Nashville In LA: Bryan, Urban, Orbison

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Photo L-R: Bob Romeo, ACM Executive Director, Luke Bryan. Michel Bourquard /Courtesy of the Academy of Country Music

L-R: Bob Romeo, ACM Executive Director, Luke Bryan. Photo: Michel Bourquard /Courtesy ACM

Music City stars have been making the rounds on the west coast.

The Academy of Country Music welcomed professional ACM member and Capitol Records Nashville artist Luke Bryan to their offices for a visit when he was in Los Angeles earlier this week to tape CBS’ The Late Late Show with Craig Ferguson.

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Keith Urban made his new video in Los Angeles last month. The two-day shoot directed by Noble Jones took place mostly at the Santa Monica pier. The video is for new single “’Til Summer Comes Around” which he co-wrote with Monty Powell. Urban will return to LA for the Jan. 31 Grammy Awards where is a four-time nominee.

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It was just revealed that the legendary Roy Orbison will receive a star on the Hollywood Walk Of Fame during a ceremony on Jan. 29. His family Barbara, and sons Roy Jr. and Alex will be there for the event. The late musician is also a member of the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame.

Aldean Adds Ash To Tour

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Ash Bowers

Ash Bowers

Stoney Creek Records artist Ash Bowers has been added to Jason Aldean’s upcoming Wide Open tour set to launch Jan. 22. Bower’s first Wide Open appearance begins 1/28 in Austin, TX.

“I was lucky enough to open a few dates for Aldean in November last year and had a blast playing for those big crowds,” says Bowers. “When I was told I was going to join in on the fun again I was thrilled. What a great way to kick off a new year!”

Bower’s debut single “Stuck” never charted on MusicRow’s Country Breakout chart, but hopes are high for his second attempt, “Ain’t No Stopping Her Now” set to ship on Jan. 15. The new song was written by Bowers and Kyle Jacobs, who co-wrote “More Than A Memory” for Garth Brooks. Other Stoney Creek artists include Megan Mullins and Crossin Dixon. Stoney Creek is part of the Broken Bow Records family, Aldean’s label home.

As previously announced Capitol’s Luke Bryan (“All My Friends Say”) is also part of the tour for most of the dates. For more info visit www.jasonaldean.com

2010 WIDE OPEN TOUR DATES w/ASH BOWERS
1/28 Austin, TX Cedar Park Center
1/29 Beaumont, TX Ford Park Arena
1/30 Tyler, TX Oil Palace 2/4 Salem, VA Salem Civic Center
2/5 Fayetteville, NC Crown Coliseum
2/18 Huntsville, AL Von Braun Center
2/19 Highland Heights, KY Bank of Kentucky Center
2/20 Augusta, GA James Brown Arena
2/25 Wilkes-Barre, PA Wachovia Arena
2/26 Univ. Park, PA Bryce Jordan Center
3/10 Ames, IA Hilton Coliseum
3/12 Brookings, SD Swiftel Center
3/18 Broomfield, CO The Odeum
3/19 Salt Lake City, UT Energy Solutions Arena
3/20 Boise, ID Taco Bell Arena
3/21 Pocatello, ID Holt Arena
3/25 Sioux City, IA Tyson Events Center
3/26 Lincoln, NE Pershing Center
3/27 St. Charles, MO Family Arena

Sony Sets Schedule For Jackson, Gokey, Thompson

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Alan Jackson

Alan Jackson

Sony is starting 2010 with a full slate of releases scheduled through the spring. Superstar Alan Jackson has a new Arista Nashville album, Freight Train, coming March 30. That month also brings the March 2 release of American Idol finalist Danny Gokey’s debut project. And first on the docket for 2010 is newcomer Josh Thompson Feb. 23 release.

For Jackson’s 18th album he reunited with longtime producer/collaborator Keith Stegall; the combination that has helped boost the singer to over 50 million album sales. Stegall, Kylie Sackley, and Vickie McGehee co-wrote the lead single, “It’s Just That Way,” which is climbing MusicRow’s Country Breakout chart at No. 43 after just three weeks, and earned a flattering review from critic Robert Oermann. “It’s Just That Way” is one of three songs on the album that feature acclaimed bluegrass singer Rhonda Vincent on background vocals. Jackson also enlisted Lee Ann Womack for a remake of the Vern Gosdin/Janie Fricke duet “Till the End.” Jackson wrote or co-wrote eight of  the album’s dozen tracks, including one he penned with Roger Murrah, with whom he wrote the now-classic, “Don’t Rock the Jukebox.” Freight Train is the follow-up to his Good Time collection which produced three No. 1 singles.

Danny Gokey

Danny Gokey

The 19 Recordings/RCA Nashville camp is preparing for the March 2 release of Gokey’s Mark Bright-produced debut album, My Best Days. The first single, “My Best Days Are Ahead of Me,” is earning airplay and is available as a digital single. Fans who pre-order the album at dannygokey.com will receive the CD, an instant download of “My Best Days Are Ahead of Me,” and an autographed CD booklet (while supplies last). Gokey has been on a radio tour and was in Nashville last weekend to participate in Sprint Sound & Speed Presented by SunTrust, where he made his Grand Ole Opry debut.

josh thompson

Josh Thompson

Sony is also offering incentives to fans who pre-order Josh Thompson’s Feb. 23 release Way Out Here. Fans who pre-order the album on joshthompsonofficial.com will also receive an autographed booklet. At the site they can stream and purchase the four tracks from his self-titled digital EP, and play the “Whack-A-Beer” game, named for his single “Beer on the Table.” Next month he heads out on the 32-date Jagermeister Country Tour with headliner Eric Church.

CMA Songwriters Series Returns to Joe’s Pub

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cmawritersseriesCMA Songwriters Series will return to New York City’s Joe’s Pub Thursday, March 25 for the popular series’ sixth installment. Featured writers include Capitol Nashville artist Dierks Bentley, Jim Beavers (“Watching Airplanes,” “Trying To Stop Your Leaving”), David Lee Murphy (“Living In Fast Forward,” “Dust On The Bottle”) and Bob DiPiero (“If You Ever Stop Loving Me,” “You Can’t Take The Honky Tonk Out of the Girl”).

“The CMA Songwriter Series is something I’ve wanted to be part of for a long time, but the timing just never worked out until now,” says Bentley. “I love all the small clubs and songwriter venues around the city, the vibe and acoustics at Joe’s Pub are great. It’s fun to break it all back down, get rid of the big stage and the lights and video screens where it’s just you and a bunch of your buddies and a couple of guitars. It’s really intimate and you’re reminded real quick how important the songs are and that they are the foundation of the Country Music that’ll stand the test of time.”

Tickets for the 6:30 and 9pm ET shows  at Joe’s Pub are $25 each. For information about Joe’s Pub or to order tickets, visit www.joespub.com or call (212) 967-7555 between the hours of 10:00 AM and 9:00 PM/ET.

Web Network Debuts At Top Of comScore Rankings

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VEVO, a new music video and entertainment service, was the most visited U.S. web network in the Entertainment-Music category last month (Dec 09) with 35,395,000 unique visitors according to comScore. VEVO was created in a partnership with Universal Music Group, Sony Music Entertainment and Abu Dhabi Media Company. It’s powered by YouTube.

The service launched December 8. The VEVO Network platform represents a strategy where its content is available on VEVO.com, YouTube and through a VEVO-branded embedded player, creating the largest music video audience network online.

Music videos from Taylor Swift, Beyonce, Justin Bieber, Drake, Lady Gaga, Jay Sean, Shakira, Britney Spears and Young Money are the most popular on VEVO this week. The Top 5 U.S. Entertainment-Music networks on the web, according to comScore Media Metrix data, for December 2009 also include: MySpace Music, AOL Music, Warner Music and MTV Networks Music.

Adkins Joins Show Dog Universal

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toby-marktraceadkinsPlatinum star Trace Adkins is the first signing under the newly combined Show Dog-Universal Music. Principle Toby Keith and President Mark Wright held a press conference today (1/13) at BMI in Nashville to share the news and discuss the evolving label.

Adkins—celebrating his birthday today—joined them at the event, telling reporters that he had 15 good years at Capitol Records, but was excited about the new partnership. He and Keith have known each other for many years but became better acquainted and discovered how much they have in common on tour together last summer. Adkins recalled seeing Keith onstage every night, describing him as “a 12-year-old on Christmas morning.” Then joking, “It’s real…he ain’t that good an actor.”

Adkins has been working on new music; of it Keith told the crowd, “he finally saw what he wants and went for it… it’s got edge, it’s got smile.”

Keith and Wright, who have known each other at least 16 years, talked of other details of the merger, calling the newly combined label a “perfect match.”

Keith’s superstar power is expected to bring big opportunities for the newer acts signed to the label. They can join him on the road, and play his namesake Bar And Grills.

Known for operating his Show Dog outside of the major label system, Keith said navigating Nashville’s political waters is one of the many assets Wright brings to the deal. While Keith has distanced himself from the Nashville system, and the benefits that go with it, he said the rising artists at Show Dog-Universal deserve the chance to be part of it if they want, specifically the awards shows.

In negotiations, Keith said he basically laid everything he could ever want, including ownership of masters, on the table and Universal agreed.

National News: Labels Face Antitrust Suit; Arbitron; Bergman Catalogue

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An antitrust lawsuit alleging price fixing of digital downloads by the major labels has been reinstated by a federal appeals court. EMI, Universal Music Group and Warner Music Group, are among the defendants in the case that will be allowed to proceed. The U.S. Second Circuit Court of Appeals overturned the October 2008 decision of a lower court which dismissed the case.

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Board member William Kerr has been named President/CEO of Arbitron following the resignation of Michael Skarzynski.

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Spirit Music Group has acquired Threesome Music, the song catalogue of acclaimed multiple Grammy, Oscar and Emmy-winning songwriters Alan and Marilyn Bergman. Through the agreement, Spirit will acquire rights to more than 300 songs recorded by such classic artists as Frank Sinatra, Ray Charles, Sarah Vaughan, Celine Dion and Luciano Pavarotti. The catalog also includes timeless standards recorded by Sinatra, Fred Astaire, Neil Diamond/Barbra Streisand, and Michael Jackson.

Rich Welcomes Son; Jackson Single From Upcoming Album

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jrCongratulations to John Rich and his wife Joan on the birth of their first child. Son Cash Rich was born Sunday morning at a Nashville hospital. The couple wed in 2008.

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Alan Jackson’s new single, “It’s Just That Way,” is available now for digital download. It is the first single from Jackson’s next album, arriving this spring.
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Tim McGraw, the Dixie Chicks, and Sheryl Crow are among those featured on a new soundtrack inspired by the acclaimed HBO Documentary By The People: The Election Of Barack Obama, available exclusively on iTunes. Produced by Michael McDonald and Mark Levinsohn, the project also features John Mayer, Dave Matthews, and Jon Bon Jovi. All proceeds, including artist and publishing royalties, are going to United Way to support Gulf Coast rebuilding efforts.

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A fashion line by local rockers Kings of Leon is coming out this month via Paris design collective Surface to Air. It will reportedly be available in Paris, Sao Paulo, online and selected stores worldwide.

McGraw Movie Sets Up In Music City

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tim-mThe new movie starring Tim McGraw and Gwyneth Paltrow began production in Nashville this week. MusicRow first broke the story of the new film in October. Shooting will begin in mid January and run through the end of February. Previously reported filming locations include McGraw’s Middle Tennessee ranch.

Love Don’t Let Me Down centers around a down-on-her-luck country singer trying for a comeback (Paltrow), her husband and manager (McGraw), a beauty queen turned singer (Gossip Girl’s Leighton Meester) and a gifted songwriter (Friday Night Lights’ Garrett Hedlund). The Hollywood Report says the stars will sing in the musical. Paltrow, an Oscar winner, also sang in the 2000 flick Duets.

E online reports Tobey Maguire is producing the movie but is not expected to have a role. Shana Feste, a favorite from last year’s Sundance, wrote and directed the project. Sony’s Screen Gems, known for the Resident Evil and Underworld movies, is on board as the production company.

The $15 million project will tap area residents for almost 75 percent of the film’s crew and 90 percent of the film’s cast. A posting on Craigslist says the casting office is accepting submissions for paid extras.

McGraw currently appears in the blockbuster hit The Blind Side, which has already made about $220 million.

TV Update: Luke Bryan, Gloriana, Gatlins, Grammys

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luke-bLuke Bryan will perform his chart-topping hit “Do I” on CBS’ The Late Late Show with Craig Ferguson this Friday, Jan. 15. Next week, Bryan will hit the road performing his own headlining dates as well as guesting on Jason Aldean’s Wide Open Tour.

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glorianaGloriana will appear on Ellen tomorrow Wednesday, Jan. 13, performing hit single “How Far Do You Wanna Go?” The foursome has been performing several headlining shows including sell-outs in Seattle and Modesto last week. Next month Gloriana and Kellie Pickler will return as openers for Taylor Swift‘s Fearless 2010 Tour when they head to Australia for several dates, and return to the U.S. for concerts March through June, most of which have already sold-out.

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It’s been at least two decades since Larry Gatlin & the Gatlin Brothers appeared on late night television, but tomorrow night, Wed. Jan. 13, Jimmy Kimmel welcomes the boys to his show on ABC.

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The 52nd Annual GRAMMY® Awards air live on CBS Jan. 31, 8–11:30 PM ET/PT. Fans will get to vote online to choose the song nominee Bon Jovi performs on the show. Bon Jovi joins previously announced performers and nominees Beyoncé, the Black Eyed Peas, the Dave Matthews Band, Green Day, Lady Antebellum, Lady Gaga, Maxwell, P!nk, Taylor Swift, and the Zac Brown Band. All five Album Of The Year nominees — Beyoncé, the Black Eyed Peas, Lady Gaga, the Dave Matthews Band, and Taylor Swift — are set to perform on Music’s Biggest Night®. The Grammy’s fully integrated ad campaign, “We’re All Fans,” highlights music fans’ unprecedented impact in the current digital age. It centers on the Web site, www.wereallfans.com, an interactive experience of user-submitted content.