Gwen Sebastian Signs Booking Agreement with Artist Events

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Gwen Sebastian has joined Artist Events for booking. Between touring with Blake Shelton and her own concert appearances, Sebastian recently released the video for “Small Town Soul.” The track has been featured on Sirius XM The Highway’s “On The Horizon.” Sebastian’s current label home is Flying Island Entertainment.
Gary Kirves, Artist Events CEO, previously worked at booking agency Buddy Lee Attractions.

Pictured l to r: Flying Island’s Louis Newman, Gwen Sebastian, Artist Events’ Gary Kirves and Flying Island’s Nancy Eckert

Pictured (L-R): Flying Island’s Louis Newman, Gwen Sebastian, Artist Events’ Gary Kirves and Flying Island’s Nancy Eckert

Songwriters On The Road: Writing Retreat, Virgin Islands

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Pictured (L-R, bottom): Ben Cooper, Gavin Slate, Melissa Fuller, Hannah Blaylock, top row left to right, Jillian Jacqueline, Kat Higgins, Kellys Collins and Andy Albert.

Pictured (L-R, bottom): Ben Cooper, Gavin Slate, Melissa Fuller, Hannah Blaylock; (top): Jillian Jacqueline, Kat Higgins, Kellys Collins and Andy Albert.


Big Deal Music, Downtown Music Publishing, Patrick Joseph Music, Parallel Entertainment, Starstruck Writers Group, and The Writer’s Den recently held a songwriter retreat at Bell Bottom Farms in Cedar Hill, Tenn.
Writers in attendance included Jenn Schott, Ben Cooper, Gavin Slate, Melissa Fuller, Hannah Blaylock, top row left to right, Jillian Jacqueline, Kat Higgins, Kellys Collins and Andy Albert.

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Hit-Makers-&-Rum-ChasersThe Hit Makers & Rum Chasers songwriting series will return to the Reichhold Center for the Arts in St. Thomas, U.S. Virgin Islands, Friday, Nov. 14 at 7:30 p.m.
Event promoter Carolyn Miller of Nashville-based 343 Agency has assembled a lineup of hit-makers which includes Kendell Marvel, Dave Berg, Marc Beeson, and Marcus Hummon.
Tickets are available from $20-$40 at the venue box office, by calling 340-693-1559. For additional information, visit HitMakersandRumChasers.com.
 

Aristo International Report Highlights Country's Global Impact

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Click to download the full report.

Click to download the full report.

The AristoMedia Group has released its Aristo International Report for fall 2014, highlighting Country music happenings around the globe. The company has been issuing this quarterly review since 2008.

Highlights in the new fall issue include:

• Country superstars set for the C2C (Country 2 Country) Festival in Europe

• Recap and photos of the Canadian Country Music Association Awards and CCMA Week, which took place in September. Among the events was AristoMedia owner Jeff Walker receiving a lifetime achievement award.

• The Sounds Australia event at the Americana Music Festival

• Digital Country radio stations, and a new Country video show

• Q and A with Australian music executive Milly Petriella and Aussie news briefs

• Remembrance of George Hamilton IV, highlights of the Gstaad festival, Gord Bamford receives CMA Global Country Artist Award and more

TPG Buys Majority Stake In CAA

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caa tpg 2014Global private-equity firm TPG has agreed to increase its investment in Creative Artists Agency (CAA) to a majority position. TPG has owned 35 percent of the agency since October 2010.
According to a press release, CAA’s management team will extend long-term contracts. Top brass at CAA’s Nashville office includes John Huie, Rod Essig, Darin Murphy, Marc Dennis, and Scott Clayton. Among the numerous Country artists on its roster are Brantley Gilbert, Carrie Underwood, Darius Rucker, Faith Hill, Keith Urban, Kip Moore, Lady Antebellum, Little Big Town, Shania Twain, Tim McGraw and Zac Brown Band.
In addition to representing artists, actors and athletes, CAA is heavily involved in the sports world, and has other initiatives including an investment bank, venture fund, technology start-ups, brand marketing and sponsorships services. CAA advises consumer brands including Coca-Cola, General Motors, Chipotle, Diageo, Farmers Insurance, and IMAX.
TPG’s new majority stake could put CAA on a path to an initial public offering.
The terms of the investment were not disclosed. The transaction is subject to customary closing conditions. UBS and LionTree Advisors served as financial advisor to CAA. Wachtell, Lipton, Rosen & Katz served as legal counsel to CAA. Cleary Gottlieb Steen & Hamilton LLP served as legal counsel to TPG.

2015 Bonnaroo Dates Revealed

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BonnarooBonnaroo, one of the world’s most successful music festivals, has revealed its 2015 events will take place June 11-14. Events will remain located at the 700-acre farm in Manchester, Tenn.
Tickets for the upcoming festival are not yet available. Early bird registration is expected soon.
In celebration of the announcement, the festival released its 2014 recap video.
The four-day festival launched in 2002 with little traditional advertising and sold out its 70,000 tickets in 11 days. Since then, organizers have continued to expand, reaching more than 90,000 for the 2014 event.

Eric Church Announces Second Leg Of World Tour

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Eric Church


Eric Church has a lot to celebrate, including his top-selling album, The Outsiders, his rising single, “Talledega,” and the unveiling of the second leg of The Outsiders World Tour.
The Chief will take on the New Year with the launch of the second leg of the tour in New Orleans on Jan. 8, 2015.
The Outsiders World Tour dates:
Jan. 8| New Orleans, LA| Smoothie King Center
Jan. 9| Tupelo, MS| BancorpSouth Arena
Jan. 10| Nashville, TN| Bridgestone Arena
Jan. 14| Oklahoma City, OK| Chesapeake Energy Arena
Jan. 16| Las Vegas, NV | The Chelsea at the Cosmopolitan of Las Vegas
Jan. 17| Las Vegas, NV| The Chelsea at the Cosmopolitan of Las Vegas
Jan. 18| San Diego, CA| Valley View Casino Arena
Jan. 22| Fresno, CA| Save Mart Center
Jan. 23| Los Angeles, CA| Staples Center
Jan. 24| Phoenix, AZ| US Airways Arena
Jan. 27| Denver, CO| Pepsi Center
Jan. 29| Spokane, WA| Spokane Arena
Jan. 30| Boise, ID| Taco Bell Arena
Jan. 31| Salt Lake City, UT| EnergySolutions Arena
Feb. 4| Sacramento, CA| Sleep Train Arena
Feb. 5| San Jose, CA| SAP Center

Luke Bryan Extends 'That's My Kind of Night' Tour

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Luke Bryan's 2014 Farm Tour. Photo: Jim Wright

Luke Bryan’s 2014 Farm Tour. Photo: Jim Wright


Luke Bryan will extend his highly successful That’s My Kind of Night Tour with a winter leg in early 2015. The 2014 tour has produced sell outs in each market it’s played including four sold-out stadium shows with crowds of 225,000 fans, two sold-out concerts in New York City’s Madison Square Garden, a string of double-play dates that broke venue attendance records and he became the debut country act to play Brooklyn’s Barclays Center. Randy Houser and Dustin Lynch will open the 2015 winter leg.  Ticket on sales begin this Saturday, Oct. 18 at 10 a.m. for the Louisville, Ky. date.
2015 “That’s My Kind of Night” Tour:
Feb. 10     Grand Rapids, Mich.        Van Andel Arena
Feb. 11     Evansville, Ind.              Ford Center
Feb. 12     Louisville, Ky.             KFC Yum! Center
Feb. 14     New Orleans         Endymion Extravaganza *
Feb. 18     Estero, Fla.                   Germain Arena
Feb. 21     Orlando, Fla.                Amway Center
*not TMKON Tour
Live Nation is the national tour promoter for the 2015 “That’s My Kind of Night Tour” and Cabela’s, the World’s Foremost Outfitter of hunting, fishing and outdoor gear, is sponsoring the tour.
Bryan wrapped his 2014 Farm Tour over the weekend, with 110,000 attending.

Lee Ann Womack Reveals Fall Tour

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the way i'm livin`
Sugar Hill artist Lee Ann Womack will embark on her The Way I’m Livin’ Tour this fall. The singer has lined up nine dates on the trek so far in support of her The Way I’m Livin’ album, released September 23. The outing will begin in Tucson, Ariz. on Oct. 16, and ending Nov. 14 in Washington, D.C.
For more information, visit leeannwomack.com.
Lee Ann Womack The Way I’m Livin’ Tour Dates
Oct. 16 | Fox Tucson Theatre in Tucson, Ariz.
Oct. 17 | Scottsdale Center for the Performing Arts in Scottsdale, Ariz.
Oct. 18 | Valley Performing Arts Center in Northridge, Calif.
Oct. 22 | City Winery in Napa, Calif.
Oct. 23 | Cascade Theater in Redding, Calif.
Oct. 24 | Veterans Memorial Auditorium in Grass Valley, Calif.
Nov. 12 | World Cafe Live at the Queen in Wilmington, Del.
Nov. 13 | Bergen County Performing Arts Center in Englewood, N.J.
Nov. 14 | Lisner Auditorium in Washington, D.C.

Lambert To Launch 'Certified Platinum Tour' in January 2015

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Leading nominee Miranda Lambert earned nine nods.

Miranda Lambert


Miranda Lambert will launch her Certified Platinum Tour in January 2015. The nearly 30-city tour includes dates in Tennessee, Ohio, Washington, Oklahoma, Alabama, Kentucky, and Mississippi, among other stops. ACM New Artist of the Year winner Justin Moore will join Lambert for the tour, while RaeLynn, Sunny Sweeney, Ashley Monroe, and Danielle Bradbery will also open shows along the way.
Cities included on Lambert’s Certified Platinum Tour include:
Evansville, IN
Lexington, KY
Columbus, OH
Charleston, SC
Knoxville, TN
Charleston, WV
Spokane, WA
Tacoma, WA
Eugene, OR
Toledo, OH
Rockford, IL
Peoria, IL
Little Rock, AR
Tulsa, OK
Oklahoma City, OK
Wichita, KS
Dallas, TX
Cedar Rapids, IA
Grand Rapids, MI
Birmingham, AL
Bossier City, LA
Biloxi, MS
Hershey, PA
Atlantic City, NJ
New York, NY
Manchester, NH
Worcester, MA
Uncasville, CT
Official dates and showtimes are forthcoming.

The Agency Group Signs James Otto

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James OttoSinger-songwriter James Otto has signed with talent company The Agency Group. Otto’s new single,” Somewhere Tonight,” will be released at SiriusXM The Highway in coming days.
“We are beyond thrilled to have James Otto join The Agency Group family,” says Otto’s agent Alec Vidmar. “He is one of the best songwriters and one of the most soulful voices in country music. We can’t wait to bring his talent to people all around the globe.”
In August, The Agency Group acquired The Bobby Roberts Company, and earlier this year, The Agency Group celebrated the second anniversary of the establishment of its Nashville office.