CMA Releases Holiday Sales Survey Findings

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Recent research released by the Country Music Association shows that technology, as expected, has increasingly weaved its way into the holiday purchases of country music listeners, whether through shopping online or via using smartphones to do product and price comparisons.

Findings from a recent survey include:

  • 41 percent of County Music fans planned to purchase or download holiday music CDs to complement their holiday celebrations.
  • 72 percent of Country Music fans considered purchasing and giving Country Music as a gift.
  • 83 percent of Country Music fans planned to shop online, which is slightly less than the percentage that planned to shop at traditional retailers (93 percent).
  • Top stores for holiday shopping included Walmart, Target, Best Buy, Kohl’s and Macy’s. Country music fans also planned to make frequent purchases at online retailers such as Amazon and eBay, as well as the online counterparts for the aforementioned retail outlets.

Technology plays a large role in the purchasing process for many Country Music fans–eight out of 10 report that they planned to do product and price comparisons using their Smartphone.

The survey was conducted online with respondents ages 18 and older from the CMA Insider Fan Panel, a group of more than 13,000 Country Music fans recruited from various industry and consumer sources. The make-up of the CMA Insider Fan Panel includes adults from all demographic groups. Results of this panel research are not projectable to the overall U.S. population.

CMT Adds Senior VP, Development

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Joe Livecchi has joined CMT as Senior VP, Development. He will oversee multiple network development teams, along with all external and third party productions. Livecchi will be based at the Viacom Media Network headquarters in New York and will report to Jayson Dinsmore, CMT’s EVP Development and Programming. CMT’s West Coast development team of Claire McCabe, Melanie Moreau and Eliot Goldberg will report to Livecchi.

“Joe is a fantastic collaborator, a passionate story teller, and an even more dynamic person,” says Dinsmore via a release. “As we continue to drive forward our ambitious plan to provide more surprising, engaging and compelling programming, having Joe in the mix will be a tremendous asset to CMT. I couldn’t be happier to bring him on board.”

Previously, Livecchi held positions as Executive Director of development and programming at BBC Worldwide, Vice President and Creative Director of NBC 2000, a creative think tank within The NBC Agency in Burbank, Calif. and Director of Interstitial Programming for ABC. He is a 1990 graduate of Hofstra University.

Scott Borchetta Named One of the Most “Disruptive” People

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Big Machine Label Group President and CEO Scott Borchetta was named as one of “10 People That Totally Changed The Industry in 2012” in a special report by Digital Music News.

According to the news site, Borchetta “had a deliciously disruptive 2012. Big Machine is now inking some groundbreaking, direct licensing deals with major radio conglomerates, and chipping away at a decades-old legacy of extreme radio royalty complication. He’s also shown the chutzpah to thumb his nose at Spotify, while maximizing revenue through deals that emphasize full album sales.”

Others to make the list include Jeff Price (former CEO of TuneCore), Daniel EK (CEO of Spotify), Ellen Shipley (songwriter), Brian Zisk (SF MusicTech Summit), Daniel Glass (Glassnote Records), PSY (artist), Axel Dauchez (CEO of Deezer), Rich Bengloff (President of A2IM), Jimmy Iovine,  Dr. Dre and David Lowery.

In 2012, BMLG had the biggest album debut in over a decade with Taylor Swift‘s RED, marketed and distributed music for ABC’s Nashville, entered into a performance royalty rights agreement with Clear Channel and Entercom, formed partnership with General Mills and Feeding America called Outnumber Hunger and achieved multiple No. 1 singles for its roster of artists including Taylor Swift, Brantley Gilbert, Eli Young Band, Rascal Flatts, Martina McBride, Greg Bates, The Band Perry and Florida Georgia Line.

By The Numbers: CMA Country Christmas on ABC

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2012 Country Christmas. Pictured (L-R): Dierks Bentley, Host Jennifer Nettles, Martina McBride and Keith Urban

ABC aired the 3rd Annual CMA Country Christmas broadcast last night (Dec. 20) with Sugarland’s Jennifer Nettles serving as host.

Additional artists who joined the three-time host in celebration of the season included Dierks Bentley, Little Big Town, Martina McBride, Lady Antebellum, Scotty McCreery, The Band Perry, Keith Urban, Colbie Caillat, Katherine Jenkins and John Legend.

Nettles opened the show with “Naughty Would Be Nice For Christmas,” while reclining on a white couch before backup dancers join her. The Band Perry performed “Santa Claus Is Coming To Town,” and Lady Antebellum turned in a rendition of “Holly Jolly Christmas,” from their album On This Winter’s Night. Other highlights include Legend’s performance of “This Christmas,” Little Big Town’s rendition of Amy Grant’s “Tennessee Christmas,” McBride’s “O Come All Ye Faithful” and Urban’s “Have Yourself A Merry Little Christmas.”

This year’s two-hour special garnered 7.28 million live, plus same day views according to initial reporting by TV by the Numbers. The official tally, which takes into account on-demand viewing, will be forthcoming. In 2011, the broadcast drew more than 9 million viewers, an increase of nearly 23 percent over the inaugural broadcast in 2010.

Robert Deaton is executive producer, Paul Miller directs the event and David Wild is the writer.

The program, taped at Nashville’s Bridgestone Arena, will re-air on the network this Saturday (Dec. 22) and Sunday (Dec. 23).

MusicRowPics: JJ Lawhorn Artist Visit

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Average Joe’s JJ Lawhorn stopped by the MusicRow headquarters on Dec. 10. The Virginia native, who recently moved to Nashville, was discovered when he was 15 after posting a Justin Moore cover song on YouTube.

Now 19, Lawhorn played a set of four songs during his visit, including “Tanlines,” “She Kissed Me Anyway,” “That’s How The Country Grows Them” and his current single “You Can Tell a Man by His Truck.”

Lawhorn just wrapped filming his new music video for “You Can Tell a Man by His Truck,” as well as a touring stint with Colt Ford. For more information, visit jjlawhorn.com.

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Video Roundup: Lady Antebellum, The Voice

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Lady Antebellum has been entertaining fans with more than just their music. The trio’s “Webisode Wednesdays” series gives fans a peek into life on the road and in the studio. In this week’s episode, Lady Antebellum’s Charles Kelley reprises his character “Lady Aunt B” and welcomes “Euneeda Biscuit” (played by Laura Bell Bundy), along with Dierks Bentley.

YouTube video

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The fourth season of The Voice will launch early next year with two new coaches, Usher and Shakira, joining Blake Shelton and Adam Levine. A promo for the new season has been released. As the foursome ride in Shelton’s pickup truck, it quickly becomes obvious that their musical preferences are diverse–so diverse they begin arguing about what songs should be blaring through Shelton’s truck speakers. Ultimately, it takes a classic power ballad to get all four coaches singing along at the top of their lungs.

Network TV Finales Crown Country Winners

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Tate Stevens

Tate Stevens, a 37-year-old Belton, Mo. native, received a $5 million recording contract from Sony Music/Syco and a music video premiere at the 2013 Grammy Awards for his win on FOX’s X Factor last night (Dec. 20).

Performances earlier this week included Little Big Town’s “Pontoon” with Stevens in addition to 13-year-old runner-up Carly Rose Sonenclar’s head-turning “How Do I Live” duet with LeAnn Rimes. More than 35 million viewers reportedly cast votes for the season finale.

Throughout the program’s second season, Stevens performed country hits including Chris Young‘s “Tomorrow,” Clay Walker‘s “Fall,” Shania Twain‘s “From This Moment On,” Garth Brooks‘ “If Tomorrow Never Comes,” Keith Urban‘s “Somebody Like You,” Lonestar‘s “I’m Already There” and Craig Morgan‘s “Bonfire” and “Tough.”

Cassadee Pope and Avril Lavgine during The Voice live finale. Photo: Tyler Golden/NBC

The X Factor crowning comes on the heels of NBC’s The Voice, which recently named Cassadee Pope the winner from Team Blake. Pope made impressive single sales, as examined in our Weekly Register for her cover of Keith Urban‘s “Stupid Boy,” which scanned 117k units this week. Pope also performed Miranda Lambert‘s “Over You” and Faith Hill‘s “Cry” during the NBC season.

The Guitar: An American Love Story, Ends Dec. 30

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An exhibit at the State Museum featuring a selection of some of the rarest guitars ever created ends December 30. The free exhibition, entitled, The Guitar: An American Love Story, showcases more than 150 world-class guitars gathered from both private and museum collections. This is the only time in which this remarkable, assembled collection has appeared together in one gallery, available to the general public.

Earlier this month at the gallery, City National Bank sponsored an invitation-only members holiday evening for The Douglas Henry State Museum Commission and The Board of the Tennessee State Museum Foundation. Martha Henderson, Exec. VP and Manager of City National’s entertainment division attended while representatives from CNB’s Nashville office included Holly Bell, Sr. VP Team Manager; Lori Badgett, VP Entertainment, Diane Pearson, VP Entertainment/Team Leader and Mandy Gallagher, Relationship Manager. The packed gala celebrated The Guitar exhibit, along with exhibits Elvis at 21: Photographs by Alfred Wertheimer and Tim Nichols: Images from a Songwriter’s Camera. The event provided attendees a great opportunity to mix and mingle while viewing the impressive exhibits in the hall. The reception was followed by a performance by Vince Gill.

Vince Gill's 1942 Martin D-28

Highlights of the exhibit include:
• One of the King of Rock ‘n’ Roll Elvis Presley’s personal guitars. Courtesy of Graceland, Memphis, TN.
• Standout guitars from Grammy-winning entertainer Vince Gill’s private collection including his cherished 1942 Martin D-28.
• Three-time Rock and Roll Hall of Fame inductee Eric Clapton’s 1958 Gibson Explorer. On loan from a private collection.
• A historically significant Lloyd Loar quartet featuring a mandola, mandocello, mandolin and guitar. Matched set, circa 1924. On loan from a private collection.
• The 1953 Fender Telecaster played by famed Rolling Stone band guitarist Keith Richards. On loan from a private collection.
• Singer and actor Roy Roger’s OM-45 Deluxe guitar made by C.F. Martin & Co., circa 1930. On loan from a private collection.
• Rickenbacker “Frying Pan,” one of the very first solid body electric guitars.
• 1919 Martin 000-30-, likely the only one ever made. On loan from a private collection.
• c1900 guitar and mandolin made by Orville Gibson, the founder and namesake of Gibson Guitars. On loan from a private collection.

Nashville Scene‘s Jack Silverman offers an in-depth look at this stunning exhibit here.

WMN Hires Topspin Media Exec

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Wayne Leeloy

Warner Music Nashville announced the appointment of Wayne Leeloy as Senior Director of Digital Marketing, in an announcement yesterday (12/20). Leeloy will report to Jeremy Holley, VP, Consumer & Interactive Marketing.

Leeloy previously served as Senior Director, Artist Services at Topspin Media in Nashville, responsible for business development, focusing on relationships with artists, management, labels for Country, Americana and Christian genres.

“His commitment to innovation, extensive experience in the direct-to-fan space, and strong ties to the tech community make him a superb addition to our team,” said Holley. “Wayne will be a valuable resource as we continue to grow and evolve our digital business.”

Prior to his work at Top Spin, Leeloy established the artist development consultancy, Foundation Music Group and launched Ticketmaster’s custom marketing and sales division.

Charlie Cook On Air: Merry Christmas

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Can you believe that it is Christmas next week? Well of course you can, there are decorations all over the place, you’ve spent more time at the mall or on-line shopping and you’re winding down for the year.

I hope that you’re ready. I hope that you have wrapped up your shopping. Though I suspect with a three-day weekend going into Christmas on Tuesday you may have procrastinated like I have.

Because I am not done with my shopping I thought that I would make a list. I am not going to speak for all of Nashville, just for myself, with an eye to what some people might be hoping for under the tree.

  1. More primary color CDs. Red was a huge seller. How about Blue and Green. And then in 2014 Cyan, Magenta and Yellow.
  2. Two more record company jobs. There appears to be one more person than jobs. This is the living and breathing musical chairs but with two more jobs there would always be one open.
  3. A solution to the performance rights battle. Maybe we put Bob Pittman and Kenny Chesney in a room and whoever comes out wins.
  4. A new chart system where nothing is older than 2 weeks. That way it is always fresh and an artist can chart each cut on their CD in 6 months.
  5. Reduced airfares between Nashville and Atlanta.
  6. To even the ratings landscape in multiple country station markets, the leading station must play “Achy Breaky Heart” at least once per shift.
  7. The very talented Trace Adkins has his sentence commuted so that he doesn’t have to host the ACAs next year.
  8. More TV shows like Nashville. Maybe Branson. The same topics but with more of an accent. And an older cast for CBS TV.
  9. More instances where the Grammys reach out to Nashville. Like awarding a country song the Grammy in the Country category.
  10. Fifty-three number ones next year. We’ll work out the details.

Merry Christmas. May you get what you wish for.

(The views expressed in this article are those of the author and do not necessarily reflect those of MusicRow.)