2013 CMA Vocal Group of the Year Little Big Town will present a panel about perseverance in the Country music industry at CRS 2014. Bob Kingsley will interview the band throughout the session, which will take place Feb.19 in the Nashville Convention Center.
Throughout their career, Little Big Town members Karen Fairchild, Kimberly Schlapman, Jimi Westbrook and Phillip Sweet have persevered through several challenging label changes. They received their first record deal with Mercury Nashville Records before moving to Sony’s Monument Records, where they released their debut album. From there, the band went from the small independent label, Equity Music Group, to their current label, Capitol Records, which was later taken over by major label, Universal Music Group.
“It’s an honor to be asked to be a part of CRS this year, and especially the chance to share some of our story as a band through the last 14 years,” said Little Big Town. “It’s definitely been about perseverance for us.”
“Throughout every challenge the band has had, they’ve continued to establish and develop so many relationships and give back in so many ways,” said Kingsley. “Their ability to adapt to situations and stay ahead is a hard feat, and one that we can all learn from.”
CRS 2014 will include more than 20 educational panels and speakers, including “Cracking the Code: Using Data to Discover the Hits,” “Spotify, Pandora, YouTube, Beats: It’s Their Country, Too,” “Marketing On A Shoestring Budget,” “Would You Like Sales Prospects to Call You?” and more.
CRS 2014 will be held Feb. 19-21, 2014 at the Nashville Convention Center. The $499 regular registration rate can be purchased at countryradioseminar.com.

The 10th Annual Ringside: A Fight for Kids gala will see Country radio promotion executives Van Haze (VP National Promotion, MCA Nashville) and Shane Allen (VP Promotion, UMG Nashville) jump in the ring for charity, during the gala’s main event, “Rumble on the Row.”
Proceeds from the event will benefit Nashville’s The Charley Foundation, which helps charitable organizations benefit children throughout Middle Tennessee.
“We are thrilled to have these two music industry ‘heavyweights’ on board,” said The Charley Foundation’s founder and chairman Carolyn Miller. “Their intense physical training is already under way and their tremendous dedication will directly help make an impact on the lives of so many local children.”
The Ringside event will also feature four professional boxing matches, sanctioned by the Tennessee Athletic Commission, and will include gourmet dining, live music, celebrity guests and a live auction.
The event will take place at Liberty Hall in the Factory at Franklin on March 7, 2014. For more information, visit charleyfoundation.org.

Here we are a week after Black Friday. You have finished your shopping for your spouse, children, siblings and parents. You searched and searched and finally found that perfect gift for your best friend.
Whew! You can relax. NOT! What about your favorite country music artist? What are you going to get for the person who has everything and if not can buy whatever they want?
Now, you might be asking why you should buy a superstar a gift. Well, the Wall Street Journal reported this week that sales were down for the first time in seven years. It is your duty as a good credit card carrying American to help out. This is a great solution. Here are a few ideas:
Wine of the Month Club. According to “the smoking gun” Blake Shelton’s rider on The Voice includes two bottles of Cabernet Sauvignon. It also includes two cases of Light Beer so you could go that way. Beers of the Month. I also found a cocktail shaker for $1400.00. Don’t waste your money on a tie.
Celebrity Cook Book. While in New York rehearsing for The Sound of Music, Carrie Underwood had a kitchen emergency in her apartment that set off the smoke alarm and alerted her neighbors to the fact that as a cook she is a great singer. One neighbor was heard to say there was a smoking hot blonde in apartment 3D. It turned out to be the oven.
Season Tickets to the 2014 West Virginia Mountaineer Football season. Brad Paisley is the most famous Mountaineer on the chart today, so I’m sure he would appreciate this gift. Now don’t worry about the cost. The Mountaineers (4W-8L) finished the season losing to what were thought to be the two worst teams in the Big 12. It turned out the Mountaineers were the worst team, losing to both Kansas and Iowa State. On second thought, if you wait until the season starts you can probably buy them for Brad on Stub and Hub and get parking thrown in free.
You can pick up The Luke Bryan CD Crash My Party for under $12.00 at Wal-Mart for Zac Brown. For the heck of it throw in Tailgates and Tanlines for $10.00.
There really is a book called The Encyclopedia of Baseball Catchers. It was written by Chuck Rosciam and you can view it online for nothing. Did you know there are only 17 catchers in the Hall of Fame? I’m not sure if JC Arenciba of the Toronto Blue Jays will ever make it to the Hall, but he has already won a pretty big prize with his fiancée Kimberly Perry. I’m sure Kimberly would enjoy this gesture of holiday spirit. Here’s the link to forward to her. http://www.baseballcatchers.com
Suzanne Sommers, nicknamed Ms. Jiggly, made a great deal of money with Thighmaster and subsequently the Buttmaster exercise equipment. I searched the Internet for the best price and found the Buttmaster going for as cheap as $5.00 on Ebay. Now I cannot guarantee it is new equipment, so you’ll have to check that out yourself before you gift one to Luke Bryan who apparently has found his calling card.
Well, my credit card is maxed out, so I am going to have to hang it up but if you have any other ideas go ahead and send them to me. Remember we love all these acts so let’s not get mean.
(The views expressed in this article are those of the author and do not necessarily reflect those of MusicRow.)

The Academy of Country Music will accept radio submissions for the 49th Annual Academy of Country Music Awards through Friday, Dec. 6. Submissions will be accepted through 4 p.m. CT on Friday in categories for radio station and on-air personalities. These categories include small, medium, large and major markets, as well as a National On-Air Personality award.
The 49th Annual Academy of Country Music Awards will be held Sunday, April 6, 2014 at the MGM Grand Garden Arena in Las Vegas. ACM members can send submissions at acmradio.dmds.com.