rpm entertainment adds VP, Digital

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James Stewart

rpm entertainment has expanded its staff, hiring James Stewart as VP, Digital, where he will work with rpme’s label, management, and publishing divisions to implement and maximize sales and marketing directives on physical and digital fronts. Stewart reports to Senior VP April Rider, effective immediately.

“We are excited to expand our growing label’s digital strategy and reach,” says Rider via a release. “Adding James to our rpme family will ensure our acts are in the digital forefront and we are thrilled to have his expertise.”

Stewart was most recently with UMG Nashville, where he worked on various digital campaigns for George Strait, Kip Moore, Jamey Johnson, Sugarland, Lionel Richie, Scotty McCreery, Lauren Alaina, David Nail, Easton Corbin, and others.

Prior to UMG Nashville, he worked with the Sun Record Company where he facilitated new digital distribution deals and acted as a consultant on issues from marketing and distribution, to licensing and merchandising.

“April and the whole crew at rpme are amazing,” says Stewart. “I’m happy to be here and excited about all the great things to come in 2013.”

Stewart can be reached at james@rpmegroup.com.

Patrick Joseph Publishing Announces First Signing

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Pictured (L-R) Back: Pat Higdon, Matt Pincus, Casey Del Casino (Teren's attorney), Ron Perry (SONGS). Seated: George Teren

Pat Higdon of Patrick Joseph Music and Matt Pincus, CEO of SONGS Music Publishing, have announced Nashville-based George Teren as the first writer signed to Patrick Joseph Music/SONGS Music Publishing.

“I’ve been a huge fan of George’s songwriting for a long time and I’m so excited to finally get to work with him directly,” said Higdon. “He’s a talented professional who knows how to craft songs for today in timeless fashion.”

“George Teren is an incredible talent, with a rich career in creating music for the Nashville market and in many other genres,” said Pincus. “I am honored to have him join us as the inaugural member of the PJM/SONGS family, and look forward to working with Pat in making many more great things happen with George’s music.”

Teren’s catalog includes “Real Good Man” (Tim McGraw), “Homewrecker” (Gretchen Wilson), “When I get To Where I’m Going” (Brad Paisley) and “Ladies Love Country Boys” (Trace Adkins). Teren has also had cuts by Britney Spears, Nick Lachey, Tower of Power and Avalon, among others.

In 2012, Higdon relaunched the original Warner/Chappell joint venture with SONGS Music Publishing, containing catalogs from Matraca Berg, Tim Mensy, Troy Verges, Gary Harrison, Carolyn Dawn Johnson and Brett James.

 

Spotify Aims To Increase Discovery

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Members of Metallica share playlists on Spotify.

Spotify is rolling out music discovery features in coming weeks. There will be new tabs labeled “Discover” and “Follow,” which will help listeners find new music by following the tastes of hit artists and other tastemakers. It will also offer songs, playlists, and performance videos based on users’ past listening habits. Visually, Ad Age reports the Discover section incorporates lots of images and videos in a Pinterest-inspired way.

In 2013, Spotify will begin adding marketers to the Discover section. Many big-name brands also have Spotify apps, which they promote on the site with ads.

The free version of the on-demand music service is ad-supported and has more than 15 million users. Globally there are about 5 million paying subscribers, including 1 million in the U.S. who pay either $4.99 or $9.99 a month for the ad-free version. More here.

Jewel Remakes Hits with Pistol Annies, Kelly Clarkson

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Jewel

Jewel recruited Pistol Annies and Kelly Clarkson for her first greatest hits album, set for release Feb. 5. Pistol Annies joined her to record a new version of “You Were Meant For Me,” while Clarkson teamed with the songstress for “Foolish Games.” Rhino will release the project, which also contains a yet-to-be-announced new single.

During her almost two decade career, Jewel has sold more than 27 million albums. Her 1995 debut, Pieces of You, dominated the charts with “Who Will Save Your Soul,” “You Were Meant For Me” and “Foolish Games,” on its way to selling more than 12 million copies in the U.S. She has released 10 albums, including country efforts Perfectly Clear and Sweet and Wild. She’s earned four Grammy nominations, the most recent for her 2010 country ballad, “Satisfied.”

Additionally, the first leg of her Greatest Hits tour will begin in March.

Jewel—Greatest Hits Track Listing (Not Sequenced)
“Who Will Save Your Soul”
“You Were Meant For Me”
“Foolish Games”
“Hands”
“Down So Long”
“Jupiter”
“Standing Still”
“Break Me”
“Intuition”
“Good Day”
“Stronger Woman”
“Somewhere Over The Rainbow”
“Satisfied”
“Foolish Games” – with Kelly Clarkson
“You Were Meant For Me” – with the Pistol Annies
New Single (details to be announced shortly)

RIAA Releases November Awards

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The RIAA’s November Gold and Platinum certifications for U.S. Single and Album shipments reflect positively on Nashville this month.

Taylor Swift received high honors for triple-platinum sales alongside BMLG labelmates, including Florida Georgia Line’s Platinum single “Cruise,” Tim McGraw’s Gold certified “Truck Yeah,” and Justin Moore’s Gold album, Outlaws Like Me.

Country holiday albums shipments were strong this past month, including Christmas with Scotty McCreery (Mercury/19/Interscope) and Blake Shelton’s Cheers It’s Christmas (Warner Bros), each receiving Gold recognitions.

Kenny Chesney’s Blue Chair Records/Columbia Nashville release, “Come Over,” earned platinum status as well as Miranda Lambert’s RCA Records Nashville single, “Over You.” Chesney’s Greatest Hits II, Toby Keith singles from Mercury and DreamWorks, and Zac Brown Band’s Uncaged also received honors.

See the full list of November Awards here.

American Country Awards: In Photos

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Luke Bryan was the star of the evening at the American Country Awards on Monday (Dec. 10). The Georgia native earned guitars for Artist of the Year, Male Artist of the Year, Album of the Year (Tailgates & Tanlines) and four guitars for “I Don’t Want This Night To End” (including Single by a Male Artist, Single of the Year, Music Video by a Male Artist, Music Video of the Year). A clean sweep.

Luke Bryan. Photo: Frazer Harrison

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Miranda Lambert‘s “Over You,” which she co-wrote with her husband Blake Shelton, won Single by a Female Artist and Video by a Female Artist.

Miranda Lambert took home two awards at the American Country Awards. Photo: Frazer Harrison

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Jake Owen, who recently welcomed his first child on Thanksgiving, won for Breakthrough Artist of the Year.

Jake Owen accepts a guitar for Breakthrough Artist of the Year. Photo: Getty Images

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Jason Aldean won a guitar for Touring Artist of the Year at the American Country Awards. He said the Touring Award “means more to me than anything.”

Jason Aldean with wife Jessica on the American Country Awards carpet. Photo: Frazer Harrison

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Little Big Town won a guitar for Music Video of the Year: Group or Collaboration for chart-topping single “Pontoon.” The quartet also performed current single “Tornado.”

Little Big Town performed and won at the American Country Awards. Photo: Frazer Harrison

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Trace Adkins and Kristin Chenoweth co-hosted the American Country Awards for a second year. This year, the gags included Chenoweth dressing up as a parody of the television personality Honey Boo Boo.

Trace Adkins and Kristin Chenoweth. Photo: Getty Images

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Luke Bryan performed his hit “Kiss Tomorrow Goodbye” during the American Country Awards.

Luke Bryan performs at the American Country Awards. Photo: Getty Images

*For a full list of winners, click here.

Artist Updates (12/11/2012)

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Kellie Pickler

Kellie Pickler’s 100 Proof, Jamey Johnson’s Living For A Song: A Tribute to Hank Cochran, Lionel Richie’s Tuskegee, JB and the Moonshine Band’s Beer for Breakfast and Easton Corbin’s All Over The Road have been named the Best Country Albums of 2012 by Rolling Stone magazine.

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Craig Campbell‘s six-song EP Outta My Head is available today (Tuesday, Dec. 11), exclusively at Walmart.

 

 

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Downtown Music Publishing, a New York-based rights management firm, has signed signer-songwriter Jewel to a worldwide, long-term publishing agreement, which covers her complete catalog as well as future works.

 

 

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Lynyrd Skynyrd will headline Chopper Live: The Revenge on Tuesday (Dec. 11) at 9 p.m. ET/PT on Discovery. The band joins an already extensive list of  talent participating in this major television event, including American Chopper stars Paul Teutul Senior and Paul Teutul Junior, Outlaw Garage star Jesse James, and Fast ‘N Loud stars Richard Rawlings and Aaron Kaufman.

On The Cover: Toby Keith (Dec 2012/Jan 2013)

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There are few safe bets in life, even fewer when it comes to entertainment. A new Toby Keith album, however, is as close to a sure thing as can be found. As he releases Hope On The Rocks, Keith is coming off yet another No. 1 country album, Clancy’s Tavern, which included the biggest viral event in the genre’s history, “Red Solo Cup.” That effort was just the latest in a long run of chart-topping albums and singles that form an unmatched model of consistency. Starting with his first single, 1993’s “Should’ve Been A Cowboy,” Keith has had No. 1 hits every year.

Keith’s tours, and his long running association with title sponsor Ford Trucks, are annually among the nation’s top draws. His “I Love This Bar And Grill” restaurants are perhaps the fastest growing of any celebrity chain and now include 15 locations. His signature Wild Shot Mezcal has almost single handedly stoked growth in an entire segment of the spirits industry. Those successes led Forbes to once again feature Keith in the Forbes Celebrity 100 this year, the annual ranking of the most powerful stars in movies, television, sports and publishing. He is the top earning country male musician on the list.

Remarkable as they are, however, those achievements pale in comparison to the singular vision behind an astonishingly focused creative process. He remains the principal songwriter of his many hits, to the tune of more than 75 million airplay performances, according to BMI. That number puts him among the top songwriter/artists of all time in any genre.

Artist Name Toby Keith
Label Show Dog-Universal Music
Current Album/Single Hope On The Rocks
Current Producer Toby Keith
Management TK Kimbrell / TKO Artist Management
Booking Curt Motley / Paradigm Agency
Recent Hits “Red Solo Cup,” “Beers Ago,” “I Like Girls That Drink Beer”
Special Film Appearances Principal Actor in Beer For My Horses and Broken Bridges
Hometown Norman, Okla.
Birthdate 7/8/61
Musical Influences Roger Miller, Merle Haggard, Willie Nelson
Favorite Songs “Same Thing Happened To Me” John Prine, “Wichita Jail” Charlie Daniels, “Yesterday’s Wine” Willie Nelson, “It Happened Just That Way” Roger Miller
Awards CMA and ACM Video of The Year for “Red Solo Cup,” three time BMI Songwriter of the Year, two time NSAI Songwriter of the Year, Billboard and ACA Artist of the Decade awards, NSAI Songwriter/Artist of the Decade

RIAA Certifications
18 Gold or Platinum albums
37 million albums sold

Interesting Facts:
• He played semi-pro football and is interested in golf, horse racing and coaching football.
• Wild Shot is the No. 1 premium Mezcal in the United States and it has a worm in it. “Blame it on the worm.”
• Keith has once again played to packed houses across America on his “Live In Overdrive Tour, presented by Ford F-Series.”
• He completed his 10th annual USO tour in 2012 and has performed for over 220,000 service men and women since 2002. He has played over 192 shows mostly in the Persian Gulf area.
• Following his hugely successful European tour in late 2011, Keith was recently awarded the International Act of the Year & International Album of the Year for Clancy’s Tavern at the British Country Music Awards (the biggest country award show in the UK).

rpm entertainment Enters Revenue Sharing Agreement With Clear Channel

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rpm entertainment, headed by Scott Siman, has entered an agreement with Clear Channel Media and Entertainment to share in Clear Channel’s broadcast revenues. Terms of the deal were not disclosed, but similar agreements between broadcasters and labels have included setting streaming radio royalties at a predictable amount. Similar deals have been made by Clear Channel with Big Machine Label Group, Glassnote Entertainment Group, Naxos and DashGo. These agreements are important because they are designed to drive growth and innovation in Internet radio, and because artists aren’t typically paid a broadcast performance royalty for radio airplay.

rpm entertainment, which includes rpme records, rpme music group and rpme management, was launched in May 2012 by Siman. Maggie Rose is rpme’s debut artist signed to the label, management and publishing rosters. rpme music group owns the rights to such hit songs as “It’s Five O’Clock Somewhere” (Alan Jackson), “I’m Movin’ On” (Rascal Flatts) and “Leave the Pieces” (The Wreckers), among others. rpme management also represents Yarn, Humming House, Carolina Story and a rising country group, The Command Sisters.

“Country music has always been a part of my life – it runs in my veins,” said Siman. “While I am immensely proud of my accomplishments so far, the future is what motivates me. This agreement represents where music is going, and I’m excited that rpm entertainment will be pioneering with Clear Channel.”

“Scott Siman knows country music inside and out,” said Bob Pittman, Chief Executive Officer of Clear Channel. “His years of experience and his reputation in the industry make him and his company an ideal choice for this partnership. His focus on emerging country artists makes this business model, which allows new acts to reach bigger, more diverse audiences, even more relevant.”

Luke Bryan Wins Big at ACA Awards

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Luke Bryan. Photo: Frazier Harrison

Luke Bryan was the biggest winner at the 2012 American Country Awards Winners, handed out Monday night (Dec. 10) at Las Vegas’ Mandalay Bay Events Center. The singer took home the fan-voted show’s top prize, Artist of the Year, and eight other trophies, more than any other artist.

Bryan was followed by Miranda Lambert, who received three awards. Carrie Underwood earned two guitars, for a total of 11 ACA awards, the most of any artist. Lady Antebellum’s wins in Artist of the Year: Group, and Single of the Year: Group, plus their five previous awards, make them the group with the most ACA honors ever. The show aired live on Fox.

Fans logged on to www.theacas.com to cast votes in support of their favorite country music artists.

ARTISTS
Artist of the Year
Luke Bryan

Artist of the Year: Male
Luke Bryan

Artist of the Year: Female
Carrie Underwood

Artist of the Year: Group
Lady Antebellum

Artist of the Year: Breakthrough Artist
Jake Owen

Artist of the Year: New Artist
Lauren Alaina

Album
Album of the Year
Luke Bryan, “tailgates & tanlines”

SINGLES
Single of the Year
Luke Bryan, “I Don’t Want This Night To End”

Single of the Year: Male
Luke Bryan, “I Don’t Want This Night To End”

Single of the Year: Female
Miranda Lambert, “Over You”

Single of the Year: Group
Lady Antebellum, “We Owned The Night”

Single of the Year: New Artist
Hunter Hayes, “Wanted”

Single of the Year: Breakthrough Artist
Brantley Gilbert, “You Don’t Know Her Like I Do”

Single of the Year: Vocal Collaboration
Brad Paisley (Duet with Carrie Underwood), “Remind Me”

TOURING
Touring Artist of the Year
Jason Aldean

VIDEOS
Music Video of the Year
Luke Bryan, “I Don’t Want This Night To End”

Music Video of the Year: Male
Luke Bryan, “I Don’t Want This Night to End”

Music Video of the Year: Female
Miranda Lambert, “Over You”

Music Video of the Year: Group or Collaboration
Little Big Town, “Pontoon”

Music Video of the Year: New Artist
Hunter Hayes, “Wanted”

Song of the Year:
Eric Church, “Springsteen” (Eric Church, Jeff Hyde and Ryan Tyndell)

Additionally, the following MOST PLAYED RADIO TRACK awards determined by Mediabase, were announced during tonight’s telecast:
Most Played Radio Track
Luke Bryan, “I Don’t Want This Night to End”

Most Played Radio Track: Male
Luke Bryan, “I Don’t Want This Night to End”

Most Played Radio Track: Female
Miranda Lambert, “Over You”

Most Played Radio Track: Group
Zac Brown Band, “Keep Me In Mind”

Most Played Radio Track: New Artist
Kip Moore, “Somethin’ ‘Bout A Truck”