Sony/ATV Promotes Berschback, Inks Kristen Kelly

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Duff Berschback


Sony/ATV has promoted Duff Berschback to Sr. VP, Legal Affairs and Business Development, Nashville.
Most recently Sony/ATV’s VP, Business Affairs, Berschback will continue his responsibilities for all aspects of business and legal affairs in the Nashville office, including signings, catalog acquisitions, joint ventures, and litigation. His new role will including developing new business models, strategic relationships and growth initiatives.
“Duff has proven himself to be an invaluable asset to our team,” says Sony/ATV Nashville President/CEO Troy Tomlinson. “His new role will help us to achieve our aggressive growth plans for the future.”
Berschback joined Sony/ATV in 2007 as Sr. Dir., Business Affairs. Prior to that he worked for a private law practice representing writers, artists, managers and more.
Sony/ATV has also announced the signing of Kristen Kelly to an exclusive publishing deal. The Texas artist also recently inked a record deal with RCA and is working on music with producers Paul Overstreet and Tony Brown. She is one of the first clients to join John Grady’s new Crush Nashville roster.

(L-R): Front: Stephanie Cox, Kristen Kelly, Paul Overstreet; Back: Troy Tomlinson, John Grady, Ben Strain, Jordan S. Keller

CMT Awards Crank Star Power; Sugarland Helps Heartland

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>>>Sugarland and tour mates Little Big Town have created a special video performance of “Stand Up” from the duo’s platinum album Incredible Machine. The performance and video clip go on sale today (5/31) on iTunes. All proceeds go to the Red Cross to support victims from last month’s tornadoes across Alabama and in Joplin, MO. The video costs $1.99 and the audio track is $1.29.
>>>The 2011 CMT Music Awards is preparing to inject America with a strong dose of reality [show] star power. Shania Twain is set to make her first appearance on the show in seven years. Joining the growing list of presenters are teen pop sensation Justin Bieber, American Idol winner Scotty McCreery and runner up Lauren Alaina, as well as Dancing With The Stars winner (and sometime Pittsburgh Steeler) Hines Ward. Also presenting will be Sara Evans, Train, Kristin Chenowith, stars of the CMT original movie To The Mat Laura Bell Bundy and Ricky Schroder, Green Bay Packers’ Clay Matthews, actress Melissa Peterman and actress Mary Steenburgen.
Kid Rock will reprise his host role, and the evening will feature performances by Big & Rich, Jason Aldean, Keith Urban, Lady Antebellum, Luke Bryan, Rascal Flatts, Sugarland, Toby Keith and the Incognito Banditos, and Zac Brown Band. Tickets are sold out but check CMT’s Twitter for information on opportunities to win seats. The show airs live on CMT June 8 at 7 pm CT.

Post Holiday Highlights

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Colleen Taylor


>>>Colleen Taylor has joined Big Machine Label Group as Administrative Assistant. A connecticut native and recent Belmont University grad., Taylor interned with the label before gaining this full time position.
“Colleen is an extremely smart & talented young lady who is a great addition to our team,” said BMLG CEO/President Scott Borchetta. “The building fell in love with her while she was an intern and we made sure we didn’t let her get away!” Taylor will report to Harry Lyons, Borchetta’s Executive Assistant. To congratulate her click her email: colleen.taylor@bigmachinemail.com
 

(L-R) Clarence Spalding and Gillie Crowder (SOURCE member/Live Nation) Photo: Denisse Fussell


>>>Spalding Entertainment’s Clarence Spalding shared information about artist management with SOURCE—an organization of women executives in Nashville’s Music Industry on May 24. Spalding roster currently includes Rascal Flatts, Jason Aldean, Sara Evans, Terri Clark, and Ashley Monroe.
 
>>>In preparation for the new exhibition Chet Atkins:  Certified Guitar Player, which opens at the Country Music Hall of Fame and Museum on August 11, 2011, Museum Curatorial Director Mick Buck and VP Museum Services Carolyn Tate met with three of Atkins’ CGPs:  Tommy Emmanuel, John Knowles and Steve Wariner.  CGP – “certified guitar player” – was the honorary degree created by Atkins and bestowed upon only a handful of legatees.

(L-R) Mick Buck, Steve Wariner, John Knowles, Tommy Emmanuel and Carolyn Tate. Photo: Donn Jones


 

Jaron Lowenstein


>>>For Memorial Day Weekend, Jaron Lowenstein (Jaron and The Long Road To Love) asked his fans to post pictures of themselves or family members who are or were in the armed forces so that he could see faces rather than just use the faceless term “men and women of the armed forces.” His Facebook wall exploded into a moving tribute to these soldiers and their families. Also, check out Jaron’s YouTube channel which has a duet with Big Kenny called, “Beautiful Lies.”
 

Artist Visits: Photo Spread

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Zac Brown Band shoot their latest music video for “Knee Deep” in Careyes, Mexico.  Zac and family (wife Shelly and their four daughters) stayed the weekend to enjoy the local cuisine, drinks and sunshine.

Zac Brown chilling in the pool at a resort in Careyes, Mexico. Photo: Amanda Edwards/PictureGroup

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Brad Paisley was a special guest recently on ABC’s Good Morning America in support of his newly released album This Is Country Music. After an interview with GMA co-anchor Robin Roberts, Paisley along with supergroup Alabama, performed their No. 1 Billboard hit, “Old Alabama.” Co-written by Paisley, Chris DuBois, Dave Turnbull, and Randy Owen, this marks Paisley’s 19th No. 1.

(L-R): Brianna Golodryga, GMA Weekend Anchor; Jeff Cook, Alabama; Robin Roberts, GMA co-anchor; Paisley, George Stephanopoulos, GMA co-anchor; Randy Owen, Alabama; Lara Spencer, GMA lifestyle anchor; Teddy Gentry, Alabama. Photo: Ben Enos

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Columbia Nashville artist Bradley Gaskin performed his debut single “Mr. Bartender” on a recent visit to the Crook & Chase Show.

(L-R): Lorianne Crook; Gaskin and Charlie Chase.


 


 
 

CMA Awards Live On ABC Nov. 9

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The Country Music Association and ABC Television Network have announced that The 45th Annual CMA Awards will air live Wednesday, Nov. 9 (8:00-11:00 PM/EST) on ABC from the Bridgestone Arena in Nashville, Tenn.
“The CMA Awards recognizes the best in the format – that’s what makes this ‘Country Music’s Biggest Night’,” says CMA CEO Steve Moore. “The CMA Awards is one of the most highly anticipated events for our industry each year. It’s a night to honor our finest performers, songwriters, record producers, musicians, and music video directors.”
The CMA Awards nominees and winners are determined by the 6,000 industry professional members of CMA. The eligibility period for the 2011 CMA Awards is July 1, 2010 to June 30, 2011. All voting for The 45th Annual CMA Awards will be conducted online. The first ballot and instructions will be e-mailed June 27 to CMA members in good standing who are eligible to vote. Voting for the first ballot closes at 5 PM/CT, July 13. The second ballot will be e-mailed to CMA members Aug. 9. Voting for the second ballot closes at 5 PM/CT, Aug. 23. The final nominees in each of the 12 categories will be announced in early September. The third and final ballot will be e-mailed to CMA members Oct. 14. Voting for the CMA Awards final ballot ends at 5 PM/CT, Nov. 1.
The 2010 CMA Awards was the No. 1 entertainment show for the week among the key advertising sales demographic Adults 18-49. The special beat its nearest competition by 5.7 million viewers and by 74 percent in Adults 18-49, according to Nielsen. Held during November Sweeps (Nov. 10), The 44th Annual CMA Awards on ABC dominated the night winning all six of its half-hours. With a primetime sweep, ABC finished No. 1 on Wednesday in viewers across all key demos including Adult, Men, and Women (18-34/18-49/25-54), as well as finishing as the top broadcaster with Teens (12-17) and Kids (2-11). In Total Viewers (17.2 million) and Adults 18-49 (4.7/13) it was ABC’s strongest Wednesday in 12 months with an estimated 33.8 million viewers watching at least some portion of the three-hour gala.

Benefits: Morgan, Atkins, Bowen

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Craig Morgan


Craig Morgan is set to host his 5th annual Charity Ride and Concert August ­­6 and 7 in his hometown of Dickson, Tenn., near Nashville. Proceeds from the two-day event will benefit Billy’s Place, a home for temporarily displaced children in Dickson. The family-friendly gathering features a celebrity dirtbike ride, a morning motocross exhibition, and a group trail ride and lunch. New for 2011 is the addition of a celebrity skeet shoot Aug. 7 in the morning. Later that day, Morgan and several of his country music friends will take to the stage for an intimate acoustic concert. Celebrity participants for all three events will be announced at a later date. All events are open to the public. Tickets can be purchased individually or for all three events by visiting www.craigmorgan.com.

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Rodney Atkins will headline Music City Gives Back with a Josh Thompson, Thompson Square and others on Tuesday, June 7 in downtown Nashville.  The concert will increase awareness, take donations of needed items, and raise funds for the American Red Cross Relief Fund aiding tornado victims through the Nashville CVB foundation, Music City, Inc. The concert is open to the public and will be held between 2nd and 4th Ave. beginning at 7 pm. The public can make donations at the event or by visiting www.redcross.org.
 

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Texas favorite Wade Bowen raised over $127,500 for Postpartum Support International (PSI) in his 13th annual Wade Bowen Classic celebrity concert and golf tournament in Waco, TX on May 15 and 16. The two-day event saw a record turnout and raised more money than any prior year. Over the last three years, the Bowen Classic has raised approximately $350,000  for PSI. Bowen, with the help of friends Cody Canada & The Departed, Randy Rogers, Casey Donahew Band, Stoney LaRue, Kyle Park, Roger Creager, Ryan Beaver, Walt Wilkins, Ben Danaher, Willy Braun, Micky Braun, Gary Braun, No Justice, Josh Grider, Rich O’Toole and Angaleena Presley played to a crowd of over 2000 at Hog Creek Ice House in Waco, TX.  The following day 193 golfers joined him at Cottonwood Creek Golf Course for a round of golf and dinner to cap off the record-breaking event.
 
 
 
 

Artist Action (5/31/11)

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(L-R): Jimmie Johnson, Montana, Kyle Petty. Photo: Harold Hinson


Mercury’s Randy Montana recently performed at NASCAR driver Jimmie Johnson’s Jimmie Jam in Charlotte, NC. Following his performance, Montana was joined by Johnson and racing vet Kyle Petty for a “Storytellers”-type session onstage. The private fundraising event benefitted the Jimmie Johnson Foundation, which aids American children, families and communities in need.
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Congrats to Whisperin’ Bill Anderson and family, who are celebrating the arrival of his eighth grandchild, Amy Sophia Anderson. “Sophie” is the daughter of Anderson’s son Jamey and daughter-in-law Beth, who adopted her from China. She joins her siblings Gabe, Blake and Hallie. “I was able to see Sophie for the first time a couple weeks ago on my home computer screen, via Skype, all the way from China,” says Anderson.  “It was such an awesome moment!”
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17 Music Entertainment artist Matt Gary has been invited to perform the national anthem at the NASCAR STP 400 Sunday, June 5. The performance will be televised live at 1 pm CT from the Kansas Speedway in Kansas City. The occasion will be Gary’s first live performance of the national anthem. Gary is currently out visiting radio stations in support of his single “I’m Just Sayin’.”
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The Roys recently joined Ray Stevens, Danny Gokey, Michael English, Gary Chapman, Karen Peck & New River and others to raise money for the Somebody Cares For The Southeast cause. The event generated financial aid for flood and tornado victims of recent storms, with 100 percent of the proceeds going to those in need. The telethon originally aired May 22 on FamilyNet but will repeat on American Life Network and FamilyNet numerous times throughout the summer.

The Roys perform at the Somebody Cares For The Southeast telethon.

Amazon's Gaga Loss Leader Losses

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Fans and music industry observers were taken aback last week by Amazon.com’s offering of the new Lady Gaga album for a mere 99¢. On Monday (5/23), the stultifying crowd of traffic severely compromised the Amazon servers. So to prove it could, “ramp up” to meet any demand, the online retail giant offered the mega-sale again on Thursday. According to various reports including Billboard.biz and Inquisitr.com, Amazon sold approximately 440,000 Gaga units mostly all of which were at the sale priced price point.
According to Billboard, Amazon’s losses from the industry-rattling sale totaled about $3.2 million. For inquisitive readers, the math is spelled out below, but as important as the losses incurred are the benefits. Did Amazon benefit?
Unlike the popular economics joke—lose a little on each sale and make it up in volume—perhaps there were some pluses to be added to the Amazon ledger. The idea of a “loss leader” is nothing new for retailers. Increased traffic often means additional purchases besides the sale item. Also Amazon has its new Cloud Player service to promote. Buying a digital album increased the free storage substantially, so the Gaga consumers were also lured to become part of  the Music Beta. With added cloud competition arriving already from Google and expected to arrive soon from Apple, Amazon leaders may have felt this loss was a fair exchange for customer acquisition and awareness of its new service. And speaking of Apple, Amazon would like nothing more than to steal a few large bites from the Cupertino company’s iTunes market share.
The Math (unofficial): Interscope/Universal collects $8.39 per unit from retailers. Amazon sold the product for 99¢, leaving a loss of $7.40 per unit. Sales of 440,000 X $7.40 per unit equals a loss of $3.256 million. This number can be trimmed a bit to account for full price units and deluxe version sales. Billboard projects the album will sell overall, 1.15 million units. (iTunes reportedly shifted an estimated 200k units at full price.)
 

Reba And Blake Raise $500,000 For Tornado Victims

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Reba and Blake Shelton raised $500,000 for victims of recent tornadoes in Atoka County, OK during two sold-out Tornado Relief Concerts in Durant on May 25 and 26. Susie McEntire-Eaton and Kelly Clarkson made a surprise guest appearance at the May 26 relief show.
The artists entertained for over two hours each night, opening with a duet of “Oklahoma Swing.” They took turns belting out hits and showcased their current singles “When Love Gets a Hold of You” (Reba) and “Honey Bee” (Blake Shelton). According to reports, Reba and Shelton sent their audience home with a sense of optimism after an encore performance.
Initially, news of the disaster prompted the stars to reach out with one fundraising event, but when it sold out in less than two hours, a second show was added. Both Shelton and Reba are Oklahoma natives and hail from towns neighboring the devastated areas.
All proceeds from both shows, as well as donations from The Choctaw Nation of Oklahoma and fans, will go towards Atoka County’s ongoing relief efforts through the Tushka Disaster Relief Fund.
In addition to the proceeds already raised, a special mobile fundraising campaign has been set up with The mGive Foundation. Fans can text “OKGIVE” to 27722 to make a one-time $10 donation.
For more information, visit www.reba.com, www.blakeshelton.com, and www.mgive.com.

Catalog Cast Picks A Song For Scotty McCreery

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America got to hear newly crowned American Idol Scotty McCreery’s first single “I Love You This Big” on Wednesday (5/25), but he also recorded another song that has yet to be be released. Written by veteran hitmakers Tim Nichols and Jonathan Singleton, the song is “Out Of Summertime” and its journey to meet Scotty was an unusual one.
Not all great songs go straight from the writing room to the recording studio and into consumers’ hands. Many hang around in a publishing company’s catalog for longer, waiting to find a proper home.
Enter the BMI Catalog Cast, a Belmont University internship overseen by BMI’s Beth Mason Laird and Leslie Roberts. Ten Belmont juniors and seniors are chosen for the unique program that allows them firsthand experience with the publishing world, label A&R, and the song pitching process.

BMI's Beth Laird. Photo: Eric England


The students gather unrecorded songs from local publishers and discuss their merits during Wednesday night sessions. Laird and Roberts also invite a variety of guest speakers such as Rhett Akins, Mark Wright, Kent Marcus and Kella Stephenson to introduce students to the many sides of the business.
“Students also get to ask questions about how you find great songs, what makes great songs, and how you pitch them,” explains Laird. “They’re picking out songs they love and gaining knowledge.”
At the end of the semester, a compilation CD of the students’ favorite songs is created and they go out and make pitches to labels and producers. The Nichols/Singleton song “Out Of Summertime” landed on the most recent disc, and had been a student favorite from the beginning.
“There was immediate reaction,” says Laird. “All the students loved it. It’s actually the first song on the disc and the one they all unanimously voted on.”
So when 19 Entertainment’s Iain Pirie approached Laird about material for Idol hopefuls Scotty and Lauren, “Out of Summertime” was top of mind.
“I was trying to think of a great traditional country song for a 17-year-old, which is harder than you might think because you can’t talk about drinking and a lot of other things they talk about in traditional country songs,” laughs Laird. “I thought ‘Out of Summertime’ was perfect. I emailed it to Iain and he loved it.”
Only a few days before the Idol finale, Scotty was in the studio with producer Mark Bright cutting the single “I Love You This Big” and “Out Of Summertime,” and many believed that “Out Of…” was destined to be the one Scotty would perform on the show. It’s now unofficially rumored to be the followup single.
“Great songs that sit in catalogs do find their way,” says Laird. “We’re all so excited. This song has been on hold for a lot of people but for whatever reason hasn’t found the right artist yet. Hopefully that will be Scotty.”
Although the song has yet to climb the charts, the BMI/Belmont Catalog Cast is already a hit.