This year’s IBMA World of Bluegrass will be held virtually, with the planned conference, showcases, awards and festival performances to be presented via an online experience Sept. 28-Oct. 3, 2020.
“While we all would love to gather in Raleigh this year for IBMA World of Bluegrass, the extraordinary circumstances made this decision necessary,” said Paul Schiminger, Executive Director of IBMA. “Maintaining the health and safety of the large crowd we enjoy each year would be such an enormous, uncertain, and risky proposition. However, we know how important this week is to our bluegrass professionals and fans, so we are moving forward in new ways. We see this as an opportunity to reimagine every aspect of IBMA World of Bluegrass so we can still connect, educate, showcase, and perform in fun and engaging ways. And we hope to introduce new participants to the types of things we normally do in Raleigh so we can invite them to join us in person for the fun in 2021 and hopefully many years beyond. We deeply appreciate the ongoing partnership of the City of Raleigh, the hotels, PNC Bank, which has been our presenting sponsor since 2013, and the many other important sponsors we have worked with over the years.They help make this the most important week in bluegrass.”
“IBMA World of Bluegrass brings together some of the best and most talented traditional musicians in the world and, for the last seven years, thousands of music lovers and industry leaders have gathered in Raleigh to celebrate everything bluegrass,” said Raleigh Mayor Mary-Ann Baldwin. “And while it’s not possible to gather in person this year, we hope that Raleigh and the IBMA World of Bluegrass events will be at the top of everyone’s travel plans for 2021.”
The nominees for this year’s IBMA Bluegrass Music Awards will also be announced earlier than scheduled, set to be revealed Friday, June 26 at 10 a.m. CT on SiriusXM’s Bluegrass Junction. The second and final round of Official Showcase Artists for the IBMA Bluegrass Ramble, the innovative showcase series that is part of IBMA World of Bluegrass, will be announced on June 18.
Music fans will have access to free live streaming, on-demand sessions and performances of the IBMA Bluegrass Ramble showcases, the 31st Annual IBMA Bluegrass Music Awards and IBMA Bluegrass Live! powered by PNC, a music festival with performers ranging from emerging artists to industry icons.
“We will be working hard to make this year work, and plan to use what we learn about building an online audience to expand the audience for when we’re back on Fayetteville Street,” said David Brower, Executive Director of PineCone, the local Raleigh non-profit music organization that produces the festival. “We hope that this experience will allow people to participate who haven’t been able to travel to Raleigh before, and that this will also inspire them to make plans to join us in Raleigh in 2021.”
The IBMA Business Conference will feature professional development sessions; 1-to-1 and group networking events such as a re-imagined Gig Fair; and a Virtual Exhibit Hall, where attendees and vendors can communicate via chat and video chat, participate in live product demos, purchase merchandise directly from vendors and more.
Colter Wall’s Latest Album Due In August
/by Lorie HollabaughColter Wall will release a new self-produced album, Western Swing & Waltzes and Other Punchy Songs, this Summer. Available from La Honda Records/Thirty Tigers on Aug. 28, the 10-track project is packed full of cowboy songs and odes to the western life, and picks up where his previous album, 2018’s Songs of the Plains, left off.
The 24-year-old Canadian recorded the new collection at Yellow Dog Studios, deep in the heart of Texas, and produced it himself after working on previous recording sessions with Dave Cobb at the helm. Penning half the songs himself, Wall included songs like “High & Mighty,” cowboy poet and rancher Lewis Martin Pederson III’s ode to a legendarily tough bronco, and “Talkin’ Prairie Boy,” a tune featuring just Wall’s voice and guitar on the new project.
The Saskatchewan native’s music is steeped in Western tradition and historic influence, and has been featured in the soundtracks of movies such as Hell or High Water, Peanut Butter Falcon, and Deadwood, in addition to TV series Damnation and HBO’s Run.
Share Of Ear Report Shows Listening Time At Home Has Risen 44% During COVID-19 Pandemic
/by Lorie HollabaughEdison Research’s Share Of Ear report finds that listening time in the home has increased by 44% during the COVID-19 pandemic. The report was based on interviews conducted in mid-May 2020.
The data provides insight into U.S. listener behavior during COVID-19 restrictions. Findings show that while total time spent listening was only slightly lower during the COVID-19 disruptions in the United States, there was a considerable shift in where that audio consumption happened. While 48.5% of all listening occurred at home before COVID-19 (and this finding has been very consistent since Share of Ear began in 2014), 70% of all listening was at-home in May. All three other locations studied (car, work and ‘other’) dropped during that time period.
“It’s important to recognize that our survey asks where the respondent is when they are listening to audio – not what they are doing,” said Edison Research director Laura Ivey. “The shift to ‘work-from-home’ for so many, especially office workers who tend to spend a lot of time with audio, is clearly reflected.”
Podcasting’s Share of Ear also jumped significantly – up 26% from the Quarter 1 2020 report to this new update. During COVID-19 restrictions, 5.4% of all time spent with audio was with podcasts, up from 4.3% in Q1. While podcasting share increases with every update, this represented an all-time high for podcast listening share of all audio.
Smart Speakers also hit a new high, with its share leaping by more than 40% (albeit from a relatively low base). During COVID-19 restrictions, 5.3% of all time spent with audio was through a smart speaker, up from 3.7% in Q1.
Country Radio Broadcasters’ Upcoming CRS360 Webinar To Feature Steve Reynolds, Mojo
/by Jessica NicholsonCountry Radio Broadcasters, Inc. will present the latest in its CRS360 webinar series with “The Pivot: How Great Talent Have Changed to Stay Successful,” on June 23 from noon-1:00 p.m. CT. Panelists will include Steve Reynolds of The Reynolds Group as well as Top 40 station WKQI/Detroit morning radio personality Mojo. The two will discuss how radio on-air personalities have adjusted to prepping, reaching listeners and collaborating with radio station sales teams.
CRB/CRS Executive Director, RJ Curtis, commented, “Our June CRS360 continues a three-part series on how radio has modified best practices during a time of extraordinary, unpredictable events. The focus here is on-air personalities, a station’s most direct contact point with listeners. As Steve and Mojo will discuss, sustaining success has required talent to pivot on everything they do: show prep, connecting with listeners, daily execution, and being a helpful resource to the sales team.”
Interested parties can register for “The Pivot: How Great Talent Have Changed to Remain Successful,” via Zoom. Only a limited number of slots are available and are based on a first-come, first-served basis.
In July, CRS360 will examine how radio sales teams are working to recapture business and service clients during the pandemic.
Additional CRS360 webinars have included an in-depth look at “Tone down anxiety, turn up the music: how to cope with stress and uncertainty” featuring Miles Adcox, “CRS Research Presentation: Do You Know Your Listeners As Well As You Think You Do? – A Closer Look,” “The Impact of Ken Burns’ Country Music,” “Continuous Diary Market Measurement: An Update,” “Country Radio’s Podcasting Opportunity,” “A Discussion of Gender Balance at Country Radio: Part I and Part II,” and more.
SiriusXM Acquires Podcast Management Platform Simplecast
/by Jessica NicholsonSiriusXM has acquired podcast management platform Simplecast, which enables podcasters to publish, manage and measure their content.
Paired with Adswizz, an ad-tech subsidiary of SiriusXM, Simplecast creates an end-to-end solution to help creators publish and earn revenue from their podcasts.
Through AdsWizz, SiriusXM offers a leading ad-tech solution for podcasters and networks, from dynamic ad insertion to ad serving, new programmatic solutions for podcasting, and the AdsWizz Podcast Marketplace, PodWave. Through Pandora for Podcasters, creators can easily submit their podcasts to reach Pandora’s millions of users and get access to data analytics tools and useful audience insights.
“Our goal is to provide audio publishers with state-of-the-art platforms and give them everything they need to be successful,” said Alexis van de Wyer, CEO of AdsWizz. “Empowering podcasters of any size to create, distribute, analyze, and monetize their work is the next natural step in pursuing our vision.”
“From the beginning, Simplecast’s mantra and mission was to remain laser-focused on podcast creators—building the best tools for publishing and insights,” said Brad Smith, the Founder and CEO of Simplecast. “The opportunity and alignment with AdsWizz allows our product—and our customers—access to a powerful monetization platform. Two best-in-class platforms are now able to align with the shared mission of helping publishers succeed, while each team continues to focus on their respective areas of expertise.”
New Book To Share Stories Behind Dolly Parton’s Lyrics
/by Jessica NicholsonA new book will delve into the stories behind many of Dolly Parton‘s song lyrics. Parton teamed with acclaimed music journalist, historian and author Robert K. Oermann for Dolly Parton, Songteller: My Life in Lyrics, which will release Nov. 17 via Chronicle Books.
“My songs are like my children, I expect them to support me when I’m old,” Parton said in a video posted to Chronicle Books’ Twitter page. “Across my life I’ve written thousands of songs. But here, for the first time ever, we’re spotlighting 200 of my favorites.”
The book will also include never-before-seen photos and handwritten lyrics to some of the songs from Parton’s extensive catalog. Parton is a member of the Songwriters Hall of Fame, Nashville Songwriters Hall of Fame and the Country Music Hall of Fame.
Two of her signature hits—”I Will Always Love You” and “Coat of Many Colors”—are included in the National Recording Registry, which lists sound recordings that “are culturally, historically, or aesthetically important, and/or inform or reflect life in the United States.” Parton’s “I Will Always Love You” was inducted into the Grammy Hall of Fame in 2007, followed by “Jolene” in 2014.
Oermann has penned numerous books on country music, including Finding Her Voice: The Saga of Women in Country Music, which won the ASCAP Deems Taylor Award for music book excellence. He has also been a recipient of the Country Music Association’s Media Achievement Award.
Dolly Parton, Songteller: My Life in Lyrics is available for pre-order on amazon.com.
Fourward Music Adds Writers, Creative Managers
/by Lorie HollabaughPictured clockwise from top left: Carrie K, Hastings, Sarah and the Sundays, Mike Robinson
Fourward Music has added four new writers to their publishing roster, Carrie K, Mike Robinson, Hastings, and Sarah and the Sundays. The company has also added two members to the creative team: Joey McCarthy and Jake Sarno, who will be based out of their L.A. offices.Prior to joining the A&R team at Fourward, McCarthy spent several years in marketing at global sportswear brand, adidas. He also worked with the former manager of Sean “diddy” Combs, Elie Maroun, at his entertainment company, Grey Space Group, as an A&R rep. Jake Sarno previously attended Syracuse Music Industry program before leaving early to join Fourward’s A&R team. In his time at Syracuse, Sarno started his own blog, in which he interviewed artists. He also worked at Stem, where he assisted with artist relations and playlisting.
“Will and I are excited about the growth of Fourward Music and are carefully selecting the perfect combination of writers, producers, and artists, as well as A&R and creative staff that fit in the ever changing musical landscape,” says Fourward President Shannan Hatch. “Along with announcing the signing of Carrie K, Hastings, Mike, and Sarah and the Sundays, it’s a pleasure to announce the addition of Joey McCarthy and Jake Sarno to our creative team based out of our L.A. offices. Joey and Jake bring unique skill sets to the company and we can’t wait to see their continued growth in the music community.”
Laura Segura Named Executive Director of MusiCares
/by Lorie HollabaughLaura Segura
Laura Segura has been appointed Executive Director of MusiCares, effective immediately. Segura will lead the charitable foundation of the Recording Academy that has been providing industry members a safety net of services including help for financial, medical and personal health issues for the past 30 years.
Segura shifts from her previous role as Vice President of Membership & Industry Relations for the Recording Academy, where she spearheaded the restructuring of the organization’s 12-chapter system, and increased outreach and industry relations efforts. Having led the nearly 60-person Membership department spread across the country, Segura brings significant fundraising and development experience to the position.
“On behalf of everyone at the Recording Academy, we are so excited and proud that Laura Segura is moving up to lead MusiCares,” said Academy Chair and Interim President/CEO Harvey Mason Jr. “Laura’s incredible work here over the past seven years has proven her to be an invaluable member of the Academy’s team. We look forward to the great things we know she will accomplish with us in her new role.”
Serving as the incoming Executive Director, Segura will oversee an annual budget of $17 million, and a staff that encompasses development, fundraising and delivery of health and financial aid programs. The staff includes a highly experienced team of licensed clinical social workers, substance abuse counselors, and health and human services professionals that work directly with musicians and industry members.
“I am humbled to join the MusiCares team during such a monumental moment,” said Segura. “I feel it is my personal calling to amplify MusiCares’ cause. It is through taking care of music people that we ensure music remains an integral part of all our lives. In the immediate term, we need to effectively transition from emergency mode into a long-term recovery effort. Unfortunately, COVID-19 and its related toll on the health and well-being of music people will be felt for years to come.”
Earlier this spring, the Recording Academy and MusiCares established a special COVID-19 Relief Response to help music community members impacted by the pandemic. MusiCares raised $20 million and provided thousands of music creators and industry professionals with emergency assistance. Those wishing to support the efforts to assist music professionals in need can visit grammy.com/
Industry Pics: Alan Jackson, Arista Nashville, Tauren Wells
/by Jessica NicholsonAlan Jackson Welcomes Fans To Alabama “Small-Town Drive-In” Shows
Alan Jackson brought his “Small Town Drive-In” events to Cullman, Alabama on Friday (June 12) and Fairhope, Alabama on Saturday (June 13). More than 2,000 vehicles welcomed him at Cullman York Farm, while 2,300 cars full of fans joined him in Fairhope’s 300-acre Oak Hollow Farm.
Robert Counts, Arista Nashville Celebrate Happy Hour
Pictured: Robert Counts (top left corner), Arista Nashville Promo Team, and National Specialist Ryan Sanders (lower right corner).
The Arista Nashville promotion team joined a Zoom meeting to meet with new artist Robert Counts. Counts released a self-titled EP last year. The five-song project was produced by Jimmy Ritchey and Dann Huff, and includes “Backseat Driver,” “Someone In My Someday,” “Dress Up,” “Better People,” and a cover of Gnarls Barkley’s “Crazy.”
Tauren Wells Gifts Six Houston High School Graduates With College Aid
Six-time Grammy nominee Tauren Wells teamed with several organizations and Houston’s KSBJ and NGEN, as well as Austin’s KFMK to gift six lucky high school graduates $1,000 each to help with college tuition and textbooks. Wells, a Houston-based award-winning artist, worship leader and youth leader, jumped at the opportunity to give back to his community and support these intelligent and inspiring future leaders.
“We just wanted to let the Class of 2020 know that we are with them and we are for them,” Wells says. “We did for some what we wished to do for all and hope all the graduates out there know that their hard work and effort hasn’t been overlooked. We expect amazing things from these students in the future!”
Wells, known for the Platinum-selling “Hills and Valleys,” and the Gold-certified “Known,” has earned four Dove Awards and accumulated 435.3 million total solo career streams with 1.6 billion audience impressions. He released his second full-length project, Citizen of Heaven, in January.
IBMA World of Bluegrass To Go Virtual For 2020
/by Jessica Nicholson“While we all would love to gather in Raleigh this year for IBMA World of Bluegrass, the extraordinary circumstances made this decision necessary,” said Paul Schiminger, Executive Director of IBMA. “Maintaining the health and safety of the large crowd we enjoy each year would be such an enormous, uncertain, and risky proposition. However, we know how important this week is to our bluegrass professionals and fans, so we are moving forward in new ways. We see this as an opportunity to reimagine every aspect of IBMA World of Bluegrass so we can still connect, educate, showcase, and perform in fun and engaging ways. And we hope to introduce new participants to the types of things we normally do in Raleigh so we can invite them to join us in person for the fun in 2021 and hopefully many years beyond. We deeply appreciate the ongoing partnership of the City of Raleigh, the hotels, PNC Bank, which has been our presenting sponsor since 2013, and the many other important sponsors we have worked with over the years.They help make this the most important week in bluegrass.”
“IBMA World of Bluegrass brings together some of the best and most talented traditional musicians in the world and, for the last seven years, thousands of music lovers and industry leaders have gathered in Raleigh to celebrate everything bluegrass,” said Raleigh Mayor Mary-Ann Baldwin. “And while it’s not possible to gather in person this year, we hope that Raleigh and the IBMA World of Bluegrass events will be at the top of everyone’s travel plans for 2021.”
The nominees for this year’s IBMA Bluegrass Music Awards will also be announced earlier than scheduled, set to be revealed Friday, June 26 at 10 a.m. CT on SiriusXM’s Bluegrass Junction. The second and final round of Official Showcase Artists for the IBMA Bluegrass Ramble, the innovative showcase series that is part of IBMA World of Bluegrass, will be announced on June 18.
Music fans will have access to free live streaming, on-demand sessions and performances of the IBMA Bluegrass Ramble showcases, the 31st Annual IBMA Bluegrass Music Awards and IBMA Bluegrass Live! powered by PNC, a music festival with performers ranging from emerging artists to industry icons.
“We will be working hard to make this year work, and plan to use what we learn about building an online audience to expand the audience for when we’re back on Fayetteville Street,” said David Brower, Executive Director of PineCone, the local Raleigh non-profit music organization that produces the festival. “We hope that this experience will allow people to participate who haven’t been able to travel to Raleigh before, and that this will also inspire them to make plans to join us in Raleigh in 2021.”
The IBMA Business Conference will feature professional development sessions; 1-to-1 and group networking events such as a re-imagined Gig Fair; and a Virtual Exhibit Hall, where attendees and vendors can communicate via chat and video chat, participate in live product demos, purchase merchandise directly from vendors and more.
Bobby Braddock Shares Stories Behind Country Music’s Greatest Lyrics In New Book
/by Lorie HollabaughBobby Braddock is revealing the stories behind the standout lines in more than 80 legendary country songs in his latest book, Country Music’s Greatest Lines: Lyrics, Stories & Sketches from American Classics from Arcadia Publishing & The History Press.
Available July 6, the new book gives the reader a behind-the scenes view of classics from Hank Williams, Bill Anderson, Roger Miller, Merle Haggard, Alan Jackson, Taylor Swift, Eric Church, and more. Artist Carmen Beecher brings the tales to vivid life with strikingly realistic illustrations of seldom-seen songwriters, superstars, and unforgettable song characters.
“As a decades-long inhabitant of Music Row, I know a lot of the stories behind the songs and have had the privilege and honor of stumbling into more than a few songwriting sessions where music history was being made,” said Braddock. “I often thought that those attention-getting lines that are an important part of country hits would be an interesting topic for a book. I knew just who to approach: an old friend, world-class illustrator Carmen Beecher, who I invited to collaborate with me on this project to help bring these stories to life with pictures of the songs’ characters or writers or singers.”