Luke Bryan Shakes It Straight To Gold

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Luke Bryan is powering toward his August album release with hit single “Country Girl (Shake It For Me).” The lead track from Tailgates and Tanlines has been certified Gold by the RIAA, with sales totaling 615,800 digital downloads [Soundscan].
Co-written by Bryan and fellow Georgia native Dallas Davidson, the song is the fastest rising single of Bryan’s career, and debuted at No. 1 with 105,498 downloads. See the full track list from his upcoming Capitol release here.
Bryan is on a roll with three back-to-back No. 1 singles: “Do I,” “Rain Is A Good Thing” and “Someone Else Calling You Baby.” Those tracks are from his Gold-certified Doin’ My Thing, which recently won MusicRow’s Marketing Achievement Award.
Bryan is spending the summer on Tim McGraw’s Emotional Traffic Tour, and will headline CMT On Tour: Luke Bryan Tailgates & Tanlines this fall.

Quonset Hut Hosts Reunion Celebration

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Ray Stevens (L) honors iconic guitar player Harold Bradley (R).


Legendary artists and musicians including Harold Bradley, Whispering Bill Anderson, Little Jimmy Dickens and Ray Stevens gathered Monday night (6/27) at Nashville’s famed Quonset Hut for a reunion, swapping stories and songs.
The Curb Foundation, Belmont University and the Nashville Songwriters Hall of Fame arranged the celebration to honor the legacy of the studio and those who worked there. Also on hand for the event were Charlie McCoy, Jim Glaser, David Frizzell, Beckie Foster, Norbert Putnam, Steve Gibson, Ray Edenton and Glenn Snoddy.
Originally purchased in the mid-‘50s by producer Owen Bradley and his “A-Team” guitarist brother Harold, The Quonset Hut played host to sessions by Buddy Holly, Loretta Lynn, Johnny Cash, Patsy Cline, Marty Robbins, Bob Dylan, Dusty Springfield and Brenda Lee.
After 25 years of churning out hit songs in the country, pop and rock genres, the Quonset Hut doors were shut in 1982, and eventually the building was used for office and storage space. Mike Curb acquired the property in 2005 and had the studio restored back into a recording facility. Belmont University now operates the Quonset Hut for teaching, sessions and events.

MySpace Purchased By Specific Media and Justin Timberlake [Updated]

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News Corp. has reportedly sold social-media site MySpace to ad network Specific Media and its partner, pop star Justin Timberlake.
The Wall Street Journal says the sale was valued at $35 million in cash and stock, far below News Corp’s $100 million asking price. News Corp. will also retain a small stake in the site going forward.
MySpace was purchased by News Corp. in 2005 at the height of its popularity for $580 million, but has since seen its usage dwindle after the rise of Facebook. MySpace now has about 157 million active users, compared to Facebook’s 600 million.
Following the sale, Myspace CEO Mike Jones will be vacating his post though he plans to work with News Corp. and Specific Media to help the transition. Additionally, MySpace will begin laying off a significant number of its employees.
Timberlake, who recently played Facebook affiliate Sean Parker in The Social Network, will have an office at MySpace’s Beverly Hills headquarters as well as a small staff devoted to developing ideas for the site. Specific Media and Timberlake say plans for MySpace’s future will be unveiled in the next couple of months.
Specific Media was founded in 1999 by brothers Tim, Chris and Russell Vanderhook and assists marketers in buying web, mobile and TV ads. The company’s advertising network is now one of the country’s biggest, and since 2007 it has acquired digital advertising companies, an online video company, and an ad technology company.

Songwriter News

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Signing at My Good Girl
My Good Girl Music has signed songwriter Allison Veltz to an exclusive publishing agreement. My Good Girl Music is a joint venture between producer Mark Bright and Sony/ATV Music Publishing. Veltz is currently working on her debut album, with Bright on board as producer.

(L-R): Mark Bright, My Good Girl's Ashley Hertzog, Allison Veltz, Sony/ATV's Troy Tomlinson, and My Good Girl's Stephanie Greene


 
The Voice Finalist In Nashville
Patrick Thomas, a recent finalist on hit singing competition The Voice, was in Nashville earlier this month for a writing trip. While in town, the ASCAP member stopped by the PRO’s Music Row offices to visit with the creative team. The live finale of The Voice airs tonight (6/29) on NBC.

Pictured (L-R): ASCAP's Michael Martin, Tim DuBois, Patrick Thomas, ASCAP's Robert Filhart. Photo: Anna Maki


 
Infinity Music Signing, Hiring
Phil Parker, President of Infinity Music Group, has signed songwriter Brent Baxter to an exclusive publishing deal. The Arkansas native has already had a hit with “Monday Morning Church,” recorded by Alan Jackson. He’s also had cuts by Lady Antebellum (“A Woman Scorned,” “Last Night Last”), Randy Travis,  Lonestar, Ray Stevens and Randy Kohrs.
Parker has also tapped longtime publishing executive Paul Compton and his Music Highway Writer Services company to represent Infinity’s song catalog. Compton previously spent 18 years at Murrah Music, ending as Sr. Vice President. He can be reached at paul.compton@musichighway.net.

(L-R) Phil Parker, Brent Baxter, and Paul Compton


 
Ray Scott Debuts Music At Local Show
Ray Scott played cuts from his upcoming album Rayality to a packed house at East Nashville’s The 5 Spot recently. Scott is managed by Dennis Entertainment and writes for Universal Music Publishing.

Ray Scott onstage at the 5 Spot.


 
Tompkins Family Tree Growing
Congratulations to hit songwriter Chris Tompkins and wife Jessica on the birth of Emmy Rose Tompkins on June 16. She weighed 8 lbs 2 oz, and joins big brother Hayes, age 2. Tompkins is a co-writer of the No. 1 songs “Voices” (Chris Young), and “Before He Cheats” (Carrie Underwood).
 

Industry Ink Wednesday

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Eric Beggs


Rodeowave Adds To Promo Staff
Eric Beggs has joined Rodeowave Entertainment handling Southeast regional promotion. During his 20-plus years in the industry, Beggs has worked promotions for CBS Records, Liberty Records, and Capitol. Rodeowave is busy with “Let’s Get Together,” the current single from flagship artist Phil Vassar. Beggs reports to Bill Macky, VP of Radio Promotion, and can be reached at eebeggs@gmail.com or (603) 244-2022.
Fred Steiner Passes
Fred Steiner, noted TV music composer and father of former Nashville songwriter Wendy Waldman, has died at age 88. Steiner was active from the 1950s-90s, and wrote the themes for Perry Mason and Rocky and Bullwinkle, and also contributed scores for episodes of The Twilight Zone, Star Trek, Gunsmoke, Hawaii Five-O, and Dynasty.
Waldman’s Nashville songwriting successes include the Nitty Gritty Dirt Band classic “Fishing in the Dark,” as well as hits by Crystal Gayle (“Baby What About You”) and The Forester Sisters (“Letter Home”). More on Steiner here.



Leigh Nash





Leigh Nash Joins Vocal Studio
Leigh Nash has joined the team of vocal instructors at Nashville’s Brett Manning Studios. As lead singer of the group Sixpence None The Richer (“Kiss Me,” “There She Goes”), Nash recently completed a new album with the band and is touring. Visit BrettManningStudios.com or call (615) 866-1099.
100 Reasons to Celebrate
Doak Turner’s 3rd Sunday at 3:00 songwriter event will mark 100 months in a row on July 17. The event is held at 701 Brook Hollow Rd., 37205. Details at NashvilleMuse.com or call (615) 354-6400.
CMT Radio Live With Cody Alan recently added its 100th affiliate.
PLA Media Signing
Public relations and marketing firm PLA Media has added DeeAnn Dominy to the roster. The company’s other clients include Lynn Anderson, Chase Rice, Adam Fisher, and Richie McDonald.

Justin Moore Reels In Sales

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Justin Moore fishing for album sales in Central Park.


Album Sales
Justin Moore’s sophomore effort debuted at the top of the Country album charts this week moving 65K units, which also brought him in at No. 5 on the all-genre chart [Soundscan].
Outlaws Like Me was propelled by hit single “If Heaven Wasn’t So Far Away,” and a launch event where the Valory artist held a six-hour media fest from a bass boat in the Central Park lake.
Thirty-four percent of Moore’s sales were digital downloads, while fellow new country releases from Corey Smith and Cody Canada & the Departed reaped almost 50 percent digital.
Canada, previously of Cross Canadian Ragweed, sold a total of 7.8K units, and the debut from Average Joe’s artist Smith moved 4.8K.
Outside the Country front, Jill Scott and Bon Iver had big debuts, with 135K and 104K, respectively.
Digital Tracks
On the singles front, Jason Aldean and Blake Shelton are ruling the roost. Aldean’s “Dirt Road Anthem” rap has reacted with fans to the tune of 1.11 million paid downloads. This is the combined tally from both his solo, and Ludacris-duet versions.
Shelton’s performance of “Honey Bee” on The Voice made fans buzz over to their computers, equaling a 35 percent bump from the week before. This additional 110K units brings the song’s RTD total to 938K.
2011 Sales Status

As we near next week’s mid-point for 2011, Country music is down 2.6% YTD, while all-genre album sales are up a tiny .4%. Overall digital track sales continue to climb, and are up 10% YTD.

Google Goes Social With Google+

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Google has revealed details of its new social networking service, Google+, which is now in limited use by invitation only. The service aims to integrate seamlessly with Google’s other products like maps and images, while enriching the experience of online interaction.
According to Google’s official blog, online sharing is “awkward,” and Google+ is an attempt to correct that. By adding selective features such as +Circles for organizing friends into niche groups (work, music buddies, running partners, etc.) and +Sparks for easy discovery and sharing of web content that matches user interests, Google+ is addressing what it deems Facebook’s problem of being too “rigid.”
Other features in Google+ include +Hangouts, which hopes to promote group video chat and encourage easy, low-pressure interaction with friend circles. Mobile apps, starting with Android, are also in development.
If successful, the service could be serious competition for social king Facebook. The appearance and operation (see screen shots here) are similar enough that users should have little trouble making the transition. The Google navigation bar has been redesigned and will now appear black instead of the usual gray. Once the service is ready, Google+ icons with options for profile access, notifications, and content sharing will appear in this area.
At present membership is invitation-only, but interested parties can request an account here. There is also a Twitter feed to keep everyone informed about developments with the service. The limited invite rollout is not unlike Google’s introduction of Gmail a few years back, which successfully drove demand for addresses sky high.

BE Music & Entertainment Opens in Nashville

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Dallas-based London Broadcasting Company has opened BE Music & Entertainment, headed by executives Terry London, Carl Kornmeyer and Michael Blanton. With offices in Dallas and Nashville, the full-service artist development agency provides management, production and publishing services to clients across a range of music genres, as well as in film, television, visual art, and literature.
All three executives have more than 30 years of experience in the entertainment industry, including time at Gaylord Entertainment, where London previously served as President and CEO.
Today he is President and CEO of London Broadcasting, which owns and operates 12 television stations in Texas and also owns 41 Entertainment, a Dallas-based television production company.
Kornmeyer is COO of the company’s Content Group, and Blanton is on board as President of BE Music & Entertainment.
Blanton’s background in production and management has been instrumental in developing the careers of Amy Grant and Michael W. Smith.
For more information, visit www.BEMusicEntertainment.com or call them at (866) 339-8686.

Michael Blanton, Carl Kornmeyer and Terry London

New Music Coming From Milsap

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Ronnie Milsap will release his first new country album in five years next month. Country Again will be available July 26, with lead single “If You Don’t Want Me To (The Freeze)” going for adds July 18. He has already finished the music video for the song, which highlights a dance called “The Freeze.”
Country Again is being released as a joint venture between Milsap Music Group and Bigger Picture Group. Milsap will celebrate the release July 16 with a performance on the Grand Ole Opry.
Among the singer’s best known 40 No. 1 hits are ”Smoky Mountain Rain,” “(There’s) No Gettin’ Over Me,” “I Wouldn’t Have Missed It for the World,” “Any Day Now,” and “Stranger in My House”.
In 2009, he released Then Sings My Soul: 24 Favorite Hymns and Gospel Favorites.
Tracks on Country Again:
A Better Word For Love
Country Again
Cry Cry Darling
You’re The Reason I’m Living
Almost Mine
Oh Linda
Even Fools Get Lucky
For A Minute There
Fireworks
On My Own
Trapped In An Old Country Song
If You Don’t Want Me To (The Freeze)

DISClaimer Single Reviews (6/29/11)

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This listening session was dominated by hit makers of yore.
Ricky Skaggs, Tracy Lawrence, Sawyer Brown, Michael Martin Murphey and Roy Head with Jeff Chance are all on board with new sounds. Ricky and Tracy, in particular, are audio delights.
For those of you of a more contemporary mindset, I present this season’s top two finalists from the 2011 edition of American Idol. Ironically, it’s the number-two finisher who finishes first in this column. Give Lauren Alaina a Disc of the Day.
My DisCovery Award winner has been knocking them dead at folk festivals, bluegrass conventions, cowboy poetry gatherings and Lone Star State gigs for several years now. Not to mention having guested on the Grand Ole Opry, appeared on Marty Stuart’s TV show and at The Kennedy Center, The Birchmere, The Ernest Tubb Record Shop’s Midnight Jamboree and fiddle contests galore. It is The Quebe Sisters Band. This group swings, western style. It is acoustic and cool. Listen and believe.
SCOTTY McCREERY/I Love You This Big
Writer: L. Ronnie/E. Dean/B. James; Producer: Mark Bright; Publisher: none listed; 19/Interscope/Mercury (CDX)
—This debut single by the American Idol champ is well sung, beautifully produced and unmistakably country. But the ballad is simplistic, predictable and ultimately dreary.
GEORGE STRAIT/Here For A Good Time
Writer: George Strait/Bubba Strait/Dean Dillon; Producer: Tony Brown & George Strait; Publisher: Day Money/HoriPro/Living for the Night/Sixteen Stars/Tenorado, ASCAP/BMI; MCA Nashville (CDX)
—George Strait goes uptempo! And with words to live by: “I ain’t here for a long time/I’m here for a good time.”
THE QUEBE SISTERS BAND/Along The Navajo Trail
Writer: Dick Charles/Larry Markes/Eddie DeLange; Producer: Joey McKenzie; Publisher: Scarsdale/Universal MCA, ASCAP; Fiddletone (track) (www.quebesistersband.com)
—The Quebe Sisters Band is anchored by three sisters—Grace, Sophia and Hulda Quebe–who hail from the Fort Worth suburb of Burleson, Texas. They have two CDs to date, an all-instrumental effort from 2003 called Texas Fiddlers, and a newer one titled Timeless. The latter includes this track that demonstrates their dazzling instrumental prowess, their lovely trio harmony vocals and their total swing-ability. The band (which also includes guitarist/producer Joey McKenzie and upright bass man Drew Phelps) is occasionally featured on Marty Stuart’s RFD-TV show. It draws loads of fan mail whenever it does.
SAWYER BROWN/Smokin’ Hot Wife
Writer: Mark Miller; Producer: Mark Miller; Publisher: Travelin’ Zoo, no performance rights listed; Beach Street
—Country music’s upteen-millionth rip off of Jimmy Buffett’s groove.
TRACY LAWRENCE/The Singer
Writer: Rick Huckaby/Kenneth Wright; Producer: Tracy Lawrence & Flip Anderson; Publisher: 13thAve/I-40/Songs of Nicholson/Kenneth Wright, BMI; LMG (CDX) (615-347-9563)
—His voice is more resonant and rich than ever. The well-constructed song reflects on a life that isn’t perfect—all the narrator wishes to be remembered for is the fact that he is/was simply a fine singer. And this man certainly is.
ROY HEAD & JEFF CHANCE/Can’t Turn ‘Em Down At All
Writer: Sam Lee/Luther Goff; Producer: Sam Lee & Roy Head; Publisher: Stages@Players, ASCAP; Music Master (CDX) (979-849-5131)
—Head was a steady presence on the country charts in 1974-85. Although never a major hit maker, he generally turned in genial, upbeat, lightly rocking fare. This comeback single, recorded with fellow Texan Jeff Chance, is very much in his classic style.
MICHAEL MARTIN MURPHEY/The James Gang Trilogy
Writer: Michael Martin Murphey, plus Hal Ketchum/Gary Burr; Producer: Ryan Murphey & Pat Flynn; Publisher: Rocking 3M, BMI, plus Universal, BMI; Rural Rhythm (track) (www.michaelmartinmurphey.com)
—For the past several years, Murphey has been combining his love of western songs with bluegrass instrumentation. His third CD in this vein is titled Tall Grass & Cool Water. In addition to a clutch of standards (”Cool Water,” “Way Out There,” “Blue Prairie”), it includes a number of the singer’s reworkings of public-domain cowboy numbers. Two of the songs in this trilogy—“The Ballad of Cole Younger” and “The Ballad of Jesse James”—are Murphey’s versions of folk songs that tell the story of the Missouri/Kansas outlaws of the James Gang. The third, a lilting ballad called “Frank James Farewell,” comes from highly respected Nashville singer-songwriters Hal Ketchum and Gary Burr. Frank James was the gang member who survived, and in this lyric he wistfully recalls his colorful past.
RICKY SKAGGS/Don’t Get Above Your Raising
Writer: Lester Flatt/Earl Scruggs; Producer: Ricky Skaggs; Publisher: APRS/Peer, BMI; Skaggs Family (track) (www.skaggsfamilyrecords.com)
—Speaking of bluegrass, Ricky’s latest CD is titled Country Hits Bluegrass Style. It recasts his own singles of the 1980s as bluegrass tunes. But, hello, songs like this (plus “Uncle Pen,” “Crying My Heart Out Over You” and “I Wouldn’t Change You If I Could”) were originally bluegrass tunes that he turned into mainstream country, so he’s just taking them back to where they were in the first place. That said, the whole album is brilliantly performed. Something like eight out of his last 10 projects have been oldie remakes of one sort or another. Can we please have a set of new bluegrass songs from this top-tier artist?
TEEA GOANS/Letter From God
Writer: Angela Kaset/Rob Crosby; Producer: Terry Choate; Publisher: Ten Ten/Friday Records/Evergreen/Palmetto Moon, ASCAP/BMI; Crosswind (CDX) (615-467-3860)
—I am an enormous fan of this sublimely country vocalist. As usual, she nails every note of the performance. She dreams she gets a letter from the Almighty that tells her to live right. I have that dream all the time. Only it’s an email.
LAUREN ALAINA/Like My Mother Does
Writer: Nathan Chapman/Liz Rose/Nicole Williams; Producer: C. “Tricky” Stewart; Publisher: none listed; 19/Interscope/Mercury (CDX)
—The second-place finisher on this year’s edition of American Idol stages her disc debut with a power ballad. It tugs at the heart strings as it celebrates the strength, love and guidance of a beloved mom. Hang on for the soaring, goose-bumpy key change at the finale. You’d have to be made of stone to resist this. Coincidentally, this song appeared as a track on the debut CD by Kristy Lee Cook, an Idol alumna of 2008. (It was also a single for Atlantic newcomer Jesse Lee last year.)