John Rich Makes "The Celebrity Apprentice" Final Four

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John Rich is one of the final four contestants on this season’s The Celebrity Apprentice. He is competing against rapper Lil Jon, actress Marlee Matlin, and actor/ singer Meatloaf for the win.
In the most recent episode (5/8), Rich recruited help from late-night talk show host Jimmy Fallon, who donated $10,000 to Rich’s team. Also on Sunday’s night installment, Meat Loaf told Donald Trump that working with Rich has made him “want to be a better person.”
Rich is competing on the show to raise money for St. Jude’s Children’s Research Hospital.
The season wraps with a two-part finale. Part one airs Sunday, May 15, with past winners including Piers Morgan, Joan Rivers and Bret Michaels returning to interview the remaining four. Trump will fire two contestants. The second part of the season finale airs May 22.

DISClaimer Single Reviews (5/10/11)

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You remember albums, don’t you?

They are collections of songs that ask you to experience several of a favorite performer’s thoughts of the moment. Mind you, there aren’t a whole lot of folks in Music City that you want to spend that much time with. But one of them most certainly is Emmylou Harris. So for album achievement, her Hard Bargain is a Disc of the Day.
Country music is, was and probably always will be centered on hit singles. With that in mind, hand a Disc of the Day to the fun, catchy “Take It Off” by the always listenable Joe Nichols.
I am happy to report that there are three brand-new faces in this stack of platters. One of them, Jason Jones, wins our DisCovery Award with “Ferris Wheel.”
RIDIN’ HIGH BAND/Go Crazy With My Heart
Writer: M. Jason Greene/Chris Cagle; Producer: none listed; Publisher: Anjelito/Do Write/Sony-ATV Tunes, BMI/ASCAP; Centennial Records of Texas (409-296-2953)
—There’s talent here: The lead vocalist has personality and the band plays well. My suggestion is that they hire someone to actually MIX the sound the next time they record.
DARIUS RUCKER/I Got Nothin’
Writer: Darius Rucker/Clay Mills; Producer: Frank Rogers; Publisher: Universal/Cadaja/MXC/Still Working for the Woman/EverGreen, ASCAP; Capitol Nashville (track)
—Very cool. In a sea of happy-happy ditties, Darius puts out a defeated, dejected heartache song that captures loss beautifully. The steel playing and his soaring voice on the choruses are particularly gripping.
SHAWNA RUSSELL/Get Right Or Get Left
Writer: Shawna Russell/Keith Russell/Tim Russell; Producer: Julian King, Clif Doyal & Tim Russell; Publisher: Blue Buckaroo, BMI; Way Out West
—She’s a wailer. And this take-a-hike-buddy attitude is perfect for her rocking vocal chops.
ZAC BROWN BAND & JIMMY BUFFETT/Knee Deep
Writer: Zac Brown/Wyatt Durrette/Coy Bowles/Jeffrey Steele; Producer: Keith Stegall & Zac Brown; Publisher: Weimerhound/Lil’ Dub/Angelika/Poppsolotamus/Jeffrey Steele/BPJ, BMI; Atlantic (track)
—As breezy as a ride on Buffett’s boat. It takes you straight to that wave-washed beach in your mind. In other words, pretty darn irresistible.
DEBORAH ALLEN/Anything Other Than Love
Writer: Deborah Allen/Gary Burr; Producer: none listed; Publisher: none listed; Delta Rock (615-476-4086)
—She’s singing as soulfully as ever. The song and production are straightforward and sturdy.
THE LUNABELLES/A Place To Shine
Writer: Natalie Hemby/Angela Lauer; Producer: Jeff Coplan; Publisher: Tiltawhirl/Carnival/Bluewater/Sophie Park/Kobalt, BMI/ASCAP; BNA
—It somehow manages to be both acoustic/rootsy and pop/crunchy simultaneously. The banjo licks, percussion thump and feathery femme harmonies are all ear catching. I’m in.
JASON JONES/Ferris Wheel
Writer: Kyle Jacobs/Josh Kelley/Rachel Thibodeau; Producer: Brett Beavers; Publisher: Curb/Jacobsong/Fortune Favors the Bold/Kohaw/Dudeski/Bicycle/Little Champion/Dream Rock, ASCAP; Warner Bros.
—The delicate instrumental track practically twinkles. His boyish tenor vocal matches the innocent-romance lyric perfectly. Dizzy and captivating.
JOE NICHOLS/Take It Off
Writer: Dallas Davidson/Ashley Gorley/Kelley Lovelace; Producer: Buddy Cannon; Publisher: EMI Blackwood/String Stretcher/Songs of Southside Independent/External Combustion/Out of the Taperoom/EMI April/Didn’t Have to Be, BMI/ASCAP; Show Dog Unversal
—It’s not exactly life changing as a song. But this man’s superb voice can make even the trivial sound important. And the whole lovable thumping country thang is absolutely the Sound of Summer. I remain an enormous fan.
EMMYLOU HARRIS/Six White Cadillacs
Writer: Emmylou Harris/Will Jennings; Producer: Jay Joyce; Publisher: Poodlebone/Almo/Will Jennings/Irving, ASCAP; Nonesuch (track)
—Hypnotic. Electric guitars stutter and shuffle while percussion patters steadily behind her hushed, ghostly vocal delivery of a funeral lyric. This is the tune she chose to perform on Letterman to introduce her new Hard Bargain CD. But it could just as easily have been any of its other dozen shining gems. Jay Joyce’s minimalist sonic approach keeps you hanging on every line of this largely self-penned collection. Check out her moving odes to Gram Parsons (”The Road”) and the recently deceased Kate McGarrigle (”Darlin’ Kate”).
PHIL VASSAR/Let’s Get Together
Writer: Phil Vassar/Tony Mullins; Producer: Phil Vassar & Ross Copperman; Publisher: Phylvester/TMullins, ASCAP; Rodeowave
—Hey, everybody. There’s a party at Phil’s house, and we’re all invited.

Paisley Preps Album Release, Int'l Tour

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Brad Paisley is prepping for the Mon., May 23 release of This Is Country Music, his first all-new studio set since 2009’s acclaimed American Saturday Night.
The new project from Arista Nashville has already produced two radio hits: the title track and current single “Old Alabama,” which is No. 1 this week on MusicRow’s Country Breakout chart.
Paisley teamed with longtime producer Frank Rogers for the album—their work together has yielded career sales in excess of 12 million units.
During release week, Paisley will promote the album with high-profile performances on ABC’s Good Morning America, CBS’s The Late Show with David Letterman, and ABC’s The View.
Paisley, the reigning CMA Entertainer of the Year, launches his H2O II World Tour presented by Chevy May 28 at Pittsburgh’s Heinz Field. The 33-city outing includes five stadiums and an international trek. Special guests include Blake Shelton and Jerrod Niemann, with emerging acts Brent Anderson, Edens Edge and Sunny Sweeney on the “Water World Plaza Stage.” Paisley’s H20 World Tour played to over 879,000 fans in 2010 and placed No. 1 in Pollstar’s country tour attendance rankings.

Industry Ink Tuesday (5/10)

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Logan Bosemer


Logan Bosemer Joins KCA
Keith Case & Associates has added booking agent Logan Bosemer. She will be responsible for placing artists in venues across the western and mid-western territories.
Prior to joining KCA, Bosemer was an agent at New Frontier Touring in Nashville. Her career background also includes artist management, touring, label operations and publicity. The MTSU graduate grew up in New Orleans and Houston.
“We are excited about Logan joining our team,” said Pres. Keith Case. “We were in need of someone who would have the knowledge and ability to begin working with our clients immediately and Logan has already proven that she can do that.” The agency represents Dan Tyminski, Elizabeth Cook, Guy Clark, Peter Rowan, Ralph Stanley, and many more.
Loretta Lynn Added To Dale Franklin Award Line-up
Loretta Lynn has been added to the list of tribute performers for the Leadership Music Dale Franklin Award, a gala event honoring the CMA on Tuesday, May 17 at the Renaissance Hotel in Nashville. The evening will be hosted by Martina McBride and include appearances from previously announced luminaries Little Big Town, Ronnie Milsap, Brad Paisley and Keith Urban. Tickets and details at www.dfa.eventbrite.com; password DFA2011.
Opry House Restoration on Today Show
The Grand Ole Opry and the Opry House’s refurbished backstage area will be featured in a segment on Today Show Weekend on Sun., May 15. NBC’s Lester Holt visited the Opry last month for the story that showcases the Opry House following its $20 million refurbishment after May 2010 flooding placed much of the venue under four feet of water.
Inside Music Row’s 200th Episode
With its total reach now exceeding 100 million U.S. homes, country music news and entertainment program Inside Music Row is proud to announce the airing of its 200th episode. The Nashville-based television show added 30 million households to its overall viewership recently with the addition of the FamilyNet network to its list of affiliates.
Headed by Executive Producer Jeff Moseley and Director Brian Covert, Inside Music Row airs in Nashville on WNAB/CW58 every Saturday night at 8:30 p.m. CST.
In addition to its U.S. affiliates, the weekly program also airs internationally in more than 40 million households. The program can be viewed online at www.InsideMusicRow.com, www.truecountry.tv, iTunes, and AOL Television.
Summer NAMM in Nashville
The 2011 Summer NAMM (National Association of Music Merchants) show will be held at the Nashville Convention Center Thursday through Saturday, July 21-23, 2011. More than 12,000 attendees and 400 music exhibitors are expected to attend the showcase of the latest musical instruments and state-of-the-art technologies. There will be master artist clinics, workshops, panels, and live music.
Also being held in conjunction with Summer NAMM is “Wanna Play Music Day” which is open to the general public, the Muriel Anderson All-Star Guitar Night, and Guitar Player Magazine’s Guitar Superstar 2011, an acoustic & electric guitar talent competition.
Local Drummer Offers Instructional Materials
Nashville based drummer Spencer Strand has released Volume 10 in his “Test Of Time” series. Strand has worked in the drum industry as a publisher of instructional materials and other capacities for several years and his educational series has been lauded by the Berklee College of Music.

Chris Young's "Neon" Lights Up Release Schedule

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Chris Young’s third album, Neon, will be released July 12 by RCA Nashville. James Stroud produced the ten track project, which has seven songs co-written by Young, including the hit lead single “Tomorrow.”
Penned with Frank Myers and Anthony Smith, it is the fastest-rising single of Young’s career. It has scanned more than 225,000 digital downloads since its release in February. See the video here.
In preparation of the upcoming release ChrisYoungCountry.com has been relaunched with a new look, additional fan features, and pre-order options. The website includes the latest news, photos, tour dates, merchandise and social networking updates.
Young’s career has been building momentum, with three consecutive No. 1’s at radio, and an album approaching Gold certification. He also garnered his first Grammy Award nomination for Best Male Country Vocal Performance with his hit, “Gettin’ You Home.” He will spend the summer on the road with Jason Aldean’s sold out My Kinda Party Tour.
Other upcoming releases include two John Rich Six Paks on May 17, Brad Paisley on May 24, Ronnie Dunn on June 7, and Blake Shelton on July 12. See the complete calendar.

Google Unveils Cloud Lockers: Analysis

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Various sources are reporting that Google will announce a new unlicensed cloud locker service as early as today (5/10). Amazon recently debuted something similar and received strong criticism from the four major record labels who believe that a service which allows users to store music files in the cloud must be licensed.
Both Amazon and perhaps Google seem to believe that as long as the lockers are merely a storage facility for individual users a license is not necessary. The more streamlined approach—which apparently would require a license— would be to have one copy of a song in the cloud and allow various users to link and listen to it on demand. Apple is said to have such a system ready to roll as soon as it is able to negotiate licenses.
Google’s new system, termed a “passive” locker offers a limited set of fucnctions. Speculation is that the Google service will allow users to listen to songs they have uploaded in streaming mode, but users will then be unable to download them.

The WSJ explains, “Users of the service are expected to be able to listen to songs they have uploaded to the service in a so-called streaming mode but won’t be able to download the files themselves. That limit appears to be a bid by Google to hinder the service from being used to spread pirated music.”

Analysis: In essence the Google offering will resemble a personalized streaming music service, such as Spotify with the restriction that users will only be able to listen to music which they have uploaded themselves. This is a time consuming endeavor. Amazon has a similar unlicensed service which has some added bells and whistles as it is tied closely to Amazon’s MP3 music store and allows downloads. European company Spotify, has a complete streaming music service which is ad supported and/or subscription based. Labels are resisting a licensing deal which would allow Spotify to launch in the U.S. due to concerns that it will not generate enough revenue. Labels are also resisting a deal with Apple for a comprehensive streaming music service.
But is this smart? Pirated downloads outnumber paid downloads 20 to 1. Isn’t there something to be gained by subsidizing new business models and helping to create new “paid” consumer listening habits? Wouldn’t the music industry have benefited if it had nurtured Napster, for example, instead of litigating it out of existence which only succeeded in stimulating a new generation of filesharing sites and a decade of disastrous falling sales?
 

Microsoft Pays $8.5 Billion For Skype

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Microsoft has jumped squarely into the communication sector with its purchase of Skype Technologies SA for $8.5 billion in cash. The VOIP phone service will headline a new division at the aging tech giant under the leadership of Skype’s Tony Bates. Bates will report directly to Microsoft’s Steve Balmer. News of the sale was first reported by the Wall Street Journal and is scheduled to be officially announced mid-day today (5/10).
Analysts believe the purchase will give Microsoft more top level online recognition which will also help strengthen the company’s Bing search engine. Microsoft said it plans to connect Skype with its Xbox and Kinect game consoles. Skype users rung up about 207 billion minutes of voice and video calls during 2010.

According to the WSJ, “Mr. Ballmer, though, sees the Internet as an essential battleground for Microsoft, a company that still makes the vast bulk of its profits from Windows and Office software systems. Investors have become increasingly concerned about Microsoft’s ability to squeeze continued growth out of those businesses, as rival technologies from Apple Inc., Google and others put more pressure on profits.”

Interestingly, Skype’s VOIP technology has netted only small profits to date. In 2010 the company received revenue of $860 million with $264 million in operating profits but had a loss of $7 million due to its long term debt of $686 million.
The earnings multiple of approximately 32 illustrates that Microsoft is extremely bullish about Skype’s future.
 

Tickets For Swift's "Speak Now…Help Now" Benefit

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Taylor Swift is opening the final dress rehearsal for her Speak Now Tour to the public, with 100 percent of ticket proceeds going to tornado relief efforts. She announced the benefit last week and has now revealed ticketing details.
Tickets to “Speak Now…Help Now” will go on sale Thursday, May 12, at 10 a.m. CT. All tickets are $50, and will be available through TaylorSwift.com, and Ticketmaster.com.
The show will be held at Nashville’s Bridgestone Arena on Saturday, May 21. Doors open at 6:00 p.m., and the rehearsal will start at 7:30 p.m. Attendees will receive a complimentary commemorative event T-shirt.
Through this unprecedented step of opening the last dress rehearsal to the public, 13,000 fans will get a first look at Swift’s new show almost a week early. “We’ll probably still be doing some fine-tuning to the show that night, since this will be a true rehearsal,” she says, “but I feel like it is so important for me and my fans to help if we can.”
100% of ticket sales will go directly to help victims of the recent tornadoes in the southeast via the Speak Now … Help Now Fund established through the Community Foundation of Middle Tennessee.
“I was watching the coverage of the tornadoes backstage at rehearsals, and I wanted to do something for the families affected by the damage,” explains the star. “I’ve never opened a rehearsal to the public before, but I felt that inviting my fans to the last rehearsal for the Speak Now Tour would be a great way to raise money. So, tickets will be available for people to come see us in the Bridgestone Arena, where we’ve been rehearsing for the last five weeks.”
The North American portion of the Taylor Swift Speak Now World Tour 2011 kicks off May 27 in Omaha, Nebraska.
“Speak Now…Help Now” event details will be updated daily on TaylorSwift.com.

Burns & Poe – Second Chance

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Thank You For a Great Add Day: KBCN, KCNY, KFAV, KGRT, KLMJ, KREK, KSMA, KTJJ, KVVP, WATZ, WGGC, WKBQ, WKSR, WMEV, WPPL, WTHO, WUCZ, WUPY, WYBL
MusicRow’s Independent Artists of the Year Burns & Poe is releasing their latest single “Second Chance” to country radio; the track is going for adds May 16. The duo’s self-titled debut album (produced by Mark Oliverius) for Blue Steel Records hit stores May 10, 2011.
Written by members Keith Burns and Michelle Poe with Tom Stipe, “Second Chance” is a conversation between two ex-lovers revisiting their shared history.
“Is there a more relatable sentiment than hoping for a second chance with someone you love?” asks Michelle Poe. “It’s a beautifully romantic notion that we hope strikes a chord with country radio and the listeners.”
Burns & Poe have been very active in the last year, touring the country and landing Top 20 singles like “How Long Is Long Enough” and “Don’t Get No Better Than That” on MusicRow’s CountryBreakout Chart. Many media outlets have praised their dynamic chemistry, even comparing them to classic country duos such as George and Tammy or Conway and Loretta. They currently have numerous live dates scheduled through summer, so check their website for show details.
www.burnsandpoe.com
www.facebook.com/burnsandpoe
Burns & Poe – Second Chance

Average Joe's Inks Kevin Fowler

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Kevin Fowler


Kevin Fowler is the newest addition to the Average Joe’s Entertainment roster. Like the rest of the label’s artists, Fowler has built a strong fan base the grassroots way. He’s sold over 330,000 albums and regularly sells 2,000-4,000 tickets per night for his headlining shows.
“I couldn’t be more excited about Kevin coming to Average Joe’s Entertainment,” said President, Tom Baldrica. “He’s the perfect fit for our roster–great music, constant touring and loyal fans! Can’t wait to share his new music with the fans and our friends at country radio.”
Fowler joins fellow Average Joe’s artists Colt Ford, Corey Smith, Montgomery Gentry, Josh Gracin and more.
Average Joe’s Entertainment, an Atlanta and Nashville-based record label, launched with flagship artist Colt Ford in 2008. Average Joe’s focuses on a grassroots approach, availability of product, and cross-promotional opportunities that expand artist visibility.