Flying Island Entertainment Hires Director of West Coast Promotion

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Dan Matthews

Dan Matthews


Flying Island Entertainment has hired Dan Matthews as Director of Promotion, West Coast. “Dan’s unique blend of passion, radio experience, and creativity are the perfect fit for our promotion department,” says president of Flying Island Entertainment Shelia Shipley Biddy. “Working side by side with him at CRS, convinced me that our team is now complete. We are excited to bring Dan to the Island and look forward to breaking some great new music in 2013.”
“I am looking forward to bringing the skills and perspective of 12 years in radio to the extremely talented team at Flying Island. Together I know we are going to make big things happen!” Matthews said.
His career began in 2000 as a student at the University of Arizona, where he did nights on KIIM FM in Tucson, Ariz. Most recently he programmed KAWO FM in Boise, Idaho bringing the station from 13th to 1st in the market.
Matthews will start his new role on March 18 and can be reached at (208) 949-7001 or dan@flyingislandentertainment.com

ASCAP Reports 2012 Financials

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ascap we create music1ASCAP announced yesterday (March 4), it distributed over $827 million in royalties to its members in the calendar year ending 2012, a slight increase over 2011. 2012 became the fifth year in a row that ASCAP has distributed in excess of $800 million to its members. Annual revenues were $941 million, the 3rd highest ever, but down 4.5 percent from 2011.
According to the report, growth in cable revenues (up 20 percent) and continued strength in foreign revenues were the primary factors in mitigating the impact of the radio and background music revenue declines.
ASCAP President and Chairman Paul Williams says, “Our goal in 2012 was to ensure a healthy, steady stream of royalties to our members who depend on ASCAP’s advocacy and collective licensing to pay the rent and put food on the table. We are navigating in a complex, rapidly changing environment in which huge, cash-rich technology companies are developing business models that fly fast and free with our copyrights. ASCAP’s advocacy for our members is, as always, a critical factor in ensuring fair treatment and payment for their work.”
ASCAP continued to upgrade its business systems in 2012 through IT innovations and ongoing, cost-saving operational improvements that resulted in an 11.3 percent operating expense ratio as compared with 12 percent last year.
ASCAP CEO John LoFrumento added, “Looking forward to 2013 and beyond, the news is good. We are poised to return to year-over-year growth in our domestic revenues and with foreign revenues remaining consistently high.
ASCAP expanded its suite of online tools in 2012 including programs ASCAP OnStage, ASCAP Play Music and an enhanced mobile app, which allows access to ASCAP’s tools on any mobile device.

Aldean, Gill and More Perform For New York City's All For The Hall

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Jason Aldean, Vince Gill, Emmylou Harris, Rodney Crowell, Gregg Allman and Warren Haynes of The Allman Brothers Band, Ashley Monroe, Train’s Pat Monahan and surprise guest Joan Osborne gathered at New York City’s Best Buy Theater on Feb. 26 for an All For The Hall benefit concert honoring the Country Music Hall of Fame.
All of the artists shared the stage during the two-hour concert, trading songs and stories in an guitar-pull style. Harris sang with Crowell on a few cuts from their new duet album, Old Yellow Moon. Allman and Haynes brought their course Southern rock style and ace guitar skills to “Melissa,” “Midnight Rider” and “These Days.” Monahan performed his single “Bruises” with Monroe before performing his hit “Drops of Jupiter.”
In addition to the dinner and concert, part of the evening was set aside to raise money for the Country Music Hall of Fame and museum via a cocktail reception and auction, which included autographed guitars, concert tickets and autographed photos.

All For The Hall New York Benefiting The Country Music Hall Of Fame - Show

Pictured (L-R): Jason Aldean, Gregg Allman, Warren Haynes, Emmylou Harris, Rodney Crowell, Vince Gill, Ashley Monroe and Pat Monahan. Photo: Getty Images


All For The Hall New York Benefiting The Country Music Hall Of Fame - Show

Pictured (L-R): Jason Aldean, Gregg Allman, Warren Haynes, Emmylou Harris, Rodney Crowell, Vince Gill, Ashley Monroe and Pat Monahan. Photo: Getty Images

Industry Ink (3-5-13)

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Cumulus LogoCumulus Media has appointed Steve Shaw as Sr. VP, National Sales. Shaw, formerly president of KATZ Radio Group, will oversee national ad sales for the company in his new role. The company has 525 owned-and-operated stations in 110 markets nationwide.

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crsThis year’s Country Radio Seminar experience a 3 percent increase in attendance, compared to CRS 2012. This is the fifth consecutive year the event experienced a growth in attendee numbers. A total of 2,995 registrants attended this year’s event, held Feb. 27-March 1 at the Nashville Convention Center. That figure includes 2,276 full registrants and 719 participant registrants (attendees that register for individual CRS events or purchase single day passes only).

Bill Mayne, CRS Executive Director stated, “The industry has been very positive about this year’s Country Radio Seminar. With the introduction of new and additional special events this year, there was a new enthusiasm surrounding the event. We have already put on our thinking caps for CRS 2014.”

CRS 2014 will be held on February 18 – 22, 2014 in downtown Nashville, Tennessee. Registration for next years Seminar will open July 1, 2013.
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tin pan south 2013Tin Pan South Fast-Access Passes go on sale today (March 5) at 10 a.m. CT.  To purchase tickets, visit http://tinpansouth.com/2013/tickets.html. Tin Pan South will take place April 2 – April 6 at nine venues around Music City. In addition to bypassing the cover charge at the door, passes also allow advance seating over those purchasing tickets at the door.
For the schedule and other festival information, go to tinpansouth.com.

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nashville songwriters festivalThe 11th Annual Nashville SongWriters Festival will take place May 30-June 2 in Nashville. The event will feature songwriter performances at various venues in the Music Row area, networking parties and “Speak With A Pro” mentoring sessions. The festival is open to novices and professionals. For more information, visit www.SongWritersFestival.org or call (615) 424-1491.
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SOURCE, an organization of women executives in Nashville’s music industry, welcomed Randy Goodman as a guest speaker at their monthly members’ luncheon held at ASCAP on Feb. 28. Goodman is the co-chair of the Music City Music Council, an association of business leaders charged by the Mayor with developing strategies toward heightening the awareness and development of Nashville as THE global Music City. A Nashville native, Goodman started Nashville-based Lyric Street Records for the Walt Disney Co., in 1997 and served as president until the record label closed in 2010.
Pictured (L-R): Debbie Carroll (Exec. Dir. MusiCares), Randy Goodman (Co-Chair Music City Music Council), Sally Williams (GM Ryman Auditorium), Stacey Schlitz (Schlitz Law). Photo: Denise Fussell

Pictured (L-R): Debbie Carroll (Exec. Dir. MusiCares), Randy Goodman (Co-Chair Music City Music Council), Sally Williams (GM Ryman Auditorium), Stacey Schlitz (Schlitz Law). Photo: Denise Fussell

Artist Updates (3-5-13)

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The Band PerryThe Band Perry’s single, “Better Dig Two,” has been certified platinum by the Recording Industry Association of America. The song is the first single from the trio’s Pioneer album, to be released April 2.

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george-straitGeorge Strait‘s The Cowboy Rides Away Tour debuted at No. 1 atop Pollstar’s Concert Pulse, besting artists including Justin Bieber, Neil Young and Crazy Horse, Dave Matthews Band and The Who. Martina McBride has joined Strait for the tour, which has already sold out 15 venues.

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blue ridge music festivalLittle Big Town and Hunter Hayes will headline the Blue Ridge Music Festival, to be held June 1 in Salem, Va. Additional performers will include Gloriana, Nashville star Charles Esten (Deacon Claybourne), Colt Ford, Greg Bates and more.
The Blue Ridge Music Festival will be held at the Salem Stadium. General admission tickets are available for $35 at the Salem Civic Center box office, all Ticketmaster locations, or charge by phone at (800) 745-3000. There are also a limited number of VIP tickets available for $99.50.

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alan jackson Precious Memories Vol. 2Alan Jackson will release Precious Memories Volume II on March 26. The album is a follow-up to his 2006 album Precious Memories. Songs featured on Volume II include “Amazing Grace,” “He Lives,” “Just As I Am,” “O How I Love Jesus,” “There Is Power In The Blood” and “Sweet Hour of Prayer,” among others.
“Denise and I had made a list of 30 to 40 songs to do for that first album,” Jackson says. “We had so many that we didn’t get to, I thought we’d go in and do a few more just the same way – heartfelt and simple.”

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ashley monroe1Ashley Monroe and new Nashville-based group Striking Matches will perform for a South by Southwest (SXSW) showcase in Austin on March 11. The event, presented by CMT, VH1 and MTV, will be held at the Control Room in Austin. Also performing on the bill are Guards, ZZ WArd, Elle King and Youngblood Hawke.
General admission tickets will be available for the show, though SXSW badge holders will be admitted free of charge.
 
 

HoriPro Entertainment Group Acquires Full Circle Music Publishing

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horipro logoHoriPro Entertainment Group has acquired Full Circle Music Publishing. The deal was completed in mid-February. HoriPro acquired Full Circle Music Group’s catalog and assumed all writers’ contracts, including writers Bob Regan, Will Nance, Brandon Ray and Tommy Cecil.
Full Circle Music Group’s catalog includes “When I Get Where I’m Going,” “Old Alabama,” “All My Friends Say” and “Boys of Fall,” among many others. “It was a great catalog with a lot of wonderful hit songs. There are some awesome copyrights in that catalog, along with some stuff from writers that we feel like we can take out and exploit,” says HoriPro Sr. VP Butch Baker.
HoriPro Entertainment Group also owns catalog material from KISS, REO Speedwagon, Marilyn Manson and more. “We are pretty close to 25,000 copyrights in the company,” says Baker. Their roster includes hit songwriters such as Dean Dillon, Phil O’Donnell and Phil Barton.
 

Adkins Announces 11th Studio Album

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traceadkinsTrace Adkins is feeling the love on his 11th studio album, Love Will…, and he has confirmed that it will be released this Spring on Show Dog-Universal Music.
Like any labor of love, this album benefitted from relationships built over time and based on respect. The impressive list of producers who helped these songs stand up to Trace’s rich baritone include Tony Brown, Mark Wright, Frank Rogers, Kenny Beard and Mickey Cones. Additionally, several unexpected guests (to be announced) will appear, since love is nothing if not a collaboration.
“Hold on one second!” said Adkins. “This is an album of love songs but in my book, ‘Hot Mama’ and ‘Badonkadonk’ are love songs! So don’t start thinking these are all ‘I’ll love you til the end of time’ ballads…but yeah, we’ve got those too.”
Starting today, fans can pre-order the album on www.TraceAdkins.com. Fans can now complete online tasks related to either Trace’s new album, his appearances on NBC’s All-Star Celebrity Apprentice and his role as a Red Cross spokesman. Fans who complete tasks will be entered to win prizes like a pair of Nocona Boots signed by Trace, a year supply of Trace Adkins Hightower’s Smoked Sausage, an iPod or an autographed Trace Adkins-branded guitar. Grand prizes include a trip to the live finale of All-Star Celebrity Apprentice in New York City (regardless of the outcome) or an all-paid cruise aboard Country Cruising 2014.

Mark Your Calendar–March 2013

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Jon-PardiSingle Releases

March 4
Brad Paisley/Beat The Summer/Arista Nashville
Randy Houser/Runnin’ Outta Moonlight/Stoney Creek
March 11
Jason Aldean/1994/BBR
Jon Pardi/Up All Night/Capitol
The Band Perry/Done/Republic Nashville
Sheryl Crow/Easy/Old Green Barn-Sea Gayle-Warner Bros.-WMN
Tate Stevens/Power Of A Love Song/Syco Music-RCA
Billy Dean/I Can’t Leave A Good Thing/Rainman-Flying Island
Erica Nicole/Better Beer/Heaven-Nine North-Turnpike
Tobacco Rd. Band (Feat. Colt Ford)/That’s Country/Turnpike-Big Southern
March  18
Justin Moore/Point At You/Valory
Phil Vassar/Love Is Alive/Rodeowave

RWOTRIndustry Events

March 1
International Country Music Marketing Summit at Disneyland Paris
March 6
Remembering Mindy: A memorial for Mindy McCready at 4pm at Cathedral Of The Incarnation, 2015 West End Avenue in Nashville
March 7
Napa in Nashville at Nashville’s Hard Rock Cafe
March 8
Rumble on the Row at Liberty Hall in the Factory at Franklin
March 8-17
SXSW Conferences & Festivals
March 10
2013 T.J. Martell Honors Gala
March 12
Jeffrey Steele & Friends benefit concert at the Franklin Theatre
March 20
SOLID’s Music Row Madness Bowling Tournament at the Hillwood Strike & Spare, 5:30 p.m.–8 p.m.
March 22
MusicRow’s 2nd Annual Rising Women on the Row Breakfast. Tickets are available for the 8:30 a.m. ceremony at Maggiano’s.

ashley monroe1Album Releases

March 5
Ashley Monroe/Like A Rose/Warner Nashville
Luke Bryan/Spring Break … Here to Party/Capitol Nashville
Howling Brothers/Howl/Readymade Records-Thirty Tigers
March 12
Shooter Jennings/The Other Life/Black Country Rock/Entertainment One Nashville
Kenny Rogers/The Gambler [reissue-vinyl]/Capitol Nashville
Junior Sisk & Ramblers Choice/The Story of the Day that I Died/Rebel Records
March 19
Kacey Musgraves/Same Trailer Different Park/Mercury Records
Josh Rouse/The Happiness Waltz/Yep Roc Records
March 26
Blake Shelton/Based On A True Story…/Warner Bros. Records
Thompson Square/Just Feels Good/Stoney Creek
Alan Jackson/Precious Memories Volume II/ACR-EMI Records Nashville
Maggie Rose/Cut To Impress/RPM Entertainment
March 29
B.J. Thomas/The Living Room Sessions/Wrinkled Records

Artist Updates (3-4-13)

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mindymcreadyCMT will premiere a one-hour news special documenting the life and career of Mindy McCready. CMT News Presents: Mindy McCready: Fallen Angel airs Sunday (March 10) at 8 pm. ET.

Hosted by CMT’s Katie Cook, the special will highlight the highs and lows of the star’s life, and feature archival CMT interviews, never-before-seen footage and exclusive interviews with those who knew her closely. Country artists Ty Herndon, Richie McDonald, Lorrie Morgan and Jimmy Wayne, and Nashville industry vets Holly Gleason and Robert K. Oermann will all lend their insight. Additionally, David Malloy (producer, former boyfriend), Jimmy Nichols (musician, close friend), Norro Wilson (producer), and Eric Hughes, McCready’s child custody lawyer, will share their personal experiences with the troubled star.

Jayson Dinsmore and Lewis Bogach serve as executive producers while Mark Hall, Jennifer Meyer and Ray Sells will serve as producers.

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 Miranda Lambert has released her latest video, “Mama’s Broken Heart,” on VEVO.

YouTube video

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lady antebellum111111111Lady Antebellum will debut the video for its latest single, “Downtown,” on Wednesday (March 6) on E! News at 7 p.m. ET. They will have a sneak peek from the shoot today (March 4) on E! News prior to the premiere. Shot in Los Angeles last month and directed by Peter Zavadil, E!’s Marc Malkin sat down with the band and took fans behind the scenes of Lady A’s Hillary Scott and 2 Broke Girls star Beth Behrs’ mischievous night out on the town.

“This is definitely the most fun we’ve ever had shooting a video,” said Scott. “Beth was sweet enough to agree to help out for this video. It’s not often I have a partner in crime to help me stir up a little trouble for Dave and Charles!”

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B.J. Thomas joined Blake Shelton and Gwen Sebastian at the Grand Ole Opry on Saturday (March 2).

BJ Thomas

Pictured (L-R): B.J. Thomas, Blake Shelton, Gwen Sebastian


 

Leadership Music Class of 2014 Accepting Applications

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Leadership MusicTM is accepting applications from established entertainment industry leaders for the Class of 2014 throughout the month of March. The Class of 2014 will have the distinction of being the 25th class to go through the program. The eight month, Nashville-based, learning program begins in September and is designed to create understanding among music industry professionals, educate, promote teamwork and create life-long relationships. 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 at http://leadershipmusic.org/apply/. According to Debbie Schwartz Linn, executive director of the 24-year-old organization, “Last year’s program began with 45 members who were chosen from several hundred applicants. It’s a process that may take several tries before being accepted,” she stressed. “Our goal is a balanced and diversified class and choosing the best and brightest and leaders in their field, while representing all segments of the music industry. We strongly encourage applicants to keep trying.  The experience is like no other. ”
One industry veteran who is in the Class of 2013 summed up his experience: “I have more than 35 years in media and 20 years in music around the world, but these monthly days in Nashville are the highlight of my career.” And another member of the same class says, “A priceless glimpse into our entire industry from the experts shaping every aspect.”
Applications must be submitted via the on-line process no later than March 31, 2013.