Pam Tillis Joins Opry Mills Grand Re-Opening

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With less than a week to go, shoppers can begin their Opry Mills Grand Re-Opening count-down.

Tennessee’s largest outlet, value retail, dining and entertainment destination will re-open with an official ribbon cutting ceremony with mall representatives and Nashville and state officials at 9:30 am, Thurs., March 29. Country star Pam Tillis will be on hand to sing the national anthem.

Following the ribbon cutting, shoppers will enjoy entertainment, retailer promotions, incentives and giveaways. During the entire re-opening weekend, shoppers will experience a variety of live musical performances on the Opry Mills Entertainment Stage.

Festivities will continue through early May with a series of fashion, lifestyle, musical and family-friendly events including Opry Mills Next Big Star, Super Sale Weekend (April 13-15), kids play area unveiling (April 28-29) and the May 4-5 grand finale fashion shows and a free outdoor concert with Josh Turner.

Some of the new retail offerings include Coach Factory Store, Coach Mens Factory, Express, The LEGO Store, Michael Kors, Polo Ralph Lauren Factory Store, Tommy Bahama Outlet, Vera Bradley.

The mall has been closed since May of 2010 when the Cumberland River breached the levies and flooded the area.

ACM Lifting Lives Hires New Executive Director

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ACM Lifting Lives has named a new Advisory Committee as well as announced the hiring of its new executive director, Lisa Huddleson.

This Advisory Committee is comprised of industry and non‐industry leaders who serve to make recommendations and/or provide key information and materials to the formal ACM Board of Directors. Advisory Committee members serve one‐year terms and are appointed by the ACM Lifting Lives officers. The new Advisory Committee includes:

•    Orly Adelson – dick clark productions
•    Erin Spahn Erenberg – Indiegogo
•    John Grady – Crush Management
•    Kerry Hansen – Big Enterprises
•    Steve Hauser – WME
•    Lorie Lytle – Community Volunteer
•    Eddie Montgomery – Montgomery Gentry
•    Kimberly Schlapman – Little Big Town
•    Leroy Shafer – Houston Livestock Show and Rodeo
•    James Stroud – R&J Records

Huddleson comes to the Academy from her position as the director of strategic philanthropy for the Walt Disney Company. She previously served as the executive director of the Dell Foundation and Dell Giving in Austin, Texas. In her new role, Huddleson will oversee grant management and strategic partnerships for the charity, while furthering the mission of the organization by improving lives through the power of music. The position is based out of the Academy’s headquarters in Encino, California and reports to the ACM Lifting Lives Board of Directors and Bob Romeo, CEO of the Academy of Country Music.  She can be reached at [email protected].

Lifting Lives is also partnering with Little Big Town and spotlighting Hunter Hayes’ personal passion for ending child hunger at this year’s ACM Awards on Sunday, April 1. During the Awards, Little Big Town will perform “Here’s Hope,” an original song co-written by Hayes. Hayes will introduce the powerhouse quartet, who will be joined onstage by the Clark County Children’s Choir.

“Lifting Lives is dedicated to improving lives through the power of music. By partnering with ConAgra Foods, Little Big Town, Hunter Hayes and consumers, we want to use a song in the telecast to raise awareness about how we can all help eradicate child hunger in the United States,” said Huddleson.

Galante Advises Young Entertainment Professionals

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(L-R) Back Row: YEP Board Member Penny Everhard (BMI), MusicRow’s Eric Parker and David Ross, Joe Galante, Artist Growth’s Matt Urmy, and BMI’s Leslie Roberts and Jody Williams. Front Row: YEP Board Members Mary Ann Keen (Cal IV), Marc Rucker (Huskins-Harris), Karli Figueroa (Swift Merchandising), Andrew Cohen (Executive Director of the YEP Network). Photo: Drew Maynard

A variety of executives, young professionals, and college interns were present for the Young Entertainment Professionals (YEP) afternoon discussion on Thursday, March 22 with former Sony Music Nashville chairman and T.J. Martell Foundation honoree Joe Galante.

The conversation took place at BMI’s Nashville offices and featured a short interview hosted by MusicRow founder, David Ross. YEP supplied Ross with pre-selected questions and audience members chimed in with their own questions, mostly centering around technology and advances in the industry. After the conversation, a business pitch for the newly established Artist Growth platform was given.

Ross kicked off the segment by asking Galante’s opinion on the state of the industry. Galante replied, “Surprisingly, stable. We have to settle to low sales, although we are not declining. I’ve been in the industry long enough to have seen the shift towards singles before. Major labels are in the industry to move tonnage. Decreasing album sales have resulted in a changing marketplace.”

Ross mentioned the positive sales of Lady Antebellum’s album online earlier this month for 25 cents, and Galante was quick to clarify. “The label was paid the full rate for the album,” he said. “The retailer made up the shortfall, lest people think that’s the right price to pay for our music. Still, the album sold a significant number for a week.”

The young audience also asked about YouTube. Galante remarked, “Every label has their own agreement with YouTube, and I have seen some numbers, and ad revenue does not yet compare to that from radio. Of course, publishing is a whole industry derived from pennies, and pennies do add up. Maybe YouTube will become a revenue stream in the future but at the present, it is not.”

As far as picking the right artist to sign and support, Galante advised, “I would look for something unique, driven, good listener and that they have surrounded themselves with a strong team to support their career. One of the best questions for figuring out if the artist has star power is to ask, ‘what is the artist doing live?’” Finally, he added, “The artist should be willing to pick outside songs to record.”

After the conversation, Galante’s new business partner, CEO of Artist Growth Matt Urmy, gave the audience a preview of his cloud-based dashboard that allows artists and their team to manage a career on the road. The service is designed to help artists try to work in a new marketplace without feeling like their creativity is being strangled trying to understand the business. For more information, click here.

Music Industry Early Social Engagement Adopter

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Ellie Lawson

“The simple but effective strategies that bands employ for customer-relationship management could serve as a lesson for brands,” says writer Rupal Parkeh in a Feb. 23,2012 Advertising Age article titled “What Brands Can Learn From Bands About Social Marketing.”

The article cites London-based folk/pop singer Ellie Lawson’s creation of a fan panel to evaluate her new material as it’s being created. For “the cost of three trips to Starbucks,” supporters can become part of this elite group which also insures a liner notes credit and copy of the finished album before it is released. “It’s a big experiment,” Lawson tells Ad Age. “I just love them engaging and getting back to me and telling me which bits of songs they like and which they don’t.”

Parkeh notes that, “The music business has flipped from a one-way, passive relationship with fans to a two-way collaborative dialogue.” He also applauds the entertainment industry for learning some of these valuable marketing lessons before many larger brands. In fact he advises the brands to pay attention and start experimenting in similar fashion.

New York-based Ryan Starr is another highlighted artist in the article who posts photos on Facebook from each city on his tour. He then asks fans to tag themselves in the photos. This not only engages fans, but the tags add a viral aspect to the experiment. Florence and the Machine searched for the band’s most influential fan. Friends and followers were asked to share the group’s new video. Those posts were measured for clicks and comments, points awarded and a winner chosen.

“What’s in it for the fan should always be top-of-mind,” says music industry vet Jeff Kempler now at agency SubRosa after spending time at Virgin and EMI Records. According to Kempler, artists need new tool sets to properly wield star power. “It began to matter whether they could also engage socially,” he states. “Do they update their Facebook page and populate content? Can they be as creative in the social-media space as they are in the studio?”

Frist Fridays Concert Series Returns In May

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The Frist Fridays concert series will return to the Frist Center for the Visual Arts starting May 25, and Grammy-winning singer/songwriter Rodney Crowell will open the season.

Frist Fridays takes place 6-9 pm on the final Friday of each month from May to August, for a total of four concert events. In addition to Crowell, other Frist Fridays performers include Sam Bush with Lera Lynn (June 29), Band of Heathens (July 27), and The Dynamites featuring Charles Walker (August 31).

“We have added a fourth Frist Friday evening to our lineup this year,” said Frist Center Executive Director and CEO Susan H. Edwards, Ph.D. “Music plays a significant role so much that goes on at the Frist, and we are pleased this year to pair uniquely American musicians with self-taught American artists, the quilters of Gee’s Bend, Thornton Dial and Bill Traylor. We often describe the Frist as THE place in Nashville where music and art come together, and Frist Fridays is a tremendous example of that creative marriage.”

Patrons can enjoy music, snacks and beverages, and the exhibitions on view in the Frist Center’s galleries. The events take place rain or shine, and guests are encouraged to bring lawn chairs. Admission is free for Frist Center members and $10 for non-members.

TJ Martell Announces Presenters for 2012 Honors Gala

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The T.J. Martell Foundation has revealed the presenters for its 2012 Honors Gala, an invitation-only event which will be held Monday, March 26 at the Hutton Hotel.

This year’s presenters include Dolly Parton, Kenny Chesney, Emmylou Harris, Frances Williams Preston, Vince Gill, Charlie Daniels, Lew Conner, Gov. Phil Bredesen, Nashville Chamber President Ralph Schulz and liver transplant recipient Julie Damon.

Singer/songwriter K.T. Oslin has also been added to the list of performers that includes Charlie Daniels, Ronnie Dunn, Emmylou Harris, Bruce Hornsby, Martina McBride and Vince Gill.

The gala recognizes individuals who have contributed to the two industries that have gained Nashville worldwide fame: entertainment and healthcare. Honorees include Joe Galante, Kris Kristofferson, Tom Cigarran and Dr. C. Wright Pinson.

The sold-out event begins at 5:30 pm with a cocktail reception and a premiere silent auction. The main program begins at 7 pm with dinner, the awards presentation, star-studded entertainment and a live auction.

Mindy Smith Plans New Album Release

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Mindy Smith

Mindy Smith will release her fifth studio album on June 26. The self-titled effort, on Giant Leap/TVX Records, will mark her her first album of new material since 2009 release Stupid Love and her first as an independent artist.

The album features 11 original compositions co-produced with Jason Lehning and recorded at Nashville’s Sound Emporium. Smith wrote every song, sharing a co-write on only four tracks. Nashville session players contributing their talents include Bryan Sutton (guitar); Lex Price (bass); Ian Fitchuk (drums); Joe Pisapia (guitar), Jason Lehning (guitar), and Dan Dugmore (steel).

Prior to her 2004 debut, One Moment More (Vanguard Records ), the New York native contributed her rendition of Dolly Parton’s “Jolene” for the Parton tribute album, Just Because I’m a Woman. She subsequently released Long Island Shores (Vanguard, 2006), My Holiday (Vanguard, 2007), and Stupid Love (Vanguard, 2009).

Smith’s work has appeared in numerous films and TV shows, including Paul Rudd’s Our Idiot Brother, Grey’s Anatomy, HBO’s Six Feet Under and the WB’s Smallville and Summerland.

Smith also has plans for a Summer tour, with dates yet to be announced.

 Track List (listen to her first single, “Closer” below):
1.    Closer
2.    Take Me Back
3.    Pretending The Stars
4.    Don’t Mind Me
5.    Tin Can
6.    Everything Here Will Be Fine
7.    Sober
8.    Devil’s Inside
9.    Cure For Love
10. When You’re Waking On My Grave
11. If I

Artist Updates (3/23/12)

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Mercury Nashville/19 Recordings/Interscope artist Lauren Alaina has a busy few days ahead of her, beginning with an opening date on Jason Aldean’s My Kinda Party tour in New Jersey on Saturday, March 24. The next day (3/24), she will wake up early for a live interview on Fox & Friends Sunday, which takes place at 8 am CT on Fox News. The following day (3/25), Alaina will make her first solo appearance on Today at 9 am CT to perform her single “Georgia Peaches.”

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Ronnie Dunn has volunteered to fill in for his former duo partner Kix Brooks at WGNE Gator Country’s concert series taking place in Jacksonville, Florida tonight (3/23). Brooks was forced to withdraw from the show with vocal cord troubles, and Dunn stepped in to fill the spot. The show is free, and begins at 8 pm.

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Rock legend Joe Walsh (Eagles, James Gang) has returned with Analog Man (Fantasy/Concord), his first solo album in two decades. The collection, which was co-produced by Walsh with Jeff Lynne, features songwriting contributions from Nashvillian Tommy Lee James (“She’s My Kind of Rain,” “Life Ain’t Always Beautiful,” “Bleed Red”), and an appearance by Walsh’s real life brother-in-law Ringo Starr on drums.

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The Dirt Drifters recently released a new single, “There She Goes,” from the group’s acclaimed album This Is My Blood. The group will also make its Grand Ole Opry debut on Saturday, March 24.

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Hazard, KY natives Halfway to Hazard (Chad Warrix and David Tolliver) recently hosted a tornado relief telethon in their hometown for CBS affiliate WYMT. The event raised over $200,000 for storm victims, and was broadcast to 27 counties in eastern Kentucky and West Virginia. Also making appearances were Titans placekicker Rob Bironas, Lonestar’s Dean Sams, Keith Anderson and Congressman Hal Rodgers. Warrix is currently promoting his solo single “Rain on the Roof” to country radio.

L-R: David Tolliver, Chad Warrix and 96.5 WXCC's Jill Fraley, Coal Country Mornings Host

World Vision Expands Presence in Country Music Community

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With recent initiatives involving Carter’s Chord, The Rick & Bubba Show and Country Radio Seminar 2012, global humanitarian organization World Vision has continued to expand its presence in the country music market.

Carter’s Chord went on a trip earlier in 2012 to the Dominican Republic, where they sponsored two children and filmed a video for their song, “Love A Little Bigger.” Radio hosts Rick & Bubba recently partnered with World Vision for the third year in a row for their two-day Rick & Bubba Show radiothon, an event which resulted in the sponsorship of more than 800 children through the World Vision program.

In an effort to raise awareness in the Country music community, World Vision was also an active supporter and sponsor at Country Radio Seminar 2012, held February 22-24 in downtown Nashville. The nonprofit organization sponsored the CRS media room, meeting and recording PSA messages with more than 60 artists during the three-day event.

Carter’s Chord met one of their sponsored children, Franyely (center), and her family during the group’s goodwill trip to the Dominican Republic.

Opry Country Classics Returns to the Ryman

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Larry Gatlin will host Opry Country Classics on Thursdays

The traditional country sounds of Opry Country Classics will return to Nashville’s Ryman Auditorium on Thursdays, March 29 through May 24. Grammy-winning artist Larry Gatlin will host the show each week, which will feature artists singing their own hits in addition to timeless country classics.

The season’s first show will help celebrate the opening of the Country Music Hall of Fame and Museum’s Bakersfield Sound exhibition. Joining the show for performances will be Gatlin, Elizabeth Cook, Jim Lauderdale, Chuck Mead, and Leona Williams. The following week on Thursday, April 5, the show is themed “Women of Country” and features Lynn Anderson, Janie Fricke, Lorrie Morgan, and Pam Tillis.

Several Spotlight Artists will also be featured during the season, including The Time Jumpers (April 19), Marty Stuart (April 26), Charlie Daniels Band (May 3), Mel Tillis (May 10), and Loretta Lynn (May 17).

Tickets are available at opry.com.