“Team UMG At The Ryman” Lineup Revealed For CRS 2018

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Universal Music Group Nashville will bring some of country music’s top superstars to this year’s Country Radio Seminar, with the newly-revealed lineup for “Team UMG at the Ryman,” set for Feb. 6, 2018 at the Ryman Auditorium.

Luke Bryan, Dierks Bentley, Chris Stapleton, Keith Urban, Vince Gill, Darius Rucker and Little Big Town will be joined by Kassi Ashton, Jordan Davis, Travis Denning, Brandon Lay, Maddie & Tae, Kip Moore and Jon Pardi for this year’s event.

Doors will open at 11:30 a.m. and the show will start at Noon. As in previous years, seminar registrants will receive a boxed lunch prior to the event. CRS attendees will have the option to either walk or use shuttles, provided by UMG Nashville, going from the Omni Hotel to the Ryman Auditorium between 11 a.m. to 2:30 p.m.

Registration for Country Radio Seminar 2018 is available at countryradioseminar.com for $699 per person. Single-day passes (limited to two day passes per person) are $200 per pass.

 

Country Music Hall Of Fame And Museum Adds To Marketing, Events Teams

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Pictured (L-R): Tori Tarvin, Heather McCroskey

The Country Music Hall of Fame and Museum has added staffers to its Marketing and Events teams.

Heather McCroskey joins the Country Music Hall of Fame and Museum as Director of Event Sales and Catering, reporting to Sr. Director of Events and Culinary, Nando Rodriguez. McCroskey began her meetings and conventions career over 20 years ago in New Orleans, Louisiana. After Hurricane Katrina, she and her family relocated to Nashville, where she began working in events at Gaylord Opryland Resort & Convention Center as a Convention Services Manager. In 2013, McCroskey made a career shift from event sales to planning, joining association management company, Parthenon Management Group as Meetings Manager and in 2016 was promoted to Director of Meetings.

A Cincinnati, Ohio native, Tori Tarvin has been named Associate Director of Marketing. Tarvin has spent the last seven years of her career in media and marketing and enjoys keeping up with the ever-evolving digital landscape. Tarvin previously worked for digital wellness company Share Media Group as a brand manager responsible for content strategy, digital marketing and PR. The company was acquired by Brentwood-based Pop Culture Media in 2017 which brought Tarvin to Music City where she served on the executive team for Pop Culture’s 12th largest entertainment news website, PopCulture.com. Tarvin reports to Director of Marketing, Kayla Ott.

Indie Labels Made Up Over 40 Percent Of Grammy Wins In 2018

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At this year’s Grammy Awards, the independent community took home more than 40 percent of The Recording Academy honors, earning 36 of the awards’ 84 categories. Among those wins were Best American Roots Performance (Alabama Shakes/ATO Records), Best Alternative Music Album (The National/4AD), Best Bluegrass Album (The Infamous Stringdusters/Compass Records).

Thirty Tigers took home four honors, including two for Jason Isbell (The Nashville Sound/Best Americana Album and “If We Were Vampires”/Best American Roots Song). Thirty Tigers also claims another two wins with CeCe Winans for Best Gospel Performance/Song and Best Gospel Album.

“Independent artists swept more than forty percent of last night’s wins at the 60th Annual Grammy Awards in New York City,” said A2IM CEO Richard James Burgess. “A2IM is gratified that our peers, The Recording Academy voting members, so powerfully endorsed the diverse musical values and relevance of our independent community.”

List of all Independent Label Winners:

Best Alternative Music Album
The National, Sleep Well Beast (4AD)

Best Americana Album
Jason Isbell And The 400 Unit, The Nashville Sound (Thirty Tigers)

Best American Roots Performance
Alabama Shakes, “Killer Diller Blues” (ATO Records)

Best American Roots Song
“If We Were Vampires” – Jason Isbell, songwriter (Jason Isbell and the 400 Unit) (Thirty Tigers)

Best Arrangement, Instrumental or A Capella
John Williams, arranger (John Williams), Escapades For Alto Saxophone And Orchestra From Catch Me If You Can (Ropeadope LLC Waterbaby Music Inc/Ropeadope LLC)

Best Bluegrass Album
The Infamous Stringdusters, Laws of Gravity (Compass Records)
Rhonda Vincent And The Rage, All The Rage – In Concert Volume One [Live] (Upper Management)

Best Boxed or Special Limited Edition Package
Lawrence Azerrad, Timothy Daly & David Pescovitz, art directors (Various Artists), The Voyager Golden Record: 40th Anniversary Edition (Ozma Records)

Best Chamber Music/Small Ensemble Performance
Patricia Kopatchinskaja & The Saint Paul Chamber Orchestra, Death & The Maiden (Naxos)

Best Children’s Album
Lisa Loeb, Feel What U Feel (Furious Rose Productions)

Best Classical Solo Vocal Album
Barbara Hannigan (Ludwig Orchestra), Crazy Girl Crazy (Alpha)

Best Classical Compendium
Giancarlo Guerrero, conductor. Tim Handley, producer (James Button, Roberto Díaz & Nashville Symphony), Higdon: All Things Majestic, Viola Concerto & Oboe Concerto (Naxos)

Best Contemporary Blues Album
Taj Mahal & Keb’ Mo’, TajMo (Self Release (Concord))

Best Contemporary Classical Composition
Jennifer Higdon, composer (Roberto Díaz, Giancarlo Guerrero & Nashville Symphony), Viola Concerto (Naxos)

Best Contemporary Instrumental Album
Jeff Lorber Fusion, Prototype (eOne)

Best Engineered Album, Classical
Mark Donahue, engineer (Manfred Honeck & Pittsburgh Symphony Orchestra), Shostakovich: Symphony No. 5; Barber: Adagio (Reference Recordings)

Best Folk Album
Aimee Mann, Mental Illness (Aimee Mann/SuperEgo Records)

Best Gospel Performance/Song
CeCe Winans, Never Have to Be Alone (PureSprings Gospel)

Best Improvised Jazz Solo
John McLaughlin, Miles Beyond (Abstract Logix)

Best Instrumental Composition
Arturo O’Farrill, composer (Arturo O’Farrill & Chucho Valdés), Three Revolutions (Self Release/Motema)

Best Jazz Vocal Album
Cécile McLorin Salvant, Dreams and Daggers (Mack Avenue Records)

Best Jazz Instrumental Album
Billy Childs, Rebirth (Mack Avenue Records)

Best Large Jazz Ensemble Album
Christian McBride Big Band, Bringin’ It (Mack Avenue Records)

Best Latin Jazz Album
Pablo Ziegler Trio, Jazz Tango (Zoho Music)

Best Music Film
Various Artists, The Defiant Ones (HBO)

Best New Age Album
Peter Kater, ‘Dancing on Water’ (Point of Light)

Best Orchestral Performance
Manfred Honeck, conductor (Pittsburgh Symphony Orchestra), “Shostakovich: Symphony No. 5; Barber: Adagio” (Reference Recordings)

Best Regional Mexican Music Album (Including Tejano)
Aida Cuevas, Arriero Somos Versiones Acústicas (Self-Release/Cuevas)

Best Recording Package
Sasha Barr, Ed Steed & Josh Tillman, art directors (Father John Misty), Pure Comedy (Deluxe Edition) (Sub Pop)

Best Regional Roots Music Album
Lost Bayou Ramblers, Kalenda (Lost Bayou Ramblers)

Best Roots Gospel Album
Reba McEntire, Sing It Now: Songs Of Faith & Hope (Rockin’ R Records/Big Machine)

Best Song Written For Visual Media
Lin-Manuel Miranda, songwriter (Auli’i Cravalho), ‘How Far I’ll Go’ (Disney)

Best Surround Sound Album
Jim Anderson, surround mix engineer; Darcy Proper, surround mastering engineer; Jim Anderson & Jane Ira Bloom, surround producers (Jane Ira Bloom), Early Americans (Outline Records)

Best Traditional R&B Performance
Childish Gambino, “Redbone” (Glassnote Records)

Best Tropical Latin Album
Rubén Blades Con Roberto Delgado & Orquesta, Salsa Big Band (Self-Release)

Best World Music Album
Ladysmith Black Mambazo, Shaka Zulu Revisited: 30th Anniversary Celebration (Ladysmith Black Mambazo)

Weekly Register: LANCO, Devin Dawson Make Top Country Debuts

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It’s a good week for newcomers on the Nielsen Soundscan Country Albums rankings. Arista Nashville band LANCO‘s debut project Hallelujah Nights debuted at No. 1 this week, with 19K (total consumption). Also entering at No. 5 this week is Warner Music Nashville’s Devin Dawson, whose Dark Horse moved 11K.

Kane Brown‘s self-titled debut, which released in late 2016, is at No. 2 this week, with 16K, followed by Thomas Rhett‘s Life Changes at No. 3 with 14K. Chris Stapleton‘s Traveller album is at No. 4 with 11.5K.

After garnering big wins at Sunday evening’s Grammy Awards, next week’s chart should reflect sales bumps for several artists, such as three-time winner last night Chris Stapleton and double-winner Jason Isbell.

On the Digital Songs chart, Keith Urban makes the top debut this week, with “Parallel Line” at No. 3 country, with 19K.

Florida Georgia Line‘s collaboration with Bebe Rexha, “Meant To Be,” is at No. 1 this week, with 39K (497K to date). Thomas Rhett‘s “Marry Me’ is at No. 2, with 20K. Dierks Bentley‘s new release, “Woman, Amen,” is at No. 4 with 17K, followed by Kane Brown‘s “Heaven” at No. 5, with 15K.

“It Goes On,” a track from Zac Brown‘s new Sir Rosevelt collaboration with Niko Moon and Ben Simionetti, debuts at No. 6 country with 13K.

 

Margo Price Adds April Dates On Nowhere Fast Tour

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Margo Price has extended her Nowhere Fast Tour this Spring, in support of her new album All American Made (Third Man Records). The Blackfoot Gypsies and Aaron Lee Tasjan will be guests on the new tour.

The tour extends a 12-month run for Price, who recently confirmed three headline shows at Nashville’s Ryman Auditorium (two of which have already sold out), and a spot at NYC’s Governors Ball Festival in June.

Two special VIP Experiences will also be offered on the upcoming tour. Meet Margo Price and Sound Check Experiences tickets may include a meet and greet, an invitation to the pre-show reception featuring a private sound check performance by Margo, and a gallery wall showcasing original lyrics and never-before-seen photos and more.

Margo Price tour dates (new dates in BOLD):
Jan. 30 – Emo’s – Austin, TX *
Jan. 31 – The Heights Theater – Houston, TX *
Feb. 1 – Manship Theatre – Baton Rouge, LA *
Feb. 4-11 – Cayamo Cruise – New Orleans, LA
Feb. 2 – The Orpheum Theater – New Orleans (w/ John Prine)
Feb. 18 – The Crescent Ballroom – Phoenix, AZ ^
Feb. 20 – Fox Theatre – Boulder, CO ^
Feb. 21 – Bluebird Theater – Denver, CO $ SOLD OUT
Feb. 23 – The State Room – Salt Lake City, UT $ SOLD OUT
Feb. 24 – The Olympic – Boise, ID $
Feb. 25 – Neptune – Seattle, WA $
Feb. 26 – Revolution Hall – Portland, OR $ SOLD OUT
Feb. 28 – The Independent – San Francisco, CA $ SOLD OUT
March 1 – The Fonda Theatre – Los Angeles, CA $
March 2 – Belly Up – Solana Beach, CA $ SOLD OUT
March 3 – Pappy & Harriet’s – Pioneertown, CA $ SOLD OUT
March 9 – C2C Country 2 Country – Glasgow, UK
March 10 – C2C Country 2 Country – Dublin, Ireland
March 11 – C2C Country 2 Country – London, UK
April 11 – The Vogue – Indianapolis, IN #
April 12 – Thalia Hall – Chicago, IL #
April 13 – Thalia Hall – Chicago, IL #
April 14 – First Avenue – Minneapolis, MN #
April 15 – Turner Hall Ballroom – Milwaukee, WI #
April 17 – El Club – Detroit, MI #
April 18 – Horseshoe Tavern – Toronto, ON #
April 20 – Del Lago Resort & Casino – Waterloo, NY
April 21 – Wolf Den at Mohegan Sun – Uncasville, CT
April 22 – Higher Ground Ballroom – South Burlington, VT !
April 24 – Port City Music Hall – Portland, ME !
April 25 – Paradise Rock Club – Boston, MA !
April 27 – Club AE – Pittsburgh, PA
April 28 – Jefferson Theater – Charlottesville, VA
May 19 – Ryman Auditorium – Nashville, TN SOLD OUT
May 20 – Ryman Auditorium – Nashville, TN SOLD OUT
May 21 – Ryman Auditorium – Nashville, TN
June 3 – Governors Ball Music Festival – New York, NY
June 14 – Blue Ox Music Festival – Eau Claire, WI
July 13 – Forecastle Festival – Louisville, KY
July 14 – Sloss Music & Arts Festival – Birmingham, AL

* Paul Cauthen
^ Particle Kid
$ Blank Range
# Blackfoot Gypsies
! Aaron Lee Tasjan

Lauren Alaina, Natalie Grant, Jeff Foxworthy To Appear At 10th Annual Nashville Honors Gala

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Natalie Grant, Lauren Alaina and Jeff Foxworthy will join the 10th Annual T.J. Martell Foundation Nashville Honors Gala on March 26 at the Omni Hotel. Nashville star Charles Esten will once again host the event honoring outstanding community leaders that benefits cancer research. Honorees for this year’s gala are Janet Ayers – Lifetime Humanitarian Award, David Poile – Spirit of Nashville Award, Frank Bumstead – Frances Preston Outstanding Music Industry Achievement Award, Mike Smardak – Tony Martell Outstanding Entertainment Achievement Award, and Dr. James Netterville – Medical Research Advancement Award.

The 10th Annual T.J. Martell Nashville Honors Gala is chaired by Danielle Bouharoun and David Kells, along with Honorary Co-Chairs Sondra and Doug Cruickshanks. The Nashville Honors Gala has raised more than $3 million since its inception in 2009.

“The 2018 T.J. Martell Nashville Honors Gala solidifies the common bridge between Nashville’s business, medical, sports and entertainment communities,” Danielle Bouharoun said. “Our honorees are so deserving and continue to grow and change the landscape of Middle Tennessee. This is the Foundation’s signature event for the Southern Region and it will be a memorable night.”

Table sponsorships and tickets are available by contacting (615) 256-2002 or emailing tmoffat@tjmartell.org.

2018 Grammys Show Takes Ratings Tumble

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Bruno Mars

The Recording Academy held its annual Grammy Awards Sunday night (Jan. 28) at New York City’s Madison Square Garden, marking the Grammy Awards’ first time back in the Big Apple since 2003. The show saw big wins for Bruno Mars, Kendrick Lamar, and, in the country field, Chris Stapleton, who took home three honors, including Country Album, Country Song and Best Country Solo Performance.

However, early ratings metrics show the awards show took a tumble from 2017’s ratings, with this year’s show dipping 21 percent from 2017.

In 2017, an Adele-dominated show earned 26.08 million viewers and a 7.8 rating among adults 18-49. This year, viewership was at 17.64 million, with ratings of 5.4/19 among adults 18-49.

See MusicRow‘s full Grammy coverage at MusicRow.com.

Chris Tomlin Announces Second Good Friday Nashville Concert

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Chris Tomlin will hold his second annual Good Friday Nashville concert on Friday, March 30, 2018 at Bridgestone Arena. Good Friday Nashville special guests include Kim Walker Smith of Jesus Culture, Matt Maher, Christine D’Clario, Tauren Wells and Pat Barrett who will all perform on stage with Tomlin throughout the night. Author and pastor Levi Lusko will speak. Tickets for this year’s event go on sale Thurs., Feb. 1 at 10 a.m. CT.

This year, Tomlin will again partner with and donate net proceeds from the concert event to Tennessee Kids Belong (TKB), the state chapter of national non-profit, America’s Kids Belong, and highlight Governor Haslam’s TN Fosters Initiative.

“What an amazing opportunity to bring our Nashville community together on this important day to remember the beautiful gift of hope we have all been given because of the selfless sacrifice of Jesus,” said Tomlin. “I was completely blown away at our inaugural Good Friday Nashville show last year to see the power of unity and know what that can do. It left me with an even greater desire to continue it and spread that same feeling of hope and love to the community of those in need like the children in our foster care system here in Tennessee and supporting those foster care families.”

The inaugural Good Friday Nashville in 2017 became the largest ticketed Christian concert in the venue’s history. Due to the overwhelming response and impact in the community, Tomlin has committed to performing the yearly concert event indefinitely and is currently holding the venue through 2024.

Tomlin recently debuted “Resurrection Power,” the first single from his new album, due out later this year. The song is available now at all digital retailers.

Chris Stapleton, Reba McEntire, Jason Isbell, Little Big Town Named Early Grammy Winners

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Chris Stapleton, Little Big Town, Reba McEntire, Jason Isbell, Zach Williams and CeCe Winans were among the early winners for the 60th annual Grammy Awards, held at the Theater at Madison Square Garden. The annual Grammys Premiere Ceremony, hosted by Paul Schaffer, was streamed online at grammy.com.

Chris Stapleton earned two early trophies, winning both Best Country Song (for “Broken Halos”) and Best Country Solo Performance (for “Either Way”).

“This is an amazing honor to be here. This song is just me and an acoustic guitar, so for that to win is a beautiful thing to me,” Stapleton said from the stage. He went on to thank his family and anyone who voted and bought the album.

Reba McEntire earned the Best Roots Gospel Album for Sing It Now: Songs of Faith & Hope. “This honor isn’t mine,” she said. “I give this back to God.”

Little Big Town earned Best Country Duo/Group Performance for “Better Man.”

Jason Isbell and the 400 Unit earned both Best Americana Album (The Nashville Sound) and Best American Roots Performance (“If We Were Vampires”).

CeCe Winans was also a two-time winner, earning Best Gospel Performance/Song, and Best Gospel Album (for Let Them Fall In Love). Newcomer Zach Williams earned Best Contemporary Christian Music album, for Chain Breaker.

The televised portion of the 60th annual Grammy Awards will begin Sunday (Jan. 28) at 7:30 p.m. ET on CBS.

Early Winners Include:

Best Country Song (award goes to the songwriter): “Broken Halos,” Chris Stapleton

Best Country Duo/Group Performance: “Better Man,” Little Big Town

Best Country Solo Performance: “Either Way,” Chris Stapleton

Best Gospel Performance/Song: CeCe Winans, “Never Have To Be Alone”

Best Contemporary Christian Music Performance/Song: “What A Beautiful Name,” Hillsong Worship

Best Gospel Album: Let Them Fall In Love, CeCe Winans

Best Roots Gospel Album: Sing It Now: Songs of Faith & Hope, Reba McEntire

Best American Roots Performance: “If We Were Vampires,” Jason Isbell and the 400 Unit

Best Americana Album: The Nashville Sound, Jason Isbell And The 400 Unit

Best Bluegrass Album: Law of Gravity, The Infamous Stringdusters and All The Rage, In Concert Volume One, Rhonda Vincent And The Rage (tie)

Copyright Royalty Board Increases Mechanical Rates For Songwriters

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On Saturday (Jan. 27), the Copyright Royalty Board released its ruling on mechanical rates for songwriters for 2018-2022. The court decided in favor of an increase in the overall percentage of revenue paid to songwriters, from 10.5 percent to 15.1 percent over the next five years, marking the largest increase in the Copyright Royalty Board’s history.

The decision stems from a trial that took place from March through June 2017 with the National Music Publishers Association and the Nashville Songwriters Association International, representing interests of music publishers and songwriters against Amazon, Apple, Google, Pandora and Spotify.

Additionally, the CRB removed the Total Content Cost (TCC) cap, giving publishers the benefit of a true percentage of what labels are able to negotiate in the free market resulting in significantly higher royalties for songwriters. The CRB also increased the TCC rate resulting in the most balance between record label and publishing rates in the history of mechanical licensing. In addition, the CRB granted a late fee which will dramatically alter the licensing practices of digital music companies.

NMPA President & CEO David Israelite stated, “We are thrilled the CRB raised rates for songwriters by 43.8% – the biggest rate increase granted in CRB history. Crucially, the decision also allows songwriters to benefit from deals done by record labels in the free market. The ratio of what labels are paid by the services versus what publishers are paid has significantly improved, resulting in the most favorable balance in the history of the industry. While an effective ratio of 3.82 to 1 is still not a fair split that we might achieve in a free market, it is the best songwriters have ever had under the compulsory license. The court also decided in our favor regarding a late fee which will force digital music services to pay songwriters faster or be subject to a significant penalty. The bottom line is this is the best mechanical rate scenario for songwriters in U.S. history which is critically important as interactive streaming continues to dominate the market.

“The decision represents two years of advocacy regarding how unfairly songwriters are treated under current law and how crucial their contributions are to streaming services. We thank the songwriters who shared their stories with the court and helped illustrate how badly these rate increases are needed. While the court did not grant songwriters a per-stream rate, the increases in overall rates and favorable terms are a huge win for music creators.”

Nashville Songwriters Association International (NSAI) Executive Director Bart Herbison said, “Songwriters desperately need and deserve the rate increases resulting from the Copyright Royalty Board (CRB) trial. The CRB was a long and difficult process but songwriters and music publishers together presented a powerful case for higher streaming royalty rates. The Nashville Songwriters Association International (NSAI) thanks our songwriter witnesses Steve Bogard, Lee Thomas Miller and Liz Rose whose testimony was compelling.”

Sony/ATV Music Publishing CEO Martin Bandier said, “As the leading music publisher, we believe that overall this is a very positive ruling by the CRB as it will deliver an unprecedented topline rate increase for songwriters and publishers over the next five years. While we are disappointed not to get the per-stream rate that we wanted, the planned rate increases go a long way to fairly compensate our songwriters for the essential contribution they make to streaming’s success story.”