Chris Lane Surprised With Gold Plaque For “Take Back Home Girl”

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Chris Lane was surprised with a Gold plaque commemorating 500,000 sales and streams of his current single “Take Back Home Girl” featuring Tori Kelly just moments after his Stagecoach debut. The track has been certified Gold in both the U.S. and Canada by the RIAA, while garnering 100 million combined streams and ascending into the Top 15 on Billboard’s Country Airplay chart.

“I can’t think of a better way to kick off album number two than with a Gold single. The response on ‘Take Back Home Girl’ has been the biggest of my career and I’m so excited to share this moment with my team,” says Lane. “I definitely want to shout out to Tori Kelly, she’s an amazing singer and the perfect fit for this song. Having her be part of it makes it even more special.”

Already riding a hot streak for summer 2018, Lane has also scored his first-ever Radio Disney Music Awards nomination, as “Take Back Home Girl” vies for Play It Again! – Radio Disney Country Favorite Song.

Casting Crowns, Chris Tomlin, Zach Williams Added To K-Love Fan Awards

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The K-LOVE Fan Awards have added more performers for its sixth annual event, including Casting Crowns, Chris Tomlin, Hillsong Worship, Matt Maher, Tauren Wells featuring Natalie Grant, We Are Messengers featuring Social Club Misfits and Zach Williams.

Additionally, Danny Gokey, Mike Donehey (Tenth Avenue North), Natalie Grant and Plumb have been added as presenters. The fan-voted awards show will take place May 27 at Nashville’s Grand Ole Opry, and will be hosted by Matthew West and Mandisa.

Steven Curtis Chapman is set to host Saturday’s Songwriters Showcase. The popular Run for Love 5K to benefit Hands & Feet Project will return giving weekenders the opportunity to serve the orphaned and abandoned in Haiti.

Marking the show’s first appearance on television, TBN will broadcast the 2018 K-LOVE Fan Awards on Thursday, May 31 at 8 p.m. ET to its audience of more than 100 million households, with most markets experiencing the show in HD. Coca-Cola Consolidated will again sponsor the awards show, marking the third consecutive year for the partnership.

Weekly Register: Jason Aldean’s ‘Rearview Town’ Spends Second Week At No. 1

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Jason Aldean‘s Rearview Town continues to top the Nielsen Soundscan Country Albums rankings for a second week (and lands at No. 5 on the overall albums chart), following the album’s debut at the pinnacle of the Top 200 albums chart last week. The reigning ACM Entertainer of the Year’s album moved 38K (total consumption) this week.

At No. 2 is Brothers Osborne‘s Port Saint Joe, which debuts at No. 2 with 22K. Kane Brown‘s self-titled album is at No. 3 this week, with 17.9K in total consumption. Thomas Rhett‘s Life Changes is at No. 3 with 13K. Chris Stapleton‘s Traveller rounds out the Top 5 with 12.9K.

On the digital country sales rankings, the new Sugarland/Taylor Swift collaboration “Babe” debuts atop the chart, with 38K in sales. Aldean’s “You Make It Easy” follows at No. 2, with 21.8K.

Kane Brown‘s “Heaven” is at No. 3 with 18K. Kenny Chesney‘s new single “Get Along,” which he debuted at the recent Academy of Country Music Awards, is at No. 4 with 15.3K. Carrie Underwood‘s “Cry Pretty,” which she also debuted on the recent ACM Awards, is at No. 5 with 15K.

Guitar Maker Gibson Brands Files for Bankruptcy

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Nashville-based Gibson Brands filed for bankruptcy on Tuesday (May 1), citing sharply diminishing sales and continued struggles with its debt load after a series of acquisitions. The 124-year-old company known as the maker of the legendary Les Paul electric guitar, filed for chapter 11 in U.S. Bankruptcy Court in Delaware.

Gibson Brands has more than $500 million in loans due within the next six months. According to a statement from Gibson CEO Henry Juszkiewicz, the majority of Gibson’s creditors (69 percent) have agreed to a restructuring agreement that will allow Gibson to continue operating, as well as refocus on providing musical instruments. As part of that plan, the company will dissolve its Innovations unit, which operates largely outside the United States.

The company also said existing noteholders have agreed to provide $135 million in debtor-in-possession financing.

In addition to guitars, Gibson manufactures instruments under the Dobro, Wurlitzer and Baldwin Piano brands. The company employs nearly 900 people in its Nashville, Memphis, and Bozeman, Montana facilities.

Edison Research Releases Heavy Radio Listener Study

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A new study from “The Infinite Dial: Heavy Radio Listeners,” released by Edison Research, shows that one-fifth of broadcast radio’s biggest users already own a smart speaker. The report looks at the 30 percent of the American population ages 12 and over who are “Heavy Radio Listeners” – defined as those who listened to more than one hour of radio in the last day.

The study finds that 82 percent of heavy radio listeners have a radio in their home, which means nearly 18% of this group achieved ‘heavy’ status primarily through in-car or at-work listening.  Intriguingly, 20% of heavy radio listeners have Smart Speakers in their homes, which may allow for more at-home listening over time, but can also make it easier to use competing audio services.

In keeping with findings from past Edison research studies, radio’s best customers are heavy users of all audio – they listen heavily to broadcast radio, but do not limit themselves to it, something which has implications for future smart-speaker behavior. Nearly two-thirds listen to audio online, with large numbers choosing YouTube, Pandora, and the streams of AM and FM radio stations.  Over one-in-six heavy radio listeners say they have listened to a podcast in the last week.

“At this time of industry transition, it is vital that radio managers have high-quality research that represents the full U.S. population to use to understand their audiences.  This look at the Heavy Radio Listener from Infinite Dial allows everyone to understand not just what other kinds of audio and media people are using, but how Heavy Radio Listeners compare to the population at large,” said Larry Rosin, President of Edison Research.  “Readers of this report will see that the qualitative profile of Heavy Radio Listeners is very strong.  This is the kind of information that Radio managers can show to agencies and clients with confidence in the quality of the data.”

The Infinite Dial is the longest running study of consumer behaviors related to media and technology in America.  It uses ‘gold standard’ scientific telephone sampling to accurately reflect the entire U.S. population.

Industry Ink: SB21 Music Publishing, Gary Morris, Roy Orbison

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SB21 Music Publishing Celebrates First Multi-Week, Chart-Topping Song

SB21 Music Publishing is celebrating their first multi-week No. 1 song with Luke Bryan’s “Most People Are Good” written by SB21 writer David Fraiser. The song claimed the No. 1 spot on March 31 where it remained for three weeks and was recently performed on the ACM awards on April 15, 2018. The single, co-written by songwriting vets Josh Kear and Ed Hill, is off Luke Bryan’s current album What Makes You Country.

Founded by industry vet Steve Pasch and partners Eric Hart and Teresa Smith Ammon in 2011, SB21 Music Publishing is already looking to make 2018 a banner year with high profile cuts by SB21 writers include Steve Pasch, Brian White and Frasier. In addition to “Most People Are Good,” the company is enjoying success with cuts by Broken Bow recording artist Jason Aldean and Universal recording artist Jordan Davis. The songwriting team has already accumulated cuts by Rascal Flatts, Dustin Lynch, Joe Nichols, The Swon Brothers, Gretchen Wilson as well as Canadian stars, Tim Hicks, Jess Moskoluke, Chad Brownlee and many pop and Christian artists.

Gary Morris Helps Meals On Wheels Program With Bluebird Cafe Show

Gary Morris and some friends are helping raise funds for the Meals On Wheels Program in the Mid-Cumberland region with a special show on May 16 at the Bluebird Cafe.

Tickets for the show are $20 and go on sale May 9 at bluebirdcafe.com. Last year, Meals On Wheels provided 314,334 meals to seniors in the area.

 

Roy Orbison’s A Love So Beautiful Earns UK Gold

Pictured (L-R): Alex Orbison, son of Roy Orbison and President of Orbison Music; Joe Bennett, JBPR National Radio Promotions; Daniel Hinchcliffe, Managing Director, The Soundcheck Group; Orbison Music COO Chuck Fleckenstein; Olivia Walker, Head Of Marketing, Commercial Group, Sony Music UK; Nicola Tuer, COO, Sony Music UK; Phil Savill, Managing Director, Commercial Group, Sony Music UK and album producers Don Reedman and Nick Patrick. Photo: Chris Lopez

A Love So Beautiful: Roy Orbison with the Royal Philharmonic Orchestra, released globally by Roy’s Boys through Sony Music’s Legacy Recordings, has achieved Gold certification in the UK.  To qualify for Gold status there, an album must sell in excess of 100,000 units.  In the case of A Love So Beautiful, that plateau has been achieved more than twice over with a platinum award (sales over 300,000) expected later this year. Upon its release, the album debuted at No. 2 on the national album chart.

The Gold Award comes on the heels of the In Dreams: Roy Orbison In Concert  that played sixteen sold out dates in Great Britain, Northern Ireland, Switzerland, Belgium, Netherlands and Ireland. The tour, produced globally by BASE Hologram, a BASE Entertainment Company, is the first of-its-kind holographic concert performance, including on-stage accompaniment by The Royal Philharmonic Orchestra for the legendary icon recreated through mind-blowing holographic laser imaging. 

Blake Shelton, Oak Ridge Boys, Luke Combs Add CMA Fest Opry Shows

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Blake Shelton. Photo: Chris Hollo

Grand Ole Opry member Blake Shelton is headed back to the Opry stage on the Thursday night of CMA Fest week for the second straight year. Among those scheduled to join Shelton for two shows on Thursday, June 7 are fellow Opry members the Oak Ridge Boys, Charley Pride, and Josh Turner as well as country music newcomers Luke Combs and Maggie Rose. Tickets for the night’s two shows (7 p.m. and 9:30 p.m.) go on sale at 10 a.m. Wednesday, May 2 at opry.com and 800-SEE-OPRY.

The CMA Fest week Thursday night Opry shows will follow two Tuesday shows that week featuring Opry members Carrie Underwood and Terri Clark as well as newcomer Ashley McBryde and more.

Other Opry performances scheduled for CMA Fest Week include Friday June 8 and Saturday, June 9 as well as a Saturday matinee performance of Opry Country Classics featuring Larry Gatlin & the Gatlin Brothers, Pride, and more at the Ryman Auditorium.

Kenny Chesney To Issue ‘Songs For The Saints’ In July

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Kenny Chesney

On July 27, Kenny Chesney will return with his first album recorded for Blue Chair/Warner Bros. Nashville, titled Songs for the Saints. The 12-track album, co-produced by Buddy Cannon, features five songs written or co-written by Chesney.

The album’s first single, “Get Along,” offers an appropriate introduction to the project’s essence.

“So much has happened since I went off the road in 2016,” Chesney explains. “And all of it, in one way or another, has ended up on this record. It’s special to me because of what it says – to me, and for me – about life, the world around us, how fragile it all can be and about somehow still finding the best parts of you, and moving towards them. I was at a turning point in my life on so many levels, and then Hurricane Irma hit the Virgin Islands.

“But this album isn’t about St. John, so much as it’s about what happened to St. John and all those islands you didn’t see on the news. To just see the devastation and what that does to people is one thing, but then there’s this courage and resilience people find…This is not a literal record, but it is an album about the refuges we all have, how temporary life is and the way we navigate to better places, dig in and face the destruction. And sometimes, we learn to own our wild hearts in the process.”

Beyond the euphoric “Get Along,” the banjo and people-positive message tempo track hovering outside the Top 10, Chesney wrote or co-write five tracks. As with any release from the East Tennessee songwriter/superstar, there are songwriters getting their first cuts, surprise collaborations, an obscure jewel and the emotional fabric that makes the No Shoes Nation a place rich with heart, tenacity and the will to embrace life on its terms.

 

NSAI Voting Open For ‘Song Of The Year’ And The 10 ‘Songs I Wish I’d Written’ Awards

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Voting begins today (Monday, April 30) for the Nashville Songwriters Association International’s 10 “Song I Wish I’d Written” awards. The 130-song ballot is comprised of Nashville-associated songs that charted in Billboard Airplay Top 20 on the Christian, Country, Pop and Rock charts. Ballot-eligible singles must have charted between July 1, 2017, and April 30, 2018, and not have been awarded the previous year. The song that receives the highest number of votes will be NSAI’s 51st Song of the Year.

NSAI will recognize the 10 ‘Songs I Wish I’d Written’ awards, NSAI Song of the Year, Songwriter of the Year and Songwriter-Artist of the Year at the Nashville Songwriter Awards on Sept. 19, 2018, at the Ryman Auditorium.

Voting is open to current Professional Songwriter Members of NSAI and will run from Monday, April 30-May 13. To join, renew, or check on the status of a membership, contact Lindsay Gum at lindsay@nashvillesongwriters.com.

Tyler Dial Teams With Neon Cross Music For New EP ‘Repaint’

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Tyler Dial has announced a May 25 release for his album, Repaint, in creative partnership with Nashville’s Neon Cross Music.

The creative and administration agreement is led by Neon Cross’ Melissa Spillman. Neon Cross will oversee administration of Dial’s music catalog with Warner/Chappell Music. Spillman and Neon Cross Music are responsible for developing LANCO and Devin Dawson.

Repaint was produced by Neon Cross’ Jeremy Spillman and Little Louder’s Ryan Tyndell, who also co-wrote several of the album’s tracks. Acclaimed writers Ben Hayslip, Ryan Beaver, Lucie Silvas, Devin Dawson, Andy Albert and Kyle Fishman also penned songs on Dial’s new EP.

“I’m humbled and amazed by the team we are building and the progressive new art we’re creating,” said Dial. “No one knows better than I do, how truly lucky I am for the chance to learn and grow with the Neon Cross Music family.”

“Tyler has the talent, passion and drive required to succeed in music in Nashville and beyond, and we’re proud to help him launch his new music and career,” said Spillman.

Dial is set to graduate from the University Of Texas McCombs School of Business May 19.