Alan Jackson, Lee Ann Womack Set For Honky Tonk Highway Tour In 2017

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Alan Jackson 2016

Alan Jackson 2016

Alan Jackson will embark on the Honky Tonk Highway Tour in 2017, along with special guest Lee Ann Womack on select dates.

Jackson’s 2017 tour will find the superstar playing arena and amphitheatre shows as well as some of the biggest annual festivals and multi-day events on the country music calendar. The first round of tour dates was recently announced, with more to be added soon.

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Lee Ann Womack

 

Jan. 20: Tulsa, Okla.; Paradise Cove **
Jan. 27: Pensacola, Fla.; Pensacola Bay Center **++
Jan. 28: Atlanta (Duluth), Ga.; Infinite Energy Center**++
Feb. 25: Laughlin, Nev.; Laughlin Events Center ^^
March 10: Durant, Okla.; Choctaw Casino Resort **
March 24/25: Rancho Mirage, Calif.; Aqua Caliente Casino **
April 8: St. Augustine, Fla.; St. Augustine Amphitheatre ~~++
April 9: Ft. Lauderdale, Fla.; Tortuga Music Festival **
May 27: Forest City, Iowa; Tree Town Country Music Festival**
June 23: North Platte, Neb.; Nebraskaland Days **
June 24: Manhattan, Kan.; Country Stampede**
Oct. 28: Minneapolis, MN (Target Center) **

**Date is already onsale
^^Tickets onsale Friday, December 9
~~Tickets onsale Friday, December 16
++with special guest Lee Ann Womack

Waylon Jennings’ Lost Sessions Revived

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waylonjennings-lost-nashville-sessionsWaylon Jennings: The Lost Nashville Sessions has been released by Country Rewind Records. Listen here.

The recordings, which have never been commercially available before, were originally made at Scotty Moore’s Music City Recorders on July 13, 1970.

For the new release, Grammy Award-winning producer Robby Turner, who played in Jennings’ band for many years, enhanced the production of the tracks. Project contributor Paul Martin was tasked with replacing all the bass guitar parts on the songs. Martin and his wife Jamie also added background vocals.

Waylon Jennings: The Lost Nashville Sessions track list

1. Only Daddy That’ll Walk The Line
2. The Chokin’ Kind
3. Stop The World (And Let Me Off)
4. Anita, You’re Dreaming
5. Just To Satisfy You
6. Green River
7. Singer Of Sad Songs
8. Love Of The Common People
9. MacArthur Park
10. Brown Eyed Handsome Man
11. Mental Revenge
12. Time To Bum Again
13. Sunday Morning Coming Down
14. Young Widow Brown

CMA Elects New Board of Directors

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The Country Music Association announced Wednesday (Dec. 7) the new Board of Directors. The appointments are effective on Jan. 1, 2017.

John Esposito completes his term as Chairman of the CMA Board and current CMA Board President Sally Williams, Vice President and General Manager of Ryman Auditorium, assumes that post. CMA President-Elect Bill Simmons, Partner at The Fitzgerald Hartley Company, will become President. Jody Williams, Vice President of Writer-Publisher Relations at BMI, has been named President-Elect. Kurt Johnson, Senior Vice President of Programming for Townsquare Media, has been named Secretary/Treasurer of the CMA Board.

“It has been my great honor to serve as Chairman of the CMA Board,” said Esposito. “It has been an especially great thrill to have served on this historic 50th Anniversary of the CMA Awards. Working with this Board and the great people who serve on it has been a major highlight of my career. I look forward to continuing to remain very active with CMA in other capacities. The Board is in great hands with Sally Williams as the incoming Chairman. She will further the mission of this organization.”

“2016 was a monumental year for CMA. We celebrated a half century of Country Music with a brilliant 50th Anniversary Awards broadcast and the groundbreaking ‘Forever Country’ song and video. Hats off to John Esposito, Sarah Trahern, and the entire CMA staff for exceeding all expectations,” said Williams. “The stage certainly is set for Country Music to enjoy growth not only domestically but also internationally. I’m excited about collaborating with Bill Simmons, Jody Williams, and the rest of the Board as we continue to work toward that vital goal.”

Following is a list of 2017 CMA Directors and Directors at Large:

Directors By Membership Category
Carryover Directors, who are serving the second year of a two-year term are listed below along with newly-elected Directors (indicated in bold).

Advertising/Public Relations/Media
Lon Helton, Country Aircheck
Brian Philips, CMT

Affiliated
Steve Buchanan, Opry Entertainment
Bill Mayne, Country Radio Broadcasters, Inc.

Artist
Kix Brooks
Karen Fairchild, Little Big Town

Composer
Bob DiPiero, Love Monkey Music
Shane McAnally, SMACKSongs, LLC

Entertainment Services
Frank Bumstead, Flood, Bumstead, McCready & McCarthy, Inc.
Dwight Wiles, Wiles + Taylor & Co., PC

International
Maria Molin Ljunggren, Capitol Music Group Sweden, Stockholm, Sweden
Milly Olykan, AEG Europe/The O2 London, London, United Kingdom

Marketing/Digital
John Marks, Spotify
Sally Seitz, iTunes

Music Publisher/Performing Rights Organization
Michael Martin, ASCAP
Jody Williams, BMI           

Musician
Jimmie Lee Sloas
Biff Watson, Biff-Bangs Productions, Inc.

Personal Manager
Ann Edelblute, The HQ
Marion Kraft, ShopKeeper Management

Producer/Engineer/Studio
Luke Laird, Creative Nation Music

Radio
Charlie Morgan, Emmis Communications, New York, N.Y.

Record Company
John Esposito, Warner Music Nashville
Randy Goodman, Sony Music Nashville

Talent Agent
Rob Beckham, William Morris Endeavor Entertainment, LLC

Talent Buyer/Promoter
Allen Anders, AEG Live, West Palm Beach, Fla.
Tony Conway, Conway Entertainment Group            

Touring Personnel
Terry Calonge, Richards & Southern
Everett Lybolt, Sound Image 

Venue
Sally Williams, Ryman Auditorium

Lifetime Directors
J. William Denny, Denny Properties
Ralph Peer II, peermusic

Ex-Officio Members
Jim Free, The Smith-Free Group, LLC, Washington, D.C.
Butch Spyridon, Nashville Convention & Visitors Corporation
Kyle Young, Country Music Hall of Fame and Museum

Directors at Large:
Marcie Allen, MAC Presents, LLC, New York, N.Y.
Jim Beavers
Steve Blatter, Sirius XM Satellite Radio, New York, N.Y.
Scott Borchetta, Big Machine Label Group
Becky Brenner, Albright & O’Malley & Brenner Country Radio Specialists, Seattle, Wash.
Chris DuBois, Sea Gayle Music
Mike Dungan, Universal Music Group Nashville
Kerri Edwards, KP Entertainment
Brett Eldredge
Ted Ellis, Harbour Media Partners, Ontario, Canada
Joe Galante, Galante Entertainment Organization
Jeff Garrison, Cox Media Group, San Antonio, Texas
John Hamlin, Switched On Entertainment
Ed Hardy, Hardy Media and Entertainment Group
Clint Higham, Morris Higham Management
Mary Hilliard Harrington, Red Light Management
John Huie, Creative Artists Agency
Clay Hunnicutt, Big Loud Records
Brett James, Cornman Music
Kurt Johnson, Townsquare Media, Dallas, Texas
Vivien Lewit, YouTube/Google, New York, N.Y.
Jon Loba, BBR Music Group
Deb McDermott, Media General
Ebie McFarland, Essential Broadcast Media
Mike McVay, Cumulus Media, Atlanta
Jim Ed Norman, The Curb Group
Brian O’Connell, Live Nation Nashville
Jason Owen, Sandbox Entertainment
Rod Phillips, iHeartMedia
Rob Potts, Rob Potts Entertainment Edge, Five Dock, Australia
David Ross, BossRoss Media
Darius Rucker
Stacey Schiltz, SchlitzLAW
Scott Scovill, Moo TV, CenterStaging, and Moo Creative Media
Bob Shennan, BBC, London, United Kingdom
Bill Simmons, The Fitzgerald Hartley Company
Jennie Smythe, Girlilla Marketing
Clarence Spalding, Maverick
Jeff Stevens, Jeff Stevens Music
Troy Tomlinson, Sony/ATV Music Publishing
Ben Vaughn, Warner/Chappell Music, Inc.
Troy Vollhoffer, Premier Global Production Company, Inc.
Tim Westergren, Pandora, Oakland, Calif.
Chris Young

Industry Ink: NSAI Documentary, Entrepreneur Center, Tony Wood

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Luke Bryan To Appear in NSAI Documentary

Luke Bryan recently visited the Nashville Songwriters Association (NSAI) to appear in a documentary to be released in 2017. While there he congratulated some of Nashville’s top songwriters who were attending an awards breakfast and legislative briefing.

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(L-R): Casey Summar, NSAI President Lee Thomas Miller, Trent Summar, Cole Taylor, Corey Crowder, Luke Bryan, Jason Duke, Jim Beavers, Melissa Peirce, Frank Rogers, Brett Beavers and NSAI Executive Director Bart Herbison.

 

Leadership Change at Entrepreneur Center

Sam Lingo

Sam Lingo

Sam Lingo is leaving his post as President and COO of the Nashville Entrepreneur Center effective Dec. 31. He has spent nearly seven years with the business incubator which has strong ties to Nashville’s tech and music communities. He will move into an advisory role in 2017. According to reports, it is unlikely his positions will be filled.

 

 

 

Tony Wood Wraps Year With Seven Christmas Cuts

Word Publishing’s Tony Wood is putting a bow on 2016 with seven cuts on new Christmas albums by Stars Go Dim, We Are Messengers, Travis Ryan, Selah, Austin & Lindsey Adamec and Alisa Turner.

Wood is celebrating his 25th year as a professional songwriter. He is a multiple Dove Award Winner with 29 No. 1s in his repertoire.

L to R- Word Publishing Staff and Tony Wood: Trevor Mathiesen, Jonathan Mason, Joel Timen, Tony Wood, Janine Appleton, Josh Bailey

(L-R): Word Publishing’s Trevor Mathiesen, Jonathan Mason, Joel Timen, Tony Wood, Janine Appleton, Josh Bailey

Top 5 Hits: Terry Calonge Talks Merch

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terry-calonge-2016Richards & Southern CEO Terry Calonge spoke to MusicRow recently about his thriving merchandise business. “I love what I do and I wake up every morning supercharged because this is the most exciting time,” he says. “God has lined us up for this moment. And every time I say that, it gets bigger and better.”

Below are five highlights from the discussion. For an in-depth look at Richards & Southern, pick up a copy of MusicRow’s January 2017 print magazine, the Touring Issue.

It’s a growing operation.

Calonge: We recently bought 11 acres on I-65 at exit 97 near the Prevost bus company. We are designing a business campus with the main building set to house operations, distribution, production, administration and fulfillment. There will be a second building at the bottom of the hill. Plus, we have room for two additional 42,000 sq. ft. buildings for fulfillment and international distribution.

We’ve got a great crew of 45 people, with designers and logistics people who are the best in the world. They can move goods to a show in Australia in two days. My sons, Scot and Ryan, work with Luke Bryan and a lot of the younger acts. My wife Sheri is President and takes care of accounting and operations. We recently hired Sean O’Halloran to create video and still content, for example to post on Instagram. Sean also did a full-length music video on Julia Cole, which Richards & Southern paid for. The more we help our clients advance their brand, the more it is going to drive sales.

Retail statements tell a story.

Our job is to interpret an artist’s brand, and we do that by creating a retail statement. It is a group of merchandise that tells a deeper story about an artist. You can’t look solely at fabric or artwork. You have to put it all together, then step back and look at it from the eyes of the artist’s fans.

One of our very first clients was Cracker Barrel, and through that we learned about creating a retail statement or retail story. And as the story draws you in, you will be more likely to buy multiple pieces of merchandise. At Cracker Barrel, an example would be the John Deere table. At a Kenny Chesney concert, it could be a mini surfboard, or a No Shoes Nation flag.

Kenny Chesney has a fall-back career, in case this music thing doesn’t work out.

Kenny Chesney is one of the smartest marketing people on the planet. First of all, he is a wonderful human being. He cares about his fans and giving them something extra special every year.

Usually, Sheri and a designer will meet with Kenny at his home. And he already has mental images of what the title of that tour means to him. They all put together the images that are the retail statement—the store. Richards & Southern makes the concert assets—the big screens that cover the stage and the sound tower. Then the video folks bring those assets to life. Kenny directs every piece of that. He oversees the product line himself.

Because we created the ideas for merch first, all the concert assets lead right back to the merchandising stand. That’s one of the reasons why his per cap sales are so high. He will spend hours moving one little piece in a design. When someone spends that much time on the details, they soar past all the usual sales percentages. He sells more at the venue than anywhere else, but he also has amazing sales online. He doesn’t distribute his merchandise outside of his own outlets, to protect it and make it special.

Millennials love exclusivity.

As we’ve grown in the direct-to-consumer business online, we discovered the ways in which fans want to connect with artists. Merchandise is an extension of the experience of the show. Our job is to interpret the artist’s brand and to reach fans. So Richards & Southern offers different designs for different demographics. For example, Millennials and their parents.

Millennials want an even closer walk with an artist. They want to feel like they are having a genuine experience with the artist, like the tweets and posts are going to them personally. Millennials want to think you designed it for them and their friends personally. They want less of the names and picture, and more of the branding

You dream it, we can make it.

CID Presents is an amazing company and we work closely with them to give the fans who buy their VIP experiences exclusive products that aren’t available out in the marketplace. Whether it is a neon sign, a padded barstool or a hand-painted Adirondack chair for Kenny Chesney, we will make it happen. We have 145 clients and CID Presents works with a big portion of them. Right now we are working on freshening George Strait’s merchandise for Las Vegas, because some fans are buying VIP packages to every show.

In Photos: A2IM Celebrates Holiday Party Before Grammy Noms

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Pictured (L-R): David Macias, Thirty Tigers; Taylor Childress, Curb; Stephanie Alexa, ATO Records; Benson Curb, Curb; Scott Robinson, Dualtone Records

Pictured (L-R): David Macias, Thirty Tigers; Taylor Childress, Curb; Stephanie Alexa, ATO Records; Benson Curb, Curb; Scott Robinson, Dualtone Records

Photos: William McClintic Photography

A2IM celebrated its holiday party at Nashville’s Pinewood Social on Monday, Dec. 5. Members from Curb Records, Thirty Tigers, Dualtone Records, ATO Records, Naxos, Compass Records, Average Joe’s, Good Time Inc. and others were present.

A2IM independent members collectively received 280/420 Grammy nominations for the 59th annual Grammy Awards.

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Grand Ole Opry Earns First Grammy Nomination

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Opry concert DVD

The Grand Ole Opry has earned a Grammy nomination for Best Music Film for its first concert film, American Saturday Night: Live From the Grand Ole Opry.

The nod marks the first Grammy nomination for the Grand Ole Opry in the institution’s 91-year history.

American Saturday Night: Live From The Grand Ole Opry is directed by George J. Flanigen IV. Executive Producers are Steve Buchanan, Robert Deaton, Pete Fisher, and Flanigen. Producers are John Burke and Lindsey Clark.

American Saturday Night: Live From the Grand Ole Opry debuted in 2015 in 200-plus cinemas across the U.S. The feature film offers audiences a virtual front row seat and VIP all-access pass to the Opry, including live performances and backstage conversations with members Brad Paisley, Blake Shelton, and Darius Rucker as well as The Band Perry and Brett Eldredge.

 

CMA Foundation Donates $1 Million To Music Education, Names New Board

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NASHVILLE, TN - DECEMBER 06: Singer-songwriter Kelsea Ballerini speaks to the Oliver Middle School wind Ensemble during the CMA Foundation's Announcement of a $1 million donation to the Metro Nashville public schools 'Music makes us' progam at Oliver Middle School on December 6, 2016 in Nashville, Tennessee. (Photo by Terry Wyatt/Getty Images)

Kelsea Ballerini visited the Oliver Middle School wind ensemble Tuesday during the CMA Foundation’s announcement of a $1 million donation to the Metro Nashville Public Schools’ Music Makes Us program. Photo: Terry Wyatt/Getty Images.

Kelsea Ballerini and the CMA Foundation celebrated a long-standing commitment to Metro Nashville Public Schools Tuesday (Dec. 6), awarding a $1 million grant aimed at strengthening music education programs. This donation brings CMA’s support of music teachers and education in Nashville to $11 million since 2006; one of the largest local, private investments in the district’s public school system.

Funds for the 2017 grant were raised through CMA Music Festival. In 2017, the CMA Foundation has earmarked a record $3.1 million to 44 music education programs across the country, bringing the Foundation’s total contributions to date to $17.5 million.

Additionally, the Country Music Association has announced the new Board of Directors for the CMA Foundation. The appointments are effective on Jan. 1, 2017.

Joe Galante, Chairman of Galante Entertainment Organization, will serve as Chairman, and Lon Helton, CEO of Country Aircheck, will serve as Vice Chairman.

Other members of the 2017 CMA Foundation Board include:
Kix Brooks
Frank Bumstead, Flood, Bumstead, McCready & McCarthy, Inc.
Karen Fairchild, Little Big Town
Blair Garner, Cumulus Media
Ed Hardy, Hardy Media and Entertainment Group
John Huie, Creative Artists Agency
Ron Samuels, Pinnacle Financial Partners
Victoria Shaw, AvaRu Productions
Jennie Smythe, Girlilla Marketing
Sally Williams, Ryman Auditorium
Kitty Moon Emery, Foundation Emeritus
CMA Foundation

Kobalt Music Publishing, Songs For FCM Publishing Sign Riley Friesen

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Pictured (L-R): Seth Mosley, Riley Friesen, Stacey Wilbur. Photo: Celi Mosley

Pictured (L-R): Seth Mosley, Riley Friesen, Stacey Wilbur. Photo: Celi Mosley

Songs for FCM Publishing, along with Kobalt Music Publishing Global, have signed writer Riley Friesen to a publishing deal. Friesen’s credits include songs for Family Force 5, Michael W Smith, Jordan Feliz, Audio Adrenaline and Group 1 Crew.

Full Circle Music is led by Seth Mosley, who earned a Grammy nomination earlier today (Dec. 6) for “Priceless” (for KING & COUNTRY) in the Best Contemporary Christian Music Performance category. Mosley earned his first Grammy honor in 2014, for producing for KING & COUNTRY’s album Run Wild. Live Free. Love Strong.

“I love getting to work with people that I am already a fan of, and Riley Friesen is one of those people. I became a mega fan of his production chops and songwriting sensibilities on his work on the previous Family Force 5 record. I was producing other tracks on the record and just hearing his songs, made me want to step my game up because iron sharpens iron,” shares Mosley. “I am so excited about the future of Riley Friesen and getting to be a part of the journey with him.”

Artist Updates: Bobby Bones, Granger Smith, Shane Owens

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Bobby Bones Adds To Stand Up Comedy Tour

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Tickets for shows on Bobby Bones’ recently-announced Funny And Alone Stand Up Comedy Tour sold out quickly on Friday (Dec. 2), prompting Bones to add more dates to the nationwide tour. Bones has announced more shows in Bakersfield, California (March 31); Grand Forks, North Dakota (March 25); and Wichita, Kansas (May 20). For more information and tour dates visit www.bobbybonescomedy.com.

 

Granger Smith Recovering After Sustaining Injury During Concert

Granger Smith

Granger Smith

Following a serious fall that resulted in two broken ribs and a punctured and partially collapsed lung this past Friday evening during a show at the Starland Ballroom in Sayreville, New Jersey, Granger Smith is back in Texas, resting and recovering with his family.

The remainder of shows for 2016 have been canceled. “I’ve had so many emails and tweets. It’s pretty amazing that so many people have reached out from across the country,” said Smith. “I feel so blessed to have more than just support for my music from fans and radio. It’s deeply humbling to have fans that personally care so much.”

 

Shane Owens’ Where I’m Coming From Releases Dec. 9

shane-owensTraditional-leaning country artist Shane Owens is set to release his debut album, Where I’m Comin’ From, on Friday, Dec. 9. The Amerimonte Records artist counts James Stroud as producer on his album.