Copyright Society Welcomes U.S. Register Of Copyrights

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Pallante-CSofS-12-17-13

Pictured (L-R): Copyright Society of the South Chairman of the Board John Barker;
Board Members Bob Mather, Wendi Crosby, Kele Currier and Casey McGinty; Copyright Office Counsel
Steve Ruwe; Maria Pallante; Board Members Dan Ekback, Ted Goldthorpe, and Jill Napier.

The Copyright Society of the South, in partnership with the Nashville chapter of AIMP, recently held an event with the U.S. Register of Copyrights, The Honorable Maria Pallante, at The First Amendment Center. Pallante discussed several court cases on copyright and technology, the proposed Next Great Copyright Act, and briefed the crowd on legislative updates.

Pallante is the 12th Register of Copyrights and director of the United States Copyright Office, effective June 1, 2011. She served as the Acting Register for five months, following the retirement of Marybeth Peters on December 31, 2010. Pallante has had wide-ranging experience in copyright transactions, policy and litigation, in both the government and private sectors.

The Copyright Society of the South was formed in 1988, in Nashville by music publishers, attorneys, business people and others interested in copyright law. It provides a forum for study and discussion of domestic and international copyright law and other matters pertaining to the entertainment industry.

ASCAP 100th Birthday Song/Video Features Grant, Kelley, Haywood, Kear

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ascap 100 years11The American Society of Composers, Authors and Publishers (ASCAP) has released its 100th birthday campaign’s centerpiece song and music video, “More Than the Stars,” a collaboration featuring 15 top ASCAP songwriter and composer members, including Amy Grant, Lady Antebellum’s Charles Kelley and Dave Haywood, ASCAP Country Music Songwriter of the Year Josh Kear, Ne-Yo, Dan Wilson, Bill Withers and more.
KelleyKearCommenting on “More Than the Stars,” recent ASCAP Foundation Champion Award honoree Ne-Yo said: “It’s really special for me to be a part of something that speaks so heavily to the art of songwriting and what it does to people… a kind of ‘We Are the World’ for songwriters. The song came out fantastic. The film came out fantastic. And I was happy to be a part of it.”
“More Than the Stars” will join the Why We Create Music film, both directed by Already Alive filmmaker and co-founder Michael Marantz. Ascap.com also features an interactive timeline that is revealing 100 Years of ASCAP’s history, one day at a time.
Featured in the song and music video are:
Aloe Blacc, soul singer-songwriter behind “I Need a Dollar” and Avicii’s international hit “Wake Me Up”
Claudia Brant, Latin Grammy-winning songwriter for Song of the Year
Carter Burwell, Oscar-nominated film composer renowned for scoring The Coen Brothers films
Amy Grant, Grammy and Dove Award-winning and all-time best-selling contemporary Christian singer-songwriter
Josh Kear, four-time Grammy-winning country pop songwriter, including Song of the Year, and 2013 ASCAP Country Music Songwriter of the Year and Song of the Year winner
Savan Kotecha, hit pop songwriter for Britney Spears, Usher, One Direction and Maroon 5, as well as vocal producer on The X Factor
David Lang, Pulitzer Prize-winning concert music composer and Bang on a Can co-founder
Lady Antebellum‘s Charles Kelley and Dave Haywood, seven-time Grammy-winning country pop singer-songwriters and Song and Record of the Year winners
Bear McCreary, Emmy-winning composer known for his work on The Walking Dead
Ne-Yo, three-time Grammy-winning R&B singer-songwriter
Stargate, Grammy-winning record producing and songwriting duo behind pop hits for Ne-Yo, Beyoncé, Katy Perry, Rihanna and others
Dan Wilson, Grammy-winning singer-songwriter-producer of Adele’s “Someone Like You” and “Closing Time” with his band Semisonic
Bill Withers, Grammy-winning R&B singer-songwriter of “Lean on Me,” “Ain’t No Sunshine” and “Just the Two of Us”
Watch the video below.

Industry Signings (12/18/13)

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Chuck Wicks

Chuck Wicks


Chuck Wicks has signed an artist deal with Blaster Records and has begun work on a new album project and single, according to a video message he posted for fans on his Facebook page. The single is slated for release after the first of the year.

No. 1 Celebration: Tyler Farr's "Redneck Crazy"

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Pictured (L-R, front row): Songwriter Mark Irwin, Tyler Farr, and songwriters Josh Kear and Chris Tompkins, (L-R, back row): ASCAP's Mike Sistad, producers Julian King and Sony Music Nashville's Jim Catino, Sony Music Nashville's Gary Overton and Norbert Nix, Big Yellow Dog's Carla Wallace, Big Loud Shirt's Matt Turner and Red Vinyl Music's Eric Gallimore. Photo: Ed Rode.

Pictured (L-R, front row): Songwriter Mark Irwin, Tyler Farr, and songwriters Josh Kear and Chris Tompkins. (L-R, back row): ASCAP’s Mike Sistad, producers Julian King and Sony Music Nashville’s Jim Catino, Sony Music Nashville’s Gary Overton, Columbia Nashville’s Norbert Nix, Big Yellow Dog’s Carla Wallace, Big Loud Shirt’s Matt Turner and Red Vinyl Music’s Eric Gallimore. Photo: Ed Rode.


ASCAP celebrated the team behind “Redneck Crazy,” the chart-topping single from Columbia Nashville recording artist Tyler Farr, during a party at the ASCAP Nashville offices on Monday, Dec. 16. Co-written by ASCAP members Mark Irwin, Chris Tompkins and ASCAP Country Music Songwriter of the Year Josh Kear, the title track from Farr’s debut album marks the singer’s first No. 1 single.
Co-writers Irwin and Tompkins celebrated their 3rd and 10th chart-toppers, respectively, while Kear celebrated his 6th. Publishers Big Loud Shirt’s Matt Turner, Big Yellow Dog’s Carla Wallace and Red Vinyl Music’s Eric Gallimore, as well as label Sony Music Nashville’s Chairman and CEO Gary Overton and Columbia Nashville’s VP of Promotion Norbert Nix, were also on hand to honor the group. Sony Music Nashville’s Jim Catino had an additional reason to celebrate: he earned his first No. 1 song as a producer along with Julian King, who co-produced the recording to collect his second chart-topping song.

Ashley Gorley Re-Ups with Combustion Music and Warner/Chappell

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combustion gorley111

Pictured (L-R)-Front row: Warner Chappell’s Ben Vaughn, Combustion’s Chris Farren, Ashley Gorley, and Chris Van Belkom. Back row: Combustion’s Kenley Flynn, Warner Chappell’s Matt Michiels, Phil May, Alicia Pruitt, Blain Rhodes, Steve Markland and BJ Hill.


Chris Farren, Falcon and Kenley Flynn announced that Ashley Gorley has renewed an exclusive songwriting deal with Combustion Music and partner Warner/Chappell.
Gorley has been with Combustion since 2001, and has earned 13 chart-topping songs. Gorley currently has three singles on Country radio, with more slated for 2014. Gorley’s songs have been recorded by Kenny Chesney, Luke Bryan, Florida Georgia Line, Darius Rucker, Rascal Flatts, Joe Nichols, Chris Young, Scotty McCreery, Jake Owen, Brett Eldredge, Billy Currington, and Thomas Rhett.

Cates Signs with Disney Music Publishing

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Pictured (L-R): Ken Bunt, President, DMG; Jess Cates, Songwriter; Mio Vukovic, SVP of A&R/Head of Creative, DMG; Emanuel “Eman” Kiriakou).

Pictured (L-R): Ken Bunt, President, DMG; Jess Cates, Songwriter; Mio Vukovic, SVP of A&R/Head of Creative, DMG; Emanuel “Eman” Kiriakou).


Jess Cates, a songwriter responsible for scores of contemporary hits, has entered into an exclusive agreement with Disney Music Publishing. Cates has worked with artists including Backstreet Boys, Martina McBride, LeAnn Rimes, Jonas Brothers and others. THe deal with DMP is in association with Emanuel “Eman” Kiriakou, which whom Cates has collaborated often.
Cates, a Nashville native, launched his career in the ’90s, writing songs for Rebecca St. James and Avalon. He later moved to Los Angeles, where he formed a long professional relationship with American Idol finalists and writing songs for Jordin Sparks, David Cook, and Scotty McCreery (“Better Than That”) as well as runners-up David Archuletta (“Crush”), Clay Aiken, Elliot Yamin, Kimberley Locke and Bo Bice. Cates also wrote Martina McBride’s Grammy-nominated songs “I Just Call You Mine.”
Said Cates of his new association with DMG, “It’s been an honor to work with Eman over the years and now with Ken Bunt, Mio Vukovic, Barbara Vander Linde, Patrick Clifford and everyone at Disney, it really feels like a dream team for me. I’m excited for what’s to come.”

3 Ring Circus Music Hires Two, Promotes One

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casey LeVasseur

Casey LeVasseur


3 Ring Circus Music, the independent publishing company founded in 2004 by songwriter Jeffrey Steele, has expanded its staff.
Casey LeVasseur has been promoted to director of A&R. LeVasseur, who joined 3 Ring Circus in 2007 as song plugger for the Jeffrey Steele Music, Gottahaveable Music and Soulride Music catalogs, previously directed creative activities including licensing and administration issues and songwriter “boot camp” workshops.
In her new role, LeVasseur (Steele’s daughter) will continue to work with rising country trio The Shuggah Pies, develop new talent and expand the writer roster, as well as spearhead her family’s efforts on behalf the Alex LeVasseur Memorial Fund of The Community Foundation of Middle Tennessee. She holds a B.A in Cinema Arts from California State University at Northridge.
Whitney Taylor Parker

Whitney Taylor Parker


Whitney Taylor Parker has been hired as creative director. Parker most recently was creative coordinator at ole Music, where she assisted in song placement, writer management, sponsorship and events.
While earning a Bachelor of Music degree from Belmont University, she held internships at NSAI, CMA and Warner Bros. Records. In her new position, Parker will handle pitching songs and signing and developing new writers.
Darrell Franklin

Darrell Franklin


Darrell Franklin has been added as a consultant to 3 Ring Circus Music and management representative for Steele. Franklin began his career as a road manager before entering the publishing world at Almo Irving Music and later the A&R arena at Universal Music Group.
Since 1999, he has handled A&R duties for producer Dann Huff (finding the Steele-penned hits “What Hurts the Most,” “My Wish,” “These Days” for Rascal Flatts, “I’m Tryin’” for Trace Adkins, “When The Lights Go Down” for Faith Hill, among others). In 2006, Franklin and Huff formed Crosstown Songs. After Crosstown’s 2009 purchase by BMG Chrysalis Nashville, Franklin was executive vice president until March 2013, when he launched Franklin Publishing and Writer Management.
LeVasseur, Parker and Franklin can be reached via [email protected], [email protected] and [email protected].

WORD Music Publishing Expands Country Roster with Callihan Signing

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Pictured (L-R): Trevor Mathiesen (Assistant Creative Director), Dale Mathews (VP Publishing SVP), Brian Callihan, Janine Appleton (Creative Director Country/Pop), Joel Timen (Creative Director TV/Film), and Rod Riley (President & CEO WORD Entertainment).

Pictured (L-R): Trevor Mathiesen (Assistant Creative Director), Dale Mathews (SVP Publishing), Brian Callihan, Janine Appleton (Creative Director Country/Pop), Joel Timen (Creative Director TV/Film), and Rod Riley (President & CEO WORD Entertainment).


As part of an expansion into Country and Pop genres, WORD Music Publishing has signed Georgia native Brian Callihan to a worldwide publishing deal.
“I am extremely excited to have Brian as a part of our expanded writer roster,” said Janine Appleton, Creative Director (Country/Pop) for WORD Music Publishing. “His natural ability to write commercial radio songs is undeniable. There are many great things in store for this one and his future is extremely bright.”
One of Callihan’s first co-writing sessions after moving in July 2007 to pursue an artist career was with Cole Swindell.
Callihan joins WORD’s existing roster of Country writers, including Steven Dale Jones and Justin Ebach, as well as Hilary McBride and Brett Rutledge of Americana Duo Running Roots.

Berg Renews Publishing Relationship with PJM/Songs

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Matraca Berg

Matraca Berg


PJM/Songs has renewed its long-term publishing agreement with Nashville Songwriter Hall of Fame member Matraca Berg.
“At PJM/SONGS, nothing is more important than our relationships with our songwriters,” said Pat Higdon,  founder of Patrick Joseph Music, a joint venture with SONGS Music Publishing.  “For the majority of my career as a publisher, I have had the pleasure of working alongside Matraca who I consider to be one of the most talented and successful writers in contemporary country music. I am so pleased we were able to sign her to the company so that she and I can continue our great run together.”
Berg penned her first No. 1 record at the age of 18, “Faking Love,” sung by T.G. Sheppard and Karen Brooks. Berg’s songs have been recorded and performed by artists including Reba McEntire, Trisha Yearwood, Kenny Chesney, Keith Urban, Martina McBride, Deana Carter, Faith Hill, Randy Travis and others.
“I am thrilled to be part of a new venture with Pat,” said Berg. “He has worked with me since I was 22 and I couldn’t imagine being anywhere else. A new adventure with SONGS is an exciting prospect, a new opportunity to build on what he has been so good at all these years”
Patrick Joseph Music and SONGS announced their partnership in 2012, when Higdon re-launched the publishing company.

THiS Music Signs Yarber

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Yarber Headshot111

Chris Yarber


THiS Music has signed an exclusive songwriting deal with Atlanta native Chris Yarber.
“I first met Chris during a Barbara Cloyd songwriting workshop. His passion and work ethic are second to none, and he is a success story in the making,” said Rusty Gaston, Partner/GM of THiS Music.
THiS Music is home to songwriters including Tim Nichols, Connie Harrington, Jimmy Yeary, Ben Hayslip, Leah Turner, Marv Green, Molly Reed and others.