The Knoller Group Opens Nashville Office

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Kimberly Knoller

The Knoller Group, known for artist management, marketing and brand development, has announced the opening of its Nashville office. The Knoller Group founder and CEO Kimberly Knoller will split time between the company’s Nashville and Los Angeles offices, while Brett McGinn will oversee the Los Angeles office.

The Knoller Group’s current clients include Warner Bros.’ The Regrettes, Sony Nashville’s Fairground Saints, and PHASES. The Regrettes and Fairground Saints were both discovered, developed and signed to major labels by Knoller.

Knoller says, “I’ve been a fan of the unique and welcoming Nashville music community for years and after signing Fairground Saints to Sony Nashville, it made sense to have a regular presence in what truly is Music City.”

Knoller previously served as Warner Bros. Records’ Head of Direct to Consumer Marketing and e-Commerce, as well as VP, Marketing for Musictoday, which was founded by Coran Capshaw.

The Knoller Group’s Nashville office can be reached at 629-401-3588.

Maren Morris’ ‘I Could Use A Love Song’ Goes Gold

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Maren Morris recently celebrated the Gold certification of her first No. 1, “I Could Use A Love Song,” with staffers at her label, Columbia Records Nashville. She is following up the hit with her brand new single, “Rich,” a fan favorite from her lauded debut album Hero, which goes to radio today.

“‘Rich’ feels like the perfect, confidant, laugh-the-B.S.-off-with-your-friends kind of song to go into Spring with. More importantly, ‘Rich’ is the first time we’ve really let fans pick the single, so it was a no brainer to make it my final single from Hero,” says Morris.

The Gold certification caps off a year for Morris that has included six nominations for the 52nd Academy of Country Music Awards, a summer tour with Sam Hunt, five CMA nominations for the 50th Annual CMA Awards, MusicRow‘s 2017 Breakthrough Artist award, the Breakthrough Artist Award by the Music Business Association at Music Biz 2017, Radio Disney’s Country Best New Artist award, her fifth Grammy nomination, and the announcement of joining Niall Horan on Niall’s Flicker World Tour 2018 with dates in Australia, New Zealand, US and Canada.

She appears tomorrow night in New York City at the All For The Hall New York benefit concert at the Times Square PlayStation Theater.

Country Hitmaker Daryle Singletary Dies

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Daryle Singletary

Daryle Singletary died Monday morning (Feb. 12) in Nashville. He was 46. His cause of death is being determined.

Singletary was best known for ’90s country hits including “I Let Her Lie,” “Too Much Fun,” and “Amen Kind of Love.” Throughout his career, Singletary has collaborated with George Jones, Dwight Yoakam, Merle Haggard, Ricky Skaggs, John Anderson and more.

Singletary moved to Nashville in 1990, and began performing in talent contests around Music City, before he began a regular gig at The Broken Spoke. After releasing a couple of unsuccessful singles on Evergreen Records in the early ’90s, Singletary released his debut album for Giant Records in 1995, followed by two follow up projects, garnering hits including “I Let Her Lie Lie” and “Too Much Fun.”

By 2000, he had teamed with Koch Records for the album Now and Again, which featured Greg Cole as producer. They followed with 2002’s That’s Why I Sing This Way, which featured collaborations with Johnny Paycheck, Jones, Haggard and more.

After Koch Records closed in 2005, Singletary moved to Shanachie Records to release 2007’s Straight From The Heart, which featured appearances from Skaggs, Anderson and others on country evergreens including “The Bottle Let Me Down” and “Fifteen Years Ago.” 2009 saw the release of Rockin’ The Country, followed by 2015’s There’s Still A Little Country Left. In 2017, he teamed with bluegrass star Rhonda Vincent on the duets album American Grandstand.

Singletary, a native of Cairo, Georgia, is survived by his wife, Holly, two sons, Jonah and Mercer, two daughters, Nora and Charlotte, parents, Roger and Anita Singletary, brother, Kevin Singletary, sister-in-law, Melinda Singletary, mother and father-in-law, Terry and Sandy Mercer, and brother and sister-in-law, Tony and Kristy Rowland.

Funeral arrangements will be announced at a later date.

 

Lauren Kilgore Promoted to Partner at Shackelford, Bowen, McKinley & Norton

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Lauren Kilgore

By: LB Rogers

The business and entertainment law firm Shackelford, Bowen, McKinley & Norton has promoted litigation and entertainment attorney Lauren Kilgore to partner.

“Lauren has a unique understanding of the issues facing our clients,” said founding partner John Shackelford, “she has played a central role in the growth and success of the Nashville office and we are pleased she has accepted this new role with the firm.”

Kilgore draws from her firsthand experience as a country music performer to guide her in her representation of recording artists, publishing companies, internet companies and record labels in both trial work and transactional matters. She also represents a broad and diverse clientele of individuals and companies in commercial litigation.

Kilgore is a graduate of Vanderbilt University Law School and earned her undergraduate degree, summa cum laude, from Birmingham-Southern College.

She has been honored among the Best of the Bar by the Nashville Business Journal and selected to Super Lawyers magazine’s Tennessee Rising Stars list, which honors the top young attorneys in the state.

In addition to Ms. Kilgore’s promotion to non-equity partner, the firm also announced that corporate law attorney Michelle Snedden has been promoted to equity partner; and business and family law attorney Stephen Shellenberger has been promoted to non-equity partner in the Dallas office.

Power Of Music Festival Set For April In Arkansas

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The 2018 Power Of Music Festival in Bentonville, Arkansas April 26-29 will feature Songwriters Hall of Fame members Tony Arata, Roger Cook, Randy Goodrum, Richard Leigh, Dennis Morgan, and Steve Dorff, whose induction into the Songwriters Hall of Fame was just announced. A portion of festival proceeds will benefit songwriting programs in local area schools.

Additional performers will include indie-Americana trio The Accidentals, Nashville group Farewell Angelina, Latin rock ‘n’ roll band Making Movies, folk artist Steve Poltz, songwriter Jerry Salley, Keith Sykes, and Emmy-winning composer Jonathan Wolff, along with numerous local songwriters.

MusiCares, a charity of the Recording Academy that offers emergency financial assistance, addiction recovery resources, and wellness initiatives to members of the music industry, is partnering with the Power of Music Festival to provide eligible music pros with custom ear plugs as a walk-up service during the event.

The festival is presented by the I’ll Fly Away Foundation with its You Can Fly Songwriting Program, which brings established songwriters into schools to personally craft songs with students.

Jacee Badeaux Named Creative Director At Big Yellow Dog Music

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Jacee Badeaux has joined Big Yellow Dog Music as Creative Director. In this role he will assist the creative services team responsible for writer management and song plugging at the publishing company.

In 2011, Badeaux appeared on season 10 of American Idol, where he made it to the Top 40. He then attended Belmont University and interned at Big Yellow Dog Music before serving on the administrative staff at APA.

“As a growing publishing company, we always look for the brightest lights to bring to Big Yellow Dog and to our music community,” says Big Yellow Dog Music CEO Carla Wallace. “If you get a chance to meet this guy, you will see why he got a gig here. He can also make a really good gumbo.”

Billy Currington To Hit The Road With LOCASH For 16-Date Tour

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By: LB Rogers

Billy Currington is hitting the road again this summer for a 16-stop tour. The outing will feature support act LOCASH and kick off in Wallingford, Connecticuit late March.

Currington has earned 12 No. 1 singles, including the double-Platinum “People Are Crazy” and “Must Be Doin’ Somethin’ Right” with recent chart success of two back-to-back No. 1s “It Don’t Hurt Like It Used To” and “Do I Make You Wanna.” His latest album Summer Forever debuted at No. 3.

LOCASH has earned a Gold-certified hits, “I Love This Life” alongside the No.1 smash, “I Know Somebody.” Their current single “Don’t Get Better Than That” is climbing the country charts.

2018 Tour Dates:

March 30 | Wallingford, CT | Toyota Oakdale Theatre
March 31 | Hampton Beach, NH | The Ballroom
April 19 | Northfield, OH | Hard Rock Live
April 20 | Mt. Pleasant, MI | Soaring Eagle Casino & Resort
April 27 | Atlanta, GA | Coca Cola Roxy
May 12 | Sacramento, CA | KNCI Country in the Park
May 17 | Salt Lake City, UT | Union Event Center
May 18 | Henderson, NV | Sunset Station Outdoor Amphitheater
July 7 | Glen Allen, VA | Innsbrook After Hours – K95 Countryfest
July 26 | East Providence, RI | Bold Point Park
July 27 | Portland, ME | Maine State Pier
July 28 | Mount Pocono, PA | Mount Airy Casino Resort
August 16 | Asbury Park, NJ | Stone Pony Summerstage
August 17 | St. Leonard, MD | Bayside Toyota Pavilion
August 31 | Boston, MA | Blue Hills Bank Pavilion
September 1 | Farmingville, NY | Brookhaven Amphitheater

UMG Nashville Promotes Lori Christian, Tony Grotticelli, Annie Ortmeier

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Pictured (L-R): Lori Christian, Tony Grotticelli and Annie Ortmeier

Universal Music Group (UMG) Nashville has announced three promotions within its marketing team: Lori Christian to Sr. Vice President, Media Marketing; Tony Grotticelli to Vice President, Digital Marketing; and Annie Ortmeier to Vice President, Marketing – Digital Accounts.

Christian has led the publicity department at UMG Nashville since the 2012 merger of EMI/Capitol and Universal Music Group. In her time at UMG Nashville, Christian has overseen the launches of over 100 projects including Chris Stapleton’s Grammy Award-winning, double Platinum-selling debut, Traveller, and his Grammy Award-winning follow-up album, From A Room: Volume 1; Keith Urban’s multi-Platinum-selling albums Ripcord and Fuse, plus his upcoming Graffiti U; and Luke Bryan’s record-breaking, award-winning albums Crash My Party, Kill the Lights, and his most-recent, What Makes You Country.

“Lori has been instrumental in helping craft our overall messaging and define narrative for our artists and their music,” says UMGN President Cindy Mabe. “She continues to re-define and imagine ways to expose our music and talent through some of the most impactful opportunities to connect and grow their audiences. Lori’s ability to visualize the big picture marketing strategy makes her an indispensable asset to our roster of artists and our entire company. I am so proud to work with her and her team and to watch her raise the bar on our overall marketing strategy as the Senior Vice President of Media Marketing.”

Grotticelli joined UMG Nashville in 2011 and has grown from overseeing social media, digital development and e-commerce to now, as VP, Digital Marketing, Grotticelli leads the UMGN digital marketing department along with merchandising, direct-to-consumer, business development and advertising.

Mabe shares, “Tony has proven to be one of the most well-rounded, forward-thinking and continuously evolving executives I have ever known. He leads at the forefront of business development, analytics, D2C, CRM and fan engagement, but always with an astute artist marketing vision. I am so proud to watch Tony grow and evolve his role by leading our fantastic digital marketing team into a new era of artist marketing.”

Ortmeier initially came to UMG Nashville in 2013 where she managed digital partner relationships including all domestic audio and video streaming services. Now as VP, Marketing – Digital Accounts, Ortmeier oversees streaming marketing strategy and analysis for all UMG Nashville artists across all streaming accounts globally.

“Annie is one of the brightest, most focused, and deliberate marketing strategists I have worked with,” says Mabe. “Her marketing knowledge base is wide and she has been a pioneer in building overall streaming strategy for UMG Nashville from the beginning of streaming as a direct correlation to both sales and marketing. Her clear focus and vision for the growth of this department is critical to our ability to grow our artists reach and distribution of music around the world. I’m so excited for how this expanded role will allow Annie to grow our musical influence around the world.”

UMG Nashville consists of Capitol Records Nashville, EMI Records Nashville, MCA Nashville and Mercury Nashville. Combined rosters include Alan Jackson, Billy Currington, Brandon Lay, Brothers Osborne, Canaan Smith, Carrie Underwood, Chris Stapleton, Clare Dunn, Darius Rucker, Dierks Bentley, Eric Church, Eric Paslay, Gary Allan, George Strait, Jon Pardi, Jordan Davis, Josh Turner, Kacey Musgraves, Kassi Ashton, Keith Urban, Kip Moore, Lady Antebellum, Lauren Alaina, Little Big Town, Luke Bryan, Maddie & Tae, Mickey Guyton, Sam Hunt, Shania Twain, Sugarland, The Band Perry, Travis Denning, Tyminski and Vince Gill.

Kristian Bush And Friends To Play Special 98 WSIX Bluebird Cafe’ Show For St. Jude

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A special fundraising concert, “The Chapter Series Featuring Kristian Bush & Friends for St. Jude,” has been set for February 22 at the Bluebird Cafe in Nashville. Hunter Hayes, roots rock sister duo Larkin Poe, and The BIG 98’s syndicated morning show host Bobby Bones are also scheduled to perform.

Team BIG 98, co-led by WSIX-FM midday personality Amy Paige, has generated almost $650,000 for St. Jude Children’s Research Hospital through a variety of fundraising events. Team BIG 98 was co-founded by Paige six years ago at iHeartRadio’s WSIX in Nashville, which is consistently one of the top Country Cares for St. Jude Kids fundraising radio stations in the nation. The initial efforts were focused on encouraging listeners to become St. Jude Heroes, runners who fundraise for St. Jude while training for various St. Jude races. Events now include the popular Songs & Stories Concert, a songwriter event leading up to the St. Jude Rock ‘n’ Roll Nashville Marathon & ½ Marathon.

“I knew how much Kristian loved St. Jude, and when I heard Bluebird Cafe GM Erika Wollam Nichols visited the hospital and fell in love like the rest of us, we came up with this crazy idea to get him to gather some artist and writer friends for this fun event,” said Paige.

Reservations for The Chapter Series Featuring Kristian Bush & Friends will be $50 for General seating, and a very limited number of Gold Circle seats will be available for $100. All reservations will be pre-paid in advance at bluebirdcafe.com beginning today.

Nashville Wins Big During Pollstar Awards

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Nashville was well-represented among the winners at last night’s Pollstar Awards at the Wiltern in L.A., with the Ryman Auditorium, Bridgestone Arena, Chris Stapleton, Bridgestone’s David Kells, Clair Global, and Moo TV all receiving awards. Moo TV was honored for the eighth time. Hosted by America’s Got Talent winner, illusionist Mat Franco, the awards capped off the Pollstar Live! conference that already featured heaps of star power with Garth Brooks, Jon Bon Jovi and Mark Cuban speaking and providing insight during the three-day annual event.

The annual awards celebrate the live touring industry. According to Pollstar, the Top 100 Worldwide Tours generated a record $5.65 billion in revenues, a 15.8 percent increase over the previous year, and total tickets sold by the Top 100 tours was also at a record high, with more than 66 million, up 10.4% over 2016.

Brooks was also announced as the inaugural inductee to Pollstar‘s Live Music Hall of Fame.

2018 Pollstar Award Winners:
International Music Festival of the Year: Glastonbury Festival | Pilton, UK
Nightclub of the Year: 9:30 Club | Washington, DC
Theatre of the Year: Ryman Auditorium | Nashville, TN
Arena of the Year: Bridgestone Arena | Nashville, TN
Red Rocks Award / Best Small Outdoor Venue: Greek Theatre | Los Angeles, CA
Best Major Outdoor Concert Venue: Hollywood Bowl | Los Angeles, CA
Best New Concert Venue: Brooklyn Steel | Brooklyn, NY
International Venue of the Year: The O2 | London, UK
Venue Executive of the Year: David Kells | Bridgestone Arena, Nashville, TN
Nightclub Talent Buyer of the Year: Melanie Cantwell | 9:30 Club, The Anthem, Lincoln Theatre, Washington, DC
Talent Buyer of the Year: Stacy Vee | Goldenvoice
Bill Graham Award / Promoter of the Year: Gregg Perloff | Another Planet Entertainment
International Promoter of the Year: Barrie Marshall | Marshall Arts
Bobby Brooks Award / Agent of the Year: Cara Lewis | CLG – Cara Lewis Group
Third Coast Booking Agent of the Year: Joe Atamian | Paradigm Talent Agency
UK Booking Agent of the Year: Emma Banks | Creative Artists Agency UK
Independent Booking Agency of the Year: High Road Touring
Booking Agency of the Year: Paradigm Talent Agency
Rising Star: Lenore Kinder, AEG Presents
Personal Manager of the Year: Tony Dimitriades | Tom Petty & the Heartbreakers
Road Warrior of the Year: Dale “Opie” Skjerseth | The Rolling Stones, Guns N’ Roses
Lighting Company of the Year: Upstaging
Sound Company of the Year: Clair Global
Staging / Equipment: Company of the Year: Stageco
Transportation Company of the Year: Rock-It Cargo
Video Company of the Year: Moo TV
Tech Enhancement of the Year: 3D Live, Flying Lotus