BMI has announced record-breaking revenues of $1.283 billion for its fiscal year, ending June 30, marking a 7% increase over the previous year. BMI distributed and administered $1.196 billion to its songwriters, composers and publishers, the company’s highest distributions ever. That number includes domestic and international royalties, as well as royalties from direct deals BMI administers on behalf of its publishers.
Distributions from direct deals grew $9 million during fiscal year 2019, for a total of $62 million, bringing in 5% of BMI’s total distributions.
BMI President & CEO Mike O’Neill, said, “BMI values the trust our affiliates place in us, and we are gratified to once again generate record revenues on their behalf. Our achievements are a direct result of the unrivaled creativity of the songwriters and composers we represent and the worldwide popularity of their music. We always strive to do better, and we will continue to work hard to champion the rights of our creators and protect the value of their copyrights.”
BMI’s total domestic revenue, encompassing digital, media and general licensing, topped out at $943 million, a $63 million, or 7%, increase. That growth was driven by a $47 million increase in digital revenue, up 22% year-to-year for a total of $262 million. New deals with the growing video-on-demand streaming market, including Twitch and Amazon Channels, as well as new licensees in the eFitness market, such as Peloton and Flywheel, helped drive that success.
General licensing, which is generated from businesses like bars and restaurants, hotels and fitness centers, along with other income, also posted record results of $169 million, an 8% gain year-to-year, representing 18% of BMI’s domestic revenue pie. The company added approximately 16,500 new businesses to its growing portfolio in this sector.
Revenue from cable and satellite sources once again generated the largest portion of BMI’s domestic revenue at 30%, while traditional radio and television accounted for 24% of the overall domestic total. Notably, BMI’s digital revenue has now grown to encompass 28% of the company’s total domestic revenue portfolio and is now the second biggest contributor to that total.
BMI’s international revenue also reached an all-time high of $340 million, an increase of $21 million, or 7% over the previous year. The strength of BMI’s repertoire of film, television and songs helped the company achieve these record results in spite of a negative foreign exchange hit of $23 million caused by the strengthening dollar overseas.
In addition, BMI saw its affiliate membership surpass one million for the first time ever, with over 90,000 new songwriters, composers and publishers joining the organization this year. Notable new signings included Lil Nas X, Kendrick Lamar, Brandi Carlile, Willie Colón, and Sarah Schachner, among others, while agreements were extended with Imagine Dragons, Eminem, Shakira, John Legend, Harry Gregson-Williams, Eric Church, P!nk, Rihanna, Ben Decter, J Balvin, Hozier, Halsey, Horacio Palencia, and many more.
Thirty Tigers Adds Mike DePippa To Oversee Alternative, Rock, Pop Promotion
/by Jessica NicholsonMike DePippa. Photo: Meredith Truax
Mike DePippa has joined Thirty Tigers as SVP/Promotion and Artist Development. In his role, DePippa will oversee alternative, rock and pop radio promotion as well as contribute to marketing and artist development campaigns. He will work alongside current VP/Contemporary Radio Promotion, Lindsay Reid, and report to company president, David Macias.
DePippa was most recently SVP Promotion at Island Records, and previously ran Rock Formats Promotion for Republic and Columbia Records. He also spent time at Epic and Elektra Records.
Macias says, “Mike is an incredible industry executive with great relationships and a tremendous amount of respect across all facets of the music industry. We are thrilled that he made the decision to relocate to Nashville and to join the team.”
DePippa added, “I couldn’t be more thrilled and grateful to join David, Nancy and the team at Thirty Tigers. The company’s commitment to artist development and their independent, entrepreneurial spirit make it a perfect fit for this next step in my career.” DePippa can be reached at md@thirtytigers.com.
This year, Thirty Tigers’ releases have included a new album from Bruce Hornsby along with new music from Joy Williams, Josh Ritter, Michael Franti & Spearhead, Jamestown Revival, Drew Holcomb & The Neighbors as well as the debut album from Ian Noe.
Still to come this year from Thirty Tigers are new albums from The Milk Carton Kids, Allison Moorer, Chris Knight and southern-rock stalwarts, Whiskey Myers.
Based in Nashville with offices in Atlanta, North Carolina, New York, LA and London, Thirty Tigers is distributed by The Orchard.
Hootie & The Blowfish Cap Out Nashville’s Bridgestone Arena
/by LB CantrellHootie & the Blowfish perform to a sold-out Bridgestone Arena on Sept. 7, 2019. Photo: Jason Kempin, Getty Images
Fans new and old filled Bridgestone Arena to the gills on Saturday night (Sept. 7) to experience Hootie & The Blowfish, twenty-eight years after performing their first Nashville show at the beloved club Exit/In. As part of the Group Therapy Tour celebrating the 25th anniversary of their 21-times Platinum breakthrough album, Cracked Rearview, the band sold out the Nashville Arena. Hootie & The Blowfish brought along the Barenaked Ladies with them.
From the minute vocalist Darius Rucker, guitarist Mark Bryan, bassist Dean Felber and drummer Jim “Soni” Sonefeld stepped on stage, the crowd sang along to every word, with drinks and fists in the air. The band kicked everything off with a recording of actor Samuel L. Jackson reading Bible passage Ezekiel 25:17, then the band went straight into back-to-back hits “Hannah Jane,” “State Your Peace” and their “I Go Blind” cover, thrilling the crowd each time. Showing no mercy, Hootie & The Blowfish then played the dreamy “Not Even The Trees” and “Hold My Hand.”
Pictured: Hootie & the Blowfish lead singer Darius Rucker performs to a sold-out Bridgestone Arena. Photo: Jason Kempin, Getty Images
“It’s really cool to be back and do this again, get the whole band back together,” Rucker said. “We play this song for one reason; for every band that has ever been a band, there’s that one band that they just look up to. When we started this in ’86, this is the band that made us want to play music.” The band then went into R.E.M.’s “Losing My Religion.”
During their 1998 hit “I Will Wait,” old photos, tour posters and footage from the early Hootie days played on the screen behind the band. If that wasn’t enough nostalgia, the band followed “I Will Wait” with their monster hit “Let Her Cry.” Cell phone lighters waved in the dark crowd, and fans put their arms around each other and screamed the lyrics to the top of their lungs. The LED wall behind the band displayed a Waffle House diner.
Hootie & The Blowish live at Nashville’s Bridgestone Arena. Photo: LB Rogers for MusicRow
Hootie & The Blowfish then went into the only Led Zeppelin cover that Rucker says he can sing, “Hey Hey What Can I Do.” That wasn’t the only cover of the night, as the band also covered Radney Foster’s “Fine Line” and Tom Waits’ “I Hope I Don’t Fall in Love With You.” They also played lead singer Darius Rucker’s solo country hits “Alright” and “Wagon Wheel.”
Towards the end of the night, Hootie relentlessly thrilled the crowd with fan-favorites “Running From an Angel” and “Time.” They also played a new track, “Rollin’,” from their upcoming studio album, Imperfect Circle, which is due out Nov. 1.
The Barenaked Ladies returned to the stage at the end of the night to help Hootie & The Blowfish cover “I Get By with a Little Help from my Friends.” Members of the two epic ’90s bands locked arms and swayed to the lyrics.
Barenaked Ladies’ proved to be a perfect opener for Hootie, as they played their tongue-tying hits and provided a lot of comedy. “We’re called the Barenaked Ladies.,” lead singer Ed Robertson. “Thank you for arriving early to see our rock and roll performance!” They made sure to play the hits including “If I Had $1000000,” “One Week,” and “Pinch Me,” as well as The Big Bang Theory‘s “The History of Everything.”
During an encore, much to the crowd’s amusement, the band finally played their monster hit “Only Wanna Be With You,” mashed up with Kool & the Gang’s “Get Down on It.” Fans left Bridgestone Arena and walked into the balmy, September air with arms around one another and ear-to-ear smiles.
Hootie & The Blowfish’s Group Therapy Tour continues with a three-night stand in the band’s hometown of Columbia, South Carolina, on Sept. 11, 12 and 13 before the band takes their show to the U.K. & Ireland next month.
Pictured: Hootie & the Blowfish guitarist Mark Bryan performs to a sold-out Bridgestone Arena. Photo: Jason Kempin, Getty Images
Nashville Artist Manager, Agent, Talent Promoter Alton “Al” Embry Dies
/by Jessica NicholsonAlton “Al” Embry, long-time manager, agent and talent promoter known for working with artists including Jerry Lee Lewis, George Jones, Tammy Wynette, The Statler Brothers, Alabama, and Merle Haggard, died Monday, Sept. 9, 2019, at his Old Hickory, Tennessee, home at 82 of natural causes.
Born in Butler County, Kentucky on Aug. 19, 1937, Embry began his career in the music business in the ’60s working as a liaison in securing entertainment industry photo coverage opportunities for the popular national publication, Look Magazine. Embry’s interaction with artists led him to meet music sensation of the day, Jerry Lee Lewis in the mid-60s. That meeting turned into what would become a decades-long working relationship. Traveling the world with Lewis, he would meet virtually all the top name performers of the era across the platforms of Rock & Roll, Rockabilly, R & B, and Country, many of whom would subsequently become his clients in the years to come.
Beginning his career as a talent booking agent in Nashville with the Hubert Long International Agency on Music Row, he ultimately rose to become Vice President, handling the careers of the agency’s roster of major country artists including George Jones, Tammy Wynette, The Statler Brothers, and Merle Haggard.
In 1975, Embry decided to chart his own independent course in Nashville with the launch of Al Embry International. He began booking a startup band Wild Country shortly after launching the agency and that group went on to become known as the multi-award-winning mega-group Alabama. Fats Domino, Jerry Lee Lewis, Mickey Gilley, and Chubby Checker were among his top artist clients.
Embry dove into the television side of the business and executive produced the Fats Domino and Friends HBO special, which was a first Cinemax session, with guests Ray Charles, Jerry Lee Lewis, Ron Wood of The Rolling Stones, and Paul Shaffer. This specific show won Embry his first Cable ACE award. Booking the “Fight Night for Children” concert series, Al Embry’s production abilities produced successful events for a long list of top mainstream and country names such as the Charlie Daniels Band, Joan Jett, Lenny Kravitz and Grand Funk Railroad.
Embry is survived by his wife of 34 years Tracy Embry, sister Brenda (Dale) Stanley, sister Veneda (Richard) Pickard, brother JR “Audley” (Natalie) Embry, sister Vickylynn Martinez, sister-in-law LaNora Gaylord, son Wayne (Kathryn) Embry, son Tony (Deborah) Embry, daughter Tammy (Ronnie) Fie, grandson JR Embry, grandson Michael Embry, grandson Scott Embry (Vantha), granddaughter Akeysha Embry, great grandson DJ Devilla, great granddaughter Caitlin Embry, great grandson Andy Embry, and great granddaughter Ellie Embry.
Paradigm Signs LeAnn Rimes
/by Jessica NicholsonLeAnn Rimes. Photo: Sara Hertel
Paradigm Talent Agency has signed LeAnn Rimes to its roster, and will represent Rimes globally across the board in all fields.
“I am honored and excited to collaborate with such a forward-thinking, unique company in this next chapter of my career,” shares Rimes. “Marty, Jonathan, the worldwide team of Paradigm and I are going to create magic.”
“LeAnn is one of the most prolific voices of our time,” says Paradigm Worldwide Head of Music, Marty Diamond. “As a pioneer of making music that transcends across all platforms for the better part of two decades, she continues to be a genre-bending, trailblazing talent with a voice ahead of her time.”
Paradigm Nashville Co-Head, Jonathan Levine, added, “We’re honored to have LeAnn join our family of mavericks and are excited to support her as she continues to push the music industry forward.”
Rimes is also represented by manager Darrell Brown (Prodigy Management) and publicists Yvette Noel-Schure, Christina Garvin and Edwin Banacia (Schure Media Group).
Randy Travis To Be Honored With ASCAP Founders Award
/by Jessica NicholsonRandy Travis will be honored with the ASCAP Founders Award during the upcoming 57th annual ASCAP Country Music Awards. The exclusive, invitation-only gala, which celebrates the songwriters and publishers of ASCAP’s most-performed country songs of 2018, takes place on Monday, Nov. 11 and will include special guest performances to honor Travis.
“Randy Travis is the seminal country artist of a generation,” said ASCAP Chairman of the Board and President Paul Williams. “His meteoric rise to the top of the country charts was fueled by that unmistakable baritone and a talent for traditional country music that spoke to everyone. As a new artist, Randy garnered international attention at a time when such exposure for country artists was reserved for an iconic few. His music and devotion to classic country sounds are a cornerstone in the genre and it is an honor to present him with this year’s Founders Award.”
The Founders Award is one of ASCAP’s highest honors and is presented to songwriters and composers who have made pioneering contributions to music by inspiring and influencing their fellow music creators. Each recipient is a musical innovator who possesses a unique style of creative genius, which will enrich generations to come. Previous recipients include Rodney Crowell, George Strait, Alan Jackson, Ricky Skaggs, Jackson Browne, Garth Brooks, Emmylou Harris, Tom Petty and Neil Young, among others.
Travis has been an ASCAP member for nearly four decades. He’s sold more than 25 million albums, earned seven Grammys, 11 ACMs, 10 American Music Awards, eight Dove Awards, five CMA Awards and two People’s Choice Awards. He’s also collected 22 No. 1 singles such as “On the Other Hand,” “Forever and Ever, Amen,” “Diggin’ Up Bones” and “I Told You So,” “Look Heart, No Hands,” “Whisper My Name,” and “Three Wooden Crosses,” which hit No. 1 on both the Christian and country charts. Travis also earned roles in movies and television shows including Touched By An Angel.
The Music of Randy Travis Tour begins on October 16 in Indianapolis, with guest vocalist James Dupré and Travis’s longtime touring band Steve Hinson, Dave Johnson, Lance Dary, Bill Cook, Joe Van Dyke and Herb Shucher, rejoining “Hoss,” as they affectionately call Travis, on the road for the first time since his stroke in 2013.
‘The CMA Awards’ To Be Broadcast In Germany
/by Lorie HollabaughThe CMA Awards are coming back to Germany. The show will be broadcast by VOX, Mediengruppe RTL’s free-to-air-TV channel, and in addition, Mediengruppe RTL has licensed CMA’s other two TV properties, CMA Fest and CMA Country Christmas for RTLplus. The three shows will also be available at Mediengruppe RTL’s video streaming service TVNOW.
“We are thrilled to be bringing the CMA Awards and our other TV properties to Germany,” said Country Music Association CEO Sarah Trahern. “With the ever-increasing demand for country music in Europe, we’re excited for international viewers to have the opportunity to experience these shows that are so important to the country music community.”
This new deal was brokered through the Bertelsmann Content Alliance by Hartwig Masuch, BMG Chief Executive Officer, which made its largest label acquisition to date in 2017 when the company acquired Nashville’s Broken Bow Music Group with the vision to develop country’s popularity internationally.
“The CMA Awards is one of the most glamorous and high-profile events in TV worldwide,” says Bernd Reichart, Mediengruppe RTL Deutschland Chief Executive Officer. “We are very pleased to be bringing it to a German TV audience through Vox.”
The CMA Awards has not been broadcast in Germany, Europe’s biggest music market and the fourth biggest in the world, since 2012. The news that the CMA Awards is to return to Germany comes as the CMA prepares a special country focus at this year’s Reeperbahn Festival (Sept. 18-21) with a panel and networking reception and an artist showcase. The showcase, titled “Neon Nashville” will take place on Wednesday, Sept. 18 and will display the diversity of some of country’s rising artists including BMG’s Blanco Brown, whose viral hit ‘The Git Up’ has claimed the top spot in charts across the globe and spawned more than one billion views across social platforms. The Reeperbahn Festival initiative has been driven by CMA’s German Task Force, which has been set up in response to increase interest in the genre in Germany.
RTL Radio is also set to launch a new 24/7 online radio station in October, which will feature the biggest contemporary country hits together with the best country songs of the past decade. The station, available online and via the RTL Radio app, is presented by Germany’s well-known breakfast show DJ Arno Müller, a passionate fan of modern country music.
BMI Sets Revenue Records with $1.283 Billion
/by Jessica NicholsonBMI has announced record-breaking revenues of $1.283 billion for its fiscal year, ending June 30, marking a 7% increase over the previous year. BMI distributed and administered $1.196 billion to its songwriters, composers and publishers, the company’s highest distributions ever. That number includes domestic and international royalties, as well as royalties from direct deals BMI administers on behalf of its publishers.
Distributions from direct deals grew $9 million during fiscal year 2019, for a total of $62 million, bringing in 5% of BMI’s total distributions.
BMI President & CEO Mike O’Neill, said, “BMI values the trust our affiliates place in us, and we are gratified to once again generate record revenues on their behalf. Our achievements are a direct result of the unrivaled creativity of the songwriters and composers we represent and the worldwide popularity of their music. We always strive to do better, and we will continue to work hard to champion the rights of our creators and protect the value of their copyrights.”
BMI’s total domestic revenue, encompassing digital, media and general licensing, topped out at $943 million, a $63 million, or 7%, increase. That growth was driven by a $47 million increase in digital revenue, up 22% year-to-year for a total of $262 million. New deals with the growing video-on-demand streaming market, including Twitch and Amazon Channels, as well as new licensees in the eFitness market, such as Peloton and Flywheel, helped drive that success.
General licensing, which is generated from businesses like bars and restaurants, hotels and fitness centers, along with other income, also posted record results of $169 million, an 8% gain year-to-year, representing 18% of BMI’s domestic revenue pie. The company added approximately 16,500 new businesses to its growing portfolio in this sector.
Revenue from cable and satellite sources once again generated the largest portion of BMI’s domestic revenue at 30%, while traditional radio and television accounted for 24% of the overall domestic total. Notably, BMI’s digital revenue has now grown to encompass 28% of the company’s total domestic revenue portfolio and is now the second biggest contributor to that total.
BMI’s international revenue also reached an all-time high of $340 million, an increase of $21 million, or 7% over the previous year. The strength of BMI’s repertoire of film, television and songs helped the company achieve these record results in spite of a negative foreign exchange hit of $23 million caused by the strengthening dollar overseas.
In addition, BMI saw its affiliate membership surpass one million for the first time ever, with over 90,000 new songwriters, composers and publishers joining the organization this year. Notable new signings included Lil Nas X, Kendrick Lamar, Brandi Carlile, Willie Colón, and Sarah Schachner, among others, while agreements were extended with Imagine Dragons, Eminem, Shakira, John Legend, Harry Gregson-Williams, Eric Church, P!nk, Rihanna, Ben Decter, J Balvin, Hozier, Halsey, Horacio Palencia, and many more.
Little Big Town Sets New Album ‘Nightfall,’ Headlining Tour For January
/by Jessica NicholsonLittle Big Town will release its ninth studio album, Nightfall, on Jan. 17, 2020, following a once-in-a-lifetime performance at Carnegie Hall in New York City on Jan. 16. The performance marks the first mainstream country performance at Carnegie Hall since Alan Jackson in 2013.
The show launches their accompanying 30+ date headlining The Nightfall Tour, which follows the Carnegie Hall show with two stops at The Apollo on Jan. 17-18. Caitlyn Smith will open each show, with the exception of Carnegie Hall.
Pre-sales for the tour launch at Noon EST today (Sept. 9) and run through Thursday evening. American Express® Card Members can purchase tickets in select markets before the general public beginning Wednesday, September 11 at 10am local time through Thursday, September 12 at 10pm local time. Tickets go on sale everywhere Friday, September 13th at 10am local time. Carnegie Hall will follow an hour later at 11am EST.
The quartet released its new song, “Over Drinking,” to all DSPs last night. The song, penned by Jesse Frasure, Cary Barlowe, Hillary Lindsey, Ashley Gorley, and Steph Jones is the first official single off of Nightfall. The group will be performing the song for the first time, this Thursday in the 8am hour on NBC’s TODAY.
Jason Aldean To Release New Album ‘9’ In November
/by Jessica NicholsonJason Aldean will release his upcoming ninth album, aptly titled 9, on Nov. 22, via Broken Bow Records.
“Early on I always thought if we ever got to make nine albums, I’m going to call it ‘9.’ It was my baseball number growing up, and it’s just kind of always been my lucky number,” says Aldean, the reigning ACM Artist of the Decade. “I remember cutting the first album and thinking ‘that’s forever away,’ and now here we are. I don’t know, it’s really special we made it this far – so, it’s more for me than anybody else – but, it means a lot.”
Along the way, this three-time ACM Entertainer of the Year has earned 23 No. 1 singles. He’s earned more than15 billion streams and sold more than 18 million albums. His 2019 Ride All Night Tour will conclude on Oct. 11, before he returns to Las Vegas Dec. 6-8 for Jason Aldean: Ride All Night Vegas at Park Theater at Park MGM.
Aldean has previewed the album today (Sept. 9) via four tracks, including “Blame It On You,” “I Don’t Drink Anymore,” “Keep It Small Town,” and the album’s lead single “We Back,” which was released to both digital platforms and radio today.
“When I came into country music and made my mark, it was with a banger,” Aldean adds. “But we haven’t put out a lot of that stuff over the last couple years. So we got this song and to me it just says what it says: ‘Thought we were gone, but you’re wrong – now it’s on.’”
Industry Pics: ASCAP, BMI, Vince Gill, Grand Ole Opry
/by Jessica NicholsonASCAP Debuts “East Of Center” Showcase Series
Pictured (L-R): Kimberly Kelly, ASCAP’s Beth Brinker, Mercy Bell
East of Center, a new eclectic eastside songwriter showcase series presented by ASCAP, launched Wednesday, Sept. 4th at Dee’s Country Cocktail Lounge and featured emerging songwriter-artists Mercy Bell and Kimberly Kelly.
“Paying homage to the old East Nashville that served as home to Townes Van Zandt, Guy and Susannah Clark and so many other legendary ASCAP songwriters, this showcase series is designed to feature the unique storytelling of Americana, indie, folk and traditional country and western singer-songwriters and troubadours. We are excited to create an outlet that celebrates that history while also spotlighting up-and-coming artists,” said ASCAP Associate Director of Membership Beth Brinker.
BMI Partners With SynchBig!
Pictured: Michael August (Demolition), Spencer Nohe (BMI), Alissa Moreno (BAAM Collective), Keelan Donovan, Jamie Dryburgh (Demolition), Gatlin, Jason Walker, Anna Mae, Ashleigh Ellis (BAAM Collective). Not pictured: Maylyn, Tim Halperin, Eric Daigle (Purplebeat)
On Wednesday, Aug. 28 at The Back Corner, BMI partnered for the first time on SynchBig!, a showcase series which was designed to highlight some of Nashville’s top synching artists. The highly anticipated event brought together songwriters, producers, artists, publishers, labels, licensing companies and others, with performers including Keelan Donovan (Big Yellow Dog), MAYLYN (Purplebeat), Jason Walker (Curb|Word), Anna Mae (Prescription Songs), and BMI artists Gatlin and Tim Halperin.
Kicking off the evening, BMI’s Spencer Nohe told the crowd, “Music for sync is such an important part of the livelihoods of many of our songwriters and publishers in Nashville. Our hope for this showcase series is to help support and elevate the community.”
Other partners of the event include Demolition Music, BAAM Collective, and Purplebeat.
Vince Gill Offers Fans Listening Party For New Album OKIE
Vince Gill. Photo: Chris Hollo/Grand Ole Opry
Grand Ole Opry and Country Music Hall of Fame member Vince Gill performed on the Opry on both Friday and Saturday nights this weekend. After his Friday performance, Gill invited fans to an exclusive album listening event held in the Opry House’s Studio A where he played recorded tracks and shared stories behind the songs of his new album OKIE.