Charlie Cook On Air: How Come

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How Come:

  • Craig Morgan isn’t a bigger star?

I saw him perform in Las Vegas last month and it seemed like every song was a hit and the stuff he did off his new CD is very good. The CD is in my player in the car. He seems like a nice enough guy. That shouldn’t be a problem.

  • Taylor Swift (whom I love) still struggles with research numbers yet sells more music and tickets than almost anyone?

No one has anything bad to say about Taylor. I look forward to her new music. I try to watch her every time she is on TV because she reflects so positively on Country Music and Country Radio but song after song, her stuff scores poorly and burns quickly.

  • Females just have not risen to the level of consistency in Country Music like they have in Pop?

Country has its stars. The aforementioned Taylor, Miranda, Carrie, Martina and Sara come to mind right away but if you look at the chart (Mediabase 1/16/12) Martina and Taylor are the only females in the top 20. Pop’s biggest stars are females and this week 5 of the Top 10 are females in CHR and 8 of the top 20 are females in AC with two more are males/female duets.

  • Every radio station doesn’t support the ACM and the CMA?

We have a couple of organizations that are advocates for the format and are there to help it grow (along with both doing incredible charity work) and yet most of the stations in the format ignore any participation with the groups. (Okay, I serve on the board of both the ACM and CMA and I may be biased about them but believe me we are better for the efforts of Steve Moore and Bob Romeo.)

  • More radio stations and personalities don’t enter the ACM and CMA awards competition?

I know that this takes some effort. Think of it as show prep. You do need to prepare all year so that you can collect the material for when you enter the competition. But you can do it once for both contests with basically the same entry. It is a good team building exercise and a great morale builder for stations that make the finals.

  • That NARAS just does not get Country Music?

I admit that this year they got it right. There are a couple of goofy songs but that’s okay. Getting it 80% right is better than in the past. They made so many changes after the show last year that the good stuff may have trickled up to the Country categories too. I know that when a Country Song wins as THE song of the year (“Need You Now”) I shouldn’t complain but you need to look at the nominees in 2011 and you’ll agree with me. This year? Maybe they are starting to get it.

  • Radio stations and artists don’t all require fan “gating” on Facebook?

Hand in hand with this is the need to provide material that the visitor really wants. If you provide something valuable to the fan make sure that they “Like” you before they have access to it. Remember what mom used to say, “who’s gonna buy the cow when they get the milk for free?” Not sure that’s what she was talking about but you get the idea.

  • Radio stations still play the chart game with record companies?

I understand that record promotion and record sales are not necessarily tied together. Different staffs and different goals but shouldn’t one’s goal be to drive the other? I had a friend send me SoundScan information for LA. The highest Country CD was Lady A at No. 17 with less than 1000 units sold. The second highest country record was The Band Perry at No. 35 at about 500 units sold. The bad news here is that both of these acts get considerable AC/CHR play to drive the sales. The top Country radio only CD was Clancy’s Tavern – Toby Keith at No. 38. And those were the only Country acts in the Top 50. This in a city where over a million listeners cume the Country station each week. Something about promoting music to Country Music fans is not working.

  • Every Country Radio station, with live personnel, is not attending the Country Radio Seminar?

Nothing provides more usable information for the success of your station and your staff then the three days in Nashville next month. Plus you meet the artists that you play every day. I know that this is not inexpensive and it is time away from the station but the ROI is incredible.

  • Every Country Station is not doing something with St. Jude?

I did not go to Memphis last week. I have never been to the facility. But I believe in the work that they do and the relationship with Country Radio and the kids that are helped. If you’re not THE St. Jude station in your town, still do a weekend event sometime during the year to raise some money for the cause.

  • No Country stations have played Adele?

If AC can play the acts mentioned in the last comment how about Country inviting Adele into Country. Heck she’s Country…well from another Country. That should count for something.

• • •

Just thinking. Let me know about your “How comes.”  And do not write, “How come you have a weekly column?” Just get over that.

Todd Snider Debuts New Music

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Nashville singer/songwriter Todd Snider doesn’t shrink away from tough subject matter. In “The Ballad of the Kingsmen” (from 2004’s East Nashville Skyline), he hilariously lampooned religious conservatives past and present for the absurd claim that rock & roll incites violence. In 2008, he released Peace Queer, a politically charged EP that included a cover of the incendiary Creedence classic “Fortunate Son.”

That same confrontational spirit and trademark wit was on display when Snider debuted a handful of new songs during his band’s tour rehearsal last night (Jan. 18) at the East Nashville Rehearsal Hall. Located on 11th St. in Five Points, the room was decked out with patchwork wall coverings, thrift store couches, and folding chairs. Beers were being passed around and the unheated space smelled of incense and considerably less legal substances.

Snider’s loose, playful set included “In The Beginning,” a stream-of-consciousness rant on the disparity of wealth and religion’s role in the matter; “Precious Little Miracles,” a jazzy, laugh-and-grimace-inducing tale of some no-good kids; and a cover of Jimmy Buffett’s acidic “West Nashville Grand Ballroom Gown.” Before wrapping up Snider led the crowd through one final song, the sneering Eastsider anthem, “Hey Pretty Boy (Go Back To Franklin).”

Snider’s forthcoming album, by the way, will be titled Agnostic Hymns and Stoner Fables and hits stores March 6 via Aimless Records. Track listing is included below. His tour launches tomorrow (Jan. 20) in Evanston, IL.

Agnostic Hymns and Stoner Fables track listing:
1. In the Beginning
2. New York Banker
3. West Nashville Grand Ballroom Gown
4. Precious Little Miracles
5. The Very Last Time
6. In Between Jobs
7. Brenda
8. Too Soon To Tell
9. Digger Dave’s Crazy Woman Blues
10. Big Finish

Dolly Parton, Gaylord To Build Theme Park

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Gaylord Entertainment and Dolly Parton’s Dollywood Company are entering a 50/50 joint venture to develop a 114-acre family entertainment zone adjacent to the Gaylord Opryland Resort & Convention Center. The Dollywood Company will serve as the operating partner of the as-yet-unnamed outfit.

Phase one of the project is an approximately $50 million water and snow park, the first of its kind in the United States. A late 2012/early 2013 groundbreaking date is expected, with the park opening slated for summer 2014.

Tennessee Gov. Bill Haslam and Nashville Mayor Karl Dean joined Parton and Gaylord Entertainment Chairman and CEO Colin V. Reed at today’s announcement at the Grand Ole Opry House at Gaylord Opryland.

The water and snow park will anchor the project which will include 35-acres set aside for future expansion. The park will provide a mix of high energy water activities for the summer season and designated snow activities for winter play. Once open, first year attendance is projected at 500,000, a large portion of which will come from out of state, bringing in substantial tourism revenue to Tennessee and Nashville. Dollywood expects to employ 450 full- and part-time employees.

“Tourism is the second largest industry in Tennessee, generating more than a billion dollars in tax revenue annually and employing more than 170,000 Tennesseans,” Haslam said. “This project will be a welcome addition to the wide variety of attractions and destinations across our great state, and I applaud the collaboration and spirit that has led to this announcement.”

This proposed attraction furthers Gaylord’s focus on growing the leisure side of its business.

“We are thrilled by the prospect of bringing to Nashville a family focused entertainment center with one of the preeminent theme park owners and operators in the country,” said Reed. “I am confident this proposed attraction, which will be a destination not only for our hotel guests but also for the entire Nashville community, will meaningfully enhance our transient and leisure strategy by providing a fun, family environment at the doorstep of the Opryland Hotel. With Dolly Parton’s country music legacy and strong ties to Nashville, we can think of no better partner for this venture than Dolly’s Dollywood Company.”

Music Powerhouses Team For AXS TV

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AEG, Ryan Seacrest Media, and Creative Artists Agency (CAA) are launching a new television network, AXS TV (pronounced “access”). The joint venture scheduled to debut this summer will rebrand Mark Cuban‘s HDNet as AXS TV. Offering live entertainment and lifestyle programming, the outlet will have behind-the-scenes access to live concerts and music festivals, red carpet premieres, award shows, parties, pop culture events, and in-depth interviews.

Production facilities will be based at AEG’s L.A. LIVE, home to venues including STAPLES Center, Nokia Theatre L.A. LIVE, and Club Nokia. Despite the ready-made access to AEG venues, Timothy J. Leiweke, AEG President & CEO notes, “This is a platform for all agents, all promoters and all managers. It is not the creation of an AEG channel.”

Ryan Seacrest Media holds an ownership stake in AXS TV, and Ryan Seacrest Productions will develop and produce programming for AXS TV.

DISH is moving AXS to its America’s Top 120 programming package, reaching well over 35 million North American households. In addition, DISH will begin offering a large selection of AXS-branded Video On Demand concerts starting March 15. Unique ticketing opportunities will be available for DISH viewers of AXS TV. Debuting Aug. 1 is the AXS Headliner Club, an online audition site providing local bands and musicians the opportunity to audition to perform at an AEG-affiliated club or theater.

AXS TV will continue to be available on HDNet’s existing distributors including DIRECTV, Comcast, Verizon, AT&T, Charter, NCTC-member systems, Suddenlink and Shaw (in Canada).

Taylor Swift Covers Vogue

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Vogue: February 2012

Taylor Swift will be featured on the Feb. 2012 cover of Vogue with a Mario Testino photo spread and in-depth interview on her 22 years of life lessons and experiences. The article, titled “Taylor Swift: The Single Life,” is currently posted on the Vogue website. The issue hits stands Jan. 24.

The three-time Grammy nominee reveals how her ‘awkward’ years influenced her inner reliance and shares the moment she came to embrace her individuality. Swift confides about the pressure to stay thin, shares insightful ‘red flag’ advice from her storied dating life and expresses anxieties about her longevity in the business.

“I fret about the future,” Swift told Vogue writer Jonathan Van Meter for the feature. “What my next move should be. What the move after that should be. How I am going to sustain this. How do I evolve. I get so ahead of myself. I’m like, ‘What am I going to be doing at 30?’ But there’s no way to know that! Lately I’ve been focusing on trying to be here. Trying to be who I am, where I am, at the moment. But, you know, I am having a big meeting with my team next week, planning 2013. Which makes it hard!”

The article also covers Swift’s Nashville and California residences, her parents’ role in her life and career and concludes by crediting Kris Kristofferson with the career she envies. “He is so versatile and so appreciated for all of the things that he has done. The fact that he shines in songwriting, shines in his solo career, shines in movies and does it all so tastefully…he’s just one of those people who has been in this business for years but you can tell it hasn’t chewed him up and spit him out. He just seemed like the human embodiment of gratitude. Sometimes you see these people who are just so—God—so affected by all of it, where ambition has taken precedence over happiness. But when I meet people who really embody this serenity of knowing that they have had an amazing life—James Taylor, Kris Kristofferson, and Ethel Kennedy. They just seem to be effervescent.”

Bobby Karl Works The Nashville Grammy Nominee Party

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Chapter 385

Nominee Dave Barnes walks the red carpet. Photo: Caitlin Rantala/MusicRow

When the Nashville Grammy Nominee Party calls, you always rsvp.

This annual event is a significant marker on the music community’s social calendar. The holidays are over, a new year is beckoning with promise and we’re all well over our families and eager to reconnect with our real family. It is the first significant gathering of the fabulons of the year and one of the only ones that unites the diverse elements of Music City.

“I love this party,” said Drew Alexander. “I get invited, I show up,” said Rod Essig. They spoke for the whole merry-making room.

The Tuesday evening (1/17) event was held, as is customary, at the Loews Vanderbilt Plaza Hotel ballroom. As indicated by the attendees, the 54th annual Grammys are throwing a spotlight on all kinds of Music City music makers.

“As everyone here knows, the talent that comes out of this town is extraordinary,” said Dan Hill, the current president of Nashville’s Recording Academy chapter. “The nominations for Nashville this year come from everything from rock to classical, including Best New Artist.”

“There are 20 categories represented [by Nashville nominees],” added George Flanigen, who is serving his second term as the Recording Academy’s national president. “This year’s nominations reflect the respect that the voters have for Music City.”

In addition to categories such as the predictable country, bluegrass and Christian musics, Nashvillians popped up in such categories as rock album, pop group, blues, folk, children’s, spoken word, engineering, classical, instrumental composition and soundtrack song.

George Jones walks the red carpet at the Nashville Grammy Nominee party. Jones is being honored with the Recording Academy's Lifetime Achievement Award this year. Photo: Caitlin Rantala/MusicRow

Blues nominee Keb Mo’ said he was proud and pleased to call himself a Nashvillian. In one of the cooler, only-in-Nashville moments, he walked the red carpet alongside Lifetime Achievement honoree George Jones.

Several nominees elected to face the media in groups. Matraca Berg, Deana Carter and Kenny Chesney (in a black stocking cap) made a grand entrance. Tom T. Hall, Peter Cooper and Eric Brace united as well.

Alas, the children’s-music Grammy is a producer’s award, lamented Cooper of their Songs of Fox Hollow project. “But we’ll find a way to get Tom T. one. He’s never won for an album.”

Jim Collins, waiting to walk with fellow nominee David Lee Murphy (“Are You Gonna Kiss Me Or Not”), recalled opening a Texas concert for Tom T. years ago where nobody showed up: “It wasn’t promoted very well, but he went out there and told his stories and sang his songs and gave those few people his full show. He’s an old-school pro.”

Also meeting the media on the red carpet were such diverse stars as Jason Aldean, Natalie Grant, Jerry Douglas, TobyMac, Royal Tailor, The Del McCoury Band, Brandon Heath, The WannaBeatles, Dave Barnes and Steven Curtis Chapman. Twinkling in the welcoming throng were the Nashville Symphony’s Alan Valentine, plus Jon Randall Stewart, Jeff Hanna, Charlie Chase & Lorianne Crook, Eric Paslay and Mayor Karl Dean.

(L-R): Chris Parr, Jessica Aldean, nominee Jason Aldean, The Academy’s Susan Stewart, George Flanigen, Daniel Hill. Photo: Rick Diamond/WireImage.com, Courtesy of The Recording Academy

“Will you introduce me to him?” enquired first lady Ann Davis of hizzoner when she spotted George Jones in the valet-parking area. I love it when celebs are starstruck, since I am too, perpetually.

The Loews staffers outdid themselves in the catering department. We were treated to a mac-and-cheese station with smoked chicken and gouda. Pulled barbecue pork nestled in red-potato skins. The catfish tacos with pickle slaw were delish. There were grits, veggies, condiments and a roast-beef carving station. Full bars flanked either end of the ballroom and waiters circulated with wine trays.

“They are such good partners for our Chapter,” said South Regional Director Susan Stewart in presenting Loews with a framed 2012 Grammy poster. Jones got one, too.

The décor was dominated by two, massive, gleaming-gold Big-Ass Grammys, worth more than $10,000 apiece, I am told. They travel in their own road cases from L.A.

The organization is flush with cash, having recently re-signed a multi-year TV contract with CBS. The network was doubtless pleased that last year’s Grammy telecast drew 26.6 million viewers, setting a record. Flanigen termed it, “one of the longest partnerships in television history.”

Jon Freeman was there, fresh from the Brantley Gilbert No. 1 party and celebrating his promotion at this very publication. Wishing each other Happy New Year were Pete Fisher, Joanna Carter, Ben Fowler, Arthur Buenahora, Tracy Gershon & Steve Fishell, Carla Wallace, Gilles Godard (there, I finally spelled him right), Garth Fundis, Clint Higham, Stacy Weidlitz, Ron Stuve, Gary Overton, Steve & Ree Guyer Buchanan, Wes Vause, and Norbert Nix.

Also Fletcher Foster, Lori Badgett, Diane Pearson, Pat McMakin, Sherod Robertson, LeAnn Phelan, Nancy Shapiro, Nancy Jones, Scott & Sandi Borchetta, Doug Casmus, Allen Brown, Kay West, Terry Hemmings, David Corlew, Lisa Harless, Tamara Saviano, Doug Howard and Paul Barnabee.

(L-R): Nominee TobyMac, nominee Jamie Grace, nominee Steven Curtis Chapman, The Academy’s George Flanigen, Susan Stewart and Daniel Hill. Photo: Rick Diamond/WireImage.com, Courtesy of The Recording Academy

Artist Growth Debuts Offering Mobile Toolbox For Musicians

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Artist Growth, a Nashville based company offering a sophisticated set of cloud-based business management tools for artists, officially launches today. Musicians Matt Urmy and Jonathan Sexton created the app that works on any mobile device to integrate finances, calendars, inventory, contacts, social media and mentoring resources from industry experts.

Joe Galante and Dr. Harry Jacobson, investors in Artist Growth, marked its debut with a party last night at the Country Music Hall of Fame and Museum. Mayor Karl Dean was scheduled to give a keynote address, while Vince Gill and Cowboy Jack Clement were set to make special appearances. Galante calls the system, “the record business in a box.”

Artist Growth reps will showcase the product later this week at the NAMM Show in Anahaim, followed by MIDEM in Cannes, France; Folk Alliance convention in Memphis, and South by Southwest in Austin.

As previously reported, other investors include echomusic founder Mark Montgomery and Moontoast founder Joe Glaser.

Urmy told Venture Nashville that the company has already raised $1 million in outside capital, and that the influx is continuing in 2012. According to the report it is also likely that the technology can be applied to areas other than music, including healthcare and education.

“It empowers artists to participate in the business side of music without being too distracted from their creativity,” explains Urmy, who conceived the idea in 2009 with Sexton. They began developing the application 18 months ago.

A low price point makes the app even more attractive. The monthly starter rate is $4.95, and a 30-day trial is being offered for 99 cents. The app is available in the Android Market, and Apple’s App Store.

Here’s a breakdown of what Artist Growth offers:

1. Combines every aspect of business in one place, helping artists understand what their career means to a label, manager, bandmate, or investor.

2. Cloud-based technology. Access Artist Growth and all resources via any web-based or mobile platform, with wireless syncing across multiple devices and users.

3. Simplified, customized daily tasks. Artist Growth’s Action Packs package to-do lists curated by industry professionals, using push notifications to organize everything from promoting a show to writing a business plan.

4. In-app financial management. Snap photos of receipts on the road, input directly to tax filing systems, and keep track of fan merchandise inventory all in one place.

5. A library of expertise. Access to career tips, tools, and advice from record executives, producers, artists, managers, and other industry experts on Artist Growth’s AGtv video portal, and more than 30K industry contacts via the Indie Bible.

Ben’s Studio Hosts Four Decades of Musical Genius

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By Ellen Barnes

Ben’s Studio is home to 47 years of musical genius. The open and impressive recording space at 30 Music Square West is a historical goldmine that continues today as a successful studio. After almost a decade of private use, artist Ben Folds decided to open his space to outside sessions. “He wanted it to be commercially viable with a focus on orchestra and classical, two of his passions,” recalls Studio Manager Sharon Corbitt-House.

A wide array of musicians now rent the space. Several tracks from the acclaimed Tony Bennett Duets II album were recorded there, and some of those sessions were taped for the upcoming PBS special and DVD. Joining him for the sessions were Carrie Underwood and Faith Hill. “Producers really wanted to make full use of the space because it was the largest studio they had recorded in for the project,” explains Corbitt-House. “Everything was cut live on the floor, and the addition of a raised stage and backdrop made for an amazing finished product.

“There’s a very distinctive sound that this room has. It’s just very beautiful, like a big bubble,” she muses. “It’s a big, controlled, space—you’ve got this large sound but it doesn’t sound boomy.” She proudly notes the studio is also now home to a classic API 3232 console.

Ben’s Studio is not only a studio space, but ideally suited for recording live performance. “You record live, you cut live, you’re capturing a moment, you’re capturing a feel—I think that people want to go back to that,” says Corbitt-House, who believes digital recording can sometimes result in a record that sounds a little too perfect. The studio vet explains, “the imperfections of records are what make them perfect.”

Sharon Corbitt-House with the Blind Boys of Alabama at Ben's Studio.

Following tenures at Ocean Way and Sound Kitchen, Corbitt-House recalls the good feeling she experienced the first time she walked into Ben’s Studio. “All the records that were the reason I got in the business were made in this room,” she explains, referencing albums by Jerry Reed, George Strait and Reba McEntire. “Those records influenced my decision to have a path in music, and being in the space where it was all created…is really a blessing.”

The Nashville Symphony recorded several tracks of its Grammy nominated album at Ben’s Studio—it is one of the few local spaces that can house such a large group. Walmart’s Soundcheck web series is often taped there as well, hosting Underwood, Laura Bell Bundy, Josh Turner, and Alan Jackson. Pop singer Sara Bareilles, who is a judge alongside Folds on NBC show The Sing Off, recently spent three weeks there recording an EP with Folds helming production.

Folds has lived in Nashville and owned the studio for nine years, using it to record his albums Songs for Silverman and the chart-topping Way to Normal. The pianist’s latest, the three-disc retrospective The Best Imitation of Myself is an inadvertent result of the 2010 Nashville flood. Like numerous other musicians, he lost tapes, live recordings, and notebooks when his storage unit at Soundcheck flooded. Folds’ management and staff salvaged what they could and compiled it into the box set. Ben Folds Five reunited to make three new songs for the project, and plans to team again this year for a new album.

The studio is available for non-recording events, such as a recent reception for The Cecil Scaife Visionary Award honoring producers Norbert Putnam and David Briggs who once worked there. Guests and honorees enjoyed reminiscing about the storied studio.

HISTORICAL GOLDMINE

The studio houses Folds' prized pianos.

Built in 1964, the studio was established by producer and pioneer Chet Atkins. Originally known as RCA Studio A, or RCA Victor Nashville Sound Studio, it was a key piece of Atkins’ vision for Nashville and country music. “Everybody from Dolly Parton to Waylon Jennings to Elvis to Roy Orbison has cut in this space,” affirms Corbitt-House.

During Atkins’ reign at RCA Studio A, Parton recorded classics such as “Jolene” and “I Will Always Love You,” while Jennings did “Only Daddy That’ll Walk the Line.” The latter also teamed with Willie Nelson, Jessi Colter, and Tompall Glaser for Wanted! The Outlaws. The Monkees used the space for the vocals to “Daydream Believer.” Atkins drew a mix of country and pop artists, and helped create the countrypolitan Nashville Sound.

The room is the only one of four identical studios—including outfits in New York and Los Angeles—that remains intact as a commercial recording studio. Interestingly, Ben’s Studio is still connected to Studio B next door through an underground trough—in the past, cords connected the buildings, so recording could be done at one location and engineering at the other.

The studio has gone through a series of evolutions. In 1979, famed Music Row producer Owen Bradley took over the space, changing its name to Music City Music Hall. During this time, the studio hosted artists including Loretta Lynn, Brenda Lee, Joe Cocker, and Leon Russell.

George Strait and Bill Harris at Music City Music Hall

In 1989, ownership changed yet again and producer Warren Peterson took over, bringing the new name Javalena and accommodating artists such as Neil Diamond, Mark Chesnutt, and early projects by Gary Allan.

By the early ‘90s, Folds moved from North Carolina to Nashville and Peterson allowed the young musician to use the studio to record demos, often letting him work through the night. Hit producer Paul Worley also offered Folds encouragement early in his career, but the artist eventually followed his pop-rock dreams back to North Carolina and formed the successful Ben Folds Five.

In ’99, Peterson closed down the space and it sat empty for three years before Folds—fresh from a tour with Elton John—saw the For Lease sign and resurrected the studio.

Corbitt-House and others she’s talked to see the studio’s longevity as a positive sign for a struggling industry. “We’re all gonna be okay,” she assures. “Things come and go, but if you have something that’s known for having such a great history and is still being used as a recording facility, then it means that there’s hope for all of us. I hope it makes Chet happy that we’re all still hangin’ around here working everyday.”

Visit Ben’s Studio online or on Facebook.

Real-Life Struggles Yield Songwriting Success For Phillip Coleman

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Phillip Coleman co-wrote Ronnie Dunn's "Cost of Livin'" and Miranda Lambert's "All Kinds of Kinds."

For the past eight years songwriter Phillip Coleman has been a real-life example of his best known song, “Cost of Livin.’” The lyrics describe a desperate man filling out a job application, and his determination to provide for his family. Ronnie Dunn’s recognizable voice, plaintive take, and sparse production brought the story to life. With financial hardship affecting many Americans, it’s a timely topic that touched country listeners.

Like most songwriters, Coleman’s path to the radio charts has been long and winding. His youth was spent on a farm in Rives, Tenn. Road trips to Nashville’s Bluebird Cafe inspired him to take up the craft at age 26. In the early ‘90s he moved to Music City, where his sister happened to be neighbors with tunesmith Don Henry. “I didn’t know any better, so I knocked on his door and said ‘I wanna be a songwriter,’” chuckles Coleman. “He was extremely nice. He invited me to the Bluebird that night where he was playing with Gary Burr, Matraca Berg, and Beth Nielsen Chapman. It was unbelievable, and I knew I wanted to do that. Eventually, when he called me to co-write, I knew I’d arrived.”

Coleman went on to moderate success, securing cuts by Kenny Chesney and Linda Davis, and the Jo Dee Messina hit “Downtime.” But when his eight-year publishing deal with Carnival Music ended, Coleman was hard-up. Today’s positive mindset helps him look back and admit, “I wasn’t pleasant to be around.”

“Even my wife [songwriter Catt Gravitt] saw it in my eyes,” he recalls. “We were dating at the time, and she said, ‘you need to go do something else, you’re bitter and jaded and mad.’”

He took her advice, mostly out of necessity. “I went to fill out an application at FedEx, and that’s what inspired the song. My whole point was that there’s nowhere on that piece of paper to write down your real story—that you’ll work nights and holidays, that you’re about to lose your house, that your family’s struggling.”

The shipping giant hired Coleman for a second shift gig driving a forklift. “It kept the lights on and food in the fridge,” he says. Starting a lawn care outfit helped him supplement his income, plus offered a pleasant reminder of the farm back home. Songwriting shifted to the back-burner.

A year passed and it was February 2006 before Coleman sat down to write a song called “The Application,” with a chorus that affirmed, “You don’t know that…by looking at the application.”

“When I wrote that song I knew it was special, so I wanted to hang on to the publishing,” he recalls. “Alex Torrez pitched it to Ronnie back when Brooks & Dunn were together. Ronnie liked everything except the title and the hook, and I was nervous as can be when I went to his house so we could rewrite that part.” They changed the chorus to “the cost of livin’s high and going up,” and gave the song a new title, “Cost of Livin.’” Programmers were enthusiastic when Dunn debuted it on his radio tour, and the single came out in June 2011.

Reflecting on the years of holds, waiting, and wondering if it would ever be released, Coleman sighs, “This song has put me through it.” He even had to sell the guitar it was written on.

Now he’s in a much better place. “I’m about to get my first royalty check, and get the breathing room I haven’t had in a long time.”

Along with a little money headed his way, Coleman proudly notes what else is going right, “I’ve got a new attitude—being married has changed me a lot. I’ve got more patience, got back in church, and I’m more focused. I’m a blip on the radar again. It’s funny how when you walk away from something things start happening for you.”

After penning “All Kinds of Kinds” with Don Henry thirteen years ago, it finally made its way to Miranda Lambert’s acclaimed Four The Record. When her producer, and Carnival Music boss Frank Liddell, passed the song on to the feisty singer they both knew it was a perfect fit. It’s an added bonus that Coleman’s peers think so highly of the track. He sums, “When somebody who you consider a good songwriter wishes they wrote the song you wrote, that’s a great feeling.”

Charlie Cook On Air: Resolutions

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Let’s see, which New Year’s resolution should I break first? I made three: Lose weight, work an extra hour every day, and quit swearing so much. Well, I’ll be damned if I didn’t leave work early Wednesday to go to the all you can eat buffet.

Seriously, we all put unrealistic expectations on ourselves and each other only to disappoint every one. Radio and records rewards hard work. There are abundant examples of people in the business that work a little harder than the average bear and their efforts have paid off.

Mike McVay is the hardest working human I know. It has been both a burden and a pleasure to work for and with him for all these years. I know how hard he works and I see how it has paid off for him. He is at the top of his game today.

Scott Borchetta has benefited from his hard work in Nashville. We look at Scott today and say, wow how fortunate he is to have Taylor in his camp. Don’t forget the chances he took early on with his label or how hard he worked at MCA in the old days.

Mike Dungan is one of the smartest executives in Nashville but, along with playing hard, works very hard. Mike saw around the next turn and put together the label of the year. Yeah Lady Antebellum is his lead-off batter but his lineup is deep and Mike is the architect of that team.

Bob Pittman has decided to spend his efforts in support of the merits of radio in the traditional format. That is going to take a lot of work on his part. We who work in radio are fortunate to have Bob as our spokesman because he is tireless and brilliant.

Artists like Jason, Brad, the Flatts, Kenny and Miranda are continuously on the road. New acts like The Band Perry, Chris Young and Thompson Square get up every day knowing that it is worth the hard work to make a name for themselves so they can soon be in the first group of artists.

I enjoy working hard. I appreciate that I work for a great company and would not want it any other way. Wait, let me check my Mega Millions ticket from last night…

Okay, as I was saying, I love working with others dedicated to the radio business and as we kick off 2012 I tell those people, it is going to be tough this year. If you still have a job, you are working harder than you have in the past years. Most likely you have picked up an extra duty or two to replace the co-worker who moved on.

I was talking to a friend of mine the other day who has been out of work for about 6 months and he said that the only thing he has from 2011 is a used calendar. That is glass half empty. I told him that the number one New Year’s resolution each year is SPEND MORE TIME WITH THE FAMILY. There you go.

Hey, he is ahead of the game. A recent study found that only 12% of those making New Year’s resolutions actually kept them.

According to Wikipedia, a study in 2007 by Richard Wisemen from the University of Bristol showed that 78% of those who set New Year resolutions fail, and those who succeed have 5 traits in common. Men achieved their goal 22% more often when they engaged in goal setting, (a system where small measurable goals are being set; such as, a pound a week, instead of saying “lose weight”), while women succeeded 10% more when they made their goals public and got support from their friends.

As we all (pick one) — 1. Rush into 2. Ease into 3. Are pushed into — 2012 remember to keep your wits about you. If you’re in the record business there is not going to be a huge increase in the number of CDs sold this year. The model is still broken but GREAT music does reach the consumer and every year a Brantley Gilbert or a JaneDear Girls come along that lifts our hopes.

I believe that the glass is half full. Now, it is teetering right on the edge of the desk, but it is half full.

I do want to mention too that I saw three GREAT shows since we last chatted. Lady Antebellum played the Coliseum in Morgantown and were fabulous.

Jim Brickman played his Christmas show at the Clay Center in Charleston, WV. An A+ evening.

And I saw Bill Anderson play the Wheeling Jamboree in December. Bill has been doing this a long time and his showmanship and professionalism were apparent. I don’t remember enjoying an evening more.

Happy New Year.