Carrie Underwood and members of her team gathered prior to Underwood’s C2C appearance at the 02 Arena in London on Friday, March 11.
Pictured (L-R): Randy Goodman, Chairman & CEO, Sony Music Nashville; Steph Seager, Senior Radio Promotion Manager, Sony Music Entertainment UK; 19 Recordings/Arista Nashville’s Carrie Underwood; Mark Terry, Co-President, Columbia, Sony Music Entertainment UK; Ann Edelblute, Underwood’s manager (The HQ)
played in London, Dublin and Glasgow as part of C2C: Country to Country 2016. Of her experience in Europe,
the singer-songwriter said, “I loved every second. Music is so universal and it was great to have such an enthusiastic response so far from home. Fans knew all the words to my songs, even album cuts! I’m already looking forward to returning.”
Miranda Lambert at C2C. Photo: Christie Goodwin
performed “Power of Positive Drinkin’,” the second single off his Warner Music Nashville debut album, last night on
Late Night with Seth Meyers.
Chris Janson
“Smokey and the Bandit” star
Burt Reynolds posed for a photo with CMT’s
Lewis Bogach and
John Miller-Monzon at the annual South by Southwest (SXSW) festival in Austin, Texas, this past weekend, where “The Bandit” documentary, executive produced by Bogach and Miller-Monzon, premiered
on Saturday.
“The Bandit,” which tells the action-packed story of the making of the original film, features new interviews with Reynolds, rare archive material and candid interviews with the late Hal Needham, and is set to premiere on CMT in August.
Pictured (L-R): CMT’s Lewis Bogach, “Smokey and the Bandit” star Burt Reynolds, and CMT’s John Miller-Monzon
On Friday, Mar. 11,
Scotty McCreery brought several friends and family members to PNC Arena in Raleigh, North Carolina, to see one of his biggest heroes in concert – Garth Brooks. After watching the show, McCreery tweeted a photo taken backstage of the two singers and wrote, “This guy IS country music! He brings it at every concert! Enjoyed the show and hanging out man!…”
Pictured (L-R): Garth Brooks and Scotty McCreery
In Pictures: Carrie Underwood, Miranda Lambert, Chris Janson, CMT, Scotty McCreery
/by Jessica NicholsonCarrie Underwood and members of her team gathered prior to Underwood’s C2C appearance at the 02 Arena in London on Friday, March 11.
Pictured (L-R): Randy Goodman, Chairman & CEO, Sony Music Nashville; Steph Seager, Senior Radio Promotion Manager, Sony Music Entertainment UK; 19 Recordings/Arista Nashville’s Carrie Underwood; Mark Terry, Co-President, Columbia, Sony Music Entertainment UK; Ann Edelblute, Underwood’s manager (The HQ)
Miranda Lambert played in London, Dublin and Glasgow as part of C2C: Country to Country 2016. Of her experience in Europe, the singer-songwriter said, “I loved every second. Music is so universal and it was great to have such an enthusiastic response so far from home. Fans knew all the words to my songs, even album cuts! I’m already looking forward to returning.”
Miranda Lambert at C2C. Photo: Christie Goodwin
Chris Janson performed “Power of Positive Drinkin’,” the second single off his Warner Music Nashville debut album, last night on Late Night with Seth Meyers.
Chris Janson
“Smokey and the Bandit” star Burt Reynolds posed for a photo with CMT’s Lewis Bogach and John Miller-Monzon at the annual South by Southwest (SXSW) festival in Austin, Texas, this past weekend, where “The Bandit” documentary, executive produced by Bogach and Miller-Monzon, premiered on Saturday.
“The Bandit,” which tells the action-packed story of the making of the original film, features new interviews with Reynolds, rare archive material and candid interviews with the late Hal Needham, and is set to premiere on CMT in August.
Pictured (L-R): CMT’s Lewis Bogach, “Smokey and the Bandit” star Burt Reynolds, and CMT’s John Miller-Monzon
On Friday, Mar. 11, Scotty McCreery brought several friends and family members to PNC Arena in Raleigh, North Carolina, to see one of his biggest heroes in concert – Garth Brooks. After watching the show, McCreery tweeted a photo taken backstage of the two singers and wrote, “This guy IS country music! He brings it at every concert! Enjoyed the show and hanging out man!…”
Pictured (L-R): Garth Brooks and Scotty McCreery
Top Female Music Industry Execs Gather For WHO KNEW Presents: Women Who Rock
/by Jessica NicholsonPictured (L-R): Tracy Gershon (Rounder Records), Ree Guyer Buchanan (Wrensong Music Publishing), Marcie Allen (MAC Presents), Julie Boos (Flood, Bumstead, McCready & McCarthy), Linda Edell Howard (Adams and Reese, LLP), Sloane Scott (FLO.CO), Heather McBee (Nashville Entrepreneur Center) and Leslie Fram (CMT) celebrate a successful evening at WHO KNEW™ Presents: Women Who Rock Thursday, March 10 at 3rd and Lindsley. Photo: Autumn Haile
Music industry executives gathered at 3rd & Lindsley on Thursday, March 10 for WHO KNEW Presents: Women Who Rock, a panel featuring several top music industry members, including Leslie Fram (Sr. VP/Music Strategy at Viacom/CMT), Tracy Gershon (VP, A&R at Rounder Records), Ree Guyer Buchanan (owner/president of Wrensong Music Publishing), Marcie Allen (MAC Presents), Julie Boos (Flood, Bumstead, McCready & McCarthy), Linda Edell Howard (Adams and Reese, LLP), Sloane Scott (FLO.CO) and Heather McBee (Nashville Entrepreneur Center).
The executives shared stories and career advice, and emphasized the importance of empowering women in the entertainment industry.
WHO KNEW is presented by the College of Media and Entertainment at Middle Tennessee State University and MusicRowSearch, with support from Dell Nashville, Stites & Harbison, Uncle Classic Barber Shop, Axis Teknologies, Southwest Airlines, Jammber Music, Anacrusis, Do615, Lightning 100, Jukebox Mixtape, Jive! Printing, Signs First and Kaleidoscope Media.
Ree Guyer Buchanan speaks at WHO KNEW Presents: Women Who Rock. Photo: Autumn Haile
Leslie Fram speaks at WHO KNEW Presents: Women Who Rock. Photo: Autumn Haile
Linda Edell Howard speaks during WHO KNEW Presents: Women Who Rock. Photo: Autumn Haile
Tracy Gershon speaks during WHO KNEW Presents: Women Who Rock. Photo: Paul Schatzkin
Sloane Scott speaks during WHO KNEW Presents: Women Who Rock. Photo: Autumn Haile
Artist News: Darius Rucker, Cam, Terri Clark, Nitty Gritty Dirt Band
/by Sarah SkatesDarius Rucker To Host ACM Lifting Lives Golf Classic
Darius Rucker will return to host the ACM Lifting Lives Golf Classic for the fifth consecutive year at TPC Las Vegas on Sat., April 2, 2016. Proceeds from the tournament benefit the ACM Lifting Lives’ Diane Holcomb Emergency Relief Fund, which provides immediate relief to those in need within the music industry.
The ACM Lifting Lives Golf Classic and the 4th Annual ACM Party for a Cause Festival are just two events benefitting the charities during “The Week Vegas Goes Country,” leading up to the 51st Academy of Country Music Awards at the MGM Grand Garden Arena in Las Vegas Sunday, April 3.
Cam Remakes “Here Comes The Sun” For Major Motion Picture
Cam. Photo: Ninelle Efremova
Cam has recorded a remake of “Here Comes The Sun” which will be included in the Sony Pictures film Miracles From Heaven (starring Jennifer Garner) opening in theaters nationwide tomorrow (March 16). This classic song was written by George Harrison and first released in 1969 on the Beatles’ album Abbey Road.
This past weekend, Cam made her Down Under debut performing at CMC Rocks QLD 2016. “Mayday” is the new follow-up to her major hit “Burning House.” Cam heads to the April 3 ACM Awards as the most-nominated female, with six nominations.
Terri Clark To Host Country Gold Show
Westwood One has announced that Terri Clark will take over hosting duties of the four-hour classic country show Country Gold, beginning the weekend of April 9-10, 2016. Country Gold airs on more than 100 stations. Randy Owen previously hosted the show for four years.
Nitty Gritty Dirt Band On PBS Tonight
The Nitty Gritty Dirt Band’s star-studded PBS Pledge Special airs tonight (March 15) at 7 p.m. CST on WNPT in Nashville. Guests include John Prine, Sam Bush, Vince Gill, Jerry Jeff Walker, Alison Krauss, Rodney Crowell, Byron House, and Jerry Douglas as well as former members, Jimmy Ibbotson (longtime member) and Rock and Roll Hall of Famer and early NGDB member Jackson Browne.
There will be an accompanying CD and DVD as well as concert tickets and meet and greets available exclusively through PBS member stations.
The Nitty Gritty Dirt Band has a full slate of dates to commemorate their Golden 50th anniversary running through the end of 2017.
Mark Collie To Release New ‘Icon’ Album Of Hits April 15
/by Troy_StephensonSinger, actor, and songwriter Mark Collie will release a new ICON collection, to be released April 15 by MCA Nashville/UMe. Collie has had a list of hits including “Something With A Ring To It,” “Born To Love You,” “Even the Man in the Moon is Crying,” and “Hard Lovin’ Woman.”
Collie’s four MCA Nashville albums, Hardin County Line (1990), Born And Raised In Black & White (1991), Mark Collie (1993), and Unleashed (1994), make their digital release debuts on March 25.
Mark Collie: ICON
1. She’s Never Comin’ Back
2. Even the Man in the Moon is Crying
3. Looks Aren’t Everything
4. Let Her Go
5. Something With A Ring To It
6. Born to Love You
7. Shame Shame Shame Shame
8. Calloused Hands
9. Hardin County Line
10. Something’s Gonna Change Her Mind
11. Hard Lovin’ Woman
Collie stars as Frankie Gray on ABC’s hit show “Nashville,” which returns Wednesday, March 16 for the second half of its fourth season. On April 16, SiriusXM’s Prime Country channel will air a new interview with Collie between 5 p.m. and 7 p.m. EDT. That evening, Collie will perform at Nashville’s Grand Ole Opry, with an autograph session at the Opry’s gift shop to follow the show.
Jon Platt, Cathy Hughes Named National Museum Of African American Music Honorees
/by Jessica NicholsonThe National Museum of African American Music (NMAAM) will honor several artists and industry executives during the 2016 My Music Matters™: A Celebration of Legends Luncheon, to be held Friday, May 6 at Nashville’s Renaissance Hotel. Shannon Sanders and Dyana Williams, GRAMMY chapter presidents of Nashville and Philadelphia, respectively, will co-host the event and serve as masters of ceremonies.
Sanders and Williams were on hand Tuesday morning (March 15) at Nashville’s Renaissance Hotel to announce this year’s honorees, which include:
• Pastor Shirley Caesar, GRAMMY®, Dove and Stellar award-winning Gospel icon
• Cathy Hughes, TV One/Radio One, Chairman
• Alfred Liggins, III, TV One/Radio One, President & CEO
• Kenny Gamble, Gamble-Huff Music
• Leon Huff, Gamble-Huff Music
• Jon Platt, CEO, Warner/Chappell Music, North America
“It is an honor to serve as co-host of the Legends Luncheon with the co-founder of Black Music Month, Dyana Williams, in Music City,” said Sanders, the first African American elected to serve as president of the GRAMMY’s Nashville chapter. “It’s especially powerful that we will host this event in Nashville, leading into June and celebrating NMAAM. This project is a cultural imperative, not just for Nashville, but for the world. I am looking forward to the many aspects of American culture told within the museum and in communities all across this country.”
“The conversations we have had with leaders and community members, across the nation, fueled our progress and has produced growth in multiple facets,” said H. Beecher Hicks III, president and CEO of NMAAM. “By ensuring the mission of NMAAM with new and existing supporters, we have accomplished key milestones and significant fundraising, including securing plans for our future home – in the heart of Music City’s downtown core – surpassing 2015 goals and reaching over 10,000 youth and adults through expanded educational programming.”
Tickets for the My Music Matters: A Celebration of Legends luncheon are $125 per person and can be purchased at nmaam.org. Those interested in becoming a sponsor should contact NMAAM’s development department by calling 615-301-8724 or contacting info@nmaam.org.
Kix Brooks Is Cookin’ With New Book
/by Sarah Skates“This cookbook is all about making it easy to be outside creating memories with the people who mean the most to you,” said Brooks. “Whether you are getting ready for a backyard BBQ, planning a menu for Thanksgiving Dinner or want to cook up some fish you just pulled out of a stream, we have recipes for you. Before you know it, you’ll be cookin’ like a Cajun too!”
The multi-faceted entertainer hosts his Kickin It with Kix radio show, a Cooking Channel series Steak Out with Kix Brooks, co-owns Arrington Vineyards and is a contributor to Nash Country Weekly. The residency, Reba, Brooks & Dunn Together In Vegas, has had 18 consecutive sellouts and continues May 3 at The Colosseum at Caesars Palace.
Fans can now pre-order the cookbook at www.kixbrooks.com.
In Pictures: Country 2 Country Music Festival 2016
/by Jessica NicholsonA plethora of country stars have been overseas taking part in the three-day Country 2 Country Festival in Dublin, Glasgow and London. Among them are Maren Morris, Miranda Lambert, Sam Hunt, Carrie Underwood, Chris Stapleton, Little Big Town, Frankie Ballard, Eric Church, Kacey Musgraves, Thomas Rhett, Ashley Monroe, Maddie & Tae, Dwight Yoakam, Charlie Worsham and more.
Country 2 Country announced the festival will return next year, with dates slated for March 10-12, 2017.
Columbia Records U.K. Co-President Alison Donald (back center) and various members of her team toast Maren Morris (front center) along with Morris’ manager Janet Weir (3rd from left) and Sony Music Nashville’s Chairman & CEO Randy Goodman (far right) before Morris’ performance at The Borderline on Monday night as part of the C2C (Country to Country) Music Festival held in London, Glasgow and Dublin.
David Nail. Photo: C2C Festival London
Ashley Monroe. Photo: Twitter/Country2Country
Sam Hunt. Photo: Twitter/Country2Country
Kacey Musgraves. Photo: Twitter/Country2Country
Carrie Underwood. Photo: Twitter/Country2Country
John Zarling Among ‘Billboard’ Branding Power Players
/by Sarah SkatesJohn Zarling
Big Machine Label Group Sr. VP Partnership Marketing and Promotion Strategy John Zarling ranks on Billboard’s just-released list of Branding Power Players.
Zarling has been with the company since it was founded in 2005, starting in a radio promotion role and then expanding to brand partnerships. He tells Billboard, “in the past five years, we’ve secured $22 million in cash and in-kind value…we deliver the artist but also produce, manage and execute the events.” Zarling recently secured partnerships for Brantley Gilbert and Harley-Davidson, and Levi Hummon and Ram trucks.
According to the article, branding partnerships bring about $2 billion in revenue to the music industry.
Also included in the list is Marcie Allen, President of MAC Presents. The Nashville native commutes to her offices in New York, and has executed numerous award winning partnerships. Her recent deals include Southwest Airlines and Imagine Dragons.
Others on the power players list with strong Nashville ties include Jennifer Breithaupt, Citi’s Managing Dir. of Media, Advertising and Global Entertainment; and Shari Lewin, Agent, William Morris Endeavor.
See the methodology and complete list here.
Sony To Acquire Michael Jackson’s Share Of Sony/ATV Estate For $750 Million
/by Jessica NicholsonMichael Jackson. Photo: Michael Jackson Facebook.
Sony Corporation of America has signed an agreement to obtain full ownership of Sony/ATV Music Publishing LLC by acquiring the 50 percent interest in Sony/ATV held by the Michael Jackson Estate, for $750 million. The purchase includes a lump sum payment of $733 million, as well as distributions previously committed to by Sony/ATV to be paid to the Michael Jackson estate.
“The entertainment businesses have long been a core part of Sony and are a key driver of our future growth,” said Kazuo Hirai, President and CEO of Sony Corporation. “This agreement further demonstrates Sony’s commitment to the entertainment businesses and our firm belief that these businesses will continue to contribute to our success for years to come.”
The purchase process began in September, as Sony exercised a right that has been in place since joint venture was formed between Jackson and Sony in 1995.
The transaction will not affect its continuing interests in other music assets, including all of Michael Jackson’s master recordings as well as Mijac Music, the publishing company that owns all songs written by Jackson, as well as songs by some of his favorite songwriters and artists that were acquired by Jackson during his life. The Jackson estate will also retain its ownership interest in EMI Music Publishing.
“This transaction further allows us to continue our efforts of maximizing the value of Michael’s Estate for the benefit of his children,” said John Branca and John McClain, co-executors of the estate. “It also further validates Michael’s foresight and genius in investing in music publishing. His ATV catalogue, purchased in 1985 for a net acquisition cost of $41.5 million, was the cornerstone of the joint venture and, as evidenced by the value of this transaction, is considered one of the smartest investments in music history.”
“When Sony first partnered with Michael Jackson 21 years ago to create Sony/ATV Music Publishing, we knew that this company had the ability to reach great heights,” said Michael Lynton, CEO of Sony Entertainment, Inc. “This acquisition will enable Sony to more quickly adapt to changes in the music publishing business, while at the same time continuing to be an unparalleled leader in the industry and a treasured home for artists and writers. We want to express our gratitude to the Estate of Michael Jackson and to the Jackson family for their years of partnership. All of us at Sony look forward to continuing to work with the Estate to further Michael Jackson’s legacy in many different ways.”
Jesse Willoughby Promoted To GM Of Kobalt, Nashville
/by Craig_ShelburneJesse Willoughby. Photo: Laurie Dallriva
Jesse Willoughby has been promoted to General Manager Kobalt, Nashville, the company announced on Tuesday (March 15). Willoughby will assume the new position effective immediately and will report directly to Richard Sanders, President of Kobalt. In this new role, Willoughby will administer Nashville’s creative team and the office’s daily operations. Additionally, he’ll explore possibilities for new deals across the various Kobalt businesses.
Willoughby previously served as Director, Business Development for Kobalt Neighbouring Rights where he was the face of Kobalt’s North American operations for KNR and responsible for handling U.S.-based artist signings, including Bruno Mars, Ariana Grande, Carly Rae Jepsen, Nico & Vinz, Aloe Blacc and Shakira among others.
Willoughby commented, “I am incredibly grateful for this new opportunity with Kobalt and continuing my career with one of the most innovative and progressive publishers in the world. Getting to work with our amazing creative staff, Stephanie Cox and Laura Alexander, alongside our entire global Kobalt creative team, I’m enthusiastic for the opportunity ahead. I am so thankful to Willard Ahdritz, Richard Sanders, Sas Metcalfe, Ann Tausis and Sue Drew along with the entire Kobalt family for their inspiration and mentorship.”
On Jesse Willoughby’s appointment, Sanders stated, “Over the past several years, we have observed Jesse’s tremendous professional growth and outstanding contributions to Kobalt at large. We know he’ll bring exceptional value to the Nashville office and we trust that his leadership will be critical in the expansion of Kobalt Nashville for the creative team and artists.”
Willoughby launched his career in 2005 working in the membership department at ASCAP’s Nashville office. While at ASCAP, Willoughby transferred to the LA office where he focused on pop/rock memberships under Sue Drew, who is now GM Creative & Acquisitions at Kobalt. After spending almost 10 years with the performing rights organization, Willoughby joined Kobalt in 2014 as the Business Development Manager for KNR where he reported to Ann Tausis, General Manager (KNR) and Hans Van Berkel, Chairman (KNR) in the London office.