Jeffrey Steele Plans 5th Annual Benefit

The 5th annual Jeffrey Steele and Friends benefit show is set for March 13, 2012 at the newly renovated Franklin Theatre in Franklin, Tenn. GAC’s Storme Warren has signed on to host the event, and confirmed performers include Pearl Heart and Chris Janson, with more to be announced. There will also be a live auction.

Proceeds will benefit the Alex LeVasseur Fund of the Community Foundation of Tennessee, which supports youth programs. The event will also be partnering with Clean Break, which promotes sobriety on high school and college campuses.

Tickets are already on sale at franklintheatre.com. VIP packages, including food by Carrabba’s and meet and greets with select performers, are available here. For sponsorship opportunities contact RememberAlex.com@gmail.com.

2012 supporters include Suntrust, Carrabbas, BMG/Chrysalis, Currin Kozak: Bob Parks Realty, and Wendell Moore.

Country Stars Countdown to New Year’s Eve

Big & Rich and Trace Adkins are among the performers on FOX News Channel’s New Year’s Eve program. All American New Year airs Sat., Dec. 31 live from Times Square in New York City with hosts Megyn Kelly and Bill Hemmer. Also performing will be the cast of the Tony Award-nominated musical Rock of Ages.

As previously reported, Lauren Alaina and Rodney Atkins will perform their latest hits on the main Fox network. American Country New Year’s Eve Live airs from the Las Vegas strip and the heart of Times Square.

The Band Perry will perform at the 40th celebration of Dick Clark’s New Year’s Rockin’ Eve with Ryan Seacrest 2012 live from ABC Studios in New York. Among the other guests are Lady Gaga, Justin Bieber, Pitbull, and Nashville’s own Hot Chelle Rae.

MusicRow.com’s Top Stories of 2011

MusicRow.com readers clicked like crazy in 2011. Driving traffic were news stories of all kinds, from major label signings to major label lawsuits. There was good news (giving bragging rights to Nashville’s music scene) and bad news when layoffs hit the Row. MusicRow covered the year’s tragedies, including the stage collapse at the Indiana State Fair, and the passing of beloved members of the music community. Here’s a look back at some of the stories that most intrigued our readers:

New Sony Music Nashville Signing
Dec. 12 — Jon Freeman
—Sony Music Nashville has signed family trio The Henningsens to a recording deal. Comprised of Brian, Clara, and Aaron Henningsen, the group is working on its debut album with Paul Worley and will be assigned a label imprint soon.

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“Rolling Stone” Declares Nashville “Best Music Scene”
April 19 — Sarah Skates
—In its new Best of Rock issue, Rolling Stone lists Nashville as the nation’s Best Music Scene. The one-page spread covers Music City restaurants, bars, venues, shopping and record stores, with quotes from local rockers about their favorite hangs.

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Curb Records Sues Tim McGraw
May 17 — Sarah Skates
—Curb Records has filed suit against Tim McGraw claiming breach-of-contract. Curb alleges that the tracks on McGraw’s upcoming Emotional Traffic album were recorded outside of a contractually designated time period.

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Letter From Sugarland
Aug. 16 — contributor
—Sugarland has just released this statement regarding the tragedy that occurred Saturday before the duo took the stage at the Indiana State Fair.

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The Woods Amphitheater Gearing Up For First Full Season
Mar. 7 — Sarah Skates
—The Woods Amphitheater at Fontanel has several big-name artists on the line-up for its first full season, which opens Sat., April 23 with Chicago and Los Lonely Boys.

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Aldean Duels Rapper T.I. For Ringtone Title
Sep. 2 — David M. Ross
—Most country fans would not be expected to know that rapper T.I.’s real name is Clifford Harris, but judging by purchases of 248,000 ringtones and close to 1.98 million downloads of “Dirt Road Anthem,” they certainly know Jason Aldean.

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Songwriter Harley Allen Passes
Mar. 30 — Sarah Skates
—Respected songwriter Harley Allen succumbed to cancer early this morning, Wednesday, March 30, 2011. Known as a country traditionalist, Allen is credited with hits including Blake Shelton’s “The Baby,” Joe Nichols’ “I’ll Wait For You,” and Darryl Worley’s “Awful, Beautiful Life.” He was 55.

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Radio Veteran Coyote McCloud Dies
Apr. 7 — Robert K. Oermann
—Music City radio icon Coyote McCloud died Wednesday afternoon, April 6 at age 68. A veteran of the Nashville airwaves for more than 30 years, McCloud’s slogan when he broadcast pop oldies was, “He played them when they were new.”

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CMA Awards Afterparty Pics
Nov. 11 — Jon Freeman
—Label afterparty pictures from Big Machine, Capitol, UMG, Warner, Sony.

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Breaking News: Sony Exits Hit Nashville
Aug. 26 — Sarah Skates
—Sony Music Nashville laid off 12 staffers this week as part of a restructuring, MusicRow has confirmed. Among those exiting are Jimmy Rector, Mike Wilson, Stephanie Cox and Debbie Linn. Columbia’s radio promotion team was hardest hit.

Craig Morgan Nominated For Golden Moose Awards

Country artist and television host Craig Morgan was recently nominated in eight categories for The Outdoor Channel’s 12th Annual Golden Moose Awards. The Awards celebrate the best and brightest programming, producing and hosting on the Outdoor Channel throughout the year. Morgan’s nominations recognize his creative and diligent work on his outdoor TV show, Craig Morgan: All Access Outdoors.

The eight categories Morgan scored nominations in, some of which are fan-voted, include: Best Overall Series, Fan Favorite Hunting Series, Fan Favorite Host, Big Game, Deer, Blooper/Outtake, Turkey and Graphics. Fans are encouraged to participate and win prizes by entering the Golden Moose Awards Fan-Voted Sweepstakes and voting for Craig Morgan here. Voting is open through Dec. 26.

The Awards Show will take place in Las Vegas, NV, on Jan. 19, 2012 during the Shooting and Outdoor Industry Trade (SHOT) Show.

Josh Turner Debuts Lead Single From Upcoming Album

New music from Josh Turner will be released to iTunes tomorrow (12/20). “Time Is Love,” the debut single from his yet-to-be-titled fifth MCA Nashville album, will go for radio adds Jan. 9.

“This song grabbed me from the first listen because it has such an infectious melody and lyrically it really tells a message that I have been wanting to say for a long time,” Turner explains of the song penned by Tom Shapiro, Tony Martin and Mark Nesler. “It’s not about quality time but quantity time and taking the time to get to know the person better and develop a relationship with that person.”

“All Over Me,” the second single from Turner’s latest album Haywire, was chosen as BMI’s 2011 Song of the Year, and was one of ASCAP’s Top Five Most Played Songs of 2011. The South Carolina native has four No. 1 singles (“Your Man,” “Would You Go With Me,” “Why Don’t We Just Dance,” “All Over Me”) and career sales totaling more than 5 million units.

TackleBox Adds Directors

Nashville-based TackleBox Films has added directors to its roster who can offer specialized services for custom media content. These new additions include veteran director/producer Sherman Halsey, animation team BIRDmachineBIRD, Anna Mastro, Britt Delara, web content experts The Edde Brothers, and live concert director Jay Cooper.

“Growing our roster of directors expands TackleBox’s ability to produce a multitude of projects,” explains TackleBox President Shaun Silva. “We’ve constructed a team of directors who offer a specific craft and are focused within a certain field of media that specifically suites our clients needs.”

Halsey brings a wealth of industry and artist relations to the company, and his portfolio includes his extensive 18 years of work with Tim McGraw including videos for “Southern Voice” and “Live Like You Were Dying.” The son of manager and concert promoter, Jim Halsey, Sherman learned the music business ropes at an early age and eventually rose through the ranks to a leadership role at The Jim Halsey Company, including managing a young Dwight Yoakam and directing his video for “Honky Tonk Man.”

Comprised of Traci Goudie and Patrick Hubik, animation team BIRDmachineBIRD have experience across a multitude of media from film, video, photography and graphic design. Recent work includes Flogging Molly’s “Don’t Shut ‘Em Down.”

Los Angeles-based Anna Mastro has worked with Nicole Scherzinger, the Pussycat Dolls, Leona Lewis, Train, and more. She recently released a short film musical called Bench Seat. Britt Delara, based in Toronto, is a newcomer whose work includes TNile’s “Reverie” and Sound and Fury’s “Teenage Rampage.” The Edde Brothers are a new media/web content team who will develop web series, documentary/tv specials, concert shoots, EPKs and more. Recent projects include the GAC special Introducing: Hunter Hayes. Sought-after live concert director Jay Cooper has worked with talents such as LMFAO, Kenny Chesney, Ozzy Osbourne, Eric Clapton and more.

Country Stars Make Latest “Forbes” List

Taylor Swift and Carrie Underwood on the red carpet at the BMI Country Awards this fall.

Taylor Swift and Carrie Underwood represent Nashville on Forbes’ new list of Top-Earning Women in Music.

Swift came in second place on the all-genre list with an estimated $45 million in earnings between May 2010 and May 2011. Lady Gaga scored the top spot with $90 million. Underwood raked in $20 million, securing the No. 7 spot. Pop starlet Katy Perry rounded out the top three with $44 million.

Contributing to the totals are album sales, touring, publishing royalties, endorsement deals and more.

Forbes methodology: Pretax income earned from May 2010 to May 2011, before subtracting agent and manager fees. Compiled with the help of data from Pollstar, RIAA, interviews with lawyers, managers, concert promoters, agents and, in some cases, the musicians themselves.

Lost Highway Projects Top Year-End Americana Chart

Hayes Carll (R) performs with Buddy Miller (L) at the 2011 Americana Awards and Honors show.

The Americana Music Association has released its Top 100 Albums of the Year, based on albums reported to the Americana Airplay Chart between Nov. 16, 2010 and Nov. 14, 2011.

UMG’s Lost Highway lands the top two spots on the list with Hayes Carll’s KMAG YOYO hitting No. 1, and Lucinda Williams’ Blessed at No. 2. Rounder also picked up two of the Top 10, thanks to Alison Krauss & Union Station’s Paper Airplane and Gregg Allman’s Low Country Blues, as did New West Records albums I’ll Never Get Out Of This World Alive by Steve Earle and Dirty Jeans and Mudslide Hymns by John Hiatt. The Top 10 are listed below, and the full list can be seen at americanamusic.org by clicking on the Top 100 albums link.

Top 10:

1. Hayes Carll, KMAG YOYO / Lost Highway
2. Lucinda Williams, Blessed / Lost Highway
3. Steve Earle, I’ll Never Get Out of This World Alive / New West
4. Alison Krauss & Union Station, Paper Airplane / Rounder
5. Emmylou Harris, Hard Bargain / Nonesuch
6. Gregg Allman, Low Country Blues / Rounder
7. Jason Isbell and The 400 Unit, Here We Rest / Lightning Rod
8. John Hiatt, Dirty Jeans and Mudslide Hymns / New West
9. Decemberists, The King Is Dead / Capitol
10. Band of Heathens, Top Hat Crown & The Clapmaster’s Son / BOH Records

LMG Design Studio Launches in Nashville

(L-R) Ken Gay, Matthew Wiltshire (Mayor's Office), Les Goldberg, Michael Burcham (Entrepreneur Center), Jake Jorgovan (Rabbithole Creative), and Danny Nozell (CTK Management)

LMG Design Studio officially launched last week (Dec. 7) in Nashville with a ribbon cutting ceremony and open house.

LGM, with AV lighting and support offices already in Orlando, Tampa, Las Vegas and Dallas, created the Design Studio to showcase the latest LED products, digital lighting, projection and special effects technology.

Ken Gay designed the space to provide a hands-on environment for clients to brainstorm and discuss creative ideas with the latest live entertainment technology.

“We hope the Design Studio concept will act as a new model for future growth,” states CEO Les Goldberg. “The nature of technology today requires live visualization – you need to ‘see it to believe it.’”

LGM has provided AV support to some of the world’s largest convention meetings, nationally televised events, Fortune 500 company business presentations and world tours with AV equipment since 1984.

The Design Studio is located in the Bailey’s Building at 408 Broadway, 4th Floor, Nashville, TN 37203.

Keek Provides a New Social Platform

Social media users can now add Keek, a micro video platform, to their arsenal. Keek is a new social network where users share 36 second max video logs via webcam or mobile apps, in essence Twitter’s video counterpart. By definition, Keek means a quick look, glance or peep.

Keek’s global audience is using the Canada-based social platform to microvlog life experiences and integrate the videos on Facebook, Twitter and Tumblr channels.

According to a recent Pew Research study, video sharing is on the rise and is happening across generations, with usage ranging from 92 percent of Millenials (or Generation Y), 80 percent of Generation X and 54 percent of Boomers.

The Canadian football League, Pro Skater Shane O’Neill,  The Toronto Raptors and teen country artist Payton Rae have been using Keek to establish themselves on the platform.

Rae is a young artist produced by Nashville songwriter Brian White, sent her first “keek” (seen below) on Dec. 1 with a positive response from fans, many of whom signed up themselves. Rae’s five-song debut project, Dare To Live, charted Top Five on iTunes in Canada, the UK, Ireland, Australia and Belgium.

Keek is working on new features, apps and enhanced sharing capabilities. Updates can be received @keek Twitter.


New to keek 😉

Nov 30, 2011 | Source: Keek.com