From Elvis In Nashville, a new four-CD digital collection due out Nov. 20, will chronicle Elvis Presley‘s 1970 marathon sessions with the “Nashville Cats.” Recorded live in RCA’s Studio B in Nashville over the course of five days in June 1970 (with an additional session on Sept. 22), Elvis’ performances from those sessions formed the core of three of his most successful studio albums from the 1970s: Elvis: That’s the Way It Is, Elvis Country (I’m 10,000 Years Old) and Love Letters from Elvis.

On From Elvis In Nashville, Presley’s studio tracks from the 1970 marathon sessions are presented newly-mixed by acclaimed engineer Matt Ross-Spring (John Prine, Jason Isbell) without the added overdubs or orchestration appearing on earlier releases. The project will be available in a boxed set including two bonus discs of rare and/or unreleased outtakes from the 1970 sessions (also available digitally).

The sessions are widely recognized as among Elvis’ best because of the undeniable chemistry between Elvis and his studio band comprised of multi-instrumentalist Charlie McCoy, bassist Norbert Putnam, and pianist David Briggs. Known as the “Nashville Cats,” this finely-honed studio ensemble connected the worlds of pop, rock and country. For the June sessions, Elvis brought in his longtime on-stage guitarist James Burton; Eddie Hinton (who, like Putnam and Briggs, was part of the Muscle Shoals Rhythm Section) played lead guitar on Elvis’ Sept. 22 session, and Elvis plays acoustic guitar throughout the June sessions.

Graceland will be offering an exclusive double LP edition of From Elvis In Nashville, pressed on aqua/tangerine 12″ vinyl. A country classic from the album, Elvis’ rendition of “I Washed My Hands in Muddy Water,” is available now digitally.

President Donald Trump issued executives orders on Thursday (Aug. 6) to ban social media apps TikTok and WeChat from operating in the United States if they are not sold by their Chinese-owned parent companies within 45 days.

The order regarding TikTok prohibits “any transaction by any person, or with respect to any property, subject to the jurisdiction of the United States, with ByteDance Ltd.,” the Chinese company that owns the social media platform, after 45 days. The orders do not state that a definite amount of funds from the TikTok sale are required to be sent to the US Treasury Department.

The order alleges that TikTok’s platform “automatically captures vast swaths of information from its users,” which “threatens to allow the Chinese Communist Party access to Americans’ personal and proprietary information — potentially allowing China to track the locations of Federal employees and contractors, build dossiers of personal information for blackmail, and conduct corporate espionage.”

After issuing the order regarding TikTok, a similar order for the Tencent-owned chat app WeChat soon followed, with Trump stating, “the spread in the United States of mobile applications developed and owned by companies in the People’s Republic of China (China) continues to threaten the national security, foreign policy, and economy of the United States. To protect our Nation, I took action to address the threat posed by one mobile application, TikTok. Further action is needed to address a similar threat posed by another mobile application, WeChat.”

TikTok is a community full of creativity and passion, a home that brings joy to families and meaningful careers to creators. And we are building this platform for the long term. TikTok will be here for many years to come.

We are shocked by the recent Executive Order, which was issued without any due process. For nearly a year, we have sought to engage with the US government in good faith to provide a constructive solution to the concerns that have been expressed. What we encountered instead was that the Administration paid no attention to facts, dictated terms of an agreement without going through standard legal processes, and tried to insert itself into negotiations between private businesses.

We made clear our intentions to work with the appropriate officials to devise a solution to benefit our users, creators, partners, employees, and the broader community in the United States. There has been, and continues to be, no due process or adherence to the law. The text of the decision makes it plain that there has been a reliance on unnamed “reports” with no citations, fears that the app “may be” used for misinformation campaigns with no substantiation of such fears, and concerns about the collection of data that is industry standard for thousands of mobile apps around the world. We have made clear that TikTok has never shared user data with the Chinese government, nor censored content at its request. In fact, we make our moderation guidelines and algorithm source code available in our Transparency Center, which is a level of accountability no peer company has committed to. We even expressed our willingness to pursue a full sale of the US business to an American company.

This Executive Order risks undermining global businesses’ trust in the United States’ commitment to the rule of law, which has served as a magnet for investment and spurred decades of American economic growth. And it sets a dangerous precedent for the concept of free expression and open markets. We will pursue all remedies available to us in order to ensure that the rule of law is not discarded and that our company and our users are treated fairly – if not by the Administration, then by the US courts.

We want the 100 million Americans who love our platform because it is your home for expression, entertainment, and connection to know: TikTok has never, and will never, waver in our commitment to you. We prioritize your safety, security, and the trust of our community – always. As TikTok users, creators, partners, and family, you have the right to express your opinions to your elected representatives, including the White House. You have the right to be heard.

Priscilla Block. Photo: Victoria Blalock

Nashville-based singer-songwriter Priscilla Block is finding some instant success with her latest single, “Just About Over You,” which was released on Wednesday, (Aug. 5). The breakup ballad, released through inDent Records, hit the No. 1 spot on iTunes Country Charts and currently sits at No. 2 on the iTunes All Genre Chart.

Block has garnered over 3 million views on TikTok and amassed a following of over 300K through sharing her original songs and empowering mission. Block entertains with her TikTok videos, but also inspires fans to embrace who they are, exactly as they are. She first previewed “Just About Over You” on TikTok, earning over 1.8 million views with the sneak peek. Block co-wrote “Just About Over You” with Emily Kroll and Sarah Jones.

Block’s songs captivate audiences with their unfiltered, relatable messages. Her latest single, “Thick Thighs” was written about being confident in the skin you are in, without taking yourself too seriously. “I’ve been told far too many times how I need to look as a female trying to make it in country music, and this is my response,” said Block.

MusicRow‘s Rising Women on the Row event, previously scheduled for Sept. 23, 2020, has been postponed due to the COVID-19 pandemic. The new date for the ninth annual breakfast event will be announced at a later date.

The ninth annual celebration will honor the 2020 Rising Women on the Row honorees: Jen Conger (FBMM, Business Manager), JoJamie Hahr (BBR Music Group/BMG, VP Marketing), Mandy Morrison (City National Bank, Vice President/Senior Relationship Manager), Missy Roberts (Universal Music Publishing Group, Senior Creative Director), Jennie Smythe (Girlilla Marketing, CEO) and Stephanie Wright (UMG Nashville, Senior VP, A&R). Read more about the honorees here.

“I’m sure it comes as no surprise at this point that we are having to move our event again due to the pandemic,” says MusicRow Publisher/Owner Sherod Robertson. “Although it’s very disappointing that our industry still isn’t able to safely gather in person, our desire to honor and spotlight these six women while saluting all women in our industry has not dampened one bit… if anything, it’s risen to new heights. We remain steadfast and ready. All of your purchased tables and seats are still reserved. And when it’s safe to do so, we’ll have the most memorable ‘Rising Women’ event ever!”

For purchased table sponsors and individual ticket holders, tickets will be honored at the new event date. Refunds will be administered to ticket holders who cannot attend the new date. Please email [email protected] with any questions.

Like most major music companies, Warner Music Group has been impacted by the COVID-19 pandemic. Warner Music Group Corp. revealed its third-quarter financial results for the period ending June 30, 2020. Total revenue decreased 4.5% (3.1% in constant currency), even as digital revenues grew 11.1% (13.4% constant currency). Note: Constant currency refers to exchange rates used in order to eliminate foreign currency fluctuations when calculating financial performance numbers.

“We’re very pleased with our performance this quarter, especially in light of the global pandemic.  Our results highlight the underlying strength and resilience of our business. Streaming revenue grew double digits and our digital transformation continues,” said Steve Cooper, CEO, Warner Music Group. “Our commitment to new artist development is illustrated by the fact that four out of our top five best-sellers this quarter were from artists releasing debut or sophomore albums. Our artists and songwriters continue to create music that moves the world including, in the U.S., the most-streamed song of 2020, as well as the No.1 and No. 2 biggest Pop songs during the first half of the calendar year.”

“These results are slightly better than our expectations, given the sustained effect that COVID has had on certain aspects of our business,” added Eric Levin, Executive Vice President and CFO, Warner Music Group. “That’s a testament to the incredible ability of our teams, our artists and our songwriters to pivot and adapt, and to keep the hits coming. We have a robust cash position and all the music and resources needed to come out the other side of this with our long-term prospects as strong as ever.”

WMG’s earnings statement revealed that growth in Recorded Music and Music Publishing digital revenue was more than offset by a decline in Recorded Music physical, artist services and expanded-rights and licensing revenue and in Music Publishing performance, mechanical and synchronization revenue. The revenue decline was primarily due to COVID-related business disruption and the unfavorable impact from foreign currency exchange rates, partially offset by the continued growth in streaming. Digital revenue grew 11.1% (or 13.4% in constant currency), and represented 71.3% of total revenue, compared to 61.2% in the prior-year quarter.

Operating loss was $433 million compared to operating income of $58 million in the prior-year quarter. Operating income before depreciation and amortization (“OIBDA”) was a loss of $371 million, down from income of $124 million in the prior-year quarter and OIBDA margin decreased 48.4 percentage points to (36.7)% from 11.7% in the prior-year quarter. Net loss was $519 million compared to income of $14 million in the prior-year quarter. The decrease in net income, operating income, OIBDA and OIBDA margin was primarily due to a higher non-cash stock-based compensation expense of $426 million related to the Company’s long-term incentive plan reflecting changes in the value of the Company’s common stock, as well as $86 million in one-time costs associated with the Company’s IPO.

Adjusted operating income, Adjusted OIBDA and Adjusted net income exclude costs related to the Company’s IPO, non-cash stock-based compensation and restructuring and other transformation initiatives in the current quarter and costs related to the Company’s Los Angeles office consolidation, non-cash stock-based compensation and restructuring and other transformation initiatives in the prior-year quarter. See below for calculations and reconciliations of Adjusted operating income, OIBDA, Adjusted OIBDA and Adjusted net income.

Adjusted OIBDA increased 12.2% from $148 million to $166 million in the quarter due to lower expenses resulting from COVID-related business disruption and active cost-management efforts and Adjusted OIBDA margin increased 2.4 percentage points to 16.4% from 14.0% due to margin improvement associated with a decrease in lower-margin physical revenue and artist services and expanded-rights revenue and an increase in higher-margin streaming revenue, as well as lower operating costs. Adjusted operating income increased 27% from $82 million to $104 million in the quarter due to the same factors affecting Adjusted OIBDA.

Adjusted net income was $18 million compared to $38 million in the prior-year quarter. The decrease was due to an increase in income tax expense in the current quarter due to higher pre-tax income before non-deductible expenses related to the Company’s long-term incentive plan and one-time costs associated with the Company’s IPO, partially offset by gains on investments.

Adjusted EBITDA was $189 million compared to $159 million for the prior-year quarter. The increase was largely due to the same factors impacting Adjusted OIBDA in addition to higher pro forma savings expected to be realized from certain transformation initiatives.

Basic and Diluted earnings per share was a loss of $1.03 for both the Class A and Class B shareholders. The loss was due to the same factors affecting net loss.

As of June 30, 2020, the Company reported a cash balance of $532 million, total debt of $3 billion and net debt (defined as total long-term debt, net of deferred financing costs, minus cash and equivalents) of $2.468 billion.

Cash provided by operating activities was $123 million compared to $150 million in the prior-year quarter. The change was largely a result of the timing of working capital including royalty payments. Free Cash Flow, defined below, was $87 million compared to $103 million in the prior-year quarter largely due to lower operating cash flow, partially offset by a decrease in capital expenditures and investment activity.

Recorded Music revenue was down 5.7% (or 4.2% in constant currency). The revenue decline was primarily due to COVID-related business disruption and foreign exchange rates in the current quarter, partially offset by the continued growth in streaming. Growth in digital revenue was more than offset by declines in physical revenue, artist services and expanded-rights revenue and licensing revenue. Digital revenue growth reflects the continuing shift to streaming. The decline in physical revenue reflects lower physical sales due to the impact of COVID and the continuing shift to streaming. The decline in artist services and expanded-rights revenue was due to the timing of tour schedules compared to the prior-year quarter and tour postponements and lower tour merchandise revenue resulting from COVID-related business disruption.  The decline in licensing revenue reflects a decrease in advertising spend and licensing activity due to the impact of COVID. Major sellers included Dua Lipa, Roddy Ricch, Lil Uzi Vert, Tones And I and Ed Sheeran.

Recorded Music operating loss was $160 million, down from operating income of $85 million in the prior-year quarter and operating margin was down 27.9 percentage points to (18.6)% versus 9.3% in the prior-year quarter. OIBDA decreased to a loss of $119 million from income of $131 million in the prior-year quarter and OIBDA margin decreased 28.1 percentage points to (13.8)%.  Adjusted OIBDA was $167 million versus $146 million in the prior-year quarter with Adjusted OIBDA margin up 3.4 percentage points to 19.4%. The decrease in operating income and OIBDA was driven by a higher non-cash stock-based compensation expense of $276 million. The increase in Adjusted OIBDA and Adjusted OIBDA margin was primarily due to overall cost savings and revenue mix.

Music Publishing revenue grew 1.4% (or 2.8% in constant currency). Growth in digital revenue was partially offset by declines in performance, synchronization and mechanical revenue. Digital revenue growth reflects the continuing shift to streaming and timing of digital deals. The decrease in synchronization revenue relates to a decrease in advertising spend and licensing activity resulting from COVID-related business disruption.  The decrease in mechanical revenue is due to COVID-related business disruption, the continuing shift to streaming and one-time distributions in the prior-year quarter. The decrease in performance revenue was primarily driven by COVID-related business disruption.

Music Publishing operating income was $14 million compared to $18 million in the prior-year quarter.  Operating margin decreased 2.8 percentage points to 9.4%. Music Publishing OIBDA decreased by $3 million or 8.3% to $33 million, and OIBDA margin declined 2.4 percentage points to 22.1% from 24.5%.  Adjusted OIBDA decreased by $2 million and Adjusted OIBDA margin declined 1.7 percentage points to 22.8% due to revenue mix.