ACM Leverages Fan Engagement

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Blake Shelton, Executive Producer of The ACM Awards R.A.C. Clark, Executive Vice President, Specials, Music and Live Events, CBS Entertainment Jack Sussman, President of Dick Clark Productions Orly Adelson, Reba McEntire and Executive Director of ACM Bob Romeo at the 45th Annual Academy Of Country Music Awards Nominations at CBS Early Show Studio Plaza on March 2, 2010 in New York. (Photo by Andrew H. Walker/Getty Images for ACM)

“That’s how you start an award show, son,” bellowed a breathless Charlie Daniels after the 45th Annual Academy of Country Music’s opening number, a high-energy “Traveling Band” mashup which included the fiddler, Miranda Lambert, Carrie Underwood, Brad Paisley and CCR hero/songwriter John Fogerty. The opening number ignited the show like throwing a match on a gassed up summer barbecue.

Live from the MGM Grand in Las Vegas, the CBS event snaked around its first half hour at breakneck pace featuring uptempo-only performances from Blake Shelton/Trace Adkins, Billy Currington, Kenny Chesney and a choreographed song from newcomer Laura Bell Bundy. Bundy, clad in chaps and halter top immediately proved two things—she can flat out dance and owns one of country music’s most fit physiques. Her “Giddy On Up” provided a solid introductory vehicle and Bundy’s confidence shined throughout the performance.

A total of 11 honors and 23 performances filled the three hour proceedings, including the non-competitive Triple Crown honor which went to Carrie Underwood for previously winning Entertainer, Top Female and New Female trophies. Multiple award winners included Lady Antebellum with five (Single—artist and co-producer; Song—artist and composer; Top Vocal Group), Miranda Lambert with three (Female Vocalist, Album, Video) and Carrie Underwood with two (Entertainer, Triple Crown). Underwood became the first female to win the Entertainer honor twice. Special guests included Cher, LL Cool J and Matthew McConaughey. The crowd stood to recognize Cher as she introduced Shelton’s “Hillbilly Bone” duet, which had already been announced as winner of the Vocal Event honor.

It was Reba McEntire’s twelfth time to host and she handled the chore effortlessly, poking fun at artists, presenters and herself with good comedic effect. Her moving performance of “I Keep On Loving You,” featured video cameos of prominent country music husband/wife couples including Alan Jackson, Kix Brooks, Brad Paisley, Tim McGraw and herself.

ACM has done an exceptional job of using new technology to engage fans plus leverage ratings and overall excitement. This year the concept was expanded to include voting via text message and to let fans decide which song Brooks & Dunn would perform live. The Academy leadership was criticized early on by some artists and industry executives for beginning this bold initiative, but the concept is now taking root and becoming widespread across most award shows. Twitter, Facebook and other social networks were flooded with ACM tweets about everything from the saying “We miss country music” written on Rory Feek’s guitar (Top New Vocal Duo winners, Joey & Rory) to comments about the performances and winners. This communication initiative has placed ACM on a solid path that long term should enrich its show, assemble giant fan email databases and perhaps help raise money for the ACM’s charitable causes. Although some may be on solid ground questioning the methodology regarding the timing during the show of fan-voted nominee performances and when voting should be cut off, the wisdom of fan engagement will become more pronounced over time. Overall the 45th ACM Awards performed quite well. According to early reports from Zap2it.com the show peaked with 14 million viewers at 9 p.m. and a 8.2 rating/13 share to give CBS a solid win for the evening, down from last year about 6%, not bad considering that network viewership is falling. Last fall’s Wed. evening CMA Awards, which received its highest numbers since 2005, reached 16.85 million viewers by way of comparison.

As with all live award shows there were hits and misses at the mic plus special and a few not so special moments. Falling on the “not so much” side of the ledger was positioning Darius Rucker to close the show immediately after the presentation of the Entertainer of the Year Award. Rucker was great, but wouldn’t it have made more sense to let Brooks & Dunn close the show? Another unfortunate idea was to use a home video, grainy fuzz filter during Keith Urban’s performance. It was distracting and detracted from his artistry.

However, the good far outweighed the bad. Taylor Swift rode around suspended in a basket, ripped off her dress to “Change” and revealed a black pants outfit underneath and then ended her song falling blindly into an audience mosh pit where she was caught and carried offstage. Brad Paisley toured the crowd while playing guitar, and closed his song “Water” by plunging clothes and all (sans guitar) into a steamy hot tub. Miranda Lambert’s starkly moving “House That Built Me” received a standing ovation. Did we hear a 2011 Song of the Year nominee? Short performances from the new artist category winners, Luke Bryan, Gloriana and Joey & Rory were also well received.

The most important ratings of all for The Nashville community will arrive next week—the sales figures. Wait, can you hear it? It’s the sound of cash registers ringing and mouses clicking….let’s hope its loud, very loud.

Veteran Nashville Broadcaster Norm Ray Passes

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Noted Nashville instrumentalist and veteran radio and television broadcaster Norm Ray died Saturday, April 17, at age 73.
He is perhaps best remembered for the wit and humor he displayed for 20 years on the Ralph Emery Morning Show, WSM’s The Waking Crew and for the 10 years he spent in the house band on TNN’s Nashville Now. For a time, he was also the host of WSMV’s The Saturday Morning Show.

A native of Hamtramck, Michigan, Norm Ray began playing saxophone at age 5. He started his recording career in the Motown studios in Detroit, backing The Supremes, Stevie Wonder, Martha & The Vandellas, Marvin Gaye, The Four Tops and other r&b stars. He moved to Nashville in 1965, joining Orchestra XII, one of the city’s last big bands.

In 1967, he broke into recording-studio work on Music Row by performing on the Elvis Presley soundtrack for Clambake. He subsequently recorded with Chet Atkins, Ray Stevens, Boots Randolph and others. He also played saxophone and flute in Randolph’s nightclub band.

Norm Ray is survived by his children Sherry Rau Carver, Norman Rau and Andrew Rau and numerous grandchildren and great-grandchildren. Funeral arrangements have not been finalized.

Middleworth Moves To Little Champion Music

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Longtime music publishing executive Glenn Middleworth has joined Little Champion Music as Sr. Creative Director. The two-year-old publishing house owned by Martina and John McBride/Blackbird Studios is home to songwriters Rachel Thibodeau and Jason Sever. More signings are expected in coming months.

Middleworth spent a total of ten years at EMI Music Publishing, ending as Sr. Advisor to A&R in January 2010. His publishing career started in 1984 at Jerry Bradley’s Forrest Hills Music. He joined EMI Music in 1994 as Senior Vice President of Creative, before moving to a similar role at Famous Music Nashville in 2002. In 2008 he rejoined EMI Nashville as Senior Advisor to A&R.

He has worked with and signed writers such as Raul Malo and The Mavericks, Joe Diffie, Jim Collins, Mark Alan Springer, Kelly Lovelace, Tia Sillers, Brad Paisley, Hillary Lindsey, Darrell Scott, Steve Bogard, Bob Regan, and Dallas Davidson.

Little Champion Music is located at 2801 Bransford Ave., Nashville, TN 37204. office: 615.515.6610. glenn@littlechampionmusic.com

BMG, Huff, Franklin Open Publishing Company

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Dann Huff, Darrell Franklin

BMG Rights Management has partnered with renowned producer Dann Huff and publisher Darrell Franklin to form BMG Rights Management Nashville. The full-service publishing company launches with a stable of writers including busbee, Jonathan Singleton, and Neil Thrasher.

BMG Rights Management, the international group of music publishing companies which recently purchased Huff’s Crosstown Songs is also in agreement to acquire Cherry Lane Music Publishing.

Huff, long recognized as one of Nashville’s most innovative and successful producers, was recently named Billboard’s Country Producer of the Decade and was the recipient of the 2010 Producer of the Year Award from the Academy of Country Music. Among the many artists he has produced are Rascal Flatts, Keith Urban, Carrie Underwood, Faith Hill, Martina McBride, LeAnn Rimes, Lonestar, Jewel, Julianne Hough, and Steel Magnolia.

Franklin has worked together with Huff since 2000 in connection with Dann’s producing projects and in the operation of the music publishing companies Diver Dann Music and Crosstown Songs Nashville. He is son of renowned pedal steel guitarist Paul Franklin.

“We are excited to be associated with creative individuals of the caliber of Dann Huff and Darrell Franklin,” said BMG’s Chief Operating Officer Laurent Hubert. “We look forward to building a successful Nashville operation by acquiring significant catalogs and signing top songwriters; BMG Nashville will create a publishing environment that fosters and supports their endeavors.”

“The chance for Darrell and me to work with music publishing executives like Hartwig Masuch, Laurent Hubert, and Deirdre O’Hara is a dream come true,” said Huff. “It is an honor to be included as part of a truly international publishing company like BMG which offers our writers the opportunity to expand their success in Nashville and throughout the world.”

BMG Rights Nashville will provide full creative, administrative, marketing and synch support. It will maintain offices at 2737 Larmon Drive, Nashville, Tennessee 37204. Phone: 615.385.2058

Since its founding in late 2008, BMG has established offices in New York and Los Angeles, and affiliated offices in France, Germany, Italy, Spain, the Benelux countries, and Scandinavia. Aside from the high profile acquisition of Crosstown Songs and the agreement to purchase Cherry Lane Music Publishing, BMG Rights Management has within the past year acquired a number of other music publishing catalogs. It has also signed agreements with artists and producers including Leona Lewis, Jim Beanz, and The Crystal Method and now represents the rights to more than 75,000 songs and recordings.

Top ACM Winners-Lady A, Lambert, Underwood

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ACM winner Luke Bryan, Capitol Nashville President & CEO Mike Dungan, Charles Kelley of ACM winning trio Lady Antebellum, Troy Olsen, Hillary Scott & Dave Haywood of Lady Antebellum, Darius Rucker & Walker Hayes. Photo: Rick Diamond

Sony Music Nashville enjoyed a total of eight wins last night, with performances or wins from its stars Miranda Lambert, Brooks & Dunn, Kenny Chesney, Brad Paisley, and Carrie Underwood. Pictured celebrating the evening at a post-awards gathering (l-r): Sony Music Nashville Sr VP Sales & Operations Paul Barnabee, VP Promotion Skip Bishop, and Marketing VP Tom Baldrica; Chesney; Paisley; Phran Galante and husband and Sony Music Nashville Chairman Joe Galante; Underwood; Montgomery Gentry’s Eddie Montgomery; Lambert; Montgomery Gentry’s Troy Gentry; Sony Music Nashville Exec VP A&R Renee Bell; and recently retired Sony Music Nashville Exec VP Butch Waugh. Photo credit: Christie’s Photographic Studios

Last night’s (4/18) Academy of Country Music Awards reaffirmed the talent and star power of big winners Lady Antebellum, Miranda Lambert and Carrie Underwood.

Lady Antebellum took home trophies in three categories, and received two additional awards in the same fields as songwriters and producers. The trio comprised of Hillary Scott, Charles Kelley and Dave Haywood received a total of five trophies. It was their first Top Vocal Group honor, and they also enjoyed wins for Single Record of the Year as artists and producers, and Song of the Year as artists and composers.

Lambert also had a stellar night, winning three awards, including her first for Top Female Vocalist. Her win for Album of the Year (Revolution) made her the first solo female artist to win the honor twice. She also took home Top Video honors for “White Liar.”

Once again, nearly half a million fans voted for the Entertainer of the Year category and named Carrie Underwood winner of the evening’s biggest honor for the second year in a row. She is the first female to win the award twice. Underwood also received the Triple Crown Award, thanks to her past wins for Entertainer, Top Female Vocalist and Top New Female Vocalist. Barbara Mandrell is the ACM’s only other female Triple Crown honoree.

Brad Paisley won Top Male Vocalist for the fourth consecutive time, becoming the only artist to receive three or more consecutive honors in that category.

With this year’s win for Top Vocal Duo, Brooks & Dunn’s ACM tally shot to 27, the most of any artist in Academy history. Due to this achievement, the retiring duo will be honored at ACM Presents: Brooks & Dunn—The Last Rodeo, taping tonight (4/19) in Las Vegas and airing Sunday, May 23, at 8:00 PM ET/PT on CBS.

Blake Shelton scored his first ACM Award for Event Of The Year with friend Trace Adkins for their No. 1 single, “Hillbilly Bone.” Montgomery Gentry was honored with the ACM/ The Home Depot Humanitarian Award. Taylor Swift, who went into the evening with five nominations and a truckload of trophies from other recent awards shows, went home without a win.

Entertainer of the Year Carrie Underwood

Top Female Vocalist of the Year Miranda Lambert

Top Vocal Duo of the Year Brooks & Dunn

Top Male Vocalist of the Year Brad Paisley

Top Vocal Group of the Year Lady Antebellum

Album of the Year [Awarded to Artist(s)/Producer(s)/Record Company(s)]
Revolution – Miranda Lambert (Columbia Nashville)
Produced by: Frank Liddell, Mike Wrucke

Top New Artist
Luke Bryan [Top New Solo Vocalist of the Year]
Joey + Rory [Top New Vocal Duo of the Year ]
Gloriana [Top New Vocal Group of the Year]

Single Record of the Year [Awarded to Artist(s)/Producer(s)/Record Company(s)]
“Need You Now” – Lady Antebellum (Capitol Records Nashville)
Produced by: Lady Antebellum, Paul Worley

Song of the Year [Awarded to Composer(s)/Publisher(s)/Artist(s)]
“Need You Now” – Lady Antebellum Composers:  Dave Haywood, Josh Kear, Charles Kelley, Hillary Scott
Publishers: EMI Foray Music (BMI), Darth Buddha (ASCAP), Dwhaywood Music (BMI), Hillary Dawn Publishing (SESAC), Radiobullets Publishing (BMI), Warner-Tamerlane Publishing Corp. (BMI), Year Of The Dog Music (ASCAP)

Vocal Event of the Year [Awarded to Artist(s)/Producer(s)/Record Company] (Off Camera Award)
“Hillbilly Bone” – Blake Shelton featuring Trace Adkins (Reprise Records / Warner Music Nashville)
Producer: Scott Hendricks

Video of the Year [Awarded to Producer(s)/Director(s)/Artist(s)] (Off Camera Award)
“White Liar” – Miranda Lambert Producer:  Tameron Hedge
; Director: Chris Hicky

Whew! What A Week or Change Creates Opportunity

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Nashville’s music industry has apparently survived what surely registers as a most unprecedented week. Viewed within a slightly wider time frame, the upheaval suggests that we are witnessing a critical moment where pent-up change is exploding through most every industry sector—record labels, publishing, touring, performance rights and industry organizations.

Large corporations move predictably, not quickly. Once a threat to profitability is identified, over time, they begin to act. Sometimes the home office repairs the damage with a scalpel, other times restructuring seems the best way to re-energize performance. Sometimes fiscal redemption can best be accomplished by acquiring competitors or content and growing market share. Over the past few months Nashville’s music community, our friends, family and colleagues have suffered all these strategies.

Labeling Change
When focusing on individual events one can miss the big picture. But when word exploded that Joe Galante was leaving Sony Music Nashville after almost four decades, it was like being splashed with cold water. No doubt the entire industry felt the shock. Galante’s role in the development of Music City is simply impossible to quantify. In his official capacity and behind the scenes he has been both a tireless supporter of country music and a skilled business innovator. Will Galante start a new entrepreneurial type label with funding from one of his many corporate allies and write additional chapters? Is he ready to settle down in the sun? The smart money is betting on more to come, but we’ll wait and see.

In retrospect there have been a number of label related changes. Lyric Street closed its imprint Carolwood before the new label’s first birthday, and then this past week Disney Music Group pulled out its scalpel and decided to essentially close the entire operation. Universal South was folded into Show Dog Nashville to improve performance and cut costs earlier this year. Capitol Nashville, enjoying strong sales and breaking new acts under Mike Dungan’s strong leadership created EMI Nashville to facilitate the launch of new acts. But even while EMI’s Nashville division enjoys record breaking success, its international parent faces uncertainty as owners Terra Firma struggle to repay debt, and avoid possible foreclosure.

Also restructuring is Warner Bros. under the new regime of President/CEO John Esposito. Warner Music Nashville’s newly revised image now includes three imprints—Atlantic Records, Reprise Records and Warner Bros. Nashville, serviced by two promotion teams under the leadership of recently hired Sr. VP Chris Stacey. Here again we see a compact, yet flexible structure designed to fit today’s challenges.

Publishing Change
Publisher turmoil also peaked this past week as EMI Music Exec. VP/GM Gary Overton announced that he would move from song pitcher to catcher, and helm Sony Music. Also announced was the promotion of Ben Vaughn to fill Overton’s vacated position. Several recent catalog acquisitions include ole’s purchase of Blacktop Music and Chrysalis’ capture of S1 Songs.

Also of major impact has been the ongoing reorganization at ASCAP under the new leadership of Tim DuBois. A number of tenured staffers exited from the performing rights organization this week. Change is always difficult, but one assumes that soon there will be new hires announced as well.

Tour De Change
On the touring side, this week also saw the acquisition of Joey Lee’s 360 Artist Agency by William Morris Endeavor. Lee’s client roster included hot property Miranda Lambert who is beginning to enjoy radio, sales and ticketing success.

Non Profiting Change
Also noteworthy, is the musical chairs parade of executive directors at organizations such as Leadership Music, the CMA and the Country Radio Broadcasters. Karen Oertley will move to LM and Bill Mayne was previously announced for CRB, but the lofty CMA position is yet to be filled.

Challenge Fosters Growth
Understanding the motivation behind all the above moves would fill a tome almost as large as the one cataloging all the possible rumors about where, what and how they might shape the future.

Seasoned industry observers however might counsel would-be seers with two-pronged advice—follow the money and understand the relationships and past histories of all the players involved. If you would divine the future pay close attention to the past and present. Riding a train of change is never easy, but it sure beats trying to stand in front of one. Creativity has always been the music industry’s secret weapon.

So take a deep breath, and lets get on with the business of finding the best music, the best songs and doing our best to expose it to the world.

ACM Awards This Sunday

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With artist-driven viral “campaign” videos, multi-platform fan voting, TV tie-ins, exclusive online promotions, and special concerts and events leading up to the big night, country’s biggest stars and the ACM have truly gone all out in promoting the 45th Annual Academy of Country Music Awards, airing live from the MGM Grand Garden Arena in Las Vegas this Sunday (4/18) at 7:00  p.m. CT on the CBS Television Network.

Top New Artist nominees Luke Bryan, Joey + Rory and Gloriana took to the Internet with inspired and hilarious videos, encouraging fans to send votes their way. From Bryan’s star-studded “Don’t Vote for Luke” clips to Gloriana’s Kellie Pickler-hosted pillow fight to Joey + Rory’s whimsical, three-episode campaign (featuring a “sexy” cameo from their bus driver!), the elaborate videos made industry insiders chuckle, but they were aimed directly and effectively at listeners in the fan-voted category. Fan voting also opened up to new platforms, adding texting to the online-voted category and giving fans more ways than ever to participate.

Dedicated daytime TV viewers tuned in to The Price is Right saw country stars Blake Shelton and Bomshell “come on down” to join host Drew Carey, promoting the ACM Awards to millions of TV viewers. Primetime  shows like Celebrity Apprentice and American Idol also got in on the act, featuring Trace Adkins, Bryan and Idol alum Bucky Covington.

Meanwhile in Vegas, live performances in clubs and outdoor venues like Tremont Street Experience (featuring Lady Antebellum and Miranda Lambert) will be generating fan excitement right up until show time.

But all the promotion and anticipation doesn’t obscure the fact that the ACM Awards are all about great country music and great big stars. Today’s (4/16) “final talent announcement” of the addition of Hollywood stars Eddie Cibrian and Josh Duhamel and country superstar Faith Hill as presenters put the final icing on “country music’s party of the year.”

Even when the party’s over, it ain’t over. The following night (4/19), the ACM will present a star-studded concert event, Brooks & Dunn: The Last Rodeo. Today it was announced that, added to an already-impressive lineup will be performers Faith Hill and Tim McGraw and presenters Matthew McConaughey and Miranda Cosgrove.

One thing’s for sure; if the 45th Annual ACM Awards turns out to be anywhere near as exciting as the buildup to the big night has been, it’s sure to be an unforgettable event.

Another Sellout For CMA Songwriters Series

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The CMA Songwriters Series at New York City’s Joe’s Pub continues its winning streak with two sold out performances on Thursday, May 13 (6:30 and 9:00 PM/ET).

Featuring country star/songwriter Jason Michael Carroll (“Alyssa Lies”), the upcoming installment of the CMA Songwriters Series provides an intimate glimpse into the art of songwriting.

Joining Carroll will be Brett James (“Cowboy Casanova,” “Jesus, Take the Wheel,” “When the Sun Goes Down”) and Rivers Rutherford (“Real Good Man,” “Ain’t Nothin’ Bout You”). Series regular Bob DiPiero (“Southern Voice,” “Blue Clear Sky”) will serve as the host for the evening.

Joe’s Pub is located at 425 Lafayette St. in New York City. Official sponsors for the CMA Songwriters Series include American Airlines, ASCAP, BMI, and Great American Country (GAC). American Airlines is the official airline of the CMA Songwriters Series at Joe’s Pub.

DVD Rentals On the Decline

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Hollywood’s home entertainment business has been looking over its shoulder for some time now, warily watching the steady decline of the music business, with falling CD sales, legal and illegal downloading and the shuttering of former retail giants like Tower Records. And while DVD rentals have helped bolster Hollywood’s entertainment mix, first quarter data released Thursday (4/15) from movie industry trade organization Digital Entertainment Group shows the DVD market on a similar downhill trajectory, with DVD rental revenue falling 14% from a year ago. The decline is worrisome, considering the fact that DVD sales and rentals account for about half the profit for a movie.

In 2009, in the midst of the recession, consumers tended to rent DVDs rather than purchase them. DVD rental revenue rose 4% for the year, with sales dropping 13%. The Digital Entertainment Group report linked the first-quarter decline to the closure of brick-and-mortar outlets by leading retailers Blockbuster and Movie Gallery, with DVD mail subscription service Netflix and kiosk vendor Redbox accounting for nearly all the rise in rentals. But the overall drop in numbers indicates that the rapid growth of those newer outlets may be slowing.

Blu-ray and digital remain bright spots. Sales of high-definition Blu-ray discs were up 74% and rentals rose 36%. Digital distribution revenue, which included download-to-own and video-on-demand rentals, grew 27%. However, those factors weren’t enough to compensate for the 8% drop in sales and rentals for the quarter. Looking ahead, the trend shows that the coming year could be even tougher for Hollywood than 2009, when total revenue fell 5%.

“We are still facing a challenging environment but are very pleased to see positive indicators of stabilization in our overall business,” says Warner Home Video President Ron Sanders, who heads Digital Entertainment Group.

Colt Ford Offers “Chicken and Biscuits”


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Average Joes Entertainment artist Colt Ford is planning a month-long celebration in support of his sophomore studio release, Chicken and Biscuits. The album, which features special guests Randy Houser, Joe Nichols, James Otto, Kevin Fowler, Darryl Worley, Josh Gracin, DMC (of Run/DMC), Ira Dean, Ty Stone, and many more, will hit stores on Tuesday, April 20, but CMT and Rhapsody are streaming the album in its entirety here.

Ford will kick-off the celebration with his first album release party at Tucker Plantation in his home state of Georgia on Friday, April 16 with featured guests John Michael Montgomery (who was featured on Ford’s debut 2008 release, Ride Through The Country) and Josh Gracin. On Saturday, April 17, Ford is taking over XM-11 airways from 6:00 p.m.–11:00 p.m CT. On Tuesday, April 20 Ford will host a star-studded Nashville CD release celebration from 6:00-8:00 p.m. at 12th & Porter.

Beginning Tuesday, April 27th fans can watch Ford on GAC’s On The Streets at 12:00 pm, 8:00 p.m. and 12:00 a.m. CT and on GAC’s Championship Bull Riding at 9:00 p.m. CT, followed by a live online streaming concert event presented by True View Live on Friday, April 30 at 6:30 p.m. CT.

In addition, fans can download Ford’s single featuring Jamey Johnson, “Cold Beer,” compliments of People Country, and read about him in the April 26 issue of Country Weekly. Ford is also featured on the April 2 cover of Pollstar magazine.

For additional information, visit www.coltford.com.