Vassar To Headline Event During CMA Fest

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Phil Vassar will headline an event sponsored by Dreamwest Magazine to celebrate the Paris, France based consumer publication’s online expansion into the United States. The Experience Music & Fashion event will be at the Hard Rock Café on June 6 from 2:45 p.m. until 8 p.m.

Clothing by famed designer Manuel will be on display. Other artists on the lineup include The McClymonts, The Roys, Flynnville Train, Richie Owens, Pete Kennedy, Travelin’ Rose, Iodine, Stetson & Cia, Monroeville, Steve & Heather, Terri Lisa Church, Karla Perretta, Jason Ashley, Taylor Heard, Lizzy Long, Craig Morrison, Georgette Jones, Steven Salyers and David Church.

Donations and a silent auction will benefit the I’ll Fly Away Foundation which supports music education.

Dreamwest will also host smaller events at Pucketts Restaurant on June 4 and June 11, from 6 – 10 p.m.

Music Row Ladies Golf Tourney; TJ Martell’s Tennessee Meets Tuscany

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The 26th annual Music Row Ladies Golf Tournament is scheduled for Mon., Aug. 27 at Old Natchez Country Club in Nashville. The long running charitable event supported by the music industry industry is a day of fun on the links for a good cause—often with celebs, zany costumes and libations.

The tournament had its biggest fundraising year in 2011, and has earned over $1.6 million for United Cerebral Palsy of Middle Tennessee since the event launched.

Reservations at the invitation only tournament are $125 per golfer and $100 per caddy.

Returning sponsors include ASCAP, Kenny Chesney, City National Bank, McGhee Entertainment, Moes, Tim McGraw, Richards and Southern, and UMG Nashville. Those interested in sponsorship opportunities can email Herky Williams.

Find the MRLGT on Facebook at facebook.com/MusicRowLGT.

• • • • •

The T.J. Martell Foundation and Green Door Gourmet will present the fundraiser Tennessee Meets Tuscany on Sat., June 16 at Hidden Valley Farm in Nashville. The exclusive Italian-inspired dinner event will feature Tennessee regional artisan foods, and fine Italian wines served in a picturesque country setting. Cocktails begin at 5:30 p.m. followed by dinner at 6:30 p.m. All proceeds from the event will benefit cancer research, including funding at Vanderbilt-Ingram Cancer Center.

Tennessee Meets Tuscany is a farm-to-fork event created by Chef Richard Jones of Green Door Gourmet and Chef David Maxwell of Miel. Beppe Gambetta, an acoustic guitarist from Genova, Italy will provide entertainment.

Green Door Gourmet/Hidden Valley Farm is located off Charlotte Pike on River Road in west Nashville. Tickets to the event are available at $125 per guest and can be purchased at www.tjmartellfoundation.org, or by calling the T.J. Martell Foundation office at 615-256-2002.

Weekly Register: Sales Departments Are A Worrisome Lot

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This week’s chart data sums the first five months of 2012, a significant time span. And, as our grid chart shows, country album sales (+6.5%) are outperforming the overall industry (-2.6%). That’s welcome news, but sales departments are a worrisome lot, always measuring what lies around the corner and how it might compare with the previous year’s offerings.

Last year during June and July 2011 we had a busy release schedule. June featured releases from Randy Travis (19k), Ronnie Dunn (45k) and Justin Moore (65k). In July 2011 we saw offerings from Lauren Alaina (20k), Scotty McCreery (40k), Chris Young (73k), Blake Shelton (116k) and Eric Church (145k). All added together that accounts for about 525,000 debut week units. Add in a few of the unmentioned lower scoring debuts and we can round up safely to 550k. Will we find half a million plus debut week units on deck for 2012 during the same time period?

Our 2012 calendar shows June/July headliner releases scheduled from Kenny Chesney, Alan Jackson and Zac Brown Band. Considering that only a few weeks ago Carrie Underwood blew onto the charts with a 267k debut week, it appears that the three upcoming projects could average about 166k each and contribute enough to keep debut sales mostly constant with last year. Still, when you look at this week’s Country Current Top 75 chart (down 2% compared with last week), and see positions 28-75 are all under 2,000 units, for the second consecutive week, it is worrisome.

Another factor is that we had eight major June/July debuts last year vs. the three now on our radar for 2012. Debut week totals are a nice SoundScan shorthand for estimating, but don’t forget week two sales also swell totals and cash coffers. So this writer would opine that unless we see a few more last minute offerings appear on the 2012 schedule, we should expect country’s 6.5% sales lead to shrink and move closer to the overall industry number by around the end of July.

But take heart, January through August sales are really only like foreplay. The real sales lovemaking begins during the last four months of the year when labels line up to take advantage of holiday fever.

Albums
Debuts this week from Ronnie Dunn (No. 14; 6k) and the venerable Oak Ridge Boys (No. 29; 1.9k) couldn’t keep the Top 75 total from slipping under 300k. (Actually, Mr. Dunn’s debut was more of a re-release through Cracker Barrel with two new tracks.) Study the two grids and you will note a gradual erosion of gains mostly across the board for Country and All-Genre, but no strong swings. As we often repeat in this column, release schedules are the single largest factor in the sales game but seldom match up exactly from year to year.

Glancing at the Top 200 Albums chart, John Mayer caps the list with a debut of almost 220k units, 67% of which was in digital format.

Tracks
Yes, albums bring in the biggest revenues, but tracks are often the first place to study consumer trends with respect to new songs. Did you notice that country consumers have boosted track sales up 18% this year? (Can we all raise our hands and say Apple, Android, Smartphone…)

For example, platinum and almost platinum songs from Luke Bryan and Eric Church have been landing near the top of the list for weeks. So should we be surprised to see their albums also Top 5? (Of course not.) But you can also get out ahead of the album sales curve by studying the tracks chart. Gloriana has a new song, “Good Night,” that jumped from No. 14 to No. 3 climbing 162% in unit sales in one week. (They performed it on the Bachelorette.) Something happening there for sure. And Little Big Town’s latest “Pontoon” debuts at No. 11 with 32k units. Let’s see how that does next week.

As usual, post your Weekly Register comments below, tweet ’em out or send me a note, and thanks for reading…

Jim Beam Launches Live Music Series to Support Military Musicians

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This summer, the Jim Beam bourbon brand is building on its legacy while continuing its ongoing commitment to our nation’s troops with the 2012 Live Music Series. The Series is a string of six live concerts, each featuring a different artist including Kid Rock, Daughtry, David Gray, Darius Rucker, Bush and Train.

Extending the program beyond live concerts, Jim Beam is using Rolling Stone’s list of “The 500 Greatest Songs of All Time.” Each of the six Live Music Series artists have recorded a song from the list and are offering it to fans exclusively on JimBeam.com/LiveMusicSeries during the promotion period. Beginning in June, specially marked bottles of Jim Beam, Jim Beam Black, Red Stag and Devil’s Cut bourbons will be marked with offer details and instructions on how to download tracks from the six artists. Additional content, including exclusive artist interviews and portions of the concerts, will be available online.

As part of the Live Music Series, Jim Beam will donate more than $100,000 to Operation Homefront, a portion of which will be used to purchase musical instruments for soldiers both in the U.S. and overseas who have a passion for music. Jim Beam will present Operation Homefront with a check for $100,000 onstage at Kid Rock’s concert in Boston on June 1 – the first show in the Series. Jim Beam will also be contributing to the troops and military musicians by matching the number of Live Music Series downloads redeemed on JimBeam.com/LiveMusicSeries and donating those to soldiers 21 years of age or older through Operation Homefront.

Live Music Series 2012 Concert Schedule
—  Kid Rock: Friday, June 1, at the House of Blues in Boston
—  Daughtry: Thursday, June 7, at the Temple Hoyne Buell theater in Denver
—  David Gray: Saturday, June 30, at the House of Blues in Chicago
—  Darius Rucker: Tuesday, July 24, at the House of Blues in Dallas
—  Bush: Thursday, Aug. 2, at The Ritz theater in Tampa
—  Train: Saturday, Aug. 18, at the Mann Theater in Philadelphia

CMA Music Fest Global Showcases; Q&A with Jeff Walker

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MusicRow recently sat down with Jeff Walker, CEO/President of The AristoMedia Group/Marco Music Group to discuss this year’s Global Events showcases, as well as the often overlooked growth in the international country music market.

The 2012 Global Events showcases, held June 4-5 during 2012 CMA Music Festival week in downtown Nashville, will feature 22 Country artists from five different countries and territories.

The CMA Global Artist Party, presented by Chevrolet, takes place 6 – 10:45 pm Monday, June 4 at The Stage on Broadway and The Aristo Global Show will be held Tuesday, June 5 from 12:30 – 3:45 pm at The Second Fiddle. Check here for a complete lineup of both shows.

How are the artists selected for the international shows?
We have agreements for some of the performance slots in the Monday night show. The New Zealand Country Music Association Horizon Award Winner, the country artist scholarship winner from Commercial Radio Australia, and the Songwriter Award winner from Australia’s Tamworth Country Music Awards will all be performing at the show. The remaining participants were judged using criteria of relevance in the international market, quality of music, and whether that artist would have the ability to get a deal here in the United States. There’s a committee that judges the applicants, and there’s a balance given between territories.

What is the difference between the two shows?
While the Monday night is a full band show, the Tuesday show is more of an acoustic show with the last performance being a full band. I’m proud of the fact that this has grown and we now have around 22 acts. Both shows reflect the artists in different areas. One act that did really well last year and made a strong impression on the Monday night show is Raintown. They are coming back to do the Tuesday show this year. This is our ninth anniversary of the Monday night show. The Tuesday show came about three years later due to receiving so many submissions.

What do you think propelled that growth?
I think it’s a new era in Country Music. The whole world is becoming a smaller place. The fact that iTunes is worldwide and people now have instant access to country music. You can push a button and have your music delivered to Mexico, South America, Australia, Scandinavia, the UK, Canada, and more. International artists are now recognizing that what they need to do is focus on Nashville or come to Nashville. We are also seeing a big trend in writers coming from territories like Australia, Canada and other territories to write with Nashville songwriters. For example, Phil Barton moved here from Australia and co-wrote Lee Brice’s No. 1 song, “A Woman Like You.” He has been coming to Nashville since 2005 building his network. The whole market is opening up. I think the labels here are looking to have a more global footprint much like the movie industry. It really helps that Canada and Australia, in particular, have networks like Country Music Television in Canada and a country music channel in Australia. You can pre-sell an artist when they go over there or you can establish a Canadian artist in their own domestic territory giving them relevance before coming to the U.S.

Do you see these two shows as an opportunity for the industry to see new acts they otherwise would not be exposed to?
Definitely. We see both of these events as great A&R opportunities.

What are some of the benefits international artists receive by attending the events?
It’s a chance for the artists to broaden their horizons by performing in Nashville to a packed house. When acts stay in their own territory, they seem to get a little insulated. But when they go outside their territory, they realize this business is very competitive. They go home with their bars raised a little higher.

Most people are aware of the Country Music presence in Australia and Canada, what other countries do you see gaining traction?
Ireland comes to mind first. We are also seeing a lot of things happening in Scandinavia, particularly Norway where a lot of fairs and festivals are being produced. Those are the key ones. In terms of Americana, there’s a lot of UK interest and there’s a fine line between Americana and Country music overseas since they often do not distinguish between the two.

What do you see in the future related to international presence in Country Music?
The CMA is very committed to international presence and recently formed a group in the organization to push towards those goals. The future will continue to build on the momentum and availability of technology that’s really helping spur this growth in international opportunities. When people can tap into country music on YouTube, Facebook, Twitter, Spotify, etc. and interact with these artists from all over the world, this is where I see the growth coming from. I think there’s lots of opportunities and I’m very bullish about it.

Johnny Rose Joins Concrete/TEC Direct Media

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Media and marketing firm Concrete/TEC Direct Media has named Entertainment industry veteran Johnny Rose as Director of Business Development.

In his new role, Rose will manage the development of key accounts and operate as a local Nashville presence that represents the company. Rose previously spent nearly two decades as VP/Sales and Marketing at various Nashville record labels during his 30 year career, including positions with Capitol Records Nashville, DreamWorks and Show Dog Nashville. Rose’s background also includes retail and merchandising experience, having spent 14 years with Western Merchandisers and Hastings.

As a partnership between marketing firm Concrete and media management company TEC, Concrete/TEC Direct has strengthened its position as a leader in marketing and media services in the music and entertainment industries. The company works with major and independent record labels, management companies, tours and film studios.

“Bringing someone of Johnny’s caliber into our fold further demonstrates our deep commitment to the Nashville entertainment community,” says Concrete Marketing founder and CEO Bob Chiappardi.

For more information, visit www.TEC-Direct.com

Folk Music Legend Doc Watson Passes

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Highly influential guitarist, singer, and songwriter Doc Watson passed away yesterday (5/29) at Wake Forest Baptist Medical Center in Winston-Salem, NC, following colon surgery. He was 89.

Born Arthel Lane Watson in Deep Gap, NC, he was bestowed with the nickname “Doc” during a live broadcast when the announcer said he should have an easy nickname and an audience member shouted out “Call him Doc!” The name stuck with him the rest of his life.

Watson was blind since before he was one year old, and attended North Carolina’s school for the visually impaired in Raleigh. When he was 13, he taught himself how to play “When The Roses Bloom in Dixieland” on a borrowed guitar, and his father bought him a $12 Stella as reward.

In 1947, he married Rosa Lee Carlton, daughter of fiddler Gaither Carlton, and they had two children Eddy Merle and Nancy Ellen. Watson’s first paying gigs were with a local rockabilly/swing band, but he became a full-time professional with the folk/traditional music revival of the 1960s. His self-titled solo debut appeared in 1964, and he was represented until his passing by Folklore Productions.

Watson and his son Merle began touring together in the late 1960s, with Merle playing guitar and banjo in addition to serving as driver. During this time the pair began to reach a worldwide audience, helped by collaborations with Flatt & Scruggs, Chet Atkins and the Nitty Gritty Dirt Band. Merle passed away in 1985 after an accident on the family farm, but his legacy has been carried on with the annual MerleFest music festival in Wilkesboro, NC.

Over the course of his career, Watson recorded more than 50 albums and won eight Grammy Awards, including a Lifetime Achievement Grammy. He was also a recipient of the National Medal of Arts, and a National Heritage Fellowship. In 2011, a life-size statue of Watson was unveiled in Boone, NC on the spot where he used to play for tips. At his request, the statue’s inscription reads “Just One of the People.”

His unique and innovative style of guitar picking influenced scores of guitarists who followed, and his repertoire of American music was vast. President Bill Clinton said, in awarding Watson the National Medal of Arts, “There may not be a serious, committed Baby Boomer alive who didn’t at some point in his or her youth try to spend a few minutes at least trying to learn to pick a guitar like Doc Watson.”

He is survived by his wife Rosa Lee, daughter Nancy Ellen, grandchildren Richard Watson and Karen Watson Norris, several great-grandchildren, and brother David Watson.

Private funeral arrangements are pending.

Music In The Movies Panel Set For Saturday

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The Nashville Screenwriters Conference is gearing up for its fourteenth annual event, which will be held at the Hutton Hotel June 1-3, 2012.

Saturday’s (6/2) Music in the Movies workshop and luncheon is expected to be a highlight of the conference. 821 Entertainment Group President Anastasia Brown (Footloose, August Rush, Taken) heads up the event to be held at the Country Music Hall of Fame and Museum.

The panel will feature top music supervisors giving advice to songwriters, composers, artists and publishers hoping to tap into the world of song placement in television and film. For the event Brown recruited music supervisors Julia Michels (Sex and the City 1 & 2, The Blind Side, The Devil Wears Prada), Frankie Pine (Army Wives, GCB, Magic Mike), and Randy Spendlove (President of Music at Paramount). Conference registration does not include the Music in the Movies panel, a separate ticket is required.

The conference brings Hollywood writers, producers, directors, managers, agents and studio executives to Nashville to share their expertise with aspiring screenwriters, songwriters and other individuals interested in the worlds of film, TV and music.

For details or to purchase tickets visit www.nashscreen.com.

DISClaimer Single Reviews (5/30/12)

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Big & Rich's "That's Why I Pray" gets the Disc of the Day Honor

This is a week of reunions and revivals.

Cerrrito & Lynn Anderson, Jason Allen, Hayes Carll, Hank Williams Jr., Bill Wence and Big & Rich are all back with us after varying periods of silence. The most welcome of these comebacks is Big & Rich, who have the Disc of the Day.

I don’t give a Song of the Day award, but if I did, it would go to Hayes Carll’s “Hard Out Here,” which is at once both downbeat and hilarious.

SHAWNA RUSSELL/Sounds Like a Party
Writer: Shawna Russell/Keith Russell/Tim Russell; Producer: Julian King, Clif Doyal & Tim Russell; Publisher: Blue Buckaroo, BMI; Way Out West (615-319-1863)
—This has a delightfully funky groove with cool guitars and a snappy backbeat. As usual, she sings with vim.

HANK WILLIAMS JR./That Ain’t Good
Writer: Hank Williams Jr.; Producer: Chris Farren; Publisher: Bocephus, BMI; Bocephus/Blaster (www.hankjr.com)
—Bluesy and blue collar all the way. He’s singing better than ever, and the new, full-bodied production style showcases him superbly. Well worth your attention.

CHANCE CODY & SPUR 503/I Don’t Want to Be Wanted Tonight
Writer: Chance Cody; Producer: none listed; Publisher: none listed; Spur 503 (www.spur503.com)
—This sits along the boundary between barroom country and blue-collar rock. His drawling vocal is right on the money, emotionally. The band is stirring up a deep sonic stew behind him. But changing the tempo in mid song (twice) probably wasn’t the best idea.

CERRITO & LYNN ANDERSON/Mexican Angel
Writer: Liz Anderson/Lynn Anderson; Producer: Bartley Pursley, Felipe de La Rosa & Cerrito; Publisher: none listed; Checo
—Mariachi trumpets, Spanish guitars, castanets and an ultra-melodic waltz are all in this recipe. Lynn’s shadowing harmony vocal and Spanish-language interjections make the disc soar.

SIX MARKET BLVD./Say It
Writer: Clayton Landua/Josh Serato/Ben Hussey/Dallas Neal; Producer: Bart Rose & Six Market Blvd.; Publisher: AADI/Grange, no performance rights listed; SMB (track) (www.sixmarketblvd.com)
—Boring electric blues with an overly indulgent guitar player.

BIG & RICH/That’s Why I Pray
Writer: Blair Daly/Sarah Buxton/Danelle Leverett; Producer: Dann Huff; Publisher: Sony-ATV Cross Keys/Danelle Leverett/Southside Independent/Internal Combustion/Kickin Grids/We’re Going to Maui/Tom-Leis/Songs of Universal, ASCAP/BMI; Warner Bros.
—Evocative and ethereal. They harmonize perfectly together throughout the potent performance while guitars chime in and out of the mix. Essential listening.

JASON ALLEN/Goin’ Fishin’ Today
Writer: Jason Allen; Producer: Davin James & Jason Allen; Publisher: Star Marie, BMI; Smith Entertainment (track) (www.jasonallencountry.com)
—This noisy party rocker might work OK live in a honky tonk. But it doesn’t sound particularly radio worthy to me.

HAYES CARLL/Hard Out Here
Writer: none listed; Producer: none listed; Publisher: none listed; Lost Highway (www.hayescarll.com)
—This former Americana Music award winner is back with a track to remind us what a wry wit he can be. His drawling delivery of the unlucky lyric is a smile a second. The band tromps along with a sloppy shuffle and folks in the background seem to be staging their own party.

BILL WENCE/Borderline Crazy
Writer: Jeremy Stowe/Kris Bergsness/Greg Barnhill; Producer: Bill Wence & Joe Funderburk; Publisher: Warner-Tamerlane/WB/Platinum Plow/Green City/Calhoun Enterprises/Green Wilderness, BMI/ASCAP/SESAC; Six One Five (track) (www.billwencepromotions.com)
—As if being a radio promoter, Wanda Jackson sideman, producer, songwriter and Johnny Rivers booster wasn’t enough, Bill Wence also makes records. His latest, Analog Man in a Digital World, kicks off with this loosey-goosey bopper about getting loaded south of the border.

DANIEL WARREN/Lullaby
Writer: Daniel Warren; Producer: none listed; Publisher: Chaprielle, BMI; Quarterback (www.danielwarrenband.com)
—Despite the title, this is an uptempo outing. As was the case on his last single, he sings with wafting harmonies around him in a soft, easy-going groove.

CMT Plans Special “Crossroads” Episode With Joe Walsh

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CMT will present a first of its kind event, CMT Crossroads: Joe Walsh & Friends, featuring the legendary Eagles guitarist and solo artist onstage with friends from country music including Kenny Chesney, Brad Paisley, Sara Evans, Luke Bryan and Hunter Hayes as well as Billy Gibbons of ZZ Top.

For one unforgettable episode of the popular performance series, the stars will align to pay homage to Walsh, performing his hits and Eagles’ classics, including “Life’s Been Good to Me,” “Life in the Fast Lane” and more. CMT Crossroads: Joe Walsh & Friends premieres on Saturday, June 23 at 11 pm ET/PT.

“It’s an honor and a privilege to be onboard for a CMT Crossroads episode,” said Walsh. “I’ve hand-picked some old friends and some new friends and we’re going to make sure it’s a special evening. Nothing beats country music with a little rock & roll sprinkled on top. We’re going to mix up a batch and see what happens. I got a real good feeling about it. Nashville, here we come!”

CMT Crossroads is produced by Tom Forrest. John Hamlin, Margaret Comeaux and Bill Flanagan serve as executive producers.