BREAKING NEWS: ACM Awards Announce New Artist Winners

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The Academy of Country Music has announced the winners in the new artist categories for the 52nd annual Academy of Country Music Awards.

Brothers Osborne earned the title of New Vocal Duo or Group of the Year Presented By T-Mobile. Maren Morris has been named New Female Vocalist of the Year Presented By T-Mobile, and Jon Pardi has been named New Male Vocalist of the Year Presented By T-Mobile.

Each of the winners will perform on the 52nd annual Academy of Country Music Awards, which will be broadcast live from the T-Mobile Arena in Las Vegas on Sunday, April 2.

The awards mark the first ACM Award wins for Brothers Osborne, Pardi and Morris. Brothers Osborne are also nominated for Vocal Duo of the Year at this year’s awards show, while Morris has an additional five nominations, including Female Vocalist of the Year, Album of the Year for Hero (as artist and producer), and Single of the Year for “My Church” (as artist and producer).

iHeartRadio Music Festival Returning To Las Vegas

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iHeartMedia’s annual iHeartRadio Music Festival will return to Las Vegas’ T-Mobile Arena on Sept. 22-23.

The festival’s daytime village will return to the Las Vegas Village across from the Luxor Hotel and Casino on Saturday, Sept. 23. This area will feature live performances by both popular and emerging artists, including first revealed artists Flume, French Montana, Noah Cyrus, Judah & The Lion, Kelsea Ballerini, Hey Violet and All Time Low, with more to be announced.

The main stage performance line-up for the 2017 iHeartRadio Music Festival will be announced at a later date.

LifeNotes: Don Warden Passes

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Don Warden, a member of Porter Wagoner‘s Wagonmasters and longtime manager and confidante of Dolly Parton, passed away March 12.

The Mountain Grove, Missouri native was born March 27, 1929 to parents Rev. Charlie and Eva Jane Warden. He found his lifelong passion for music early following a two-year stint in the Army as an intelligence officer, and was soon playing steel guitar on the Ozark Jubilee and the Louisiana Hayride shows. Warden played with Red Sovine, The Wilburn Brothers, and Porter Wagoner on the “Porter Wagoner Show,” and the first standup Sho-Bud steel guitar was created especially for him by Shot Jackson Custom.

Warden eventually segued to the business side of the industry and spent 43 years working as Dolly Parton’s road manager. Of her longtime manager and friend Parton said: “I’ve known and loved Don Warden since I joined The Porter Wagoner Show in 1967. He was like a father, a brother, a partner and one of my best friends. I feel like a piece of my heart is missing today. Certainly a huge piece of my life is gone. Rest in peace Don and know for sure that I will always love you.”

Warden was a 32nd degree Mason, a Shriner, and a lifelong member of the Church of God. He was inducted into the Steel Guitar Hall of Fame in 2008.

He is survived by his wife of 60 years, Lois Ann Bybee Warden, son Charlie, grandchildren Courtney Warden Barlar and Chase Warden, and a sister Reba Brown of Oklahoma City.

Visitation will be held on March 16 from 1-2 p.m. at Christ Church with the funeral service to follow at 2 p.m. Interment will take place at Christ Church Memorial Gardens.

Industry Ink: Deluge Music, Producer’s Chair, PLA Media, Streaming Promotions

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Emily Dryburgh Joins Deluge Music

Mark Friedman, Emily Dryburgh

Deluge Music has hired Emily Dryburgh as Creative Director of their Nashville office.

“I’m thrilled to have Emily on board the Deluge Music Team, she’s going to be a wonderful addition for us here in Nashville,” said Mark Friedman, President, Deluge Music.

Dryburgh can be reached at edryburgh@delugemusic.com.

 

Producer’s Chair Episodes Available Online

The Producer’s Chair and Sound Stage Studios have announced that episodes of The Producer’s Chair are now available online. This year marks the 10th year of the interview program, hosted by James Rea. Season one includes chats with Scott Hendricks, Forest Glen Whitehead, Tony Brown, Michael Knox, Mark Bright and Tom Hambridge. Samples of the show can be viewed at Sound Stage Studios Live on YouTube.

 

Birthplace Of Country Music Joins PLA Roster

PLA Media has added The Birthplace of Country Music, Inc. (BCM), the parent organization for the Birthplace of Country Music Museum, Bristol Rhythm & Roots Reunion music festival, and Radio Bristol, to its roster.

This summer, BCM will celebrate the 90th anniversary of the 1927 Bristol Sessions recordings, which included the first recordings by The Carter Family (the First Family of Country Music) and Jimmie Rodgers (the Father of Country Music).

“We are very honored to work with the BCM team as they promote, preserve and celebrate Bristol’s rich musical heritage, which is an influential piece of music history,” says Pam Lewis, President of PLA Media.

 

Streaming Promotions Hosts South By Southwest Panel

Nashville-based boutique digital strategy and music marketing agency Streaming Promotions is hosting a South By Southwest panel titled ‘Launchpad: How Streaming Curators Help Artists” on May 15. Moderator/Streaming Promotions co-founder Charles Alexander assembled the panel, which will include tastemaker/blogger Holger Christoph, Pandora’s Rachel Whitney, and Indiemono’s Carlos Lopez Casany.

Lou Taylor To Be Featured Speaker At 2017 Rising Women On The Row Event

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Lou Taylor

MusicRow is excited to announce that Lou Taylor, CEO of Tri Star Sports and Entertainment Group, will be the featured speaker at this year’s Rising Women on the Row breakfast on Tuesday, April 25 at 8:30 a.m. at the Omni Nashville Hotel.

Guests will be treated to insights from Lou during an on-stage interview with MusicRow Publisher/Owner Sherod Robertson.

Nominations for the 2017 Rising Women event has closed. Selected honorees were announced as Tatum Allsep (Founder/Executive Director—Music Health Alliance), Virginia Davis (Managing Partner and Artist Manager—G Major Management), Kerri Edwards (President—KP Entertainment), Kella Farris (Business Manager—Farris, Self & Moore), Laura Hutfless (CEO and Founding Partner—FlyteVu Agency), Juli Newton-Griffith (Vice President—Magic Mustang/BMG). The 2017 performer was revealed as Kalie Shorr.

Tickets are sold out. More info can be found here.

For the last 25 years Lou Taylor has sat at the head of Tri Star Sports and Entertainment Group providing business management services to actors, artist and athletes. In this role, she leads two Tri Star offices, one in Los Angeles and one in Nashville.

Clients of the firm include such notable artists as Britney Spears, country duo Florida Georgia Line, Steven Tyler, Jennifer Lopez, Gwen Stefani, NFL head coach Jeff Fisher, super model Taylor Hill, Martina McBride, Reba McEntire, Desmond Child, Nashville Songwriter Hall of Famer Bob DiPiero, Quantico lead actress Priyanka Chopra, actor Jack Huston and Game of Thrones producer/writer Bryan Cogman.

Taylor—a one-of-kind, highly sought after educator in the NFL and NBA—teaches financial responsibility through use of visual explanations. Her elaborate presentations have included a live albino python, magicians and 1 million dollars in real cash.

Since 2014, Taylor has consecutively landed on The Hollywood Reporter’s “Top Business Manager” lists as well as Variety magazine’s “Business Managers Elite” list. In August 2016, she was recognized in Billboard magazine’s inaugural “Top Business Managers” issue. Additionally she is featured as one of the top leaders in George Barnas’ business book, Master Leaders. Taylor was also a MusicRow Rising Women on the Row honoree in 2015.

Having spent 28 years as a business manager and several years as a consultant for Arthur Anderson, Taylor is no stranger to developing effective financial strategies for her clients. Tri Star provides all aspects of business management services, including accounting, financial statement preparation, royalty audits, participation rights audits, tour accounting, production accounting, estate planning and all required tax filings both national and internationally.

City National Bank is the Presenting Sponsor for the 2017 Rising Women on the Row.

Weekly Register: Little Big Town, Sam Hunt Retain Chart Leads

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Little Big Town‘s The Breaker remains at the top of the country albums charts this week, selling 17K in its second week. Garth Brooks‘ Ultimate Collection Exclusive lands at No. 2, with 16K.

Alison Krauss‘ Windy City moved 13K this week, to land at No. 3. Reba‘s Sing It Now collection lands at No. 4, with 10K, while Brantley Gilbert‘s The Devil Don’t Sleep rounds out the Top 5 with 8K sold.

Moonshine Bandits notch the top country debut this week, with Baptized In Bourbon landing at No. 9, with 5.6K sold.

Sam Hunt

On the digital tracks chart, Sam Hunt also retains his lead, with “Body Like A Back Road” selling 61K (371K RTD).

Jon Pardi‘s “Dirt On My Boots” lands at No. 2, with 21,367 units sold, followed by Little Big Town‘s “Better Man,” at No. 3 with 21,288 units sold. Keith Urban and Carrie Underwood‘s “The Fighter” lands at No. 4, with 20K, while Brett Young‘s “In Case You Didn’t Know” rounds out the Top 5 with 18K.

The top country debut is from Nashville‘s recording of “Sanctuary,” which lands at No. 14, selling 8.9K.

Overall track sales are down 23.8 percent YTD, while country track sales are down 21.5 percent.

Information courtesy of Nielsen Soundscan.

Skyville Live To Showcase Rising Artists With New Series

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Skyville Live will launch its second series “Skyville Live Spotlight,” on March 15.

“Skyville Live Spotlight” brings artists on the rise to the Skyville Live stage in Nashville. The inaugural show will feature up-and-coming artists Natalie Stovall, Maggie Rose and Savannah Conley.

“We’ve been tremendously fortunate to welcome such amazing musical visionaries to the Skyville Live stage and to host some tremendous performances throughout the show’s history,” said Wally Wilson, creator of Skyville Live. “For every superstar, there are countless other gifted artists out there trying to make their mark. We think our ‘Spotlight’ series is going to be a great opportunity to showcase these singers and songwriters and give more people an opportunity to experience their talent.”

Skyville Live is known for pairing artists for unique collaborations. Previous artists that have appeared on Skyville Live include Lady Antebellum, Jason Isbell, Jewel, Brandy Clark, Amanda Shires, Kris Kristofferson, Gladys Knight, Martina McBride, Estelle, Emmylou Harris, Brothers Osborne, Margo Price and Colter Wall among others.

Darius Rucker, John Mellencamp Set For New ‘CMT Crossroads’

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Darius Rucker and John Mellencamp. Photo: CMT.com

John Mellencamp and Darius Rucker teamed up for a new installment of CMT Crossroads, premiering Friday, March 24 at 10 p.m., ET/PT on CMT.

The special will feature numerous country and rock hits, including Mellencamp’s “Pink Houses,” “Cherry Bomb” and new single, “Grandview,” and Rucker’s fan-favorites “Alright,” “Wagon Wheel,” “If I Told You” and “Hold My Hand.”

“CMT Crossroads: John Mellencamp and Darius Rucker” taped in front of a live audience at Nashville’s Bridgestone Arena on Feb. 24.

Big Machine Records Restructures Promotion

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Jim Weatherson has been named the interim general manager for BMLG’s Big Machine Records imprint, as part of a new promotion department structure.

Former Dot Records artists Tucker Beathard and Carly Pearce have moved to the Big Machine Records roster, while Drake White has moved to BMLG Records.

Kris Lamb was previously named as VP, Promotion. Former Dot Records Director, National Promotion Michelle Kammerer has transitioned to BMLG Records as National Director.

Additional roles under the new structure include:

National Director: Erik Powell
West Coast: Bill Lubitz
Midwest: Alex Valentine
Southwest: James Marsh
Southeast: AJ Calvin
Northeast: Brooke Diaz
Coordinator: Nicole Hunt
Southeast Specialist: Jeff Davis

While it appears this move shutters Dot Records, no official word or confirmation has been released by the label.

Jason Isbell And The 400 Unit Announce New Album, Ryman Dates

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Jason Isbell and the 400 Unit will release their new album The Nashville Sound on June 16 on Southeastern Records/Thirty Tigers).

The Nashville Sound features 10 new songs that address a range of subjects including politics and cultural privilege on “White Man’s World”, longing for nostalgia on “The Last Of My Kind”, love and mortality on “If We Were Vampires,” and the remnants of a break up on “Chaos and Clothes.” Additional tracks like “Cumberland Gap” and “Hope The Highroad” find Isbell and his bandmates returning full swing to their rock roots.

The new project was recorded at Nashville’s RCA Studio A and produced by Grammy Award-winner Dave Cobb, who produced Something More Than Free and Isbell’s celebrated 2013 breakthrough album Southeastern. The Nashville Sound is the first official Jason Isbell and the 400 Unit album since 2011’s Here We Rest.

The group launches an extensive summer tour June 17 in Asheville that runs through October, with a five-night stand at the Ryman Auditorium on Oct. 10, 11, 13, 14, and 15.

He also travels to Europe for an international tour Oct. 25-Nov. 14 that hits Dublin, London, Paris, Brussels, and Copenhagen, among others.

The Nashville Sound Track Listing:
“The Last of My Kind”
“Cumberland Gap”
“Tupelo”
“White Man’s World”
“If We Were Vampires”
“Anxiety”
“Molotov”
“Chaos and Clothes”
“Hope the High Road”
“Something to Love”

*All songs written by Jason Isbell except “Anxiety,” written by Jason Isbell and Amanda Shires