CRS Adds To Agenda; Digital Summit Moves To Sept.
Country Radio Seminar 2010, to be held Feb. 24-26, 2010, has announced an updated list of educational panels and agenda items. Starting with the Keynote Address from financial authority Dave Ramsey, CRS 2010 is packed with expert speakers, comprehensive market research and current industry issues designed to educate attendees, regardless of market size or region. Panel topics will cover getting records played, finding jobs in today’s competitive environment, building revenue streams, avoiding PPM panic, expanding online opportunities and increasing new media effectiveness and profitability.
Newly added panels include: “The Radiothon Effect: The Reality of Radiothons,” “The Big Idea: How to Come Up with Long-term Creative Ideas that Sell in a Tough Economy” and “Town Hall: The Industry Truth Revealed” (moderated by Tony Randall and Kris Rochester with panelists Mike Dungan, John Esposito, Scott Lindy, Larry Wilson and Gretchen Wilson). Previously announced speakers or panelists include bestselling author Bob Rosner, Skip Bishop, Steve Hodges, Craig Morgan, Blair Garner, Rick “Bubba” Taylor, Jimmy Harnen, Michael Deputato, Charlie Cook, Jennie Smythe, Katie Dean and many more.
The unofficial close of CRS will be marked by the Digital Rodeo Guilty Pleasures Show on Friday, Feb. 26 at Cadillac Ranch in downtown Nashville. The show is set to kick off at 10:30 p.m. or immediately following the CRS New Faces of Country Music® Show and Dinner at the Nashville Convention Center. Artists will get to perform cover versions of one of their favorite songs.
The $99 Unemployment Rate is available through Jan. 31. Contact Kristen McRary at 615-327-4487 or Kristen@CRB.org for more info. Regular Rate registration of $599 is also available through Jan. 31. Full price CRS On-site registration begins Feb. 1, 2010.
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The sixth annual Leadership Music Digital Summit is being rescheduled for September 2010. Specific dates and other details on the Nashville conference attracting music and technology leaders will be announced shortly. Sponsors of all levels are being sought and can contact Vincent Castellucci, LMDS Sponsorship Director, at Vincentc1@earthlink.net or 914-763-1202.
The video for Brad Paisley’s latest hit, “American Saturday Night,” uses over 20,000 still photographs to build a world designed to look like a pop-up book. Paisley’s camp says it is a “2.5D world” that includes Paisley, his band The Drama Kings, and over 100 extras. Production company Branded Picture made the video, using several shoots in front of a green screen to get the final look. [Scroll to the bottom to see the video.]
With the Grammy Awards coming up on Sunday, Jan. 31, more performers are being revealed, and surrounding special events are being finalized. Carrie Underwood has been added to a Michael Jackson tribute along with Celine Dion, Jennifer Hudson, Smokey Robinson, and Usher. The performance will feature the 3-D mini-movie for “Earth Song” that was created by Jackson as the centerpiece of his much anticipated This Is It tour, but was never seen by the public. This will be the first time a major awards show broadcasts in 3-D. CBS, which is airing the show has partnered with Target to offer free 3-D Grammy Glasses for viewers at home. From Sunday, Jan. 24, through Sunday, Jan. 31, Target stores nationwide will have the same glasses which will also be worn by the live audience at the LA Staples Center.
Charlie Daniels was vacationing in Colorado when he suffered a mild stroke while snowmobiling on Friday, Jan. 15. He was treated at Mercy Regional Medical Center in Durango, CO then airlifted to Swedish Medical Center in Denver, CO. Daniels was released from Swedish Medical Center on Sunday, Jan. 17. He is recuperating at his home in Colorado, where he has been on vacation since Dec. 27.
Taylor Swift and Keith Urban are among the A-list celebs set to sing on the all-star television concert special Hope for Haiti Now: A Global Benefit for Earthquake Relief. For the two-hour telethon this Friday, Jan. 22, at 8/7 CT, there will be performances by Wyclef Jean, Bruce Springsteen, Jennifer Hudson, Mary J. Blige, Shakira, and Sting in New York City; Alicia Keys, Christina Aguilera, Dave Matthews, John Legend, Justin Timberlake, Stevie Wonder, and Swift, and a group performance by Urban, Kid Rock, and Sheryl Crow in Los Angeles; and Coldplay, and a group performance by Bono, The Edge, Jay-Z, and Rihanna in a newly added London location. The show will air on all the major networks, many cable channels, and will be streamed online at a number of sites (complete list below).
In addition to musical performances, Wyclef Jean in New York City, George Clooney in Los Angeles, and CNN’s Anderson Cooper reporting from Haiti, Hope for Haiti Now will feature more than one hundred of the biggest names in film, television, and music supporting the cause with testimonials and by answering phones during the telethon.