Artist Ink

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>> Luke Bryan, reigning ACM Top New Artist, has just sent his third consecutive single to No. 1. The song “Someone Else Calling You Baby,” comes from his Gold album, Doin’ My Thing which also produced No. 1 hits “Do I” and “Rain Is A Good Thing.” Currently the Georgia native is performing on the Rascal Flatts tour, and this summer will join Tim McGraw. Bryan’s next single will be “Spring Break 3…It’s a Shore Thing.”
>>Gretchen Wilson strikes hard with her new single, “I’d Love To Be Your Last.” Written by Rivers Rutherford, the song is monumental. Wilson was in LA earlier this week for the Grammy Awards, an appearance on The Talk and a performance on Leno’s The Tonight Show. She also performed at a special CMA songwriter show at the Nokia Theatre and earned a standing ovation on the new single.
>>Hazel Smith, host of CMT’s Southern Fried Flicks is jumping onto the radio dial. Smith joins the cast of Nashville’s New Country, a syndicated show that can also be heard online. This week she joins hosts Chuck and Steve as they talk to Josh Thompson and hear new music from Ronnie Dunn and Sarah Darling. Tune in here.

JaneDear girls


>>The JaneDear girls, nominated for ACM Top Vocal Duo and Top New Vocal Duo or Group joined with YouTube sensation Keenan Cahill to create a spin-off of The Lonely Island’s single “I’m On A Boat.” Not surprisingly the new title is “We Need Ya Vote!” Click here to watch. Susie Brown and Danelle Leverett our on the road with Jason Aldean and their hit “Wildflower is already Top 15.

Cumulus In Talks To Buy Citadel

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Cumulus Media is in exclusive negotiations to purchase Citadel Broadcasting for about $2.5 billion. The companies released an official statement this afternoon acknowledging the negotiations were taking place.
Under terms of the proposed agreement, Cumulus would pay $37 per share in a combination of cash and Cumulus stock.
Cumulus is the second largest radio broadcaster in the United States based on station count, controlling 347 radio stations in 67 US media markets.
Late last year Cumulus offered $31/share for Citadel but was rejected. More here.

Curious About Qriocity? Sony Debuts Music Service

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Sony launched a new music service in the U.S. today. “Music Unlimited powered by Qriocity” is a cloud-based, digital music service offering about 6 million songs from the catalogs of Universal, Sony, Warner, and EMI Music, as well as numerous indies and publishers.
The service is ad-free and runs on a monthly subscription basis. The Basic plan is $3.99/month and Premium is $9.99.
One thing Qriocity has going for it is that it is designed to work with existing Sony hardware, including certain Bravia TVs, Blu-ray Disc players, PlayStation3, Vaio computers, and portable devices. It is also expected to work with third-party portable devices including the Android platform.
Many of these connections play into the company’s desire to capture in-home listeners, where it says more than 70 percent of consumers listen, but are underserved in terms of digital music.
Qriocity essentially works as a customizable streaming station offering personalized channels. The Premium subscription plan enables users to listen to songs on demand, and create personal playlists. The system tailors stations based on “like or dislike” song ratings, and analyzing the user’s existing music collection. Sony claims, “the more you listen, the more uniquely personalized your music channels become.”
Users can also synchronize their existing music files from other media players including iTunes.
Qriocity was already available in the U.K., Ireland, France, Germany, Italy and Spain. Today it also launched in Australia and New Zealand.

Music Stars Set For Secret TV Taping Today

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According to his Twitter account, Luke Bryan will kick-off today's special TV taping.


Kid Rock, Sheryl Crow, Luke Bryan and Gretchen Wilson are among the stars taping a television special today (2/17) in Nashville, and even though fans are invited, there has been no official announcement about who is organizing the event.
Many of the artists have been spreading the word about the show through their social media sites. Wilson’s Facebook tells fans she will go on about 7 PM. Crow and Bryan have also shared details.
The taping starts at 12:30 PM at Nashville Center Stage (514 8th Ave. S., Nashville, TN 37203), across the street from Cannery Row.
Fans are invited to attend the free event, but space is limited. Guests must be 18 or older and should be dressed in summer clothes.

Artist Action: Gloriana Heads to White House

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Gloriana


>>Gloriana will be part of an all-star line-up at a White House concert on Feb. 24. The event celebrating Black History Month and the legacy of Motown Records will also feature Smokey Robinson, Natasha Bedingfield, Sheryl Crow, Jamie Foxx, and John Legend. “The Motown Sound: In Performance at the White House” will be broadcast on PBS March 1 and on the American Forces Network March 11. Gloriana’s second studio album is set for release later this year, and the first single, “Wanna Take You Home,” will be sent to radio next month.
>>Miranda Lambert‘s Grammy Awards performance of “The House That Built Me” is available exclusively on iTunes. She won her first Grammy (Best Female Country Vocal Performance) for the song.
>>Craig Morgan helped rescue two young children from a burning home in his hometown of Dickson, Tennessee last weekend. The singer is also a former EMT and Assistant Deputy Sherriff. The home suffered relatively minor damage and everyone inside made it to out safely. Hear him talk about it with Big D and Bubba.
>>Randy Montana will perform at this weekend’s Daytona 500 as part of the pre-race festivities. Next, he is headed to New Orleans to headline the 2011 Bassmaster Classic, followed by a Feb. 25 performance of his new single “1,000 Faces” on the local Fox show Tennessee Mornings.
>>Darius Rucker is pictured on a new scratch-off ticket in the New Mexico Lottery. Rucker was also on ABC’s Good Morning America on yesterday (2/16) to perform his current single, “This.”
>>Keith Urban sang “Without You,” the second single from his Get Closer album, this morning (2/17) on ABC’s Good Morning America.
>>Jason Aldean is set to perform his duet “Don’t You Wanna Stay” with Kelly Clarkson on Ellen next Tues., Feb. 22. He will also perform his most recent No. 1 hit “My Kinda Party” on Conan that same night.
>>Zac Brown and his wife Shelly welcomed their fourth daughter, Joni Mason Brown, earlier this month. She joins big sisters Justice, Lucy and Georgia.
>>Lee Brice’s hit “Love Like Crazy” is being featured on televisions in select McDonald’s restaurants as part of the music programming.
>>Gretchen Wilson sang her new single “I’d Love To Be Your Last” on the CBS show The Talk recently. The show had flown in several of Wilson’s fans, including one who received an on-air marriage proposal from her boyfriend. Wilson is also set for The Tonight Show and the CMA Songwriter Series in Los Angeles.

Gretchen Wilson performs on "The Talk" on Valentine's Day with Paul Nelson (L) and Tony Obrohta (R).

The Band Perry Debut Certified Gold

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The Band Perry’s self-titled debut album has been certified Gold by the RIAA for shipments exceeding 500,000 units. Released in October 2010 by Republic Nashville, the album continues to hold steady at No. 7 on the Billboard Country Albums Chart.
The sibling trio’s sales were driven by breakthrough hits “Hip To My Heart” and “If I Die Young.” The band’s third single, “You Lie,” is now its fastest chart-climber to date.
“Having a Gold record is a tremendous accomplishment and to achieve that status in just under four months is even more amazing,” said Nashville Republic Pres. Jimmy Harnen. “This award is yet another wonderful accolade in a spectacular year for The Band Perry.”

New Smartphone Apps Connect Consumers To Artists

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The booming smartphone market is providing new opportunities for fans to connect with artists, and tech-savvy companies are leading the way with cool new apps.
Kenny Chesney has partnered with digital syndicator Qello for the release of his 2009 concert film Kenny Chesney: Summer in 3D. The Chesney App is Qello’s debut product and gives fans with iPhone and Android smartphones interactive access to the film in 2D-HD format, including behind the scenes footage. Qello will also soon release the film and app to the gaming market to have it available on as many devices as possible.
“Kenny Chesney is one of the most popular performers in the world and a perfect partner for the launch of the exciting Qello platform,” says Qello President Bob Frank. “Just as Netflix did for movies, Qello is a first-mover, changing the way music fans will consume live concerts.”
The Qello app, available now, can be found here.
Red Light Management and AT&T have announced a mobile barcode program to allow fans more ways to connect with the company’s artists. Red Light has used this program in campaigns for its artists like Dave Matthews Band, Steel Train and Tim McGraw. Fans are encouraged to use smartphones to scan a barcode on an artist’s promotional materials, which will open up a world of special content including free apps, videos, fan club access and more.
“Our artists are continuously looking for new ways to connect with their fans and get the word out about their latest activities,” said Evan Cooper, Red Light Management. “By using AT&T’s mobile barcode program, we can effectively promote our artists and give fans the opportunity to keep up with their favorite musicians on-the-go.”
Check out the mobile barcode program here.

Sales Chart—Music Biz's Fickle Mistress

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Thompson Square


Highlights:
• Cupid helped Country music sales jump a respectable 25% from last week, but remain down 16.5% YTD
• Thompson Square and Jana Kramer had notable debuts
• Lady Gaga, Lady A and Mumford and Sons got digital download bumps from the Grammys
• • • • •
Valentine’s Day shoppers wooed the music biz with a one-week rendezvous, but the romance is fleeting for SoundScan watchers eyeing the big picture. All-genre album sales are up 17% (6.4 million) over last week, but the YTD tally is down 14.9%.
Cupid helped Country music sales jump a respectable 25% from last week to a total of 814K. But YTD Country album sales are down 16.5%, having sold only 4 million units in 2011. One bright spot is that digital album sales are up 11.3% over 2010.
Real-life country couple Thompson Square (Stoney Creek) felt the love when its first album debuted at No. 3 on the Country charts with 30K, including 16% digital. Jana Kramer may be new to music, but the actress reaped rewards by debuting her song on her show One Tree Hill. It helped make the WB single “I Won’t Give Up” the highest debut on the Country tracks chart, entering at No. 6 with 40K.
Early impact from the Sunday night (2/13) Grammy Awards was digital download icing on the V-day sales cake. Fans love the instant gratification of hearing a song and turning straight to the computer. Lady Gaga debuted “Born This Way” on the Grammy telecast and it ended as the top-selling track of the week with 448K. Leading Grammy winners Lady Antebellum climbed back to the top of the Country digital tracks chart with 59K downloads of “Need You Now” (a 150% bump). Mumford and Sons’ performance helped push the band to the top of the Digital Album charts with 34K.

Mathew Knowles Joins GMA Board

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Mathew Knowles


Mathew Knowles, the founder, President and CEO of Music World Entertainment, has been appointed to the Board of Directors for the Gospel Music Association (GMA).
The working board is comprised of 35 board members who are leaders in the industry. Ed Leonard is President and Chairman of the GMA Board.
Music World Entertainment has had a global impact on music and entertainment for nearly two decades. Among its successful divisions is the Christian music company Music World Gospel.
Knowles’ leadership and management helped make Destiny’s Child a global phenomenon. He is a 1974 graduate of Fisk University and earlier this year was elected to the Nashville college’s Board of Trustees.

Chris Tomlin, TobyMac Lead Dove Nominations

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Chris Tomlin (L) and TobyMac (R)


Nominations for the Dove Awards were revealed this morning in Atlanta, with Chris Tomlin and TobyMac scoring six nods each.
Following closely were Jason Crab who earned five nominations, and Francesca Battistelli with four.
For the first time the awards will be handed out in Atlanta at the Fox Theatre. The awards show will take place on Wednesday, April 20, and will air Easter Sunday, April 24 on the Gospel Music Channel.

Artist of the Year
Francesca Battistelli
Jason Crabb
Ernie Haase & Signature Sound
Natalie Grant
Marvin Sapp
tobyMac
Chris Tomlin
Song of the Year song title; artist; writer; publisher (award to the writer and publisher)
• “All of Creation”; MercyMe; Bart Millard, Robby Shaffer, Jim Bryson, Mike Scheuchzer, Barry Graul; Brown Bannister, Dan Muckala, Simpleville Music/Wet As A Fish Music/Wintergone Music/Banistuci Music (ASCAP)
• “Beautiful, Beautiful”; Francesca Battistelli; Francesca Battistelli, Ian Eskelin, Andrew Fromm; Word Music LLC (ASCAP), Designer Music, Inc./Honest and Popular Songs (SESAC), Universal Music/Z Songs/ Ocean at Night Music (BMI)
• “Get Back Up”; tobyMac; Toby McKeehan, Cary Barlowe, Jamie Moore, Aaron Rice; Achtober Songs (BMI), Emack Music/Rizzle Music/Jamnu Music (ASCAP), Castle Bound Music, Inc./Bummerman Music, Inc. (SESAC)
• “Hold My Heart”; Tenth Avenue North; Mike Donehey, Jason Ingram, Phillip LaRue; Formerly Music/Peertunes Ltd./Sony/ATV Timber Publishing/Windsor Way Music (SESAC)
• “Lead Me”; Sanctus Real; Matt Hammitt, Jason Ingram, Chris Rohman; Birdwing Music/Toledo Tomorrow Music/1012 Rosedale Music (ASCAP), Windsor Hill Music/So Essential Tunes/West Main Music (SESAC)
• “Let The Waters Rise”; MIKESCHAIR; Sam Tinnesz, Mike Grayson, Ben Glover; Screaming Norman Music/WB Music Corp (ASCAP),
Curb Congregation Songs/Strength to Shout Publishing /Wave and Romi Publishing (SESAC)
• “Love Came Calling”; Triumphant Quartet; Wayne Haun, Joel Lindsey; PsalmSinger Music/Bridge Building Music/Hefton Hill Music (BMI)
• “Our God”; Chris Tomlin; Jonas Myrin, Matt Redman, Jesse Reeves, Chris Tomlin; Thankyou Music (PRS), sixsteps Music/worshiptogether.com Songs/Said And Done Music/Vamos Publishing/SHOUT! Publishing (ASCAP)
• “Sometimes I Cry”; Jason Crabb; Gerald Crabb; Christian Taylor Music (BMI)
• “Starry Night”; Chris August; Chris August, Ed Cash; Word Music LLC (ASCAP), Alletrop Music (BMI)
Male Vocalist of the Year
Chris August
Doug Anderson
Jason Crabb
Brandon Heath
Israel Houghton
Marvin Sapp
Chris Tomlin
Female Vocalist of the Year
Audrey Assad
Francesca Battiselli
Natalie Grant
Britt Nicole
Janet Paschal
Kerrie Roberts
Laura Story
Group of the Year
Ernie Haase & Signature Sound
Gaither Vocal Band
Mercy Me
Mikes Chair
Sidewalk Prophets
Tenth Avenue North
New Artist of the Year
Audrey Assad
Chris August
Forever Jones
John Mark McMillan
No Other Name
Kerrie Roberts
Kristian Stanfill
Producer of the Year
Bernie Herms
Ed Cash
Ian Eskelin
Jason Ingram & Rusty Varenkamp
Wayne Haun
See the complete nominations list.