Evans n’ Adkins Visit Airwave Gatekeepers

Sara Evans was in Florida recently for a trip that included a visit with K-Country/WOGK Ocala’s Mr. Bob and Big Red. Sara is on the radio now with her new RCA Nashville single, “A Little Bit Stronger,” written by Luke Laird, Hillary Lindsey and Hillary Scott. The song was produced by Tony Brown. “Everybody’s gone through some sort of heartbreak,” says Evans. “Whether it’s losing someone to death or just breaking up with somebody that you were in love with. The very first line says, ‘woke up late today, and I still feel the sting of the pain,’ and we’ve all been there, where we wake up and for just a second, we forgot, and then all of a sudden we remember, and it just comes flooding back.  So the song just talks about getting stronger, and that’s the attitude that you have to have.”

(L-R) Mr. Bob; Evans; Big Red; and RCA Nashville promo’s Liz Sledge.

Trace Adkins was in Boston recently visiting with WKLB, promoting his new CD Cowboy’s Back In Town and performing with Show Dog-Universal Music label head Toby Keith. Pictured here with WKLB/Boston Music Director Ginny Rogers (L) and Marketing & Promo Director Dawn Santolucito (R) just before taking the stage on Keith’s “American Ride Tour.

Nancy Russell Staffs Up The Co-op

Nancy Russell

Nancy Russell has re-launched her management and entertainment company as the co-op. Initial clients for the co-op include Alan Jackson and Loretta Lynn.

Joining the team are longtime publicist Judy McDonough (judy@co-opmailbox.com), Renee Aly (renee@co-opmailbox.com) and Jaimie Ellis (jaimie@co-opmailbox.com).

The company’s offices are at 1510 16th Ave South, Nashville, TN 37212; the phone number for the co-op is 615-320-0800, the fax number is 615-320-0805.

[updated 1/21] Judy McDonough has since exited the co-op to relaunch her own JEMMedia.

Sandbox Hires Todd Ramey

Todd Ramey

Todd Ramey has joined artist management firm Sandbox Entertainment, where he will work closely with Jason Owen on all projects, including those for flagship artist Shania Twain.

Ramey’s background in artist management includes work with Loretta Lynn, Alan Jackson, SHeDAISY and others. Ramey’s music career started at Universal Music Group in 2001 where he first met and worked with Owen.

“I have been fortunate enough to work with Todd over the years in many different capacities,” said Owen. “He brings a knowledge and energy to this field unlike anyone else. I am looking forward to building castles in the ‘sand’…box.”

“I am so excited to join Jason in this new endeavor,” said Ramey. “Sandbox is primed to be a new heavy hitter in the world of artist management/entertainment. I’m thrilled to be a part of it.”

He can be reached at todd@sandboxmgmt.com or 615-679-9497.

The Science of Retweets And Replies

Toronto based Sysomos, which describes itself as the leading provider of social media monitoring and analytics, powered by patent-pending technology, has released some interesting Twitter research about retweets and replies.

Sysomos examined a sample of 1.2 billion tweets to find out how many of them actually entice a reaction. According to the report, 29% of all tweets produce a reaction in the form of a reply or retweet; 6% were retweets and 23% replies.

Intuitively, 92.4% of all retweets happen within the first hour after being published. Only 1.63% happen in the second hour. As time goes on, a tweet falls further back in the real time conversation making it somewhat less relevant. Replies are similar, 96.9% happen within the first hour.

But what about an original tweet and the number of replies it garners? Of the 23% of tweets that get a first reply, 85% of those only get one reply. 10.7% get a reply to the original reply explained as a conversation 2 levels deep. Only a miniscule 1.53% get a third level response.

So if time is of the essence, then what about reposting your tweet in hopes it will gather more notice. Is that bad form? Sysmos’ Mark Evans describes tweets as “floats in a parade. Once they pass by,” he says “that’s it, you’re not going to see them again. If you turned around to buy some candy floss just as the super-cool float came and went, it’s your tough luck.”

Of course tweets have the option, unlike floats to come by a second or third time. According to Evans, “My take is reposting is completely acceptable as long as it’s not a blatant attempt to sell a product or service. If it’s spreading the word about an event, an interesting newspaper article or a new blog post, there’s nothing wrong with thrusting it into the spotlight again. After all, it’s not like the people who follow you are on Twitter all the time and reading all of your tweets. Sometimes, a good tweet slips through the cracks so it just makes sense to repost it.”

CMA Awards: More Performers, Virtual Radio Remotes

Brad Paisley (L) and Carrie Underwood (R) will host the CMA Awards for the third time. Photo: Bob D'Amico/ABC

Today the CMA announced the second round of performers for the Nov. 10 awards show, and also revealed a cutting-edge upgrade for the surrounding radio remotes.

Brad Paisley, Rascal Flatts, Reba, George Strait, Sugarland, Carrie Underwood, and Keith Urban have been added to the lineup for the 44th Annual CMA Awards. Previously announced performers for “Country Music’s Biggest Night(TM)” include Dierks Bentley, Kenny Chesney, Lady Antebellum, Miranda Lambert, Blake Shelton, and the pairing of Zac Brown Band with Alan Jackson. The awards will air live from the Bridgestone Arena on November 10 at 7 PM/CT on the ABC Television Network.

Premiere Radio Networks and PolycomŽ are partnering to change the way radio stations participate in remote broadcasts. As part of Premiere’s annual radio remote broadcast leading up to “The 44th Annual CMA Awards,” Country radio stations will have the opportunity to utilize Polycom’s cutting-edge video and telepresence solutions to virtually participate in the remote broadcast from Nashville Nov. 7 – 9. This innovative technology will allow stations to interview country stars via live video, thus minimizing on-site staff to a single representative. These “video-link” stations will also have the unique opportunity to immediately post video of the interviews on their station’s Web sites.

Participating video-link stations include: WUBL/Atlanta, WMZQ/Washington, D.C., WSSL/Greenville, S.C., WBCT/Grand Rapids, KTST/Oklahoma City and WYRK/Buffalo.

Photos: James Otto In California, Rhonda Vincent In NY

Pictured L-R: Billy Dean, Deana Carter and James Otto

James Otto performed at the California’s AIDS Walk fundraiser on Sunday, September 26 at Los Angeles’ famed Greek Theatre. He played in a songwriter round with fellow Nashvillians Deana Carter and Billy Dean.

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Craig Campbell and daughter Preslee. Photo: Dale Manning/Idea Den

Craig Campbell made his first music video recently. The video for his single, “Family Man,” was shot in Nashville by Shaun Silva and stars  Campbell’s daughters, Preslee and Kinni. Campbell makes his debut at the Grand Ole Opry on Friday and his first album will be released November 30.
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Mel Tillis, Mickey Rooney and friends.

Last week Mel Tillis traveled to New York City for the first time in 22 years to promote his new comedy album, You Ain’t Gonna Believe This. The Country Music Hall of Fame member  visited Sirius-XM radio, where he ran into Hollywood movie legend and old friend Mickey Rooney, who was in-studio celebrating his 90th birthday.

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Rhonda & The Rage made several appearances in New York City to celebrate the release of Taken, which debuted at No. 2 on the Billboard Bluegrass chart. On the release date, 9/21/2010, they performed in Times Square then made their way to the Empire State Building’s 86th floor for a CD release party with fans and press.

Rhonda Vincent and The Rage atop the Empire State Building.

Tour News From Luke Bryan, Carrie Underwood

Luke Bryan's Farm Tour. Photo by Chris Hollo

Luke Bryan wrapped a four-city concert tour in his home state of Georgia this past Friday (10/1). His “Farm Tour” performed for nearly 16,000 fans in Valdosta, Claxton, Carrollton and Macon, Georgia. Local colleges in all four towns will receive a “Luke Bryan Farm Tour Scholarship,” which will be given to a student from a farming family who is in financial need. The idea for the Farm Tour concerts came from Bryan as a way to give back to local farming communities by celebrating the American farmer and offering a fun escape with the outdoor shows.

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Carrie Underwood's performance at the Hollywood Bowl. Photo: Matt Sperling

Carrie Underwood brought her acclaimed “Play On Tour” to Los Angeles on Saturday (10/2) performing to a sold-out crowd of 17,000 fans at the Hollywood Bowl. For her first concert at the venue, Underwood and her band performed alongside the renowned Hollywood Bowl Orchestra. Among the show highlights was Underwood’s vocal delivery on the hymn “How Great Thou Art,” which drew a long standing ovation. The fans were roaring again when country great Randy Travis made a surprise appearance for their hit duet “I Told You So,” and when rock guitarist Orianthi played on “Last Name.” The concert concluded with an encore of fireworks choreographed to Underwood’s monster hit “Before He Cheats” and lively show-closer “Songs Like This.” Special guests on the bill were Billy Currington and Sons of Sylvia. The tour will play over 100 cities in 2010 before wrapping December 19 in Canada.

Azar Video Offers “Sunshine”

Steve Azar’s latest video “Sunshine” is breaking through hitting No. 8 recently on GAC and CMT countdown shows. The video was shot using hand hand-held cameras at night to give it an intimate and edgy feel. While it was filmed primarily at various locations in downtown Nashville, they were careful not to shoot any of the city’s landmarks so the viewer could feel like it could be anywhere – including their own city.

Azar co-wrote the song with Jason Young. “This is the first song since ‘Waitin’ On Joe’ where I’ve seen such an impact,” says Azar. “So many people are relating to this song and wanting to share their feelings. It means different things to different people — whether it’s a couple in love, a father and daughter, or the best of friends.”

“Sunshine” reached No. 13 on MusicRow’s Country Breakout Chart and can be found on Azar’s latest CD Slide Over Here.

NARM/CMA Produce Entertainment Law Event

Final programming for the Entertainment Law Conference series has been set for Nov. 9 at Nashville’s Hutton Hotel. The half-day continuing legal education course will be part of scheduled events leading up to “The 44th Annual CMA Awards,” which will be held Wed., Nov. 10 (8:00-11:00 PM/ET) at the Bridgestone Arena and broadcast live on the ABC Television Network. the conference is hosted by the CMA and NARM (National Association of Recording Merchandisers).

The program will feature a keynote interview with the Honorable Marybeth Peters. In one of the final public events of her 16-year tenure as United States Register of Copyrights, Peters will discuss some of the remarkable policy changes that she has witnesses and influenced during her 45-year career in the Copyright Office, and her ideas about the future of copyright law.

Also scheduled are three high-level panels that will address the impact of the 2010 elections on music, media and copyright legislation; the challenges and opportunities associated with creators’ right to terminate assignments of copyright; and controversial recent court decisions that affect creators, including the YouTube and Veoh cases.

A cocktail reception to honor Peters will follow the program. The reception will allow registrants to meet one-on-one with not only Peters, but all of the speakers featured throughout the program.

“The Entertainment Law Conference is an exciting opportunity for CMA and NARM to work together to foster education and understanding of copyright law at a critical time for our industry,” said CMA Chief Executive Officer Steve Moore. “CMA is committed to being a resource for our industry by providing opportunities to explore and discuss important issues.”

Registration for the event through October 12 is $149 for NARM and CMA members,  $199 for non-members, and $69 for student. After October 12 registration rates will increase by $50 for members and non-members and $30 for students. You may register at http://musiclaw1109.eventbrite.com/.

Application for accreditation of this course or program in Tennessee is currently pending. Once approved, the course will yield 4 credits.

Blake Shelton Brings Greatest Hits

Reprise is planning the Nov. 9 release of a Blake Shelton greatest hits package. It will be the artist’s third offering this year, following two Six Pak collections built around recent hits “Hillbilly Bone” and “All About Tonight.”

LOADED: The Best of Blake Shelton is his first greatest hits release and includes all seven of his No. 1’s as well as newest single, “Who Are You When I’m Not Looking.”

Three pre-order options are loaded with extras like autographed CDs, exclusive downloads, a concert DVD and apparel. They are priced from $16.99 to $59.99 at blakeshelton.com.

Shelton will be inducted into the Grand Ole Opry later this month and then heads into the CMA Awards where he is nominated for four awards. He already won an ACM and CMT Award in 2010, and is the only male country artist to have two No. 1 singles this year.

Track Listing for LOADED: The Best of Blake Shelton
1. Austin
2. Ol’ Red
3. The Baby
4. Playboys of The Southwestern World
5. Some Beach
6. Goodbye Time
7. Nobody But Me
8. Don’t Make Me
9. The More I Drink
10. Home
11. She Wouldn’t Be Gone
12. Hillbilly Bone (feat. Trace Adkins)
13. Kiss My Country Ass
14. All About Tonight
15. Who Are You When I’m Not Looking