McBride To Turn Empire State Building Pink

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Martina McBride will turn the lights of the Empire State Building pink on Oct. 14 to help the fight against breast cancer. The pink carpet event and concert will be the culmination of her upcoming release week promoting Eleven, which streets Oct. 11 via Republic Nashville. This will be the first time in history that an artist has performed a private concert from the landmark building.

Martina McBride: Light Up The Sky, in partnership with Stanford Women’s Cancer Center, will be showcased exclusively on Clear Channel Radio’s websites.

Much of the promotion for McBride’s new album includes pink ribbon events to raise breast cancer awareness. She will take an Amtrak train from Los Angeles to New York City, making 11 stops along the way to meet with fans and survivors and perform three mini concerts.

The lead single, “I’m Gonna Love You Through It,” addresses cancer and the music video features survivors and their supporters including celebrities Robin Roberts, Hoda Kotb, Sheryl Crow and Katie Couric.

Also on the schedule, McBride’s new installment of CMT’s Invitation Only premieres Mon., Oct. 17 at 10:00 – 11:00 p.m., ET/PT. See clip below.

 

Lehning Joins Adams and Reese

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Intellectual Property and Entertainment Law attorney Ryan M. Lehning has joined the Adams and Reese Nashville Music Row office as Special Counsel and a member of the Special Business Services Practice Group.

Lehning, who has been practicing law since 2002, previously served as Senior Counsel for SoundExchange in Washington, DC, the collective designated by the United States Copyright Office to collect and distribute royalties for digital audio sound recording performances to performing artists and record labels. Prior to that, he served as Counsel for Sony BMG Music Entertainment in New York, where he worked with the record company’s law department handling copyright, trademark, e-commerce, new media and other intellectual property matters. Lehning received his J.D. from the Georgetown University Law Center in 2002, and earned his Bachelor of Arts in English and French from Belmont University, in 1997.

Lehning’s practice focuses on domestic and international IP matters, both with new media and the new and old copyright laws. Ryan has worked for a broad scope of clients in the music, film, television, software and book publishing industries. He has experience providing counsel to major copyright owning trade associations and companies with respect to emerging technology issues primarily associated with secondary liability, copyright licensing, digital distribution and the Digital Millennium Copyright Act. He is the former co-chair of the Washington, DC Chapter of the Copyright Society of the United States of America, and he is a former board member of the Alliance of Artists and Recording Companies (AARC).

“The Lehning name is legendary in the music industry, and we are delighted to bring the last Lehning to Music Row to join his family and ours, where his talents belong,” said Linda Edell Howard, Adams and Reese Entertainment and New Media Team Leader and a Partner in the Music Row office.

 

Industry Ink Tuesday

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• • • Toby Keith is heading into the Oct. 24 release of Clancy’s Tavern with a No. 1 hit. The album’s lead single “Made In America” is his 29th charttopper and recently went to No. 1 on MusicRow’s CountryBreakout chart. He penned the track with frequent co-writer Bobby Pinson. A Deluxe Edition of Clancy’s Tavern includes four extra songs that are covers recorded live at Keith’s 2010 Incognito Bandito club show at The Fillmore in New York City.

• • • Over 250 members of the industry gathered for the annual End of the Row Party to raise money and awareness for the TJ Martell Foundation on Sept. 22. The event was hosted for the second year by law firm Crownover, Blevins behind their offices and sponsored by Merrill Lynch’s Raj Patnik and Zach Richards. The night netted over $5500 for the Foundation and featured performances by hit songwriters Barry Dean, Brett James, Luke Laird and Shane McAnally. Laura Bell Bundy was the host and emcee. Other up-and-coming writers who performed were Liz Moriondo, Jeremy Parsons, James Hunter, Julie Foresterand Jen Foster.

• • • Last week Belmont University welcomed Grand Ole Opry GM and VP Pete Fisher as guest speaker for the Mike Curb College of Entertainment and Music Business seminar series. Fisher also serves on the Curb College advisory board.

(L-R): Rush Hicks, Belmont Music Business program chair; Wesley Bulla, Curb College Dean; Pete Fisher, Grand Ole Opry; Sarita Stewart, Entertainment Industry Studies

• • • Grammy winning artist and songwriter Peter Frampton will join the Music City Walk of Fame, presented by founding sponsor Gibson Guitar. Frampton will be recognized officially with the unveiling of a commemorative sidewalk marker on Sat., Oct. 22 at 1:00 p.m. in Walk of Fame Park in downtown Nashville. The induction ceremony sponsored by GAC, is free and open to the public. Frampton lived in Nashville for seven years, and many of his band and crew live here. He continues to write, record and rehearse in the city regularly.

• • • Gene Watson’s tour bus was in a wreck over the weekend. Thankfully no one was seriously injured. He was eight miles from his show in Sandstone, MN when the bus lurched off the road and nearly flipped over. He is now back in Nashville where he will join Randy Travis on the Grand Ole Opry tonight to sing “Didn’t We Shine,” which was recorded for Travis’s 25th Anniversary Celebration album.

• • • APA’s David Plyler was the top fundraiser for the Cystic Fibrosis Foundation of Middle Tennessee’s “Nashville’s Top 30 Under 30” initiative. He was honored at a party Sat., Sept. 24 on the 21st floor of The Pinnacle at Symphony Center. The event had raised more than $55,000 for cystic fibrosis research.

David Plyler of Agency for the Performing Arts is recognized by (L-R): Nashville’s Top 30 Under 30 co-chairmen Tim Bewley and Fiona Haulter, and Cystic Fibrosis Foundation of Middle Tennessee Director of Development Lesley McMahan

Pictured following the Women's Half-Marathon in Nashville. (L-R): Caitlin King Rossman (Associated Press), Cindy Heath (Monarch Publicity), Lori Christian (Capitol Records)

 

Good Works: The Roys, NSAI, Big & Rich, and Flatts

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The Roys

Sibling duo The Roys have been tapped to headline the Musicians On Call benefit tonight (10/4) at the Hard Rock Cafe in downtown Nashville. Doors open at 7 pm, with the music starting at 8 pm. Also on the bill are Kimberly Wolff, Hannah Anders and Jason Gregory. Roys members Lee and Elaine Roy are the reigning two-time Inspirational Country Music Duo of the Year, and have performed at country and bluegrass festivals all over the country.

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Tomorrow (10/5) at 9 pm the Bluebird Cafe will host a benefit show for Faith Family Medical Clinic, featuring songwriters Steve Bogard, Brett James, Wayland Holyfield and Monty Powell. Faith Family is a faith-based, non-profit organization that provides affordable health care to uninsured Nashville-area songwriters and musicians. As part of a new partnership with NSAI, songwriter members can now present their NSAI cards to be established as patients. “Many songwriters don’t have health insurance and don’t receive needed health care services because they simply do not know that clinics like Faith Family Medical exist,” says NSAI’s Susan Myers, director of sponsorships. “This affiliation will save local songwriters and musicians tens of thousands of dollars in medical expenses.”

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Big & Rich will also pick up the hospital fundraising torch, when the duo is featured at the Baptist Hospital Foundation’s Rock The Cradle event October 25 at the Loveless Cafe Barn. The dinner and cocktail reception begins at 6:30 pm, and includes a silent auction with exclusive travel packages. Proceeds will support babies born at Baptist and the Beaman Neonatal Intensive Care Unit. Table sponsorships, as well as a limited amount of individual tickets, are available for purchase at www.rockthecradlenashville.com. “This is a causal, fun event that offers the chance to listen to some of Nashville’s best country artists in an intimate setting and we’re extremely excited to have Big & Rich involved this year,” says Bernie Sherry, president and CEO of Baptist Hospital. In 2010, Rock the Cradle featured Martina McBride and Faith Hill performing together for the first time and raised over $225,000.

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Rascal Flatts is offering fans a unique opportunity to see them at a private fundraiser for the Monroe Carell Jr. Children’s Hospital at Vanderbilt. One hundred tickets will be made available to Flatts fans on a first-come, first-serve basis for the November 2 event. Over the last five years, Rascal Flatts has been hosting concerts for Children’s Hospital in a secluded Nashville location, in conjunction with Bridgestone Arena concerts also benefiting the hospital. Attendees will also have the chance to bid on a full travel package for two for a 2012 Flatts concert date, two tickets and meet & greet passes to see the group at a 2012 Opry appearance, or two tickets to the 2012 ACM Awards with passes for Rascal Flatts show rehearsal. Fans can order tickets here.

Tuesday News Roundup

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CMA ONLINE SOCIAL AUDIENCE IS NO. 1: The cumulative CMA online social audience is ranked No. 1 among all awards shows for biggest social network audience, topping the Grammys and the Oscars! As of 9/27/2011:

 

The Entrepreneur Center has received confirmation of its $2.5 million EDA grant application. The money will be used to renovate and buildout the Center’s new permanent facility at Trolley Barn No. 1, Rolling Mill Hill. “In the wake of Nashville’s disaster, the EDA funding represents an investment in the future of our city,” said Michael Burcham, who runs the EC. “The Center that we build will help entrepreneurs turn ideas into reality, support innovation, and drive economic growth and job creation for thousands and tens of thousands of Tennesseans.”

Trolley Barn #1 at Rolling Mill Hill is a 22,000 square foot space that will house 72 incubation space. Since it’s launch in 2010, the center has helped launch 19 companies and helped them raise over $5.2 million in seed stage and venture funding.  While the EDA grant will partly cover the construction buildout of the center, as a non-profit 501c3 organization, public and private funding and corporate sponsorships are needed to support the center’s operations.

“Nashville is a city full of creative, smart, hard-working people, and the Entrepreneur Center is harnessing this resource, cultivating ideas and incubating inventive businesses to help continue moving the city forward and create jobs in the process,” Mayor Karl Dean said.

 

Scotty McCreery, Season 10 winner of American Idol is scheduled to perform the National anthem prior to Game One of the World Series, Oct. 19. “This is absolutely incredible for me,” said McCreery. “I have two loves in life—music and baseball.” McCreery’s debut album launches October 4 on Mercury Nashville/19 Recordings/Interscope Records.

 

 

Ralph Murphy Book Details Songwriting Laws

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Hit songwriter, publisher, veteran ASCAP executive, author and former President of the Nashville Songwriters Association International, Ralph Murphy will be talking about his recently released book Murphy’s Laws of Songwriting, The Book, Oct. 4, 4 p.m. at ASCAP’s Nashville offices.

Murphy has been successful as a songwriter for five decades. Consistently charting songs in an ever-changing musical environment makes him a member of that very small group of professionals who make a living doing what they love to do. Murphy’s book helps arm songwriters for success by demystifying the process and opening the door to serious professional songwriting.

Nashville Songwriters Association Executive Director Bart Herbison called the book, “A must read.” Grammy winnning Hall of Famer songwriter Don Schlitz has said about the book, “Ralph has taught countless grateful students (myself included) and still loves the art, the craft and the process. Now he has taken the time to write it down… lucky us!”

 

TN Proclaims Oct. Country Music Month

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Tennessee Governor Bill Haslam has proclaimed October as Country Music month. The CMA is celebrating with promotions, events and activities designed to drive awareness of the format and to lead up to the 45th annual CMA Awards on Wed., Nov. 9.

Haslam’s proclamation cites the Appalachian foothills as origins of country music and the format’s principles and values. “This art form remains quintessentially American, uncovering the poetry embedded in everyday life, and celebrating the same traits that inspired those who laid its foundation,” reads the proclamation.

Country Music Month was first created by the CMA in 1964 to highlight the format, landmark events and the formation of CMA and the anniversary of the WSM Grand Ole Opry. This year’s Awards will be held at the Bridgestone Arena in Nashville and broadcast live on ABC TV. The Grand Ole Opry will celebrate its 86th birthday (visit opry.com). CMA is making Web tools available for partners including logos, graphics, banners, video and audio files, and more. For information visit CountryMusicMonth.com/webtools.

 

Photo Spread

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Jason Aldean’s sixth annual “Concert for the Cure” on Friday (9/30) raised $315,000 for Susan G. Komen for the Cure® during a sold-out show in Roanoke, Va. “This is one of my favorite things we do all year,” said Aldean. “All of the money we raised will go to the local Roanoke effort, allowing them to give free mammograms to those who can’t afford it. We’ll pick a different spot for next year and try to beat it. October is a big month for raising money and awareness, and I have to thank my fans for doing their part! Seeing an arena filled with pink is just a really cool thing!”

Photo: Rick Diamond, WireImage

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Several Nashville songwriters headed to Georgia for the 10th Annual John Jarrard Foundation Concert on Sept. 24 at Brenau University. Marc Beeson, Steve Dorff, Bruce Burch, Jan Smith, Will Robinson, Greg Barnhill, John Driskell Hopkins performed and helped raise over $115,000 for local charities that were dear to the heart of late tunesmith Jarrard, such as The Boys and Girls Clubs, Good News Clinics, and Challenged Child. The John Jarrard Foundation has topped $1,000,000 for the 10 years.

(L-R): Marc Beeson, Steve Dorff, Bruce Burch, Jan Smith, Will Robinson, Greg Barnhill, John Driskell Hopkins

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Columbia Nashville artist Bradley Gaskin made his fourth appearance at the Grand Ole Opry on a recent Saturday night. Backstage, he took a photo with the renowned Nitty Gritty Dirt Band.

(L-R): Jeff Hanna, Bob Carpenter, Bradley Gaskin, also the legendary Charlie McCoy, NGDB's Jimmie Fadden and John McEuen. Photo: Rick Malkin

 

 

Antony Bruno Joins NARM

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NARM, National Association of Recording Merchandisers has hired noted technology/music journalist Antony Bruno to join the organization’s digital initiatives at digitalmusic.org. Bruno has been named Community Manager.

“Antony has spent the past seven years examining all the players in the digital media arena, making him the perfect person to build up the digitalmusic.org community,” said Bill Wilson, VP of Digital Strategy & Business Development at NARM. “Our goal is to bring together all of the companies that are critical for the business of music in the digital realm, and Antony can bring the right people to the table and then conduct meaningful, productive conversations that move the business forward.”

Bruno was previously Executive Director of Content & Programming, Digital/Mobile at Billboard, where he spent seven years reporting on the intersection of new media and music. He will continue to be based in Denver, CO, and also operate an independent consulting business. Reach him at [email protected].

 

Radio/Promo Update: WSM Mornings, Nathan Cruise

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Change is afoot at Cumulus’ 95.5 FM WSM/Nashville, as afternoon personality Lisa Manning will move to mornings and team with Rick Marino for “Marino and Manning.” Station PD Dan Bowen is searching for Manning’s replacement in the afternoon time slot. Interested parties can email materials to him here. Former morning personality Beth Brightwell has exited WSM, which she joined in July 2010 after a decade at WTRS/Ocala. Reach her at 352-875-1530.

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Nathan Cruise has joined the Tenacity Records promotion team as National Dir., effective today. Cruise joins previously announced National Directors Gary Greenberg and Jeff Davis, in addition to SVP Promotion David Haley and label President Mike Kraski. Cruise’s career in music stretches back to 1986, as on-air talent for a Top 40 station. He got into the record promotion business in 1994, and most recently worked with Warner Bros. Nashville. “I am thrilled to add a promotion executive of Nathan’s experience and passion to the Tenacity team,” says Kraski. The Tenacity crew is currently working to promote flagship artist Bill Gentry’s single “This Letter.” Reach Cruise at [email protected] or 615-496-6356.