Cassandra Tormes Joins Cotton Valley Records

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Cassandra Tormes


Cotton Valley Records (CVR) has hired Cassandra Tormes as Creative Director where she will be responsible for developing and exploiting the Cotton Valley Worldwide Publishing catalogue. In addition to working with songs and songwriters, she will assist CVR’s management and label divisions to raise the company’s profile.
Producers J. Gary Smith and John Smith founded Cotton Valley Music, LLC, in 2010. It is comprised of CVR, CVR Management and Cotton Valley Worldwide Publishing. The roster includes Mark Cooke, rock band Goodbye June, and Steve Holy.
Longtime music publishing exec. Tormes was most recently Creative Director at Cherry Heart Music.
She can be reached at [email protected] or 615-730-9845. The company is located at 713 18th Ave. S., Nashville, TN 37203.

Toby Keith Building Retreat For Pediatric Cancer Patients And Families

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The upcoming Toby Keith & Friends Golf Classic will raise money to build a home away from home for pediatric cancer patients and their families.
Now in its eighth year, the event is set for May 20-21 in Norman, Oklahoma. With a “Denim & Diamonds” theme, it will again feature live and silent auctions, dinner, entertainment and golfing.
Proceeds benefit the Toby Keith Foundation’s efforts to build the OK Kids Korral, which will provide a home for pediatric cancer patients and their families while they receive treatment in Oklahoma City.
“We are doing our best to address issues that arise while a child is in treatment such as weakened immune systems and sensitivity to light,” says Keith of the house. “More than anything, we want it to be a home of inspiration, encouragement and hope.”
Keith’s personal connection to the cause dates to 2003 and the devastating loss of Allison Webb, the young daughter of close friends. In Webb’s memory, the singer helped her family create Ally’s House, which provides financial assistance to families of children with cancer. He extended his efforts last year by turning his foundation’s focus to creating a cost-free, state-of-the-art overnight lodging facility where multiple families can enjoy a relaxing haven as they work to get their little ones healed.

White House Pushing For Radio Performance Royalty

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The Obama Administration is pushing for legislation to ensure artists are paid when their sound recordings are played over the radio. The recommendation came earlier this week as part of a white paper released by White House U.S. Intellectual Property Enforcement Coordinator Victoria Espinel. The 20-page memo was sent to Congress.
This ongoing debate about the performance royalty has been a hot-button issue in the music business in recent years. Radio stations and their trade group the National Association of Broadcasters have been fighting the royalty, arguing that playing the artist’s music is free advertisement for the act, which in turn drives sales. Meanwhile, record labels and artists have been arguing to have the performance royalty instituted, arguing that without music to play, radio stations wouldn’t attract as many listeners.
Another key point in the new white paper, is a recommendation to make illegal streaming a felony offense.

Cody Entertainment Group Opens Nashville Office

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Winchester, VA based Cody Entertainment Group has opened its new Nashville office. The address is 1300 Division St., Ste. 207, Nashville, TN 37203 and the phone number is 615-750-5399.

Cody Entertainment Group has been in business 35 years, providing full production services and staging for fairs, festivals and other events nationwide. The company also acts as the exclusive booking agency for vocal group Ricochet. Company President Phil Smallwood ([email protected]) is the group’s agent.

Impresario Carlton Haney Dies In Carolina

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Bluegrass Hall of Fame member Carlton Haney, once dubbed “The P.T. Barnum of Country Music” died Wednesday afternoon at age 82.
Haney inaugurated the first multi-day bluegrass festival – there are now more than 500 such events annually. He was the publisher of the national periodical Muleskinner News. He ran the New Dominion Barn Dance in 1956-64, booked Bill Monroe & The Blue Grass Boys in 1953-55 and managed Reno & Smiley & The Tennessee Cut-Ups in 1956-65.
He played important roles in the careers of Porter Wagoner, Loretta Lynn, Merle Haggard, Conway Twitty and The Osborne Brothers. He was also a songwriter, television producer, promoter and spoken-word recording artist.
Haney was featured prominently in the 1971 movie Bluegrass: Country Soul, which was reissued on DVD in 2006.
Carlton Haney started the bluegrass-festival movement with a Labor Day weekend event at Fincastle, VA in 1965. He promoted early bluegrass festivals in Berryville, VA; Camp Springs, NC; Gettysburg, PA and Escoheag, RI. He also worked on the landmark 1964 Newport Folk Festival. At his peak, the colorful entrepreneur promoted more than 100 major shows in some 30 cities.
During his time with Reno & Smiley, he wrote songs for the group, including “He Will Forgive You,” “Kneel Down,” “Never Get to Hold You in My Arms Anymore” and the 1961 top-30 novelty hit “Jimmy Caught the Dickens (Pushing Ernest in the Tubb).” He also helped initiate the group’s Top O the Morning TV show on WDBJ in Roanoke, VA.
The International Bluegrass Music Association gave him its Award of Merit in 1990. He was inducted into the Bluegrass Hall of Fame in 1998.
Carleton Haney suffered a stroke on March 3 and died of its complications two weeks later in Greensboro, NC. Funeral arrangements are being handled by Citty Funeral Home at 308 Lindsey Street in Reidsville, NC (www.cittyfh.com).

TJ Martell Gala Lines Up Star Talent

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Rascal Flatts will receive the Tony Martell Lifetime Entertainment Achievement Award


Organizers of the T.J. Martell Foundation 2011 Honors Gala have assembled an all-star list of performers, presenters and honorees for its upcoming event, scheduled for March 28 at the Hutton Hotel. For the night’s biggest honor, Kix Brooks and Dr. Jonathan Gitlin will present the Tony Martell Lifetime Entertainment Achievement Award to Rascal Flatts.
Entertainment for the evening will include performances by rock guitarist Tommy Shaw of Styx, country star Lorrie Morgan, and a capella group Committed, known from NBC’s The Sing-Off.
Several other honors will also be handed out. Judge Randall Wyatt Jr. and famed journalist John Seigenthaler will present the Spirit of Nashville Award to Nashville Mayor Karl Dean.
Gov. Bill Haslam and NFL Commissioner Roger Goodell will present the Lifetime Humanitarian Award to K.S. “Bud” Adams, Tennessee Titans founder, owner, CEO and president.
Dr. Julie Gerberding and actress Dawn Wells will present the Lifetime Medical Achievement Award to Dr. William Schaffner, chairman of the Department of Preventative Medicine at Vanderbilt University.
The invitation-only event begins at 5:30 p.m. with a cocktail reception and a premiere silent auction. The main program begins at 7 p.m. with dinner, the awards presentation, entertainment and a live auction.
Funds raised by the event pay for innovative cancer research at 10 top research hospitals in the United States, including the Frances Williams Preston Laboratories at the Vanderbilt-Ingram Cancer Center. The first two Honors Galas raised a total of $900,000 and this year is shaping up to be even more successful.
Table sponsorships range from $10,000 to $100,000 and individual tickets are available for $500 or $1,000. Ads honoring the honorees may also be purchased in the commemorative journal. For more information, log onto www.HonorsGala.org.

Elektra Nashville Releases John Oates Album

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John Oates, one-half of the award-winning duo Hall & Oates, is releasing Americana album Mississippi Mile April 12 on Elektra Nashville.
Contributors to the twelve-track set include performers/musicians Bekka Bramlett, Sam Bush, Jerry Douglas and co-producer Mike Henderson.
The tracks on Mississippi Mile were recorded in one take, with the exception of only two overdubs.
The project chronicles Oates’ musical inspirations from Curtis Mayfield’s “It’s Allright” to Allen Fraser’s “Dance Hall Girls” and even the Hall & Oates classic “You Make My Dreams Come True.”
He also offers two new self-penned originals to the set. “Deep River” is about the Nashville flood, while also paying homage to Doc Watson’s “Deep River Blues.” The album’s title-track is the other Oates original, kicking-off the album with his reverence for classic American music.
“This album is about honoring the tradition of the song itself,” he explains. “I wanted to go back to the songs that really shaped me when I was growing up. I wouldn’t be the musician that I am today without these songs. It’s a stripped-down effort to showcase what the song was before it ever made it on the record and became a hit. The music you hear on Mississippi Mile is as close to a live album as it gets.”

Industry Ink Wednesday

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The Country Music Association, and special guests Little Big Town, unveiled plans at Belmont University for CMA EDU. (l-r) LBT's Phillip Sweet and Kimberly Schlapman, CMA Senior Coordinator of Partner Programs Sarah McGrady, CMA Vice President of Strategic Partnerships Sheri Warnke, CMA Board Member and LBT member Karen Fairchild, and LBT's Jimi Westbrook.


The Country Music Association and special guests Little Big Town earlier this week unveiled plans for a education-based, national college initiative named CMA EDU. The program is designed to engage undergraduate students with a hands-on opportunity to enhance their marketing and promotion skills.
Belmont University was chosen to host the pilot program for CMA EDU, which currently boasts more than 115 members. As enthusiasm continues to build, the program will expand to other universities.
Sarah McGrady, CMA Senior Coordinator of Partner Programs, spearheads the project. Dan Keen, a former ASCAP VP and instructor in music publishing at Belmont serves as faculty adviser for CMA EDU.
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Carter's Chord


Show Dog-Universal Music recording artists Carter’s Chord have signed with Jennifer Bohler’s Alliance Media for exclusive PR representation. The group just released their new single and music video, “A Little Less Comfortable.”
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The Country Music Hall of Fame® and Museum will unveil the new photographic exhibition, Tootsie’s Orchid Lounge: Thirty-Four Steps and Fifty Years on April 1. The exhibition will run through September 30, 2011, featuring a dozen photographs that capture memorable moments at Tootsie’s, including Jamey Johnson and Mel Tillis performing together; and Kenny Chesney and Steve Miller onstage.
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ASCAP President and Chairman of the Board Paul Williams recently announced the organization’s new board, elected to serve a two-year term commencing April 1, 2011. Among the Nashvillians on the board are songwriter Wayland Holyfield, and publisher Barry Coburn.
Here’s the complete list: songwriter Marilyn Bergman; composer Richard Bellis; composer Bruce Broughton; songwriter Hal David; composer Dan Foliart; songwriter Wayland Holyfield; composer Johnny Mandel; songwriter Valerie Simpson; songwriter Jimmy Webb; and composer Doug Wood; composer Stephen Paulus; Martin Bandier, Sony/ATV; Caroline Beinstock, Bienstock Publishing; Barry Coburn, Ten Ten Music; John L. Eastman, Edwin H. Morris; Roger Faxon, EMI Music; David Johnson, Warner Brothers Music; Dean Kay, Lichelle Music; Leeds Levy, Leeds Music; David Renzer, Universal Music; Irwin Z. Robinson, Cromwell Music; James Kendrick, Schott Music Corporation/European American Music Corporation; and Laurent Hubert, BMG Gold Songs.

Charting A Combined Course: Singles And Album Sales by Artist

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Like a giant cruise ship returning home from the party, the music industry is slow to alter its direction (or perceptions). For decades we have been judging weekly sales based upon album units. But fair-minded industry observers are beginning to feel the impact from digital singles. This effect is becoming more pronounced because while singles improve, album sales have fallen. A few years ago a No. 1 country debut album might expect to easily top 100,0000 units as it marched out of the box and into consumer’s hands. But now expectations are lower. Even 50k units can be enough to earn the No. 1 position on the Current country Top 75 album sales chart.
Country Albums: This week, for example, Sara Evans rules the roost with her Stronger debut posting sales of over 55k units. Jason Aldean is No. 2 with almost 23k units this week.
Country Tracks: Evans’ “A Little Bit Stronger” downloaded over 45k units for a No. 4 showing. Aldean, however, has five tracks showing on the Top 100 country digital chart. Including “Don’t You Wanna Stay,” his duet with Kelly Clarkson (47k units), he shows a total of almost 76k units.
Now let’s compare the retail value of the above examples plus a few more, derived the same way:
Evans
55k albums X $9.99=$550,000
45k singles X $1.29=$58,000
Aldean
23k albums X $9.99=$230,000
76k singles X $1.29=$98,000
Thompson Square
12k albums X $9.99=$120,000
54k singles X $1.29=$70,000
Taylor Swift
16k albums X $9.99=$160,000
63k singles X $1.29=$81,000
Lady Gaga
20k albums (various) X $9.99=$200,000
231k singles X $1.29= $298,000
Yes, album sales mostly outweigh single sales in dollar value, but the gap, which swings widest during debut album weeks (see Evans) is starting to close. This week Lady Gaga proves the point that single sales are gaining on album sales (see above numbers). Moving forward, a combined value chart would be especially prescient in revealing what is truly happening at music sales cash registers. The methodology, considering specially-priced packages and such could be a bit cumbersome, but even if the above basic retail values were used across all units, its value would be undeniable.
Factually Focused
For the week ended 3-13-11 country album sales are down 13.7% YTD. Digital album sales continue to grow however, now totaling 19.8% of total country album sales for 2011. (Last year they were about 15% YTD at this time.)
In addition to Sara Evans’ No. 1 debut, Kenny Rogers released a Cracker Barrel special that took No. 8 honors with over 12.5k units. The other Top 10 players remain the usual suspects. Aaron Lewis, who debuted last week at No. 1, has slipped back to No. 4 on the the chart and his unit sales dropped about 53% to below 18k—not a bad showing considering it is quite normal to fall back 50-63% in the second week.
The remainder of the Top Ten shapes up like this: Jason Aldean (No. 2, 22k+); Lady Antebellum (No. 3, 18k+); Rascal Flatts (No. 5, 16k+); Taylor Swift (No. 6, 16k+); Zac Brown Band (No. 7, 15k+); Thompson Square (No. 9, 12k+); and The Band Perry (No. 10, 9k+).
Upcoming country album releases are still light, no heavyweight product is scheduled through the end of April.

CO5 Teams With Azar's Ride Records

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CO5 Records has teamed with Steve Azar’s Ride Records, handling radio promotion duties for the independent label. The CO5 camp is hitting the ground running, taking on Azar’s new single, “Hard Road.”
This development follows the exit earlier this week of Ride promo staffers David Shaw and Jamice Jennings.
“Hard Road” is the third single from Azar’s Slide on Over Here album. It is the follow-up to his Top 20 hit, “Sunshine,” which also produced a No. 1 video.
Co-written by Azar and James House, the new single is “a song of hope” explains the singer. “We all go through hard times in life, but so often we get through them with the help of others. It’s great to know that when the weight becomes too dang heavy, there’s someone in your life to carry the load for a while.”
Azar’s career has charted hits including “Waitin’ on Joe,” “I Don’t Have to Be Me (Til Monday),” “You’re My Life,” “You Don’t Know a Thing,” “Moo La Moo” and “Sunshine.”
He is headed to St. Augustine, FL later this month to play in the 11th Annual Murray Bros. Caddyshack® Charity Golf Tournament.