Church’s “Chief” Certified Platinum

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Eric Church’s album Chief has been certified Platinum by the RIAA. Chief, released in July 2011, debuted at No. 1 on both the Billboard Top 200 and Country album charts. The album’s third single “Springsteen,” co-written by Church, has been a multi-week No. 1 on the Billboard, Mediabase, and MusicRow charts.

Previous Church albums, Sinners Like Me and Carolina are both certified Gold by the RIAA.

Additionally, Church brought his “Classic Feel Good Mix” to the latest installment of Team Coco’s Rdio mixtape series. Every week, the series  features music selections from Conan O’Brien, Team Coco and Conan’s guests. You can listen to Church’s picks here.

BMLG Adds Canadian Marketing Manager

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Sherry Sinclaire

The Big Machine Label Group and Universal Music Canada have announced the addition of Sherry Sinclaire as Marketing Manager.

In her new role, Sinclaire will oversee production, marketing, sales, and publicity initiatives for BMLG in Canada. She joins Angela Borchetta White, who was recently announced as National Director of Country Radio in Canada, and will be based out of Universal Canada’s Toronto offices.

Sinclaire began her career at Ticketmaster and became one of the first employees at MCA/Universal Concerts Canada’s (Live Nation) Western Canadian offices. She also served with Virgin Records and Warcon Records, working in promotion, marketing and publicity. She has also served as the Canadian Label Manager for Sanctuary Records. Most recently she spent close to four years with TELUS as Marketing Manager/Content Programming, helping the company’s digital music shop become the No. 1 mobile music partner and No. 2 digital retailer in Canada.

“I am thrilled to be joining the team at Big Machine Label Group. It is an honor to be asked to join a family that passionately believes in their artists,” said Sinclaire. “I look forward to working closely with the team, in conjunction with Universal Music Canada, to ensure that Canada remains an important piece of our artists’ careers.”

Reach her at [email protected] or 416-718-4090.

Weekly Register: TEAs Troubling For Physical/Digital Transactions

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It’s the middle of every month and time to revisit the MusicRow TEA Index. The Index sums physical, digital and TEA (track equivalent albums; 10 tracks=1 album) then calculates the percentage of total album sales that come from TEA. The idea is to measure the TEA effect against total album sales. (Our sales data is gathered by industry sources from Nielsen SoundScan. Annual TEA for 2011 was 25% country and 27.7% for all-genre.)

As our colorful graph (and the purple bars) show, country’s TEA has been sliding slowly all year—until now. All genre TEA (golden bars) started edging up slowly last month, and continues to expand this month as well. So what does that tell us? To sum it up it says, the sales relationship between albums and digital singles is remaining constant, but let’s look a bit deeper.

Country album sales and track downloads are both up strongly this year, 5.6% and 15.3% respectively. That’s good news, but nevertheless, the sales balance between albums and tracks has remained quite steady since March. The early year gets skewed because of iTunes gift cards and new holiday hardware that leads consumers to splurge on the tracks. But as the country bars show, the balance has settled down and since March stayed between 29.77-30.62%.

In the all genre world, track sales are up and albums are down, leading one to expect a TEA Index upswing. But the 10 tracks=1 album unit formula gives the album enormous weight when compared to tracks. We’ve seen a bit more volatility on the all-genre index overall, but the March-June pendulum has only traveled from a low of 31.65 to a high of 31.92.

Personally, I find these results troubling for the transactional sales market (physical product and digital file downloads). Overall album sales are down, and the rate of all-genre TEA growth is minimal, illustrating an uninspired marketplace. Does this mean that consumers are shifting toward access/subscription models like Spotify, Pandora and more? Perhaps.

Weekly Breakdown
A quick look at this and last week’s grids tell the story in a snapshot. Album sales are slipping in both categories. Country albums saw a No. 1 debut from Josh Turner titled Punching Bag which scanned about 45k units, a far cry from the 85k he scored in 2010, but then that was before his label group signed another young baritone which may have splintered his fans. Edens Edge stepped up to the launch pad getting a No. 9 position and sales of about 9k. Other debuts included Now Country 5 (No. 5; 25k) and the Rounder return of the fabulous Mary Chapin Carpenter (No 16; 7k).

Traveling to downtown Tracksville, country style, shows young males (mostly with ballcaps) #DOMN8 (where have I seen that hashtag?) Luke Bryan (No. 1; 100k), Eric Church (No. 2; 77k), Kenny Chesney (No. 4; 69k), Hunter Hayes (No. 5; 52k), Kip Moore (No. 6; 49k), Dierks Bentley (No. 8; 45k) and Eli Young Band (No. 9; 43k). Wow! All the more reason to congratulate winners Little Big Town (No. 3; 70k), Carrie Underwood (No. 7; 46k) and Gloriana (No. 10; 37k) for bucking the trend line.

Pistol Annies Welcome Fans to The Henhouse

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Pistol Annies at the Wrigley Field show in Chicago on June 9. Photo: Blu Sanders

The Pistol Annies have created a new online community for fans called The Henhouse. Fans are invited to join and share their inspirations and explore the discoveries of other Annies fans.

“Tune in to ‘Live from the Henhouse’ with Hippie Annie (Ashley Monroe), Holler Annie (Angaleena Presley) and me, Lone Star Annie, for advice that your momma won’t give you,” said Miranda Lambert.

“Be as creative as you want; show us your inner Annie or Andy!” added Ashley.

The site also features Henhouse Radio, which plays an eclectic mix from Old Crow Medicine Show to Blake Shelton to Tom Petty. The Henhouse can be found at www.pistolannies.com/henhouse.

The Pistol Annies have also been added to more dates on Miranda’s “On Fire” tour. In September, the trio will head out for a series of headlining dates.

Pistol Annies on Miranda Lambert “On Fire” tour dates:
July 6 – Varysburg, NY – Jam in the Valley at Buffalo Hill Village
July 7 – Scranton, PA – Toyota Pavilion
July 12 – Orange Beach, AL – The Amphitheater at the Wharf
July 13 – Atlanta, GA – Aaron’s Amphitheatre at Lakewood
July 14 – Pelham, AL – Oak Mountain Amphitheatre
July 26 – Verona, NY – Turning Stone Resort Casino Event Center
July 27 – Boston, MA – Bank of America Pavilion
July 28 – Harrington, DE – Delaware State Fair
August 10 – Bismarck, ND – Bismarck Civic Center
August 11 – Hinckley, MN – Grand Casino Hinckley Event Center
August 12 – Des Moines, IA – Iowa State Fair
August 17 – Fayetteville, AR – Taste of Country Festival at Arkansas Music Pavilion
August 18 – Springfield, IL – Illinois State Fair
September 4 – Dawson Creek, BC – EnCana Events Centre
September 6 – Lethbridge, AB – Enmax Centre
September 7 – Regina, SK – Brandt Centre

Pistol Annies-only shows:
September 15 – Frederick, MD – Great Frederick Fair
September 23 – Pomona, CA – Los Angeles County Fair
September 28 – Biloxi, MS – IP Casino Resort and Spa
September 29 – Ft. Worth, TX – Billy Bob’s Texas
September 30 – Norman, OK – Riverwind Casino

Blogs Set Off Facebook Frenzy

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A blog post about the importance of paying for music is the hottest topic on Facebook among members of the Nashville music community—proof that the fight for compensation is a passionate as ever.

David Lowery, lead singer of Cracker and an instructor at the University of Georgia, unleashed an abrasive 4000 word diatribe on the subject at a blog called The Trichordist. It was in response to a post on NPR’s All Things Considered blog by intern Emily White, 21, who openly admitted that she doesn’t pay for music. White wrote:

As monumental a role as musicians and albums have played in my life, I’ve never invested money in them aside from concert tickets and T-shirts… I can’t support them with concert tickets and T-shirts alone. But I honestly don’t think my peers and I will ever pay for albums. I do think we will pay for convenience.

This is a tiny portion of Lowery’s response, which includes many pertinent points:

Is it really that inconvenient to download a song from iTunes into your iPhone? Is it that hard to type in your password? I think millions would disagree.

As MusicRow readers well know, the industry has been fighting illegal downloading and file-sharing for years, with little headway being made.

Today when the subject surfaces, social media quickens the spread of news, links, comments and opinions. So far, songwriters, publishers, studio managers, publicists and reporters have weighed in on the blogs penned by Lowery and White. Share your own thoughts below.

Weekly Register: Are Faster Radio Charts Speeding Country Sales?

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Skip Bishop, Larry Pareigis

Country YTD album sales are up 5.8% this year, which compares nicely with the overall industry’s not-so-pretty deficit of -2.9%. Could country’s energetic showing be connected with a change in the speed of songs traveling up and down the radio charts?

During country’s early ‘90s hey day, the genre’s charts bustled with songs moving up and down in rapid fire fashion as opposed to the congestion we have seen more recently. Artists could release three and sometimes four singles in one year. During those golden years, country radio played a higher percentage of current songs vs. older or recurrent titles, creating added airtime inventory for new music. Consumer familiarity with more singles in less time, translated to increased album and ticket sales.

A quick look at recent charts supports the idea that chart cycles might be starting to trend faster, again. Look at these recent No. 1 songs from the last six weeks atop Billboard’s Country List. Four artists rose to the top in 20 weeks or less. Only newcomer Kip Moore took the scenic 33-week route!

May 7: Miranda Lambert— 20 wks
May 14: Jason Aldean— 20 wks
May 21/29: Kip Moore— 33 wks
June 4: Carrie Underwood— 15 wks
June 11: Eric Church— 19 wks

But experienced promotion executive Skip Bishop, recently Sr. VP Promotion for Sony Nashville, isn’t convinced by the recent numbers. “The quickening of the chart is an illusion,” Bishop believes. “What you are seeing (in most cases) are singles from superstar acts being ingested to a higher rotation faster. Because of PPM methodology, programmers are relying more on very familiar hot acts to be on the radio when their P1s tune in. On the other hand it seems that the process for developing acts is actually taking even longer, up to 40 weeks due to the log jam at the top. It isn’t necessarily bad. If you have a young act that is working and driving downloads, the slow journey to the top can be a blessing to artist development!”

Nine North Records/Turnpike Music President Larry Pareigis, whose country airplay experience includes the wilder, faster ‘90s and current times, is also hesitant to pronounce today’s charts as “speeding up.” “As Kip’s 33-week path illustrates,” says Pareigis, “the road is still a long one for debut artists, whether on majors or indies. The chart has been faster—always been faster in fact—for major, established acts like Miranda and Aldean. The big 7-9 artists in the format at any given time are the exception rather than the rule.”

Are faster charts an illusion, exception to the rule, or simply a wish to return to a golden age? The answer is not yet clear, but what is verifiable is that country music sales have a nine-point spread ahead of all-genre sales and a 12.8% market share which compares nicely with 11.8% market share for the same period last year.

Sale-ing Along
Country album sales are up almost 6% and positive in all categories across our weekly grid snapshot. We’re coming off an incredible week for the format, with CMA’s Music Fest showing record attendance, the CMT Music Awards getting great ratings, a variety of major country tours selling arenas and stadiums plus album debuts from Alan Jackson and Jana Kramer. Have fortunes and futures for country music ever been better?

The answer to that depends upon whether we look at revenue streams overall, (especially touring, merch and endorsements) or focus primarily on product sales. From a multi-year sales standpoint, things are not really that rosy. For example, with all the above excitement and two debut albums, the Top 75 Current Country Albums chart fails to break the 400k barrier this week measuring in with a weak 364k. What’s worse, that is quite an improvement from last week when the total was a tepid 287k! Some observers would say that unless a new business model is crafted, shops currently depending upon music sales might find in the not too distant future that product sales will become inconsequential as a revenue stream for all but a very few artists.

So there’s the medicine, now let’s find a few positives to highlight.

Alan Jackson’s new set, (getting strong critical praise) strolls into the No. 1 spotlight with almost 73k units this week, (15% digital). He graces the No. 2 rung on the all-genre Top 200 ladder, behind Adele. The traditionalist also beats debuts from Beach Boys (No. 3), Neil Young (No.4) and Big K.R.I.T. (No. 5).

Jana Kramer, buoyed by her TV base and new country fans makes a nice Current Country debut in the No. 5 position with over 16k units (59% digital). The remainder of the Country Top 10 albums seem strangely unaffected by the week’s events with five titles showing mild, but negative sales moves.

In country trackland Luke Bryan is sailing with a strong wind, moving his “Drunk On You” to No. 1 with almost 109k units. Little Big Town’s “Pontoon” leaps up 202% to No. 2 with over 81k units. No doubt the jump comes as a result of the quartet’s hypnotic performance and incredible houseboat set on the CMT Awards.

In closing we turn to the #laughoutloud department and WMN’s sales division.. John Esposito and Peter Strickland’s merry band of marketers proved that if they don’t wear the pants, at least they own them. The mischievous mavens peppered the Row yesterday with pants of all colors and sizes to recognize the release of the label’s Jimmy Fallon comedy album, Blow Your Pants Off.

 

Pickler, Wynnona Score Brand Partnerships

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Kellie Pickler has partnered with Tone Body Wash to introduce Tone Fruit Peel Body Wash this summer. The Tone Turn it Up! series will provide exclusive access to Kellie as she tours in the coming weeks to support her latest album 100 Proof. Fans will have the chance to win prizes, including an all-expenses paid trip to meet Pickler in Nashville. More info here.

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Wynonna Judd has joined forces with Kraft Foods’ Miracle Whip for a commercial campaign called “Keep An Open Mouth,” that plays on the super-sober public service announcement format. Other celebrities joining the campaign include actor Jeffrey Tambor and comedian Michael Ian Black. See the videos here.

Industry Ink (6/12/12)

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BubbleUp LTD has announced the addition of Michael Sloane to the company’s Nashville office as Director of Sales. Sloane will focus on business development and marketing with current clientele, while expanding the client roster. Sloane was previously with 13 Managmenet where he was principal in managing digital initiatives for  Taylor Swift. He also founded digital agency Strategic Blend, and served as a senior client manager for Ultrastar Entertainment and Echo Music. Congratulate him here.

Based in Houston, BubbleUp launched in 2004 and has offices in Texas, Tennessee, Connecticut, and Oregon. The company has worked with clients including Margaritaville, BB King’s House of Blues, Luke Bryan, Rodney Atkins, Zac Brown Band and more.

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Singer/songwriter Ryan Griffin has signed an exclusive publishing agreement with Christina Cook’s Merci Dupre Music and Dan Hodges Music, LLC. “I have known Ryan for many years, since serving as a Belmont University ‘Best of the Best’ judge when he participated as a student,” says Hodges. “Ryan is an extraordinary voice and Christina and I are pleased with both the opportunity and perfection in the timing.  We are excited to be moving forward as a part of his career.”

(L-R): Susan Hodges, Christina Cook, Ryan Griffin, Dan Hodges, Brittany Spyksma) Photo: Robbie Quinn

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SESAC recently hosted a standing-room only showcase to help the Bluebird Cafe celebrate its 30th Anniversary. Songwriters performing at the event included Brice Long, Brian White, Jon Stone, and Jim Lauderdale.

(L-R): NSAI's Erika Wollam, Brice Long, SESAC's Shannan Hatch, Brian White, Jon Stone, Jim Lauderdale & SESAC's Tim Fink.

Also helping to celebrate the beginning of the Bluebird’s 30 Anniversary on Saturday, June 9 was a pack of hot up and coming singer/songwriters.

(L-R): John Milstead, Bonner Black, Lance Carpenter, Carolina Story (Emily and Ben Roberts)

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ASCAP has launched a redesigned version of its ASCAP Mobile app, available free to users of iPhone, Android, iPad and web-capable cell phones. Users can keep their accounts up to date and review catalog on the go. More info here.

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New York City’s The New School will present a free screening of new Hank Williams film The Last Ride, to be followed by a panel discussion of Williams and his place in American music. The event takes place 6 pm June 20 at The New School’s Tishman Auditorium, Alvin Johnson / J.M. Kaplan Hall. Panelists include film director Harry Thomason, Jett Williams, and Benjy Gaither. The film’s soundtrack releases June 19 on Curb Records.

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Lincoln Center’s Damrosch Park will play host to a free tribute concert for the late singer/songwriter Laura Nyro. Titled “The Triple Goddess Twilight Revue – Celebrating the Music of Laura Nyro,” the event will take place Saturday, August 11. Details of the show’s guest lineup will be revealed in the coming weeks.

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IBMA’s World of Bluegrass will return to Nashville September 24-30, and registration is currently open. Full week registration is $325 for IBMA members and $425 for non-members. More info here.

Tammy Wynette’s “Stand By Your Man” Remixed

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To coincide with the 70th birthday of the late Tammy Wynette, Epic/Legacy (a division of Sony Music Entertainment) is releasing two dance remixes of Wynette’s iconic “Stand By Your Man” by renowned electronic producer Dave Audé.

“Stand By Your Man” was chosen for the National Recording Registry by the Library of Congress in 2010, and remains Wynette’s signature recording. Audé transforms the song into a pulsing dance remix reminiscent of his work with superstars like Madonna, Lady Gaga, Katy Perry, Ke$ha, Kelly Clarkson, Jennifer Lopez and many more. Since 1996, he has had over 75 No. 1 Billboard Dance tracks.

“Stand By Your Man (Dave Aude Radio Remix) and “Stand By Your Man (Dave Aude Club Mix)” will be available for digital download June 15. Fletcher Foster and Darrell Brown served as executive producers on the project.

The new remixes are not Wynette’s first brush with dance music. In 1991, she sang on the hit “Justified and Ancient (Stand By the JAMs)” by English rave troublemakers The KLF. The song went on to hit No. 2 on Billboard’s Dance chart, No. 11 on the Hot 100, and hit No. 1 in 18 countries.

Vehec Promoted at Sony Music Nashville

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Alaina Vehec has been named Director, Digital Sales for Sony Music Nashville, it was announced today (6/6) by Sony Music Nashville VP Sales Caryl Healey. Vehec is based in Nashville and already in her new role.

A native of Pennsylvania, Vehec was most recently Associate Director, Digital Sales for Sony Music Nashville. She started her career at Arista Records in New York City, followed by RCA Music Group then Sony BMG’s global business group. She relocated to Nashville in 2006 to become Manager, Mobile Marketing and Sales at Sony Music Nashville.