Google Updates Search Algorithms

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Google announced today (8/10) that it is updating its search algorithms beginning next week to factor in valid copyright removal notices for sites. Those sites with higher numbers of removal notices may appear lower in search rankings, and therefore help users find legitimate sources of content more easily, such as a song on NPR’s website, streaming music on Spotify, or television on Hulu.

“This change is an important step in the right direction – a step we’ve been urging Google to take for a long time – and we commend the company for its action,” commented RIAA Chairman and CEO Cary Sherman in a response.

Google’s announcement goes on to say the company is now processing more copyright removal notices daily than the entirety of 2009. The company claims to have examined more than 4.3 million URLs in the past month, which will now be used in future searches.

Jana Kramer Sings Nationwide Insurance Jingle

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Jana Kramer has been signed by Nationwide Insurance to sing the company’s “On Your Side” commercial jingle in its new “Join the Nation” campaign.

The commercials debuted during the opening ceremonies of the 2012 Olympics and will continue to air nationally throughout the next year.

Kramer’s debut single, “Why Ya Wanna,” broke into the Top 10 this week and has sold nearly half a million copies. She is currently on Brad Paisley’s Virtual Reality Tour through fall, performing on the “Virtual Opry Stage.”

Jana Kramer’s upcoming tour dates as follows:

August 10 – Bethel, NY–Bethel Woods Center for the Arts*
August 11 – Darien Lakes, NY–Darien Lakes Performing Arts Center*
August 12 – Arlington, WA–Festival of the Rivers
August 14 – Roseburg, OR–Stewart Park – Music on the Half Shell
August 16 – Tulsa, OK–BOK Center*
August 17 – Southaven, MS–Snowden Grove Park & Amphitheater*
August 18 – Dallas, TX–Gexa Energy Pavilion*
August 19 – Brownsville, OR–Bi-Mart Willamette Country Music Festival
August 24 – Raleigh, NC–Time Warner Music Pavilion at Walnut Creek*
August 25 – Bristow, VA–Jiffy Lube Live*
September 13 – Virginia Beach, VA–Farm Bureau Live*
September 14 – Charlotte, NC–Verizon Wireless Amphitheatre
September 15 – Atlanta, GA–Aaron’s Amphitheatre
September 27 – Jacksonville, FL–Jacksonville Veterans Memorial Arena
September 28 – Tampa, FL–GARY Amphitheatre
September 29 – Wellington, FL–Cruzan Amphitheater

* Indicates Brad Paisley Virtual Reality tour date

Artist Updates (8/10/12)

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Garth Brooks has been added to the lineup for the upcoming “Teachers Rock” benefit August 18 at Nokia Theatre in Los Angeles. He joins previously announced performers Carrie Underwood, Dierks Bentley, Josh Groban, Fun., Usher, and Adam Levine. Presented by Walmart and “Won’t Back Down,” the event benefits Teach For America, Donors Choose, and Feeding America’s Backpack Program. Additional appearances will be made by Meryl Streetp, Viola Davis, Maggie Gyllenhaal and more. The program will air on CBS August 18 at 7 pm/CT.

• • • •

Chris Young will take over the network when he becomes CMT’s VJ For a Day. The hit singer of “Neon” will select his favorite music videos in the one hour special, which will air Wednesday, August 15 at 9 am/CT. The network is also offering a Neon Sweepstakes for fans to win a custom Neon sign and video chat with Young. More info here.

• • • •

 

Photo: Kevin Hees

Lisa Marie Presley will make her Grand Ole Opry debut on Tuesday, August 21, in a show that also includes Rascal Flatts, Del McCoury Band, and the Time Jumpers. Presley’s new Americana-tinged album Storm & Grace (Universal Republic/XIX Recordings) was produced by T Bone Burnett. The singer’s father, the King of Rock & Roll Elvis Presley, made only one appearance on the Opry. In 1954, he sang his version of Bill Monroe’s “Blue Moon of Kentucky,” and received compliments on the arrangement from the bluegrass master.

• • • •

Country rockers Flynnville Train recently kept more than 5000 fans on their feet during a 75 minute set at the 31st Piknik Country Festival in Mragowo, Poland. The band performed songs including “Home,” “Nowhere Than Somewhere,” and new single “The One You Love.” Polish country singer Lonstar joined the group for a performance of “Last Good Time,” and also interviewed the group for Polish National Television. Following the show, Flynnville Train signed autographs for three hours.

Flynnville Train is interviewed by Lonstar for Polish National Television. (L- R): Joseph Shreve, Brian Flynn, Tommy Bales, Brent Flynn and Lonstar

MusicRowPics: Kelleigh Bannen Artist Visit

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EMI Records Nashville’s new artist Kelleigh Bannen visited MusicRow headquarters yesterday (8/9). The singer/songwriter shared four songs, including her single “Sorry on the Rocks.” The Nashville, TN native also played “Rose Colored Glasses,” “Oh My My,” and “Why Now Why,” all of which Bannen co-wrote.

Bannen, who just wrapped up a radio tour, is currently working with producers Paul Worley and Jerry Smith. “He’s always teaching,” she said of Worley. “He makes sure we have the right musicians in the room to get the best sound.”

“Sorry on the Rocks” is expected to be available on iTunes early in Sept, while her album is tentatively slated for release at the beginning of next year.

For more information on Bannen, visit kelleighbannen.com.

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Chris Knight To Release New Album

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Chris Knight is scheduled to release Little Victories on September 11 via Drifter’s Church Records and distributed by Thirty Tigers/RED. Produced by five-time Grammy winner Ray Kennedy (Steve Earle, Lucinda Williams), the album marks Knight’s first collection of new material in over four years, following seven critically acclaimed albums.

Special guests on the album include Buddy Miller, who lends his vocals to the album’s lead single, “In The Mean Time,” as well as “Missing You.” The album also features John Prine, who with Knight on the title track.

Knight, who wrote, or co-wrote each of the songs on the album presents a blunt picture of the socio-economic climate of his hometown of Slaughters, Kentucky (population 200), where he currently resides  with his family.

Lead single “In The Mean Time” is currently available to download for free on Knight’s Facebook page.

Weekly Chart Report (8/10/12)

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Carrie Underwood visited with KCYY/San Antonio APD Jeff Roper while on the road to promote “Blown Away,” which lands at No. 17 on the CountryBreakout Chart this week.

SPIN ZONE
There are still plenty of good summer days left, and Little Big Town’s “Pontoon” recognizes that by staying anchored in the CountryBreakout Chart’s No. 1 spot for a second consecutive week. But Love and Theft might soon be ready to steal the title away, as the duo’s “Angel Eyes” ascends to No. 2 with a total of 3286 spins. Zac Brown Band’s “The Wind” blows right in to the No. 3 spot, followed by Lady Antebellum’s “Wanted You More” at No. 4.

As always, there are a handful of the format’s heavy hitters moving quickly up the chart. But like Love and Theft, there are also an impressive number of new artists making inroads. Jana Kramer’s “Why Ya Wanna” has been charting nearly 30 weeks, and just jumped to No. 7 with a gain of almost 150 spins. Kramer’s WMN labelmate Hunter Hayes is on his second single with “Wanted,” and he rises to No. 14 with a big gain. Just behind Hayes at No. 15 and 16 are Republic Nashville’s Greg Bates with “Did It For the Girl” and Broken Bow’s Dustin Lynch with “Cowboys and Angels,” respectively.

Most of these newcomers are male solo or duo acts, like Jon Pardi (No. 23), Florida Georgia Line (No. 25), or Kip Moore (No. 33). But like Jana Kramer, a few solo female or female-fronted acts are getting some traction. RCA Nashville’s Joanna Smith is performing well at No. 21 with “We Can’t Be Friends” after 21 weeks charting. Big Machine’s Edens Edge is also moving quickly at No. 25 with second single “Too Good To Be True,” and Gwen Sebastian’s “Met Him in a Motel Room” is at No. 41. On the way are new offerings from Miss Willie Brown (No. 56) and Kelleigh Bannen (No. 59).

Frozen Playlists: KCJC, KVAY, KVOM, KVVP, KWEY, KXBZ, KYEZ, KYYK, WBKR, WGGC, WMEV, WOWF

Upcoming Singles
August 13
One Night Rodeo/Real Good/Fox Hill
Bucky Covington with Shooter Jennings/Drinking Side of Country/eOne
Tim Dugger/Tennessee/Curb

August 20
Flynnville Train/The One You Love/Whiskey Bent-Flying Island
Dierks Bentley/Tip It On Back/Capitol

• • • • •

New On The Chart—Debuting This Week
Artist/song/label — chart pos.
Dierks Bentley/Tip It On Back/Capitol – 69
John Maison/Love Is A Trip/Big High Five – 76
Lucas Hoge/Do What Makes You Feel Good/Animal House Music Group – 77
Tim Culpepper/Pourin’ Whiskey On Pain – 78

Greatest Spin Increase
Artist/song/label — spin+
Luke Bryan/Kiss Tomorrow Goodbye/Capitol – 461
Toby Keith/I Like Girls That Drink Beer/Show Dog-Universal – 405
Jason Aldean/Take A Little Ride/Broken Bow – 367
Eric Church/Creepin’/EMI Nashville – 320
Brantley Gilbert/Kick It In The Sticks/Valory – 281

Most Added
Artist/song/label — New Adds
Luke Bryan/Kiss Tomorrow Goodbye/Capitol – 32
Dierks Bentley/Tip It On Back/Capitol – 26
Toby Keith/I Like Girls That Drink Beer/Show Dog–Universal – 23
Brantley Gilbert/Kick It In The Sticks/Valory – 18
Parmalee/Musta Had A Good Time/Stoney Creek – 13

On Deck—Soon To Be Charting
Artist/song/label — spins
Maggie Rose/I Ain’t Your Mama/RPM Entertainment – 181
Lauren Alaina/Eighteen Inches/Mercury-19 Records – 178
Chris Weaver Band/Standing In Line/American Roots Records – 177
Aaron Watson/Raise Your Bottle/HTK Records – 174
Katie Armiger/Better In A Black Dress/Cold River – 174

Jason Michael Carroll (center) recently stopped to visit with Renegade Radio Nashville's' Captain Jack (L) and Laura Lynn (R) and talk about his latest album “Numbers.”

Way Out West Nashville recording artist LiveWire recently caught up with friends from KKOW/Pittsburg, KS at the Labette County Fair. (L-R): LiveWire's Bobby Degonia, Cory Shultz, KKOW's Bobby in the Morning, LiveWire's Adam Hagerman, Andy Eutsler, Danny Bell, and Landon Rolfe.

Blake Shelton sat down with syndicated host Whitney Allen and team while out promoting his latest single "Over.” (L-R): producer Mike McNamee, Shelton, Whitney Allen, and 'Big Time With Whitney Allen' PD Steve Ringgold.

 

Songwriter Odie Blackmon Teaching Fall Course at Vanderbilt

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Odie Blackmon

Songwriter Odie Blackmon will return to academia with his Vanderbilt course, Nashville Number System for Songwriters/Performers, which is being offered for the Fall 2012 semester. Blackmon has scored No. 1 hits by George Strait (“She’ll Leave You with a Smile”), Lee Ann Womack (“I May Hate Myself In The Morning”) and Gary Allan (“Nothing On But The Radio”).

Dean of the Blair School of Music, Mark Wait, and Blackmon developed the curriculum, which was initially offered to students in January 2012. The class teaches the shorthand musical notation system used by session musicians in Nashville to illustrate the conception of a song through the recording process.

“Most semesters I’m able to arrange for the class to come in the studio as I demo a new song and watch the real pros lay it down,” said Blackmon. “I love seeing that light switching on in my student’s eyes when they see it all coming together.”

The class studies classic songs, demonstrating what Bob Dylan’s “Subterranean Homesick Blues” shares in common with the Tone Löc’s novelty hit “Wild Thing,” and paying particular attention to the songs of the Beatles.

For enrollment information, click here.

Blackmon has also released an instructional DVD, The Craft of Writing Hit Songs, and has frequently led workshops on the topic for NSAI.

Charlie Cook On Air: Technology

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Would I have been against the Gutenberg printing press? Do I consider “Wings” the last good movie ever made? Should I finally sell my stock in the Wolverine Horse and Buggy company?

I don’t think of myself as a Luddite. I was carrying a Kaypro Computer before most people knew what a “Portable” computer was. Not exactly portable by the way: the size of a small suitcase barely fitting in the overhead of airplanes and the darn thing did almost nothing.

I was early with a Smartphone and a Smart TV.

I have pretty much been an early adopter when it came to technology in the past. I am less so today as I realized that newer does not always mean better. It often means more expensive though.

Anyway, I was thinking earlier this week about how the business I have been in since I was 19 years old has undergone changes in the intervening years since. There are forces that have put broadcast radio under attack in the last 5 years or so. It comes not just from the technological side but from the soft side. The delivery side and the supplier side.

The dashboard in automobiles is changing rapidly and that could be the real shifter in this fight for heart, head and ears.

My hometown automaker, Ford is leading the charge. They redesigned the dashboard first and have been the most aggressive about marketing it. As an aside, I think that I might kick Mike Rowe in the shins if I ever see him.

Their Sync system seems to have everything except AM/FM. I know that it’s in there somewhere but you might have to search long and hard to find it. I know that you can play with the MP3 integration, hook your phone (or a computer) via Bluetooth for audio streaming. Some of the systems have an SD card slot so that you can load more music or video. Some have dual video screens and Internet connectivity. You can even have your own Wi-Fi hot spot.

Where the heck is 540-1610? Where is 88-108?

GM was actually the first to hook us up to a cell signal with On-Star. Apparently GM had other things on its mind, like staying solvent, so Ford got a jump in the entertainment part of the race.

GM, with the backing of the taxpayer, is back in the contest. The new Cadillac challenges a 767 with the CUE System.

I started this by saying I am not against technological advances and I am not. But I am struck that Broadcast radio is still the first choice of consumers in discovering new music and being entertained in the car and at work.

Broadcast radio still has a huge lead today but is this only because we are at the beginning of the Dashboard Revolution?

Clear Channel is dragging the Broadcast industry into the digital age with iHeartRadio and this is finding its place on the dashboard, which may ultimately be the way to stay in the contest. iHeartRadio may end up being the one button in the Sync or Cue system that gets the listener out to up to 10,000 “broadcast” radio stations.

I guess that if/when that happens broadcasters will have to work harder to be entertaining. That is the one thing that broadcasters have over the other buttons on the dash.

If my screen comes up and I see Pandora, iHeartRadio, MP3, Sirius, SD Card I do not see equal access. All of those buttons say music to me. Only one has KIIS-FM and Ryan Seacrest, WJR and Paul W. Smith, or WAMZ and Coyote Calhoun.

My friends in the record business are excited about the additional opportunities to get their music in front of the consumer. They should be. They should not be excited about trying to make an end run around Broadcast radio though. I believe that it is in this environment that more music can be sold and introduced.

We know, from a recent Country Music Association research project, that the addition of the passion and knowledge of the disc jockey can complement the music and make it more appealing to the listener.

If technology was the only issue I would be worried about Broadcast radio’s future. Because the industry is filled with smart and entertaining people I am encouraged about what is ahead.

Now, if I could just afford a new car with all that dashboard stuff.

(The views expressed in this article are those of the author and do not necessarily reflect those of MusicRow.)

MusicRowPics: Bart Crow Artist Visit

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Bart Crow stopped by MusicRow headquarters yesterday (8/8). The Texas native and veteran of the Red Dirt scene played three songs off his upcoming album Dandelion, including his current single “Little Bit of Luck.” He followed it up with “Didn’t Mean to Break Your Heart” and “Thank You,” the former being about an ex-girlfriend and the latter one about his wife.

Dandelion, Crow’s fourth studio album, will be released on Sept. 18. Of the 14 tracks, Crow wrote or co-wrote 12 of them. He also noted there will be a special bonus track available on iTunes when the album drops.

Meanwhile, Crow has been touring in mid-west extensively. He credits his supportive fan base for much of his success and makes a point to meet those who come to his shows.

“I want to know who’s coming to the shows. I want to know my audience,” he said.

For more information on Crow’s tour dates and his album, visit bartcrowmusic.com.

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Miranda Lambert Launches Interactive Digital Campaign

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Miranda Lambert has teamed with technology companies Interlude, Sonic Notify, Mobile Roadie and Halo Media to create a mobile app and an interactive experience for her latest video, “Fastest Girl In Town.”

Lambert’s new Apple and Android mobile App features news, music, videos, exclusive photos and more. While running the app, fans can play the “Fastest Girl In Town” video on VEVO for a first of its kind second-screen experience from Sony Music. The video experience allows fans to switch between multiple camera angles, discover bonus content hidden throughout, and unlock contest opportunities to win items featured in the video.

A visual wall on Lambert’s Official Website will aggregate fan art, Tweets, and Instagram images containing the hashtag #fastestgirlintown. Each day, Miranda’s Facebook Page will feature a “picture of the day.”