“A hold now has become a definite maybe,” Chuck Neese told MusicRow in 1988.
In 1995 then Capitol A&R head Mark Brown stated, “A problem with holds has always existed, [but] lately things are reaching epidemic proportions. Producers and labels have gotten very aggressive about wanting to find a song first. Instead of taking a copy to listen to again and/ or play for the artists, they just instantly say, ‘Put it on hold.’ It places a great deal of pressure on the song community.”
In Nashville a “hold” is a verbal agreement between writers, publishers, producers, artists and/or A&R execs to record a particular song. In the mid-‘70s it began with a producer calling up a publisher and saying, “Hold that song, we’re going in to cut it tomorrow.” But today, top level participants say the traditional hold is fast becoming a memory.
The dictionary defines “hold” as: a) To have or maintain control over b) To reserve or keep back from use c) To have as a responsible position or a privilege d) To bind by a contract.
Sounds simple, so what’s the problem? Economics is exacerbating concerns on all sides. Mechanical royalties, created by album sales, were once a measurable quantity that could be used to recoup writer advances. Unfortunately, that revenue stream has mostly evaporated. In its stead is the need to earn the performance royalties generated by a Top Ten airplay single. This means that to stay employed, publishers and writers must position their songs for success with the strongest possible radio artists. Meanwhile, producers and labels still have to find great material to help break new artists. And now there are so many layers of decision makers involved in the process— managers, multiple publishers, writers, A&R, etc. It creates a brutal tug of war.
In fact, the landscape has become such a minefield that in order to honestly address the situation we realized it would be necessary to offer anonymity to all participants. MusicRow spoke with high powered publisher/pluggers, producers and A&R execs, who graciously agreed to share their deep concerns over the hold’s present and future. Here’s what they had to say.
Q: What does the Hold mean to you today?
A&R Person: “Hold” doesn’t have the meaning it once did. It’s a tough time now and everyone needs the best cuts they can get. Many of my acts are new and putting things on hold is the only chance I have to get something. But regardless, if a bigger artist comes around, most likely I’ll lose it no matter what. It’s the publisher’s copyright. They have the right to decide what they want to do, but it’s frustrating when you’ve played the song for the artist and the producer, everyone’s excited and then a bigger artist grabs it away.
Publisher/Plugger: Look at the purpose of a hold and the end game. The record label needs amazing material for its artists that the consumer will want to listen to and buy. They go to the best songwriters to find it. The hold is just one piece of that process. Generally without a hold you don’t have a cut, so yes, we do give holds. A publisher’s first responsibility is to the writer—not the artist or producer. Each situation is unique. There’s an inherent unfairness to a process that can tie up a writer’s song and a publisher’s inventory because the record label is taking an unreasonable amount of time to make decisions. In each case you look at the players, people and relationships, then decide what is best for that songwriter. Communication is key. If you aren’t communicating with all parties, then you aren’t doing it right.
Producer: In my perspective a mutual hold is something I have first rights on until I have the opportunity to play it for my artist. Usually that’s about a month window depending upon how active the artist is. I’ve had songs on hold for 8 months, but we’ve cut them. It’s been songs we’ve loved and really wanted. And I’ve given songs up before because we couldn’t commit 100% even though we loved it. We hated giving it up, but couldn’t let a writer miss out on a Kenny Chesney cut or something like that. It’s more of a respect thing for me.
Publisher/Plugger: Today there are way too many casual holds. An A&R person puts songs on hold at each appointment. Before long, a lot of songs are held that the artist may not ever hear. There’s not enough, “Gosh this is the song I should be fighting for.” Sometimes we have problems with other publishers and young song pluggers who haven’t yet acquired a long term perspective. They don’t realize that if you play a great song for the first person whose office you walk into and they hold it, it’s then out of circulation. Later, that plugger may not have the right properties to show.
Q: Hold Problems?
Producer: Nobody honors a hold anymore. It’s funny how pluggers play a song for twenty other people and tell them I have it on hold to help get backup holds. The whole thing is 100% the pluggers fault. I’ve really limited the pluggers I work with because of the hold problems we’ve had where they’ll tell you, “You’ve got it,” but then go out and try to get it cut somewhere else at the same time. Then they’ll force you in a corner saying, “Hey, I didn’t mean to play it, but they were in my office and I didn’t know they were going in next week but…” I find myself not going back to those pluggers because I don’t like the game they play. I wish pluggers today cared a little more about their and the songwriter’s relationships with the producers. Grow that relationship for the future instead of just throwing something against the wall and hoping it sticks.
Publisher/Plugger: We don’t give second or third holds, we have one hold. Multiple holds is not an ethical way of doing business. We post the date and a termination date when it expires. If my guys go out and pitch a song during that period of time they are going to have to be accountable to me and whoever they promised that song to. Producers have a valid point with a lot of pluggers and it shows because the integrity of a hold has diminished to almost nothing. The number of holds issued in any given day in this town far outnumber what is getting recorded.
A&R Person: I’m OK with pluggers playing something I have on hold because I know everyone is chasing that elusive performance royalty. They should say, “I’m playing this for you, but it is on hold. If you like it I’ll try to get a quick answer.” However, you still give the first shot to the person with the hold. It doesn’t always work that way. It’s a dog-eat-dog world right now. The plugger might call and say, “Hey, we have to make money too. This writer is ready to get dropped, and we have to pick up their option and this cut is on Rascal Flatts and you guys really don’t have anything and we appreciate where you’re coming from and we didn’t mean for this to happen, but we’re gonna take it anyway.” Truthfully, I understand…but it’s hard. I can’t afford to let my act lose a shot at hearing a great song because my ego was hurt when someone took a cut that was better to help feed their writer, I just can’t do it. It’s not personal. Another problem is that with a new artist you must watch the budgets by doing a lot of pre-production. You have to cut 3,4,5 songs at a time to make the numbers work. The budget isn’t there to just cut one or two songs at a time, which means you can’t move as fast as the bigger artists can. But one thing that makes me furious is when they are still pitching a song after you’ve put your money behind it. I’ve spent $20k recording the song and they are still pitching it? That is completely disrespectful to us and makes me never want to have someone in my office again.
Q: How do you react if a producer or A&R person plays artist bait and switch?
Publisher/Plugger: We get to make the call. I tell my pluggers, “It’s like you’re in a casino. You pick where to bet. If people try to move you to another table, you can pick up your money and run, you don’t have to leave it there.” That’s the art of being a great song plugger, you pick your bet. What some pluggers forget is to carefully learn their market and artists, then trust their instincts. And you can’t only shoot for those special moments when the stars completely line up. If you have a relationship with an artist or producer that you feel can be of value for many, many years then you have to let the song find its way. Some people are scared the bottom has fallen out so they are thinking short term as opposed to looking at this as a career. It’s never been perfect in all these years, but it seems to me there was a time when it worked better.
Producer: I have multiple acts, but I’ll specifically ask the plugger, “I want to hold this for artist A, but if he passes can I play it for another artist?” He may answer, “If artist A passes then we really want to get this to Strait.” I understand that, but sometimes if I’ve gotten that plugger a bunch of cuts, they’ll work with me. As long as we can respect the hold and not let them miss a Tim McGraw or something. It’s a tricky thing. I don’t care what anybody says, there’s no cure for the hold. It’s about relationships and respect for the people you’re working with including the songwriters. And that’s the crime. Songwriters are not being respected by people who are throwing these things away. I have a lot of respect for songwriters and understand that one hit can change their life. It’s unfair for me to take that one song away from them forever and then not commit to cutting it.
Publisher/Plugger: There are times in this business when labels, artists, publishers, and/ or songwriters have to give each other bad news. The mechanical royalty has become so devalued that you absolutely need singles to keep a songwriter in a deal. Without singles, they don‘t have jobs. So when the “play it for my other artist?” question comes up we appreciate the belief in our song, but if we did give it to you for a particular artist we may have to reserve the right to investigate some other opportunities before we can go down that path.
Q: Is the Nashville song community unique?
Publisher/Plugger: Song plugging sets Nashville apart from all the other songwriting and publishing communities in the world. It’s a service we provide to our songwriters that no one else in any other territory does the way we do. Casting is part of that. Pitching to the biggest artist on the pitch sheet is not always the best way. Pairing a song with the right artist is an art form that improves the chances of having a monstrous hit. I read where Jake Owen said he passed on “Big Green Tractor” saying, “I didn’t feel that song fit me. I didn’t grow up riding a big tractor.” That’s a smart artist. He recognized a strong song, but realized it didn’t fit him and instead waited for one that did. And he picked a great song with ‘Barefoot Blue Jean Night’ that fit him well.
A&R Person: There are publishers that are amazing at casting and they bring you exactly what they think you need. Anyone who is passionate about what they do can come play songs for me, but the ones that cast, know the artists and are really trying to help, those are the ones that I love meeting with. There are also publishers that just bring over their newest ten song session and let you filter through them which is fine, but doesn’t save me time. And part of their job is to make mine easier. Publisher/Plugger: There was a point in this town when you had about 25 imprints and there was enough “pizza” to feed everyone. Now you have to make choices. Many songs are co-written so there are many publishers plus independent creative people working on each song. You can have 3-7 (or more) folks actively working to get a song recorded and everyone has an equal say. You have to communicate it out and sometimes it means someone is not going to be happy. To me, it is all about transparency and communication, but sometimes they can be tough conversations to have.
A&R Person: Myself and many others I talk with would like holds to evolve into “Whoever cuts it first and puts their money behind it.” That’s how you assess belief. Whoever cuts it first has spoken with what is most precious, money. •
Apartment Complex Coming To The Row
/by Sarah SkatesAtlanta based Stonehenge DCM is behind the 86-unit project which is expected to include a mix of studios, one and two-bedroom offerings.
According to the report, the developer paid $1.65 million for the .74 acre site, which currently has a building that is set to be demolished. A five story complex will be built in its place, and is slated to open in about a year.
Music City apartment occupancy is at 94.6 percent, which has been driving costs upward, according to the Greater Nashville Apartment Association.
Requiem For The Hold
/by bossrossIn 1995 then Capitol A&R head Mark Brown stated, “A problem with holds has always existed, [but] lately things are reaching epidemic proportions. Producers and labels have gotten very aggressive about wanting to find a song first. Instead of taking a copy to listen to again and/ or play for the artists, they just instantly say, ‘Put it on hold.’ It places a great deal of pressure on the song community.”
In Nashville a “hold” is a verbal agreement between writers, publishers, producers, artists and/or A&R execs to record a particular song. In the mid-‘70s it began with a producer calling up a publisher and saying, “Hold that song, we’re going in to cut it tomorrow.” But today, top level participants say the traditional hold is fast becoming a memory.
The dictionary defines “hold” as: a) To have or maintain control over b) To reserve or keep back from use c) To have as a responsible position or a privilege d) To bind by a contract.
In fact, the landscape has become such a minefield that in order to honestly address the situation we realized it would be necessary to offer anonymity to all participants. MusicRow spoke with high powered publisher/pluggers, producers and A&R execs, who graciously agreed to share their deep concerns over the hold’s present and future. Here’s what they had to say.
Q: What does the Hold mean to you today?
A&R Person: “Hold” doesn’t have the meaning it once did. It’s a tough time now and everyone needs the best cuts they can get. Many of my acts are new and putting things on hold is the only chance I have to get something. But regardless, if a bigger artist comes around, most likely I’ll lose it no matter what. It’s the publisher’s copyright. They have the right to decide what they want to do, but it’s frustrating when you’ve played the song for the artist and the producer, everyone’s excited and then a bigger artist grabs it away.
Publisher/Plugger: Look at the purpose of a hold and the end game. The record label needs amazing material for its artists that the consumer will want to listen to and buy. They go to the best songwriters to find it. The hold is just one piece of that process. Generally without a hold you don’t have a cut, so yes, we do give holds. A publisher’s first responsibility is to the writer—not the artist or producer. Each situation is unique. There’s an inherent unfairness to a process that can tie up a writer’s song and a publisher’s inventory because the record label is taking an unreasonable amount of time to make decisions. In each case you look at the players, people and relationships, then decide what is best for that songwriter. Communication is key. If you aren’t communicating with all parties, then you aren’t doing it right.
Producer: In my perspective a mutual hold is something I have first rights on until I have the opportunity to play it for my artist. Usually that’s about a month window depending upon how active the artist is. I’ve had songs on hold for 8 months, but we’ve cut them. It’s been songs we’ve loved and really wanted. And I’ve given songs up before because we couldn’t commit 100% even though we loved it. We hated giving it up, but couldn’t let a writer miss out on a Kenny Chesney cut or something like that. It’s more of a respect thing for me.
Publisher/Plugger: Today there are way too many casual holds. An A&R person puts songs on hold at each appointment. Before long, a lot of songs are held that the artist may not ever hear. There’s not enough, “Gosh this is the song I should be fighting for.” Sometimes we have problems with other publishers and young song pluggers who haven’t yet acquired a long term perspective. They don’t realize that if you play a great song for the first person whose office you walk into and they hold it, it’s then out of circulation. Later, that plugger may not have the right properties to show.
Producer: Nobody honors a hold anymore. It’s funny how pluggers play a song for twenty other people and tell them I have it on hold to help get backup holds. The whole thing is 100% the pluggers fault. I’ve really limited the pluggers I work with because of the hold problems we’ve had where they’ll tell you, “You’ve got it,” but then go out and try to get it cut somewhere else at the same time. Then they’ll force you in a corner saying, “Hey, I didn’t mean to play it, but they were in my office and I didn’t know they were going in next week but…” I find myself not going back to those pluggers because I don’t like the game they play. I wish pluggers today cared a little more about their and the songwriter’s relationships with the producers. Grow that relationship for the future instead of just throwing something against the wall and hoping it sticks.
Publisher/Plugger: We don’t give second or third holds, we have one hold. Multiple holds is not an ethical way of doing business. We post the date and a termination date when it expires. If my guys go out and pitch a song during that period of time they are going to have to be accountable to me and whoever they promised that song to. Producers have a valid point with a lot of pluggers and it shows because the integrity of a hold has diminished to almost nothing. The number of holds issued in any given day in this town far outnumber what is getting recorded.
A&R Person: I’m OK with pluggers playing something I have on hold because I know everyone is chasing that elusive performance royalty. They should say, “I’m playing this for you, but it is on hold. If you like it I’ll try to get a quick answer.” However, you still give the first shot to the person with the hold. It doesn’t always work that way. It’s a dog-eat-dog world right now. The plugger might call and say, “Hey, we have to make money too. This writer is ready to get dropped, and we have to pick up their option and this cut is on Rascal Flatts and you guys really don’t have anything and we appreciate where you’re coming from and we didn’t mean for this to happen, but we’re gonna take it anyway.” Truthfully, I understand…but it’s hard. I can’t afford to let my act lose a shot at hearing a great song because my ego was hurt when someone took a cut that was better to help feed their writer, I just can’t do it. It’s not personal. Another problem is that with a new artist you must watch the budgets by doing a lot of pre-production. You have to cut 3,4,5 songs at a time to make the numbers work. The budget isn’t there to just cut one or two songs at a time, which means you can’t move as fast as the bigger artists can. But one thing that makes me furious is when they are still pitching a song after you’ve put your money behind it. I’ve spent $20k recording the song and they are still pitching it? That is completely disrespectful to us and makes me never want to have someone in my office again.
Q: How do you react if a producer or A&R person plays artist bait and switch?
Publisher/Plugger: We get to make the call. I tell my pluggers, “It’s like you’re in a casino. You pick where to bet. If people try to move you to another table, you can pick up your money and run, you don’t have to leave it there.” That’s the art of being a great song plugger, you pick your bet. What some pluggers forget is to carefully learn their market and artists, then trust their instincts. And you can’t only shoot for those special moments when the stars completely line up. If you have a relationship with an artist or producer that you feel can be of value for many, many years then you have to let the song find its way. Some people are scared the bottom has fallen out so they are thinking short term as opposed to looking at this as a career. It’s never been perfect in all these years, but it seems to me there was a time when it worked better.
Producer: I have multiple acts, but I’ll specifically ask the plugger, “I want to hold this for artist A, but if he passes can I play it for another artist?” He may answer, “If artist A passes then we really want to get this to Strait.” I understand that, but sometimes if I’ve gotten that plugger a bunch of cuts, they’ll work with me. As long as we can respect the hold and not let them miss a Tim McGraw or something. It’s a tricky thing. I don’t care what anybody says, there’s no cure for the hold. It’s about relationships and respect for the people you’re working with including the songwriters. And that’s the crime. Songwriters are not being respected by people who are throwing these things away. I have a lot of respect for songwriters and understand that one hit can change their life. It’s unfair for me to take that one song away from them forever and then not commit to cutting it.
Publisher/Plugger: There are times in this business when labels, artists, publishers, and/ or songwriters have to give each other bad news. The mechanical royalty has become so devalued that you absolutely need singles to keep a songwriter in a deal. Without singles, they don‘t have jobs. So when the “play it for my other artist?” question comes up we appreciate the belief in our song, but if we did give it to you for a particular artist we may have to reserve the right to investigate some other opportunities before we can go down that path.
Q: Is the Nashville song community unique?
Publisher/Plugger: Song plugging sets Nashville apart from all the other songwriting and publishing communities in the world. It’s a service we provide to our songwriters that no one else in any other territory does the way we do. Casting is part of that. Pitching to the biggest artist on the pitch sheet is not always the best way. Pairing a song with the right artist is an art form that improves the chances of having a monstrous hit. I read where Jake Owen said he passed on “Big Green Tractor” saying, “I didn’t feel that song fit me. I didn’t grow up riding a big tractor.” That’s a smart artist. He recognized a strong song, but realized it didn’t fit him and instead waited for one that did. And he picked a great song with ‘Barefoot Blue Jean Night’ that fit him well.
A&R Person: There are publishers that are amazing at casting and they bring you exactly what they think you need. Anyone who is passionate about what they do can come play songs for me, but the ones that cast, know the artists and are really trying to help, those are the ones that I love meeting with. There are also publishers that just bring over their newest ten song session and let you filter through them which is fine, but doesn’t save me time. And part of their job is to make mine easier. Publisher/Plugger: There was a point in this town when you had about 25 imprints and there was enough “pizza” to feed everyone. Now you have to make choices. Many songs are co-written so there are many publishers plus independent creative people working on each song. You can have 3-7 (or more) folks actively working to get a song recorded and everyone has an equal say. You have to communicate it out and sometimes it means someone is not going to be happy. To me, it is all about transparency and communication, but sometimes they can be tough conversations to have.
A&R Person: Myself and many others I talk with would like holds to evolve into “Whoever cuts it first and puts their money behind it.” That’s how you assess belief. Whoever cuts it first has spoken with what is most precious, money. •
American Country Awards To Honor Alabama
/by Eric T. ParkerThe ACA Greatest Hits Award is presented to a country music act that has produced an extensive catalog of No. 1 hits throughout its career.
Alabama has enjoyed more than 30 years in the music industry having sold more than 73 million records and celebrated 43 No. 1 singles since signing with RCA in 1980.
Fan voting for the second annual American Country Awards, hosted by Trace Adkins and Kristin Chenoweth, remains open until Friday, Dec. 2 at www.theacas.com.
The ACAs will air Monday, Dec. 5 at 8:00PM (ET live/PT tape-delayed) on FOX with performances by Adkins, Chenoweth, Scotty McCreery, Blake Shelton, Pistol Annies, Eli Young Band, Lauren Alaina, Thompson Square, and The Band Perry. There will be appearances by Josh Turner, Jordin Sparks, the JaneDear girls, Bill Engvall, and the men of Pawn Stars (Richard Harrison, Rick Harrison, Corey Harrison and Austin Russell).
Bob Bain (Teen Choice 2011, Kids’ Choice Awards) is executive producer, Fletcher Foster, Paul Flattery and Tisha Fein serve as producers; and Greg Sills is supervising producer. Michael Dempsey will direct the special.
Americana Music Association Announces Board of Directors
/by FreemanBoard members being re-elected for new terms:
Booking — Ashley Capps of AC Entertainment
Radio — Joan Kornblith, Voice of America
Publishing — John Allen, Bug Music
Artists — Rodney Crowell and Buddy Miller
New Board members:
At Large — Terry Lickona, Exec. Producer of Austin City Limits
At Large — Brad Paul, Rounder Records
Business/Financial — Wayne Halper, Attorney
New Media — Emilee Warner, Crash Avenue
The newly elected join the existing board members returning in 2012, which include Artist Mary Gauthier, Tim McFadden, Sylvia Giannitrapani, SESAC’s Tim Fink, Amanda Hale-Ornelas from New West Records, Al Moss of Al Moss Promotions, Music Fog’s Jessie Scott, Ramseur Records’ Holly Lowman, Bob Benckert from the Alternate Root and Todd Ohlhauser of the Mercy Lounge/Cannery Ballroom.
Registration is already open for the 2012 Americana Music Festival and Conference, scheduled for Sept. 12-15 in Nashville. Sign up here.
Lukey Bryan Wraps Successful CMT Tour
/by Sarah SkatesBryan and crew close CMT ON TOUR. Photo: Nate Dreger
Luke Bryan wrapped his first major headlining tour over the weekend. CMT ON TOUR: Luke Bryan Tailgates & Tanlines performed in 22 cities with opening acts Lee Brice, Josh Thompson and CMT’s New Superstar winner Matt Mason.
“This year, we witnessed one of the most successful tours in the now 10-year history of CMT ON TOUR, with Luke playing to packed houses every night,” said Leslie Fram, senior vice president of music strategy, CMT.
To get a glimpse of behind the scenes action on the tour as well as Bryan performing his current hit “I Don’t Want This Night To End” from his Capitol Records Nashville album tailgates& tanlines click here.
During a two-week break from the CMT tour, Bryan’s Farm Tour played in six cities for over 42,000 fans, raising funds for local college scholarships in each city.
Country’s Marketing Chess Board—Staying In The Game
/by bossrossClick to see larger image.
[Reprinted from MusicRow Oct./Nov 2011]
Taking the chess analogy one step further, there are a number of sophisticated moves that each of these pieces can complete. In fact, sometimes it is advantageous to create combo moves where two different pieces support each other and affect a situation where the whole becomes greater than the sum of the parts. It will require planning, expertise and experience to decide which moves are both affordable and will push a career forward. Too many plans can exhaust your resources and cause you to fall out of the game too soon. Too few, and you’ll never achieve star velocity.
As with all journeys, good directions are essential. In the case of building a country music artist career that need still applies, although the pathway from “unknown” to “household name” is a lot more complex than just getting from point A to B. Hopefully, the mind maps and circles presented in this article will help ease your passage.
But before you begin familiarizing yourself with the various tools and techniques, let’s absorb some basic research about the fans you are hoping to acquire.
According to the massive CMA Country Music Consumer Segmentation study presented in 2009, approximately two in five American adults ages 18-54 (37%) qualify as “Country Music Fans.” These Fans split into two groups based upon revenue contribution—a small core group (4.7%) who invest heavily and a larger group of “Low Funding” fans who engage with country for free (32.6%).
The core fans, or CountryPhiles and MusicPhiles, skew female (54%), are more likely to be married (59%), caucasian and from small towns versus the average American adult. They appreciate the core values of the format and the artists. And, their commitment translates to both significant engagement time and industry revenue.They are an extremely valuable group, perhaps 15 million people, that pay over 50% of the country music bills.
This CMA data is now several years old. No doubt, all segments have more effectively embraced the digital revolution and unfortunately, have also been adversely affected by the weak economy.
Now let’s look at the mind maps. Here’s a brief rundown of the six “key” areas on the map…
Product Distribution
The Product Distribution area splits into digital and physical pipelines. The digital side is much less expensive because there is no inventory to create, ship, etc. Consumers are interacting with digital product via paid downloads (Own), monthly all you can play payments (Subscribe) and unpaid channels (Free) which often means P2P piracy. Physical shelf space at major music retailers is now mostly the exclusive domain of major labels and established artists. However, physical product can be profitable, especially for sale at gigs.
Publicity
DIY (do it yourself) is all the rage, but adding a publicity expert to your team can still be a wise investment. When it comes to imaging and getting a realistic appraisal of an artist’s media skills, one can’t rely solely on Mom. A publicist can be essential in taking your story to the media and you to another level.
Touring
Gigs are a musician’s lifeblood. Even superstars will tell you, touring is where the money is. Start regionally. Be sure to acquire fan emails whenever possible, and have merchandise and product on hand. Social networking sites can also help you to interact with acquired fans in a more personal way (without leaving home).
Endorsements/Sponsorships
You don’t have to be playing arenas and stadiums to get one of these coveted partners. But it is crucial to find a brand that fits nicely with who you are and the fans you attract. Get creative in finding a way to make it fit. Think about local, regional and national brands. Find out what the brand expects from you and make sure you deliver.
Radio
Only a few years ago, this area was limited to terrestrial radio for country music. Today add satellite and online to the mix. Plus there are new hybrid arrivals like Pandora and Last.FM competing for listeners’ attention. Competition means additional opportunities.
Digital
Digital marketing and all it entails has become an absolute necessity for success. The list of outlets is substantial with new ones busting loose almost daily. Digital begins with content, video and social networking. Leveraging these areas can provide low cost, high power energy to your career when used in a conscientious daily regimen. Artists should be at least somewhat familiar with every red circle company on the map. The landscape is fragmented with lots of choices. Try to discover the ones that best match with your fans.
Fan Engagement Tools
The Engagement mindmap is a tool box for creating content, reaching out to fans one-on-one and measuring your progress. Taming your mass email program is a must. Analyzing your marketing efforts is how you begin to see what works best and fine tune your strategy. Content generation tools and imaging also play a large role in helping you implement strategy. Good luck and remember the term “overnight success” was invented by Hollywood. Don’t confuse it with “reality.” •
Industry Pics
/by Sarah SkatesSongwriter of the Year Party
EMI Music Publishing and This Music teamed to host the Nashville Songwriter of the Year party at The Boudry during the recent festivities surrounding the CMA Awards. EMI Music Publishing celebrated wins by Hillary Scott (SESAC Songwriter of the Year), and Rhett Akins and Dallas Davidson (BMI Songwriters of the Year). This Music toasted Ben Hayslip winning ASCAP Songwriter of the Year.
(L-R): EVP/GM EMI Nashville Ben Vaughn, Ben Hayslip, Hillary Scott, Rhett Akins, Dallas Davidson, and This Music owner Rusty Gaston.
Robert Earl Keen’s Ryman Debut
Robert Earl Keen received a warm welcome when he performed at Nashville’s Ryman Auditorium for the first time. He played a mash-up of his winding story songs, feel-good sing-a-longs and new material off his eleventh studio album, Ready for Confetti, which hit No. 1 on the Americana Music Chart in October.
Keen backstage with his BMI team (L-R): BMI’s Mark Mason and Clay Bradley, Robert Earl Keen, The Ryman’s Brian Wagner, and BMI’s Jody Williams. Photo: Steve Lowry
Craig Campbell Visits MTSU Students
The Middle Tennessee State University CMA EDU chapter welcomed publicist Craig Campbell as a guest speaker during a recent meeting. The students received an inside look at his role, including how an artist’s publicity activities are booked and coordinated with the record label and management. Campbell also gave a brief overview of his career in the industry and offered advice.
(L-R): MTSU CMA EDU chapter President Angela Johnson, and VP Becca Roberson; CMA Manager of Strategic Partnerships Sarah McGrady; and Campbell Entertainment Group President Craig Campbell. Photo: Wes Perry
Lifenotes: Gary Lamb
/by Sarah SkatesGary Lamb, son of music industry figure Charlie Lamb, died Nov. 21 at age 63. He was preceded in death by his mother, Frances A. Lamb, and is survived by his father, wife Peggy and many other family members.
Visitation will be tonight (11/22) from 4-8 p.m. at Woodlawn-Roesch-Patton Funeral Home on Thompson Ln. There will also be visitation tomorrow (11/23) at 10:30 a.m., followed by the funeral at 11:30 a.m. in Woodlawn’s Dignity Hall.
Interment will follow in Woodlawn Memorial Park, family and friends to serve as pallbearers.
Guitarist Paul Yandell Passes
/by Freeman(L-R): Steve Wariner, Merle Atkins Russell, and Paul Yandell. Photo: Caryn Wariner
Master “fingerstyle” guitarist Paul Yandell, who was Chet Atkins’ bandleader for over 25 years, passed away Monday morning (Nov. 21) in Hendersonville following a battle with cancer. He was 76.
Yandell arrived in Nashville from Kentucky in 1955, already an accomplished guitarist. He began his career with the Louvin Brothers, working with them until 1959. In 1961, he joined the Kitty Wells show, where he performed until 1970. He joined Jerry Reed that year, and said he “went to college” by learning from Reed. In 1975, Yandell joined Chet Atkins and remained at his side for the next 25 years.
In August 2011, Atkins’ daughter Merle Atkins Russell bestowed Yandell with Atkins’ last and final “Certified Guitar Player” (c.g.p.) degree at the opening of the Chet Atkins exhibit at the Country Music Hall of Fame and Museum. As Atkins’ sideman, Yandell had helped confer the honor upon only four players before Atkins passed in 2001: Tommy Emmanuel, John Knowles, Jerry Reed, and Steve Wariner.
Yandell also made significant contributions as a session musician, playing on records by Wariner, Dolly Parton, George Strait, the Everly Brothers, Mary Chapin Carpenter, Perry Como and many more. In 2001, Yandell recorded a tribute to his late boss called Forever Chet.
He is survived by his wife Marie Jones Yandell, son Paul, sister Yvone Lambert, brother Forrest Yandell, and numerous nieces and nephews. A Celebration of Life service will be held at Hendersonville Memory Gardens Funeral Home on Friday, Nov. 25 at 5 pm. Funeral services will take place Saturday, Nov. 26 at Clark’s River Baptist Church Cemetery in Symsonia, Ky. In lieu of flowers, donations may be made to Alive Hospice or the Country Music Hall of Fame and Museum’s Chet Atkins exhibit.
Gartner Study Predicts Strong Music Growth Online
/by bossross“The primary stakeholders in the music industry — artists, music labels, publishers and retailers/service providers — are facing wrenching changes and a somewhat uncertain future,” states analysts Mike McGuire and Stephanie Baghdassarian. “But the next four to five years, as portrayed in our forecast portends solid growth — if you ignore the continued decline of CD sales…”
Although the substantial loss in CD revenue appears unavoidable, the report focuses on the online sector which is, “Where the strategic focus needs to be.” Part of the data projects that subscription services will take a 317% leap from 2011 to 2015 where it will account for $2,218 million. Download revenues in 2011 lead subscription revenues by about 600%. By 2015, however that lead is expected to be only about double the subscription revenues (see graph).
The growth in the online music sector is clearly being driven by the proliferation of connected devices which is causing industry stakeholders to realign and restructure business models and services. “The essential element — the thing that will affect the fortunes of any number of stakeholders in the music industry,” states the report, “is how each sector addresses consumer data (behavior patterns, and how consumers find and share data about music and information). For music labels, artists and publishers, challenges abound. However, there remain real opportunities to reinvent the business based on consumers who are adopting connected devices (that marry playback and purchase acquisition capabilities in a single device) and who are showing they will pay for content in multiple ways.”