Chesney Tops “Pollstar” Country Rankings

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Pollstar’s mid year tour rankings list Kenny Chesney as country music’s top grossing touring act. With $33.9 million grossed in 2012, Chesney, who is on the Brothers of the Sun tour with Tim McGraw, ranks No. 4 on the all genre list of Top 100 North American tours. Lady A comes in close behind with $30.9 million.

Scoring the top 3 spots on the list are Cirque du Soleil Michael Jackson ($78.5 million), Roger Waters (61.9) and Van Halen (44.9).

Pollstar’s Top Country Tours of the Year 

No. 4 Kenny Chesney, 33.9 million
No. 5 Lady Antebellum, 30.9
No. 15 Brad Paisley, 20.5
No. 22 Miranda Lambert, 17.6
No. 25 Jason Aldean, 13.8
No. 27 Eric Church, 12.8
No. 31 Zac Brown Band, 11.9
No. 33 Rascal Flatts, 11.3
No. 34 Blake Shelton, 10.6
No. 35 George Strait, 10.4

Others Nashville related acts charting in the Top 100 include Willie Nelson, Casting Crowns, Sugarland, Glen Campbell, Alison Krauss and Union Station and MercyMe.

Pollstar reports that the Top 100 Tours in North America generated a combined gross of $1,125.9 billion, up 1.2 percent over last year. This increase came despite a 9.4 percent drop in ticket prices, which currently average $58.61 per ticket. Artists made up the difference by playing more shows. More here.

For the full list on North American tours and details including average ticket price, average gross, and number of shows click here. The top Worldwide Tours list is here.

 

JT Hodges Sets Debut Album Release

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Show Dog-Universal Music will release JT Hodges’ self titled debut album on Aug. 21. Hodges penned eight of the ten tracks on the project.

Earlier this month, Hodges asked fans to help select the next single via a Facebook poll. As voting edges past the halfway point, the contenders have been narrowed down to major frontrunner “Sleepy Little Town” and “Rather Be Wrong Than Lonely.” Fans may continue to vote here.

Hodges hit the scene in 2011 with the release of his debut single, “Hunt You Down,” and a slot on Toby Keith’s Locked & Loaded Tour. He followed that with “Goodbyes Made You Mine,” the second single from his soon to be released CD.

JT Hodges track list

1.     Rather Be Wrong Than Lonely
2.     Sleepy Little Town
3.     Hunt You Down
4.     Give It One More Night
5.     When I Stop Crying
6.     Goodbyes Made You Mine
7.     Leaving Me Later
8.     Right About Now
9.     Rhythm of The Radio
10.  Green Eyes Red Sunglasses

Hot Line Up For “Country’s Night to Rock” TV Special

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Kimberly Perry and Luke Bryan host "CMA Music Festival: Country's Night to Rock."

Luke Bryan and Kimberly Perry host this summer’s hot television music event CMA Music Festival: Country’s Night to Rock, airing Monday, Sept. 17 (8:00-11:00 PM/ET) on ABC.

Shot June 7-10 at the Festival, the special offers behind-the-ropes access and interviews, late-night jams, and full-throttle performances. Bryan and Perry will be featured on the three-hour show along with Jason Aldean, Dierks Bentley, Kix Brooks, Eric Church, Brantley Gilbert, Hunter Hayes, Faith Hill, Alan Jackson, Lady Antebellum, Miranda Lambert, Little Big Town, Martina McBride, Scotty McCreery, Jake Owen, Brad Paisley, Rascal Flatts, Blake Shelton, The Band Perry, Carrie Underwood, Keith Urban, Hank Williams Jr. and Zac Brown Band.

The primetime television special, CMA Music Festival: Country’s Night to Rock, debuted in 2004 on CBS as a two-hour special. In 2005, it moved to the ABC Television Network, and then expanded to three hours in 2009. The special will air annually on ABC through 2021.

In 2011, CMA Music Festival: Country’s Night to Rock drew an average audience of 7 million viewers and finished as the most-watched program in its three-hour time period.

“Tuskegee” Tops Mid-Year Album Sales

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Lionel Richie’s Tuskegee, which was released March 26, is the best-selling album released in 2012 for the first half of the year.

Tuskegee sold approximately 912,000 copies, more than any other album released in 2012, by the mid-year point that ended July 1. It comes in second only to Adele’s 21 for total sales of all albums for the first half of this year.

With sales now topping 934,000, it claimed the No. 1 spot on the overall Billboard Top 200 albums chart for two consecutive weeks and sat atop the Billboard Country Albums chart for four weeks. It was certified platinum in five weeks.

“What a year!” Richie says. “This album has taken me on an unforgettable journey filled with new friends, new jokes and new musical inspirations. I am overwhelmed and humbled by the success of Tuskegee and am thrilled by how it has been embraced by music lovers of all ages and backgrounds around the world.”

The album features duets of 13 of Richie’s hits with Jason Aldean, Jimmy Buffett, Kenny Chesney, Billy Currington, Little Big Town, Tim McGraw, Willie Nelson, Jennifer Nettles, Rascal Flatts, Kenny Rogers, Darius Rucker, Blake Shelton and Shania Twain.

Richie will appear on the E! Network’s Chelsea Lately tonight (7/18). He is also performing shows throughout the United States, including July 28 at Detroit’s Comerica Park, and will embark on a European tour in the fall.

Weekly Register: ZBB Rides High As Universal Deal Suffers

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As the sweltering summer heat swirls, rising like laser beams on a major country stadium tour stage, the temperature isn’t the only thing that’s hot. Zac Brown Band’s latest offering Uncaged tops both country and all genre charts this week with debut scans of 234k units.

But joy on one side of the industry see-saw can mean pain somewhere else. In this instance, while Atlantic celebrates the hearty start by one of its signature acts, Universal Music Group is having to stave off criticism that its upcoming bid to purchase EMI will unbalance the global music marketplace. To win regulatory approval Universal is virtually being forced to hack off its own body parts to slim its hefty footprint. Assets being rumored for the scalpel include Virgin UK and/or US plus EMI Classics. This increasingly costly deal could easily extend into October before being resolved.

And then there is the disturbing news that, according to Nielsen SoundScan, catalog albums are outselling current ones. During the first six months of 2012, 76.6 million catalog albums bested 73.9 million currents. Nielsen analyst David Bakula cites lower prices on catalog material ($5.99—$7.99) for the unsettling occurrence.

The Cash Drawer
It ought to be Zac Brown’s birthday today, because country fans sure left a plethora of presents on his musical doorstep. According to the ever vigilant Neal Spielberg, of Spielberg Entertainment, “ZBB debuts at No. 1 on the Top 200 albums chart, Top digital albums and Top country albums. Adding to the dominance is his No. 1 on the country catalog chart with Foundation and No. 6 Pass the Jar, selling 14K and 5.2K respectively. Add in You Get What You Give, rising to No. 6 country (17k) and it adds up to a whole lot of ZBB. 270K to be exact, giving ZBB 26% of country albums sales this week.”

Thanks Mr. Spielberg. As they say on the six o’clock news, “That sums it up nicely.” Kudos to Zac, Atlantic and the entire ZBB team. And special thanks as well to Amazon and iTunes whose debut week price wars and overall country music sales were responsible for much of the week’s good news.

Also a nicely placed debut in the Warner Music camp is the latest from Hank Williams Jr. Old School New Rules enters the chart at No. 4 with sales over 25k.

All that debut energy boosts the weekly country album tally into the million+ range. Even the Top 75 Country Current list broke 600k this week and as our Weekly Register grid shows, country album sales (week ended 7/15/12) are now up a healthy 6%!

TrackingTheTracks!
As predicted last week, Little Big Town’s “Pontoon” easily glided into Gold territory while remaining at the top of the Digital Genre Country tracks chart for a second week with downloads over 84k. And, we now know to expect the vocal quartet’s next studio album, Tornado, on Sept. 11. But the week belongs to ZBB. So we must also note that the artist with the most unique hat in country music placed FIVE tracks in the Top 30!

Do you know how many country tracks get downloaded each week on average? This week country downloaded 3.391 million tracks and we have a YTD total (28 weeks) of 90.386 million or an average of 3.23 million downloads per week.

See you next week!

BLA Launches Talent Competition

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Buddy Lee Attractions is launching a country and southern rock talent competition, Bands, Bourbon & B.A.S.S. in association with Evan Williams Bourbon and Bassmaster.

The talent search includes solo artists and bands from across the nation. Five finalists will perform Sept. 6 at Nashville’s Wildhorse Saloon and will be judged on showmanship, musicianship and vocal abilities by a committee of music and entertainment industry executives.

The grand prize is $1,000 cash, a professional photo shoot in Nashville and the opportunity to open for RCA/Sony recording artists Bush Hawg. Second and third place winners will receive cash prizes of $500 and $250, respectively.

“We see extraordinary talent come and go on Music Row, and this talent search was created to give artist hopefuls the chance to be seen and heard…and treated like an ‘artist for a day,’” explains Donna Lee, Vice President & General Manager/Buddy Lee Attractions.

The entry fee is $75.00 and must be received by Aug., 22. Click here for details.

Jimmy Rector Joins EMI Records Nashville

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Jimmy Rector

Capitol Records Nashville has hired country radio promotion veteran Jimmy Rector as Director of Promotion, Midwest for EMI Records Nashville. Rector will begin his new gig Aug. 1 and will report directly to EMI VP of Promotion, Kevin Herring.

Rector was most recently VP of Strategic Planning & Promotion for Show Dog Universal.

“I feel like the Miami Heat when they signed LeBron James!” says Herring. “We are thrilled to have a promotion pro and boxer of Jimmy’s caliber on the EMI team.”

The move brings Rector’s career full circle. His promotion career began at Capitol Records in 1990 as a coordinator, working with artists such as Garth Brooks. Of his return to the Capitol family Rector says, “very rarely do you get to go back to where it all began and join the choir. My mom will be proud!”

Rector’s other stops include regional rep for Decca Records, regional Director at Capitol and BNA Records, Head of Promotion for RAYBAW Records, and VP of Promotion for Columbia Records.

Starting Aug. 1, he can be reached at jimmy.rector@emicap.com.

Paisley Teams With Pepsi and Dollar General For Giving Campaign

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PepsiCo, Brad Paisley and Dollar General recently kicked-off the “Tune in to Giving” campaign to help support the Dollar General Literacy Foundation. Paisley will be featured on in-store displays and digital marketing materials to help draw consumer awareness and participation in the program.

From now until Aug. 19 when Dollar General shoppers buy a 10-ounce or larger bag of Lay’s potato chips and a 2-liter Pepsi product together, and enter the code from their receipt at www.dollargeneral.com, $1 will be donated to the Dollar General Literacy Foundation. The minimum donation is $50,000, with a maximum donation of $75,000.

Fans who enter their receipt code online will receive a free music download and be entered for the chance to win Dollar General gift cards, Brad Paisley memorabilia and concert tickets to Paisley’s Virtual Reality World Tour. The tour kicked-off in January 2012 and has played to nearly one-half million fans so far. The Virtual Reality World Tour continues through mid-October.

DISClaimer Single Reviews (7/18/12)

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Eric Church and Kelleigh Bannen

I hope you’re ready to rock, because tempo tunes dominate this week’s musical menu.

One of them, “Creepin’” by Eric Church, captures the Disc of the Day award. Don’t go accusing me of hopping onto a star’s coattails: This boy was winning Disc of the Day prizes from me long before radio got on board and Mr. Platinum came calling. Even if he’d never become a Somebody, I’d be in the Church Choir.

Newcomer Kelleigh Bannen is rocking, too. And for her efforts, she wins this week’s DisCovery Award. Coincidentally, both of these artists record for EMI.

Speaking of DisCovery winners, the two non rockers in this stack of platters both come from previous winners. Katie Armiger continues her nearly perfect string of A-plus performances with “Better in a Black Dress,” and Tim Culpepper remains our most potent young heir to the honky-tonk throne with “Pouring Whiskey on Pain.” Perhaps not coincidentally, both singles are the most “country” sounding things on tap today.

KELLEIGH BANNEN/Sorry on the Rocks
Writer: Kelliegh Bannen/Troy Johnson; Producer: Paul Worley & Jerry Smith; Publisher: No Such Thing/Yacht Haven, BMI/SESAC; EMI (CDX)
—Feisty and forceful. She’s a punchy belter with something to say to a wayward beau who’s being shown the door. I dig both her singing and her song.

BUCKY COVINGTON & SHOOTER JENNINGS/Drinking Side of Country
Writer: William J. Covington/Robert Covington/Donald Medlock; Producer: Bucky Covington; Publisher: Travelin’ Zoo/EMI CMG, ASCAP; eone (CDX) (www.eonemusic.com) —The thumping backbeat is cool, and the lyrics are loads of fun. All in all, a raucous good time. Songwriters “William J.” and “Robert” are Bucky and his twin brother Rocky.

LONESTAR/The Countdown
Writer: Jaren Johnson/Manny Medina/Ryder Lee; Producer: Lonestar; Publisher: Sony-ATV Harmony/Texa Rae/Manny Medina/OCTPOB, ASCAP/SESAC; 4 Star (CDX) (www.lonestarnow.com)
—Not previously noted for rockers, these guys prove they have the uptempo goods with this pile-driving road song. The “countdown” is the time and miles it takes to get back to the one he loves.

THE WHEELER SISTERS/This Is Gonna Get Ugly
Writer: Kelly Archer/Jim McCormick/Justin Weaver; Producer: Jim McCormick; Publisher: Universal-Careers/Little Blue Lizard/Crape Myrtle, BMI; Ocala (www.wheelersisters.com)
—The track is kinda junky sounding in its attempt to sound “exciting.” But the song is sturdy, as is the vocal delivery.

ERIC CHURCH/Creepin’
Writer: Eric Church/Marv Green; Producer: Jay Joyce; Publisher: Sony-ATV Tree/Sinnerlina/Warner-Tamerlane/The Good The Bad The Ugly, BMI; EMI (track)
—Veteran readers already know how crazy I am about this artist. I believe he has won more Disc of the Day awards than any other act in the long history of this column. This time around, he’s rocking so righteously that you might not catch what an extraordinary lyric this is. “Since the day you left… I can feel the lonely, I can hear the crazy, just a creepin.'” “What the dreams forget, the whiskey remembers.” “Your cocaine kiss and caffeine love got under my skin and into my blood.” If the crunchy production doesn’t knock you up the side of your head, his biting vocal will.

CHASE RICE/How She Rolls
Writer: Chase Rice/Brian Kelley; Producer: Chad Carlson; Publisher: Dack Janiels/Big Red Toe, BMI; Artist Revolution (track) (www.chaserice.com)
—Promising. The frothing production threatens to overwhelm his performance, but the solid song and his boy-next-door vocal carry the day.

BRANTLEY GILBERT/Kick it in the Sticks
Writer: Brantley Gilbert/Rhett Akins; Producer: Brantley Gilbert & The Atom Brothers; Publisher: none listed; Valory Music (track)
—I am becoming weary of artists writing rural-themed lyrics paired with screaming electrified rock tracks and calling the result “country music.”

BREAKING SOUTHWEST/Reckless & Wild
Writer: Kent Bell/Kyle Gaston; Producer: none listed; Publisher: none listed, BMI; BS (830-253-8813)
—Galloping across the plains and kicking up a cloud of dust, this is classic country-rock music with a decidedly contemporary spin. Send more.

TIM CULPEPPER/Pourin’ Whiskey on the Pain
Writer: none listed; Producer: Elbert West; Publisher: none listed; HonkyTone (track) (615-452-9844)
—This guy earned a DisCovery Award with his “Ghost” debut single back in January. This title tune of his CD confirms his status as a masterful new traditionalist. On it, he has a boxed set of Hank, a bottle of Jack and a honky-tonk heartache as big as a house. Somewhere, Keith Whitley is smiling.

KATIE ARMIGER/Better in a Black DressWriter: Katie Armiger/Blair Daly; Producer: Chad Carlson; Publisher: Purple Monkeys/Southside Independent/Internal Combustion/Kickin’ Grids, SESAC/BMI; Cold River
 —Put away that wedding gown, because she’s hitting the road to live her life before she settles down. The imaginative, minor-key arrangement, the haunting “woh-oh” interjections and her semi-whispered punctuations all conspire to seduce your ears. I continue to be impressed with this young artist’s efforts. Play her. Producer Carlson, by the way, is notable as the engineer/mixer on the records of a little nobody named Taylor Swift.

Industry Signings (7/17)

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Standing (L-R): SESAC’s Shannan Hatch, Dennis Lord and Magic Mustang Publishing’s Juli Newton-Griffith. Seated: Shawna Thompson and Keifer Thompson.

SESAC has announced the signing of Keifer Thompson of Thompson Square for representation. Thompson along with wife and duo partner, Shawna Thompson, took home the ACM’s Top Vocal Duo of the year in 2012. Thompson Square stopped by SESAC’s Nashville headquarters recently to visit and celebrate the new partnership.

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Kingston is the newest edition to the management roster of Parallel Entertainment. The country duo was introduced to the Nashville music scene in 2009 with their debut EP The Carter Twins which featured the CMT award-nominated track “Heart Like Memphis.” Josh and Zach Carter have written with some of the top writers in town and shared the stage with acts such as Lady Antebellum, Jason Aldean and Phil Vassar. With the support of the Parallel Entertainment team, Kingston is entering chapter two of their career as they work on their new album. “We are extremely happy to welcome Kingston to the Parallel Entertainment family,” said CT Wyatt, talent management. “Being such talented artists, they are destined to have a long and successful career and we can’t wait to be a part of it.”

• • • •

Mitch Schneider Organization recently signed Dave Stewart, Wynonna Judd, Lonestar, and Aerosmith for publicity representation. They join the roster that already includes Dolly Parton, Jo Dee Messina and more.

Stewart’s upcoming album The Ringmaster is slated for release Sept. 4. The 13-track album was recorded by John McBride at his famed Blackbird Studio and features guests Alison Krauss, Diane Birch, Joss Stone and Jessie Baylin.

Meanwhile, Judd’s eighth studio album will be released in 2013, and Lonestar is back in the studio with original lead singer Richie McDonald.