Marcus & Colvin Form Entertainment Law Firm

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Kent Marcus, Esq. and Jeff Colvin, Esq. have combined forces to form Marcus & Colvin, LLP., a Nashville entertainment law firm with offices at 21 Music Square West.

Previously, Marcus established KMM, P.C. in 2008, an entertainment law firm based in Nashville, to provide focused business affairs and legal counsel for artists and companies in the music industry. Marcus spent several years in the film and television industries, as well as working in business affairs for both independent and major record labels. He has represented major acts including Kings of Leon, Paramore, and Randy Houser.

“I could not be more excited about the growth of our firm,” states Marcus. “Jeff stepped in and made an immediate contribution of great service, perspective, and professionalism.”

Colvin is a Nashville-based attorney, primarily representing artists and industry personnel in transactional matters in the entertainment industry. Colvin attended Pepperdine University School of Law, where he received a JD in 2003, and is currently a Master’s candidate in Pepperdine’s acclaimed Straus Institute for Dispute Resolution.

Colvin says, “I’ve long admired Kent’s practice, and working with him now has only confirmed that he is at the forefront of our profession. I’m honored to partner with him, and am thrilled to help grow this practice.”

The new firm has also expanded its operations and services with a unique of-counsel “bridge” with the prestigious New York and Los Angeles based entertainment law firm Carroll, Guido & Groffman, LLP.

www.mcentlaw.com

CMA Offers Lifetime Memberships

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The Country Music Association is now offering a Lifetime Membership option for individuals that have been a CMA member for 10 years and in the music industry for at least 15 years.
“We value our longstanding members and wanted to offer them a convenient membership option,” says CMA CEO Steve Moore. “These members have made significant contributions to the industry and their accomplishments warrant our gratitude. Lifetime Membership guarantees that they will always have a voice in CMA.”
CMA membership for individual members is $100 annually. The CMA Lifetime Membership is available for a onetime fee of $1,000. Those interested in purchasing a Lifetime Membership can contact CMA’s Membership Department by calling (800) 788-3045.

CMA offers annual memberships to those currently employed full time in the Country Music industry.
www.CMAworld.com

Signings: Jenkins, Lehoux, Stephenson

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(L-R): Combustion’s Chris Van Belkom, Jenkins (seated), Chris Farren, songwriter Ashley Gorley, Combustion’s Kenley Flynn.













Combustion Music and songwriter Ashley Gorley have signed Matt Jenkins to an exclusive songwriting agreement.
Jenkins grew up playing and singing in the Texas Opry circuit with his father and most recently, has songs on upcoming albums from Jake Owen and Steve Holy.
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Jimmy Lehoux


Nashville recording artist Jimmy Lehoux has signed an exclusive booking agreement with Cody Entertainment for fall dates and a 2012 tour. “Jimmy Lehoux is an incredibly talented singer and performer and we are pleased to have the opportunity to represent him,” says Cody Entertainment president Phil Smallwood.
Lehoux recently completed the southeastern leg of his radio tour in support of debut single “Twenty Toes In The Sand.”
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Larry Stephenson (seated) signs with Compass Records


Bluegrass vocalist and bandleader Larry Stephenson has signed to Compass Records. Stephenson will begin work at Compass Sound Studio this fall on a new project with a targeted release date of early 2012. He will share production duties with engineer/co-producer Ben Surratt.
The signing follows on the heels of the Larry Stephenson Band’s win for “Recorded Event of the Year” at the 2010 International Bluegrass Music Awards for his most recent effort “20th Anniversary.”

Zac Brown Band Partners With Jack Daniel's

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Zac Brown Band and Jack Daniel’s Tennessee whiskey have announced a one-of-a-kind partnership, the famed distillery’s first with a major music artist in over a decade.
The partnership officially begins during ZBB’s sold-out two night run Sept. 5-6 at Red Rocks in Morrison, CO and includes U.S. and Canadian advertising/promotion, a dedicated responsibility campaign, and co-presenting tour support.
“There is a natural affinity between Jack Daniel’s friends and Zac Brown Band fans,” says JD Master Distiller Jeff Arnett. “They are folks who embrace authentic values, love great music and the spirit of friendship. We couldn’t be happier to partner with ZBB.”
The Jack Daniel’s partnership with ZBB aims to enhance the fan experience at live events through its presence at ZBB’s “Eat & Greets,” bringing “Lynchburg on Wheels” to ZBB events, ticket giveaways and more. The pairing will also launch a commemorative bottle program to support Camp Southern Ground, Brown’s camp for special needs children, as well as a campaign promoting responsible drinking.
“We love what we do and every night when we take the stage, we promise to blow our fans away with an experience unlike any other,” says Brown. “Jack Daniel’s is one of the most iconic American brands and because of their dedication to giving people their very best, they’ve earned some of the most loyal fans in the country. We’re proud to be working with them.”

Zac Brown Band Partners With Jack Daniel’s

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Zac Brown Band and Jack Daniel’s Tennessee whiskey have announced a one-of-a-kind partnership, the famed distillery’s first with a major music artist in over a decade.

The partnership officially begins during ZBB’s sold-out two night run Sept. 5-6 at Red Rocks in Morrison, CO and includes U.S. and Canadian advertising/promotion, a dedicated responsibility campaign, and co-presenting tour support.

“There is a natural affinity between Jack Daniel’s friends and Zac Brown Band fans,” says JD Master Distiller Jeff Arnett. “They are folks who embrace authentic values, love great music and the spirit of friendship. We couldn’t be happier to partner with ZBB.”

The Jack Daniel’s partnership with ZBB aims to enhance the fan experience at live events through its presence at ZBB’s “Eat & Greets,” bringing “Lynchburg on Wheels” to ZBB events, ticket giveaways and more. The pairing will also launch a commemorative bottle program to support Camp Southern Ground, Brown’s camp for special needs children, as well as a campaign promoting responsible drinking.

“We love what we do and every night when we take the stage, we promise to blow our fans away with an experience unlike any other,” says Brown. “Jack Daniel’s is one of the most iconic American brands and because of their dedication to giving people their very best, they’ve earned some of the most loyal fans in the country. We’re proud to be working with them.”

CMA Honors International Broadcaster of the Year

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Brad Paisley "presents" Sandy Harsch with the CMA International Broadcaster Award, improvising with a digital recorder until the award arrives. Photo credit: Ben Enos


RTE broadcaster Sandy Harsch recently received good and bad news when Brad Paisley revealed to her that she had been named CMA International Broadcaster of the Year.
The good news, of course, was the honor of being selected. The bad news was that the actual award was held up in customs and didn’t make it to the presentation backstage at Paisley’s show at the Olympia Theatre in Dublin, Ireland.
“I never could figure out why people cried when they won awards, but now I know,” Harsch said. “The CMA International Broadcaster Award is certainly the biggest thing that has ever happened to me, other than having my two children. And – does anyone really deserve getting an award for doing something they absolutely love?”
Harsch moved to Ireland from the US in 1960, working as a freelance photo journalist and then as chief photographer, reviewer and interviewer for Hot Press magazine. She started in radio at RTE as a guest critic on “Outside Track,” before moving on to Century Radio in 1989. She rejoined RTE in 1996, and has been presenting “Country Time” ever since. Harsch also serves as editor for Lonesome Highway magazine.
“Country Music has been a huge part of my life since I was a kid,” she said. “I have been sharing this passion on air for 22 years and I am totally honored that the CMA thinks I am doing a good job. Country is a wonderful part of my life and it is knockout to be given an award. Thank you so, so much.”

Songwriter Jerry Leiber Passes

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Mike Stoller (L), Elvis Presley (center), and Jerry Leiber (R) at MGM Studios in 1957. Photo: Michael Ochs Archives/Getty Images


Jerry Leiber, Songwriters Hall of Fame Member and lyricist for legendary songwriting team Leiber & Stoller, passed away in Los Angeles yesterday (8/22) at the age of 78.
Leiber met Mike Stoller in Los Angeles in 1950 and the pair forged one of the most successful songwriting partnerships in history, penning (or co-penning) numerous R&B and early rock classics such as “Hound Dog,” “Yakety Yak,” and “Love Potion No. 9.” Elvis Presley recorded numerous Leiber/Stoller compositions in addition to “Hound Dog” including “Jailhouse Rock,” “Loving You,” “Don’t,” and “You’re So Square (Baby I Don’t Care).” The pair also enjoyed a successful partnership with the Drifters, who recorded “There Goes My Baby.” Drifters singer Ben E. King enjoyed solo hits with “Spanish Harlem,” which Leiber wrote with Phil Spector, and the Leiber/Stoller anthem “Stand By Me.”
Leiber’s work touched Nashville on occasion, through his co-writing with Billy Edd Wheeler. That collaboration resulted in the hit Johnny Cash/June Carter duet “Jackson,”  “After Taxes” (Billy Edd Wheeler), “The Rev. Mr. Black,” (The Kingston Trio), and “Tonight I’m Singing Just For You” (Billy Edd Wheeler). Leiber’s hits have been cut by George Jones, Buck Owens, Ray Stevens, Ronnie McDowell, Bill Anderson, Wanda Jackson, and many more.
“He was my friend, my buddy, my writing partner for 61 years,” says Mike Stoller. “We met when we were 17 years old. He had a way with words. There was nobody better.  I’m going to miss him.”
Leiber is survived by his three sons Jed, Oliver, and Jake and two granddaughters.
 

“The songwriting and music publishing community today joins millions of Americans in remembering songwriters Jerry Leiber and Nick Ashford. Jerry Leiber brought us classic hits with Elvis Presley’s ‘Hound Dog’ and the Clovers’ ‘Love Potion No. 9’, which remain a jubilant window to the fifties and sixties. Rarely does a songwriter capture the mood and spirit of a generation so prolifically. Nick Ashford created enduring Motown classics including ‘Ain’t No Mountain High Enough’ and ‘Solid As a Rock’, which capture fusions of jazz, funk and gospel. Jerry Leiber’s and Nick Ashford’s contributions to American rock ‘n’ roll and soul are nothing short of legendary. The songwriting and music publishing community will never forget their timeless talent.” —NMPA President David Israelite

 

Artist News: Armiger, Jaron, Durante, LBT

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Katie Armiger is scheduled to make her Grand Ole Opry debut September 23, when she performs during the 7 pm show. Her Opry appearance coincides with the Sept. 20 iTunes release of the deluxe package of her album Confessions of a Nice Girl (The True Confessional), which features four songs not on the basic version. “Performing on the Grand Ole Opry is a dream come true for me,” says Armiger. “I am truly honored and thankful to be able to take that legendary stage and perform.” Armiger is currently on her summer tour, which includes supporting dates for Darius Rucker, Ronnie Dunn, Little Big Town, and Clay Walker.
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Jaron & the Long Road To Love has announced a fall tour, spanning 60 cities nationwide. The tour launches Sept. 3 at Hotel Cafe in Los Angeles, and is catering to smaller venues throughout. Former Last Call With Carson Daly band leader Joe Firstman will join Jaron for the trek, and the two have also formed a new group together called Cordovas. Full tour dates here.
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Up-and-coming country artist Margaret Durante was recently asked to be an online guest blogger for Ladies’ Home Journal, where she has been documenting her experiences as a new artist in the country music industry. This week, Durante has finished her second installment for the monthly series “Margaret Durante’s Nashville Diaries.”
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Little Big Town’s popular online video series “Scattered, Smothered, & Covered” has let the group churn out countrified versions of pop hits “Rolling In The Deep,” “Born This Way,” and “Price Tag,” among others. The latest installment in the series features the foursome covering the Jackson 5’s classic “I Want You Back.” Check out the video here or stream it below.

Sacks & Co. Expands Nashville Office

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Sam Reed, former staff attorney for Nashville Congressman Jim Cooper, joins Sacks & Co.’s Nashville team.
The international media relations firm’s Nashville-based artists include The Black Keys and Emmylou Harris as well as the Nashville Music Council. The company has also navigated successful campaigns for break-out duo The Civil Wars in addition to musicians Justin Townes Earle, Hayes Carll and Jessica Lea Mayfield.
Reed, an intellectual property attorney, was responsible for Rep. Cooper’s music and copyright policy.
“The music business has changed dramatically over the last 15 years but the fundamentals stay the same: the artist that can connect with his audience can successfully thrive. Carla [Sacks] understands this and demands a level of authenticity and professionalism that sets her company apart.” Adds Reed, “I’m really excited be a part of it.”

Sacks & Co. Expands Nashville Office

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Sam Reed, former staff attorney for Nashville Congressman Jim Cooper, joins Sacks & Co.’s Nashville team.

The international media relations firm’s Nashville-based artists include The Black Keys and Emmylou Harris as well as the Nashville Music Council. The company has also navigated successful campaigns for break-out duo The Civil Wars in addition to musicians Justin Townes Earle, Hayes Carll and Jessica Lea Mayfield.

Reed, an intellectual property attorney, was responsible for Rep. Cooper’s music and copyright policy.

“The music business has changed dramatically over the last 15 years but the fundamentals stay the same: the artist that can connect with his audience can successfully thrive. Carla [Sacks] understands this and demands a level of authenticity and professionalism that sets her company apart.” Adds Reed, “I’m really excited be a part of it.”