Gonzales and Dorman Launch Triple Crown

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Rich O'Toole

Former Nine North Records regional promotion staffers Doc Gonzales and Jim Dorman have announced the launch of Triple Crown Promotions Company, an independent promotion outfit. Will Robinson, also previously with Nine North, has also joined the team.

Triple Crown’s first artist project will be Rich O’Toole, who is releasing his single “Drunk Girl” to country radio.

Reach out to Gonzales at [email protected], Dorman at [email protected], and Robinson at [email protected].

No. 1 Party: George Strait’s “Love’s Gonna Make It Alright”

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Pictured L-R: ASCAP's LeAnn Phelan, UMG's Brian Wright, Sea Gayle Music's Liz O'Sullivan, Al Anderson, Chris Stapleton, UMG's Royce Risser, Tony Brown and ASCAP's Mike Sistad.

Producer Tony Brown took a seat at the grand piano in ASCAP’s lobby and played the iconic theme from 2001: A Space Odyssey to call to order the crowd at the No. 1 party for “Love’s Gonna Make It Alright.” It was the first of two events celebrating George Strait’s 59th No. 1, and although the King was not in attendance, he is one of the few artists deserving of such an introduction.

“Love’s Gonna Make It Alright” songwriters Al Anderson and Chris Stapleton were present to accept honors at the celebration on Monday (4/30).

ASCAP writer Stapleton received praise from Sea Gayle’s Liz O’Sullivan, CMA’s Brandi Simms, and CRB’s Bill Cody. Brown, along with UMG Nashville’s Royce Risser and Brian Wright, were additionally recognized.

Anderson, who writes for Big Yellow Dog, said “I’m proud to have a George Strait cut, it’s like a holy grail.” Echoing that feeling, Stapleton added, “It’s a humbling thing to just to have any song cut by somebody, but to be picked up by George and for it to go No. 1 is amazing.”

Afterward BMI writer Anderson was honored at an intimate rooftop reception at the organization’s offices. Shortly after the festivities, Anderson and his band the World Famous Headliners headed out of town for the Key West Songwriters Festival.

Pictured (L-R): MCA Nashville’s Van Haze, producer Tony Brown, MCA Nashville’s Joe Putnam, Erv Woolsey Management’s Dottie Oelhafen, co-writer Al Anderson, MCA Nashville’s Ken Robold, Big Yellow Dog’s Carla Wallace, and BMI’s Clay Bradley. Photo: Steve Lowry

Lambert and Little Big Town Added to 2012 CMA Fest

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Miranda Lambert and Little Big Town have joined the performance lineup for the Nightly Concerts at LP Field held during 2012 CMA Music Festival. The event takes place Thursday through Sunday, June 7-10, in downtown Nashville, and will once again be filmed for an ABC television special to air in late summer.

Lambert will perform on Thursday, June 7, and Little Big Town will perform on Saturday, June 9.

Also during the Nightly Concerts at LP Field, Sarah Darling, Nashville School of Arts Chamber Choir (under the direction of Walter Bitner), Oak Ridge Boys and Julie Roberts will each perform the National Anthem.

The current lineups for the Nightly Concerts are as follows in alphabetical order:

Thursday, June 7:
Jason Aldean, Glen Campbell, Lady Antebellum, Miranda Lambert, Brad Paisley, and Zac Brown Band. National Anthem performed by the Nashville School of Arts Chamber Choir (under the direction of Walter Bitner).

Friday, June 8:
The Band Perry, Brantley Gilbert, Ronnie Milsap, Jake Owen, Blake Shelton, and Carrie Underwood. National Anthem performed by the Oak Ridge Boys.

Saturday, June 9:
Luke Bryan, Eric Church, Hunter Hayes, Faith Hill, Little Big Town, and Kenny Rogers. National Anthem performed by Julie Roberts.

Sunday, June 10:
Dierks Bentley, Alan Jackson, The Mavericks, Martina McBride, Scotty McCreery, and Rascal Flatts. National Anthem performed by Sarah Darling.

Tickets to the individual Nightly Concerts are $40 (plus applicable handling fees) for general admission in the upper deck of LP Field. Fans can purchase tickets at Ticketmaster.com or CMAfest.com.

Four-day ticket packages are also available, from only $125 per person plus handling fees. Four-day ticket package categories correspond to varying levels of seating at LP Field and include admittance to all four Nightly Concerts as well as all daytime Festival activities, including the Fan Fair Fall where artist autograph signing sessions are held. Children 3 years and younger are admitted free. For information on ADA seating, please call 1-800-CMA-FEST.

Women Rock for the Cure Hosts Pink Trash Ball Tonight

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Women Rock for the Cure will paint the town pink tonight (5/3) at Mercy Lounge for the 4th Annual Pink Trash Ball.

Among the festivities are a fashion show presented by Betsey Johnson Nashville with cancer survivors as models. Musical performers at the event include Tiffany, The Voice’s Brian Fuente, Baby Daggers, Black Market Research and DeeJay Silver.

Tickets are still available here, including VIP packages.

Separately, the organization is planning a 2012 Young Survivors Retreat for September 21-23.

Last year, the event brought 22 women from 10 states to the Deer Run Retreat Center in Thompson Station. The weekend included nutrition, fertility, relationships, and beauty classes as well as a private songwriters performance night. Art and yoga sessions were also available. The retreat is free of charge and open to women between the ages of 18-40 who have been diagnosed with breast cancer. Applications will be accepted starting in June.

Additionally, Women Rock for the Cure is looking for young survivors to participate in upcoming promotional video shoots. To be connected with the organization to receive more information, click here.

Alan Jackson To Debut Music On Opry

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Alan Jackson will debut songs from his upcoming album during a special appearance on the Grand Ole Opry. He is scheduled for a 30-min set on Tues., May 8, and a portion of the show will be taped to air later on GAC’s Noteworthy at the Opry. Also on the Opry line up that night are Little Big Town, Thompson Square and Chris Young.

Jackson’s album, Thirty Miles West, will be released June 5 and is the first project via the partnership between ACR (Alan’s Country Records) and EMI Records Nashville. It is available for pre-order on his website. Fans who pre-order will receive a free instant download of current single “So You Don’t Have To Love Me Anymore” and be entered to win a personalized autographed guitar.

Event Safety Alliance Working To Set Industry Guidelines

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A group of live entertainment professionals have organized the Event Safety Alliance (ESA) to create a guide of best practices for the industry to keep fans, entertainers and workers safe. The formation of the ESA was spurred by numerous deaths at outdoor concerts in 2011, many due to severe weather.

The ESA will team with the music industry and government agencies including Homeland Security, OSHA and NFPA to create The Event Safety Guide US. Among the focuses of the book and organization are communication among event staff, staging inspection strategies, and training/certification programs for workers.

Following the tragedies of 2011, many professionals have sought ways to prevent future disasters. These efforts have included training by the National Weather Service, creating chains of command for events, and inserting language into contracts that alleviates financial risk for canceling or delaying a concert based on safety concerns.

Jim Digby, production manager for Linkin Park, is acting as Executive Director of the ESA.

The ESA is using the UK’s The Event Safety Guide, aka The Purple Guide, until a US version can be created. Click to download a PDF of The Purple Guide.

A website with resources and news is at eventsafetyalliance.org.

ESA members
Steven A. Adelman, Adelman Law Group, PLLC
Ken Barber, Clair Brothers Audio
Matt Bettenhausen, AEG Live
Keith Bohn, TOMCAT USA
John Brown, Brown United Staging
Lyle Centola, Production Manager
James Chippendale, Doodson Insurance Brokerage
Benny Collins, Production Manager
Jim Digby, Production Manager
Mary Lou Figley, Stageco
Tim Franklin, Structural Engineer
Charlie Hernandez, Production Director
Hadden Hippsley, Production Manager
Ken Keberle
Steve MacFadyen, Pollstar
Tim Roberts, Event Safety Shop, Ltd.
Karl Ruling, PLASA
Stuart Ross, Red Light Management
Roger Sandau, Doodson Insurance Brokerage
Ron Stern, Production Manager

Lady A Partners With Lipton for Tornado Victims

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Lady Antebellum is partnering with Lipton to recognize Henryville, IN for its strength and resilience following the devastating tornadoes in March.

To honor the town, on May 16 Lady Antebellum will hold a special performance and community celebration at the KFC YUM! Center in nearby Louisville, KY. Lipton is giving an opportunity for fans around the country to get involved by creating a special destination, www.rebuildinghenryville.com, where people can learn more about Henryville, donate to the rebuild and share words of support for the community. For every $1 donation received, Lipton will match up to $50,000.

The Henryville project originated as part of Lady Antebellum’s contest offering their fans the chance to win a prom performance. After reviewing numerous submissions, the band chose Henryville for their inspiring story following extensive tornado damage.

“Lipton was already working with Lady Antebellum on an exciting new campaign to spread positivity and bring fans together when we were introduced to the community of Henryville,” said Heather MacNeil, Lipton. “We were moved by the community’s sense of unity and in the spirit of ‘Drink Positive,’ we immediately jumped on board to support the rebuild effort.”

Tickets for the Rebuilding Henryville performance at the KFC Yum! Center in Louisville, Ky. are also available at Ticketmaster.com. All donations and concert proceeds will go to the New Hope/Indiana Bankers Association for the Disaster Relief Fund.

MTSU Students Win National Competition

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(L-R) front row: Taylor Bray, Jeff Braun, Grant Hartford and Shure Inc. Regional Manager for Artist Relations Ryan Smith. back row: MTSU recording-industry professors John Merchant, Bill Crabtree and Michael Fleming. Photo: Don Wright

Three Middle Tennessee State University students have claimed the grand prize for the eighth annual “Fantastic Scholastic Recording Competition” sponsored by Shure Inc.

Seniors Jeff Braun and Grant Hartford, along with 2011 graduate Taylor Bray, won the 2012 competition for their production work of Rebecca Roubion’s “Falliday.” The recording industry majors worked with faculty adviser Michael Fleming on the project.

“We congratulate the winning team from MTSU and thank all of the students who participated in this year’s contest from all of the different schools,” said Dave Mendez, Shure market development specialist, who coordinated the competition.

By winning the competition, the MTSU recording industry department gets to keep the microphone locker of Shure equipment valued at over $11,000, and each member of the winning team will also receive a Shure package valued at almost $1000.

Based in Niles, IL, Shure is the leading manufacturer of microphones and audio electronics. The competition allowed student musicians to record in studios with the same gear used by professionals. Competing against the MTSU students were teams from University of Miami Frost School of Music, Clemson University, DePaul University, the University of the Pacific, the New England School of Communications, the Clive Davis Institute of Recorded Music at New York University, William Paterson University, Delta State University and the Tribeca Flashpoint Media Arts Academy.

To learn more about the competition and hear the winning song, click here.

Florida Georgia Line To Release Debut EP

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Big Loud Mountain’s up-and-coming duo Florida Georgia Line will release its debut digital EP It’z Just What We Do on Tues., May 15.

Produced by Joey Moi (Jake Owen, Nickelback), the five-song release features the duo’s first single “Cruise,” which will hit country radio later in May. The duo is comprised of Tyler Hubbard from Monroe, GA and Brian Kelley from Ormond Beach, FL, who co-wrote all five songs on the release. Hubbard and Kelley recently paid a visit to MusicRow, and are now unveiling the new music for fans on their website before the EP releases. Full track list is included below.

Florida Georgia Line will also appear on the 2012 Country Throwdown Tour this summer, which kicks off May 18 in Gulfport, MS with Gary Allan, Rodney Atkins, Justin Moore, and others.

Big Loud Mountain is a new partnership between Big Loud Shirt Industries, Moi, and artist manager, Kevin “Chief” Zaruk.

It’z Just What We Do Track Listing:
1. Cruise
2. Get Your Shine On
3. Tip It Back
4. Tell Me How You Like It
5. It’z Just What We Do

Artists Seek Opportunity at Ad Agencies

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David Nail

The road to stardom has long been paved with radio visits and media rounds, now artists are adding advertising agencies to the mix. Musicians are courting ad agencies in hopes of scoring coveted placements in commercials, which boost exposure and the bottom line.

Brands pairing with music artists is nothing new, particularly when it comes to tour sponsorships. But as music sales have decreased, artists are more actively seeking these partnerships.

Tom Lord

Tom Lord, VP Marketing at UMG Nashville, said he’s seen the agency-visit trend grow in recent years, particularly in the country world. Citing the major cross-genre success of Lady Antebellum, Taylor Swift and Sugarland, he explained, “All of the growth outside the format has made the agencies more aware of country artists and made brands interested in partnering with them.”

Television shows have also given country a nudge into the spotlight. Ratings magnet American Idol created stars Scotty McCreery and Lauren Alaina last season, and both landed on the UMG roster. Meanwhile, Blake Shelton’s career has been significantly elevated in the last few years, thanks in part to his coaching gig on hit show The Voice.

Another factor that makes licensing country music attractive for advertisers is its percentage of physical sales, which is higher than other genres. “Country has maintained a decent foothold with regard to physical sales,” added Lord. “And that’s appealing to brands who want to attract in-store shoppers.”

Laura Bell Bundy

When an artist is touring in a city that is home to a major agency—Dallas, Chicago and New York, for example—going to visit is a natural step in the introduction process. Laura Bell Bundy and David Nail are among the UMG artists who have wooed real-life Don Drapers. Bundy’s visit didn’t include a performance, instead the team was invited to her concert and the office meeting was so the staff could get to know her personality and interests.

“It’s all about relationship building,” said Lord. “You may not get an opportunity immediately, but you hope they will call the next time they are looking for a country artist or song.

“Agency visits help bury the preconceived notions about country music. You bring in an artist like David Nail—who I’d put up against any male vocalist—he performs and blows them away,” summed Lord. “That’s where we win.”