Target Retailers Score Swift's Deluxe Release

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Taylor-Swift-Deluxe-D.L.X-DLXTarget will be the exclusive retailer offering six additional tracks to Taylor Swift‘s recently announced 1989, an ’80s-inspired pop album due in stores Oct. 27.
The Minnesota-based box retailer will offer D.L.X., featuring three extra songs to consumers along with three voice memos, which Swift announced in the Aug. 18 livestream. For Canadian shoppers, Swift’s deluxe album will include just one of the exclusive songs and three voice memos.
“I’ve gotten a lot of questions about songwriting, about the process, about what happens when I get an idea,” Swift told fans in her livestream from New York City. “The first thing I do is grab my phone and either sit it on the edge of the piano or put it on my bed in front of my guitar and play whatever melody/gibberish that comes to my brain first. I’ve never released any of that before but I actually have three bonus tracks that are just voice memos from my phone. You’ll hear me singing an idea and melody and some words, an you’ll be able to go to the record to see what it ended up being when it was finished.”
Available for pre-buy at retailers including Amazon, the 13-track physical album includes a CD booklet designed by Swift and one of five collectable sets of 13 exclusive print photos, and also available with the 16-track D.L.X. Pre-order the D.L.X. at Target.com.
From TaylorSwift.com, fans are directed not only to Target, but to pre-order the 13-track digital album on iTunes, where a short behind-the-scenes video clip is available for viewing. The album’s first single “Shake It Off” is currently available for download.
Although Yahoo! hasn’t released viewership figures for the August 18th livestream, Swift’s “Shake It Off” music video received over 4.5 million on VEVO by the next day. Fans can share #1989ERS on Facebook, Twitter, Instagram or Tumblr for a chance to “attend a top-secret event.” Additional 1989 promotions include the Swiftstakes. Exclusive album codes offer a chance to win one of 1989 items (250 sets of two tickets with meet and greets, 250 sets of 2 tickets, 300 autographed pictures, 300 1989 Tote bags, 389 specialty pick packs).

Brad Paisley Helps Launch Country Lifestyle Channels Online

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MyCNMy Country Nation (MyCN), a digital platform for the Country music lifestyle, officially launches in August 2014 with partners Brad Paisley, Taillight, ARC Entertainment, WME and Walmart.
The Omni-channel will be home to dozens of original series with new episodes being launched daily in the first six months. MyCN shows will feature outdoor grilling, hunting, concert road trips, comedy, Vine and YouTube stars, a variety of series, special contents with the biggest names in music and daily viral content. MyCN will have a presence across multiple channels including YouTube, Twitter, Facebook, Instagram and mycountrynation.com.
“We are fired up to be working with such amazing partners which will allow us to provide a platform for ‘Country lifestyle’ concepts that deserve to be seen and enjoyed by the nation’s most passionate audience – Country music fans,” said Tom Forrest, president of Taillight, producer of over 600 hours of programing including CMT Crossroads and award-winning music videos.
“Distribution is morphing rapidly,” said Trevor Drinkwater, CEO ARC Entertainment, an independent film & television company that distributes, produces and acquires content. “My Country Nation will provide a distribution and content creation platform for content creators to deliver great programming to a mass audience. In our partnership with Walmart we will have an opportunity to create an ecosystem to maximize value and awareness for MyCN artists and labels.”
“My Country Nation provides us an opportunity to deliver value to our customers so they can save money and live better,” added Wanda Young, Vice President Media & Digital Marketing, Walmart. “Part of that promise is to celebrate how low prices can facilitate great lifestyle experiences.
Fans will be able to view MyCN content on any device. To find out more information, visit mycountrynation.com.

BandPage Offers Commission-Free Merch on Spotify

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SpotifyBandpageSpotify announced Wednesday (Aug. 13) that artists will be able to retain 100 percent of the revenue from merchandise and experiences now available on the streaming service through BandPage, a central digital hub for over 500,000 artists.
BandPage artist experiences can include online concerts, song collaborations, sound-check parties, meet-and-greets, etc. for the more than 40 million active Spotify users. Spotify previously offered commission-free merchandise from Topspin’s ArtistLink, which will eventually be phased out in favor of BandPage. BandPage normally retains 15 percent commission. Neither Spotify nor BandPage will retain a commission on any sales of artist merchandise or experiences listed on Spotify. 
Miranda Lambert, who is offering a ball cap and an exclusive koozie and t-shirt bundle said, “My fans are very important to me, so this opportunity to offer them something special is exciting. It’s great that BandPage and Spotify are enabling musicians to connect with their fans in new ways.”
“To get started, head to BandPage and sign in if you already have an account, if you don’t you can create [a free] account at spotify.bandpage.com,” said Mark Williamson, Spotify Director Artist Services. “You just need to upload the things you have for sale and create your offer and they will show up to Spotify’s millions of followers within just a few days.”
BandPage, which began in 2010 as a Facebook integration tool, offers fans photos, music, bio, tour, video and merch with integration with YouTube, Rdio, Rhapsody, Shazam, iHeartRadio, Google, SongMeanings, Xbox.

Weekly Register: Is Friday The New Tuesday?

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FridayThe standard album release day may move from Tuesday to Friday. According to Billboard, the recording industry is working to establish an official worldwide release day, which would be Friday, in an effort to boost sales and subdue piracy. The global street date is expected to go into effect July 2015.
Currently, new music is released on Friday in Australia, Monday in the U.K. and Tuesday in the U.S. This staggered schedule means the music is placed online and can be pirated on Friday, enticing fans to illegally download it because it isn’t available for purchase in their home country yet.
As you’ll see below, some U.S. labels are already experimenting with different street dates. Brad Paisley’s new album will become available on a Monday.
Now for this week…
• • •
Chase Rice’s “Do It Like This” is the top Country debut track, selling 15K, and coming in at No. 27 Country.
CMA Music Festival: Country’s Night To Rock aired last week, giving a track sales boost to artists who performed on the show. Those who experienced a week-to-week bump and landed in the Top 10 track sales are Luke Bryan, Tim McGraw Ft. Faith Hill, Miranda Lambert with Carrie Underwood, and Lady Antebellum.
chase ricealbum1Top 5 Country tracks (sales this week)
Jason Aldean, “Burnin’ It Down,” 107K
Florida Georgia Line, “Dirt,” 76K
Kenny Chesney, “American Kids,” 67K
Lady Antebellum, “Bartender,” 59K
Dierks Bentley, “Drunk on a Plane,” 57K
Top 5 Country Albums (sales this week)
Luke Bryan, Crash My Party, 16K
Brantley Gilbert, Just As I Am, 15K
Miranda Lambert, Platinum, 14K
FGL, Here’s To The Good Times, 10K
Eric Church, The Outsiders, 7.4K
(according to Nielsen Soundscan)
WeeklyReg081314A slew of major releases will hit shelves before year’s end, plus a few that are yet-to-be-announced. FGL, Garth Brooks, and Jason Aldean are putting out albums, though no dates have been revealed. And is Taylor Swift sharing details about her next album on her Aug. 18 webstream?
Upcoming releases
Monday, Aug. 25 Brad Paisley 
Tues., Sept. 9 Lee Brice
Tues., Sept. 16 Tim McGraw
Tues., Sept. 23 Kenny Chesney
Tues., Sept. 30 Lady A, Blake Shelton
Tues., Oct. 21 Little Big Town
 

StubHub Launches Personalized App for Re-sell Tickets

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stubhubStubHub, secondary ticket outlet owned by eBay, announced this week (Aug. 6) it has nationally launched an iOS app offering personalized music event recommendations (within 150 miles) to purchase re-sell tickets on its site.
The new StubHub Music app will scan users’ music libraries to populate a list of upcoming events featuring their favorite artists and similar artists. Event information, including ticketing details and purchase options can then be added to calendars, emailed or messaged to friends.
Billboard notes: “[StubHub] doesn’t have a relationship with Ticketmaster, the leader in direct ticket sales, so for those shows, it either doesn’t let you know primary tickets are still available, or it will say ‘refer to venue website’ without providing a link. That could be a problem because resold tickets usually cost more than ones you can get from the box office. Sometimes, if the show isn’t sold out, it will also direct customers to other ticket-sellers, like Brown Paper Tickets, Eventbrite, or AXS, but not always.”
StubHub has previously been an exclusive partner with the Live Nation (Ticketmaster)-rival AEG Live, which runs AXS.
The San Francisco-based StubHub has been testing the app locally since June 2014. Coming this year, Stubhub “will test and release products that address the pain points associated with the [highly fragmented and disjointed] live event space (i.e. event discovery, logistical planning, etc.).”
For more on the StubHub Music app, visit iTunes or contact Smita Saran at [email protected].

Aldean Named RIAA's Top Male Country Artist

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Pictured (L-R): Jonathan Lamy (Executive Vice President, Communications, RIAA), Cara Duckworth Weiblinger (Vice President, Communications, RIAA), Lee Adams (VP of National Promotion, Broken Bow Records), Benny Brown (President/CEO, Broken Bow Records), Jason Aldean, Liz Kennedy (Director, Communications and Gold & Platinum Program, RIAA), Rick Shedd (GM, Broken Bow Records) and Jon Loba (Executive Vice President, Broken Bow Records).

Pictured (L-R): Jonathan Lamy (Executive Vice President, Communications, RIAA), Cara Duckworth Weiblinger (Vice President, Communications, RIAA), Lee Adams (VP of National Promotion, Broken Bow Records), Benny Brown (President/CEO, Broken Bow Records), Jason Aldean, Liz Kennedy (Director, Communications and Gold & Platinum Program, RIAA), Rick Shedd (GM, Broken Bow Records) and Jon Loba (Executive Vice President, Broken Bow Records).


Broken Bow Records artist Jason Aldean was recently recognized as the Top Male Country Artist in the history of the RIAA’s Digital Gold & Platinum Awards. Aldean has garnered more than 21.5 million cumulative RIAA Digital Single certifications, counting song downloads and on-demand streams. The RIAA® Gold® and Platinum® Awards program was launched in 1958, and first awarded to LP recordings but later expanded to include cassette tapes, CDs, digital tracks, digital albums, and ringtones.
“On behalf of myself and my RIAA colleagues, we are delighted to recognize Jason Aldean for this prestigious honor,” said RIAA Chairman and CEO Cary Sherman. “We congratulate Broken Bow Records and Jason on this singular achievement and look forward to many more years of great country music to come.”
“This is such a huge honor, and one that everyone on my team earned together,” said Aldean. “I love country music, and I wouldn’t want to be doing anything else…there was never a Plan B for me. I can’t thank the RIAA or country music fans enough for helping us get to this level…it’s unbelievable!”
Aldean’s latest single, “Burnin’ It Down,” sits at No. 35 on MusicRow‘s CountryBreakout Chart.

RIAA: July 2014 Gold, Platinum, and Multi-Platinum Certs

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RIAALuke Bryan, Dierks Bentley, Brett Eldredge, Tyler Farr, Miranda Lambert & Carrie Underwood, Joe Nichols, Chris Young, Florida Georgia Line, Kacey Musgraves, Jerrod Niemann, Jake Owen, The Fray, Paramore, and Phillips, Craig & Dean are among those earning RIAA certifications this month. The awards are from 7/1/2014 to 7/31/2014.
Multi-platinum Single Certifications:
Luke Bryan, “Country Girl (Shake It For Me)”– 3x platinum
Platinum Single Certifications:
Kacey Musgraves, “Merry Go Round”
Jerrod Niemann, “Drink To That All Night”
Jake Owen, “Beachin'”
Paramore, “Ain’t It Fun”
Gold Single Certifications:
Dierks Bentley, “Drunk On A Plane”
Brett Eldredge, “Beat of the Music”
Tyler Farr, “Whiskey In My Water”
The Fray, “Love Don’t Die”
Miranda Lambert & Carrie Underwood, “Somethin’ Bad”
Kacey Musgraves, “Follow Your Arrow”
Joe Nichols, “Yeah”
Chris Young, “Who I Am With You”
Phillips, Craig & Dean, “Revelation Song”
Multi-Platinum Album Certifications:
Florida Georgia Line, Here’s To The Good Times–2x platinum
Gold Album Certifications:
Eric Church, The Outsiders
Miranda Lambert, Platinum
Kacey Musgraves, Same Trailer, Different Park
Paramore, All We Know Is Falling
George Strait, Love Is Everything

Weekly Register: 'Burnin' It Down'

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jason aldean burnin it downSales of Jason’s Aldean’s new single are as hot as its lyrics: (you baby laying right here, naked in my bed). The track debuted with 184K downloads to land at No. 1 Country and No. 1 overall. It is the lead single from his upcoming sixth album for Broken Bow, which is being helmed by longtime producer Michael Knox. The song was written by Florida Georgia Line’s Brian Kelley and Tyler Hubbard, with Rodney Clawson and Chris Tompkins.
WeeklyRed073014Top 10 Country tracks (sales this week)
Jason Aldean, “Burnin’ It Down,” 184K
Florida Georgia Line, “Dirt,” 95K
Kenny Chesney, “American Kids,” 81K
Dierks Bentley, “Drunk on a Plane,” 61K
Lady Antebellum, “Bartender,” 57K
Lee Brice, “I Don’t Dance,” 46K
Sam Hunt, “Leave The Night On,” 46K
Miranda Lambert w/ Carrie Underwood, “Somethin’ Bad,” 41K
FGL ft. Luke Bryan, “This Is How We Roll,” 39K
Jake Owen, “Beachin,’” 38K, crossing the 1 million mark
Top 5 Country Albums TW
Brantley Gilbert, Just As I Am, 15K
Miranda Lambert, Platinum, 14K
Luke Bryan, Crash My Party, 12K
FGL, Here’s To The Good Times, 10K
Various, Now Country 7, 7K
Pop act 5 Seconds of Summer scored the week’s biggest album debut, selling 259K.

Industry Ink (7/25/14)

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Randi Lesnick

Randi Lesnick


Nashville-based Randi Events, led by founding CEO Randi Lesnick, has been named on of the 40 “Best High-end Luxury Event Planners” in the world by The International Man, an online portal that offers rankings and editorial on luxury goods and services. Randi Events is included on the list, along with David Tutera and Wolfgang Puck.
Randi Events’ exclusive client list has included Big Machine Records, Warner Bros. Records, General Mills, CAA, Beats, Samsung, AIG, and Enterprise Rent-A-Car.
“This honor means so much to me and my incredible staff, who work day and night to deliver the best service to our clients. ‘No’ is not an option for us at Randi Events. We strive to make the impossible…possible! And we appreciate International Man for recognizing that,” said Lesnick.

 • • •

Paul Jankowski

Paul Jankowski


Nashville-based Access Brand Strategies has re-branded as New Heartland Group. For more than 12 years, the agency has helped leading brands connect with U.S. customers who live in the New Heartland, an area composed of the Southwest, Midwest and parts of the Southeast. The area claims 13 of the top 20. U.S. cities, ranked by population.
Clients including Pepsi, Pizza Hut, Lipton and Mountain Dew have worked with New Heartland Group, which was founded by Paul Jankowski. Jankowski is the author of the upcoming book Speak American Too: Your Guide to Building Powerful Brands in the New Heartland. The agency recently partnered with Prince Market Research to conduct the first-ever consumer study regarding New Heartland vs. Non-New Heartland consumers. The research will be released in full on Sept. 16.

• • •

Kelly Symone

Kelly Symone

Kelly Symone has been hired as the new Director of Promotion & Marketing, West Coast at Nine North/Turnpike Music. Symone will begin in her new role on Friday, Aug. 1.

“I’m thrilled that a person of Kelly’s intelligence, background and skills is joining this team,” Nine North/Turnpike Music/Edgehill Nashville president Larry Pareigis said. “She will continue our seven-year tradition of being Nashville’s go-to virtual label for promotion, social media strategy & associated services to maximize exposure at Reporting and Indicator/Activator Country radio.”

Symone has previously worked as a radio personality at KBGY, KHYL, and KNTY. She has also worked with Quarterback, Blaster and HitShop Records as West Coat regional Director. Symone, who will continue to be based in Sacramento, can be reached at [email protected].

• • •

warner chappell logo1Warner/Chappell will take over Nashville’s Whiskey Jam in Loser’s parking lot on July 28. Hosted by Josh Hoge and Ward Guenther, the free, 21+ show will feature Native Run, Lauren Alaina, Michael Ray, William Michael Morgan, Brandon Lay, Sean McConnell, Drew Baldridge, and Runaway Saints.

Doors open at 5 p.m.

Weekly Register: Shelton Returns To No. 1

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NUP_164615_0005.JPG

Blake Shelton has the top Country album this week and is prepping for the Sept. 22 season premiere of The Voice. Little Big Town will join him as battle round advisers this season.


An iTunes sale of Blake Shelton’s Based on a True Story sent the album back to the No. 1 position on the Country Album chart.
On the Country tracks chart, FGL’s “Dirt” dug in at No. 1, selling 99K in its second week of release.
Hot newcomers Maddie and Tae notched the top debut Country track, skidding in to No. 32 with 10K downloads of “Girl In A Country Song.”
On the all-genre album chart, “Weird Al” Yankovic parodied his way to No. 1 with Mandatory Fun selling 104K in its debut week.
Magic worked its magic on the overall tracks chart with “Rude” selling 176k TW to land at No. 1.
Top 5 Country Albums
Blake Shelton Based on a True Story 22K TW
Miranda Lambert Platinum 17K
Brantley Gilbert Just As I Am 15K
Luke Bryan Crash My Party 11.5K
FGL Here’s To The Good Times 10K
Top 5 Country Tracks
FGL “Dirt” 99K
Kenny Chesney “American Kids” 79K
Lady A “Bartender” 61K
Dierks Bentley “Drunk on a Plane” 60K
Jake Owen “Beachin'” 50K