Rninde Kulturhus in Copenhagen, Denmark, May 2 at Trekanten Culturehouse in Aalborg, Denmark, May 4 at the International Buehler Bluegrass Festival in Buehl, Germany and May 5 at Leicester Square Theatre in London.