Pictured (Back row, L-R): Big Red Toe Music’s Craig Wiseman, ASCAP’s Ryan Beuschel, Big Red Mountain’s Seth England, producer Joey Moi, Big Machine Label Group’s Scott Borchetta, and BMI’s Jody Williams; (Middle row, L-R): co-writers Rodney Clawson and Chris Tompkins, Florida Georgia Line’s Brian Kelley and Tyler Hubbard, and co-writer Thomas Rhett; (Front row, L-R): CMA’s Brandi Simms, Republic Nashville’s Matthew Hargis, EMI Blackwood Music Publishing’s Tom Luteran, and Republic Nashville’s Jimmy Harnen. Photo credit: Rick Diamond
celebrated his first No. 1 song as a songwriter (as one of the writers behind
Florida Georgia Line‘s “‘Round Here”) and his first No. 1 single as an artist (“It Goes Like This”) during an event Monday afternoon (Dec. 2) at Nashville’s Marathon Music Works. BMI’s
Jody Williams and ASCAP’s
Ryan Beuschel were on hand to honor the songwriters behind the two chart-topping songs.
It was quite the accomplishment for Big Machine Label Group, which is the recording home to both Florida Georgia Line (Republic Nashville) and Rhett (The Valory Music Co). “The first cut is the deepest, and this is a deep cut,” Big Machine Label Group president and CEO
Scott Borchetta told songwriter-singer Thomas Rhett.
It was a special moment for Thomas Rhett’s father,
Rhett Akins, who co-wrote “It Goes Like This.” Akins recalled the day he and Thomas Rhett were preparing to meet with a Nashville record label president to discuss signing Thomas Rhett, when he got an enthusiastic call from Big Machine’s Borchetta. “He said, ‘I need to talk to you really badly–in a good way,'” recalled Akins. “We knew we had something.”
According to Borchetta, it was a signing that wasn’t supposed to happen. Two years ago, Borchetta had decided to take a short break from signing artists, and told
Allison Jones, VP of A&R. Jones insisted on taking one more meeting, with Thomas Rhett. Borchetta agreed, having known Thomas Rhett’s father for years. Borchetta knew they had made the right decision when he heard Thomas Rhett perform. “This must be what it was like to sign Roger Miller,” Borchetta recalled. He immediately decided to recant on his decision not to sign any new artists at that time. “I said, ‘When you make the rules, you can break the rules. Let’s sign this guy,'” Borchetta told the crowd.
Rhett Akins, Ben Hayslip and
Jimmy Robbins were honored for penning “It Goes Like This” for Thomas Rhett.
Rodney Clawson,
Chris Tompkins and Thomas Rhett were feted for crafting “‘Round Here,” the third chart-topper for FGL.”It’s a big music swirl,” said
Craig Wiseman, of Big Red Toe Music. “You got to buy a lot of beers and have a lot of parties, but that’s a good problem to have. I’ve been out there on the road and you can’t even hear the PA when [Florida Georgia Line performs] this song live.”
“I’ve been to a few of these No. 1 parties,” said Thomas Rhett. “I wondered what it would be like to be the person talking. I remember being in Kansas when I got a call from Seth [England] that Brian [Kelley] and Tyler [Hubbard] were cutting this. They are such great guys. We’re all just changing lanes and it all comes together.”
Pictured (Back row, L-R): The Valory Music Company’s George Briner, BMI’s Jody Williams, G Major Management’s Virginia Davis, producer Michael Knox, This Music’s Rusty Gaston, Big Machine Label Group’s Allison Jones and Sandi Spika Borchetta, and ASCAP’s Ryan Beuschel; (Middle row, L-R): co-writer Rhett Akins, Thomas Rhett, and co-writers Ben Hayslip and Jimmy Robbins; (Front row, L-R): Universal Music Publishing’s Kent Earls, Big Machine Label Group’s Scott Borchetta, EMI Blackwood Music Publishing’s Tom Luteran, and Warner-Chappell Music Publishing’s Ben Vaughn. Photo credit: Rick Diamond.
Music Health Alliance Names Advisory Board
/by Lorie HollabaughIn the last year MHA has secured over $1.6 million in financial aid, $350,000 in medical bill reductions, over $50,000 in insurance premium savings, and currently sees an average of 25 clients per week. MHA is located in Nashville but serves clients nationally.
“MHA’s staff consists of music industry veterans who are now licensed, certified and trained in health insurance, patient navigation, senior care,” says Allsep. “We all stay informed each day with the most current and factual updates regarding the Affordable Care Act. We truly understand the challenges facing our industry because we are part of this industry. Now our expertise provides a music friendly network of nationwide healthcare access and resources. We are in this to win this, because it is the right thing to do. It is said that ‘music heals’ and MHA is here to ‘heal the music.'”
ACM Radio Submissions Deadline Nearing
/by Jessica NicholsonThe 49th Annual Academy of Country Music Awards will be held Sunday, April 6, 2014 at the MGM Grand Garden Arena in Las Vegas. ACM members can send submissions at acmradio.dmds.com.
Industry Ink (12/3/13)
/by Jessica Nicholson• • •
Mike Kraski of Tenacity Management and Consulting.
Paula Kay Artist Management and Street Gypsy Management have merged with Tenacity Management and Consulting, according to Mike Kraski, president of Tenacity.
“Tenacity has continued to look at ways to grow our company and improve our services to our clients,” Kraski said. “The best way to do that is with talented and committed people. These companies bring expertise and relationships into our company that makes us a much stronger organization.”
“The entertainment industry is a selfish one — it gets most of our time, love and energy. I want to be part of a team that still puts the artist’s best interests first, and that’s what I found with Tenacity,” said Paula Kay Hornick.
“For me to join an organization it has to function like a family, with integrity, dedication and commitment,” said Patti Bernard of Street Gypsy. “And that is what Tenacity is. Our commitment doesn’t end at 5:00 and doesn’t stop where business ends.”
Tenacity formed in 2007. Tenacity offers, management, consulting, and label services including radio promotion and distribution. Hornick can be reached at paulakay@tenacitymanagement.com and Bernard at pbernard@tenacitymanagement.com.
• • •
Pictured (L-R): Gilles Godard, VP, Corporate Affairs and Development; CEO Robert Ott; Billy Falcon and John Ozier, GM, Nashville Creative.
ole has signed a worldwide administration deal with singer, songwriter and producer Billy Falcon. The agreement includes multiple cuts on the 2013 Bon Jovi album, What About Now, including the lead-off single, “Because We Can.” Among the artists to have recorded songs by Falcon are Stevie Nicks, Cher, Manfred Mann, Sherrie Austin, Meatloaf, Trace Adkins and Faith Hill, whose recording of the song “Give In To Me,” co-written by Falcon’s daughter Rose and Elisha Hoffman, was heard on the soundtrack of the film, Country Strong.
Falcon, a native of Valley Stream, New York, moved to Nashville in the early ’90s. Since then he has spent time writing and producing, including production work for his own daughter Rose, and performing with the band The Sowing Circle.
• • •
Cunningham’s changes to the menu include a larger daily specials menu and more focus on local and regional farm-to-table fare.
Artist Updates (12/3/13)
/by Lorie HollabaughRachael Lampa
Rachael Lampa will headline the 5th Annual Harvest Hands Benefit Concert on Saturday, Dec. 14 at 7:00 PM at the Cannery Ballroom. Native Run, The Collective from NBC’s The Sing Off, American Idol finalist Matt Giraud, Jason Eskridge, and Brooks Ritter will also perform. Harvest Hands is a non-profit, faith-based organization in inner-city South Nashville.
Tickets are $10 in advance and $12 at the door, with all proceeds benefiting Harvest Hands. Tickets are available online at mercylounge.com, Grimey’s and The Groove.
• • •
Pictured (L-R): Mark Beckett, Larry Paxton, Kalisa Ewing, Tommy White, Mike Noble and Kerry Marx
Kalisa Ewing recently performed on the Grand Ole Opry at the Ryman backed by a stellar group of musicians, including Mark Beckett, Larry Paxton, Tommy White, Mike Noble and Kerry Marx.
• • •
To celebrate the release, the band will perform “Who We Are” on The Tonight Show with Jay Leno on Dec. 10. The new song is from Switchfoot’s forthcoming ninth studio album, also titled Fading West, due out Jan. 14.
'CMA Country Christmas' Rises In Ratings
/by Jessica NicholsonMary J. Blige and Jennifer Nettles
ABC’s CMA Country Christmas brought in 7.35 million viewers on Tuesday evening (Dec. 2), according to reports from Zap2It.com. The Christmas special’s viewership ratings gained a 1.5, up a tenth from last year’s 1.4 rating among adults 18-49. Last year, the special brought in 7.21 million viewers.
Host Jennifer Nettles opened the show with a sparkling version of “What Christmas Means To Me.” Luke Bryan and Duck Dynasty‘s Willie Robertson shared a duet of “Hairy Christmas,” a song featured on Duck The Halls: A Robertson Family Christmas. Bryan also performed “Run Run Rudolph.” Rascal Flatts offered a rendition of “A Strange Way To Save The World,” while Lady Antebellum devoted “I’ll Be Home To Christmas” to members of the military.
Darius Rucker‘s performance of “Happy Christmas (War Is Over)” was aided by a children’s choir. Other highlights included performances from Trace Adkins (“Silent Night”), Sheryl Crow (“Chestnuts Roasting On An Open Fire”), Lucy Hale (“Home”), Jake Owen (“Mele Kalikimaka”), Hunter Hayes (“Let It Snow, Let It Snow, Let It Snow”), Kellie Pickler (“The Man With The Bag”) and others.
Nettles’ versatile vocals were displayed on flawless collaborations with Mary J. Blige (“Do You Hear What I Hear?”) and Michael W. Smith (“Christmas Day”).
Watch Jennifer Nettles and Mary J. Blige perform “Do You Hear What I Hear?”
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=o2uTJl6JWXQ
CMT To Honor Year's Top Artists Tonight
/by Lorie HollabaughRon White will host the fourth annual celebration, which includes performances, collaborations, and speeches saluting the careers of the five honorees.
Mitchell Tenpenny – Black Crow
/by contributorAs a twenty-five year old musician and graduate of Middle Tennessee State University, Mitchell has grown up in and around the music business. His grandmother was the late Donna Hilley, who for years ran Sony/Tree Music Publishing and exposed him to singers like Brooks & Dunn and Blake Shelton as well as some of the best artists, songwriters, producers, and engineers in the business. The advice gleaned from these industry experts as well as his own broad musical interests have laid the groundwork he needed to develop the distinct style for which he is known today.
A few of the artists who can claim the greatest influence on his career are Brooks & Dunn, Vince Gill, John Mayer, Justin Timberlake and Michael Jackson. A life spent learning from the best country music has to offer combined with his own R&B and pop interests has produced the artist that Mitchell Tenpenny is today. His songs are eclectic, powerful, and memorable, and both on the stage and in the recording studio, he always gives the audience more and more of himself through his music.
www.mitchell10penny.com
Garth Brooks To Play Full Band Shows In Vegas
/by Michael_Smith“I’ve been itching for the chance to bring my band to Vegas to play this room,” said Brooks. “I can’t wait. Steve Wynn told me I could use the theater anytime. I asked him when I could start and his response was, ‘How about New Year’s Eve?'”
Tickets for the singer’s shows will go on sale Friday, Dec. 6 at 10 a.m. through Ticketmaster.
Brooks’ CBS television special, Garth Brooks Live From Las Vegas, pulled in 8.75 million viewers among adults 18-49. The special aired Friday, Nov. 29.
Florida Georgia Line, Thomas Rhett Celebrate At Double No. 1 Party
/by Jessica NicholsonPictured (Back row, L-R): Big Red Toe Music’s Craig Wiseman, ASCAP’s Ryan Beuschel, Big Red Mountain’s Seth England, producer Joey Moi, Big Machine Label Group’s Scott Borchetta, and BMI’s Jody Williams; (Middle row, L-R): co-writers Rodney Clawson and Chris Tompkins, Florida Georgia Line’s Brian Kelley and Tyler Hubbard, and co-writer Thomas Rhett; (Front row, L-R): CMA’s Brandi Simms, Republic Nashville’s Matthew Hargis, EMI Blackwood Music Publishing’s Tom Luteran, and Republic Nashville’s Jimmy Harnen. Photo credit: Rick Diamond
Thomas Rhett celebrated his first No. 1 song as a songwriter (as one of the writers behind Florida Georgia Line‘s “‘Round Here”) and his first No. 1 single as an artist (“It Goes Like This”) during an event Monday afternoon (Dec. 2) at Nashville’s Marathon Music Works. BMI’s Jody Williams and ASCAP’s Ryan Beuschel were on hand to honor the songwriters behind the two chart-topping songs.
It was quite the accomplishment for Big Machine Label Group, which is the recording home to both Florida Georgia Line (Republic Nashville) and Rhett (The Valory Music Co). “The first cut is the deepest, and this is a deep cut,” Big Machine Label Group president and CEO Scott Borchetta told songwriter-singer Thomas Rhett.
It was a special moment for Thomas Rhett’s father, Rhett Akins, who co-wrote “It Goes Like This.” Akins recalled the day he and Thomas Rhett were preparing to meet with a Nashville record label president to discuss signing Thomas Rhett, when he got an enthusiastic call from Big Machine’s Borchetta. “He said, ‘I need to talk to you really badly–in a good way,'” recalled Akins. “We knew we had something.”
According to Borchetta, it was a signing that wasn’t supposed to happen. Two years ago, Borchetta had decided to take a short break from signing artists, and told Allison Jones, VP of A&R. Jones insisted on taking one more meeting, with Thomas Rhett. Borchetta agreed, having known Thomas Rhett’s father for years. Borchetta knew they had made the right decision when he heard Thomas Rhett perform. “This must be what it was like to sign Roger Miller,” Borchetta recalled. He immediately decided to recant on his decision not to sign any new artists at that time. “I said, ‘When you make the rules, you can break the rules. Let’s sign this guy,'” Borchetta told the crowd.
Rhett Akins, Ben Hayslip and Jimmy Robbins were honored for penning “It Goes Like This” for Thomas Rhett. Rodney Clawson, Chris Tompkins and Thomas Rhett were feted for crafting “‘Round Here,” the third chart-topper for FGL.”It’s a big music swirl,” said Craig Wiseman, of Big Red Toe Music. “You got to buy a lot of beers and have a lot of parties, but that’s a good problem to have. I’ve been out there on the road and you can’t even hear the PA when [Florida Georgia Line performs] this song live.”
“I’ve been to a few of these No. 1 parties,” said Thomas Rhett. “I wondered what it would be like to be the person talking. I remember being in Kansas when I got a call from Seth [England] that Brian [Kelley] and Tyler [Hubbard] were cutting this. They are such great guys. We’re all just changing lanes and it all comes together.”
Pictured (Back row, L-R): The Valory Music Company’s George Briner, BMI’s Jody Williams, G Major Management’s Virginia Davis, producer Michael Knox, This Music’s Rusty Gaston, Big Machine Label Group’s Allison Jones and Sandi Spika Borchetta, and ASCAP’s Ryan Beuschel; (Middle row, L-R): co-writer Rhett Akins, Thomas Rhett, and co-writers Ben Hayslip and Jimmy Robbins; (Front row, L-R): Universal Music Publishing’s Kent Earls, Big Machine Label Group’s Scott Borchetta, EMI Blackwood Music Publishing’s Tom Luteran, and Warner-Chappell Music Publishing’s Ben Vaughn. Photo credit: Rick Diamond.
Major Bob Music Announces Additions, Promotions
/by Jessica NicholsonJesse Frasure
Major Bob Music has announced a series of additions and promotions.
Jesse Frasure has been named VP of Major Bob Music, Inc. The 10-year Major Bob veteran helped build the roster and accelerate the careers of songwriters including Neil Thrasher, Cary Barlowe, The Band Perry, Shane Stevens, John & Jacob and others. He will continue work for Major Bob Productions and help lead the publishing company. Frasure has produced or co-written for Hot Chelle Rae, Rascal Flatts, Leah Turner, TobyMac and others.
Mike Doyle
Mike Doyle, after serving for several years as Director of Major Bob Music, will move into management with Bob Doyle and Associates. He will be responsible for the careers of singer-songwriter duo John & Jacob. John & Jacob recently signed with CAA and celebrated their first No. 1 as songwriters with The Band Perry‘s “DONE.”
Tina Crawford
Tina Crawford will join the Major Bob Music family as Director of A&R. Crawford’s industry career began in Country radio in Michigan. She was then hired at Broken Bow Records in Nashville, where she worked in all areas of promotion, A&R/Artist Development, as well as song plugging at Magic Mustang Music, and most recently as Director of Creative Services for the label’s three imprints: BBR, Stoney Creek and Red Bow Records.
Andy Friday
Andy Friday has been promoted to Sr. Director of New Media/Associate Manager. Friday is a graduate of King College, and also studied music and creative arts in Sydney, Australia while attending Hillsong International Leadership College.