Spotify Launches ‘2017 Wrapped’ For Creators Campaign

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Spotify announced the launch of its annual ‘2017 Wrapped’ for Creators campaign, presenting artists with a custom micro-site celebrating their success on Spotify over the past year.

The data features an overview of how their music connected with fans, including the total number of unique listeners; the biggest days of the year for up to three artist tracks; the total number of times their songs have been streamed, plus total duration of time spent listening to their music; total unique listeners for when they appeared on Spotify’s Discover Weekly and Release Radar playlists; the number of fan-curated playlists they were added to, plus the top keywords in titles of those play lists; and the three countries most of their listeners live in.

Artists and their teams can access and share their ‘2017 Wrapped’ pages by logging into Spotify for Artists, Spotify’s dashboard for artists and their teams to track their music as it goes live, control their presence on Spotify, and learn more about their listeners. Fans can only view an artist’s ‘Wrapped’ page if an artist decides to proactively share it.

The platform launched in April 2017 and has since expanded to include a variety of new features and analytics updates. Spotify for Artists also recently launched both iOS and Android apps.

“There’s so much data in the music industry, and Spotify for Artists boils it all down to help artists and their teams discern the signal from the noise,” said Charlie Hellman, Vice President, Product, Creator, Spotify. “The ‘Wrapped’ campaign is a great example of what we’ve infused into Spotify for Artists overall: data brought to life. It’s also a celebration of each artist’s year that we hope artists can enjoy with their fans.”

Learn more at https://artists.spotify.com/

Eric Church’s Little Louder Inks Creative/Publishing Deal With Kobalt Music

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Eric Church. Photo: Jill Trunell

Kobalt Music has entered a worldwide creative and publishing deal with Little Louder, that covers future works and all back catalog. Kobalt’s creative team will be pitching their writer’s songs for placements on various records, and providing assistance on key sync projects in addition to offering collaboration and co-write opportunities.

Arturo Buenahora, Jr. and Eric Church formed Little Louder in 2013. The publishing company’s roster includes songwriters Casey Beathard, Luke Dick, Oscar Charles, Jeff Hyde, Haley Georgia and Ryan Tyndell.

Church said of the deal, “We are excited about what the future holds with Kobalt.”

“As we began planning the next steps for the evolution of Little Louder, we found a partner in Kobalt that we think can help us build upon the foundation that we have carefully established,” said Little Louder President, Buenahora. “We are a boutique publisher at heart that is always trying to superserve our writers. Kobalt will allow us to keep that identity while providing talented creative reinforcement with a global reach.”

Sas Metcalfe, Chief Creative Officer at Kobalt, stated, “Eric Church is more than a singer-songwriter, he is a force to be reckoned with in the music business. He is the type of musician that really transforms his energy and passion into the musical projects he creates. Little Louder is no different and we are excited to support the company’s talented roster across the globe.”

Jesse Willoughby, General Manager at Kobalt, Nashville stated, “Both Eric and Arturo have built an incredible company with such a diverse roster in a short amount of time and we couldn’t be prouder to help grow their company going forward.”

Prior to forming Little Louder, Buenahora served a 10-year tenure in publishing at Sony/ATV, where he helped sign or produced such acts as Taylor Swift, Dierks Bentley, Miranda Lambert, and other artists.

John Caldwell Signs With Big Deal Music Group, Brett Beavers

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Pictured (L-R): Greg Gallo (Big Deal), John Caldwell, Brett Beavers, Dale Bobo (Big Deal), Kelly Bolton (Big Deal)

Songwriter, producer and engineer John Caldwell has signed a publishing agreement with Big Deal Music Group and songwriter/producer Brett Beavers in a joint venture deal.

Caldwell’s writing credits include songs on projects by Gretchen Wilson, Keb’ Mo’, and Aaron Watson, among others.  He has engineered projects for Merle Haggard, The SteelDrivers, Alan Jackson, Dierks Bentley, Edie Brickell, and more.

Caldwell is also a supporter of the Song Suffragettes movement, having recently produced their version of Keith Urban’s song “Female.”

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Bon Jovi, The Cars, Dire Straits, Nina Simone To Rock & Roll Hall Of Fame

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Bon Jovi, The Cars, Dire Straits, The Moody Blues, and Nina Simone will become the newest inductees into the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame, while Sister Rosetta Tharpe is set to receive the Award for Early Influence. The artists will be honored during the 33rd Annual Rock & Roll Hall of Fame Induction Ceremony, presented by Klipsch Audio, on April 14, 2018 at Public Auditorium in Cleveland.

The Rock Hall will host a week of events leading up to the celebration including the unveiling of the 2018 inductee exhibit and Hall of Fame floor. Ticket on-sale dates for the show, which will premiere on HBO and be broadcast on SiriusXM, will be announced later.

Four of this year’s inductees were on the ballot for the first time, including Dire Straits, The Moody Blues, Nina Simone and Sister Rosetta Tharpe. The top five artists selected by the public also comprised a “fans’ ballot” that was tallied along with the other ballots to determine the 2018 Inductees. Four of the top five artists (Bon Jovi, The Moody Blues, Dire Straits and The Cars) from the fan ballot will be inducted as performers in 2018.

To be eligible for induction, an individual artist or band must have released its first commercial recording at least 25 years prior to the year of induction, or no later than 1992. Ballots were sent to an international voting body of more than 1,000 artists, including current living inductees, historians and members of the music industry.

Jack White Previews New Music

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Jack White

Jack White has been in the studio working on a new album, and the singer/songwriter/guitarist just released a curious musical collage titled “Servings and Portions From My Boarding House Reach.” It’s not immediately clear if the new music is a preview from the new album, though a YouTube clip (below) shows shots of White’s band in the studio and a swirl of music incorporating elements of hip-hop, jazz and more, in addition to White’s signature guitar work.

White released his previous solo album, Lazaretto, in 2014, via his Nashville-based Third Man Records, in association with XL Recordings and Columbia Records. The next year, his band Dead Weather, released the project Dodge and Burn, while White released Acoustic Recordings 1998-2016 last year.

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Creative Artists Agency Announces Promotions

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Creative Artists Agency (CAA) today (Dec. 12) announced the promotion of 10 trainees to agent or executive nationwide, including two from the company’s Music department in Nashville. Music City-based Bennett Beckner and Madison Lee were promoted to Agents.

Other Music Department promotions include Joseph Harris and Joe Mott, both elevated to the role of Agent in Los Angeles.

Elsewhere in the organization, Austin Denesuk was promoted to Agent in CAA’s Television department. Denesuk is based in Los Angeles, where she serves in the TV Lit group.

Callie Rivers and Maddy Roth have been named Executives in the CAA Foundation, the agency’s philanthropic arm, and are based in CAA’s Los Angeles office.

Jacksonville-based Beth Enstrom has been promoted to Executive in CAA Golf, and Tee Stumb has been promoted to Agent in CAA Sports Talent Sales department. He will continue to be based in New York.

Erik Telford has been promoted to Agent in the Speakers group, and is based in the agency’s Los Angeles office.

Kane Brown Added To ‘Dick Clark’s New Year’s Rockin’ Eve With Ryan Seacrest’

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Kane Brown

Kane Brown has been added as a performer for the West Coast celebration of Dick Clark’s New Year’s Rockin’ Eve with Ryan Seacrest 2018. Brown will join chart-topping artists Kelly Clarkson, BTS, Fitz and The Tantrums, Khalid, Shawn Mendes and Charlie Puth who will rock the west coast festivities from Los Angeles, where Ciara is set to host the event leading up to the 2018 countdown. America’s largest celebration of the year will take place on Sunday, Dec. 31, beginning at 8 p.m. ET on the ABC Television Network.

Dick Clark’s New Year’s Rockin’ Eve with Ryan Seacrest 2018 marks the 46th anniversary of America’s largest celebration of the year and will include 5.5 hours of special performances and reports on New Year’s celebrations from around the globe. Ryan Seacrest will host the primetime festivities and lead the traditional countdown to midnight from Times Square in New York City, as he has for the last 12 years, with live on-site reporting from actress and comedian Jenny McCarthy. Dick Clark’s New Year’s Rockin’ Eve with Ryan Seacrest 2018 is produced by dick clark productions with Ryan Seacrest, Allen Shapiro and Mike Mahan serving as executive producers and Barry Adelman and Mark Bracco as co-executive producers. Larry Klein is producer.

SOLID Announces Board For 2018

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Pictured (L-R): Johnny Cloherty, President; Amanda Remo, Treasurer; Nathan Pyle, Vice President; Elise Anderson, Secretary. Photo: Brenton Giesey

The Society of Leaders in Development (SOLID) announced their board election results for the organization’s upcoming 2018 year. The Executive Board includes the following: President Johnny Cloherty (Artist Management and Digital Promotions Consultant), Vice President Nathan Pyle (The Recording Academy), Treasurer Amanda Remo (Martin, Allbee & Associates) and Secretary Elise Anderson (Nashville Music Media).

Committee Chairs for 2018 are as follows:

Communications Chair: Lindsey Hughes (Made In Network)
Communications Co-Chair: Avery King (Nashville Music Media)
Education Chair: Matt Najdowski (Sony/ATV)
Education Co-Chair: Cait Murphy (KP Entertainment)
Social Chair: Rachel Glidden (Universal Music Group/Fame House)
Social Co-Chair: Max Wiebrecht (Paradigm Talent Agency)
Community Outreach Chair: Collin Trudan (TKO Management)
Community Outreach Co-Chair: Bailey Lathem (City National Bank)
University Outreach Chair: Pete Stormer (Vector Management)
University Outreach Co-Chair: Ammie Sortor (APA)
Music Market Chair: Erin Pettit (Flood, Bumstead, McCready & McCarthy)
Music Market Co-Chair: Grayson Flatness (CAA)

“Coming off the heels of our 20th Year Celebration events, SOLID is absolutely on fire,” said incoming president Cloherty. “Going into my third year on SOLID’s board, I have never felt this kind of energy and excitement from the incoming board, members and alumni. If this enthusiasm is any indication of what to expect from SOLID in 2018, it will be our best year to date.”

The SOLID Alumni Board also announced its new president and board members. The board will be led by President Heather Cook (peer Music), and includes the following board members: Amanda Quinton (Quinton Digital), Wes Perry (Live Nation), Eric Griffin (Music City Counsel), and Kelly Gurbisz (Go Big Transportation).

Casting Crowns Extends Very Next Thing Tour Into 2018

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Casting Crowns returns to the road in 2018 for the final leg of its The Very Next Thing Tour, featuring special guest I AM THEY. Presented by Compassion International, the 30-city spring leg of “The Very Next Thing” Tour will run from March to early May of 2018, with tickets going on sale Friday in most markets. The tour has hit 100 major markets since Fall 2016, resulting in multiple sold-out performances and an overall attendance topping 435,000, making it the most-attended Crowns tour since 2008.

The Very Next Thing Tour supports Casting Crowns’ current studio album, The Very Next Thing (Beach Street/Reunion), the group’s 15th release and eighth studio album since its label debut in 2003. With more than 10 million records sold, Casting Crowns has held the position of Billboard’s top-selling act in Christian music since 2007. The band is currently wrapping up a holiday arena tour, A Glorious Christmas, with for KING & COUNTRY. They also just received a seventh Grammy nomination, and have generated 100,000 child sponsorships through their concerts.

The Very Next Thing Tour – Spring 2018
* Dates and markets subject to change without notice
March 8 – Macon, GA
March 9 – Florence, SC
March 10 – Norfolk, VA
March 15  – Huntington, WV
March 16 – Bourbonnais, IL
March 17 – Effingham, IL
March 18 – Wisconsin Dells, WI
March 20 – Rochester, MN
March 22 – TBD
March 23 – Park City, KS
March 24 – Longview, TX
March 29 – TBD
March 30 – Paducah, KY
April 5 – TBD
April  6 – Andrews, TX
April 7 – TBD
April 8 – McAlester, OK
April 12 – Knoxville, TN
April 13 – Hixson, TN
April 14 – Farmington, MO
April 19 – Mandeville, LA
April 20 – Tuscaloosa, AL
April 21 – Albany, GA
April 26 – Poughkeepsie, NY
April 27 – Augusta, ME
April 28 – Lowell, MA
April 29 – Charlottesville, VA
May 3 – TBD
May 4 – Wheeling, WV
May 5 – Owensboro, KY

Apple Purchases Music Discovery App Shazam

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Apple and Shazam confirmed to multiple outlets Monday, Dec. 11, the acquisition of one of iOS’ earliest music discovery apps by the tech giant.

The deal is estimated at $400 million, significantly less than the $1 billion Shazam was valued at during its last funding round. Shazam brought in $54 million in revenue for 2016 and has lately been dabbling in AR technology.

Apple’s full statement from spokesperson Tom Neumayr:

“We are thrilled that Shazam and its talented team will be joining Apple. Since the launch of the App Store, Shazam has consistently ranked as one of the most popular apps for iOS. Today, it’s used by hundreds of millions of people around the world, across multiple platforms. Apple Music and Shazam are a natural fit, sharing a passion for music discovery and delivering great music experiences to our users. We have exciting plans in store, and we look forward to combining with Shazam upon approval of today’s agreement.”

“We are excited to announce that Shazam has entered into an agreement to become part of Apple,” said Shazam’s spokesperson Giovanni Bossio. “Shazam is one of the highest-rated apps in the world and loved by hundreds of millions of users and we can’t imagine a better home for Shazam to enable us to continue innovating and delivering magic for our users.”

The deal should close in the coming weeks pending regulatory approval.