Pictured (L-R): Charlie Goldstone, Jason Comfort, Pam Matthews, Justin Atkins, Fielding Logan. Photo: IEBA
On the final day of IEBA 2017 (Oct. 17), Executive Director Pam Matthews moderated an intelligent panel on the hot-button subject of concert ticketing, featuring Fielding Logan (Q Prime South – Nashville, TN), Justin Atkins (Ticketmaster On Tour – Nashville, TN), Jason Comfort (Red Light Management, Ticketing – Charlottesville, VA) and Charlie Goldstone (Frank Productions Concerts – Madison, WI).
Buckle up.
“The way we sell tickets is broken,” declared Mathews of an artist’s ticketing dillema. “[As a fan] I am doing other stuff at 10 a.m. on a Saturday [when tickets go up for sale]. I know I’m screwed so I’m going to [secondary ticket site] StubHub.”
Fans, though are still willing to pay a premium for re-sold concert tickets (on sites like Stubhub) for the simplicity of their buying experiences. Many fans do not realize by shopping at secondary sites:
A) They are paying a premium for seats purchased by bots and scalpers
B) The artist themselves does not see any of the money paid above face-value, and in many cases may be losing money from an unsold primary [g.e. Ticketmaster] ticket purchase
C) The ticket may be fraudulent
Fielding Logan. Photo: IEBA
“A lot of fans don’t bother shopping at primary sellers because it’s easier and engrained from marketing or habit,” said Comfort about the attractiveness of the secondary market. “Millennials and younger just see if they can afford the prices on StubHub [and either go or don’t go]. I think that’s a really easy experience for them. But I think the artist should be participating in that revenue.”
Artists are sensitive to ticket prices they present to fans. Historically artists price below market value. This denial, cloaked in protectionism, has fueled the billion-dollar secondary ticketing market, where the same fans the artists are trying to protect still end up paying premiums for seats. So for the sake of public perception, the artist misses out on revenue underpriced tickets.
Artist managers Comfort and Logan agree: artists are often have to be dragged, kicking and screaming to raise their ticket prices.
“If the artist is the one that is impeding the process thinking their image takes a hit then lets shift blame and focus to something else, like [say the distributer] Ticketmaster, and say: ‘This is how the distribution system works,'” said Matthews, who also notes part of the problem is the ticketing business model, which rewards speed.
“My dad sells groceries, he doesn’t sell all his corn at 10 a.m. on Saturday,” she analogized.
Jason Comfort. Photo: IEBA
“If we’re pricing effective, we slow down the pace of ticket sales tremendously, which would scare a promoter, who has skin in the game,” said Comfort.
Matthews countered the argument: “I wouldn’t be scared. If I felt good about buying the act and felt good at an agreed price, then let’s sell it the right way.”
“Then how do you feel if that last ticket is sold as the artist is walking on stage?” asked Atkins. “It’s two different mentalities and what is comfortable for you. Pricing is not just a monetary decision, it’s a creative, brand decision—what the artist feels the price should be for the art they are conveying.”
“I heard [Live Nation CEO] Michael Rapino say, ‘It’s insane that after a show sells out, we basically close shop for eight months while other people control the market,'” said Logan. “If we got our ticket prices right—rather than having them grossly underpriced—then we don’t really care about changing arcane laws or if someone is re-selling their ticket. But if you’re going to sell something worth $100 for $20, you have to have strings attached, like having it be non-transferable.
“You think about sitting court-side at [basketball games] and you’ll pay any amount of money. Fans do pay any amount of money on the secondary market, so why are we embarrassed?” Logan, continued, while highlighting the contrary. “But Eric Church is somebody who doesn’t just want to have rich people around the stage and in the pit. So there has to be some sort of hybrid [solution].”
“The problem is when you have an artist who wants to blow-out a show—sell out quickly—to tell a story,” Goldstone said of PR stunts. “It doesn’t matter to me as a promoter either way, if we sell out in a minute or, say eight months.”
“Our job,” Matthews reinforced, “is to get fans closer to artists. And the distribution system got hacked.”
Charlie Goldstone. Photo: IEBA
To that point, Goldstone replied, “We can have all the technology we want, but if we’re selling tickets under their real value, the technology will always catch up because there’s so much money in the secondary market. So how do we fix the systemic problem rather than these stop-gap measures to stop scalpers?”
The downside to more accurate ticket pricing, creating a slower roll-out, would require an ego-check for artists, says Matthews, “You’ve got to get that ego out of the way so that you don’t buy that sold-out, full-page ad even before you go on sale.”
Logan noted, sometimes fans are confused when they hear “sold-out” because there are secondary sites where you can always find tickets.
“There’s no such thing as a sell-out,” affirmed Matthews. “Somebody’s got tickets in their back pocket they’re gonna hold out and sell them for eight times face value.”
“Artists need to understand that they can participate in some of that revenue by pricing things perhaps more correctly,” noted Comfort.
Enter Taylor Swift, who notably received flack for offering preferred concert ticket access with album pre-orders. The panel dreamed of streamlining that same process and “data” with their own artists.
“Ticketmaster, with Verified Fan, has all this information we need to use to reward the people that are coming in the first place—to get them to come back and take chances on things they wouldn’t normally do,” said Goldstone. “Venues and promoters need to remember they are in the hospitality business for patrons. I want to offer incentives and upgrades to people who come regularly. We just need information from ticketing technology companies to make that easier.”
Comfort agreed. “If you had a loyalty program where you could look at people’s history for superfans who saw the artist through the years, you know they will use the ticket, so make sure they get a really good seat at a fair price. All it would take is a really good engine that has all the data (records, merch, Spotify listens, etc.) but the power could be quite profound.”
Justin Atkins. Photo: IEBA
“That would require identity, being able to identify fans to reward them,” noted Atkins of Goldstone’s comments. “We created Verified Fan, a pre-registration process to remove the scalpers and bots to see who the fans are—who is likely to go to the show, and give them access to the invitation-based on-sale. Then we could see demand, perhaps opportunity to add another show, etc.”
So are we okay with the face value of tickets being a wholesale price, like Costco? The bottom line is artists are getting the price they ask for with face value (aside from when fans forgo unsold tickets to shop at secondary).
“Big guys can do big things because they’ve got big money to do it,” Matthews concluded. “It takes the business to say, ‘This is how we’re going to do it now.’ Who’s ready to kick the can over? Are we there yet?”
“It took 15 years after Napster,” warned Logan. “Hopefully it’s not going to take 15 years to get to this future ticket market place.”
As the industry is squeezed evermore, the question is: Does the artist want to participate in the billions of dollars they have left on the table from their own fans for their own concerts?
Pictured (L-R): Charlie Goldstone, Justin Atkins, Pam Matthews, Fielding Logan, Jason Comfort. Photo: IEBA
IEBA Ticketing Panel: “The Way We Sell Tickets Is Broken”
/by Eric T. ParkerPictured (L-R): Charlie Goldstone, Jason Comfort, Pam Matthews, Justin Atkins, Fielding Logan. Photo: IEBA
On the final day of IEBA 2017 (Oct. 17), Executive Director Pam Matthews moderated an intelligent panel on the hot-button subject of concert ticketing, featuring Fielding Logan (Q Prime South – Nashville, TN), Justin Atkins (Ticketmaster On Tour – Nashville, TN), Jason Comfort (Red Light Management, Ticketing – Charlottesville, VA) and Charlie Goldstone (Frank Productions Concerts – Madison, WI).
Buckle up.
“The way we sell tickets is broken,” declared Mathews of an artist’s ticketing dillema. “[As a fan] I am doing other stuff at 10 a.m. on a Saturday [when tickets go up for sale]. I know I’m screwed so I’m going to [secondary ticket site] StubHub.”
Fans, though are still willing to pay a premium for re-sold concert tickets (on sites like Stubhub) for the simplicity of their buying experiences. Many fans do not realize by shopping at secondary sites:
A) They are paying a premium for seats purchased by bots and scalpers
B) The artist themselves does not see any of the money paid above face-value, and in many cases may be losing money from an unsold primary [g.e. Ticketmaster] ticket purchase
C) The ticket may be fraudulent
Fielding Logan. Photo: IEBA
“A lot of fans don’t bother shopping at primary sellers because it’s easier and engrained from marketing or habit,” said Comfort about the attractiveness of the secondary market. “Millennials and younger just see if they can afford the prices on StubHub [and either go or don’t go]. I think that’s a really easy experience for them. But I think the artist should be participating in that revenue.”
Artists are sensitive to ticket prices they present to fans. Historically artists price below market value. This denial, cloaked in protectionism, has fueled the billion-dollar secondary ticketing market, where the same fans the artists are trying to protect still end up paying premiums for seats. So for the sake of public perception, the artist misses out on revenue underpriced tickets.
Artist managers Comfort and Logan agree: artists are often have to be dragged, kicking and screaming to raise their ticket prices.
“If the artist is the one that is impeding the process thinking their image takes a hit then lets shift blame and focus to something else, like [say the distributer] Ticketmaster, and say: ‘This is how the distribution system works,'” said Matthews, who also notes part of the problem is the ticketing business model, which rewards speed.
“My dad sells groceries, he doesn’t sell all his corn at 10 a.m. on Saturday,” she analogized.
Jason Comfort. Photo: IEBA
“If we’re pricing effective, we slow down the pace of ticket sales tremendously, which would scare a promoter, who has skin in the game,” said Comfort.
Matthews countered the argument: “I wouldn’t be scared. If I felt good about buying the act and felt good at an agreed price, then let’s sell it the right way.”
“Then how do you feel if that last ticket is sold as the artist is walking on stage?” asked Atkins. “It’s two different mentalities and what is comfortable for you. Pricing is not just a monetary decision, it’s a creative, brand decision—what the artist feels the price should be for the art they are conveying.”
“I heard [Live Nation CEO] Michael Rapino say, ‘It’s insane that after a show sells out, we basically close shop for eight months while other people control the market,'” said Logan. “If we got our ticket prices right—rather than having them grossly underpriced—then we don’t really care about changing arcane laws or if someone is re-selling their ticket. But if you’re going to sell something worth $100 for $20, you have to have strings attached, like having it be non-transferable.
“You think about sitting court-side at [basketball games] and you’ll pay any amount of money. Fans do pay any amount of money on the secondary market, so why are we embarrassed?” Logan, continued, while highlighting the contrary. “But Eric Church is somebody who doesn’t just want to have rich people around the stage and in the pit. So there has to be some sort of hybrid [solution].”
“The problem is when you have an artist who wants to blow-out a show—sell out quickly—to tell a story,” Goldstone said of PR stunts. “It doesn’t matter to me as a promoter either way, if we sell out in a minute or, say eight months.”
“Our job,” Matthews reinforced, “is to get fans closer to artists. And the distribution system got hacked.”
Charlie Goldstone. Photo: IEBA
To that point, Goldstone replied, “We can have all the technology we want, but if we’re selling tickets under their real value, the technology will always catch up because there’s so much money in the secondary market. So how do we fix the systemic problem rather than these stop-gap measures to stop scalpers?”
The downside to more accurate ticket pricing, creating a slower roll-out, would require an ego-check for artists, says Matthews, “You’ve got to get that ego out of the way so that you don’t buy that sold-out, full-page ad even before you go on sale.”
Logan noted, sometimes fans are confused when they hear “sold-out” because there are secondary sites where you can always find tickets.
“There’s no such thing as a sell-out,” affirmed Matthews. “Somebody’s got tickets in their back pocket they’re gonna hold out and sell them for eight times face value.”
“Artists need to understand that they can participate in some of that revenue by pricing things perhaps more correctly,” noted Comfort.
Enter Taylor Swift, who notably received flack for offering preferred concert ticket access with album pre-orders. The panel dreamed of streamlining that same process and “data” with their own artists.
“Ticketmaster, with Verified Fan, has all this information we need to use to reward the people that are coming in the first place—to get them to come back and take chances on things they wouldn’t normally do,” said Goldstone. “Venues and promoters need to remember they are in the hospitality business for patrons. I want to offer incentives and upgrades to people who come regularly. We just need information from ticketing technology companies to make that easier.”
Comfort agreed. “If you had a loyalty program where you could look at people’s history for superfans who saw the artist through the years, you know they will use the ticket, so make sure they get a really good seat at a fair price. All it would take is a really good engine that has all the data (records, merch, Spotify listens, etc.) but the power could be quite profound.”
Justin Atkins. Photo: IEBA
“That would require identity, being able to identify fans to reward them,” noted Atkins of Goldstone’s comments. “We created Verified Fan, a pre-registration process to remove the scalpers and bots to see who the fans are—who is likely to go to the show, and give them access to the invitation-based on-sale. Then we could see demand, perhaps opportunity to add another show, etc.”
So are we okay with the face value of tickets being a wholesale price, like Costco? The bottom line is artists are getting the price they ask for with face value (aside from when fans forgo unsold tickets to shop at secondary).
“Big guys can do big things because they’ve got big money to do it,” Matthews concluded. “It takes the business to say, ‘This is how we’re going to do it now.’ Who’s ready to kick the can over? Are we there yet?”
“It took 15 years after Napster,” warned Logan. “Hopefully it’s not going to take 15 years to get to this future ticket market place.”
As the industry is squeezed evermore, the question is: Does the artist want to participate in the billions of dollars they have left on the table from their own fans for their own concerts?
Pictured (L-R): Charlie Goldstone, Justin Atkins, Pam Matthews, Fielding Logan, Jason Comfort. Photo: IEBA
Starstruck Writers Group Names New Creative Director
/by Jessica NicholsonAmelia Varni
Starstruck Entertainment has added Amelia Varni as Creative Director for Starstruck Writers Group. Varni will work directly with Starstruck writers Alex Kline, Caroline Kole, Dee Briggs, Evan Coffman, and Julie Forester as well as the songwriting of artists managed by Starstruck. Varni reports directly to COO Cliff Williamson.
From Northern California, Varni began interning at Universal Music Publishing Group in the summer of 2013, which led to her being hired as the Executive Assistant to Kent Earls in January 2014. She graduated from Belmont University’s Entertainment Industry Studies program in May 2014 and became Executive Director of YEP (Young Entertainment Professionals).
Founded in 1988, Starstruck Entertainment develops, manages, promotes and markets entertainers, songwriters, and producers. Starstruck clients include Kelly Clarkson and Blake Shelton.
Varni can be reached at amelia.varni@starstruck.net.
ASCAP And RCA Inspiration Honor GMA Dove Award Nominees
/by Lorie HollabaughASCAP Executives Jason Reddick, Cristina Chavez, Moya Nkruma, and Jonathan “JJ” Jones take a moment to pose with gospel artist Tasha Page Lockhart
ASCAP and RCA Inspiration hosted a reception to celebrate the 48th Annual GMA Dove Awards nominees at Thiel Studios & Showroom in Nashville. The room full of industry execs, influencers, and media were treated to intimate performances by Koryn Hawthorne, Tasha Page Lockhart, and The Walls Group.
The event toasted ASCAP’s songwriters, producers, and publishers who have received over 50 Dove Awards nominations this year for music ranging from gospel, country, pop, and bluegrass, to hip-hop, R&B and more. RCA Inspiration also celebrated receiving nine nominations this year.
The Walls Group performs for an enthusiastic audience at ASCAP and RCA Inspiration’s 2017 Dove Awards Nominee Reception
MercyMe, Zach Williams Top Winners at 48th Annual GMA Dove Awards
/by Lorie HollabaughMercyMe was the big winner at last night’s (Oct. 17) 48th annual Dove Awards, held at Lipscomb University’s Allen Arena in Nashville. The group was named Artist of the Year, and also earned Pop/Contemporary Album of the Year for Lifer. The group’s Bart Millard was also named Songwriter of the Year.
Zach Williams took home New Artist of the Year last night.
Other top winners included Casting Crowns (Contemporary Christian Artist of the Year), CeCe Winans (Gospel Artist of the Year), Bernie Herms (Producer of the Year), Chris Tomlin (Never Lose Sight-Worship Album of the Year), and NEEDTOBREATHE (HardLove-Rock/Contemporary Album of the Year).
The Gospel Music Association handed out trophies in 39 categories plus a few special industry recognitions as well during the evening, which was hosted by Kari Jobe and Tasha Cobb Leonard.
Reba’s album Sing It Now: Songs of Faith and Hope took home the Bluegrass/Country/Roots Album of the Year honor, while Casting Crowns received the Contemporary Christian Artist of the Year award. Gospel music legend Pat Boone was honored during the evening with the SoundExchange Fair Play Award. A full list of the winners can be found here.
Trinity Broadcasting Network will exclusively air the awards show on October 22 at 8 p.m. CST.
2017 GMA Dove Award Winners (Select categories):
ARTIST OF THE YEAR: MercyMe, Fair Trade Services
NEW ARTIST OF THE YEAR: Zach Williams, Provident Label Group
SONG OF THE YEAR: “What A Beautiful Name” (writers) Ben Fielding, Brooke Ligertwood, (publisher) Hillsong Music Publishing
CONTEMPORARY CHRISTIAN ARTIST OF THE YEAR: Casting Crowns, Provident Label Group
GOSPEL ARTIST OF THE YEAR: CeCe Winans, Pure Springs Gospel
SONGWRITER OF THE YEAR (ARTIST): Bart Millard
BLUEGRASS/COUNTRY/ROOTS ALBUM OF THE YEAR: Sing It Now: Songs of Faith and Hope: Reba McEntire (producer) Reba McEntire, Jay DeMarcus, Doug Sisemore
RAP/HIP HOP ALBUM OF THE YEAR: The Waiting Room: Trip Lee, (producers) Gabriel Azucena, James Foye III, John McNeil, Joel McNeil, Alex Median, Allen Swoope, Almondo Cresso, Chris Mackey, Joseph Prielozny, Tyshane Thompson
ROCK/CONTEMPORARY ALBUM OF THE YEAR: HARDLOVE – NEEDTOBREATHE, (producers) NEEDTOBREATHE, Joe Levine, Dave Tozer, Ed Cash, Ido Zmishlany
POP/CONTEMPORARY ALBUM OF THE YEAR: Lifer – MercyMe (producers) Ben Glover, David Garcia
SOUTHERN GOSPEL ALBUM OF THE YEAR: Resurrection – Joseph Habedank, (producer) Wayne Haun
CONTEMPORARY GOSPEL/URBAN ALBUM OF THE YEAR: Let Them Fall In Love – CeCe Winans, (producers) Alvin Love III, Tommy Sims
WORSHIP ALBUM OF THE YEAR: Never Lose Sight – Chris Tomlin, (producers) Ross Copperman, Jeremy Edwardson, Ed Cash
PRODUCER OF THE YEAR: Bernie Herms
INSPIRATIONAL FILM OF THE YEAR: The Shack – (directors) Stuart Hazeldine (producers) Netter Productions, Summit Entertainment
George Strait Plots Vegas Shows For 2018
/by Jessica NicholsonGeorge Strait. Photo: Brandon Campbell
George Strait is returning to Las Vegas for 2018.
The King of Country has added two shows at Las Vegas’ T-Mobile Arena, set for Feb. 2-3. Opening for Strait will be Lyle Lovett and Robert Earl Keen. The two entertainers recently joined Strait for a one night only show at San Antonio, Texas at the Majestic Theatre.
Tickets for the Las Vegas shows go on sale Friday, Oct. 27 at 10 a.m. local time at georgestrait.com.
These shows follow Strait’s previously announced shows for 2018, including concerts in Austin, Texas on June 3, and Tulsa, Oklahoma on June 1-2.
“We said from the beginning that we would listen to the fans and follow what they want,” said Strait. “Fan support is just as strong now as it was when we started; and we are responding to that interest by adding shows in 2018.”
Chris Young Fulfills Dream As He Becomes Newest Opry Member
/by Lorie HollabaughPictured (L-R:) Larry Fitzgerald, Fitzgerald Hartley Mgmt.; Sally Williams, GM Grand Ole Opry/Sr VP, Programming & Artist Relations, Opry Entertainment; Brad Paisley; Chris Young; Steve Buchanan, President, Opry Entertainment Group; Bill Simmons, Fitzgerald Hartley Mgmt.) Photo: © 2017 Grand Ole Opry Photo by Chris Hollo
Chris Young had a dream come true Tuesday night (Oct. 17) as he was officially inducted into the Grand Ole Opry family by his friend, Opry member Brad Paisley.
Before his induction, Young recalled first listening to the Opry as a four-year-old and how he first saw the show live when he was eight. “There is always such a respect for where we all come from here,” he said.
Young performed four songs for the sold-out audience, before Paisley took the stage to present him with the Opry Member Award presented to each official member.
“Just look where you are!” Paisley said during the moment, noting the pair’s presence in the Opry’s famed circle center stage. “When I was first made a member of this crazy family, I had no idea the actual way this is a family,” Paisley said. “I quickly was accepted and asked to be a part of so many things. Chris is one of those people that will make the most of this. … This is a great human being, and that’s what the Opry needs.”
Young closed out the momentous evening with Cassadee Pope, performing the pair’s number one single “Think Of You.” The show kicked off a big week for Young, who also releases his seventh album, Losing Sleep, this Friday, (Oct. 20).
Brad Paisley and Chris Young. Photo: Chris Hollo
Chris Young places his name plate on the member gallery backstage at the Grand Ole Opry. Photo by Chris Hollo
Cast & Crew Open Health Brings Insurance Options To Music City
/by Sherod RobertsonCast & Crew Open Health recently launched a Nashville division headed by Nashville native Jeff Miles, a leader in the insurance field with four decades of experience. The company helps employers in the entertainment industry secure healthcare coverage for their employees, ranging from freelance to full time. The plan is Affordable Care Act-compliant and is eligible for most state tax-incentive programs.
Open Health was started in 2014 by Cast & Crew Entertainment Services, a California-based provider of payroll and production accounting services to the entertainment industry.
Jeff Miles
MusicRow: Open Health started in 2014 around the time of the Affordable Care Act. What was the goal?
Jeff Miles: We created Open Health to provide a tool for employers to be able to satisfy their Affordable Care Act requirements. As you know, companies with more than 50 employees are required to provide health insurance under the ACA. We worked primarily with motion picture and television companies who have freelance employees, but were still required to provide this coverage. So we created Open Health with the intent to give large employers a place to cover their freelance workers that are not under union collective bargaining agreements.
As an example, we have a couple of major rock ‘n’ roll acts with a staff of employees who work for them. So we cover all the employees, but the performers themselves are covered elsewhere.
We came to Nashville because the majority of employers here have few choices. The prices are high and they don’t feel like they’re getting value. We’re getting people to, in essence, buy across state lines, join an association of employers all similarly situated in the entertainment industry.
In New York, we’re working with publishing houses, which I know there are a lot of here, too. These are publishing houses in the entertainment industry. Therefore, they’re eligible to be in Open Health. We just keep building a bigger and bigger pool of employers who are in the entertainment industry.
Does each employer have its own plan, or is it all one plan?
It’s one large plan and this is the beauty of it. We were able to organize this under the federal laws. There’s a large group plan with one set of large group rates. And then each employer becomes a member of a trust that has an insurance plan available through Anthem Blue Cross of California. They are able to buy into our employee benefit plans.
What does “multiple-employer” healthcare coverage mean?
In the 1970s, laws were created that allowed employers to ban together to buy insurance, if they were similarly situated, like in a similar industry or similar region. This federal law allowed employers to create a trust, and let multiple employers join it, and therefore theoretically give better products at lower prices. So we seized on the opportunity to use this federal law to create this plan, and we had the insurance company willing to be our financial partner.
Are the insurance needs in Nashville different than other entertainment cities?
Not really. The difference is that on the west coast, it’s a competitive market. There’s seven or eight insurance companies all competing with each other, and here in Nashville that’s not true. So areas like Nashville, where we are bringing this plan, and other places around the country where we’re rolling it out for the first time, they’re finding that this is a unique opportunity.
With the multiple-employer plan arrangement, you’re able to buy across state lines, but the benefits here are very rich by comparison with what is currently being sold in the normal market. When I see an employer who’s paying $20,000 a month for a $5,000 deductible plan for their employees, and suddenly they’re paying $13,000 a month for a $500 deductible for their employees with us, that’s serving the community. This lowers people’s cost of doing business dramatically and gives better benefits.
The other beauty of it is that because we’re all part of the Blue Cross Blue Shield system, even though it’s sold from California. If you’re a member here in Tennessee, you get the full Blue Cross Blue Shield network of providers here.
What size and type of company benefits the most from this plan?
We can take companies as few as two employees, as long as they’re not married, don’t live at the same address, and are on payroll. So even if all I have is one owner and one full-time staff person that backs them up, that’s an eligible group.
A company who is buying coverage, but is paying too high of a percentage of their overall revenue to buy coverage would benefit from this plan. For a tour operator who has 10 people working in the office full-time all year, and however many out there traveling around doing shows, we can do both of those kinds of things.
How is Open Health affected by the uncertainty of ACA?
I’m active in trying to get reform and refinement and repair in the ACA, and it looks like the law won’t be changing. But even if something changed, the proposals that have all been floated still include things like buying insurance across state lines, allowing for association health plans. These are things that actually benefit Open Health because they get those discussions out in the open. And we can point to ourselves and say, we’re already doing this.
The only thing that could really change the validity of this is what would change the validity of everything, which is to go to single payer medicare for all. If that happens, then the game changes for everyone.
What’s the biggest reason you wanted to bring this option to Music City?
I wanted to try and do something to help my hometown, and bring something to the music industry that doesn’t exist here. I’m really excited about trying to bring this to people here so that they can lower their cost of doing business and stimulate the local economy even more.
For more information on Open Health visit their site here.
First Round Of Performers Announced For ’51st Annual CMA Awards’
/by Jessica NicholsonThe first round of performers has been announced for the 51st Annual CMA Awards.
Garth Brooks, Brothers Osborne, Luke Bryan, Eric Church, Miranda Lambert, Little Big Town, Old Dominion, Jon Pardi, Chris Stapleton, Thomas Rhett and Carrie Underwood are all set to perform, as well as 2017 Country Music Hall of Fame inductee Alan Jackson.
The 51st Annual CMA Awards will be hosted for the 10th year by Brad Paisley and Carrie Underwood and will air live from the Bridgestone Arena in Nashville on Wednesday, Nov. 8.
Kenny Chesney Announces Stadium Shows For 2018
/by Jessica NicholsonKenny Chesney will welcome Thomas Rhett, Old Dominion and Brandon Lay for 18 stadium shows in 2018 as part of his Trip Around The Sun t0ur. The trek, which launches April 21 in Tampa, Florida, also includes a show at Nashville’s Nissan Stadium on Aug. 11.
Chesney’s Aug. 24 show at Gillette Stadium will include Dierks Bentley, Brothers Osborne, and Brandon Lay.
“There’s nothing like a stadium full of people coming together to remind you what life’s about,” Chesney says. “The energy, the moments, the fun. Every single one of these artists who’re coming out with us for Trip Around the Sun live their lives the exact same way: they work hard, they appreciate what they’re given and they love music every bit as much as they love life. I, personally, can’t wait to see this show hit the road.”
Trip Around The Sun Tour Dates
April 21: Raymond James Stadium, Tampa, FL
April 28: Miller Park, Milwaukee, WI
May 5: US Bank Stadium, Minneapolis, MN
May 19: AT&T Stadium, Arlington, TX
May 26: Mercedes-Benz Stadium, Atlanta, GA
June 2: Heinz Field, Pittsburgh, PA
June 9: Lincoln Financial Field, Philadelphia, PA
June 16: Mapfre Stadium, Columbus, OH
June 23: Chase Field, Phoenix, AZ
June 30: Sports Authority Field at Mile High Stadium, Denver, CO
July 7: Centurylink Field, Seattle, WA
July 14: Arrowhead Stadium, Kansas City, MO
July 21: Busch Stadium, Saint Louis, MO
July 28: Soldier Field, Chicago, IL
August 4: Ford Field, Detroit, MI
August 11: Nissan Stadium, Nashville, TN
August 18: MetLife Stadium, East Rutherford, NJ
August 24: Gillette Stadium, Foxboro, MA
Midland Goes ‘On The Record’ In New Mini-Documentary
/by Lorie HollabaughMidland is featured in a new docu-short, Midland: On The Record, which was recently released and was filmed in July 2016 outside of Austin, TX. Nashville-based Riverside Entertainment directed and produced the 17-minute feature, which highlights performances from Poodie’s Hilltop Roadhouse, a honky tonk where Midland has performed a few times.
The directors follow lead singer Mark Wystrach, bass player Cameron Duddy and guitarist Jess Carson to their farms in Dripping Springs in the film, where each member talks about their musical and personal history. Midland: On The Record was screened before a small industry audience at BMI in Nashville.
“Allison Jones at Big Machine first introduced Midland to our executive producing partner, Dawn Solér, and we immediately realized we were getting in on the ground floor of something big,” explained producer/director, Brian Loschiavo. “This doc was shot over a year ago, before ‘Drinkin’ Problem’ ever hit the airwaves, and it was clear to us then that they were the real deal. Their authenticity, talent and camaraderie has a timeless quality. It has been fun to watch the world take notice.”
The trio will continue their dates with Jon Pardi on CMT On Tour this fall before hitting the road with Little Big Town and Kasey Musgraves in early 2018.