MGM Lawsuit Against Victims Creates Public Relations Firestorm

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Mandalay Bay

MGM Resorts International, the company that owns Mandalay Bay Resort and Casino and the Route 91 Harvest festival venue, has sued the victims of the location’s mass shooting, which occurred during the Route 91 Harvest festival on Oct. 1, 2017, killing 58 people and leaving more than 500 injured.

The filing, a complaint for declaratory judgment in federal court in Las Vegas, cites a 2002 federal act called the SAFETY Act and seeks to remove MGM’s liability for the rampage and place it on Contemporary Services Corporation, the security vendor MGM hired for the concert.

While MGM is not seeking compensation from the survivors, backlash has grown from the filing, which includes the names of the victims of the 2017 mass shooting and their loved ones as defendants.

While perhaps a strategic legal move, the optics of the filing has caused a public relations nightmare for MGM and its properties. Some people have taken to social media to call out the company by using the hashtag, #BoycottMGM.

Eric Rose, a partner at California-based crisis management firm Englander Knabe and Allen, told the Las Vegas Review-Journal that MGM should have explained its actions before media outlets began reporting the lawsuit against the victims. He also believes MGM will see immediate losses from cancelled bookings and a reduction in new reservations.

Yesterday, MGM Resorts tweeted, “We have filed what is known as an action for declaratory relief. All we are doing, in effect, is asking for a change in venue from state to federal court. We are not asking for money or attorney’s fees. We only want to resolve these cases quickly, fairly and efficiently.”

Industry Ink: Jeffrey Steele, ACM, Frank Ray, Barfrog Music

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Jeffrey Steele’s Songwriting Bootcamp Opens In August

Jeffrey Steele. Photo: Tin Pan South

Hall of Fame singer-songwriter Jeffrey Steele is gearing up for his Songwriting Boot Camp, scheduled to begin Aug. 27 online. Sponsored by 3 Ring Circus Music, the camp will feature nine weeks of inspiration and educational content, coaching from Steele, and much more. Boot camp alumni have gone on to score publishing deals, compose songs recorded by key artists, and write No. 1 singles, such as Blake Shelton’s “She Wouldn’t Be Gone,” co-written by boot camper Jennifer Adan and Lee Brice’s “A Woman Like You” co-written by boot camper Phil Barton.

Enrollment is open now at thinklikeawriter.com and sign-ups close on Aug. 13.

 

Maddie & Tae Visit ACM

PIctured (L-R): Pete Fisher, ACM CEO with Maddie & Tae

The Academy of Country Music welcomed Universal Music Group Nashville recording duo Maddie & Tae to the office while they were in Los Angeles recently. While at the Academy, Maddie & Tae gave the ACM staff a sneak peek listen to several tracks on their upcoming album, including their current single, “Friends Don’t.”

 

Frank Ray Notches Chart-Topping Hit On Texas Regional Chart

Pictured (L-R): Lynn Tinsey, Richlynn Group; Oscar Chavira, (Ray’s Manager) White Knuckle Productions; Frank Ray; Kate Richardson, Richlynn Group.

Frank Ray has earned his first No. 1 single, “Drive,” on the Texas Regional Country Chart Ray and his management/marketing teams celebrated with a gathering at Top Golf. 

 

Re Mattei Signs With BarFrog Music

Re Mattei has signed an agreement with BarFrog Music for exclusive representation. She launched her music career as the lead guitar player for the all-female, Top 40 band, Uptown Girls, before redirecting her concentration toward her own independent recordings. Nashville-based Bar Frog Music, an independent label and services firm, offers artist development, management, radio promotion and more.

Brothers Osborne, Carly Pearce, Easton Corbin To Perform On Special 90’s Night Show

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Adam Sanders is hosting a special edition of his “90s Night” shows on July 23 at Marathon Music Works in Nashville that will feature his friends and fellow 90’s country enthusiasts Brothers Osborne, Carly Pearce, Easton Corbin, Lucie Silvas and more. 

Sanders grew up listening to and was influenced to pursue his career by the songs and artists in the 90s. This special by-popular-demand edition “90s NIGHT” will be co-hosted by CMT’s Cody Alan and Katie Cook, and will include a few surprise guest appearances and performances.

Tickets for the “90s NIGHT” are $20 and available here. Proceeds will go to benefit the T.J. Martell Foundation. CMT’s Hot 20 Countdown will host its three hour show from this special edition “90s NIGHT” and the episode will air Aug. 4 and 5 at 9 am ET/8 a.m. CT on CMT.

The 2ndAnnual sold-out 90s Night at Marathon Music Works in March featured Cole Swindell, LOCASH, Tyler Farr, Michael Ray, Chris Lane and Sanders performing with their favorite 90s country heroes including Tracy Lawrence, Diamond Rio, John Michael Montgomery, Blackhawk, Tim Rushlow, Aaron Tippin and Joe Diffie.

Sanders has written songs for Luke Bryan, Dierks Bentley, Tyler Farr and more including the No. 1 singles “Ain’t Worth The Whiskey” for Cole Swindell and “Hell of A Night” for Dustin Lynch. He has toured with Cole Swindell, Eric Paslay, and CAM and shared stages with Luke Bryan, Eric Church, Thomas Rhett, Dustin Lynch, Easton Corbin, Gary Allan and more. 

Cole Swindell’s All Of It Tour To Launch In August

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Cole Swindell will celebrate his official album release week with the “All of It Tour” launching in tandem with his upcoming third album All of It on Aug. 17. Swindell will go straight to the fans in six cities to play songs from the album giving them one of the first live listens of the album. All Of It launches on the morning of Aug. 17 as Swindell performs as part of NBC’s Citi Concert Series on TODAY live from the Plaza at Rockefeller Center in New York City before catching a flight for the opening night of a six-show run later that night at The Ready Room in St. Louis, Missouri.

All of It Tour dates include:
Aug. 17 @ St. Louis, MO – The Ready Room
Aug. 19 @ Rosemont, IL – Joe’s Live
Aug. 20 @ Grand Rapids, MI- The Intersection
Aug. 21 @ Fort Wayne, IN – Clyde Theatre
Aug. 22 @ Cleveland, OH -House of Blues
Aug. 23 @ Pittsburgh, PA – Stage AE

Tickets for the All of It Tour will be available for pre-sale through the Down Home Crew on Thursday, July 19 and the general public on Friday, July 20. Each ticket purchased online for these shows will come with the choice of a standard CD or digital download of Cole’s new album, All Of It.

Round Hill Music Adds Three To Nashville Team

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Round Hill Music has added three new employees to its Nashville team: Glen Thomasson, Charlotte Rowe, and Trey Wehrmeyer. 

Thomasson has been named Vice President, Finance/Controller. He joins Round Hill from Viacom, where he served as a Senior Director in their Global Business Services center and was responsible for global ancillary revenue accounting, master data governance, and residuals processing. Prior to Viacom, Glen served two years as the Chief Financial Officer of Bigger Picture Group and five years with EverGreen Copyrights, where he held the role of Vice President of Finance and Royalties.

Rowe joins the company as Senior Coordinator, Sync Licensing and Creative. Prior to joining Round Hill, Charlotte worked as a Licensing Research Coordinator with YouTube via Vaco in New York, where she was responsible for working with metadata in their Content Management System and maintaining the music asset database. She most recently worked as a Licensing Agent at the Harry Fox Agency in New York.

Wehrmeyer joins Round Hill as Coordinator, Royalty Services. Wehrmeyer previously worked as a Copyright and Royalties Assistant at Modern Works Music Publishing, where he was responsible for processing receipts, drafting license agreements, and preparing royalty statements for distribution.

“I am pleased to welcome our new arrivals in finance, sync, and royalties to the Round Hill Music family,” says Mark Brown, Senior Vice President and General Manager of Round Hill Music Nashville. “The addition of these new team members will help us continue to deliver great service for our clients.”

Round Hill Music Nashville’s writer roster includes Ashley Gorley, Dallas Davidson, Jimmy Robbins, Danny Myrick, Wade Kirby, Katie Pruitt, Devin Guisande, SHEL, Gareth Dunlop, Schmarx & Savvy, and Suzie McNeil. Through its partnership with Big Loud, Round Hill also represents Craig Wiseman, Rodney Clawson, Sarah Buxton, Matt Dragstrem, Joey Moi, The Warren Brothers, Chris Tompkins, and Jamie Moore.

Luke Wooten Launches Warehouse West Entertainment

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Pictured (L-R): Bruce A. Gates, Nicole Dovolis, Luke Wooten

Grammy-winning producer-engineer Luke Wooten, with entrepreneur Bruce A. Gates, has launched indie music publishing and artist development company Warehouse West Entertainment in Nashville. The new company is located at 618 West Iris Drive in Nashville.

The new development will include in-house rehearsal and recording space, writing offices, A&R support, marketing and more. Wooten owns recording studio Station West in Nashville and has worked with artists including Dierks Bentley, Brad Paisley, The Steel Drivers and more. Gates previously founded venture capital firm Three Oaks Asset Management, and management consulting firm Three Oaks Strategies.

Also joining the Warehouse West team is Creative Director Nicole Dovolis. Dovolis arrived in Nashville with a UCLA degree in Music History in 2014 and previously worked with Big Machine Label Group and most recently CAA.

“During my 25 years in Nashville,” says Wooten. “I’ve been extremely fortunate to help capture some of the greatest musical talents in this town. Nothing is more exciting than seeing a new artist blossom. With Nicole’s label and booking experience and Bruce’s entrepreneurial background in venues and large events, the Warehouse West team is built to help artists, regardless of genre, succeed and thrive.”

“Teaming up with music pros like Luke and Nicole on this project has been a blast,” says Gates. “I’m looking forward to seeing some Artists’ dreams become reality under the Warehouse West banner. We’re also excited about matching up experienced and younger songwriters with Artists to create some great new songs.”

“I fell in love with country music and moved to Nashville because of records such as those Luke produced,” says Dovolis. “I’m so honored to have this opportunity. Joining this team is a dream come true.”

For more, visit warehousewestent.com.

 

 

Delta Rae Plans Nashville Residency

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The Valory Music Co. band Delta Rae will embark on a 16-week residency this fall, titled The Delta Rae Revival, at The Basement in Nashville. The band will perform each Wednesday from Sept. 5 through Dec. 19. Tickets are $10 with a limited amount available online, with the remainder sold on a first-come, first-serve basis at the door.

“We have always had two sides to our sound,” explained Delta Rae member Brittany Holljes. “Liz sings warm summer love songs and by contrast I give voice to our swampy, mysterious tracks. The core of our inspiration is the power of that contrast. It’s Light and Dark, Good and Evil, Life and Death. This Revival experience will play off those forces in a way to give our audience both butterflies and goosebumps. We promise it will deliver on everything Delta Rae does best. It’s by far the most creative and exciting show we’ve ever crafted.”

Delta Rae is rounded out with Holljes’ brothers Eric (vocals, piano) and Ian (vocals, guitar) as well as Mike McKee (drums) and Grant Emerson (bass). Storytelling and southern magic have always been part of the Holljes siblings’ upbringing. Since signing to The Valory Music Co., Delta Rae has released two EPs – A Long And Happy Life, and The Blackbird Sessions, which produced the single “No Peace in Quiet.”

The Basement is located at 1604 8th Ave. S. in Nashville.

Mark Schultz Preps New Album, ‘Follow’

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Mark Schultz

Singer-songwriter Mark Schultz is placing the final touches on his first full-length project in six years, Follow.

Set to release Aug. 17, 2018, the album features Schultz’s brand new songs “Hope is Rising,” “Time Goes So Fast,” “Psalm 91” and others, as well as his timeless fan-favorites such as the worship anthems “God of Glory” and “I Am.”

The title track was inspired by a story Schultz heard about a girl with a rough upbringing and no father-figure. “Follow: is set to hit radio airwaves in late July 2018, with the full album, Follow, releasing August 2018. Pre-orders for the album will begin on July 27, 2018.

In Pictures: Kenny Chesney, Lee Brice, Cody Johnson, Banner Music

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Kenny Chesney Celebrates Record-Breaking “Get Along”

Photo Credit: Jill Trunnell

Kenny Chesney celebrated his 30th chart-topping career single “Get Along” with his radio family this past weekend in Kansas City (July 14), where he played to a record-breaking crowd of 57,528 at Arrowhead Stadium. This latest No. 1 is from his upcoming album Songs for the Saints, due July 27, and crowns him as the artist with the most No. 1 hits in the history of Billboard‘s Country Airplay chart.

 

Lee Brice Hosts Nashville Show For Folds Of Honor

Pictured (L-R), back row: Red Light Management’s Haley McLemore, Jake Owen, Ginger Gilbert Ravella, Lee Brice, Dallas Davidson, SESAC’s Shannan Hatch. (L-R), front row: Red Light Management’s Enzo DeVincenzo, Tyler Farr, Chuck Wicks, Rob Hatch, SESAC’s Lydia Schultz. Photo: Peyton Hoge

Lee Brice recently hosted the first of a three-show series at Analog at Hutton Hotel benefiting Folds Of Honor. Rob Hatch, Jake Owen, Tyler Farr, Dallas Davidson and emcee Chuck Wicks sang several rounds of songs acoustically and told stories throughout the special evening. Ginger Gilbert Ravella, a Gold Star wife who lost her husband Troy in 2006, spoke on behalf of Folds of Honor, thanking Lee and everyone in the audience for their support. The second and third shows in the series will take place August 27, as Lee honors Women of Country, and October 1, when he and several friends pay tribute to Route 91 Festival’s one-year anniversary.

 

Cody Johnson At Windy City Smokeout

Pictured (L-R): WEBG Lance Houston, WMN National Director Of Promotion Katie Bright, Cody Johnson, WKHX Brian Thomas + girlfriend Dovie, WUSN Kenny Jay, Spotify John Marks

Cody Johnson took time out during his performance at last weekend’s Windy City Smokeout in Chicago to meet with some local radio programmers, including reps from WEBG, WKHX, and WUSN.

Banner Music Hosts Margarita Monday

Banner Music hosted “Margarita Monday”Last night (7/16) at their office on Music Row, which included a guitar pull with songs from various songwriters and artists, as well as plenty of margaritas. The next event from Banner Music will be announced in the upcoming weeks.

Breakaway Music Festival Adds To Nashville Lineup

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Prime Social Group​ has announced that GRiZ​, DJ Diesel ​and Sheck Wes ​will join the lineup for the inaugural Breakaway Music Festival in Nashville. The event is set to take place Oct. 5-6 at the Bicentennial Capitol Mall State Park​.

Rounding out the EDM portion of the bill is future funk artist GRiZ​, known for tracks like “Good Times Roll” and for his unique mix of dubstep, bass, and jazz. To precede on the EDM portion of the bill is basketball legend Shaquille O’Neal aka DJ Diesel, who’s continuing his legacy from the courts to the decks.

This year, Sheck Wes signed a joint deal with Kanye West’s GOOD Music and Travis Scott’s Cactus Jack label. He is putting the final touches on his debut project Mudboy.

The bill also includes previously-announced artists Wiz Khalifa​, Illenium​, Lil Pump​, Russ,​ 3LAU​, Gryffin​, Lil Skies​, NGHTMRE, Quinn XCII, Justin Caruso, Mike Floss, Shaun Frank, ​and more.

“Nashville has been waiting for an event just like Breakaway. This place is called the ‘Music City’ for a reason. It’s not just country; Nashville is a melting pot of young people and music that needs a millennial driven music festival which is exactly what Breakaway Nashville is,” PSG Nashville Market Manager, Blake Miller said.

Coming in 2018, Breakaway Music Festival will not only expand to Nashville’s Bicentennial Capitol Mall Oct. 5-6, but will also return to Columbus’ Mapfre Stadium Aug. 24-26, Grand Rapids’ Belknap Park Aug. 24-25, Charlotte’s AvidXchange Music Factory Oct. 12-13 and took place in Dallas’ Toyota Music Factory in April.

Tickets are on sale now. Two-day passes start at $99. Stay tuned for single day tickets to be released. This event is all ages and outdoors rain or shine.