The Lumineers
Nashville-based Dualtone Records has this week’s top overall albums chart release, as The Lumineers secures its first No. 1 album with its second project, Cleopatra (125k sold, 108K traditional album sales). The trio’s self-titled debut album released in 2012 and ascended to the No. 2 slot, selling 1.7 million, largely due to its hit single “Ho Hey.”
On the country albums rankings, Chris Stapleton again takes the top spot, with 39K sold, followed by Joey+Rory‘s Hymns, with 19K sold. Carrie Underwood‘s Storyteller takes the third slot, with 8.9K sold, followed by Thomas Rhett‘s Untangled at No. 4 with 6K and Sam Hunt‘s Montevallo at No. 5 with 5.9K.
This week’s top country debut album comes from Average Joe’s Charlie Farley. All I’ve Been Through debuts at No. 35 selling 1.1K. Merle Haggard takes five of the top six country catalog titles. 20 Greatest Hits tops that list, selling 5K.
Overall album sales YTD have decreased 16.9 percent, while overall digital album sales have decreased 23.9 percent. Country album sales are down 3.6 percent YTD, while country digital album sales are down 11.7 percent.
Tim McGraw
Tim McGraw‘s “Humble and Kind” leads this week’s country track sales, with 42K. Dierks Bentley‘s “Somewhere On A Beach” follows at No. 2, with 34K sold. Blake Shelton‘s “Came Here To Forget” lands at No. 3 with 28K, followed by American Idol winner Trent Harmon‘s debut single “Falling,” with 28K. Cole Swindell‘s “You Should Be Here” rounds out the top 5, with 28K.
Swindell also has the top country track debut, with “Flatliner,” featuring Dierks Bentley. The track debuts at No. 18 on the country tracks rankings (No. 61 overall), with 14K sold.
Overall tracks sales are down 25.2 percent YTD, while country track sales are down 19.4 percent.
Panelists Will Examine Future Of Entertainment Industry At Who Knew Event
/by Craig_ShelburnePictured (Top Row, L-R): Jeff Cuellar, Jim Donio, Ali Harnell; (Bottom Row, L-R): Jeremy Holley, David M. Ross, Michael Weintrob
The future of the entertainment industry will be the topic of the next Who Knew networking event to be held May 18 at 3rd & Lindsley in Nashville.
The panel will feature the following speakers: Jeff Cuellar, Vice President of Strategic Partnerships, AC Entertainment; Jim Donio, president of the Music Business Association; Ali Harnell, Senior Vice President of AEG Live and co-manager of The Shadowboxers; Jeremy Holley, co-founder and partner of FlyteVu; David M. Ross, president of BossRoss Media and founder of MusicRow magazine; and Michael Weintrob, entertainment photographer and creator of Instrumenthead.
The event will ask the panelists to share their predictions about what’s on the horizon for their sector of the industry.
The event is presented by executive search firm MusicRowSearch and the College of Media and Entertainment at Middle Tennessee State University.
The function also serves as the official after-party of Music Biz 2016, the Music Business Association’s annual conference that moved to Nashville in 2015.
Doors will open at 6 p.m. and the panel will begin at 7 p.m. The Who Knew after-party will kick-off at 8:30 pm with rock band Them Vibes followed by a set from Americana band The Mulligan Brothers.
“I’m really looking forward to the next Who Knew, when a group of dynamic, top-tier executives will share predictions on what’s next for the entertainment industry,” said Tom Truitt, Who Knew creator and CEO of MusicRowSearch. “I am also excited to introduce Music Biz 2016 attendees to the Who Knew experience.”
The Time Jumpers Add Miranda Lambert, Chris Young To Ryman Concert
/by Jessica NicholsonThe Time Jumpers will welcome fellow musicians Miranda Lambert, Chris Young, Charlie Worsham and Connie Smith to the Ryman Auditorium stage on Tuesday, April 19 at 7:30 p.m. for Jammin’ To Beat The Blues.
The special concert will benefit Mental Health American Of Middle Tennessee, which has promoted mental wellness through education, advocacy, and service for more than 65 years. Tickets are available at ticketmaster.com, Ticketmaster outlets, ryman.com, the Ryman box office, or by calling 800-745-3000.
Collective Artist Management Adds Taylor Freeman
/by Jessica NicholsonTaylor Freeman
Collective Artist Management has expanded its Nashville office with the addition of Taylor Freeman as Director of Digital Marketing. In her new role Freeman will oversee all digital strategies for clients including Clint Black, Sara Evans, Corey Smith, Elizabeth Huett, Sister C, Edwin McCain and Steve Wariner.
“We are thrilled to have Taylor join our team at the Collective as Director of Digital Marketing,” said Brinson Strickland, President of Collective Artist Management in Nashville. “Her experience and knowledge base will enable us to create new opportunities and initiatives to better serve our clients.”
Prior to joining Collective Artist Management, Freeman was the Sr. Marketing Manager at Marbaloo Marketing, creating marketing strategies and unified marketing campaigns for artists such as Kelsea Ballerini, Miranda Lambert, Toby Keith, Maddie & Tae, Canaan Smith, and more. Before that, she was a part of the Grand Ole Opry marketing team as the sales and marketing coordinator.
Freeman received a Bachelor of Arts from the University of Alabama and is active in the Nashville community through organizations including Musicians On Call, SOLID alumni, Change The Conversation, and Crosspoint Community Church.
Freeman can be reached at tfreeman@collectiveartistmgmt.
Luke Bryan’s Crash My Playa To Return For Third Year In 2017
/by Jessica NicholsonLuke Bryan. Photo: Jim Wright
Luke Bryan, along with CID Presents, will return for a third year of Luke Bryan’s Crash My Playa, an all-inclusive concert vacation set for January 19-22, 2017, in Riviera Maya, Mexico.
The event will include Bryan headlining two of the four nightly concerts, with additional performers to be announced soon.
“This experience for my fans has more than exceeded our expectations,” said Bryan. “From start to finish, everyone has the best time and it’s something my band, crew and I look forward to all year long. We love kicking off the new year this way!”
Fans can choose from eight tropical resorts and enjoy all-inclusive food and drink, 24-hour concierge service, daily onsite activities, offsite adventures like deep sea fishing, zip-lining, and ATV tours, excursions including day trips to Tulum, official Luke Bryan’s Crash My Playa merchandise package, and more.
To view highlights from 2016’s Crash My Playa, see below:
MusicRowLife: Producer/Songwriter Jimmy Robbins, Sarah Boddie Wed
/by Jessica NicholsonRound Hill Music songwriter/producer Jimmy Robbins married songplugger Sarah Boddie at a ceremony in Gulfport, Mississippi, over the weekend. Among the attendees were Jon Nite, Jenny Gill, and Levi Hummon.
Photo: Laurel Kittleson
Amy Grant, Tori Kelly Team For “Baby Baby” Remake
/by Jessica NicholsonTwenty-five years after Amy Grant released her classic 1991 hit, “Baby Baby,” the singer has teamed with pop artist Tori Kelly for a remake of the tune. The new version will release April 29.
Grant announced the pairing in a video, which included a snippet of the new version of “Baby Baby.”
In the post to Facebook, she said, “I hope you’ve had fun journeying back to 1991 like I have, going back to the beginning and the making of ‘Baby Baby.’ What were you doing 25 years ago? I know what I was doing, but just going back in time, that’s not enough,” said Grant. “We need to give some new juice to this old song. There’s a pop artist that I love who wasn’t even alive 25 years ago, but she’s joining me on a new release of ‘Baby Baby’ that’s coming out April 29. Miss Tori Kelly. We have stuck a rocket engine on that song.”
Weekly Register: The Lumineers, Chris Stapleton, Tim McGraw Top Charts
/by Jessica NicholsonThe Lumineers
Nashville-based Dualtone Records has this week’s top overall albums chart release, as The Lumineers secures its first No. 1 album with its second project, Cleopatra (125k sold, 108K traditional album sales). The trio’s self-titled debut album released in 2012 and ascended to the No. 2 slot, selling 1.7 million, largely due to its hit single “Ho Hey.”
On the country albums rankings, Chris Stapleton again takes the top spot, with 39K sold, followed by Joey+Rory‘s Hymns, with 19K sold. Carrie Underwood‘s Storyteller takes the third slot, with 8.9K sold, followed by Thomas Rhett‘s Untangled at No. 4 with 6K and Sam Hunt‘s Montevallo at No. 5 with 5.9K.
This week’s top country debut album comes from Average Joe’s Charlie Farley. All I’ve Been Through debuts at No. 35 selling 1.1K. Merle Haggard takes five of the top six country catalog titles. 20 Greatest Hits tops that list, selling 5K.
Overall album sales YTD have decreased 16.9 percent, while overall digital album sales have decreased 23.9 percent. Country album sales are down 3.6 percent YTD, while country digital album sales are down 11.7 percent.
Tim McGraw
Tim McGraw‘s “Humble and Kind” leads this week’s country track sales, with 42K. Dierks Bentley‘s “Somewhere On A Beach” follows at No. 2, with 34K sold. Blake Shelton‘s “Came Here To Forget” lands at No. 3 with 28K, followed by American Idol winner Trent Harmon‘s debut single “Falling,” with 28K. Cole Swindell‘s “You Should Be Here” rounds out the top 5, with 28K.
Swindell also has the top country track debut, with “Flatliner,” featuring Dierks Bentley. The track debuts at No. 18 on the country tracks rankings (No. 61 overall), with 14K sold.
Overall tracks sales are down 25.2 percent YTD, while country track sales are down 19.4 percent.
Buddy Lee Attractions Taps PLA Media For PR Representation
/by Jessica NicholsonPLA Media, led by Pam Lewis, will handle public relations, social media, and marketing for Buddy Lee Attractions’ roster of artists. With a team of 18 agents and assistants, Buddy Lee Attractions has positioned itself as an agency that works to build and guide an artist beyond the touring arena.
Among the artists represented by Buddy Lee Attractions are Kree Harrison, Kristen Kelly, Sonia Leigh, Rhett Akins, Daphne Willis, Halfway To Hazard, Darryl Worley, Jason Michael Carroll, and more.
“For over 50 years, Buddy Lee Attractions has built a business on finding the highest quality talent in the industry,” says Lewis. “They believed in Garth Brooks before we signed with Capitol and it was at that moment that I truly understood their team’s vision—to find the best in the business and work diligently to develop that talent.”
“We’ve worked with Pam and her team on and off for the last 30 years and the one thing she continues to fiercely represent is the best in signed and unsigned artists,” says Buddy Lee Attractions CEO Donna Lee. “Her team thinks out of the box and really engages with their clients to define and market to the most responsive audiences.”
Big Yellow Dog Music Hires Matt Lindsey
/by Craig_ShelburneMatt Lindsey
Big Yellow Dog Music President Carla Wallace has announced the hiring of Matt Lindsey as VP, Creative.
“We are so excited to have Matt join the team to work with our staff and amazing writers and artists. He is a consummate song person with a deep passion for writers—just our kind of guy!”
Lindsey was part of the core team at Forerunner Music, Little Shop of Morgan Songs and Mel Tillis Enterprises before embarking on a decade-long successful business of copyright exploitation and representation.
Big Yellow Dog Music is home to such writers as Josh Kear, Meghan Trainor, Maren Morris, Jessie James Decker, Logan Mize, Adam Sanders, Claire Guerreso and many more.
Tortuga Music Festival Attracts Nearly 90,000 To Fort Lauderdale
/by Craig_ShelburnePhoto: Tortuga Music Festival
In its fourth year, Rock the Ocean’s Tortuga Music Festival broke its attendance record with nearly 90,000 fans attending the event in Fort Lauderdale, Florida. The three-day festival concluded on Sunday (April 17).
The festival’s lineup included Blake Shelton, Tim McGraw and Dierks Bentley, along with Sam Hunt, Elle King, Thomas Rhett, Lynyrd Skynyrd, Kelsea Ballerini and dozens more. This is the first year the festival has added a third day.
In another first for the festival, the grounds were evacuated on Friday night due to severe weather, but gates reopened later for Bentley’s set.
“HUKA is honored to produce large-scale, destination-location festivals—it’s the fierce loyalty of our Tortuga fans who allow us to raise the bar each year,” said HUKA Entertainment CEO Evan Harrison.
A.J. Niland, HUKA Entertainment Chief Experience Officer added, “With the fan response to this year’s enhancements like more shade, art installations, and better flow, my mind is already racing with innovative surprises for next year.”
Dierks Bentley at Tortuga Music Festival 2016. Photo: Marc Serota/Tortuga Music Festival