Rich Enlists Rourke, Kristofferson for “Detroit” Video

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Warner Bros. Records Artist John Rich will release his new solo album, Son Of A Preacher Man, on Tuesday, March 24. As the album’s debut single, “Shuttin’ Detroit Down” climbs toward the Top 10, Rich called on a couple of famous friends — actor Mickey Rourke and Country Music Hall of Fame member Kris Kristofferson — to help him shoot the song’s video. The two-day “Shuttin’ Detroit Down” video shoot took place this week in West Nashville. Rourke flew into Nashville from Moscow the day before the shoot and Kristofferson arrived from Los Angeles.

“I cannot think of two guys who have pulled themselves up by the boot straps time and time again, blue collar level superstars than Mickey Rourke and Kris Kristofferson,” said Rich. “These guys have faces that tell a story. It is a humbling experience working with these guys. I am way out of my league.”

Rich will get behind Son Of A Preacher Man with a barrage of promotional TV appearances including ABC’s Good Morning America and Fox News’ Hannity’s America on March 24, Fox News’ Glenn Beck on March 25, NBC’s Today Show and Late Night With Jimmy Fallon on March 26 and Fox News’ America’s Newsroom with Megyn Kelly on March 27.

(L to R): Marc Oswald, John Rich’s manager; George Flanigen, Director; Mickey Rourke; John Rich; Robert Deaton, Director; and Kris Kristofferson are pictured at the “Shuttin’ Detroit Down” video shoot.

Flatts Set Country Digital Single Sales Tally

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Sales for the week ended 3/15/09 remained tepid as Taylor Swift continued to account for almost 23% of the entire Current Country list. Kelly Clarkson’s CD scored Top 200  No. 1 success with a solid debut totaling 254,671 units. Unfortunately, the Idol alum, now managed by Nashville-based Starstruck Management, was unable to match last week’s U2 release which scanned a whopping 484k. This week however, U2 slid back to No. 3 (133k) on the chart with a 73% sales drop. All-music album sales are improving slightly, now down YTD only 11.9%.

In addition to Ms. Swift, Rascal Flatts proved a bright spot for this week’s country division. The band pre-released its single “Here Comes Goodbye” to iTunes last week and according to Nielsen Soundscan it was downloaded 125,884 times. This tops all previous first week paid sales by a country artist for a debut single. The band will pre-release a total of four songs from the upcoming Unstoppable CD leading to its April 7 release. At that time fans can click “Complete My Album” and buy the album minus the cost of the tracks they have already purchased.

Carrie Underwood followed closely behind the Flatts with sales (112,170 units) of her American Idol going-home track, previously recorded by Motley Crüe, “Home Sweet Home.” Next two highest selling country single tracks were from Taylor Swift, “Love Story,” (62,901) and “You’re Not sorry” (50,448). Keith Urban’s latest single, “Kiss A Girl” also debuted this past week with 43,009 units downloaded.

Country Top 75 current album sales stayed below 300k for the second consecutive week continuing to adversely pressure the format’s YTD sales comparisons now off 15.7%.

NSAI and CMT Announce Song Contest Winners

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The Nashville Songwriters Association International (NSAI) and CMT have announced the winners of the 9th Annual NSAI/CMT Song Contest, which awards two top prizes, one industry-voted and one chosen by online voting. Brooklyn resident David Stewart was chosen by industry judges for his song, “Damn, I Miss You.” Online voters chose “I Found Everything,” written by Ben and Kate Thompson of Marietta, Georgia, as the CMT Listeners Choice. Stewart and his co-writer, Mary Beth Stone of New York, will perform their winning song at a Tin Pan South showcase that also features hit writers Dave Berg, Kelley Lovelace and Rivers Rutherford. The in-the-round performance will take place at The Rutledge on Saturday, April 4 at 9:30 PM. Additional prizes include a single-song publishing contract, separate mentoring sessions with Big & Rich’s Kenny Alphin and with songwriter Regie Hamm (“The Time Of My Life”), a three-day trip to Nashville, tickets to the 2010 CMT Music Awards and a Gibson guitar.

ACM’s Live Online and On the Street

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Online voting for the Academy of Country Music’s 44th Annual ACM Awards officially started yesterday (3/16). Fans are encouraged to log on to ACM’s voting site at www.voteACM.com or to CBS-TV’s dedicated site, www.cbs.com/acma to cast their votes for ACM Entertainer of the Year. This year’s nominees for the highly coveted award include Kenny Chesney, Brad Paisley, George Strait, Carrie Underwood and Keith Urban. Fans can vote through the last hour of the ACM Awards, airing on CBS Sunday, April 5th at 7:00 PM CT. Each of this year’s Entertainer of the Year nominees will perform on the live telecast. Fans can also access videos and photos featuring country music artists, as well as information on all of this year’s nominees at www.cbs.com/acma.

In addition, the ACM will host two days of concerts at the Fremont Street Experience in Las Vegas during The Week Vegas Goes Country™! The weekend-long outdoor concerts series, sponsored by the Las Vegas Convention and Visitors Authority, will feature performances by recently named New Artist Award winners Julianne Hough, Jake Owen and the Zac Brown Band on April 3, as well as sets from Kellie Pickler and LeAnn Rimes on April 4. Fremont Street Experience is a five-block entertainment zone in downtown Las Vegas that features the world’s largest video screen at 1,500 feet long 90 feet above the pedestrian mall.

Vietti Chili Says “Yes We Can”

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With an innovative new promotion, the makers of Vietti Chili are giving the term “canned music” an entirely new meaning. The Nashville-based company has launched a “Vietti Vinyl Music Campaign” that promotes emerging and established musical talent through collectible product labels and other grassroots marketing initiatives. Vietti is leveraging its 30-state distribution network to promote and brand music to potential new audiences, highlighting a variety of performers right on their colorful chili cans. To date, Vietti has featured The Grascals, The Warren Brothers, Heartland, Restless Heart, John Corbett, Riders in the Sky,  Cherryholmes, Chris Young, Aly Sutton (a country artist who doubles as Vietti’s spokesperson), Tom Hambridge, Lucy Angel, The Isaacs, The Povertyneck Hillbillies, Alecia Nugent, and Pat Flynn. In addition to supermarket-shelf visibility, the promotion gives fans the chance to download the artists’ music directly from the Vietti Vinyl website (www.viettivinyl.com) and allows the artists to track traffic and downloads. Artists wishing to be considered for this campaign should submit a press kit and music sample to Vietti Vinyl Music Program, P.O. Box 23015, Nashville, TN 37202.

CD Sales Sink, Digital Downloads Rise

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The NPD Group, a leader in market research for the entertainment industry, has reported that there were nearly 17 million fewer CD buyers in 2008 compared to the previous year. The reported decline in CD buyers cuts across all demographic groups, but was particularly focused on teens and consumers over 50 years of age. According to NPD’s annual Digital Music Study, the growing digital base and the rapid growth and popularity of social networks were key contributing factors in the decline. Not surprisingly, the decline in CD sales was accompanied by a sharp rise in Internet use, with the number of Internet users paying for digital music increasing by over 8 million in 2008.

“Rising incidence of paid downloads is a positive development for the industry, but not all lost CD buyers are turning to digital music,” said Russ Crupnick, Entertainment Industry Analyst for The NPD Group.

NPD’s report also revealed that, with digital downloads up by 29 percent, those downloads now account for 33 percent of all music tracks purchased in the US. The study also found that there were 13 million fewer music buyers in the US last year compared to the previous year, and noted a 7 percent decline in total digital music downloads in 2008. Consumers reported being frustrated with the price of CDs and satisfied with the collection of titles they already own.

On the positive side, NPD cited evidence that, overall, music listening is increasing. The study found that usage of Pandora, a leading online radio station, for example, now totals 18 percent of Internet users, and that nearly half of US teens are engaging with music on social networks.

“Just as music piracy and the advent of digital music ended the primacy of the CD, we are beginning to see new forms of listening challenge the practice of paying for music,” said Crupnick. The music industry now has to redouble efforts to intercept and engage these listeners so they can create revenue through upselling music, videos, concert tickets, and related merchandise.”

Soundscan Scans Cracker Barrel; ACM “Lifting Lives”

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With traditional record retailers closing their doors, Cracker Barrel is helping to fill the void with their successful music program, which kicked off in 2005 with Home on the Highways from Alison Krauss and Union Station. Subsequent Cracker Barrel releases from Josh Turner, Charlie Daniels, Kenny Rogers, Amy Grant and Sara Evans confirmed the company’s suspicion that they were on to something. With their upcoming release, Backwoods Barbie — Collector’s Edition from Dolly Parton, due March 24, Cracker Barrel will officially begin measuring that success through Soundscan. According to Cracker Barrel’s VP of Marketing Peter Keiser, the company’s music program, which releases four projects annually, offers artists an alternative in a declining market for traditional album sales. If SoundScan had been in place for the release of the company’s Kenny Rogers and Bill Gaither projects, Keiser said, both projects would have debuted in the Top 10.

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The Academy of Country Music will unveil their re-branded charitable fund, “Lifting Lives” at the 44th Annual Academy of Country Music Awards (Sunday, April 5th at 7:00 PM CT on CBS). To commemorate the occasion, Trace Adkins will perform his song “Til the Last Shot’s Fired” with the West Point Glee Club in support of Wounded Warrior Project (WWP), the charity selected this year by Lifting Lives. The Academy’s charitable Fund was established in 2004 as the Academy of Country Music Charitable Fund (ACMCF) to manage monies raised for music industry-related causes. “The Academy of Country Music has changed the name of its charity to encompass all existing charitable giving and not just the charitable fund, which is our grant-giving program” said SESAC’s Dennis Lord, who serves as Chairman of the Board for Lifting Lives. “We also wanted a name that explains our focus, namely lifting people up through the power of music.”

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Rural Media, parent company of Nashville cable network RFD-TV, has launched Rural TV on satellite-TV provider Sky in the United Kingdom. The station is described as “the world’s first 24-hour international television network dedicated to crossing borders with farming, equine, rural lifestyle, and traditional country music entertainment programs.” Rural TV’s satellite reach extends into 20 countries in Western Europe. “We are most excited about these opportunities as we firmly believe that ‘rural’ has no borders,” said Rural Media President Patrick Gottsch.

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MCA recording artist and ACM Top New Female Vocalist nominee Ashton Shepherd has signed with Cherry Heart Entertainment, LLC for artist management representation. “We feel it is natural to have Ashton working with Cherry Heart … we couldn’t be more passionate about Ashton’s future,” says Gratton Stephens, Cherry Heart President/CEO.

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Dane Patterson, a former contestant on NBC’s weight-loss reality series NBC’S The Biggest Loser: Couples, will compete in the 2009 Country Music Marathon & ½ Marathon on Saturday, April 25 in Nashville. Patterson’s recent attempt to complete a full marathon after being eliminated from the show caused controversy (and publicity) when it aired during the show’s “Where Are They Now?” segment. Runners can go to www.cmmarathon.com and sign up to “Run With Dane.”

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The United States Tennis Association has named the Music City Tennis Invitational (MCTI) as the 2008 Charity Tennis Event of the Year. This is the second time the event has received the award, which is judged on the number of years the event has been held, the number of participants and volunteers, and the amount of money raised for charity and the level of local community involvement. The annual tennis tournament benefits the Center for Child Development at Monroe Carell Jr. Children’s Hospital at Vanderbilt. The 36th annual Music City Tennis Invitational will be held on Saturday, April 25, and Sunday, April 26, at the Brownlee O. Currey Jr. Tennis Center at Vanderbilt University.

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LeAnn Rimes is getting ready to serve customers from behind the counter at a Nashville diner, and Jessica Simpson will be working at a computer repair shop. It’s all part of I Get That A Lot, a Candid Camera-like reality show developed by CBS-TV featuring celebrities trying to pass as regular folks working ordinary jobs. Additional celebrities participating in the show, which CBS will air on April Fools Day, Wednesday, April 1 at 7 PM CT, include Heidi Klum, Ice-T, Mario Lopez and Jeff Probst.

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Tony Thomas, MD at KMPS-FM in Seattle, reported in to let us know that the station’s 2009 St. Jude Radiothon, held this past Friday and Saturday (3/13-3/14), raised $433,981 to help St. Jude’s Children’s Research Hospital in their ongoing fight against childhood cancer. Congratulations to all!

Opryland Revs Up With New “Experiences”

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Gaylord Opryland Resort has announced seven new “Country Music Experiences,” which the hotel is touting as part of “the nation’s most authentic country music vacation.” The new experiences include:

Gibson’s Check-In, Rock Out™! — This new program allows guests to create music in their rooms by choosing from a variety of Gibson guitars to lease for a day. Guests receive a “Pocket Pod” amplifier with headphones so they won’t disturb other guests while rocking out in their rooms.

Opry Country Classics — Beginning March 26, Opry Country Classics at the Grand Ole Opry House will feature a revolving door of hosts including Larry Gatlin, Marty Stuart and John Conlee performing classic country songs along with storytelling and vintage country film clips.

World-Famous Wildhorse House Band Search Contest — Incoming Wild Horse Saloon manager Ron Kerere will oversee a number of new activities at the downtown Nashville venue, including this nationwide competition for a new house band that will be held late spring.

For more information go to www.gaylordopryland.com.

Grand Ole Opry Goes Idol

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Two American institutions will join forces March 17 and 18 for Opry Week on American Idol, and three of country music’s biggest stars — Brad Paisley, Randy Travis and former Idol champ Carrie Underwood — will be appearing on the country-themed edition of the top-rated reality show. Current Idol contestants will also be singing songs made famous by Opry members, while Underwood, Paisley and Travis will take the opportunity to preview their upcoming releases for the massive national viewing audience.

An Opry member for 8 years, reigning ACM and CMA Male Vocalist of the Year Paisley will be making his first-ever Idol appearance during Opry Week and will make the most of the occasion, unveiling his upcoming single, “Then,” a song he previewed for radio executives at last week’s Country Radio Seminar. The song, which is the debut single from Paisley’s upcoming album, American Saturday Night, will be available at online music stores to coincide with his Idol appearance.

Paisley’s labelmate Underwood, of course, is no stranger to the show, having launched her career from the Idol stage back in 2005. Shortly after winning that competition, the singer released her debut album, Some Hearts, which sold over 7 million copies and established the Oklahoma native as one of country music’s first 21st century superstars. She will perform her current hit single, “I Told You So,” as a duet with Travis, who will also serve as “Opry  mentor” for current Idol competitors. While Underwood’s hit version of the Travis classic appears on her sophomore album, Carnival Ride, the two performers have already recorded a duet version of “I Told You So” which is scheduled to arrive at country radio next week. A digital version of the duet single will be available for sale at various online outlets just in time for American Idol’s Opry Week. Underwood has also recorded a cover of Mötley Crüe’s “Home Sweet Home,” which will air each week as the farewell theme for contestants leaving the show. On a related note, Travis’ Idol appearance will coincide with the release of a greatest hits package with the same title. I Told You So: The Ultimate Hits of Randy Travis hits stores on March 17.

She’s returned to the show several times since her victory, but for Underwood, even in a career filled with Platinum awards and accolades, this appearance is something special. “I am always thrilled to return to the Idol stage, and am so proud to this time be bringing with me one of my heroes, Randy Travis,” she said. “I knew the Opry first, but Idol gave me my start and helped lead me to the Opry stage. It’s a great feeling to be able to help bring these two worlds together.”

American Idol airs on FOX Tuesday, March 17, 7:00-9:00 PM CT and Wednesday, March 18, 8:00-9:00 CT.

Sales Down, Hopes Up—3/11/09

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Sales for the week ended 3/8/2009 were only notable if your artist is called U2 who debuted at the top of the list with a remarkable (especially in this day and age) showing of 484,000 units. Equally impressive was the band’s higher-than-normal digital share which equaled 32%. Neko Case’s No. 3 Top 200 chart debut (44,300) lacked enough momentum to pass Taylor Swift who edged into the No. 2 spot with 52,285 units.

Once again the country sales story was a parable of lowered expectations evidenced by Top 75 Current Country total sales totaling a mere 302,853 units. Sales of the two Swift CDs (both Top 10) accounted for almost 22% of the total Top 75 list. Plant/Krauss (15,165), Darius Rucker (14,490), Zac Brown (14,092), Sugarland (10,899), Carrie Underwood (9,628), Dierks Bentley (9,087), Jamey Johnson (8,906) and Jake Owen (8,452) rounded out the Top 10. Overall 2009 YTD country album sales are off 15.3%, but country’s overall market share is holding steady at about 10% compared to 10.5% at this time last year.

Sales numbers do not always tell the entire story. One must also look behind the stats to see product releases both present, past and future. Therefore on a more upbeat note, CD hope is on the horizon. March 24 will bring upcoming discs from Martina McBride, John Rich and Eric Church. New Keith Urban and Rodney Atkins CDs drop March 31 and on April 7 fans will hopefully also lineup for new music from Rascal Flatts, Jason Aldean and Emerson Drive.