"Let Me Down Easy" Glides To No. 1

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A room full of family and friends joined BMI in celebrating the team behind the Billy Currington No. 1 hit “Let Me Down Easy” at a party on May 31. Co-written by Marty Dodson and husband-wife duo Mark Nesler and Jennifer Hanson, the song marks Currington’s seventh trip to the top. The BMI team of co-writers have also had their fair share of success on the charts: “Let Me Down Easy” is Dodson’s third No. 1, Hanson’s second, and Nesler’s sixth.


Pictured (L-R): ole’s Gilles Godard, Mercury Records’ Ken Robold, producer Carson Chamberlain, co-writer Marty Dodson, Billy Currington, co-writers Jennifer Hanson and Mark Nesler, Sony/ATV Music Publishing’s Troy Tomlinson, Disney Music Publishing’s Kos Weaver, ole’s Arthur Buenahora, and BMI’s Jody Williams. Photo: Steve Lowry


 

Photo Friday: Trace Adkins, Matraca Berg, Steve Azar

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The video for Trace Adkins’ single “Just Fishin’” was released today (6/3) via AOL, CMT.com, GAC.com, Vevo and others. Starring Adkins and youngest daughter Trinity Adkins, the video, directed by Trey Fanjoy, will go into music network rotation on TV the following week and available for download on iTunes. Also today (6/3), CMT’s Next Superstar 109, featuring Adkins as artist advisor, will air at 9:00 p.m., ET/PT. In this episode the top two contestants go head to head at the Ryman Auditorium. Each perform a song of their choice, a judge’s pick, and a song from the record label, Warner Music. Then for the first time, CMT turns voting over to America to decide who will become CMT’s Next Superstar.






(L-R) Adkins and his daughter Trinity on the set



 
 


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BMI hosted a reception to celebrate the release of Matraca Berg’s new album, The Dreaming Fields, on Tuesday, May 24. Berg performed at the event. The CD marks the BMI award-winning hit writer’s return to performing after a 14-year break.

(L-R): Dualtone Records’ Will McDonald and Paul Roper, BMI’s Jody Williams, Keith Case & Associates’ Keith Case, Matraca Berg, Dualtone Records’ Scott Robinson, and BMI’s Clay Bradley. Photo by Eric England

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On Tuesday, May 31, North Little Rock hosted the internationally syndicated radio show, Tales of the South, that featured Mississippi native and singer-songwriter, Steve Azar, award-winning actor, Morgan Freeman, and Mississippi Democratic Governor candidate, Bill Luckett as special guests. The “Delta Music Show” edition of Tales was sponsored by Oxford American and kicked-off the Little Rock Film Festival and was filmed in front of a sold-out live audience at the Starving Artist Cafe’ in Little Rock, Arkansas. Luckett, who owns  the Ground Zero Blues Club in Clarksville, MS with Freeman and Azar shared their own memorable stories of the Delta. Azar performed “Soldier Song” and later shared the story behind the award-winning music video for, “Waitin’ on Joe,” which Freeman narrated and appeared in starring role.

(L-R): Morgan Freeman, Bill Luckett and Steve Azar Photo: ShutterTHAT.com/ Tim Vahsholtz


 
 

Forecast: iCloudy With A Chance of New Revenues

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In what may come to be viewed as a music industry watershed moment, just like the invention of the phonograph, the CD, Napster and the iTunes store, Apple has come to terms with record labels and music publishers to be able to launch its iCloud music service. The upfront cost, reportedly close to $150 million will enable the technology giant to create an online storage environment that eventually should give users a chance to experience and enjoy a “jukebox in the sky.” Once in the cloud, users can access music from a variety of locations and across all hardware platforms. According to the New York Post, Apple paid each of the four labels between $25 and $50 million each.
Actual details of the new iCloud service remain speculative until Monday June 6 when Apple will reveal all during its keynote address at WWDC (Apple Worldwide Developers Conference) in San Francisco. Apple CEO Steve Jobs is expected to be on hand to participate in the presentation.
Insiders are reporting that music companies will take 70% of the iCloud fees with 12% going to music publishers and 68% going to labels to be shared with artists, etc. Apple will hold the remaining 30%. CNet reports that Universal was the last label to agree to participate in the iCloud deal. Until the size of the revenue stream becomes clear it is too early to judge, but according to the math, publishers will now have a 17% share of royalty revenue collected (12÷70=17%).
A key feature of the new system is called scan and match which frees users from having to upload the songs, which can be highly time intensive.Instead it scans a users hard drive and then matches the music to the cloud’s master library.

Industry Ink: SESAC Awards, SongWriters Fest, Mow the Row

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SESAC’s Nashville Music Awards has been set for Monday, November 7 at the company’s Nashville headquarters. The invitation only event, which honors the top songwriters and publishers in country and Americana, awarded Lady Antebellum’s Hillary Scott with its coveted Songwriter of the Year honor in 2010.
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The 9th Annual Nashville SongWriters Festival tunes up tomorrow, offering original music, professional instruction and open jam sessions. The festival runs June 3-5 in and around the Music Row area. Registration is currently open. Check http://www.songwritersfestival.com/ for details.
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The popular Mow the Row Lawnmower race on Demonbreun, benefiting the Hospitality House in honor of Joshua Ragsdale, has been postponed. Originally set for June 7, the event will now be rescheduled for later. Watch mowtherow.com for updates.
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Registration for IBMA’s World of Bluegrass 2011 in Nashville opens today. The week-long event runs September 26 – October 2 and features a business conference, the International Bluegrass Music Awards, and the Bluegrass Fan Fest. More info at http://worldofbluegrass.org/
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At the International Country Music Conference held recently at Belmont University, the Belmont Book Award for best book on country music was presented to Bar Biszick-Lockwood for her book Restless Giant: The Life and Times of Jean Aberback & Hill and Range Songs. Additionally, the Lifetime Achievement Award was presented to Ralph Emery by Belmont Book Awards founder and Chair Don Cusic (pictured below).

(L-R): Cusic, Biszick-Lockwood, Emery.

Ole Ups Buenahora To GM

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Arthur Buenahora


ole has announced the promotion of Arthur Buenahora to the position of General Manager, Nashville Creative. Buenahora, who joined ole in March 2010 as Senior Creative Director, will continue to be located in the Nashville office overseeing its staff and roster. He will also sign new writers and collaborate with ole Chief Creative Officer Gilles Godard on issues effecting Nashville operations.
“Arthur has proven his ability to generate business in a strategic and effective manner,” says ole President Michael McCarty. “Among his accomplishments at ole is the development of Charlie Worsham, who we believe is a future superstar recording artist. We are confident that Arthur’s continuing leadership of the Nashville Creative team will result in even more momentum and success for ole in Country music.”
In previous music publishing and label A&R positions, he has signed and helped to develop a number of country music’s brightest stars including Dierks Bentley, Miranda Lambert, Eric Church and Taylor Swift.
ole is one of the world’s largest independent music publishers. Founded in 2004, and with offices in Toronto, Nashville and Los Angeles, ole boasts a team of over 30 experienced industry professionals focused on acquisitions, creative development and worldwide administration. ole has been named Canadian Country Music Association’s Music Publishing Company of the Year for the past four years and earned its first Grammy Award in 2009 for Best Country Song, “White Horse.”
 

Sony/ATV Promotes Berschback, Inks Kristen Kelly

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Duff Berschback


Sony/ATV has promoted Duff Berschback to Sr. VP, Legal Affairs and Business Development, Nashville.
Most recently Sony/ATV’s VP, Business Affairs, Berschback will continue his responsibilities for all aspects of business and legal affairs in the Nashville office, including signings, catalog acquisitions, joint ventures, and litigation. His new role will including developing new business models, strategic relationships and growth initiatives.
“Duff has proven himself to be an invaluable asset to our team,” says Sony/ATV Nashville President/CEO Troy Tomlinson. “His new role will help us to achieve our aggressive growth plans for the future.”
Berschback joined Sony/ATV in 2007 as Sr. Dir., Business Affairs. Prior to that he worked for a private law practice representing writers, artists, managers and more.
Sony/ATV has also announced the signing of Kristen Kelly to an exclusive publishing deal. The Texas artist also recently inked a record deal with RCA and is working on music with producers Paul Overstreet and Tony Brown. She is one of the first clients to join John Grady’s new Crush Nashville roster.

(L-R): Front: Stephanie Cox, Kristen Kelly, Paul Overstreet; Back: Troy Tomlinson, John Grady, Ben Strain, Jordan S. Keller

Catalog Cast Picks A Song For Scotty McCreery

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America got to hear newly crowned American Idol Scotty McCreery’s first single “I Love You This Big” on Wednesday (5/25), but he also recorded another song that has yet to be be released. Written by veteran hitmakers Tim Nichols and Jonathan Singleton, the song is “Out Of Summertime” and its journey to meet Scotty was an unusual one.
Not all great songs go straight from the writing room to the recording studio and into consumers’ hands. Many hang around in a publishing company’s catalog for longer, waiting to find a proper home.
Enter the BMI Catalog Cast, a Belmont University internship overseen by BMI’s Beth Mason Laird and Leslie Roberts. Ten Belmont juniors and seniors are chosen for the unique program that allows them firsthand experience with the publishing world, label A&R, and the song pitching process.

BMI's Beth Laird. Photo: Eric England


The students gather unrecorded songs from local publishers and discuss their merits during Wednesday night sessions. Laird and Roberts also invite a variety of guest speakers such as Rhett Akins, Mark Wright, Kent Marcus and Kella Stephenson to introduce students to the many sides of the business.
“Students also get to ask questions about how you find great songs, what makes great songs, and how you pitch them,” explains Laird. “They’re picking out songs they love and gaining knowledge.”
At the end of the semester, a compilation CD of the students’ favorite songs is created and they go out and make pitches to labels and producers. The Nichols/Singleton song “Out Of Summertime” landed on the most recent disc, and had been a student favorite from the beginning.
“There was immediate reaction,” says Laird. “All the students loved it. It’s actually the first song on the disc and the one they all unanimously voted on.”
So when 19 Entertainment’s Iain Pirie approached Laird about material for Idol hopefuls Scotty and Lauren, “Out of Summertime” was top of mind.
“I was trying to think of a great traditional country song for a 17-year-old, which is harder than you might think because you can’t talk about drinking and a lot of other things they talk about in traditional country songs,” laughs Laird. “I thought ‘Out of Summertime’ was perfect. I emailed it to Iain and he loved it.”
Only a few days before the Idol finale, Scotty was in the studio with producer Mark Bright cutting the single “I Love You This Big” and “Out Of Summertime,” and many believed that “Out Of…” was destined to be the one Scotty would perform on the show. It’s now unofficially rumored to be the followup single.
“Great songs that sit in catalogs do find their way,” says Laird. “We’re all so excited. This song has been on hold for a lot of people but for whatever reason hasn’t found the right artist yet. Hopefully that will be Scotty.”
Although the song has yet to climb the charts, the BMI/Belmont Catalog Cast is already a hit.

Seen And Signed

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Songwriter Jason Mizelle recently signed a publishing deal with Warner/Chappell.

(L-R) Warner/Chappell's BJ Hill, ASCAP's LeAnn Phelan, Warner/Chappell's Phil May, ASCAP's Marc Driskill and Robert Filhart, Warner/Chappell's Alicia Pruitt and ASCAP's Michael Martin.


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NCC Editor Leslie Armstrong with Sara Evans.


The Nashville Country Club spoke with Sara Evans at her #1 Party for “A Little Bit Stronger” at Nashville’s Cabana Restaurant.

Big Loud Parking Lot Party Pics

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Craig and KK Wiseman, and what is possibly the greatest balloon hat of all time.


Revelers flocked to Big Loud Shirt’s 16th Ave. S. offices last night (5/25) for the company’s annual Parking Lot Party. Big Loud Shirt owner Craig Wiseman jovially greeted the guests, who were were treated to numerous sweets and goodies, plus lemonade (both alcoholic and non) and keg beer. A New Orleans-style ice vendor was also stationed in the area to provide frozen treats. And for our noisy insect visitors, the Big Loud staff gleefully (and thoughtfully) provided large yellow cicada swatter party favors.
 

Big Loud staffers pose for a shot at the Parking Lot Party. (L-R): Seth England, Kimberly Gleason, Steven McMillian, KK Wiseman, Craig Wiseman, Amy Allmand and Heather Buresh

"A Little Bit Stronger" No. 1 Party

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Sheryl Crow congratulates Sara Evans at the “A Little Bit Stronger” No. 1 party.


Revelers packed Cabana yesterday (5/25) to salute the songwriters of the multi-week Sara Evans No. 1, “A Little Bit Stronger.” BMI, ASCAP and SESAC teamed to host the event honoring their respective affiliates Luke Laird, Hillary Lindsey, and Hillary Scott.
BMI’s Jody Williams toasted Laird and Evans, noting that the star is still going strong 14 years after the release of her debut album. He said Laird’s career has grown exponentially in recent years, scoring numerous hits and leading to frequent collaborations in New York and Los Angeles. It was the sixth charttopper for Laird, who also has the new Rodney Atkins single “Take A Back Road.” Williams and others also saluted producer Tony Brown for his work on the song, one of his 100-plus No. 1 hits.
ASCAP’s Mike Sistad gave tribute to Lindsey for her eighth No. 1; she has achieved massive success since first coming to Nashville in 1994 to attend Belmont University. Lindsey was most recently self-published through Raylene Music, which was run by her sister, Taylor Lindsey, but last night Taylor announced Raylene’s new partnership with BMG Chrysalis before turning the stage over to BMG Chrysalis’s Darrell Franklin. “Hillary is as true and heartfelt as the music she creates,” he beamed.
Next, SESAC’s Tim Fink cheered Scott’s first No. 1 as a songwriter outside of Lady Antebellum, while her bandmates Charles Kelley and Dave Haywood cheered in the crowd. Fink noted Scott’s tireless efforts to rebuild Haiti in the wake of last year’s devastating earthquake, and her publisher, EMI, made a donation to the cause on her behalf.
In keeping with the spirit of giving back, Avenue Bank presented a donation to Preston Taylor Ministries in honor of those behind the song.
All three of the songwriters had parents in attendance, including the Lairds from Pennsylvania and Lindseys from Georgia. (We all know Scott’s parents are Nashvillians.) The out-of-towners were celebrating their 39th and 37th wedding anniversaries, respectively. Evans’ hubby and three daughters came up from their home in Birmingham to cheer-on mom, who gave tearful thank-yous to her family, with a special show of gratitude to her brother Matt Evans, her bandmate and lifelong supporter.

A stronger group. (L-R): Universal Music Publishing’s Kent Earls, BMI’s Jody Williams, co-writer Luke Laird, ASCAP’s Mike Sistad, co-writer Hillary Lindsey, Sara Evans, co-writer Hillary Scott, SESAC’s Tim Fink, EMI Foray Music’s Josh VanValkenburg, producer Tony Brown (kneeling), BMG Chrysalis’ Darrell Franklin, Raylene Music/BMG Chrysalis’ Taylor Lindsey, and EMI Music Publishing’s Missy Wilson.