Black River Entertainment Signs Willie Jones

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Pictured (Back row, L-R): Black River’s VP of Marketing Tanya Welch, VP of Business Operations Emily Hungate, Attorney Lauren Kilgore, Black River’s VP of A&R; Doug Johnson, Catalog Manager Rachael Skvorak, Artist Manager Jonnie Forster, Black River’s Revenue and Streaming Derek Anderson, Creative Manager Katie Barolak, Sr. Creative Manager Eric Hurt, Attorney Christian Barker, Black River’s EVP Rick Froio, Sr. VP of Radio Promotion Mike Wilson, Head of Media and Public Relations Dawn Delvo.
(Front Row, L-R): Black River’s President & CEO Gordon Kerr, Willie Jones, VP of Publishing Dave Pacula.

Black River Entertainment has added songwriter/artist Willie Jones to its roster. The Shreveport, Louisiana, native began dreaming of becoming a country artist at age 11.

“Country music is something that I’ve always been really passionate about since I was a teenager,” Jones said. “Growing up, I didn’t have anyone in country music to model myself after, as far as someone who was writing from my perspective or that looked like me. Even though it still surprises people that I write country music, and they encourage me to change lanes to R&B or hip-hop, I took it upon myself to stick to my guns and not give up on my dreams. Now with Black River, I have the opportunity to inspire others with similar backgrounds, to stay true to themselves and chase theirs.”

Jones, who is managed by Jonnie Forster, recently released his first single, “Runs In Our Blood.” Jones has toured on the MAGcon Tour featuring artists including Cameron Dallas, Nash Grier, Shawn Mendes and more.

Black River’s Vice President of Publishing Dave Pacula shares, “Willie Jones’ music is undeniably fresh and unmistakably country. He’s a game changer, and we could not be more excited to welcome him to the Black River family!”

Black River Entertainment’s President & CEO Gordon Kerr adds, “Get ready world, here comes Willie Jones.”

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NMPA Denounces American Law Institute Project, Seeking To Redefine Copyright Law

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The National Music Publishers’ Association (NMPA) today (Oct. 17) released the following statement regarding the American Law Institute’s (ALI) Copyright Restatement Project, which is being considered for adoption by the Council of the American Law Institute.

The Restatement attempts to reinterpret established Copyright Law in a manner that harms creators and walks back the great strides that have recently been made. The Council could vote on the project as soon as tomorrow, Thursday, October 18.

“The American Law Institute’s (ALI) so-called ‘Restatement of Copyright Law’ was written by extremist anti-copyright lawyers in an attempt to redefine Copyright Law. The Restatement has been slammed by the U.S. Copyright Office, the American Bar Association, the US Patent and Trademark Office, and most importantly, the creators themselves.

“We have written the ALI Council to implore them to vote ‘no’ on approving the Restatement draft as we hope they will reject this sham attempt to undermine hard fought principles of understood law. This thinly-veiled attempt to subvert the law and undermine creators and must be stopped.” -NMPA President and CEO David Israelite

NMPA’s letter to the ALI Council was authored with the RIAA and outlines the myriad ways that the Restatement Project misinterprets the law. The letter is available upon request.

Martina McBride Debuts New Food Network Series In November

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Martina McBride will be stepping out of the studio and into the kitchen for a bit to share recipes and cooking and entertaining tips on her new Food Network series, Martina’s Table, beginning Nov. 18.

The new series follows McBride as she finds creative inspiration creating perfect menus and preparing meals for her family and close friends like Sheryl Crow, Faith Hill, and Little Big Town’s Karen Fairchild and Kimberly Schlapman. Whether it’s a birthday celebration for one of her daughters or a buffet-style menu catered for her band and road crew, Martina’s Table gives viewers a glimpse inside a place where tasty memories are made. Over the course of the season, McBride’s recipes are inspired by her Midwestern roots as she cooks up delicious dishes including a full Thanksgiving menu at home, a Mexican-themed spread for a special birthday gathering, a casual holiday brunch with a few friends, and more.

“Martina McBride has shared her love of music for years, impressing audiences around the globe and earning industry accolades. Now, she is sharing her passion for cooking and entertaining with fans, showcasing even more of her impressive talents in the kitchen,” said Courtney White, General Manager and Executive Vice President, Programming, Food Network and HGTV. “With her creative recipes and inviting personality, everyone will feel welcome at Martina’s Table.”

“I’ve always had a passion for cooking and love to cook for my friends and family,” said McBride. “Having a show on Food Network is a dream come true. We’ve filmed the first season and it’s been so fun and exciting to be able to share some of my favorite recipes and stories.”

Tauren Wells, Matthew West, Zach Williams Among Top GMA Dove Award Winners

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Tauren Wells

Tauren Wells, who has lit up the CCM charts with hits including “Hills and Valleys,” “When We Pray,” and “Known,” earned four first-time Dove Awards last night (Oct. 16) during the 49th annual GMA Dove Awards, held at Lipscomb University in Nashville.

Wells, a first-time nominee, earned Contemporary Christian Artist of the Year, New Artist of the Year, Pop Contemporary Album of the Year (Hills and Valleys), and Rap/Hip-Hop Recorded Song of the Year (“War Cry”).

“I was literally in the back with my pants undone changing…then I heard my name and ran,” Wells said in accepting his New Artist of the Year honor. “What award is this? ..New Artist of the Year?’ I am so thankful for this privilege. Thank You!”

Zach Williams earned the evening’s biggest honor, Artist of the Year, as well as Pop/Contemporary Recorded Song of the Year, for “Old Church Choir.”

Matthew West took home the coveted Songwriter of the Year (Artist) title. Songwriter of the Year (non-artist) went to Colby Wedgeworth, who was named Songwriter of the Year the evening prior at the ASCAP Christian Music Awards.

Producer of the Year went to both Paul Mabry and Jason Ingram.

Matthew West wins Songwriter of the Year (artist).

Song of the Year and Worship Song of the Year went to “Reckless Love,” penned by Caleb Culver, Cory Asbury and Ran Jackson. Tasha Cobbs Leonard earned Gospel Artist of the Year, and Urban Worship Album of the Year (for Heart. Passion. Pursuit.), while Gaither Vocal Band earned Southern Gospel Artist of the Year.

I Can Only Imagine, a film based on the story of the success of band MercyMe and their signature song “I Can Only Imagine,” was named Inspirational Film of the Year. Short Form Video of the Year went to Lecrae‘s “I’ll Find You,” featuring Tori Kelly.

Rap/Hip-Hop Album of the Year went to KB‘s Today We Rebel, while Rock/Contemporary Album of the Year went to Skillet‘s Unleashed Beyond. Traditional Gospel Album of the Year went to Jekalyn Carr‘s One Nation Under God.

Travis Greene won his first Dove Award in the category of Urban Worship Recorded Song of the Year for his chart-topper “You Waited.”  Koryn Hawthorne won her first Dove Award in the category of Contemporary Gospel/Urban Recorded Song of the Year for her hit track “Won’t He Do It” (ft. Roshon Fegan).  Marvin Sapp took home his second Dove Award, winning in the category of Traditional Gospel Recorded Song of the Year for his hit single “Close.”

“What a privilege this is. Isn’t it just like the Lord to take our failures and our overall jacked-up mess and turn it into something beautiful. He takes our disappointments and turns them into a dance floor. He allows us to be kids again,” said Asbury, co-writer of Song of the Year “Reckless Love.”

The evening’s performances included first-time collaborations including Kirk Franklin and Tori Kelly, Jason Crabb and Rascal Flatts, as well as Natalie Grant and Koryn Hawthorne.

“The performances were second to none and offered glory and revenant love to our father and his kingdom,” said GMA President and Executive Director Jackie Patillo.

For a full list of winners, visit doveawards.com.

Lecrae and Tori Kelly perform.

Lauren Daigle performs.

Just In: ACM Announces Changes To Categories, Submissions Process

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The Academy of Country Music announced today (Oct. 17) a new submissions process, category name changes, and the ballot timeline for professional membership voting for the 54th Academy of Country Music Awards, which synchronizes voting of all awards categories, including Industry awards, Studio Recording awards, Radio awards and Video of the Year.

The ACM Board voted to update 10 category names (changes noted below); the updated name changes do not impact criteria for any of the awards.

The new submission process will allow Academy members to engage in the ACM awards process to present all eligible recordings and artists for consideration to the voting membership. The change aligns the following six categories with the submission process already in place for the Radio awards, Video of the Year and Industry awards categories:

Album of the Year
New Female Artist of the Year (formerly New Female Vocalist of the Year)
New Male Artist of the Year (formerly New Male Vocalist of the Year)
New Duo or Group of the Year (formerly New Vocal Duo or Group of the Year)
Music Event of the Year (formerly Vocal Event of the Year)
Single of the Year (formerly Single Record of The Year)

Remaining awards categories – including Entertainer of the Year, Female Artist of the Year (formerly Female Vocalist of the Year), Male Artist of the Year (formerly Male Vocalist of the Year), Duo of the Year (formerly Vocal Duo of the Year), and Group of the Year (formerly Vocal Group of the Year) – will continue to be determined via write-in from the professional membership.

“We remain committed to ensuring the ACM Awards process is a dynamic and relevant one, reflecting an ever-changing musical landscape,” said ACM CEO Pete Fisher. “This latest evolution to a submission approach reflects the desire of our awards Committee, and ultimately our Board, for greater member engagement across the entire awards process.”

The submissions eligibility period for the 54th Academy of Country Music Awards is Jan. 1, 2018 through Dec. 31, 2018. Key dates for Academy professional members for the 2019 ACM Awards cycle are as follows:

New Membership/Membership Renewals Opens: Oct. 29, 2018
Submissions Period Opens: Dec. 3, 2018
DEADLINE for New Membership/Renewals Closing: Dec. 31, 2018
Submissions Period Closes: Jan. 4, 2019
First Round Voting: Jan. 18, 2019 – Jan. 24, 2019
Second Round Voting: Feb. 4, 2019 – Feb. 11, 2019
Final Round Voting: March 11, 2019 – March 19, 2019

New membership applications and existing membership renewals open on Monday, Oct. 29, 2018 at 9 a.m. PT / 11 a.m. CT with a deadline to apply by Monday, Dec. 31, 2018 at 5 p.m. PT / 7 p.m. CT for members to be eligible to vote during the 2019 awards cycle. Interested applicants can apply online at acm.com.

The 54th Academy of Country Music Awards will broadcast live from MGM Grand Garden Arena in Las Vegas on Sunday, April 7, 2019 at 8 p.m. PM ET/delayed PT on CBS.

Joe Nichols Exits BBR Music Group

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Joe Nichols

Joe Nichols has exited BBR Music Group, MusicRow has confirmed. Nichols was the flagship artist on the label group’s Red Bow Records imprint, which launched in 2012; the Red Bow imprint folded in July 2018, with the artists formerly part of Red Bow being evaluated at that time.

During his time with BBR, Nichols released the albums Crickets (2013) and Never Gets Old (2017), along with the Gold-selling singles “Sunny and 75” and “Yeah.”

During his career, Nichols has notched six No. 1 hits and eight Top 10 singles, including “Brokenheartsville,” “Tequila Makes Her Clothes Fall Off,” and “The Impossible.” He is a four-time Grammy nominee and winner of the ACM’s Top New Male Vocalist honor, as well as the CMA’s Horizon Award.

Garth Brooks Announces Multi-Year Stadium Tour, Notre Dame Television Special

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Garth Brooks will hit the road again in 2019. The superstar announced plans for a multi-year stadium tour this morning (Oct. 17) during a press conference at the Country Music Hall of Fame.

The tour will visit 10-12 cities each year for the next three years, with most of those stops being at college stadiums. The tour’s initial two cities will be St. Louis, Missouri, and Glendale, Arizona. No official dates for either tour stop were announced, though Brooks said he will announce the first five stops on the stadium tour before Christmas.

“I wanted to call it the ‘big ass stadium tour,’ but they voted me down on that one,” Brooks said during the press conference. “This is the most time I’ve ever put into anything … All the logistics of it is a step up for me.”

Brooks is slated to play Notre Dame Stadium on Oct. 20, making Brooks the first artist to perform at the venue. Earlier today, it was announced that the show will be captured as part of a primetime television special, Garth: Live At Notre Dame!, set to air Sunday, Dec. 2 on the CBS Television Network.

He says the Notre Dame show inspired the upcoming tour.

“This was not a planned thing,” Brooks said. “We were supposed to take a whole year off [but] we saw it as a blueprint of what could be.”

Brooks’ previous multi-year tour, which ran from 2014-2017, ended in December 2017 with shows in Nashville. Brooks will release the next installment of his anthology, titled Anthology Part III Live, on Nov. 20.

 

 

RJ Curtis Named Executive Director For Country Radio Seminar

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RJ Curtis

The Country Radio Broadcasters/Country Radio Seminar has announced long-time radio and industry veteran, RJ Curtis as the incoming Executive Director of the non-profit organization. Curtis, who currently serves as the Nashville Editor for All Access Music Group, will start his new position on Nov. 12 and until then, can then be reached at rjcurtis@allaccess.com.

Curtis fills the position most recently held by Bill Mayne, who has served as Executive Director of the organization for nearly a decade. This past April, Mayne announced that he would be leaving his position following the 50th Anniversary year of Country Radio Seminar. Curtis will work alongside Mayne through the end of his term, which is May 2019.

Curtis commented, “CRS has been an important part of my professional life for 35 years, never ceasing to challenge, reward, and re-ignite my zeal for our format and its many stakeholders. At my very core, I’m a radio guy and will always think like one, but I’ve also been fortunate to work in other segments of this industry, gaining additional perspective and learning a ton. Two decades on the CRB Board encompassed those various experiences; together, all have more than adequately prepped me for what I consider the opportunity of a lifetime at CRB. Concurrently, I’ll have the honor of working with Bill Mayne until his triumphant sign-off in May. He’s been a mentor, brother, and friend to me since 1983, and – fun fact – brought me to my first CRS in 1985, while serving as my PD at KZLA/Los Angeles. Following his legendary stewardship of CRB is a daunting task, and a responsibility I’ll take seriously.”

CRB Board President, Kurt Johnson, said, “Among some great candidates for this role, RJ stood out. His unequalled experience and passion for Country Radio, Country music, and CRB made him the right person at the right time. We’re beyond excited to have him lead CRS into its sixth decade.”

Curtis has served on the CRS Board of Directors since 1999, with a deep involvement in CRS leadership for 19 of those 20 years. He’s a longtime member of the CRS Executive Committee and a past CRS Board President (2004-2007). Since 2009, Curtis has been the organization’s Vice-President, and Chairman of the Country Radio Hall Of Fame, administered by CRS.

For the past 12 years, Curtis has been working on the trade publication sector of the music business as a journalist, providing news, insight, and perspective on country radio and its evolution. Since 2013, he’s been the Nashville Editor for the All Access Music Group; previously, Curtis was VP/Country for Country Aircheck, and Country Editor for the legendary Radio & Records Magazine. His professional diversity includes experience on the label side with Arista Nashville, handling Dir./Midwest Promotion responsibilities.

Curtis’ core background is radio. Curtis launched his broadcast journey fresh out of high school and spent 30 years in the business, 27 exclusive to Country radio and a combined 17 years in three different decades at Country KZLA/Los Angeles. His tenure there included every aspect of programming and management, including weekends, mornings, plus APD/MD, PD and OM responsibilities.

In the intervening years away from Los Angeles, Curtis oversaw two additional radio brands as PD and OM of KNIX/Phoenix and KCYY/San Antonio, respectively. His diverse radio background includes national syndication, too, as OM for the Blair Garner-hosted After Midnite, and creator of several long-form programs for Premiere Radio.

During his nearly 40 years in Country music, Curtis has volunteered his service to the industry as a member of the CMA, ACM, and St. Jude Children’s Hospital Radio Advisory Boards, in addition to his involvement with Country Radio Seminar.

The 50th Anniversary Country Radio Seminar will be held February 13-15, 2019 at the Omni Nashville Hotel.

SESAC Names Kelli Turner As President/COO

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Kelli Turner

Kelli Turner has been named President and Chief Operating Officer of SESAC Holdings, it was announced today by John Josephson, Chairman and Chief Executive Officer of SESAC Holdings, Inc. Turner, based in Nashville, will continue to report to Josephson and will oversee SESAC’s day-to-day operations and continue to play a key role in setting the strategic direction as well as the overall corporate management of the company. The company’s finance and corporate development functions will continue to report to Turner.

“Kelli’s promotion to President and COO is a well-deserved recognition of the role that she’s been playing at the company for the past few years. We joined SESAC at roughly the same time and we’ve been partners in driving each of the major developments that have taken place at the company since 2014,” said Josephson. “Her extensive experience and exceptional skills in driving and managing change will be invaluable as we continue to advance SESAC’s business as well as its mission in this dynamic marketplace. It’s an exciting time for the company, and we look forward to the next phase of its growth as well as continuing to execute on our mission to drive value for our writer and publisher affiliates.”

Turner previously served as Executive Vice President of Operations, Corporate Development and Chief Financial Officer of SESAC. In this role, she led the acquisitions of the mechanical rights organization Harry Fox Agency (HFA) and the Christian Copyright Licensing International (CCLI), transitioning SESAC from a performance rights organization to a music rights organization. In 2017, Turner, along with Josephson, led the sale of SESAC Holdings to Blackstone Group’s Core Equity fund.

Before joining SESAC, Turner served as President and Chief Financial Officer of RSL Management Corporation. Prior to that, she served as Executive Vice President and Chief Financial Officer at Martha Stewart Living Omnimedia Inc., and held executive level positions at Time Warner Inc.

Turner was honored by the T.J. Martell Foundation’s “Women of Influence Awards,” and as one of Billboard magazine’s “Women in Music” in 2015, 2016 and 2017. Last year, she was named “CFO of the Year” by the Nashville Business Journal. Turner holds an undergraduate business degree and law degree from The University of Michigan.

 

Kenny Chesney, Thomas Rhett Added As Headliners For 2019 Tortuga Music Festival

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Kenny Chesney and Thomas Rhett have joined Jason Aldean as headliners of Rock The Ocean’s 2019 Tortuga Music Festival, which will take place April 12-14 on the shores of Fort Lauderdale Beach Park in Florida.

Chesney, a champion of the festival and its work around ocean conservation and stewardship since its first year, returns to headline the three-day oceanfront experience for the fourth time.  It was also revealed that Danielle Bradbery, Kane Brown, Sheryl Crow, Delta Rae, Lindsay Ell, Morgan Evans, Flo Rida, Chris Janson, Jillian Jacqueline, Joan Jett And The Blackhearts, Cody Johnson, Elle King, Dustin Lynch, Maddie & Tae, Midland, Maren Morris, David Lee Murphy, Carly Pearce, Cassadee Pope, RaeLynn, Michael Ray, Trombone Shorty, Mitchell Tenpenny and The Wailers will take the stage, with more acts to be announced in the coming weeks.

The festival has also added a third Next from Nashville stage for 2019 which will bring more acts to the festival than ever before. The event strives to raise funds and awareness of the issues that the world’s oceans currently face, as well as supporting marine conservation and research. Attendees can also learn more about where a portion of the proceeds from their passes go at Rock The Ocean’s Conservation Village and attend an arena of exhibits within the festival grounds, where they can experience games, interactive touch tanks, cooking exhibitions, the latest ocean technology, and learn how they can help make a difference.

Tortuga Music Festival passes go on sale Oct. 26 at 10 a.m. ET at tortugamusicfestival.com.