Brooks Benefit Sells Out Nine Dates

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Garth Brooks has sold out a record-breaking nine concerts at Nashville’s Bridgestone Arena in one day, marking the first time that any performer ever sold that number of tickets in the state of Tennessee. Over 140,000 tickets were sold raising an incredible $3.5 million for Nashville flood victims. (Michael Jackson held the previous record of 72,000 in Neyland Stadium in Knoxville, Tennessee.)

Brooks will play nine full concerts in six days when he appears on Dec. 16, 17, 19, 20, 21 and 22.

“A very special thanks to Ben Farrell, country radio, the great people at Ticketmaster and everyone who helped with the onsale…and most of all the people who showed up to get tickets. It’s great to be a part of the healing” said Brooks.

Brooks announced the concert on October 28th alongside Governor Phil Bredesen, Senator Lamar Alexander, Senator Bob Corker, Congressman Jim Cooper, Congressman Marsha Blackburn, Mayor Karl Dean and Ellen Lehman, President of The Community Foundation of Middle Tennessee, with the hope of bringing renewed attention to the needs of the victims of the Tennessee floods.

Tickets were $25.00 (plus a $2.50 user fee and $5.00 service charge) with 100% of the proceeds going to the Community Foundation Tennessee Flood Relief.

Stagecoach Country Music Festival Tickets On Sale

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Tickets for the fifth annual Stagecoach Country Music Festival, to take place Saturday, April 30th and Sunday, May 1st, 2011, are now on sale. For a limited time, general admission passes for the entire weekend are only $99. Reserved seating with exclusive VIP access is also available.

The popular festival, which is held at Empire Polo Field in Indio, California, offers onsite camping and a layaway program for ticket and camping packages.

Performers for the festival include Kenny Chesney, Rascal Flatts, Carrie Underwood, Darius Rucker, Loretta Lynn, Leon Russell, Ricky Skaggs, Mel Tillis, Rodney Crowell, The Punch Brothers, Wanda Jackson, Steel Magnolia and Jack Ingram.  Full lineup, tickets, and other information available here.

Reba’s 34th Album Release Week

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Reba will be promoting the November 9th release of her 34th album, All The Women I Am, with a week of media appearances such as Good Morning America, CMA Awards and the Late Show with David Letterman.

Reba will appear on ABC’s Good Morning America on November 9th at 7:00 am; following this, she will talk with fans backstage at the GMA studios via a live Ustream webcast at 9:00 am CT. Fans can log onto  www.Facebook.com/Reba or www.Ustream.tv/Reba in order to access the webcast and speak with Reba live.

Reba, who has been nominated as the CMA “Female Vocalist of the Year,” will perform on the 44th Annual Country Music Awards, live on ABC from Nashville’s Bridgestone Arena on November 10th.

After taping a performance for ABC’s CMA Country Christmas primetime network special (airing Nov. 29th), Reba will perform on the Late Show With David Letterman on Friday, November 12th on CBS.

UPCOMING REBA TV APPEARANCES:

Tuesday, November 9th
ABC – Good Morning America – 7:00 am (all markets)
GAC – On the Streets – 2:00 pm ET/ 1:00 pm CT (premiere)

Wednesday, November 10th
ABC – 44th Annual Country Music Awards – 8:00 pm ET/ 7:00 pm CT

Friday, November 12th
CBS – Late Show With David Letterman – 11:30 pm ET/ 10:30 pm CT

Saturday, November 13th
CW Network — Crook & Chase — 8:00 pm ET/ 7:00 pm CT
GAC – REBA: The Collection – 11:00 pm ET/ 10:00 pm CT (re-air)

Wednesday, November 17th
ABC – “Better With You” – 8:30 pm ET / 7:30 pm CT

Monday, November 29th
ABC – CMA Country Christmas — 9:30 pm ET/ 7:30 pm

CMT and ABC Are All About the CMA Awards

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CMT is dedicating special coverage leading up to “The 44th Annual CMA Awards,” giving fans an in-depth look at the nominees. CMT Insider host Katie Cook will conduct exclusive interviews with nominees including Miranda Lambert on Saturday, November 6th at 1:30 pm ET/PT. The music network will also air a special Stacked featuring videos from the CMA “Video of the Year” category, airing on Sunday, November 7th at 10:30 am ET/PT. CMT will be on-site for live red carpet coverage from the awards; hosts Katie Cook and Evan Farmer will interview artists, see who’s wearing what and make winner predictions. This will air on Wednesday, November 10th at 7:00 pm ET/PT.

In addition, CMT will air an encore presentation of the ABC special, “In the Spotlight with Robin Roberts.” This special, featuring interviews with Brad Paisley, Kellie Pickler and Carrie Underwood, among others, will air on Saturday, November 13th at 7:00 pm ET/PT.

ABC.com is celebrating the CMA Awards with two original series: “Live From the Red Carpet” and “Artist Countdown.”

On “Live From The Red Carpet,” Jillian Harris (The Bachelorette, Extreme Makeover: Home Edition), Brett Chukerman (“Live From The Red Carpet at the Oscars”) and Radio Disney personality Jake Whetter will interview artists from the red carpet. These interviews will stream live on abc.com on Wednesday, November 10th, from 6:00-8:00 pm ET, directly before the awards broadcast.

“Artist Countdown” will feature six episodes that will offer fans an inside look at the day in the life of multiple CMA nominees. This series will feature Chris Young, Jerrod Niemann, Joey + Rory, Luke Bryan, Little Big Town and Dierks Bentley and will be available on abc.com from Friday, November 5th to Wednesday, November 10th.

“The 44th Annual CMA Awards” will air live from Bridgestone Arena in Nashville on ABC on Wednesday, November 10th, 8:00-11:00 PM/ET. abc.com is available anytime, anywhere on mobile devices at m.abc.com and on the iPad via the popular ABC Player app.

Election Results Spur Changes in Entertainment Law

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On Tuesday, November 9th, NARM (National Association of Recording Merchandisers) and the CMA will hold an Entertainment Law Conference to explore how the recent Congressional changes will impact the way in which Congress addresses entertainment industry issues. An “Election Results” panel, comprised of a bipartisan group of Washington, D.C. veterans representing many music industry stakeholders, will take place at Nashville’s Hutton Hotel.

“It is impossible to overstate the differences between outgoing Judiciary Committee Chairman John Conyers, a Democrat from Detroit who grew up with Motown, and incoming Chairman Lamar Smith of Texas, whose district is the headquarters of Clear Channel,” said Program Chairman Jon Potter of RPG Strategies, who formerly headed the Digital Media Association in Washington, D.C.  “We are fortunate to have high-level panelists who understand the effect of this major change on radio royalty legislation, and how Republican victories will affect net neutrality and arts funding.”

The panelists include BMI Senior Vice President Fred Cannon; RIAA Senior Vice President Mitch Glazier; consultant Victoria Bassetti, who previously worked for senior Democratic Senators and was a senior vice president with EMI; and consultant Elizabeth Frazee, who previously worked with the likely new IP Subcommittee Chairman Bob Goodlatte (R-VA), as well as AOL and Disney.

This is the fourth installment of NARM’s Entertainment Law Conference Series, and the event is part of the official schedule of events leading up to The 44th Annual CMA Awards.

The program has been approved for 3.75 credit hours by the Tennessee Bar Association. This event will feature a keynote interview with Marybeth Peters, the United States Register of Copyrights, and additional high-level panels. Registration is $199 for NARM and CMA members, $249 for non-members and $99 for students and artists. More information is available here.

Jim Lauderdale to Receive SESAC’s Inspiration Award

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Jim Lauderdale will be honored with SESAC’s “Inspiration Award” at their upcoming Nashville  Music Awards, to be held on November 8th at the SESAC Nashville headquarters. This invitation-only event honors the top country and Americana songwriters and publishers.

Two-time Grammy winner Lauderdale, who is being recognized for his timeless, genre-defying music, has penned songs for George Strait, Lee Ann Womack, Vince Gill, the Dixie Chicks and Patty Loveless, among others. He has collaborated with Elvis Costello, Emmylou Harris, Ralph Stanley, and a multitude of artists across the country and Americana spectrum.

The SESAC Nashville Music Awards, which is the only performing rights organization show that honors music in the Americana genre, will also feature a performance from iconic Texas artist Ray Wylie Hubbard and other surprise guests. Over 400 of the industry’s top artists, songwriters, publishers and music executives are expected to attend the event.

Weekly Chart Report (11/05/10)

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Eric Lee Beddingfield (R) recently joined J. Brooks (L) in the studio at KSMA 98.7 Kiss Country Mason City, IA. Beddingfield was in town to play a few shows and open for Colin Raye.

SPIN ZONE
There is movement at the top of the CountryBreakout Chart, as The Band Perry’s “If I Die Young” capitalizes on its 23 week climb by taking the No. 1 spot. Rascal Flatts’ “Why Wait” makes a big jump from No. 6 – 2, picking up 136 new spins in the process. Brad Paisley’s “Anything Like Me” moves 5 – 3, scooting ahead of Reba’s “Turn On The Radio” which holds at No. 4.

It’s still tough going for artists trying to reach the Top 20. Unless, of course, your name is Kenny Chesney. His latest “Somewhere With You” has the biggest spin gain of the week (565) and jumps 11 spots to No. 28 a few days ahead of its official add date. For others, it’s a slow grind. Chris Young’s “Voices” adds 120 spins, moving to 25 – 23 after 15 weeks. Similarly, Cody McCarver’s “I’m America” adds spins and moves up one spot to No. 27 after 21 weeks. Some older titles appear to be on the way out, so coming weeks should provide room for singles to grow.

After a slow beginning, Gwyneth Paltrow’s movie theme “Country Strong” suddenly has legs. It debuted at No. 79 in the previous chart, and makes an impressive leap to No. 66 this week. Also speedily moving upward is Josh Turner’s take on the Don Williams hit “I Wouldn’t Be A Man,” which moves to 78 – 62.

Frozen Playlists: KNCQ, KYEZ, KYYK, WAKG



Upcoming Singles
November 8
Blake Wise/I’ve Got This Feeling/Broken Bow
Kenny Chesney/Somewhere With You/BNA
Easton Corbin/I Can’t Love You Back/Mercury

November 15
Kelly Parkes/Nothing/Edge Records/Lofton Creek
Lathan Moore/Love In Your Life/Blue Steel

•  •  •  •  •

New On The Chart—Debuting This Week
Artist/song/label — chart pos.
The Dirt Drifters/Something Better/WMN — 74
Chris Filer/John Deere, John 3:16/Lofton Creek — 78
Lee Brice/Beautiful Every Time/Curb — 79
Braden Gray/A Little Less Lonely/ATP Records — 80

Greatest Spin Increase
Artist/song/label — spin+
Kenny Chesney/Somewhere With You/BNA — 565
Toby Keith/Bullets In The Gun/Show Dog – Universal — 230
Tim McGraw/Felt Good On My Lips/Curb — 214
Keith Urban/Put You In A Song/Capitol — 210
Lady Antebellum/Hello World/Capitol — 183

On Deck—Soon To Be Charting
Artist/song/label — spins
Eric Lee Beddingfield/The Gospel According To Jones/Rebel Dawg Music — 207
Uncle Kracker/Good To Be Me/Top Dog/Atlantic — 196
Easton Corbin/I Can’t Love You Back/Mercury — 185
Brantley Gilbert/My Kind of Crazy/Average Joe’s Entertainment — 175
Jason Sturgeon/Rollin’ On/Toolpusher/Spinville/Nine North — 173

Two Week Most Added*
Artist/song/label — New adds
Kenny Chesney/Somewhere With You/BNA — 18
Eric Lee Beddingfield/The Gospel According To Jones/Rebel Dawg Music — 12
Josh Thompson/Won’t Be Lonely Long/Columbia — 10
Little Big Town/Kiss Goodbye/Capitol — 9
Josh Turner/I Wouldn’t Be A Man/MCA — 8
Lee Brice/Beautiful Every Time/Curb — 8

Reprise Records’ Frankie Ballard welcomed industry insiders to his final rehearsal Wednesday evening (11/3) at Soundcheck Nashville before joining Uncle Kracker on a club tour. His energetic set showcased his dazzling guitar hero skills and featured songs such as “Get On Down The Road,” “Sober Me Up,” and his single “Tell Me You Get Lonely.” (L-R): Chris Stacey (Warner Music Nashville Senior VP Promotion), Chad Schultz (Warner Music Nashville National Promotion Director), Bruce Burton (Warner Music Nashville Director Of Brand Management), Frankie Ballard, Keith Kaufman (WSIX Program Director), Ashley Weimer (WSIX Promotions Director) and John Marks (Sirius XM Senior Director, Country Music Programming)

KBEQ/Kansas City celebrated with Trailer Choir at the station’s Halloween Bash 2010. (L-R): Butter (in the dreads); $5 Shug as 5 Shug; Zeke Montana (Toga) from the KBEQ morning show; Colleen Bardone (she went as Crystal), Big Vinny as Super Mario; Crystal (bondage kitty cat); KBEQ’s PD/Mike Kennedy like we’ve never seen him; his wife Nycki as a cowgirl; KBEQ’s MD/TJ McEntire as Snookie; and her husband Matty “the Situation.”

Jury Says Hands Off in EMI Fraud Case

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Guy Hands and David Wormsley

Terra Firma Chairman Guy Hands has lost his multibillion dollar legal suit against lender Citigroup yesterday.  The trial explored Hands’ 2007 purchase of EMI and Hands’ alleged claim that Citigroup’s Chairman of U.K. banking David Wormsley “duped” him into overpaying for EMI. The jury unanimously voted that Citigroup was not liable in the buyout.

The New York Post stated that this verdict could severely impact Hands’ reputation as a “top dealmaker,” and that it could force the buyout firm to lose control of the iconic British label, which had been showing signs of recovery with recent successes such as Katy Perry. Terra Ferma is reportedly “considering its options” and “reserves the right to appeal” the decision, although the company’s investors may balk at putting more money towards legal fees.

Citigroup released a statement, claiming, “We are very pleased that the jury reached a unanimous verdict confirming what we have said from the beginning: that Citi and David Wormsley treated Terra Firma with honesty and integrity in the EMI transaction. The jury’s verdict makes clear that Terra Firma’s irresponsible accusations of fraud were nothing more than a misguided attempt to gain leverage in debt restructuring negotiations.”

Terra Firma acquired EMI in August of 2007 for $6.5 billion.

Terra Firma faces a looming debt deadline on March 31, 2011, and industry insiders are exploring the imminent possibility that Terra Firma could default, which could result in Citigroup selling off EMI’s label and publishing groups. Billboard reports that, at best, Terra Firma hopes for income-generating hits that would provide enough revenue and profits, enabling the company to avert violating the loan covenants with Citigroup.

Live Nation Suffers Concert Decline

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Live Nation Entertainment Chief Executive Michael Rapino

The Associated Press is reporting that Live Nation Entertainment 3rd quarter net income fell to $51.4 million or 30 cents per share compared with $69.2 million/78 cents per share during the same period last year. The disappointing results were blamed upon heavy discounting of summer ticket prices. Live Nation merged with Ticketmaster in Jan. 2010.

AP reports Chief LNE Executive Officer Michael Rapino told analysts on a conference call Thursday the company is “scared of what will happen in November and December if that trend continues.” Live Nation reports that third quarter concert attendance dropped 16% to 16.4 million.

“Clearly the adverse economic environment has negatively impacted our concert business during the 2010 year so far, and has had a similar impact on our ticketing and artist businesses as well,” said Irving Azoff, Executive Chairman of Live Nation Entertainment. “We continue to grow our Artist Nation business with new signings and acquisitions. While our roster of superstar clients and tour schedules for 2011 remains strong, we need some improvement in the overall economic environment in order to optimize profits going forward.”

Country tours may be doing better than other formats perhaps due to more affordable ticket pricing and added value in the form of packaging multiple acts into one show. According to The Tennessean, last October’s International Entertainment Buyers Association conference in Nashville, “was already coping with less-than-good news about the music trade at the time because of lousy ticket sales and canceled shows at virtually every major concert venue in the first half of this year. Without being able to charge higher ticket prices and with corporate sponsorship dollars falling off, some concert venues might have to rethink whether they can afford the big-name acts they’ve been accustomed to booking, some participants said.”

“We know that they want to come, but we’ve got to make it affordable for them,” said Rapino.

Chrysalis Draws Admiring Glances

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Chrysalis Music Group, an independent British music publishing company is beginning to draw admiring glances from a number of interested suitors according to the New York Post. Interested parties named by the publication include BMG Rights Management and Warner Music Group.

Chrysalis has confirmed that it has been discussing “merger opportunities,” but failed to disclose any names. This past year has seen a number of high profile music publishing merger and acquisitions. BMG Rights added Cherry Lane, Stage Three Music and Evergreen Copyrights to its roster. Chrysalis recently acquired S1 Songs America.

According to sources, one stumbling block to a completed deal revolves around Chrysalis Chairman Chris Wright’s desire to maintain management control. Wright owns a 29% stake in Chrysalis.

Publishing company values appear to be undergoing some marketplace fluctuation. According to the Post, “Chrysalis has an estimated value of $200 million, although industry insiders believe that figure is overstated and suggest it might be about half that amount.” Bug Music, now named as a possible Chrysalis merger candidate, was previously involved in acquisition discussions with BMG Rights Management among others, but apparently none of the parties were offering a price in the $250-$300 million range which Bug required.

Chrysalis has a Nashville office headed by Executive VP Dale Bobo.