Shelton Wraps “The Voice,” Preps Album Release

/by

Blake Shelton’s coaching gig on NBC singing competition The Voice is coming to a close as the star gears up for a perfectly timed album release. The two-part season finale of The Voice starts tonight (6/28), where he will team with Brad Paisley to perform “Don’t Drink The Water,” a song written by Paisley and Tim Owens. Tomorrow night (6/29), Shelton will bring wife Miranda Lambert to the stage to sing with his team’s finalist Dia Frampton, who is competing for the crown against Javier Colon, Beverly McClellan and Vicci Martinez.
Shelton performed “Honey Bee” on the show last week, a perfect promotional push for his album set to drop July 12. The lead single is already a major hit, nearing the one million paid digital downloads mark, as the fastest selling Gold digital single from a country male.
Pre-orders for Red River Blue opened today, offering bonus and live tracks. Wal-Mart will have a CD/DVD exclusive package. Pre-sales at www.BlakeShelton.com offer consumers a range of options from the $14.99 digital download package, to an autographed plaque for $250
.
Shelton’s release is the latest in a string of projects from Warner Music Nashville that have been timed to coincide with TV coverage. John Rich’s Six Paks hit streets a week before his win on The Celebrity Apprentice, and Shelton scored big downloads when “Honey Bee” was released immediately following his performance and hosting slot on the ACM Awards.

Artist Action: TV Spots, New Music, and More

/by

TV Appearances
Big Machine Records duo Steel Magnolia (Meghan Linsey and Joshua Scott Jones) will get a taste of late night tonight (June 27) when they make their debut on ABC’s Jimmy Kimmel Live! at 11 pm CT. The duo will perform a new song from their album, which their fans have helped choose.
Marty Stuart will appear on The Late Show With David Letterman Wednesday, June 29. Stuart and his band The Fabulous Superlatives will perform “Country Boy Rock & Roll” from his album Ghost Train (The Studio B Sessions).
Kid Rock recently visited Hazel Smith for an episode of CMT’s Southern Fried Flicks. The show is set to air Saturday, July 2.
Album and Single Releases
Shawna Russell has released her self-titled sophomore album (Way Out West Records), which is available at iTunes, Amazon and more. The album was produced by Julian King, Clif Doyal and Tim Russell and features the single “Get Right Or Get Left.” Russell is also set to play the Summer Oil Patch Festival July 4 in Drumright, Oklahoma with co-headliner Richochet.
Former pop star Tiffany (“I Think We’re Alone Now,” “Could’ve Been”) has returned to music with the release of her debut country album Rose Tattoo. The first single, currently going for adds, is “Feel The Music,” which Tiffany wrote with Julie Forester and Dee Briggs.
Eli Young Band’s current single “Crazy Girl” has broken the 350,000 total downloads mark, averaging weekly sales of 25,000. The group’s forthcoming album Life At Best (Republic Nashville) is due out August 16.
Guy Clark will get his own tribute November 1, but prior to that he will release his new live album Songs and Stories (Dualtone) on August 16. Recorded at Nashville’s Belcourt Theatre, Songs and Stories features Clark performing works from across his career surrounded by bandmates Verlon Thompson, Shawn Camp, Bryn Davies, and Kenny Malone.
Artist Action
Warner Bros. duo the JaneDear girls are joining with Nick Jonas and Quaker Chewy to find the first Quaker Chewy Superstar. Children ages 8-14 are invted to sing one of four songs for the contest, one of which is tJDg’s “Wildflower.” The contest winner will receive a $5000 cash prize, record a song produced by Jonas, and be signed to the Jonas Management Group. More info here.
Phil Vassar has recorded “Rattler Hum,” a custom version of his new single “Let’s Get Together” for the Arizona Rattlers arena football team, which will be used as their new fight song. “Ron Shurts, one of the owners of the Rattlers, is a friend of mine and he brought Coach (Kevin) Guy and some of the Rattlers players to one of my shows and we just clicked,” says Vassar. “Tony Mullins and I decided to write a little ‘spin off’ of ‘Let’s Get Together’ for them to play at their home games.”

Groupon Grows Ties To Music Biz

/by

David Gray's new album is available exclusively via Groupon.


Groupon is the latest unconventional outlet for selling music. Today the deal site is offering digital downloads of the new album from pop/rock star David Gray. Lost and Found-Live in Dublin 2011 is available exclusively on the coupon e-tailor for the deeply discounted price of $6, listed as a $13 value. Additionally, Groupon subscribers will be able to sample a track from this release for free via a Groupon RCRDLBL-branded widget. Gray’s label home, Downtown Records, will do a physical release of the album later this year.
This follows a similar Groupon deal with Rihanna’s album in November 2010, and the May 2011 announcement of GrouponLive, a partnership between the deal factory and Live Nation.
Groupon has also offered tickets to Britney Spears’ current Femme Fatale trek for $31, about half the face value of $61.
Seeking increasing name recognition, Groupon was a big sponsor of Saturday’s (6/25) MTV Video Music Aid Japan concert special.
Forbes reports Groupon has 83 million email subscribers, and matched last year’s total coupon sales of 30 million in the first quarter of 2011. Still, the company lost $413 million last year.

Teen Media Behavior: Myths and Reality

/by

Nielsen’s newly released study on Teen Media Behavior, proves some conventional beliefs, but also breaks a few myths about how teens spend their time in an age dominated by media choices. The study looks at multiple channels including internet, cable TV and web connected devices.
Kids are the heaviest mobile phone video users, are more receptive to mobile advertising than their elders. They also out-text all other age groups. Teens 13-17 sent an average of 3,364 mobile texts per month! 18-24 year olds sent 1,640 texts per month.
As expected, teens talk less on the phone. Except for seniors 65+, teens talk the least of all age groups. They also watch less TV than the general population and spend less time on their computers. The average American watches 34 hours/39 minutes of TV per week. Teens 12-17 watch the least amount of TV averaging 23 hours and 41 minutes per week.
To download the entire report click here.
 

Ashley Heron Joins LA-based HYFN, Inc.

/by

Ashley Heron has joined Los Angeles-based digital creative and social media/mobile application development firm HYFN, Inc. as Vice President, Digital.
In this role he will manage client services and new business development as well as overseeing a team of developers. HYFN’s clients include Avon, Citi, Coca-Cola, Honda, Intel, LG, Nike and many more.
Heron comes to HYFN from Big Machine Label Group, where he served as Director, Strategic Marketing. While there he was responsible for executive marketing partnerships with Best Buy, Cabela’s, Sony, JetBlue and more for label artists including Taylor Swift, Rascal Flatts, Justin Moore and others. Prior to that he served for six years as Sr. Manager, Marketing for Lyric Street Records. A native of Sarasota, Florida, Heron graduated from Belmont University with a degree in Music Business.
“Ashley is a great creative mind and strategic thinker who has developed and executed marketing campaigns for a number of the biggest names in entertainment,” declares HYFN President and Founder Morgan Harris. “In today’s changing social landscape, Heron is the perfect fit for HYFN and its clients.”
Heron will relocate to Los Angeles for the job. Reach him at ashley@hyfn.com or 866-323-4936.

Nichols Partners With Dunkin' Donuts

/by

The puns will be flying in all directions as Dunkin’ Donuts celebrates its new “Joe.” No, not another coffee, but “Joe Nichols,” who has signed a partnership with the coffee and baked goods vendor.
Nichols will tout the Dunkin’ Donut brand on his 2011 Nationwide Concert Tour and be featured on the company’s Iced coffee. [Fans are speculating that Nichols will be in the dough on this new agreement and that he will be careful not to end up in the hole.]
On Wed. June 22, Nichols will host a live video chat on Dunkin’ Donut’s official Facebook page which currently has 3.6 million likes. Fans will also get an opportunity to win prizes.
John Costello, Chief Global Marketing & Innovation Officer at Dunkin’ Brands, said, “This new partnership with Joe Nichols will provide a fun and exciting way to connect our fans to one of the hottest stars in country music and promote Dunkin’ Donuts’ iced coffee throughout the summer months and beyond. From our previous work with Joe, we know first-hand how his songs and personality resonate positively with people throughout the country and we are excited to participate in his concert tour and bring Joe and his music to our fans in multiple ways.”

Justin Moore Anchors Album Launch

/by

Justin Moore’s new album Outlaws Like Me is set for release next week (Tuesday, June 21) and to promote it he will be giving numerous media appearances like most artists trying to promote a new project. Except Moore will give new meaning to the term ‘media saturation’ by conducting six hours of live interviews from a bass boat in the middle of the lake in New York City’s Central Park.
“I’ve traveled all around the country, and there is nowhere I feel more at peace than sitting on a boat in the lake,” says Moore, whose current single ‘If Heaven Wasn’t So Far Away’ just hit No. 1 on MusicRow’s CountryBreakout Chart. “The new album celebrates the lifestyle that I grew up with. When the label wanted to launch Outlaws Like Me in New York City, it seemed like an obvious choice to kick things off in a setting where I feel so much at home. My fans know that the music I make represents who I am and since the outdoors have been such a big part of my life, I want people to watch this and know that what you see is what you get. This is me, and that’s reflected on this album.”
Fans can tune in for the fun via a live stream at www.nracountry.com/justinmoore on Monday, June 20 from 6 am – 12 pm ET. While he’s visiting New York, Moore will also appear on Better TV, Fox News, ABC News, Entertainment Tonight and Good Day New York. On release day (6/21), Moore will host a live chat and exclusive performance at 3 pm CT at www.livestream.com/justinmoore.
He will also perform at B.B. King’s Time Square that same day, followed by stops in Indianapolis (6/22), Milwaukee (6/23) and Chicago (6/25). He’ll wrap the week with two opening dates on Rascal Flatts’ Flatts Fest tour in Chicago and St. Louis.

Stiff Competition For Endorsement Deals

/by

Carrie Underwood has a successful deal with Vitaminwater.


Celebrities are seeking licensing endorsement deals more actively than ever. Ad Age reports that celeb reps were working overtime at the Licensing International Expo, which took place this week in Las Vegas.
Hosting booths for the first time were talent agencies CAA and WME, who in previous years had sent reps to take meetings. Journalist Michael Stone reports CAA’s licensing booking guide showcased ideas for specific deals, such as talk-show host Chelsea Handler’s interest in apparel and greeting cards, and Mariah Carey’s interest in children’s clothing.
Some stars such as Janet Jackson even rented out their own booths, according to the article, a step usually taken by the estates of deceased celebrities.
Stone sums that the competition for endorsements is the result of a rising number of celebs due to reality TV, etc., plus shrinking retail shelf space.
In this environment, Stone writes that it is crucial for celebs and their licensees to be “fully committed to long-term success,” instead of the short-term deals of the past.

Are Netflix and Cable Operators At War?

/by

As the entertainment world continues to fragment there is growing concern and questions over consumer habits. Conventional wisdom seemed to say that added choices meant engaged TV/video viewers would watch more across all distribution channels. However, recent Nielsen SoundScan research and reports from The Diffusion Group are beginning to question that supposition.
For example, the recent Diffusion Group report showed that Netflix customers who stream content over the Internet are “more than twice as likely” to drop some of their pay TV services. A recent article in TheWrap.com noted, 32% of those streaming Netflix content are likely to downgrade other paid video services which is a 100% increase over last year.
Nielsen SoundScan has also said it sees, especially among consumers in the 18-34 demo, a growing trend of either/or between regular TV and online video. The findings, as reported on Billboard.com, are not chord cutting, but rather a subtle shift driven by cost savings.
However, other findings still show viewing on the rise in all areas leading some cable execs unconcerned. Time Warner Chief Research Officer Jack Wakshlag dismissed the new research telling Billboard, it’s, “Not something we view as destructive or damaging.”
But  TDG researcher Michael Greeson says TV and Netflix will have to acknowledge their adversarial relationship. “Both Netflix and PayTV operators have long been aware that there will come a point at which its services are not only dilutive to regular TV viewing, but antithetical to PayTV subscription levels. The question for realistic observers has been not if this will occur, but when.”
 

Albums From Jake Owen and Randy Montana On The Way

/by

Jake Owen (R) performs with Keith Urban during CMA Music Fest 2011.


Jake Owen will release his third studio album Barefoot Blue Jean Night (RCA) on August 30.
“It is kind of ironic that my new album is being released on August 30, two days after I turn 30 and this is my third record,” says Owen. “This album is a big step for me and my career and I can’t wait for people to hear it.”
The 11-track album splits production between the team of Joey Moi and Rodney Clawson, as well as Tony Brown. The title track and first single is quickly climbing the charts and has sold over 200k digital units.
Owen will join the US leg of Keith Urban’s Get Closer 2011 World Tour starting this weekend (6/16) in Biloxi, MS. Owen joined Urban onstage during CMA Music Fest 2011 to duet on Owen’s hit “Don’t Think I Can’t Love You.”
• •
Mercury Nashville will release the self-titled debut of Randy Montana on July 26 to all digital retailers. The album was produced by Jay Joyce (Eric Church) and includes singles “Ain’t Much Left Of Lovin’ You” and “1,000 Faces,” which is currently a free download on the iTunes country page. Emmylou Harris provides guest vocals on a track called “Last Horse.”
Montana has spent much of the last year touring on the road with superstars like Lady Antebellum, Little Big Town and Sugarland. This summer he will join Taylor Swift for select dates of her Speak Now tour.