Luna Chica Starts 2011 With Momentum

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Luna Chica Records International is looking ahead with new signings, a new international division, and multi-channel digital success. The label’s internet-driven business model launched in May 2010 and signaled what GM/Dir. of A&R Brenda Cline calls a “re-birth.”
“We are very proud of the level of talent that we have delivered to radio and the extremely positive feedback we are receiving,” she comments.
Joining the Luna Chica roster are the diverse talents of Don and Steve White, the Red Dirt Rangers, Christi Bauerlee, Tarryn Smith, and Marty Grebb. They join existing Luna Chica artists Jesse and Noah Bellamy, Tommy Job, Burrito Deluxe and Ty Crook.
Red Dirt Rangers ended up at No. 1 on the AirPlay Direct’s Top 50 Americana/AAA Albums chart for December 2010 and at No. 2 for January 2011 with Ranger Motel. Digital releases of Jesse and Noah’s “I Want Texas For Christmas” and Grebb’s “The Very Best Christmas” both garnered significant download attention from radio stations worldwide. Grebb’s album, High Steppin’, charted at No. 2 on the AirPlay Direct’s Top 50 Blues Albums chart in January.

Jesse and Noah Bellamy


Luna Chica also announced the launch of its international division, with European radio CMR Nashville owner Lee Williams directing. International artists are expected to be announced soon.

Benefit News: Tiger Jam and Chords of Hope

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>>Keith Urban and John Mayer will perform together Sat., April 30 to benefit the Tiger Woods Foundation. The two Grammy winners will plug in their guitars at the Mandalay Bay Events Center in Las Vegas for an exclusive VIP concert event.
“I’m thrilled these two talented musicians are joining us for Tiger Jam,” event host Tiger Woods said. “We have had so much success with this event over the last 13 years, raising more than $12 million for programs of my Foundation, and we are excited to continue that tradition.”
Evening highlights will include top-notch epicurean fare plus exclusive live and silent auctions featuring one-of-a-kind luxury items. Following the dinner and auctions, the celebration will move to the Mandalay Bay Events Center stage, where Woods will welcome Urban and Mayer. Concert tickets go on sale Feb. 12 at all Ticketmaster locations and Mandalay Bay at (877) 632-7400.
>>In honor of Multiple Sclerosis (MS) Awareness Month, multi-platinum recording artist Clay Walker and friends will gather at the famed Wildhorse Saloon in Nashville on March 2 to present Chords of Hope, a benefit concert aimed at raising money and awareness for MS which currently affects over 400,000 Americans. All proceeds from the second annual Chords of Hope will benefit MS research taking place at Vanderbilt University Medical Center. MS is a cause is very close to Clay’s heart, as he has been living with the disease for nearly 15 years. Tickets to Chords of Hope are available at the Wildhorse Saloon or by calling (615) 902-8211. Guest artists will be announced in the coming weeks.

Weekly Chart Report (2/04/11)

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Davis Music Group's Jacob Lyda performed his new single, "I'm Doing Alright," for the staff at WDRM in Huntsville, AL. (L-R): WDRM's AJ McCloud, Lyda and WDRM's Jim Tice.


SPIN ZONE
It’s Blake Shelton’s world right now, but thankfully he lets us stay here and read his Twitter feed. This week he’s on top of the CountryBreakout chart with “Who Are You When I’m Not Looking,” which surges ahead of Luke Bryan’s “Someone Else Calling You Baby” with a gain of 111 spins.
Positions 3-11 are all showing positive movement, with Taylor Swift’s No. 3 “Back To December” looking like a soon-to-be No. 1 contender. A few paces back, Billy Currington’s “Let Me Down Easy” (No. 7), Jason Aldean and Kelly Clarkson’s “Don’t You Wanna Stay” (No. 8), Darius Rucker’s “This” (No. 10) and Thompson Square’s “Are You Gonna Kiss Me Or Not” (No. 11) all score triple digit spin gains.

Back Porch Productions hosted Craig Morgan, Luke Bryan, Chuck Wicks, Lee Brice, Thompson Square at the K92FM All Star Acoustic Jam with host Kix Brooks at the Hard Rock Live in Orlando, Florida on January 16. (L-R): Back Porch Productions Founder/CEO Carly Horvat; Wicks; and Back Porch staffers Ashley Roeder and Lauren Denig.


This chart also has the exciting and triumphant debut of Ronnie Dunn’s first solo single, “Bleed Red.” Programmers jumped all over the song and it easily snapped up our highest debut at No. 46. Keith Urban’s latest, “Without You,” also had a huge debut, landing at No. 65 with no prior reports.
It’s tough out there with numerous superstar singles blasting up the chart, but a few independent artists are making some noise. Burns & Poe’s “How Long Is Long Enough” is still gaining spins at No. 28, for starters. And at No. 35, Eric Lee Beddingfield’s“The Gospel According To Jones” continues to move upward. Katie Armiger’s “Best Song Ever” is just a hair behind at No. 36, and the Bellamy Brothers are now at No. 40 with “Back In The Day.”
RADIO NEWS
Bold Gold Media’s WDNB Thunder-102/Liberty, NY held its 5th Annual Thunder Blood Bowl at Monticello Casino & Raceway on Wednesday, January 26th. The event is one of the largest blood drives in New York’s Sullivan County, and this year 78 units of blood were donated for the local blood bank. “Our ‘ThunderHeads’ never cease to amaze me in their capacity to give,” comments Market Manager/GM/morning co-host Paul Ciliberto. “We even had eight first time donors during this drive.”







Upcoming Singles
February 7
Joanna Smith/Georgia Mud/Columbia
David Nail/Let It Rain/MCA
Keith Urban/Without You/Capitol
Colt Ford/Country Thang/Average Joes
Doobie Brothers/World Gone Crazy/HOR/CO5
February 14
Ronnie Dunn/Bleed Red/Arista
Bridgette Tatum/Hillbilly Rockstar/Root 49/Quarterback
• • • •  •
New On The Chart—Debuting This Week
Artist/song/label — chart pos.
Ronnie Dunn/Bleed Red/ Sony — 45
Keith Urban/Without You/Capitol — 64
Jamey Johnson/Heartache/Mercury — 76
Matthew Huff/As TIme Goes By/MGH Records — 77
Aaron Lewis/Country Boy/Stroudavarious — 79
Greatest Spin Increase
Artist/song/label — spin+
Ronnie Dunn/Bleed Red/Sony — 627
Keith Urban/Without You/Capitol — 368
Miranda Lambert/Heart Like Mine/Columbia — 331
Zac Brown Band/Colder Weather/Bigger Picture — 263
Reba/If I Were A Boy/Starstruck/Valory — 247
On Deck—Soon To Be Charting
Artist/song/label — spins
Sean Patrick McGraw/My So Called Life/Little Engine Records — 184
Lathan Moore/Love In Your Life/Blue Steel Records — 179
Emma King & The Heartsets/I’m Not Forgotten/PLC — 168
The Grascals/I Am Strong/BlueGrascal — 157
Scott Lindsey/Miss Lead Me On/Gray Trailer — 147
Most Added
Artist/song/label — New Adds
Ronnie Dunn/Bleed Red/Arista — 45
Keith Urban/Without You/Capitol — 30
David Bradley feat. Rodney Crowell/Hard Time Movin’ On/Gecko — 13
D.J. Miller/Whatever It Takes/Evergreen — 12
Reba/If I Were A Boy/Starstruck/Valory — 10
Carter’s Chord/A Little Less Comfortable/Show Dog-Universal — 10
Aaron Lewis/Country Boy/Stroudavarious — 9

Gloriana with KNCI staffers after a listener event. (L-R): Tom, KNCI afternoon jock Kodiak, Rachel, KNCI PD Byron Kennedy, Cheyenne, KNCI Promo Dir. Matt Viera, and Michael.


Sunny Sweeney played a sold out show at Club Rodeo in San Jose on Jan. 28. (L-R): Republic Nashville Pres. Jimmy Harnen, KRTY GM Nate Deaton, Sweeney, KRTY GSM Tina Ferguson and KRTY Night Jock Indiana Al.

Artist Notes

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Keith Urban on Good Morning America • Sean Patrick McGraw’s Song Kicks Off Super Bowl • Steel Magnolia On David Letterman • Grascals on TV
>>Keith Urban will debut “Without You”, the second single off of his recently released CD Get Closer, with a performance on ABC’s Good Morning America Feb. 17. The song is the follow up to his 24th top 5 hit “Put You In A Song.” Also, Urban will appear on FOX Sunday, Feb. 6 to help kick off Super Bowl XLV as part of the pre-game festivities broadcast live from the Cowboys Stadium in North Texas. Tickets for his recently announced Get Closer 2011 World Tour will go on sale beginning Feb. 11.

Sean Patrick McGraw


•••
>>Westwood One’s Super Bowl game broadcast will kick off live from Cowboys Stadium with a special rendition of Little Engine Records recording artist, Sean Patrick McGraw’s song “Git Yer Cowboy On,” off his April 2  EP release My So Called Life. McGraw customized some of the lyrics to be apropos to this year’s Super Bowl.
•••
>>Big Machine recording act Steel Magnolia will perform “Last Night Again,” on the Late Show with David Letterman on CBS this Monday, Feb. 7. The act, whose self-titled debut album soared to No. 1 on the iTunes Country Albums Chart only 12 hours upon its release, also scored a 2011 Academy of Country Music Award nomination this week for “Top Vocal Duo.” Steel Magnolia will resume tour dates with Blake Shelton on Feb. 18 in Winnie, Texas.
•••
>>The Grascals recently wrapped up an East Coast promotional tour for their new CD, The Grascals & Friends – Country Classics with a Bluegrass Spin. The CD is available exclusively at Cracker Barrel Old Country Store®.

Pictured: A full day at Fox News Channel included performances and interviews on Fox & Friends, Fox News Live and Fox & Friends "After The Show Show." Grascals members Terry Eldredge and Jamie Johnson with host Ashley Dvorkin. (Credit: Jeremy Westby)

Radio Visits

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DJ Miller Earns Billboards Hot Shot Debut • Colt Ford Does His Country Thang • The Dirt Drifters Continue South • Guy Penrod Visits WSM

DJ Miller Earns Billboard’s Hot Shot Debut

Evergreen Records recording artist DJ Miller has been visiting stations on his second radio tour in support of his “Whatever It Takes” from his debut album, scheduled for a May 17 release. Miller earned Billboard’s “Hot Shot Debut” for the week ending Jan. 31. (L-R): Radio promoter Jack Pride, WBCT/Grand Rapids PD Doug Montgomery, Miller, WBCT air personality Bobby Bare.

Colt Ford Does His “Country Thang”

Colt Ford popped into WUBL The Bull’s studio bright and early last Friday (1/28) to be a guest on their morning show “Caffeinated Radio.” They played his new single, “Country Thang,” on air and talked with listeners about his concert that night at Wild Bill’s Atlanta. (L-R): WUBL’s Kristen Gates, Ford and WUBL’s Jason Pullman.

The Dirt Drifters Continue SE

The Dirt Drifters made their way south during their current radio tour visiting WKHX and MD Mike Macho in Atlanta. (L-R): Nick Diamond, Matt Fleener, Warner Music Nashville Pres./CEO John Esposito, Ryan Fleener, Macho, Jeremy Little, and Jeff Middleton.

Guy Penrod Visits WSM

Servant Records’ Guy Penrod visited with WSM morning host Bill Cody earlier this week as a part of a radio promotional tour for his current single, “Pray About Everything,” from his debut country CD, Breathe Deep. Photo: Jim Alderdice

Platinum Parade: Lambert and Swift

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Miranda Lambert’s Platinum Parade • Taylor Swift’s Record-Breaking 2010

Miranda Lambert’s Platinum Parade

Columbia Nashville’s Miranda Lambert surprised the entire staff of Sony Music Nashville when she personally delivered plaques of her Platinum Certified album Revolution while serving her signature drink, Miranda-ritas.

(L-R): James Bledsoe, Mailroom Coord.; Denise Thomas, Facilities Mgr.; Lambert and Jan Baines, Project Mgr. IS&T. Photo: Tanya Welch

Taylor Swift’s Record-Breaking 2010

Big Machine Label Group’s Taylor Swift celebrated another record-breaking year at a party staged Friday, January 28 at Nashville’s Hard Rock Cafe. BMI saluted the chart-topping success of Swift’s self-penned “Mine,” the lead single from her triple platinum album Speak Now. Nielsen SoundScan presented Taylor with a plaque commemorating the historic debut week sales of Speak Now. In its first week of release the album sold more than 1,047,000 copies, marking the best-selling debut week for a female country artist, ever. Swift is Billboard and Nielsen SoundScan’s top-selling artist of 2010 and has sold a total of more than 20 million albums and over 35 million individual song downloads.

(L-R): producer Nathan Chapman, Sony/ATV Music Publishing’s Troy Tomlinson, Taylor Swift, BMI’s Jody Williams, and Big Machine Label Group’s Scott Borchetta. Photo: Jamie Walls


(L-R): Big Machine Pres./CEO Scott Borchetta; Nielsen Ent.'s Eric Weinberg; Taylor Swift; Nielsen Ent.'s Josh Bennett; Big Machine Label Group VP Sales, Mktg. & Interactive Kelly Rich; and Producer Nathan Chapman. Photo: Jamey Walls

Luke Bryan Set For Capitol CRS Luncheon

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Luke Bryan will perform at the Capitol Records Nashville luncheon at CRS 2011. The event is scheduled for Friday, March 4, from noon – 1:50 p.m. in the CMA Performance Hall inside the Nashville Convention Center.
Capitol Records Nashville President/CEO Mike Dungan says, “Luke delivers one of the best live performances in Country music. We are proud and excited to feature him at our luncheon!”
“With No. 1 hits like ‘Do I’ and ‘Rain is a Good Thing,’ and his current Top 5 single, ‘Someone Else Calling You Baby,’ Luke Bryan has proven to be one of the hottest new acts in Country music,” adds CRB Executive Director Bill Mayne. “Country radio recognized Luke’s talent when he broke onto the scene a few years ago, and now we are thrilled to have him perform for us at the Capitol Records Nashville luncheon at CRS 2011.”
CRS 2011 will be held March 2-4, 2011, in downtown Nashville, Tenn.

Dallas Davidson Celebrates String of Hits

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Songwriter Dallas Davidson had an explosive 2010. He was a co-writer on five singles to hit the top of the charts last year, including “That’s How Country Boys Roll” (Billy Currington), “Gimmie That Girl” (Joe Nichols), “Rain is a Good Thing” (Luke Bryan), “All About Tonight” (Blake Shelton), and “All Over Me” (Josh Turner). All of this success added up to Davidson being named Billboard‘s Country Songwriter of the Year.
To celebrate the serial hitmaker, BMI and EMI Music Publishing co-hosted a dinner on January 27 in Nashville and awarded him a plaque marking the occasion.

Pictured are (back row, l-r): BMI’s Jody Williams and Bradley Collins; EMI Music Publishing’s Laura Wright; BMI’s Mark Mason; wife Sarah Davidson; and BMI’s Leslie Roberts, Perry Howard, and Clay Bradley; (front row, l-r): EMI Music Publishing’s Tom Luteran and Ben Vaughn, Dallas Davidson; and EMI Music Publishing’s Missy Wilson. Photo by Eric England

Today's Famous Facts

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Republic Nashville loses Bartholomew • Voorhis opens bookkeeping firm • CMHoF hosts Norro Wilson and free admission • MCTI Songwriter Show

Chip Voorhis


>>Chip Voorhis has opened Voorhis Consulting, a bookkeeping firm specializing in financial services for music publishers, songwriters, engineers and studios. “As a publisher myself, I was aware of the need on Music Row for a cost effective option for daily financial operations,” says Voorhis. “We take care of all those things that keep creative people from being creative.” Services include accounts payable and receivable, demo and master session bookkeeping, payroll and payroll returns, quarterly returns etc. Voorhis may be reached at 615-977-4727, or [email protected].
>>Republic Nashville Southwest Regional Promotion representative Weslea Bartholomew will be leaving her position on Feb. 22nd. Republic Nashville is now accepting applications to fill that position. Email resumes to [email protected]

Norro Wilson. Photo: CMHOF


>>Nashville Songwriter Hall of Fame member, and acclaimed producer Norro Wilson will appear at the Country Music Hall of Fame and Museum on March 5, as the latest subject of the quarterly programming series Poets and Prophets: Legendary Country Songwriters. The 1:30 p.m. in-depth interview and performance, held in the Museum’s Ford Theater and hosted by Museum Editor Michael Gray, is included with Museum admission and free to Museum members. The program will be streamed live at www.countrymusichalloffame.org. Wilson has written hits, such as “The Most Beautiful Girl,” “A Picture of Me (Without You),” “The Grand Tour” and “Soul Song.” He’s also produced records for John Anderson, Kenny Chesney, Sara Evans, George Jones, Sammy Kershaw, Reba McEntire, Steve Wariner, Tammy Wynette and more… Also at the Musuem, admission is free this Saturday (2/5). Special programs that day will include a Songwriter Session with Kent Blazy and Cory Batten; a Musical Petting Zoo for kids; and a performance by Street Corner Symphony.
>>The 38th annual Music City Tennis Invitational (MCTI) will begin the year’s activities with a songwriter showcase at the Bluebird Cafe on Feb. 10. Featured, award-winning songwriters include Victoria Shaw, Gary Burr, Jim Photoglo and Bob DiPiero. (for reservations call 615-383-1461). The two-day tennis tournament will take place on April 30 and May 1 at Vanderbilt University, where tennis players will compete with recording artists, celebrities, and other music industry insiders. MCTI is the only fundraising event that directly benefits the Center for Child Development at the Monroe Carell Jr. Children’s Hospital at Vanderbilt. The Center helps with a wide variety of developmental concerns, including developmental delay, cognitive impairment and intellectual disabilities (mental retardation), autism, cerebral palsy, ADHD and other behavior problems. For more info visit www.musiccitytennis.com.

Thirty Tigers Celebrates 10th Anniversary

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President and co-founder David Macias


Marketing, management and distribution company Thirty Tigers is celebrating its 10th year in business this March. Co-founded by David Macias and Deb Markland, the company started as a small home-based consultancy, and today is a nine-person outfit with national distribution, and a Grammy-award winning release to its credit. Last year, Thirty Tigers’ sales totaled more than $4.3 million, up from $3.3 million in 2009.
Thirty Tigers plans to mark the occasion with events at SXSW and in Nashville.
The company’s growth was spurred by a 2002 partnership with Sony’s independent distribution and marketing arm, RED, which it recently re-upped through 2015. In 2006, Thirty Tigers added a management division, with a current roster that includes Jason Isbell, Elizabeth Cook, Low, Trampled By Turtles and Those Darlins.
Over the last decade, Thirty Tigers clients have included The Avett Brothers, James McMurtry, Drive-By Truckers, Todd Snider, Caitlin Rose, Beth Nielsen Chapman, Billy Joe Shaver, North Mississippi All Stars, and Kathy Mattea. They also released the 2005 Grammy-winning collection Beautiful Dreamer: The Songs of Stephen Foster, which was co-produced by Macias.
In exchange for about 10% of wholesale retail sales, Thirty Tigers provides project management, publicity services, radio promotion, new media marketing, financial modeling and distribution.
“I’m very proud of our business model,” says Macias. “We’re a great value proposition for our artists. My favorite quote about us was from an interview with Beth Nielsen Chapman about self-releasing artists, and she said that being with us was just like being with a label, only you got a check. I love that.”