BMI Annual Revenues Continue Upward

Broadcast Music, Inc.® (BMI®), the music rights management organization further extended its 20-year record of annually increasing revenue collections for its fiscal year ended June 30, 2011 with revenues in excess of $931 million. Revenues for 2010 totaled $917 million.

According to BMI it will distribute royalties of $796 million to the over 500,000 songwriters, composers and copyright owners it represents. Last year’s distribution tally was about $789 million.

Del Bryant

BMI President & CEO Del Bryant said, “In addition to the strength of our repertoire, a key factor in our ability to grow revenues despite a challenging global economy is the enduring value of our core offering: the blanket license.  Securing unlimited public-performance rights to BMI’s entire repertoire of more than 6.5 million works with one stable agreement is as valuable for new media companies such as YouTube and Spotify as it is for our radio, television, cable network and general licensees.”

According to BMI, the repertoire was invigorated by global megahits from songwriters such as Lady Gaga, The Black Eyed Peas, Taylor Swift and Rihanna, and breakout success across a wide spectrum of genres from songwriter/artists such as urban sensation Nicky Minaj, British chanteuse Adele, urban/Latin phenomenon Pitbull and Nashville artists The Band Perry, Easton Corbin and Jason Aldean. These newer songwriter/artists build on a foundation laid by BMI icons such as The Eagles, ZZ Top, Paul Simon, The Rolling Stones, Snoop Dogg, Willie Nelson and Queen.

BMI’s press announcement claims it operates with an overhead among the lowest of any music rights organization in the world, an achievement made possible by the company’s long-term dedication to technology. In 2010, the organization processed almost 100 billion copyright transactions on behalf of its music creators, copyright owners and licensees.

BMI’s largest revenue category is Cable & Satellite which accounts for about 34% of collections. Radio is a close second contributing 30%.

The Raconteurs’ Earth Shaking Show at Third Man

By Daniel Podolsky

Photo by Daniel Podolsky

As The Raconteurs tore into “Salute Your Solution,” the second track the group played Wednesday night (9/14) during their show at Jack White’s Third Man Records, you’d be hard-pressed to find anyone in the crowd not fully enthralled by the earth-shaking beats and crashing, dance-party rhythms. The sold-out show saw the venue at capacity (a number the NFD reduced to 190). Half of these $40 tickets were sold at Third Man’s storefront on Aug. 30 to overwhelming demand. The line to purchase them started to form 17 hours before they went on sale.

Opening the show was early-American roots-country revivalists Pokey LaFarge and The South City Three. Taking the stage eight minutes past 8 p.m., LaFarge won over the crowd with a sound that wouldn’t be out of place on the catalog of Chess Records. His influences include such early influences as Blind Boy Fuller, Bob Wills, and Jimmie Rodgers (a reworked cover of Rodgers’ “In The Jailhouse Now” closed out the set). Yet as talented as the songwriting may be, it would be nothing without the backing band: The South City Three. On the upright bass is Joey Marciano, plucking out sounds that sway between gypsy jazz and ragtime blues. On second guitar is Adam Hoskins, playing a Hawaiian acoustic with a Spanish-influenced Country twang. The third piece is utility player Ryan Koenig, whose vibrato-laced harmonica solos had the crowd roaring just three minutes into the set. After the fourth song of the night, “Pack It Up”—released as the B-side to their Third Man 7” single—Koenig switched to his washboard covered in saucer plates of various sizes, playing with a metal glove and unbelievable skill. The opening set lasted only 30 minutes, but the impression it left lasted at least 35.

At around 9:15, Third Man Second-in-Command Ben Swank came onstage to introduce The Raconteurs, for their first show since September 2008. White, along with co-frontman Brendan Benson, bassist Little Jack Lawrence, drummer Patrick Keeler, and touring utility man Dean Fertita promptly powered up their instruments and proceeded to destroy eardrums with “Consoler of the Lonely,” the title track off their second album. That album was announced only 10 days in advance of its planned released. With no announcements before this show directly addressing the existence of new material, the audience was unsure what to expect. And although the intensity of the first couple songs were definitely present—thanks to an incredibly loud volume—there were several missed cues and a few cases of reworked instrumentation. Speaking to The Detroit News, Benson admitted, “We were having a hard time remembering how to play the songs. At one point, we had to look up tabs on the Internet.” Despite the rust, there was no question that this band knows how to put on a show.

The third track played was “Hands,” off of the first album Broken Boy Soldiers. Halfway through this number came the only cover of the night—a portion of The Who’s “I Can See For Miles,” a song whose feel, especially the drums, plays well to the sound of The Raconteurs—they then returned to “Hands” before strumming into “Old Enough,” a number originally recorded with Ricky Skaggs and Ashley Monroe. This one was the most notably different from the studio version, as there was no violin, and therefore the band had to compensate by reworking the bridge and using instruments whose timbre just didn’t match the set. The last track of the first half was “Top Yourself,” after which the band had to stop for a moment so engineer Vance Powell could change the reels of analog tape. Next the band was joined by a three-piece horn section introduced as The Blowhards for a Benson-penned ballad, “Many Shades of Black.” The horns stayed for “The Switch and the Spur.” The last song before the band exited for the first time was “Broken Boy Soldier,” the title track of their 2006 album. The band then walked offstage to overdriven feedback, a signature Jack White move at any show.

The crowd wanted its money’s worth however, and kept cheering for a solid five minutes before the band returned to finish the night, starting with a dialogue from White: “A lot of the songs that Brendan and I wrote together were in in-between periods,” he explained, in what was looking like a rare moment of insight. Instead, he was only referring to the weather. “It wasn’t rainy, wasn’t too sunny. It was in between.” After a very well played version of their 2006 hit, “Steady, As She Goes,” and a suspenseful version of a live staple, “Blue Veins,” it was time to go home. As the crowd wandered out of the famed Blue Room through the alley in the back of Third Man’s HQ, it was pouring rain.

Pokey Lafarge set list:
1 Walk Your Way Outta This Town
2 St Louis Crow
3 Pack It Up
4 Head to Toe
5 Hard Times Come
6 La La Blues
7 In That Jailhouse Now (Duane Rogers)

The Raconteurs set list:
1 Consoler of the Lonely
2 Salute Your Solution
3 Hands
4 Interlude – I Can See For Miles (The Who)
5 Old Enough
6 Top Yourself
7 Many Shades of Black
8 The Switch and the Spur
9 Broken Boy Soldier
Encore
10 Steady, As She Goes
11 Blue Veins

Hunze To Lead Parallel Music

(L-R) C.T. Wyatt, J.P. Williams (caricature) and Tim Hunze.

“We are up and running and are looking for great writers,” says Tim Hunze, who now heads up Parallel Music Publishing’s Nashville offices. “We believe being a boutique publisher is perfect for today’s ever changing environment.”

Parallel Music Publishing is a partnership between Hunze, Parallel Entertainment Founder & CEO, J.P. Williams, and C.T. Wyatt, who runs the Nashville office of Parallel Entertainment. Parallel just recently moved into its new office on Music Row, located at 1505 16th Avenue South, Nashville, TN 37212. 615-750-2613. Parallel Entertainment and Parallel Music Publishing will share that office space.

Before Parallel, Hunze worked for Stage Three Music where he helped cultivate the talents of writers like 2009 BMI Songwriter of the Year, Bobby Pinson, and 2010 ASCAP Songwriter of the Year Brett James. He has also worked with hit songwriters Tom Shapiro, Tony Martin, Lee Miller and Jon Mabe.

Parallel Music’s parent company, Parallel Entertainment is a full service talent management and production company. It has produced everything from motion pictures to music albums to programming for a variety of cable television networks, including HBO and Comedy Central. Its talent roster boasts some of comedy’s most notable acts like Jeff Foxworthy, Larry the Cable Guy, Bill Engvall, and Lisa Lampanelli as well as music acts like Zella Day and Warner Music Nashville recording artist, Dean Alexander.  It also manages actors including former CMT Insider host, Lance Smith.

“We have extensive contacts in the TV, motion picture, video game, and music industries,” Hunze explains. “The opportunities and possibilities for Parallel Music Publishing’s songwriters are endless. We love country music but we’re not limiting ourselves to any one genre.”

All For The Hall Los Angeles

All For The Hall LA (L-R): Kyle Young, Kevin Cronin, Sheryl Crow, Zac Brown, Emmylou Harris, Vince Gill. Photo: Alex J. Berliner

All for the Hall Los Angeles, a Country Music Hall of Fame fundraising event held Sept. 13, featured the talents of Zac Brown, Kevin Cronin, Sheryl Crow, Vince Gill and Emmylou Harris. The five songwriters represented various generations and genres from across the nation as they performed the Nashville-style guitar pull.

With no set list to follow, the writers were encouraged to perform whatever came to mind. “You’ll hear some great songs, possibly some new songs, because we don’t really know which songs they’ll do, but then neither do the songwriters,” explained Kyle Young, director of the Country Music Hall of Fame and Museum.

Throughout the show, the performers told stories of their old guitars—many broken and repaired—and how they’d written some of their best songs on them. Crow shared how her rehearsal space was vandalized before her first national tour in 1993. While most of her instruments were stolen, the thieves left behind a broken acoustic Gibson guitar. Crow had it repaired and later wrote “If It Makes You Happy” on it.

The Gibson Foundation announced that night the limited edition run of the J-200 Ray Whitley Specials. All proceeds from this iconic guitar will be given to Working on a Building, the campaign which sponsors the $75 million expansion of the Country Music Fall of Fame and Museum in downtown Nashville.

Rodney Atkins Debuts Video, Preps Album Launch

(L-R): Rodney Atkins, Tameron Hedge, Andy Tennant (director), and Greg Hill

Rodney Atkins is heading into the Oct. 4 release of his new Curb Records album with a rising single and video. He’s also set to perform in New York City at the CMA Songwriters Series.

Title track “Take A Back Road” (Luke Laird/Rhett Akins) is at No. 5 on MusicRow’s CountryBreakout Chart. The accompanying video premieres today, and Atkins shot it recently in the Nashville area, including locations in Carthage and White Bluff.

Rodney Atkins on location of music video for "Take A Back Road."

For the video he teamed with Hollywood director Andy Tennant (Fool’s Gold, Hitch, Sweet Home Alabama, Fools Rush In). It is the filmmaker’s first music video, and he describes the treatment: “Think of Rodney as the angel from Wender’s Wings of Desire, but instead of Brandenberg gate, he’s perched high on an old water tower. [He’s] beckoning people, like the call to prayer, back to the country Mecca of small town America…White Bluff.”

Atkins will perform Nov. 3 as part of the CMA Songwriters Series at Joe’s Pub in New York City. Joining him will be Dave Berg, Marla Cannon-Goodman and host/performer Bob DiPiero. Details at cmasongwritersseries.com.

Overseas Fans Embrace Country

Pictured backstage (L-R): Neil Warnock, CEO, The Agency Group; Tor Nielsen, Head Promoter Live Nation Artists; Dolly Parton; Thomas Johansson, Chairman of Live Nation Europe; Danny Nozell, Parton's manager

Fans in Europe and Australia continue to embrace country music, drawing an ever-growing number of tours overseas. Lady Antebellum, Alan Jackson and Taylor Swift all wooed international fans earlier this year. More recently, Dolly Parton, Lorrie Morgan and Dailey and Vincent performed in Europe.

Parton sold out the Ericsson Globe Arena in Stockholm, Sweden on Aug. 27 as part of her outing supporting new album Better Day. She continues European dates until her tour re-opens in the U.S. on Oct. 7.

Lorrie Morgan

Morgan just returned from her second stint in Europe. During the first overseas tours in almost ten years, she performed in Germany, Switzerland, Italy, Denmark and Sweden. She is also preparing to release Beyond the Interview: Lorrie Morgan (ANR Records), a box set with a documentary video featuring her family, friends, industry peers, and favorite artists.

Dailey & Vincent made their way across the pond for a four-concert tour of Ireland and Switzerland, with sold-out box offices on all dates. They also played the Gstaad Festival in Switzerland along with Trace Adkins, Laura Bell Bundy and more.

Dailey & Vincent in Europe

CRB Re-Brands As Country Radio Seminar

Following a proposal by the CRB Board of Directors earlier this summer, Country Radio Broadcasters, Inc. is officially re-branding itself and continuing operations under the name Country Radio Seminar.

“Country Radio Broadcasters is refocusing and reemphasizing its branding under the name Country Radio Seminar and its popular acronym, CRS,” says CRS Executive Director Bill Mayne. “Our organization and its efforts are largely CRS-centric, and that is why we decided to officially designate Country Radio Seminar as our brand moving forward. CRB, Inc. continues as the registered name of our nonprofit organization, but the website, stationery, correspondence and other affiliated brand messaging will implement the CRS logo and brand from now on.”

Country Radio Broadcasters was founded in 1969 to help support growth and education for country music, by connecting radio partners with the industry. The organization’s flagship event Country Radio Seminar has been running over 40 years, with the next edition scheduled for Feb. 22-24, 2012 at the Nashville Convention Center.

In more news from CRS, the organization today announced that award-winning futurist and author David Houle will deliver a special presentation at CRS 2012 on Feb. 22. Regarded as “the CEOs’ futurist,” Houle has spoken to nearly 2,000 CEOs and business owners on the subject of global trends and the transformative changes that impact the future. A 20-year media and entertainment veteran, Houle was part of the senior executive team that launched MTV, Nickelodeon, VH1 and CNN Headline News prior to launching his career as an author and speaker.

Swift’s Sold-Out Traveling Sound Emporium

Swift's musical pulpit left the stage and traveled around the entire arena so everyone got a close-up view of the artist they had come to see. Photo: David Ross

In “Speak Now,” the album title track, Swift plays the third wheel in a love triangle that ends at the altar with her stealing the groom from the grasp of the bride-to-be. Photo: David Ross

“I’m a hopeless romantic,” Taylor Swift told the 15,000 screaming fans jammed into Nashville’s Bridgestone Arena on Sept. 16. Indeed, her 14-track Speak Now album, which according to Nielsen Soundscan has sold 3.65 million copies in 46 weeks, is packed with stories of love—won and lost. Like a musical Cecil B. Demille, Swift has created an evening full of elaborate song visualizations for her fans to enjoy.

For example, there were fireworks, numerous wardrobe changes, choreography, ballet, acrobatic dancers suspended from a trapeze on bungee cords, snow, and detailed sets. A favorite was the life-size romantic bridge with nine string players perched upon it arching like a rainbow above a bright white piano, played by our star who sang her haunting ballad of regret, “Back To December.”

The “Speak Now” church scene recreated the song’s vivid lyric, complete with stained glass window, pews, bride, and the “snotty little family all dressed in pastels.” As the song ends, Swift ran out through crowd… with the groom!

“When you’re falling in love or losing it, that’s the most intense happiness or sadness and that’s when you need music the most,” Swift told the crowd. Introducing her next song, “Last Kiss,” she opined that although you don’t believe it will ever happen at the time, a first kiss is eventually followed by a last kiss.

Throughout the evening, Swift played piano, acoustic and electric guitars, banjo, ukulele and showcased her accomplished ‘book’ of songs. The crowd screamed, sang along to every song and cheered at each of the star’s glances or expressions. Special guests included Ronnie Dunn, who joined Taylor for a duet of “Bleed Red,” and Paramore’s Hayley Williams who duetted “That’s What You Get.” (see video below)

It’s easy to tag Swift’s popularity as a pop/country culture phenomenon, which it may be. But to dismiss it as such would be a huge oversight. After three multi-platinum albums, sold out international tours, and a slew of songwriter awards too numerous to mention, this unique songstress’ accomplishments have made her a member of the elite group of singer/songwriters that includes greats such as Paul Simon, James Taylor, Roger Miller, Dolly Parton and Kris Kristofferson.

But challenges remain for Swift and her fans as the 21-year-old artist transitions from teen to young woman. Can she maintain current fans while attracting a more mature crowd? Other young artists such as Miley Cyrus and Britney Spears have stumbled while navigating their rites of passage. However Swift’s greatest asset—her songs—may act as a GPS for success if they can continue to navigate through events and emotions to which her fans relate.

“My respect and admiration for her as an artist just shot through the roof while I was watching her go through her 2-hr set. Her voice sounded incredible, she played like a million different instruments, and she told great stories. That is easily my favorite thing about Taylor. Her storytelling. If you haven’t seen her show or never bought one of her albums, you’re seriously missing out. Of all the friends I have who play/write music, I’ve never seen anybody do it all with as much heart and grace as Taylor does.” —Hayley Williams

 

Photos: Chenoweth, Lyda, WMBA

Broadway legend, singer, and actress Kristin Chenoweth visited the Country Music Association to sign up for membership. The talented star, who co-hosted one of the Nightly Concerts at LP Field during the 2011 CMA Music Festival this summer, recently released her debut country album Some Lessons Learned.

(L-R): Steve Moore, CMA Chief Executive Officer; Sheri Warnke, CMA Vice President of Strategic Partnerships; Brandi Simms, CMA Senior Manager of Membership and Balloting; Kristin Chenoweth; Kyle Quigley, CMA Senior Manager of Event Programming and Special Projects; and Betsy Walker, CMA Senior Coordinator of Member Relations and Services.

Davis Music Group’s Jacob Lyda recently sat down with Lorianne Crook and Charlie Chase on The Crook & Chase Countdown. Lyda made his Canadian radio debut with new single “Born At A Truck Stop,” which will impact US radio soon.

(L-R): Lorianne Crook, Jacob Lyda and Charlie Chase

The Women’s Music Business Association had a successful open enrollment kick-off mixer recently, with over 80 attendees showing up to learn more about the organization and hear the guest speaker, pop star-turned country artist Tiffany. Open enrollment for 2012 ends December 31, 2011 and applications are online at www.wmbanashville.com. Margaritas and snacks were provided by WMBA sponsors Rent-a-Rita, Cuestion Spirits, and Fiestas Catering.

(L-R) Back Row: Kama Upton, Community Svc./Education Chair; Betsy Walker, Membership Chair; Josee Deschenes, Social Co-Chair; Becky Harris, Chairman of the Board; Front Row: Holly Ashby, Vice President; Amanda Fletcher, Social Co-Chair; Tiffany; Amery Fridenstine, Treasurer; Brandi Simms, President; Trina Lloyd-Weidner, Secretary; Photo: Darcy Ferris Photography

Netflix Splits Services, Introduces Qwikster

Earlier this summer, Netflix announced a 60% increase on subscription fees, prompting about one million subscribers to cancel their subscriptions. Now Netflix is splitting its online streaming and DVD-by-Mail services. To order DVDs via snail mail, Netflix users will have to sign-up for Qwikster, the newly renamed mail order plan. The separately named service will show up as a second billing statement, in addition to online Netflix services.

Recently, Netflix CEO Reed Hastings posted a letter to the Netflix website, apologizing for his lack of communication with customers about the sudden changes. “I messed up,” Hastings said. “I owe everyone an explanation.” The full letter can be read here.

Even though Netflix and Qwixster accounts will split into two billing statements, Hastings assures Netflix subscribers that prices will not increase a second time. He also apologized for his own “arrogance based upon past success” and promises to communicate with subscribers through any future Netflix evolutions.