Sony Music Unlimited Sets Sights On U.S.

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Sony has rallied support among the major labels—Warner Bros., Universal and EMI—to form a streaming music service that the partners hope will challenge Apple’s iTunes (now passed the 10 billion downloads mark) and give their artists an additional platform from which to be heard. Dubbed Music Unlimited Powered by Qriocity (sounds like- curiosity) the service opened last December in the U.K and Ireland and this past weekend (1/22) in France, Germany and Spain. It is expected to open for U.S. consumers first quarter 2011.
Music Unlimited is available on Sony’s Playstation 3 game console, Blu-ray Disc player, Bravia televisions, personal computers, and will be on smartphones using Google Inc.’s Android operating systems. The new online cloud-based offering contains over six million songs and gives its major label partners more control over business model and revenue, without having to interact with additional entities.
Users are required to pay for song access choosing either basic plan for 3.99 euros per month or the premium plan which costs 9.99 euros /month. Unlike iTunes which allows users to enjoy their song files offline, Music Unlimited users must be connected for the files to stream. The Sony site also has no plans to offer free content or ad supported only content. “Free doesn’t make any money,” said Thomas Hesse, head of digital operations and corporate strategy Sony Music Entertainment.
Analysis: The corpses from a number of streaming and download services lie strewn about the digital highway such as LaLa, the original Napster and many more. Others, like Spotify, have been rumored to reach the U.S. but not yet arrived. However, Sony’s size and its installed hardware user base gives Music Unlimited added market clout—the company expects to have about 350 million devices in the marketplace over the next few years. However, it appears that users have to be connected to listen to the songs they have purchased. In the future that should not be a problem as wireless connectivity seeps further into our world’s infrastructure. However, at this time, there are many areas even inside major cities nicknamed “dead zones” where the signal is not robust, and this may slow adoption of a streaming only model.

Song From "Country Strong" Earns Oscar Nod

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This morning’s (1/25) Academy Award nominations included the song “Coming Home,” from the Country Strong soundtrack. Nominated for Best Original Song are songwriters Tom Douglas, Troy Verges, and Hillary Lindsey. Bob DiPiero also has a writing credit on the song, but only three songwriters are allowed to be nominated. (read why)
“Coming Home” was performed by Gwyneth Paltrow for the original motion picture soundtrack and feature film.
Released by RCA Nashville, the Country Strong soundtrack is currently one of the nation’s best-selling albums, perched at No. 2 on Billboard’s Top Country Albums chart last week and at No. 6 on the all-genre Billboard 200.
The 83rd Academy Awards will air Sunday, February 27, on ABC.

Artist News

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Ty Stone


Ty Stone on Kid Rock tour • Billy Currington on Leno • The Band Perry team with Purina • Randy Montana’s free single • Brantley Gilbert new single • Ride/Capstone launch Glen Templeton • Clay Walker plays Pebble Beach • Gatlins on Craig Ferguson • Lorrie Morgan climbs Pink Ladders
>>Atlantic Records newcomer Ty Stone was discovered by future label mate Kid Rock, who has now invited the fellow Detroit native on his upcoming Born Free tour. Stone’s debut country single, “American Style,” off his forthcoming album (executive produced by Kid Rock) is out now. The tour stops Feb. 18 at Nashville’s Bridgestone Arena.
>>Billy Currington will celebrate his tenth Top 10 hit, “Let Me Down Easy,” with a performance on The Tonight Show With Jay Leno this Thurs., Jan. 27. Currington will also join Kenny Chesney’s 2011 Goin’ Coastal’ Tour.
>>The Band Perry and their four dogs are the face of the new Purina® Dog Chow® campaign. The siblings will perform on The Tonight Show with Jay Leno on Jan. 28 and will appear on Ellen on Jan. 31.
>>The iTunes “Single of the Week” is Randy Montana’s “1,000 Faces.” Free download through next Tuesday.

Brantley Gilbert


>>Average Joe’s artist Brantley Gilbert’s has released new single, “Them Boys.” It’s the third single from his sophomore album, Halfway to Heaven. Gilbert also co-wrote Jason Aldean’s current hit, “My Kind of Party.”
>>Ride Records and Nashville-based Capstone Music Group have aligned to launch Glen Templeton. His debut single, “I Could Be the One,” will impact country radio in March. He is signed with Buddy Lee Attractions for booking.
>>In February Clay Walker will return to the 2011 AT&T Pebble Beach National Pro-Am along with professional golfers and celebrities including Ray Romano, George Lopez, Don Cheadle, and Josh Duhamel. This is Walker’s 14th consecutive year playing in the event which has raised over $85 million for charity.
>>Larry Gatlin and the Gatlin Brothers will be on the CBS Late, Late Show with Craig Ferguson Friday, Jan. 28 performing “Black Gold,” the latest single from their new album, Pilgrimage (Curb Records).
>>Lorrie Morgan is featured in the current newsletter of women’s career website, Pink Ladders. She offers career advice to other women and acknowledges the people who have been a part of her success, including legend Tammy Wynette.

Dierks Lets Fans In On Recording Process

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Dierks Bentley will be heading to Asheville, NC next week with producer Jon Randall Stewart and recording engineer Gary Paczosa to record his sixth Capitol Nashville studio album. The entire recording experience from the studio will be viewable online through a live video feed 24 hours a day beginning Jan. 30 on www.dierks.com.
“I’ve been writing and re-writing and tweaking songs for the past four months to get ready for the studio,” says Bentley. “I usually come home from the road and go right into the studio, so I’ve never put this much time into prepping and doing pre-production on songs. I learned from my experience recording Ridge that getting out of Nashville and away from the business side of things can be really inspiring. I’ve got the best musicians in the world, and we’re going to go hunker down for a few weeks and live and breathe this record. I thought it would be cool to let the fans be part of the whole experience, so we’re going to let them watch as it all goes down.”
Bentley plans to release a new single to radio this spring, followed by his upcoming album. Bentley is also planning a complete relaunch of www.dierks.com in March.

Josh Kelley Sets Release Date

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Josh Kelley at WMAD-Madison (l-r) Steph Peters, morning host John, Josh Kelley, morning host Tammy, and MCA Nashville midwest regional Donna Jo Passuntino


>>Josh Kelley’s country debut will be released March 22 on MCA Nashville. The lead single and title track “Georgia Clay” is at radio now. He and brother Charles Kelley wrote the song about their youth, with help from Josh’s producer, Clint Lagerberg. Among other tracks on the album will be “Raining Whiskey” (“It’s hard staying dry when it’s raining whiskey), “Naleigh Moon” about his daughter with actress Katherine Heigl, and “Baby Blue Eyes,” which he co-wrote with Lee Brice.
>>A Thompson Square EP is available exclusively on the Verizon Wireless Media Store and V CAST Music. The three-song release features songs from the duo’s self-titled Stoney Creek Records’ debut, due out Feb. 8. Included are lead single “Are You Gonna Kiss Me Or Not,” “I Got You” and “As Bad As It Gets.”
>>In anticipation of their self-titled debut coming Feb. 1, Warner Bros. Records duo the JaneDear girls (Susie Brown and Danelle Leverett) are offering a sneak peak of full-length songs on their Facebook page.
>>Steve Earle is set to release I’ll Never Get Out Of This World Alive April 26 via New West Records. The 11-track set was produced by T Bone Burnett.

Chesney, Cannon Reach Milestone

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Buddy Cannon and Kenny Chesney


Kenny Chesney and producer Buddy Cannon are celebrating a milestone. Chesney’s latest No. 1 hit “Somewhere With You,” marked the star’s 21st time at the top of the charts, and his 20th charttopper produced by Cannon. Chesney says he knew the song by Shane McAnally and John Harding was very unique the first time he heard it.
Since their first pairing on the 1997 album I Will Stand, the Cannon/Chesney collaboration has resulted in numerous multi-platinum albums. Among Cannon’s co-producers are Chesney and Norro Wilson.
In more news from the East Tennesean, his “No Shoes Radio” is now being distributed on the A.P.E. Radio network. Dubbed A.P.E. for “artist personal experience,” the distribution includes Clear Channel Radio’s “iheartradio” network, made up of hundreds of local radio station websites, the iheartradio mobile app (12 million downloads), and widgets. The Chesney-programmed channel is still available at www.NoShoesRadio.com and iTunes radio.
As Chesney preps his summer tour, 12 dates are on sale and have moved more than 400,000 tickets.

Industry Round-Up

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Dove nominations • Joe Galante new email • NaFF scores sponsorship • Production Music panel • ACM hiring • New Faces Show • Jay McCarthy joins Roxstarz
>>Nominees for the GMA Dove Awards will be announced Wed., Feb. 16 at a press conference at Atlanta’s Fox Theatre. Making the announcement will be Bishop Paul S. Morton, Carlos Whittaker, Francesca Battistelli, Lecrae, Mandisa, Third Day and Sisters. The press conference will be streamed live at Hearitfirst.com and GMCtv.com. A complete list of nominees will be available at www.gospelmusic.org. This is the first time the Dove Awards have taken place outside Nashville in 40 years. The show will be taped live at the Fox Theatre on April 20 and will air on The Gospel Music Channel on Sunday, April 24 at 8:00 p.m. EST.
>>Effective Jan. 31, Joe Galante can be reached at [email protected]. Emails sent to [email protected] will not be forwarded.
>>Nissan North America, based in Franklin, Tennessee, will be the presenting sponsor of the Nashville Film Festival (NaFF) when it takes place April 14-21, 2011 at the Regal Green Hills Cinemas. The festival enters its 42nd year after a five-year stretch of increased attendance, and notable premieres. Films in major competition will be announced in mid-February. Tickets for the festival go on sale to the general public on April 7.
>>The Production Music Association (PMA) will hold a panel discussion in Nashville for the first time on Mon., Feb. 7, at 5:30 PM. Music supervisor Anastasia Brown, attorney Derek Crownover, composer Matthew Perryman Jones and Whizbang’s Jim Scherer will join out-of-town panelists Randy Thornton of Non-Stop Music, and Joe Saba of VideoHelper. The panel “Hot Topics In Production Music, 2011” will cover production music libraries, custom music and song licensing for film and TV. $10 for PMA members; $15 for non-members and guests.
>>Katie O’Halloran has made the leap from KKGO-FM to join the Academy of Country Music publicity team as Assistant, she can be reached at [email protected] or 818-815-4218. She replaces Katie Jo Sheek who has found a new home as Account Executive at MS&L (Manning, Selvage and Lee) in Atlanta; she can be reached at [email protected] or 404-870-6851.
>>Tickets to the CRS 2011 New Faces of Country Music Show® are sold out. Therefore, any CRS registrations sold from this point on will not include a New Faces ticket. As a result, the registration price is being reduced to the $399 Early Bird Rate. The 2011 New Faces are The Band Perry, Lee Brice, Jerrod Niemann, Steel Magnolia and Josh Thompson. CRS will be held March 2-4, 2011, at the Nashville Convention Center.
>>Air charter firm Roxstarz has added former music businessman Jay McCarthy as Director of Marketing and partner. Shawn Pennington and Andrew Fishbone launched the private air charter brokerage firm catering to the music, movie and sports industries last month. McCarthy’s career includes time with Clear Channel, CBS, and Red Light Management. He can be reached at (602) 321-4945 or [email protected].

Role Reversal For Radio Promoters Matthew Hargis, Bobby Young

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Bobby Young (L) and Matthew Hargis (R)


Radio promotion executives Matthew Hargis and Bobby Young have essentially traded posts. Hargis has left his role handling southeast regional promotion for Capitol Records Nashville, and joined Republic Nashville as National Director of Promotion. In turn, Young has exited his post as Republic’s National Promotion Director to fill the vacancy left by Hargis at Capitol. They take office on Feb. 1.
In his new role, Hargis will oversee all aspects of the radio promotion department and radio activities for the Republic Nashville roster, which includes Martina McBride, The Band Perry, Eli Young Band and Sunny Sweeney. “I am honored and thrilled to be joining this stellar team of professionals led by Scott Borchetta and Jimmy Harnen, says Hargis. “The Republic Nashville artist roster is bursting with talent that continues to blaze new trails with fresh, exciting music.”
The move reunites Hargis with former colleague, turned Republic Nashville President Harnen. “As long as I have known and worked with Matthew, he has always been the person who delivered solutions…a ‘go to guy,'” says Harnen. “It’s like having a Sherman tank in your garage. He has a unique way of looking at any situation and providing a fresh approach, not to mention he is one of the nicest human beings you will ever meet.”
Hargis will report directly to Harnen and can be reached at 615-324-7903 or [email protected].
••••
Bobby Young will be based in Nashville and report directly to Capitol’s VP Promotion Shane Allen. He will join the promotion team in working Capitol artists Lady Antebellum, Dierks Bentley, Keith Urban, Darius Rucker, Luke Bryan, Little Big Town and more.

“I am more than thrilled that Bobby has agreed to join our family at Capitol,” said Sr. VP, Promotion, Steve Hodges. “I couldn’t think of a better qualified candidate, anywhere! His vast knowledge of the ever-changing record business and his extensive promotion experience will be a tremendous asset, not only to the promotion department, but to our entire building.”
“I’ve admired the winning work ethic and champion environment at Capitol Records Nashville, and I consider the opportunity to be a member of this team and to work for Steve Hodges and Shane Allen second to none,” said Young.  “It’s a real blessing. I’m looking forward to not only working with Capitol’s great roster of artists, but also to being back in the Southeast working hands on with my friends in radio.”

Luke Bryan Plans New Spring Break EP

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Luke Bryan


Luke Bryan will release his third Spring Break themed EP, Spring Break 3…It’s A Shore Thing, on March 1, 2011. His third annual spring break show is set for March 8 and 9 at Spinnaker’s Beach Club in Panama City, FL.
The EP features four never-before-released songs co-written by Bryan, “If You Ain’t Here To Party,” “Faded Away,” “Love In A College Town,” and the title track “It’s A Shore Thing.” Bryan released his first Spring Break With All My Friends EP in 2009 followed by last year’s Spring Break 2…Hangover Edition.
“Are you kidding me? This is one of my favorite times of the year,” exclaimed Bryan. “I get to let loose, write new songs that are a little out of the box, play on the beach for 2 days and have fun with the fans during one of the best times of their lives!”

Photos: Paisley, the JaneDear girls, Jacob Lyda

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Paisley Joined By GB Packers QB Onstage • the JaneDear girls Go Shopping With A Fan • Newcomer Jacob Lyda Performs A Private Showcase

Brad Paisley appropriately kicked off his H2O Frozen Over Tour in frozen Green Bay, WI last week (Jan. 21). The sold-out crowd was taken to another level of frenzy when Aaron Rodgers (L), starting quarterback for the NFC Champion Green Bay Packers, joined Paisley for a duet on “Still A Guy.” (Photo: Ben Enos)

Before the opening date of the Jason Aldean tour, the JaneDear girls and one lucky winner from KSSN/Little Rock, AR, had a shopping spree at a local mall. Pictured (L-R): KSSN Promotion Director Matt Cruz, Danelle Leverett, KSSN winner Denise Womble, Susie Brown, and WMN Senior VP Promotion Chris Stacey.

Davis Music Group and Nine North Records team members recently gathered for a private listening party at the Hard Rock Cafe featuring DMG’s Jacob Lyda. Among the collection of songs performed was Lyda’s new single, “I’m Doing Alright.” Pictured (L-R): Nine North’s Gregg Stevens, Tom Moran, DMG’s Mike Ulvila, Glenn Noblit, Nine North’s Brooks Quigley, DMG’s Gator Michaels, Winne Davis, Jacob Lyda, Randy Root, Nine North’s Larry Pareigis, Stan Marczewski and Kevin Mason.