Nashville Winners Abound At 2022 IEBA Awards

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Pictured (L-R): Chris Von Belkhom, Owner/investor of Basement East; Dave Brown, Co-Owner/Founder of Basement East; Mike Grimes, Co-Owner/Founder of Basement East

Live entertainment industry professionals from all over the world gathered in Nashville this week (Oct. 9-11) for the 52nd annual IEBA Conference.

Pictured (L-R): CAA’s Yves Pierre, Live Nation’s Jay Byrd, WME’s Aaron Tannenbaum, IEBA’s Pam Matthews, The Neal Agency’s Austin Neal, UTA’s Jbeau Lewis, Wasserman Music’s Lenore Kinder

The 3-day event included panel discussions that ranged from contract terms and conditions, to crowd management and event safety, to how live entertainment impacts small and midsize markets, and what we can learn from Gen Z.

Attendees were also treated to over 30 live performances from acts including Lily Rose, Tenille Arts, Niko Moon, Shaun Johnson’s Big Band Experience, Tag Team, Switchfoot, and The Travelin’ McCourys.

The conference concluded with IEBA’s Honors & Awards ceremony. 17 industry leaders were recognized for their outstanding achievements in 2022. The full list of winners is below.

IEBA’s 53rd annual conference will be held in Nashville from Oct. 8-11, 2023.

2022 IEBA Industry Award Winners:

Club of the Year
The Basement East

Casino of the Year
Seminole Hard Rock Hotel & Casino Hollywood

Theater of the Year
Fox Theatre – Atlanta

Arena of the Year
Bridgestone Arena

Amphitheater of the Year
Red Rocks Amphitheatre

Fair/Expo of the Year
Minnesota State Fair

Festival of the Year
Austin City Limits Music Festival

Club Buyer of the Year
Chris Cobb

Casino Buyer of the Year
Andrew Saunders

Corporate Buyer of the Year
East Coast Entertainment

International Buyer of the Year
Barrie Marshall

Fair/Expo Buyer of the Year
Michelle Romeo

Festival Buyer of the Year
Amy Corbin

Venue Executive of the Year
David Kells

Music & Entertainment Industry Educator of the Year
Sarita Stewart

Agent of the Year
Aaron Tannenbaum

Promoter of the Year
Mike Smardak

Conner Smith, Breland, More To Play Second Annual Opry NextStage: Live In Concert

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The second annual Opry NextStage Live In Concert, which showcases artists picked for the NextStage artist discovery program, has been set for Nov. 20 at the Grand Ole Opry House.

The latest and final member of the NextStage Class of 2022, viral singer-songwriter Nate Smith, will take the stage alongside other 2022 NextStage artists Breland, Restless Road, Elvie Shane and Conner Smith, with special performances by NextStage alumnae Hailey Whitters and Priscilla Block, who will host.

A California native and Arista Nashville artist, Smith’s song “Wildfire” went viral on TikTok in 2020. This year, he has garnered attention on Billboard’s Emerging Artists chart while his newest single “Whiskey On You” is currently sitting at No. 11 on Billboard’s Hot Country Songs chart. Smith was also nominated for MusicRow‘s Discovery Artist of the Year award at this year’s MusicRow Awards.

“I am thrilled and honored to be the Opry’s NextStage artist for November,” Smith shares. “They have spotlighted so many artists that I admire, and I can’t wait to share a stage with them next month! There’s nothing like the Grand Ole Opry and it means the world to me to have their support.”

Tickets are available at Opry.com beginning this Friday (Oct. 14).

CMA Teams Up With Discovery Education To Launch New STEAM Program

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Photo: Courtesy of CMA and Discovery Education.

CMA has partnered with worldwide EdTech leader Discovery Education to launch “Working in Harmony: Every Voice is Instrumental,” a program designed to encourage students to explore STEAM (Science, Technology, Engineering, Arts and Math) careers within the country music industry. The educational project focuses on students and educators in grades 3-12 nationwide, and provides an array of no-cost digital resources for students to learn about the many career opportunities offered within the world of country music.

CMA is the first-ever music organization to collaborate with Discovery Education. The multi-year partnership includes standards-aligned resources designed for wherever learning takes place, and intends to show students how country music is driven by bold ideas, diverse professionals and a wide variety of unique STEAM careers. The content seeks to inspire students to become collaborative and forward-thinking leaders by covering career profiles that utilize STEAM skills as well as with classroom activities, instructional supports and family activities.

The first content offering within “Working in Harmony” is a three-part video topic series, “This is STEAM Country!,” which explores live performances and festivals. Each video will be paired with standards-aligned curriculum to strengthen the concepts within each grade band. The video series features Aaron Farmer (Music Director, Florida Georgia Line), Alec Takahashi (Creative Director/Lighting Designer, Thomas Rhett) and Lindsay Bertelli (Owner/President, Reach LLC), who demonstrate how each of their innovative skill sets help bring CMA Fest to life.

“Harmonious collaboration is the key to any successful venture, and we are proud to partner with the Country Music Association and the CMA Foundation to provide the resources needed by educators and students to explore and pursue careers utilizing STEAM skills,” states Discovery Education General Manager of Social Impact Amy Nakamoto.

“Through our partnership with Discovery Education, we are thrilled to deliver these resources directly to students and educators that highlight how our industry professionals embrace powerful STEAM skills to bring country music to fans around the world,” says CMA CEO Sarah Trahern. “As a trade organization representing the country music industry, our role has always been to provide support while also guiding the business through challenges. Our industry has seen firsthand the significant amount of labor loss as a result of the pandemic, as well as the critical need to provide a diverse pipeline of individuals to all areas of the business. This partnership will allow students around the country to learn about the many career opportunities our industry has to offer, and we hope they’ll even become a fan of country music in the process!”

Following today’s (Oct. 12) program premiere, Discovery Education will debut a virtual field trip to be captured during the 56th Annual CMA Awards in November, giving students an exclusive behind-the-scenes look at the various elements of the award show. The CMA Awards virtual field trip content and curriculum will launch early next year within the Discovery Education K-12 learning platform with additional content produced throughout the collaboration.

For more information, click here.

Blake Shelton To Leave ‘The Voice’ After 12 Years As A Coach

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Blake Shelton

After 12 years, country superstar Blake Shelton has announced that he will be leaving The Voice after Season 23. Shelton served as a coach on the singing competition’s 22 seasons.

Throughout his 12 years on the show, Shelton’s team has notched eight wins, including Jermaine Paul (Season 2), Cassadee Pope (Season 3), Danielle Bradbery (Season 4), Craig Wayne Boyd (Season 7), Sundance Head (Season 11), Chloe Kohanski (Season 13), Todd Tilghman (Season 18) and Cam Anthony (Season 20).

“I’ve been wrestling with this for a while and I’ve decided that it’s time for me to step away from The Voice after next season,” the decorated entertainer shared on social media. “The show has changed my life in every way for the better and it will always feel like home to me.”

Shelton took a moment to share a series of thanks to the entire The Voice team, including NBC, the producers, writers, musicians, crew and catering, as well as longtime host Carson Daly and all of his fellow coaches over the years, including his wife Gwen Stefani.

 

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“I have to give a huge shouts to the singers—the ‘Voices,’ who come on this stage season after season and amaze us with their talent and a special thanks to those who chose me to be their coach,” he continued. “Lastly, it’s about y’all, the fans, who watch and support these artists, us coaches, and everyone at The Voice who are chasing our dreams. It would not happen without you!”

Joining Shelton in the coaches chairs for his last season will be Kelly Clarkson, who has previously served as a coach. A few new faces, Niall Horan and Chance The Rapper, will also take a seat in the signature red spinning chairs. It is set to debut in spring of 2023.

Shelton, along with fellow coaches Stefani, Camilla Cabello and John Legend, can be seen on the show’s current season on NBC.

Last Call For ACM New Membership & Renewals

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The ACM’s deadline to apply for new memberships and renew memberships to maintain voting eligibility for the 58th ACM Awards in 2023 is this Friday (Oct. 14).

Those who have not yet submitted their application for ACM Membership must do so before the end of the day on Friday to qualify to obtain or maintain voting eligibility for the 2023 awards. Accepted and active Academy members also gain access to benefits, including early access to tickets for ACM events, discounts on industry partner events, industry data insights, monthly educational and networking events, and more.

To apply online for a membership with the Academy of Country Music, click here.

Ryman Hospitality Properties Announces Leadership Transition Going Into 2023

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Colin Reed & Mark Fioravanti

Ryman Hospitality Properties Chairman and Chief Executive Officer Colin Reed will transition to Executive Chairman of the company after more than 21 years as CEO. President Mark Fioravanti has been appointed to succeed Reed as CEO under the title President and Chief Executive Officer, effective Jan. 1, 2023.

In Reed’s new role, he will serve as Executive Chairman of the company’s Board of Directors and as Chairman of the Opry Entertainment Group (OEG) Board of Directors. He will also focus on working with OEG strategic investor Atairos and NBCUniversal to unlock opportunities for value creation; advancing the company’s ESG and diversity, equity and inclusion goals; and community and government affairs. Reed will continue his role with artist and shareholder relations alongside Fioravanti.

“It has been my honor to lead this company for over two decades as we transformed our business into the hospitality and entertainment powerhouse it is today,” Reed notes. “With our businesses operating at record or near-record levels of performance and another strong year on the horizon, this is an ideal time for me to transition into a new role. I would like to thank our employees, board members, shareholders, customers, and our many beloved Opry members for their support and confidence in me over the past 21 years. We have built a truly magnificent business, and I am eager to work toward its continued success in the years ahead.”

Since joining predecessor company Gaylord Entertainment in 2001, Reed has led a strategic reorganization of the company’s holdings. In the following years, the company built a portfolio of hotel assets under the Gaylord Hotels brand, which now includes five of the top 10 largest non-gaming resort and convention center hotels in the United States. In 2012, Reed led the company through its conversion to a Real Estate Investment Trust (REIT) after selling the Gaylord Hotels brand to Marriott International.

In 2002, Reed recruited Fioravanti to join the management team to oversee marketing as the company further refined its Gaylord Hotels brand. His roles included Senior Vice President of Sales and Marketing for Gaylord Entertainment; President of Gaylord Entertainment’s subsidiary ResortQuest; and SVP and Treasurer of Gaylord Entertainment. Fioravanti took on oversight of Finance in 2008 and was promoted to SVP and CFO in 2009 after helping the company successfully navigate the 2008 financial crisis.

As the company’s Executive Vice President and CFO from 2011 to 2015, Fioravanti was instrumental in the 2012 REIT conversion and subsequent value creation. Since then, Fioravanti has overseen initiatives to strengthen the company’s balance sheet, strategically deploy capital for future growth and generate meaningful shareholder returns. He was named President and CFO in 2015.

Fioravanti played an important role in managing the company’s response to the COVID-19 crisis and, most recently, played a leading role in securing a minority interest strategic investor for the company’s growing OEG segment. Fioravanti joined the company’s Board of Directors in February.

“I am grateful to Colin and my fellow Board members for the opportunity to lead Ryman Hospitality Properties,” Fioravanti shares. “I have the privilege of entering this role with a long-tenured management team that shares my passion for these unique businesses. Together with my team, I look forward to continuing to work to shape our vision, support our employees and create value for all our stakeholders.”

SESAC Announces Date For Nashville Music Awards

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SESAC has announced that its Nashville Music Awards will be back in person this year for the first time since 2019. The invitation-only event will take place at the Country Music Hall of Fame and Museum on Sunday, Nov. 6, kicking off CMA week in Nashville.

At the annual awards, SESAC will be honoring the Song of the Year, Publisher of the Year, and Songwriter of the Year, as well as performance activity awards for both country and Americana music. Previous award winners include Jimmie Allen, Hillary Scott, Matt McGinn, Lee Brice, Blanco Brown, Lance Miller, Margo Price, Niko Moon, Justin Ebach, Alex Kline, Jon Nite, Hayes Carll, and more.

“We can’t wait to celebrate our songwriters and publishers in person this year,” shares Shannan Hatch, Vice President of Creative Services. “Our writers have made some incredible music over the past few years, and we are thrilled to have a night honoring all their amazing achievements.”

Kenny Chesney To Be Featured Guest For CRS 2023’s ‘The Artist Interview’

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Country superstar Kenny Chesney will appear as the featured guest for “The Artist Interview” at CRS 2023. Through an exclusive Q&A session presented by BMI on March 14, Chesney will discuss his career thus far, as well as details on what’s to come. The convention will take place Mar. 13-15, 2023 at the Omni Nashville Hotel.

Chesney has been the only country artist to appear on Billboard’s Top 10 Touring Acts of the Last 25 Years over the last decade. He has sold a million-plus tickets on each of his full-sized tours since 2003. On his “Here And Now 2022” tour, he performed for over 1.3 million people with 21 stadium shows, following three different tour postponements to respect shifting health protocols.

The eight-time Entertainer of the Year’s last CRS appearance was in 2020 where he was honored for the humanitarian efforts he’s made throughout his career with the CRB Artist Humanitarian Award.

“We’re thrilled to have Kenny join us at CRS ‘23 in March. There’s so much to talk about. He’s been an important and consistently relevant artist for three decades, entertaining millions of fans with a dynamic show that brings his massive catalog of hits to life one stadium at a time. Only a very few artists–from any genre–can claim this achievement, and Kenny Chesney lives in that rare air. We can’t wait for this session at CRS,” says CRS/CRB Executive Director RJ Curtis.

“Music is such an important piece of people’s lives,” Chesney states. “I believe music is medicine. It changes lives, makes a difference and is there every step of the way. I can’t wait to dig in and talk about all these songs, all these moments and the journey to how we got there.”

Registration for CRS 2023 is open now. For more information, click here.

Nashville Sound Creator Anita Kerr Passes

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Portrait of Anita Kerr from 1956 by Walden S. Fabry. Photo: Courtesy of the Country Music Hall of Fame and Museum

Anita Kerr, who was a key figure in the development of The Nashville Sound, has died at age 94. She passed away on Monday (Oct. 10).

Kerr worked as an arranger and producer, often not credited, on many of the records that transformed Nashville into Music City. Her group, The Anita Kerr Singers, sang on the international pop hits of Brenda Lee and Roy Orbison, as well as on dozens of country classics.

The triple Grammy Award winner backed such Country Music Hall of Fame members as Red Foley, George Jones, Johnny Cash, Loretta Lynn, Bill Anderson, Patsy Cline, Ray Price and Willie Nelson. At her peak, Kerr was singing on a quarter of the singles produced on Music Row.

She was born Anita Jean Grilli in Memphis on Oct. 31, 1927. She began playing piano at an early age and formed The Grilli Sisters singing group. They broadcast on her mother’s local radio show on WHBQ. She became Memphis station WREC’s staff pianist at age 14.

Kerr formed The Anita Kerr Singers, who were hired to sing on WSM’s “Sunday Down South” radio show in Nashville in 1948. The group began singing backup harmonies on records in 1950 and signed to record for Decca in 1951.

In addition to lead soprano Kerr, the group coalesced to become tenor Gil Wright, alto Dottie Dillard (1923-2015) and baritone Louis Nunley (1931-2012). In 1956, they competed and won on the national TV competition Arthur Godfrey’s Talent Scouts and became regulars on the show from New York. But they continued to record prolifically in Nashville.

Along with Owen Bradley and Chet Atkins, Anita Kerr was instrumental in smoothing the rough edges of “hillbilly music.” Kerr has been credited with introducing string sections on country records. She crafted arrangements that emphasized strings and creamy background harmony singing while downplaying such instruments as the banjo and the steel guitar. This trend, dubbed The Nashville Sound, resulted in huge country “pop-crossover” records.

Among the many big hits featuring The Anita Kerr Singers were “My Special Angel” and “Jingle Bell Rock” by Bobby Helms (1957), “I’m Sorry” and “Rockin’ Around the Christmas Tree” by Brenda Lee (1960), “Only the Lonely” and “Running Scared” by Roy Orbison (1961), “Make the World Go Away” by Eddy Arnold (1965), “Detroit City” by Bobby Bare (1963), “The Three Bells” by The Browns (1959) and “He’ll Have to Go” by Jim Reeves (1959). Billed as The Little Dippers, the group scored its own top-10 pop hit with “Forever” in 1960.

In 1961, Chet Atkins hired Kerr to work for RCA. She conducted and supervised sessions for the label’s stars, including Dottie West, Porter Wagoner, Don Gibson, Hank Snow, Waylon Jennings, Charlie Rich, George Hamilton IV and Hank Locklin.

She wrote the string arrangement for Floyd Cramer’s “Last Date” of 1961. Later that year, she produced and arranged “The End of the World” for Skeeter Davis. It became a massive country and pop hit in 1962. She co-produced the ensuing Davis LP with Atkins, although he was quick to give her the principle credit. This made her likely Nashville’s first female record producer.

In addition to country acts and Nashville’s homegrown pop talents (such as Sue Thompson, Johnny Tillotson, Pat Boone and The Everly Brothers), Kerr backed such pop visitors as Perry Como, Duane Eddy, Burl Ives, Esther Phillips, Ronnie Hawkins, Bobby Vinton, Jack Scott, Al Hirt, Brook Benton, Lorne Greene and Ann-Margret.

Her group also recorded hundreds of ad jingles and radio-station spots. In 1964, The Anita Kerr Singers were part of the ground-breaking RCA package tour of Europe, along with Atkins, Reeves and Bare.

She and her vocal ensemble continued to make records, too. Billed as Anita & The’ So-and-So’s, they made the pop charts in 1962 with “Joey Baby.” Recording for RCA, they earned Grammy Awards for the 1965 Nashville albums We Dig Mancini (in pop) and Southland Favorites (in gospel, with George Beverly Shea).

By the time those Grammy Awards were presented, Anita Kerr had moved from Music City to Los Angeles. There, she became a pre-curser of “new-age” music via her collaborations with poet Rod McKuen on the million-selling albums The Earth, The Sea and The Sky in 1967-68. She created the San Sebastian Strings. She was also hired as the choral director for The Smothers Brothers Comedy Hour TV show in 1967.

She earned her third Grammy Award in 1966 for her group’s performance of “A Man and a Woman.” In addition, she continued to create an abundance of easy-listening, “mood music” albums.

She moved to Switzerland with husband/manager Alex Grob in 1970. She conducted orchestras, composed soundtracks for films (as a female pioneer in this field), built a recording studio and made four devotional albums for Word during the next two decades. In 1992, she received a Governor’s Award from The Recording Academy.

Anita Kerr returned California in 1979. Eventually, she moved back to Memphis.

Kerr is survived by her husband; daughters, Kelley Kerr and Suzanne Trebert; five grandchildren; and two great-granddaughters.

Details regarding memorial services have not yet been announced.

Keith Urban Proves Why He’s An Entertainer Of A Generation At Nashville Stop

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Keith Urban performs at Nashville’s Bridgestone Arena. Photo: Brennon Williamson, Courtesy of Guitar Monkey Tours

Keith Urban reminded Nashville of why he’s one of the best entertainers in country music on Friday (Oct. 7) when his “The Speed Of Now World Tour” hit its Bridgestone Arena stop.

Ingrid Andress opened the show. Her set included her breakout hit “More Hearts Than Mine,” songs from her new record Good Person, and a surprise visit from Sam Hunt to perform their collaboration “Wishful Drinking.”

Tyler Hubbard was up next in the bill. He performed songs from his new solo record, such as “Baby Gets Her Lovin’,” “35’s,” “5 Foot 9” and “Dancin’ in the Country.” He also thrilled fans with some FGL material like “Cruise” and “Meant to Be.”

When Urban took the stage, he came out with the loud and energized “Tumbleweed.” It was the beginning of a near 30-song marathon of which Urban never tired of. He went straight into his 2004 hit “Days Go By” before addressing the hometown crowd.

“This is a special night tonight because we’re in Nashville, and we always do things a little different in Nashville,” Urban said. He let the crowd know that theme for the night was “Broadway To The Big Time.”

“A lot of artists in this very town got their start right down there on lower Broadway,” he said. “They’re doing it right now. They’re playing night after night for hours. We did it too.” He then showed a clip of him and his former band The Ranch playing at a club on Nolensville Road in 1997.

Keith Urban and Kayley Green perform at Nashville’s Bridgestone Arena. Photo: Brennon Williamson, Courtesy of Guitar Monkey Tours

Later in the night, Urban invited one of Broadway’s talented singers, Kayley Green, to the stage. The bubbly blonde singer gave a hair-raising performance of Martina McBride‘s “Independence Day” before the two sang the Urban-Miranda Lambert duet “We Were Us,” making for one of the best moments of the night.

Green grasped at her heart and beamed at the packed arena as she performed–and she sounded incredible.

Urban’s show was full of hits flanked with special, intimate moments that seemed custom for a Nashville show. One special moment came when Urban noticed a sign in the back of the audience that said “I skipped school for you.” He invited the young girl holding the sign up to join him on stage for a photo.

The highly skilled performer relished in the crowd sing-a-long moments, such as “Wild Hearts,” “Kiss a Girl,” “Long Hot Summer,” and “Somewhere In My Car.” He smiled at fans raising their hands and voices in a transcendent energy exchange.

Keith Urban tributes Loretta Lynn. Photo: Brennon Williamson, Courtesy of Guitar Monkey Tours

In an intimate moment, Urban honored the late Loretta Lynn. “This week we watched one of our honky tonk angels ascend,” he said before playing acoustic versions of “Blue Kentucky Girl” and “You’re Looking at Country.” Photos of the country legend lit up the otherwise dark stage.

In a highlight of the night, Urban invited out country superstar Luke Combs. He did a rendition of his “When It Rains It Pours” with Urban singing along and playing acoustic guitar. Combs then filled in for Eric Church on his and Urban’s “Raise ‘Em Up.”

When Urban made his way to a small satellite stage at the back of the venue, it came as no surprise that he wanted to get closer to the audience. He made himself very acquainted with the faces in the crowd, responding to people’s hoots and hollers and beaming with pride when the audience sang and danced along.

On the small stage, Urban performed a snippet of John Denver‘s “Thank God I’m a Country Boy” with his acoustic guitar, as well as “Better Life” and “You’ll Think of Me.” Before he left to go back to the main stage, he signed and handed the guitar to a fan.

When Urban returned for his final few songs, he kicked it off with “Somebody Like You,” complete with a few verses of “The Lion Sleeps Tonight,” which got some giggles out of him and the band. He then blitzed fans with hits, playing “Blue Ain’t Your Color,” “The Fighter” and “Wasted Time,” before closing the show with “Stupid Boy” for the encore.

Urban brings his top-notch show to Savannah, Georgia’s Enmarket Arena on Thursday (Oct. 13).