TV/Video: Paisley, Duncan, Wayne, and Another McGraw

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Pictured (l-r): "Live with Regis and Kelly" guest co-host, actor Jerry O’Connell; Paisley; and Kelly Ripa.

Pictured (l-r): "Live with Regis and Kelly" guest co-host, actor Jerry O’Connell; Paisley; and Kelly Ripa.

Arista Nashville’s Brad Paisley was in New York last week to promote his new album, American Saturday Night, and his trip to the Big Apple included a performance on a Reege-free edition of Live with Regis and Kelly. After the three-week #1 success of the new album’s first smash, “Then,” Paisley’s new single, “Welcome to the Future,” is impacting country radio.
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Whitney Duncan‘s new, summertime video for single “Skinny Dippin’” was shot against the picturesque scenery of Xanadu Ranch in nearby Arrington, TN. Roman White directed the video and Randy Brewer produced. Duncan’s forthcoming album on Warner Bros., Right Road Now, will feature the single, and was produced by John Shanks and Mark Bright. All tracks on Right Road Now are co-written by Duncan, who has also written singles for artists including Lee Ann Womack and Crystal Shawanda.

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Jimmy Wayne‘s new music video for “I’ll Be That” was shot during his concert at the Verizon Wireless Amphitheater in his hometown, Charlotte, NC. Producer/director Todd Cassetty made sure the video has a fun, summertime feel. To capture the excitement of the concert—which was part of opening night of Brad Paisley’s American Saturday Night Tour—Cassetty and his team from Todd Cassetty Welding Service utilized multiple cameras. A camera crew also followed Wayne throughout the day, capturing meetings with fans and radio station visits to add to the video.

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Sean Patrick McGraw makes his national television debut on ABC’s Jimmy Kimmel Live on Tuesday, July 14 where he will perform new single, “Dollar Ain’t Worth A Dime.” Fans can catch him on tour with Toby Keith and Trace Adkins this summer as part of Keith’s America’s Toughest Tour. McGraw is signed to Little Engine Records, has a new video on CMT, and will release a new album this year.

“Soundstage” On GAC, Kid Rock’s Beer, SheDaisy, and Rascal Flatts

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Disney Music Group labelmates SHeDAISY and The Jonas Brothers headlined the Stadium of Fire 4th of July celebration at LaVell Edwards Stadium in Provo, Utah. Pictured backstage (L-R): Kevin Jonas, Kelsi Osborn, Kassidy Osborn, Joe Jonas, Kristyn Osborn, Nick Jonas

Disney Music Group labelmates SHeDAISY and The Jonas Brothers headlined the Stadium of Fire 4th of July celebration at LaVell Edwards Stadium in Provo, Utah. Pictured backstage (L-R): Kevin Jonas, Kelsi Osborn, Kassidy Osborn, Joe Jonas, Kristyn Osborn, Nick Jonas

GAC To Present The Best of Soundstage: Great American Country (GAC) is pleased to present the best of the legendary music television series, Soundstage, and will air nine Country episodes beginning with Sugarland on July 12 at 7 PM/CT. The groundbreaking series aired from 1974–1985 before returning in 2003 and continues to feature outstanding high definition concert performances. The schedule is: Alison Krauss + Union Station (7/19), Trace Adkins (7/26), Lee Ann Womack/Billy Currington (8/2), Trisha Yearwood (8/9), Travis Tritt/Nickel Creek (8/16), Martina McBride (8/23), Kenny Chesney (8/30), and a George Jones Tribute (9/20).

Flatts Set For Today Show: Rascal Flatts will head to the Big Apple this Friday, July 10 to perform on NBC’s Today show as part of the Summer Concert Series. They’ll perform new single “Summer Nights,” from their latest album Unstoppable, as well as a couple of their biggest hits. The date of the appearance also coincides with lead singer Gary LeVox’s birthday. Gary, Jay and Joe Don will then head back out on their Rascal Flatts American Living Unstoppable Tour with two dates in New York this weekend- Darien Center and Syracuse.

American Badass Beer: Consumers will get their first taste of Kid Rock’s new American Badass Beer at a July 17 concert in his hometown of Detroit. Kid poured $7 million into the venture which has reportedly boosted the economy in his home state by creating about 400 jobs. He is said to have played a major role in everything from the beer’s taste (American style lager) to the design of its label.

Glamorous Tidbits

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cover_glamour_190Taylor Swift is on the cover of the August issue of Glamour magazine. In an article titled Taylor Swift: Bomb-Shell in Blue Jeans, she dishes on her favorite career moments (Saturday Night Live, Rolling Stone cover), future goals (a world tour, moving out of her parents’ house), and where she sees herself in the future.

Toby Keith recorded his new single “American Ride” last week and following extreme demand, rushed it to radio in time for the Independence Day weekend.

Blake Shelton will be on Good Morning America on ABC on Mon. July 6.

Check out the music/film industry gossip site of Nikki Finke at www.deadlinehollywooddaily.com.

Nashville pop/folk songstress Madi Diaz, signed to Cherry Lane Publishing, recently received the Songwriters Hall of Fame Abe Olman Scholarship for Excellence in Songwriting.

Comedian Rodney Carrington’s new all-music album, El Niño Loco, debuted at No. 2 on Billboard’s Comedy chart last week, as well as at No. 19 on the Country chart.

Rascal Flatts is the first country act set to participate in the iTunes Pass program which allows fans access to exclusive content like live recordings, demos, and more. After the program launches on July 21, new audio will be released each week for the remainder of the summer.

Emerging singer Shawn Mayer is gearing up for her summer tour kicking off in Nashville at Cadillac Ranch on July 7. Show starts at 6:00PM and is a benefit concert for Spinal Muscular Atrophy presented by singer/songwriter Warren Silvers. From there, Shawn will travel to the Midwest for upcoming dates in Iowa and the surrounding areas opening for Josh Gracin, Jamie O’Neal, John Michael Montgomery and Andy Griggs.

Digital distribution label GMV Nashville has announced the addition of several new titles to their online catalog, including the epic This Is My America set, out-of-print titles from the Charlie Daniels Band and Toy Caldwell, and more. This Is My America is a three-disc compilation of original material that chronologically recounts the history of America through songs from 58 of Nashville’s finest award-winning singers and songwriters.

Rising country singer-songwriter Shane Wyatt has entered into a sponsorship with Farm Boy & Farm Girl brands, which makes clothing and accessories that capture the heartfelt pride of the farming lifestyle.

Photo Ops: Costco Queen, Winans, Walker, and Wayne

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"Costco Queen", from the hit show, Motherhood: The Musical, is now available for download on iTunes.  Get the mp3 for 99 cents or go for the FULL, never-before-seen Music Video for $1.49.   The music video was filmed inside Costco #386 in Brentwood TN and features real Costco employees, as well as the original Nashville cast of  Motherhood: The Musical Costco is using the video for their marketing events nationwide..pictured l-r: Jaclyn Brown, Janna Landry, Sue Fabisch (co-writer), Gerry D'Arco (mgr Costco #386), Ilene Angel (co-writer), Ruth Rosen and Gina D'Arco) 

"Costco Queen," from the hit show, Motherhood: The Musical, is available for download on iTunes as a song or music video. The video was filmed inside the Brentwood Costco and features the cast of Motherhood. The retailer is using the video as part of its national marketing. (L-R): Jaclyn Brown, Janna Landry, Sue Fabisch (co-writer), Gerry D'Arco (Costco Mgr.), Ilene Angel (co-writer), Ruth Rosen and Gina D'Arco

Jeff Foxworthy who performed at the 2nd Annual Clay Walker Charity Classic Golf Tournament at Pebble Beach Resorts on June 30, during the tournament’s evening Gala event to raise money for Walker’s charity, Band Against MS. The Gala event raised more than $56,000 from live and silent auctions which will be used to fund education for those living with MS, research and to further support the goals of BAMS. To date, BAMS has raised more than $2 million to fight MS. Photo: Christine Bush

Jeff Foxworthy performed at the 2nd Annual Clay Walker Charity Classic Golf Tournament at Pebble Beach Resorts on June 30, at the tournament’s gala to benefit Walker’s charity, Band Against MS. The event raised more than $56,000 from live and silent auctions which will be used to fund education for those living with MS, research and more. To date, BAMS has raised more than $2 million to fight MS. Photo: Christine Bush

Coffee Talk attendees recently met at the Stillwater Café to hear featured guest, national gospel artist CeCe Winans discuss her Always Sisters/Forever Brothers organization which will hold its Youth Conference at Belmont University in July. The conference’s goal is to educate, motivate and re-direct the life choices of teens and young women and men. Coffee Talk unites business professionals, entrepreneurs and community leaders for the purpose of effective networking. Pictured: Connie Kinnard, SVP Convention & Visitors Bureau with Ms. Winans

Coffee Talk attendees recently met at the Stillwater Café to hear gospel artist CeCe Winans discuss her Always Sisters/Forever Brothers organization which will hold its Youth Conference at Belmont University in July. The conference’s goal is to educate, motivate and re-direct the life choices of teens and young women and men. Coffee Talk unites business professionals, entrepreneurs and community leaders for the purpose of effective networking. Pictured: Connie Kinnard, SVP Convention & Visitors Bureau with Winans

Jimmy Wayne takes a camera with him everywhere he travels, and this week his label Valory Music Co.  launched a weekly series spotlighting some of his favorite photos from the road. See below.

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Wayne and Dierks Bentley having a blast on Brad Paisley’s "American Saturday Night Tour."

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Also, a few shots from Eldon, Iowa where Wayne visited the American Gothic House, home of the famed painting, and while there dressed up in garb worn by the dentist in the picture.

Revisiting The New Rules Of Engagement

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In August 2007 MusicRow released a special report entitled Embracing Change: The New Rules of Engagement. Its content was the result of a series of think-tank sessions with Jim Beavers, David Gales, Scott Heuerman, Todd Cassetty and David Ross—tech devotees with group experience in virtually all aspects of the music industry. Now, two years later, the report’s business model predictions have become reality.

1. Redistribution of Risk and Reward
2. Artist Development Costs Must Be Flexible and Scaleable
3. Balance of Power Will Be Redefined
4. The Artist Is A Brand
5. Profitability—the new No. 1 Party. In Nashville people are obsessed with getting a No. 1 radio hit, when good business demands profits be the goal.

A copy of the full 2007 report can be downloaded here.

In this model labels create value for many revenue streams, but only benefit from record sales.

In this model labels create value for many revenue streams, but only benefit from record sales.

The new model demands a redistribution of risk, reward and roles. Revenue from all streams is aggregated and divided accordingly.

The new model demands a redistribution of risk, reward and roles. Revenue from all streams is aggregated and divided accordingly.

Toby K., Holly W., Luke B. and Aaron T.

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Holly Williams recently visited E’s Chelsea Lately (pictured here with host Chelsea Handler). She will also perform, interview and sign autographs tomorrow (6/3) at 1:30 PM at the Country Music Hall of Fame, followed by her Grand Ole Opry debut that night.

Holly Williams recently visited E’s "Chelsea Lately" (pictured here with host Chelsea Handler). Williams will also perform, interview and sign autographs tomorrow (6/3) at 1:30 PM at the Country Music Hall of Fame, followed by her Grand Ole Opry debut that night.

Toby Keith‘s sixth annual golf and music fundraising weekend to benefit Ally’s House raised more than a half-million dollars to help children with cancer and their families in Keith’s native Oklahoma. The $550,000 raised brings the to-date total to nearly $3 million. The dinner, music and auction saw several big ticket items drawing huge bids. A dinner party for 20 with Keith earned $32,500. The Alaskan Adventure with Deadliest Catch boat captain Sig Hansen brought in $13,000, and a Costa Rica getaway to the Four Seasons drew a $19,000 bid. More than 40 sports and music celebrities were in attendance, including Keith’s Beer For My Horses co-star and co-writer Rodney Carrington, and baseball player Roger Clemens.
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Luke Bryan hosted Yahoo! Music’s first Country Music Wednesdays on Twitter last night. Fans were able to watch the conversation by adding twitter.com/lukebryanonline and twitter.com/yahoo_music to their “follow” list. Bryan also debuted the video for his current single “Do I” on Amazon this week, where fans can watch the video, buy the single, and pre-order his Capitol Nashville album Doin’ My Thing, which will be released Oct. 6. Bryan is on the road all summer on his Miller Lite sponsored tour.
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Aaron Tippin has launched a line of nutritional supplements called Aaron Tippin Nutrition (ATN). In his mid 20s the singer was a competitive bodybuilder and he’s been a fitness buff ever since, which led to him starting what he describes as this new “way-of-life” program.

Jackson Sales Surge But Country Lags

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hannahmontana3_238x257The week ending 6/28/09 saw week-over-week (w/w) country sales drop 24% and overall music sales fall 8%. For country it was the week after Fathers Day and the CMT Awards, plus there were no new country CD debuts to give fans an extra reason to shop. For the overall industry, it was the week that Michael Jackson died—stirring a firestorm of media attention and copious downloads. In fact, the top 3 selling albums this week were all from the deceased King of Pop, with each one selling over 100k units: Number Ones (107,808); Essential Michael Jackson (102,023); and Thriller (101,042). Also noteworthy, according to SoundScan, 57% of all MJ album sales (421,000) this week were digital (241,000).

Digital Download Dialog
Among country consumers, the digital album sales picture is nowhere as large as might be indicated based upon the MJ stats. Last year, digital country album sales as a percentage of total album sales equaled about 7.2%. This year (2009) country album downloads have jumped to 11.4%. A nice leap to be sure, but a far cry from the tech-savvy mouse clicks of the pop consumers where about 21.5% of total CD sales are digital.

Current Country
The Hannah Montana movie soundtrack (34,397) remained in the top spot on Current Country Albums (10th consecutive week), but sales only exceeded the No. 2 contender, Taylor Swift, by 397 units. Moving up to the No. 3 position is the feisty Zac Brown Band which scanned 23,799 units this week. Kenny Chesney (22,209) and Jason Aldean (20,533) filled out the Top 5.

Taylor Swift’s “You Belong With Me” was the top country digital track, downloading 74,968 copies this week placing the song in soon-to-be Platinum status (825k). Miley Cyrus sold 53,712 digital “Climb” tracks for a to-date total of about 1.87 million. “Out Last Night” from Kenny Chesney came in third, clicking its way to 41,510 downloads in its fourth week on the tracks chart.

Looking ahead we have the just released American Saturday Night from Brad Paisley which should add some spice to next week’s totals…

CMT Ratings Continue Upward Trend

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cmtComing off ratings wins for premieres of the 2009 CMT Music Awards and The Singing Bee series debut, CMT has wrapped its most-watched second quarter ever among total viewers. According to Nielsen Media Research, the network increased total viewers for both total day (+14%) and primetime (+13%) when compared to the same quarter in 2008, and second quarter was CMT’s most-watched quarter since 2006.

In addition, the network increased viewers among adults 18-49 for total day (+6%) and primetime (+9%) over last year. The June 16 Awards were the network’s highest-rated telecast of the year.

Music video hours have also increased on the channel, with ratings up +17% versus the same quarter last year among total viewers, and up +14% among adults 18-49. In addition, video streams are up +23% for CMT.com for second quarter when compared to the same quarter last year.

Music Biz Whiz Kids

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David Plyler.

Pictured at the finalists meet and mingle (L-R): Jensen Sussman, Mandy Gallagher, SESAC's Justin Levenson, David Plyler, and Katy Brown.

There are several familiar names on Music Row among the finalists for the 2009 Nashville Emerging Leader Awards (NELAs), given out annually by the Nashville Area Chamber of Commerce and YP Nashville. The organizations say the awards are proof of the demographic’s strong leadership, community impact and success. Many of the nominees are members of music business organization SOLID.

In the Arts, Entertainment, and Music Business category, the finalists are Jessica Baum, Bluewater Music Services Corporation; Katherine Beakes, Universal Music Group; Lucia Folk, CMT; Danny Ray Martin, East Nashville School of Music and Jensen Sussman, Sweet Talk Publicity.

Other finalists with strong ties to the music business are Katy Brown of Musicians On Call, who is nominated in the Community Service Nonprofit category; and Mandy Gallagher of SunTrust Bank, nominated in the Financial Services section.

SESAC President/COO Pat Collins has already been announced as the 2009 Sage Award Winner, given out in conjunction with the honors to one of Nashville’s top leaders who has made a significant impact on the city’s young professional demographic.

The 2009 NELAs Awards Ceremony will be 7-9 PM, Thurs., July 30 at Lipscomb University, with a pre-event reception at Cabana from 5-6:30 PM.

Musical Chairs: W.A.Y. Ent., Republic Nashville

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wayFormer Sony execs. Jon Elliot and Christian Svendsen have formed W.A.Y. Entertainment, a fully integrated entertainment company. The Nashville-based outfit will specialize in artist management and marketing services, and also offer merchandise and TV production through partnerships with A3 Merchandise and Relay Productions. With combined experience of more than 30 years and backgrounds in promotion, marketing and artist development, Elliot and Svendsen will support their client base across all platforms.

Elliot was most recently VP of Marketing & Artist Development for Arista/Nashville and the RCA Records label, overseeing all of the branding and imaging for artists including Alan Jackson, Brooks & Dunn, Carrie Underwood, Brad Paisley and Martina McBride, among others. Previously, Elliot was at RCA (NY) where he was part of the marketing team that launched the Dave Matthews Band. Svendsen was most recently Director of Strategic Marketing for Sony Nashville and was responsible for the TV film initiatives for all four Sony labels. Svendsen began his career at Sony as Southwest Regional and was responsible for radio promotion and marketing for Kenny Chesney, Lonestar, Kellie Pickler and Lorrie Morgan, among others.

Contact information for W.A.Y Entertainment:
Jon Elliot, 615-390-6773, jon@way-entertainment.com
Christian Svendsen, 214-557-0097, christian@way-entertainment.com

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Weslea Bartholomew has joined the Republic Nashville team as Director of Southwest Promotion. A graduate of the University of New Mexico, Bartholomew has more than 5 years of radio experience, serving as both an on-air talent and as Assistant Program Director of WBEE in Rochester, NY. Bartholomew will be based out of her hometown of Albuquerque, NM. She may be reached at weslea.bart@republicnashville.com

Alicia Torres will serve as Label Resource Manager/ Executive Assistant to Republic Nashville President Jimmy Harnen. A graduate of Appalachian State University, Torres’ previous professional endeavors include serving as Booking & Promotions Agent for Mountain Cowboy Music; Regional Marketing & Advertising Rep at HQ Management and New Monkey Studios; Sponsorship Coordinator and Street Team Manager for Music on the Mountain; News Anchor for WASU-FM as well as the President and Concert Organizer of the MEISA Music Festival. Torres most recently served as SAG/ AFTRA Licensing Coordinator for MTV Networks Viacom in New York. She may be reached at alicia.torres@republicnashville.com.