Old Dominion Celebrates Gold Certification For ‘Meat And Candy’

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Pictured: Front Row, seated (L-R): Old Dominion band members; Brad Tursi, Geoff Sprung, Matthew Ramsey, Trevor Rosen, Whit Sellers. Back Row (L-R): Caryl Healey (VP, Sales, SMN), Jim Catino (VP, A&R, SMN), Ken Robold (EVP & COO, SMN), Steve Hodges (EVP, Promotion & Artist Development, SMN), Will Hitchcock (Morris Higham Management), Randy Goodman (Chairman & CEO, SMN), Clint Higham (Morris Higham Management), John Zarling (EVP, Marketing & New Business, SMN), Taylor Lindsey (Director, A&R, SMN) [Click Photo To Enlarge]

Tennessee Brew Works in Nashville was the site for a celebration ceremony for the Gold certification of Old Dominion’s debut album, Meat And Candy.

Band members Matthew Ramsey, Brad Tursi, and Geoff Sprung were in the spirit of the event with gold glittered beards. Along with Trevor Rosen and Whit Sellers, the band was praised on stage by Sony Music Nashville CEO, Randy Goodman. “One of the first albums I listened to when I came back to work at Sony was Meat And Candy,” said Goodman.

He went on to list the certifications that the radio singles received. This included their first No. 1 single, “Break Up With Him,” which was certified platinum. “Snapback” went gold and was the most streamed song for Sony Nashville in 2016. Their latest single, “Song For Another Time,” was also certified gold.

The band was invited to the stage to be awarded their plaques for the gold certification of the album.

Ramsey stated that the band never expected this kind of success. “When you play music, you just want to be heard,” he said. “Thank you to everyone that listened.”

The band then surprised the guests with the name of their next single, “There’s No Such Thing As A Broken Heart.” It will be the first from their next album. The event concluded with the new single being played throughout the bar.

Weekly Register: Alison Krauss Takes ‘Windy City’ To No. 1

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Alison Krauss

Alison Krauss has taken the No. 1 spot on this week’s country albums chart with the debut of Windy City, selling 38K (36K album only), No. 4 overall.

Garth Brooks‘ Ultimate Collection remains at No. 2 this week with 29K.

Reba‘s Sing It Now collection, which spent the last two weeks atop the country albums chart, is at No. 3 this week, with 14K.

Jessie James Decker‘s Gold EP debuts in the Top 5, landing at No. 4 this week, with 12K sold.

Rounding out the Top 5 on the country albums rankings this week is Brantley Gilbert‘s The Devil Don’t Sleep, with 10K sold.

Sam Hunt

Meanwhile, Sam Hunt tops the country tracks chart (and lands at No. 4 overall) with “Body Like A Back Road” moving 64K (247K RTD).

Dustin Lynch‘s “Small Town Boy” gets a big debut, landing at No. 2 country (and No. 24 overall), with 32K sold.

Keith Urban ft. Carrie Underwood’s “The Fighter” is at No. 3, with 25K, while Little Big Town‘s “Better Man” is at No. 4 with 23K. Jon Pardi‘s “Dirt On My Boots” lands at No. 5, with 21K.

Information provided by Nielsen Soundscan.

 

Amazon Music Predicts Future, Offers Insights During CRS

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Amazon’s Ryan Redington at Country Radio Seminar. Photo: Twitter/CRS Official

In a predictable but necessary juxtaposition, Country Radio Seminar (CRS) welcomed Amazon Music’s Director, Ryan Redington, to speak to radio executives about how his digital service employs in-house curators and deliveries personal DJ experiences.

CRS’ Executive Director, Bill Mayne explained the prudent decision to bring CRS attendees up close with streaming music, assuring Garth Brooks’ appearance the previous day (Feb. 23) was “not a package deal” with Redington’s featured speaker slot—”completely coincidental.”

After exhaustively discussing pricing tiers, Redington explained Amazon Music’s relationship with country music.

“What was fascinating for us, and why I think Bill reached out to us, is engagement for country on [Amazon Music] has been incredibly strong,” said Redington. “We have a few ideas why. We still have physical music and we’ve built a very welcoming [streaming] product for those particular customers.”

Redington went on to note Amazon’s country station is the No. 1 station across their entire service. He compared Amazon Music statistics to un-cited “industry standards,” which he said showed different customers have chosen different services and Amazon works well with county music fans.

“We wanted to capitalize on those strengths, and when we looked at the landscape, there was one artist that had yet to move into the streaming space and just so happened to be the No. 1 selling solo artist of all time: Garth Brooks,” said Redington of his 2016 deal with Brooks.

The 45-minute program continued, mostly promoting its Echo. Valuable was information about Amazon’s Side-by-Side feature—built for a new album release. The exclusive promotion pairs audio commentary from artists with selected tracks to offer behind-the-scenes, insider info directly from the artist.

Redington concluded with Amazon’s outlook for the future of music consumption for the home and car.

Ryan Redington

“As we look forward, we [want to] bring streaming into the home,” said Redington. “You really don’t understand the friction a product creates when you have to walk in a house and want to listen to an on-demand streaming service: you have to unlock your phone, log in, choose Bluetooth/plug into receiver, find playlist/song and play. If we put an Echo in your kitchen and you get home from work and say, ‘Alexa, play music,’ the amount of music we see them listen to grows exponentially. The lack of friction is similar to jumping into a car and turning on the radio.

“We believe the next wave of on-demand/purchased music, streaming business, is going to be through the home and your voice being the vehicle that drives that next big phase.

“Interesting for people in the room is, what happens with voice in the car? As you think about radio with respect to your businesses and voice that impacts your future, and how you think about technology can fundamentally change how you think about music and build your catalog. It’s not just going to affect Amazon, but it will affect different industries over time, if voice does what we believe it’s going to do.

“The big takeaway from today is: as technology evolves, you have to rethink about what you’re going to do to meet the customer demands.”

Weekly Register: Reba, Sam Hunt Top Country Charts

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Reba remains atop the Country and Christian albums charts this week. Her Sing it Now album moved 25K. On the country albums chart, Garth Brooks‘ Ultimate Collection lands at No. 2, with 21K sold this week. Brett Young‘s self-titled project debuts at No. 3, with 18K sold. Brantley Gilbert‘s The Devil Don’t Sleep is at No. 4 with 14K, while Keith Urban‘s Ripcord lands at No. 5, with 12K.

Old Crow Medicine Show‘s Best Of package lands at No. 23, with 2.2K.

Sam Hunt‘s “Body Like A Back Road” tops the country digital tracks chart this week, with 58K sold. Keith Urban and Carrie Underwood‘s “The Fighter” is at No. 2, with 45K sold. Little Big Town‘s “Better Man” lands at No. 3 with 25K, while Maren Morris‘ “My Church” is at No. 4 with 24K. Brett Young‘s “In Case You Didn’t Know” is at No. 5 with 20K.

This week’s top debut comes from Kip Moore, whose “More Girls Like You” sold 11K and lands at No. 14.

Information provided by Nielsen Soundscan.

 

Weekly Register: Reba McEntire Tops Country, Christian/Gospel Albums Charts

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Reba McEntire tops the Country Albums chart (and lands at No. 4 on the overall albums chart) this week with Sing It Now: Songs of Faith and Hope, moving 52K (album only). Sing It Now: Songs of Faith and Hope also tops the Christian/Gospel charts, with 54,426 in total consumption.

Brantley Gilbert‘s The Devil Don’t Sleep lands at No. 2, with 19K. Garth Brooks‘ The Ultimate Collection lands at No. 3 with 11K. Chris Stapleton‘s Traveller is at No. 4, with 7.2K, while Keith Urban‘s Ripcord rounds out the Top 5 with 6.8K.

Sam Hunt

On the Country Tracks rankings, Sam Hunt‘s “Body Like A Backroad” lands at No. 1, with 72K. The track’s two-week total is 125K.

Zac Brown Band‘s “My Old Man” takes the No. 2 position with 37K. Little Big Town‘s “Better Man” takes the No. 3 spot with 24K. Jon Pardi‘s “Dirt On My Boots” lands at No. 4, with 19K. Keith Urban‘s “Blue Ain’t Your Color” is at No. 5, with 19K.

Information courtesy of Nielsen Soundscan.

Plowboy Music Names General Manager, Launches New Imprint And Artist Management Services

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Ben Ewing, Shannon Pollard

Ben Ewing has been appointed as General Manager for Plowboy Records. In celebrating Plowboy’s five-year anniversary, a new imprint—Plowboy Legacy—has been created to include a roster of artists who helped shape modern country and rock music.

Additionally, the Need More Artist Management company has been launched to managed established artists, specifically those who produce their own recordings and actively tour to support their music.

“This is a great time for independent artists and labels to unite and create important, memorable music that matters,” said Plowboy Music President Shannon Pollard. “Ben understands the fine balance between art and commerce and I am excited to partner with him to reenergize our current catalog and build our future.”

“I look forward to working with Shannon in continuing the legacy of Eddy Arnold and exposing the world to great artists, past and present, of American made music,” said Ewing.

One of label’s first releases, You Don’t Know Me: Rediscovering Eddy Arnold, was a tribute to Country Music Hall of Fame member and Pollard’s grandfather, Eddy Arnold. Current releases for Plowboy Records include projects by Paul Burch, Drivin’ N’ Cryin’, The Kentucky Headhunters and Blackfoot Gypsies. Plowboy Records is distributed by Select-O-Hits in the U.S. and Canada and by Proper Distribution in Australia and Europe.

2017 Grammy Ratings On Par With Last Year

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Sunday evening’s (Feb. 12) Grammy Awards, dominated by Adele, drew ratings on par with 2016, drawing a 7.3 rating among adults 18-49, with a 22 share. The show brought in 23.97 million viewers, according to deadline.com.

Only Fox ran original programming on Sunday, Feb. 12, during the same time slot as CBS’ Grammy Awards.

In 2016, when the show aired on a Monday (Feb. 15, 2016), a Taylor Swift-dominated Grammys came in at 24.95 million viewers, and a 7.7 rating.

Adele swept the evening’s largest categories last night, earning Song, Record and Album honors. Highlights from the evening included performances from Adele, Beyonce, A Tribe Called Quest, Bruno Mars, Maren Morris with Alicia Keys, Sturgill Simpson, Carrie Underwood, and Keith Urban.

James Corden hosted the show for the first time.

 

 

Industry Ink: Grammy Artist Of Tomorrow, Grayscale Entertainment, Provident Label Group

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Drake White Named 2017 Grammy Artist of Tomorrow

Drake White performs at AURORA. Photo: Rachel Giese

Drake White has been named 2017 Grammy Artist of Tomorrow from daily votes at CBS.com. Nominated by Zac Brown Band, White will be featured in Grammy Live—a live stream broadcast online across CBS.com, grammy.com and platforms through the CBS App—leading into the 59th Annual Grammy Awards telecast on Sunday, Feb. 12.

“I am beyond honored to say that I am the Grammy Artist of Tomorrow,” shared White. “A very big thank you to Zac Brown Band and the opportunities they have afforded us both on and off the road. This is a dream.”

This week, White gathered a select group of fans for an intimate performance at AURORA Studios in Nashville. The live-streamed event offered a nationwide online preview to White’s exhilarating live homecoming shows April 12 and 13 at Nashville’s Exit/In.

 

Grayscale Entertainment Expands

Grayscale Entertainment has added two new team members to the marketing agency, Rasha Shaker, and Ivan Andrews. Shaker has been named Executive Marketing Assistant, and Andrews has joined the sponsorship division as Partnership Coordinator.

Shaker has a BA in Communication Studies from Wilkes University with focuses in public relations and Broadcast media as well as a AAS in Audio Visual Communications from Luzerne County Community College.

Andrews is a recent media and entertainment graduate of Middle Tennessee State University. While attending college, Ivan curated his own hybrid music festival called Sneakers x Speakers. This festival has been held annually in the greater Nashville area and recently celebrated its 5th anniversary.

GSM CEO, Tim Gray commented, “Maintaining company culture while balancing the level of growth the agency’s experiencing while has been imperative. Over the last six months we’ve meticulously recruited talent, not just searching for good employees, but extraordinary individuals of all experience levels that can contribute day one. I feel we’ve found that in these two young professionals.”

 

Provident Label Group Adds To Radio Promotions Team

Lindsay Crane

Provident Label Group is adding to its radio promotions team. Lindsay Crane joins the crew on March 6. Crane has worked at KLOVE/AIR1 where she has been leading promotions and events in Indianapolis. Prior to that, Crane worked with digital marketing clients.

PLG VP/Nat. Prom. Jeff Cruz says, “We could not be more excited about Lindsay coming on board. I have seen her passion for the listener, her hard work and dedication first hand while working in Indianapolis. I feel like her experience gives Lindsay a real understanding of radio’s needs for events and promotions that will really help us develop promotional tools and opportunities.”

Weekly Register: Brantley Gilbert’s ‘Devil’ Top Seller of The Week

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Brantley Gilbert claims the top spot on the Top Country Albums chart this week with his latest project, The Devil Don’t Sleep, at 66K albums sold. Lauren Alaina‘s Road Less Traveled debuts in the No. 2 position with 9.7K, while Chris Stapleton‘s Traveller continues to remain in the Top 5 with 8.1K sold for the week. Rounding out the Top 5 are Garth Brooks‘ Ultimate Collection with 7.2K, and Keith Urban‘s Ripcord at 5.7K.

Album sales are still down overall by 23.5 percent and overall digital sales are also down 25.8 percent. Country albums sales are looking a bit better this week only down 11.5 percent, while country digital sales are down 22.8 percent.

Sam Hunt

In digital track sales rankings, Sam Hunt‘s “Body Like A Back Road” comes roaring in at 53K for the week, while Little Big Town‘s ‘Better Man” commanded 25K. Jon Pardi‘s “Dirt on My Boots” sold 20K to take third place for the week, while Keith Urban “Blue Ain’t Your Color” with 18K, and Reba‘s “Back to God” with 14K rounded out the Top 5.

Tim McGraw and Faith Hill‘s new collaboration, “Keep Your Eyes On Me,” from the movie The Shack, debuts at No. 21 on the country digital tracks rankings. The track sold 7.6K in its debut week.

Overall track sales are down 25.5 percent, while country tracks declined by 22.5 percent.

Information provided by Nielsen Soundscan.

Eric Church Offers Fans Access To Virtual Concert Experience

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Fans can now experience Eric Church’s sold-out, full-length 2016 Stagecoach Country Music Festival performance in virtual reality.

The 13-song set is available via vantage.tv, which offers 180 and 360-degree views from the audience and the stage itself using an eight-camera set up.

This on-demand experience can be purchased by fans for $19.99, or upgraded to include VR viewer bundle for $34.99 at vantage.tv. Virtual concert goers using either their iPhone or Android phone via Google Cardboard, or Samsung Gear VR can choose either the multiple camera director’s cut, front row of the concert, or a full 360 view.