IEBA Hall of Fame Names New Class

/by

Charley Pride

Three new inductees will join the IEBA Hall of Fame during an Oct. 9 ceremony at the organization’s upcoming conference. The new class includes Charley Pride, an artist who has sold over 70 million albums sold and is a member of the Country Music Hall of Fame and the Grand Ole Opry; longtime Amusement Business writer and staffer Ray Pilszak; and the late New York State Fair executive Joe LaGuardia, who spent over three decades with the fair and passed away in May.

The 42nd conference of the International Entertainment Buyers Association (IEBA) is planned for Oct. 6-9 in Nashville, where over 600 live entertainment industry executives will convene for networking and over 50 artists’ showcases.

The IEBA Hall of Fame was established in 2010 to celebrate the 40th anniversary of the organization. To date, 41 of the most prestigious buyers, agents and live entertainment pioneers have been inducted.

Voting is currently underway for the annual IEBA Industry Awards (nominees below). Winners will be announced on Oct. 9.

Ray Pilszak

International Buyer of the Year
Johanne Bougie – Festival International de jazz de Montreal
Rob Potts – Entertainment Edge
Declan Quinn – Q&N Productions
Larry Werner – Panhandle Productions

Fair Buyer of the Year
Todd Boltin – Variety Attractions
Bonnie Brosious – Great Allentown Fair
Gil Cunningham – Neste Event Marketing
RJ Romeo – Romeo Entertainment Group

Joe LaGuardia

Festival Buyer of the Year
Bob Babisch – Milwaukee Summerfest
Mike Smardak – Outback Concerts
Glenn Smith – Glenn Smith Presents

Club Buyer of the Year
Roger LeBlanc – The Coach House
Ethan Levinson – AEG Live
Gary Osier – Gary Osier Presents

College Buyer of the Year
Mark Letson – EastCoast Entertainment
Ari Nisman – Degy Entertainment
Brian Waymire – The Agency Coalition / Red Gorilla Music

Corporate Buyer of the Year
Ed Bazel – The Bazel Group
Fran Romeo – Romeo Entertainment Group
Randy Wright – Integrity Events

Casino Buyer of the Year
Steve Bogdanovich – Romeo Entertainment Group
Kell Houston – Houston Productions
John Valentino – AEG Live

Venue Executive of the Year
Hugh Lombardi – TD Garden, Boston
Brenda Tinnen – Sprint Center, Kansas City
Sally Williams – Ryman Auditorium, Nashville

Emerging Talent Agent of the Year
Heath Baumhor – APA
Sullivan Bigg – Bigg Time Entertainment
Jeffrey Hasson – Paradigm Agency
Travis Wolfe – Paradigm Agency

To register for the conference, visit ieba.org.

Judd Resumes Touring

/by

As her husband Cactus Moser continues to recover following his Aug. 18 motorcycle accident, Wynonna Judd has announced she will resume touring with her band tomorrow (8/30).

“We continue to feel loved and supported by the outpouring of messages from people around the world,” said Judd, “Cactus continues to improve every day as he begins his road to rehabilitation. We are looking forward to the day when we will be back together on stage again and I believe we will be stronger than ever. Until then I will be out on the road with the rest of the band while I wait lovingly and patiently for my husband to return to The Big Noise.”

In lieu of flowers, gifts and cards, Moser is asking for family, friends and fans to make a donation in his name to Homes For Our Troops, a non-profit, non-partisan organization committed to helping military personnel who have returned home with serious disabilities. Please visit homesforourtroops.org/cactusmoser to learn more.

For a full list of Judd’s tour dates, click here.

Industry Ink (8/29/12)

/by

As part of its 15th Anniversary celebration, SOLID Nashville will present a conversation with KISS member Gene Simmons and manager Doc McGhee in the Hutton Hotel Ballroom at 8:15 am. Tuesday, September 4. Billboard’s Ray Waddell will moderate the panel, and a light breakfast will be provided for attendees. RSVPs are required to attend. Reserve seats here and make sure to print out tickets after reserving.

• • • •

Little Big Town and ConAgra Foods have partnered in support of the company’s Child Hunger Ends Here campaign. LBT is recording an exclusive video of the original song “Here’s Hope” in the style of their web series “Scattered, Smothered, and Covered.” The group’s version will be available on the ConAgra Foods Facebook page in September. More info about the campaign here.

• • • •

Jimmy Carter, the only living founder of The Blind Boys of Alabama, will participate in a symposium on Friday (8/30) called “The Influence of Music on the Civil Rights Movement.” The symposium will take place at the First Amendment Center at Vanderbilt University, 5:30-7:30 pm on August 31. The event, hosted by John Seigenthaler, is free and open to the public. Carter will discuss his 70 years in music, and the Blind Boys’ role in the Civil Rights movement during the 1960s.

• • • •

IBMA Award-winning group Balsam Range has signed with Class Act Entertainment for booking representation. The North Carolina-based outfit topped bluegrass charts with its “Trains I Missed” in 2011, and its most recent album Papertown was released earlier in 2012. The Class Act roster includes The Boxcars, The HillBenders, Chip Taylor, Bryan Sutton and more.

“Brothers Of The Sun Tour” Wraps, Breaks Record

/by

The Brothers of the Sun Tour, with Kenny Chesney and Tim McGraw, ended its run this weekend with two sold-out shows at Foxboro, MA’s Gillette Stadium. The 111,209 tickets sold for the New England shows were what Dan Murphy, Gillette Stadium’s Vice President of External Affairs, called “a record for the biggest country music event in New England history.” Two weeks ago, Chesney and McGraw hosted the biggest ticketed country show in NYC/NJ history at a sold-out MetLife Stadium in East Rutherford, NJ.

“I couldn’t imagine bringing this incredible journey to a close anywhere else but Gillette Stadium,” Chesney said. “The fans in New England welcome us with such energy year after year, and it was the perfect ending to one of the most fun tours I’ve been a part of.”

Those fans proved to be quite rowdy according to the Boston Herald, as Foxboro police arrested 101 concertgoers and placed 466 others into protective custody over the two nights of the New England Country Music Festival. Foxboro Selectman Mark Sullivan stated, “It’s just the way these young adults are today. They’re just crazy.”

The Brothers of the Sun Tour spanned 22 cities and packed 23 stadiums featuring Chesney and McGraw, as well as opening acts Grace Potter & the Nocturnals and Jake Owen. According to Pollstar, it’s the biggest stadium tour of the year and the highest-grossing tour of the summer.

Photo: Jill Trunnell

Industry Ink (8/24/12)

/by

This Saturday (8/25) will mark a milestone for Lamon Records and the entire Moody Family as their indie record label will celebrate 50 years in the industry. The label will present a special anniversary show on the Midnight Jamboree, which follows the Grand Ole Opry on WSM 650 Radio in Nashville. Grammy nominated label president Dave Moody will host the show.

“It’s a real honor for us to celebrate our anniversary this way,” said Moody. “I have great memories of visiting Nashville when I was just an eight year old kid. The Midnight Jamboree was definitely a standout for me on that trip. In those days you could stand so close to the stage in the Ernest Tubb Record Shop you could almost touch the performers. I’ll never forget that experience and the impression it made on me as a kid.”

Moody, along with a few of his current label artists will perform on the show, including Bobby Dean, Courtney Stewart, Kimberly Patrick and Chris Berardo and the DesBerardos. Grand Ole Opry star George Hamilton IV will also be a guest on the show. Hamilton has spent the past 25 years or so recording albums for Lamon.

• • • •

L–R: McGhee Management's Greg Hill, Show Dog-Universal Music President Mark Wright, MM Scott McGhee, Crouse, and MM Doc McGhee

Show Dog-Universal Music President, Mark Wright announced today the signing of singer/songwriter Joel Crouse. Crouse has been performing most of his life, started his first band when he was in high school and has recently opened shows for Toby Keith, Darius Rucker and the Goo Goo Dolls.  Expect new music early 2013. Crouse is represented by McGhee Management in Nashville.

• • • •

Carnival Recording artist Rob Baird has signed with APA Nashville. APA represents artists in all areas of the entertainment industry, with principal offices in Beverly Hills, New York and Nashville. Baird is represented by longtime and respected agent, Cass Scripps, whose experience spans two decades. Scripps formed Metro Talent Group in 1992 and built it into a successful national agency before moving to Nashville in 2010.  Scripps joined APA this month and made Baird one of his first signings.

“I am thrilled to be working with Rob Baird as he continues to hone his songwriting and take his genre bending message on the road,” said Cass “2013 should prove to be an exciting year for Rob, Carnival Music, and his newly expanded family here at APA Nashville.”

Baird will work with APA to continue riding the wave of success from his latest album, I Swear It’s The Truth, produced by Scott Davis and recorded at Cedar Creek Recording Studio in Austin, Texas. Baird wrote or co-wrote a majority of the 11-track album. For more information and tour dates, please visit: www.robbairdmusic.com.

Dance Music Festival Coming to Nashville’s Riverfont

/by

The dance music movement is coming to Music City’s Riverfront, when the two-day With Your Friends Festival hits town October 26-27.

Rolling Stone reports that dance music stars Skrillex and Pretty Lights are curating the festival, which will also include guests Nas, Santigold, 12th Planet, Dillon Francis, Michel Minert, and TOKiMONSTA. The RS article also states there will be a riverboat after-party.

Two-day passes for With Your Friends go on sale Wednesday, August 29. Get them here when the time comes.

Loggins, Middleman and Burr Plan National Tour

/by

Blue Sky Riders

Vocal trio Blue Sky Riders, comprised of Kenny Loggins, Georgia Middleman and Gary Burr, will headline its first national tour this fall to support the self-titled debut album expected Jan. 22, 2013.

The band, who spent the summer opening for Loggins, will kick-off a 14 city tour on September 13, including a five-night residency at New York’s Feinstein’s At Loews Regency.

Select singles from the album will be digitally available in the coming months. The band’s Live At The Rutledge EP is currently available for purchase on iTunes.

Blue Sky Riders tour dates:

9/13– Kent, OH
9/14– Cleveland, OH
9/18– Annapolis, MD
9/19– Glenside, PA
9/20– Londonderry, NH
9/21– Foxborough, MA
9/22– Norfolk, CT
9/23– Ridgefield, CT
9/25-29– New York City
10/1– State College, PA

Dierks Bentley Sells Out Red Rocks

/by

Dierks Bentley performed for a sold out crowd of over 9,450 country fans last Thursday night (8/16) at the Red Rocks Amphitheater in Morrison, CO. The naturally formed amphitheater is known for its perfect acoustics and has hosted some of music’s biggest names including The Beatles and U2.

“Red Rocks is right there at the top of every artist’s bucket list to play,” said Bentley. “It’s crazy to be able to perform there again and this time with a wild, sold out crowd…can’t wait to go back!”

Bentley continues on the road this weekend before kicking off his Country & Cold Cans: Back to College Tour today (8/20) at The University of Georgia. Tuesday (8/21), Bentley will celebrate the release of his four-song Country & Cold Cans EP at The University of South Carolina followed by Ole Miss on Wednesday (8/22). For more information on the new music and for a full list of upcoming tour dates, visit www.dierks.com.

CMT On Tour Taps Headliner Jake Owen

/by

Jake Owen will headline the 11th annual CMT On Tour, with special guests Love and Theft and Florida Georgia Line. CMT On Tour Jake Owen: The Summer Never Ends 2012 kicks off Oct. 10 in New York City.

The tour comes on the heels of a monster year for Owen, which includes back-to-back, multi-week No. 1 singles “Barefoot Blue Jean Night” and “Alone With You.” Owen has performed to millions of fans since his career launched, including a coveted spot on the Brothers of the Sun tour this summer with superstars Kenny Chesney and Tim McGraw.

Owen, who first appeared on CMT On Tour as an opening act, said, “Being the headliner of a tour is something I’ve been dreaming about since I was in college, performing songs every Sunday afternoon on a bar stool and playing for tips. Headlining the CMT Tour is really cool for me because I was the opening act in 2007, when Sugarland was the headliner and Little Big Town had the middle slot. So now, to be headlining the 11th Annual CMT Tour, with my buddies Love and Theft and Florida Georgia line, it feels very surreal. I’m honored and I can’t wait to hit the road in October and keep that feeling of summer going on The Summer Never Ends tour.”

Jake Owen talke about the tour with CMT Radio Live’s Cody Alan during a segment for tonight's (8/20) show. Photo: Dingo O’Brien

“The CMT Tour has this incredible history of featuring artists that have gone on to become superstars, capable of filling stadiums and arenas, and now it’s Jake’s turn at headliner status,” said Leslie Fram, SVP of Music Strategy, CMT. “Jake possesses an undeniable star quality that promises to propel him to new heights amongst his peers who have anchored the CMT Tour.  We’re also thrilled to feature up-and-coming acts Love and Theft and Florida Georgia Line in this year’s fantastic line-up.”

CMT On Tour launched in 2002 and has featured superstars Trace Adkins, Jason Aldean, Luke Bryan, Randy Houser, Jamey Johnson, Miranda Lambert, Brad Paisley, Rascal Flatts, Sugarland and Keith Urban. The tour is produced by Lindsay Bertelli of REACH.

Tickets go on sale Fri., Aug. 24. For details, visit cmtontour.cmt.com.

 

 

APA Brings On Cass Scripps

/by

Cass Scripps

Agency for the Performing Artists (APA) announced the addition of veteran agent Cass Scripps to its Nashville office.

Scripps joined the Nashville talent and literary agency August 1, where he is responsible for developing and growing the new Contemporary Music Division. Scripps brings artists Corey Smith, Edwin McCain and David Ryan Harris with him to the agency’s talent roster.

Scripps has over 25 years as an agent, most recently with Buddy Lee Attractions. In 1992 he formed Metro Talent group in Atlanta, GA where he represented artists such as Hootie and the Blowfish, Sister Hazel, Jump Little Children, and Drivin’ N Cryin’ among others.