In Pictures: Sara Evans, Caroline Jones, Tracy Lawrence, Craig Morgan, AIMP, Cole Swindell, Hunter Hayes, Segue 61

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Sara Evans Visits The Recording Academy’s Nashville Chapter

Sara Evans with The Recording Academy’s Nashville chapter. [click photo to enlarge]

Sara Evans visited The Recording Academy’s Nashville Chapter this week and performed several songs from her new album Words, including the lead track “Marquee Sign.” Evans’ eighth studio album was released July 21 on her own label, Born To Fly Records.

 

Caroline Jones Performs At WME Speakeasy Showcase

Caroline Jones. Photo: @austinwho @901Music

Caroline Jones. Photo: @austinwho @901Music

Country-pop singer/songwriter Caroline Jones performed at 3rd & Lindsley in Nashville Wednesday night (Aug 16) as a part of WME’s Speakeasy showcase.

Jones co-produced her forthcoming album, Bare Feet, with Grammy and Academy Award-winning producer Ric Wake (Trisha Yearwood, Celine Dion, Mariah Carey, Whitney Houston). The six-song EP is set to release Aug. 25.

 

Tracy Lawrence, Craig Morgan Perform Duet At The Grand Ole Opry

Pictured (L-R): Craig Morgan and Tracy Lawrence perform their duet “Finally Home.” Photo: Chris Hollo

Photo (L-R): Tracy Lawrence and Craig Morgan backstage at the Opry. Photo: Chris Hollo

Pictured (L-R): Gaines Sturdivant, Red Light Management; Dan Rogers, Grand Ole Opry; Tracy Lawrence; Craig Morgan; Bill Cody, WSM-AM/Opry Host; and Steve Emley, Fitzgerald Hartley. Photo: Splash! PR

Tracy Lawrence invited fellow country star Craig Morgan to join him onstage at the Grand Ole Opry on Tuesday night (Aug. 15) to debut the song “Finally Home.”  The new duet appears on Lawrence’s forthcoming album featuring collaborations with fellow country music artists on some of his most iconic hits.

A portion of the proceeds from “Finally Home” will be donated to Operation FINALLY HOME, a national, non-profit organization providing mortgage-free, custom-built homes to wounded, ill and injured veterans or widows of the fallen.

 

AIMP Nashville Gets Inside Scoop From Music Sups

Pictured (back row, L-R): Randall Foster (ole), Chris Van Belkom (Combustion Music), Brad Peterson (Regions Bank), Ree Guyer (AIMP Treasurer/Wrensong Music), John Ozier (AIMP Ex. Director/ole), Dale Bobo (Big Deal Music), Michael Martin (ASCAP), Jennifer Stowe (Warner/Chappell Production Music), Mark Kate Melnick (Big Deal Music), and Ben Short (Warner/Chappell Production Music); (front row, L-R): Amanda Levine, Janet Lopez, Sarah Bromberg, Rick Clark, and John Bissell. Photo: Elle Hussey [click photo to enlarge]

The Association of Independent Music Publishers (AIMP) and Regions Bank, with sponsorship from Big Deal Music, Combustion Music, ole and Warner/Chappell Production Music, hosted the successful “Inside Scoop From Music Sups” panel on Monday, Aug. 14 at the Basement East in Nashville.

In this third-year event, five music supervisors–John Bissell (Mothlight Music), Sarah Bromberg (Bonfire Collective), Rick Clark (Rick Clark Productions), Amanda Levine (Platinum Rye) and Janet Lopez (Neophonic)–gave AIMP members and guests the inside track on their music needs and pitching tips. A showcase of selected performers, Edison Tesla Celebrity Death Match (ft. Griffin House and Jeff Trott), KS Rhoads, and Svrcina, preceded the panel.

 

Cole Swindell No. 1 Celebration

Pictured (L-R): Justin Newell, Radio & Streaming Coordinator; Justin Luffman, VP Brand Management; Chad Schultz, VP, Original Content & Radio Marketing; Kristen Williams, SVP Radio & Streaming; Cole Swindell; Katie Bright, National Director Radio & Streaming; Mallory Opheim, Manager, Regional Radio & Streaming NE/MW; Chris Palmer, VP Radio & Streaming; Ryan Gardenhire, Management.

The Warner Music Nashville team celebrated Cole Swindell‘s seventh consecutive No. 1 single, “Flatliner,” with a Sippin’ on 7 for 7 party Monday night (Aug. 14) in Nashville.

 

Academy Of Country Music Welcomes Hunter Hayes For A Visit

Pictured (L-R): Pete Fisher (CEO, Academy of Country Music) with Hunter Hayes. Photo: Michel Bourquard/Courtesy of the Academy of Country Music

The Academy of Country Music welcomed Atlantic Records recording artist Hunter Hayes to the Los Angeles office recently. While at the Academy, Hayes performed his new single, “Rescue,” and other songs that are currently streaming.

Click here to watch a video from Hayes’ visit featuring an exclusive interview and clips from his performance.

 

Segue 61’s First Graduating Class

Pictured (back row L-R): Segue 61 students and mentors Natalie Thompson, Clay Bradley, Thomas O’keefe, Damon Atkins, Isaac Black, Tim Aven, Hayes Smith, Silas Brown, Brian Sorensen, Cameron Johnson, Ethan Howard, Pete Abbott, and Channing Moreland; (front row L-R): Guthrie Trapp, Rylie Bourne, Lia Knapp, and Jennifer Pettigrew. [click photo to enlarge]

Segue 61 graduated its inaugural class of ten students on Aug. 9. Led by former BMI executive Clay Bradley and star studio musicians Guthrie Trapp and Pete Abbott, Segue 61 is a one-year, interdisciplinary music business certificate program offered by Catawba College located in Nashville.

The school helps talented individuals prepare to enter the music industry in the areas of performance, songwriting, publishing, audio engineering, production, artist development and music business-oriented disciplines of management, marketing, and artist development.

 

‘Bluegrass Underground’ Moving To New, Permanent Venue

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Bluegrass Underground, a 13-time EMMY award-winning PBS music series, has found a permanent home in The Caverns, located within the base of Monteagle Mountain in Tennessee’s Cumberland Plateau. The announcement was made today by Bluegrass Underground Creator and Executive Producer, Todd Mayo. The new venue is expected to open in early 2018.

The series has previously been taped at the Cumberland Caverns since 2008.

The new home will be able to accommodate more music lovers, in response to increased demand for tickets. The new location is also 30 minutes closer to two of its major markets: Nashville and Chattanooga. Mayo projects as many as 50 performances for 2018.

“This is a dream come true to find a cave system that expands and improves the live and televised musical experiences of underground performances we have been curating since 2008,” Mayo said. “Our new home at The Caverns will enable us to add infrastructure with permanent power, professional audio and lighting with enhanced food and beverage concessions that have never before been possible, including a longtime request from our patrons: cold beer.”

The Caverns’ enhancements will greatly benefit the Bluegrass Underground PBS series as well, says television producer Todd Jarrell. “In the past, we taped the entire 12-episode season over one weekend due to the difficulty and expense of bringing literally tons of cabling and show gear a quarter mile into the cave,” says Jarrell. “But The Caverns’ permanent infrastructure presents us the flexibility to match calendars with some of the world’s greatest performers, enticing them underground to offer our fans a ‘deep down’ lifetime experience throughout the year.”

“Bluegrass Underground is now far more easily accessible to the vast majority of our regional patrons as well as our national and international fly-in fans,” adds Joe Lurgio, General Manager and Associate Producer of Bluegrass Underground. “And for the first time, Bluegrass Underground will be more easily accessible for patrons with physical disabilities.”

 

BMI’s Michael O’Neill Responds To DOJ’s Appeal Of Its Consent Decree Victory

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On Sept. 16, 2016, federal Judge Louis Stanton issued an order rejecting the U.S. Department of Justice’s (DOJ) interpretation of the BMI consent decree, allowing BMI to continue its longstanding practice of fractional licensing. The DOJ appealed that decision, and today BMI filed its brief in response.

BMI President & CEO Mike O’Neill issued a statement regarding BMI’s brief:

“BMI’s appeal argument is extremely simple in that it comes down to the language of our decree. As Judge Stanton clearly stated, there is nothing in the BMI decree that prevents us from engaging in the industry-wide practice of fractional licensing. What is not simple, however, is the impact the DOJ’s interpretation of our decree would have on the marketplace. It would stifle competition, hinder collaboration and unfairly benefit music users at the expense of the American songwriter. As always, we hope for the opportunity to sit down with the new leadership of the DOJ to educate it about the negative ripple effect its 100% licensing interpretation would have on the entire music industry.”

Weekly Chart Report 8/18/17

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Click here or above to access MusicRow‘s weekly CountryBreakout report.

Walker McGuire, Jon Langston Perform At BMI’s Rooftop On The Row

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Pictured (L-R): Manager JW Williams, BMI’s David Preston, Jordan Walker, Jon Langston, Jonny McGuire, manager Mickey Jack Cones, BMI’s Mason Hunter and George Dickel’s Jay Needham

BMI held its fourth installment of its summer Rooftop On The Row series Tuesday night (Aug. 15) with Walker McGuire and Jon Langston. The George Dickel and Cumulus-sponsored event attended by Music Row tastemakers, friends and family was held on the BMI rooftop amid stunning views of a sunset over the Nashville skyline.

Duo Walker McGuire

BMI’s David Preston, Jon Langston and manager Kerri Edwards

Brett Young Heads To 14 Cities on Caliville Tour This Fall

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Brett Young will launch his debut headlining Caliville Tour this Fall, beginning Oct. 14 in Charlottesville, Virginia. Rising singer/songwriter Carly Pearce will join him on the 14-city tour that runs through Dec. 16. Tickets for the dates go on sale next Friday, Aug. 25.

Young has put in plenty of time already on the road this year as part of Lady Antebellum’s You Look Good World Tour, and will no doubt have fans singing along to every word of his smash back-to-back No. 1 hits, the gold-certified “Sleep Without You” and platinum-selling “In Case You Didn’t Know.” The video for that song has remained in Vevo’s Top 10 Videos of 2017 (so far), surpassing 100 million views and placing him in the rankings with artists like Zayn and Taylor Swift, Kendrick Lamar and DJ Khaled.

Caliville Tour Dates:
Oct. 14 – Charlottesville, VA – Jefferson Theater 
Oct. 21 – Kansas City, MO – The Truman 
Oct. 28 – Sarasota, FL – White Buffalo Saloon 
Nov. 2 – Charleston, SC – Music Farm 
Nov. 3 – Baltimore, MD – Rams Head Live 
Nov. 4 – Charlotte, NC – Coyote Joe’s 
Nov. 11 – Knoxville, TN – Cotton Eyed Joe’s 
Nov. 18 – Louisville, KY – Mercury Ballroom 
Nov. 29 – Oxford, OH – Brick Street Bar-Miami U
Dec. 1 – Detroit, MI – Majestic Theatre 
Dec. 2 – Madison, WI – Orpheum Theater 
Dec. 9 – Baton Rouge, LA – Texas Club 
Dec. 13 – Cincinnati, OH – Bogart’s 
Dec. 16 – Milwaukee, WI – The Rave 

‘CMA Fest’ Draws 5.71 Million Viewers

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The 2017 CMA Fest special on ABC drew 5.71 million viewers on Wednesday, Aug. 16, according to zap2it.com, earning its biggest audience in three years. The special drew footage from this year’s CMA Music Festival, which was held in Nashville on June 8-11.

The three-hour special earned a 1.2 share among adults 18-49.

Three Hounds Music Signs David Tolliver

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Pictured (L-R): Tom Harrison, David Tolliver, and Tyler Bell.

Three Hounds Music has entered into an exclusive publishing agreement with singer/songwriter David Tolliver. A Music City fixture for nearly a decade, Tolliver is best known as half of the critically acclaimed country/rock duo Halfway to Hazard. He has co-written the majority of Halfway to Hazard’s three albums, and has had cuts by Tim McGraw, Jarrod Niemann, Brantley Gilbert, Wynonna Judd, Neal McCoy and numerous others.

“I’m really excited about beginning this new page in my life and I’m so happy to be doing it with Three Hounds Music,” says Tolliver. “Tom Harrison (CEO/Founder) and Tyler Bell (General Manager) are good people and I’m looking forward to a great future with them.”

In addition to Tolliver, the Three Hounds family includes songwriters Bobby Terry (Faith Hill, Trace Adkins, Gretchen Wilson), Chris Cavanaugh (Kip Moore, Lonestar, Steve Holy), Sarah Beth Terry (Craig Morgan), Kevin Brandt (Montgomery Gentry, Travis Tritt, Randy Travis), and new Americana duo Fleener.

John Berry Signs Booking Deal with The Kinkead Entertainment Agency

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Pictured (L-R): Brian Smith (Leadership Artists), John Berry, Bob Kinkead (Kinkead Entertainment Agency), Don Murry Grubbs (Absolute Publicity)

The Kinkead Entertainment Agency has signed John Berry for exclusive live bookings.

“We are looking forward to representing John Berry during this exciting time in his career, with the launch of his Songs & Stories TV show, his infamous Christmas tour and next year’s 25th anniversary celebration,” says Kinkead Entertainment Agency CEO, Bob Kinkead. “John Berry continues to make his mark in the entertainment industry as one of the most talented singers and performers in our business.”

For John Berry live booking inquiries, contact The Kinkead Entertainment Agency at bkinkead@kinkeadentertainment.com or 615-499-5115.

Alan Jackson, Chris Stapleton To Perform At Next Week’s ACM Honors In Nashville

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Alan Jackson, Chris Stapleton

The Academy of Country Music (ACM) has announced Alan Jackson and Chris Stapleton will perform at its 11th Annual ACM Honors event, taping Aug. 23 at Nashville’s Ryman Auditorium and airing Sept. 15 (9-11 p.m., ET/PT) on the CBS Television Network. It has also just been announced Jason Aldean, Bobby Bones, Ross Copperman, Lady Antebellum and Jimmy Webb will present.

Previously announced performers include Vince Gill, Little Big Town, Maren Morris, Brad Paisley, Hillary Scott, Kelsea Ballerini, Vince Gill, Toby Keith, Little Big Town, Maren Morris, Brad Paisley, Thomas Rhett, Hillary Scott, and George Strait. Clare Bowen, Charles Esten, Cassadee Pope, and Brett Young will participate in special off-camera moments in the ceremony.

The two-hour special is dedicated to celebrating the special honorees and off-camera category winners from the 52nd Academy of Country Music Awards. Those include Ballerini (Gene Weed Milestone Award), Keith (Poet’s Award), Bob Kingsley (Mae Boren Axton Service Award), Reba McEntire (Mae Boren Axton Service Award), Nashville (Tex Ritter Film Award), Dolly Parton (Gary Haber Lifting Lives Award), Shel Silverstein (Poet’s Award, awarded posthumously), Strait (Cliffie Stone Icon Award) and Lori McKenna (Songwriter of the Year). The evening will also honor winners of the Industry and Studio Recording Awards.

Tickets are available for purchase at Ticketmaster.com and the Ryman Auditorium box office for $60 and $100.