Swift Gets Positive Press On Dateline

Last night’s Dateline NBC piece on Taylor Swift was undeniably flattering. The hour-long segment followed her through preparations for a headlining tour, portraying her as one of the most hands-on young entertainers in the business. She was shown participating in every aspect of her career—designing the stage, auditioning back-up dancers, decorating her backstage vibe room and tour bus, and leading concert rehearsals—all while posting messages for her Twitter followers.

Her mother and closest confident Andrea Swift told the newsmagazine, “Every single decision that’s made, whether it’s talking about artwork that’s gonna go on the side of the buses for the tour or a script that needs to be read, you know, almost invariably, someone in the room says, ‘Have you checked with Taylor?’”

Swift told NBC’s Hoda Kotb it can be hard to be in charge of people twice her age. “There are times when you get frustrated, but the one thing you always focus on is treating people well. You just cannot storm off and freak out. People don’t take you seriously if you scream, if you raise your voice, especially when you’re a 19-year-old girl.”

Dateline asked promoter Louis Messina about her string of sell-out dates. “Throughout my whole career, I’ve never seen anything like this. I said this to her as Bruce Springsteen was the voice of his generation, Taylor is the voice of her generation.”

With 7 million albums sold, Swift and her team are as driven as ever. Scott Borchetta, President & CEO, Big Machine Records told Dateline, “You have to be careful in this moment. You’re never bigger than the game. The minute you think you’re bigger than the game is the minute that you start to lose the game.”

Also making an appearance on the show was hard working Nashville publicist Paula Erickson, seen rushing Swift off to the red carpet of Hannah Montana: The Movie.

Courtesy: Dateline NBC

Courtesy: Dateline NBC

Rucker Reaches Out via iPhone

darius13Darius Rucker’s new iPhone/iPod touch app is the first from a country music artist to reach this writers desk. Downloadable for FREE, the nifty 35 MB code works much like a personal web browser dedicated to one site. Navigation is divided into seven categories: Welcome, Latest News, Tour Dates, Music Videos, Song samples/purchase links, Darius TV and Twitter.

Inside the tour dates area are direct links that open mobile Safari and enable fans to purchase tickets. Music Video has both still images and embedded videos that are loaded on the phone and can be viewed with or without a network connection. Darius TV is dedicated to behind-the-scenes humorous video clips and outtakes.

The app’s look and feel is clean and intuitive. Fans will appreciate having a “clubhouse” where they can go at any time to hangout and get the latest news. Like a web site, content can be updated when desired, giving the artist a direct-to-the-fan syndicated information channel. Artist apps have been extremely popular in other music formats and range from the simple, but informative—like Rucker’s version—to collections of bells and whistles with built in contests, social networking access and even the ability for fans and the artist to chat online in the app’s private chat room.

As today’s media landscape continues to fragment, it becomes more difficult to attract a large-scale audience in one place at the same time making social networking and iPhone-type apps more important than ever. Newspapers, network TV and radio are examples of media with shrinking audience. Consumers have now added new on-demand media outlets to their infotainment choices and view that content across a variety of screens—TV, computer and mobile.

“Fans can now access my music, tour stops and stay in touch with me through their devices so it’s my way of saying ‘thanks’ for spreading the word about the music,” says Darius Rucker. Savvy marketers realize that Rucker’s gift is a two way street that will please fans and pay career dividends.

615 Music Nabs Emmy Nominations

615Randy Wachtler, President/Founder of Nashville-based 615 Music has announced that the company has landed three 2009 Daytime Emmy Award nominations in the category of “Outstanding Original Song, Main Title and Promo,” for shows including NASCAR On Speed TV and NBC’s Today. 615’s client roster is comprised of virtually every major broadcast and cable television network, including ABC, CBS, NBC, Fox, PBS, MSNBC, HBO Worldwide, A&E, HGTV, The History Channel, The Family Channel, Discovery, and CMT. Additionally, the company has written and produced musical themes for numerous television series and shows. These have included Today, Live with Regis and Kelly, The Discovery Channel, Frasier, ABC Sports College Football, and PBS’s Nova.

Time Warner Sheds AOL

time_warner_logoAfter spending nearly a decade trying to build a new-age media empire, Time Warner is spinning out AOL as a separate Internet company run by former Google advertising executive Tim Armstrong. He was hired in March to try to revive the brand once known as America Online. Time Warner owns 95 percent of AOL and will buy out Google’s 5 percent stake during the third quarter. Around the end of the year AOL will be spun off into a separate publicly traded company.

The $147 billion deal in which AOL bought Time Warner in 2001 became a disastrous corporate combination. In 2002 and 2003, Time Warner absorbed nearly $100 billion in charges to account for the diminishing value of the combined company, eventually dropping AOL from its corporate name. Much of AOL’s original revenue came from providing dial-up access, a business that peaked for AOL in 2002 at 26.7 million subscribers. The rise of broadband ate away at that business, and AOL had just 6.3 million dial-up subscribers at the end of the last quarter. AOL laid off thousands of employees to try to streamline, but after a few strong quarters, ad growth slowed and then began declining.

“We believe AOL will have a better opportunity to achieve its full potential as a leading independent Internet company,” Time Warner Chief Executive Jeff Bewkes said in a statement.

Borchetta and Big Kenny Judge Duets

duetBig & Rich’s Big Kenny and Big Machine Records President and CEO Scott Borchetta will join Naomi Judd as judges on the second season of CMT’s Can You Duet. Hosted by CMT’s Lance Smith, the weekly music competition series is looking to find country music’s next great duo and award them a record deal with Borchetta’s Big Machine Records. Unlike other talent competition shows, each contestant on Can You Duet will compete as part of a duo, sometimes working with different partners as the competition progresses. As a result, viewers will witness first-hand all the on- and off-stage drama to be had in creating a dynamic musical duo. In addition to critiquing each performance, the three judges will decide who will advance to the next round, be sent home, and ultimately be crowned country music’s next great duo. More information is available here.

Will Watermarking Deter Piracy?

digThe Digital Watermarking Alliance (DWA) has announced findings from a recently commissioned survey on piracy deterrence. The study, conducted by media and technology measurement and market research firm Interpret, aimed to determine whether the inclusion of Digital Serial Numbers (DSNs) in online content would deter illegal file sharing. The results showed that DSNs would deter illegal downloading among 33 percent of the 994-person sample and deter illegal uploading among 52 percent. DSNs represent a new way to track media content by digitally watermarking audio or video content such as music, movies or TV programming with unique, imperceptible digital identification numbers. Unlike Digital Rights Management, DSNs allow consumers to freely access content and make multiple copies for backup use or for different playing devices. Should the content be used illegally, however, the DSN can be associated back to the original buyer.

Additional findings from the survey:

* The introduction of DSNs would encourage more legal, paid downloads among consumers;
* The illegal downloading of music would be impacted the most with the introduction of DSNs, decreasing by approximately 40 percent;
* DSNs would result in a 45% decrease in the number of P2P users who leave music and video files in shared directories for others to download;
* The vast majority of consumers who download content find DSN technology “less cumbersome” than DRM and a “better balance between consumer needs and copyright protections”; and
* Many consumers would buy more CDs and DVDs when introduced to DSNs.

One conclusion from the survey is that consumers would need to be educated on the differences between DSNs and traditional Digital Rights Management, specifically regarding the legal status of content and the risks of uploading.

Findings from the survey are detailed here.

Lawrence Brings “The Rock” To the Troops

tracyJust weeks away from the official street date of his latest release, The Rock, Rocky Comfort Records artist Tracy Lawrence has announced a Military World Premiere of the album. In an exclusive pre-release celebration, Lawrence will participate in a special two-day event, delivering his new CD personally to military personnel at Norfolk Naval Station and Fort Bragg. Lawrence will visit Norfolk Naval Station in Norfolk, VA on Sunday, May 31 and will wrap up the excursion at Fort Bragg in North Carolina the following day. The CD will be made available on these bases for all military personnel to purchase ten days prior to the retail sale date. The singer will also visit with the troops individually via meet and greets and CD signings.

“I’ve been told by a number of listeners that The Rock has really touched them in some way,” Lawrence said. “I cannot imagine the emotions and turmoil our service men and women endure on a daily basis, and to bring an emotional or moving message ‘home’ to them is the least I can do as a memento of my heartfelt appreciation for taking care of me and my family and our entire country.”

The Rock is Lawrence’s third project released on his own Rocky Comfort label and is scheduled for a June 9 release. The album features songs from Nashville hitmakers Dave Berg, Craig Morgan, Brett James and Sam and Annie Tate, among others. For more information on Tracy Lawrence click here.

Foxworthy, Strait, McBride and Honky Tonk TV

foxworthyFoxworthy Countdown Celebrates 10 Years
This weekend, May 30 and 31, marks the 10th anniversary of The Jeff Foxworthy Countdown. Debuting in 1999, the weekly four-hour radio show features the current Top 30 country hits as well as interviews with top country artists. Airing on nearly 300 radio stations nationwide, The Jeff Foxworthy Countdown can be heard in such markets as: Dallas, Phoenix, Charlotte, Washington, D.C., Columbus, San Antonio, Richmond, Minneapolis and many others. Foxworthy is the largest-selling comedy-recording artist in history, a multiple Grammy Award nominee and best-selling author of more than 26 books. Premiere Radio EVP of Affiliate Marketing, Julie Talbott, stated: “In an industry where few shows last a decade, Jeff Foxworthy has put his stamp on radio. He consistently delivers a top-rated program with his unique brand of comedy, and entertains millions of listeners.”

• • •

straitGeorge Strait — Singer and Songwriter
“Living for the Night,” the debut single from George Strait‘s upcoming Twang album will be available to radio stations across the country tomorrow (5/28) via Play MPE. Check those songwriting credits carefully and you’ll see that this song is the singer’s first single credit as a songwriter. Strait wrote “Living for the Night” with his son, Bubba, and Dean Dillon. Strait’s only other cut as a songwriter was in 1982 with “I Can’t See Texas From Here” off his Strait from the Heart album, but it was never released as a single.

honky-tonk

• • •

Honky Tonk TV is On the Air
Country Music has a new nationally syndicated daily TV show. Honky Tonk TV, which is billed as “entertainment news for country music,” has been on the air for two months and has already aired over 40 shows. The show is syndicated across 154 markets (mainly the CW Network) and filmed live each morning out of Orlando, FL. Country artists, managers and label execs are encouraged to head down to Orlando to appear on the show. They’ll even put you up in one of their sponsors’ Walt Disney Resort hotels in exchange for a live performance and interview. To check out Honky Tonk TV, click here.

• • •

martinaThe Canadian Country Music Association (CCMA) has announced  that RCA Records artist Martina McBride will perform at the 2009 Canadian Country Music Awards. The awards will be held at General Motors Place in Vancouver, BC, on September 13. This will be McBride’s first time as a guest at the CCMA Awards. Other stars confirmed for this year’s broadcast include 2008 CCMA Male Artist of the Year, Johnny Reid, six-time 2008 CCMA Award winners and 2009 JUNO recipients, Doc Walker, and multiple CCMA Award winner Terri Clark.

Country Music Conference Fetes Journalists

On Friday, May 22, The 26th annual International Country Music Conference honored some of the top authors and journalists in the field of country music at Belmont University. The Belmont Book Award went to Patrick Huber for his book, Linthead Stomp: The Creation of Country Music in the Piedmont South.The University of Illinois Press received the Lifetime Achievement Award for their series, Music in American Life, which documented the place of music in American culture and the cultural life that gives rise to particular musical forms. Noted music journalists Alanna Nash and Barry Mazor both took home Charlie Lamb Journalism Awards. The Belmont Book Award, Lifetime Achievement Award and Charlie Lamb Awards were presented during a special noon luncheon, underwritten by the Mike Curb Family Foundation, in the Frist Lecture Hall at the Gordon E. Inman Center.

icmc

(l-r) James Akenson, ICMC; Charlie Lamb Journalism Award winner Barry Mazor; Belmont Book Award winner Patrick Huber; Shelby Singleton; Fred Foster; Charlie Lamb; Charlie Lamb Journalism Award winner Alanna Nash; Peggy and Gary Walker, endowers of the Charlie Lamb Awards; and Don Cusic, Belmont University.

CMT and Rhapsody Team For Charity

cmtoneFor the second year, CMT One Country, CMT’s pro-social initiative, will reward winners of the 2009 CMT Music Awards by making donations on their behalf to their selected charities. In addition to honoring winners, CMT One Country is partnering with Rhapsody to make donations on behalf of all nominees. From now until Sunday, June 21, the proceeds from the purchase of any nominated song from Rhapsody.com will go to benefit that artist’s specified charity. CMT One Country was launched in 2005 to inspire CMT viewers to take action and bring about important change in their communities. After the 2008 CMT Music Awards, CMT One Country donated $70,000 on behalf of winners to their selected charities. An alphabetical list of nominated artists and the charities who would receive their donation is below:
Trace Adkins: The Food Allergy & Anaphylaxis Network
Dierks Bentley: Monroe Carell Jr. Children’s Hospital at Vanderbilt
Brooks & Dunn: Monroe Carell Jr. Children’s Hospital at Vanderbilt
Kenny Chesney: PLAN!T NOW
Def Leppard: Create Now
Trey Fanjoy (Director): MusiCares
Deaton Flanigen (Directors): Victory Junction Gang Camp
Chris Hicky (Director): Diabetes Research and Wellness Foundation
Julianne Hough: Susan G. Komen for the Cure
Alan Jackson: CMT ONE COUNTRY non-profit partners
Jamey Johnson: St. Jude Children’s Research Hospital
Toby Keith: Ally’s House
Kid Rock: CMT ONE COUNTRY non-profit partners
Alison Krauss: Thistle Farms
Lady Antebellum: Mocha Club
Miranda Lambert: Humane Society of East Texas
Little Big Town: T.J. Martell Foundation
Martina McBride: Childhelp
Reba McEntire: The Smile Train
Montgomery Gentry: T.J. Martell Foundation
Jake Owen: Mardy Fish Foundation
Brad Paisley: The Shjon Podein Children’s Foundation
Kellie Pickler: Wounded Warrior Project
Robert Plant: TurtleWill
Rascal Flatts: Monroe Carell Jr. Children’s Hospital at Vanderbilt
Rehab: Elton John Aids Foundation
Michael Salomon (Director): American Cancer Society
Jim Shea (Director): The Shjon Podein Children’s Foundation
Shaun Silva (Director): Thistle Farms
George Strait: Jenifer Strait Memorial Fund
Sugarland: MusiCares
Taylor Swift: The Red Cross
Peter Tilden (Director): The Shjon Podein Children’s Foundation
Carrie Underwood: The Humane Society of the United States
Keith Urban: Meals on Wheels, Nashville Chapter (and the City Commission)