Pictured: Tony Conway, Jon Pardi
The Country Music Association will honor Conway Entertainment Group/Ontourage Management founder and owner Tony Conway with the 2019 CMA Touring Lifetime Achievement Award during the upcoming CMA Touring Awards, set for Jan. 21, 2020 at Nashville’s Marathon Music Works. The CMA Touring Lifetime Achievement Award goes to an individual who has accomplished the highest level in the country music field of touring.
Jon Pardi, who recently released his third album Heartache Medication, has been named as host for the event.
“I am extremely humbled and honored to receive this award from the CMA,” Conway shared. “I have to give credit to all of the artists that have allowed me to represent them and to all the agents, managers, promoters and staff I have worked with the last 44 years. They are the reason for any success I may have achieved. It takes a team and I have worked with THE BEST.”
Conway, who currently manages Alabama, Lorrie Morgan and Randy Travis, is widely recognized as a leader in live event production. He coordinated the very first Farm Aid show in 1985, working closely with many installations of the event since. Conway was also Executive Producer for the annual CMA Music Festival (formerly Fan Fair and now CMA Fest) for 11 years and was instrumental in moving the festival from the old Nashville Fairgrounds to its current downtown Nashville location. Conway opened his first talent agency in Lexington, Kentucky after graduating college. In 1974, he moved to Nashville, soon after meeting talent agent Buddy Lee and joining Buddy Lee Attractions, Inc.
Conway was named President of Buddy Lee Attractions in 1987 and eventually became CEO and co-owner of the company in 1998. During his tenure, Conway represented artists including Willie Nelson, Garth Brooks, The Highwaymen (comprised of Willie Nelson, Johnny Cash, Kris Kristofferson and Waylon Jennings), Bill Monroe, the Dixie Chicks, Roy Orbison, George Strait, George Jones, Waylon Jennings, Marty Stuart, Ronnie Milsap and Emmylou Harris, among others. In 2010, Conway took his 35 years of experience and industry contacts and struck out on his own, forming Conway Entertainment Group/Ontourage Management. With this new venture, Conway draws upon his past as he embraces a future that fully utilizes his strengths in artist touring, personal management and live event production.
In Pictures: Miranda Lambert Wraps All-Female Roadside Bars & Pink Guitars Tour
/by Jessica NicholsonMiranda Lambert. Photo: Catherine Powell
Miranda Lambert recently wrapped her all-female Roadside Bars & Pink Guitars Tour on Saturday, Nov. 23 in Greensboro, North Carolina. The tour visited 25 cities and featured openers including Maren Morris, Ashley McBryde, Elle King, Tenille Townes and Caylee Hammack along the way.
“I started this tour inspired by all of the talented women joining me on the road and I’m ending this trek energized by all of the memories, camaraderie, and fans we met along the way,” shared Lambert. “As we head into Thanksgiving, I’m incredibly grateful to my fans for supporting this beautiful journey and can’t wait to get back out there in January on the Wildcard Tour and keep playing this new music.”
Miranda Lambert in Grand Rapids. Photo: Becky Fluke
Lambert, who recently topped charts with her seventh solo album Wildcard, will launch The Wildcard Tour on Jan. 16 in Tupelo, Mississippi, with guests Cody Johnson and LANCO, as well as Randy Rogers Band and Parker McCollum on select dates.
Badflower Notches Third No. 1 From Debut Album
/by Jessica NicholsonRock group badflower has earned a third No. 1 single from their debut Big Machine/John Varvatos Records project, OK, I’m Sick. The group’s single “The Jester” tops the Billboard Mainstream Rock chart and Mediabase Active Rock chart.
“The irony is amazing,” says badflower frontman Josh Katz. “A song written about not being respected or taken seriously by the music industry is now the No. 1 most played rock song in America by the music industry. After everything we’ve accomplished now, it’s wild to think about how many years we spent as the underdog band.”
The chart-topping song tops a year that has included a global headlining tour as well as previous No. 1 hits “Ghost” and “Heroin.” Those songs delve into an array of topics including depression, suicide, anxiety, politics and more. Currently badflower is on the road touring throughout Europe and will wrap the US leg of their OK, I’m Sick Tour in December.
House Committee Launches Investigation Into Live Event Ticketing Practices
/by Jessica Nicholson“The Committee, which has broad jurisdiction over consumer protection issues, is concerned about potentially unfair and deceptive practices occurring in the primary and secondary ticket marketplace, many of which have been documented in consumer complaints, press stories, and government reports,” the letter reads.
The committee addresses several trends in the live event ticketing industry, including “high, hidden fees, speculative tickets that harm unknowing customers, and ‘white label’ websites that may use practices to deceive consumers.”
The release also highlighted previous efforts led by the committee to protect consumers and to promote transparency. In 2016, the committee and House of Representatives passed H.R. 5104, the “Better On-line Ticket Sales Act of 2016,” which prohibits the use of computer software to purchase tickets by circumventing security measures of ticketing websites; the Senate companion to this legislation became law in December 2016. The committee also sent a bipartisan request to the U.S. Government Accountability Office (GAO) asking that GAO initiate a study of the ticketing industry and its impact on consumers. GAO published the resulting report in April 2018. In July 2018, the then-Ranking Member of the Committee also sent a letter to the Federal Trade Commission (FTC), requesting the agency examine a host of consumer protection issues regarding this marketplace.
“Nonetheless, despite ongoing bipartisan efforts by the Committee, as well as federal agency action to better understand the current ticketing marketplace, consumers still face a host of troubling practices and trends in the ticketing industry,” the Committee leaders continued. “Many of these issues relate to a lack of transparency and fairness, which places purchasers at an unfair advantage when attempting to buy tickets in the current marketplace.”
‘Billboard’ To Introduce New Rules For Merchandise/Album Bundles
/by LB CantrellBillboard reported today (Nov. 26) that it is changing the rules to its albums charts, affecting the way sales will be counted on those tallies in respect to merchandise bundles.
Effective Jan. 3, 2020, in order for an album sale to be counted as part of a merchandise/album bundle for the Billboard charts, all the items in the bundle must also be available for purchase concurrently and individually on the same website; and the merchandise item sold on its own will have to be priced lower than the bundle which includes both the merchandise and the album. The merchandise bundles can only be sold in an artist’s official direct-to-consumer web store and not via third-party sites.
All album releases from the Jan. 3, 2020 start date onward must adhere to the new rules, even if the bundles went on-sale before then. For already released albums, those looking to count further sales on the albums charts from must also adhere to the new rules from the start date onward.
Colt Ford Celebrates RIAA Gold Certification
/by Jessica NicholsonPictured (back row, L-R): Justin Bertoldie (Fiddle), Cole Phillips (Guitar); (front row, L-R): Spencer Bassett (Guitar), Doug Kaye (Sr. VP/Average Joes Ent.), Colt Ford, Jerry Strickland (Misison 22), Tim Haines (Drummer), Nick Velordi (Bass)
Colt Ford’s “Workin’ On” was certified Gold by the RIAA. Written by Walker Hayes and Doug Waterman, the song was released on Ford’s album Thanks For Listening. Ford was presented with an RIAA certified plaque Saturday night (Nov. 23) in Sanford, Florida, to commemorate the milestone.
On The Row: Blane Howard Showcases New Music
/by Jessica NicholsonBlane Howard. Photo: Haley Crow/MusicRow Magazine
Blane Howard recently visited the MusicRow offices to perform a few songs, including his breakthrough 2017 hit “Promise To Love Her,” a song he co-wrote with Jordan Reynolds (Dan + Shay’s “Speechless” and “Tequila”).
The song was inspired by Howard’s relationship with his wife, whom he wed over three years ago.
“It wasn’t supposed to be anything more than a gift for her, but it took off from there,” Howard said.
Howard, an Arkansas native, relocated to Nashville after high school to attend Belmont University, and counted fellow artists including Russell Dickerson among his classmates. He has been writing, recording and showcasing new music for audiences ever since. During his MusicRow visit, he also performed new material such as “Rock On Her Window.”
He just recorded six new tracks and is in the studio working on a new project.
Blane Howard with MusicRow Magazine owner/publisher Sherod Robertson. Photo: Haley Crow/MusicRow Magazine
Blane Howard with MusicRow Magazine staffers.
American Music Awards Ratings Dip Slightly
/by Jessica NicholsonPictured: Taylor Swift accepts the Favorite Album – Pop/Rock award for Lover onstage during the 2019 American Music Awards. Photo: Kevin Winter/Getty Images for dcp
Last night’s (Nov. 24) American Music Awards, which featured Taylor Swift taking home six honors (including Artist of the Decade) and breaking Michael Jackson’s previous record for the most AMA honors, saw a slight ratings downshift in the age 18-49 demographic.
The ratings dropped slightly in the 18-49 demo, from 2018’s 1.82 rating to a 1.75 rating this year. The new rating marks a new all-time low for the awards show in the demo, according to zap2it.com. However, the American Music Awards saw an uptick in overall viewership, with 6.73 million this year, topping last year’s 6.59 million.
Also among this year’s top AMA winners were Lil Nas X and Billy Ray Cyrus (Favorite Hip-Hop/Rap Song, “Old Town Road”), Carrie Underwood (Favorite Female Country Artist, Favorite Country Album for Cry Pretty), Kane Brown (Favorite Male Country Artist), Dan+Shay (Favorite Country Duo or Group, and Favorite Country Song for “Speechless”), and Lauren Daigle (Favorite Contemporary Inspirational Artist).
Lauren Zimmerman Joins Sony Music Nashville
/by Jessica NicholsonLauren Zimmerman. Photo: Alan Poizner
Lauren Zimmerman has been named Manager, Digital Strategy for Sony Music Nashville. She will report to Ed Rivadavia, VP, Digital Strategy for Sony Music Nashville.
Prior to her work with Sony, Zimmerman was Audience Acquisition Specialist for the Grand Ole Opry, where she developed, implemented and managed the show’s social media and artist activation strategies.
Rivadavia said, “It’s with great excitement that we welcome Lauren to the Sony Nashville team! Not only does she arrive with several years’ immersion in a range of digital strategy priorities—social media, CRM, advertising, D2C and, of course, on-boarding new technologies—but also valuable experience executing customized digital marketing activities for all kinds of country artists, through her work at the Grand Ole Opry.”
“I am beyond thrilled to join Sony Music Nashville and to continue to build upon SMN’s digital innovation and impact. I am honored to work alongside Ed and the incredible SMN team. I am looking forward to utilizing my strengths and talents to take SMN and its artists to the next level,” remarked Zimmerman.
Zimmerman can be reached at lauren.zimmerman@sonymusic.com
Luke Combs Ends Ashley Gorley’s 16-Week Reign On ‘MusicRow’ Top Songwriter Chart
/by LB CantrellAfter a 16-week reign, Ashley Gorley has been dethroned from the top spot by Luke Combs who jumps 12 spots to No. 1 on the MusicRow Top Songwriter Chart with an impressive 17 charting songs. 16 of Combs’ credits are co-writes from his new album What You See Is What You Get that released Nov. 8, while one co-writer credit comes from the Carly Pearce and Lee Brice collaboration, “I Hope You’re Happy Now.” Gorley moves down one slot to No. 2.
Ray Fulcher also feels the effects of Combs’ rise, bringing him up 13 slots to No. 4 with eight co-writes on What You See Is What You Get.
The MusicRow Top Songwriter Chart, published every week, uses algorithms based upon song activity garnered from airplay, digital downloaded track sales and streams. This unique and exclusive addition to the MusicRow portfolio is the first songwriter chart of its kind.
Click here to view the full MusicRow Top Songwriter Chart.
CMA Touring Awards To Honor Tony Conway, Jon Pardi Named As Host
/by Jessica NicholsonPictured: Tony Conway, Jon Pardi
The Country Music Association will honor Conway Entertainment Group/Ontourage Management founder and owner Tony Conway with the 2019 CMA Touring Lifetime Achievement Award during the upcoming CMA Touring Awards, set for Jan. 21, 2020 at Nashville’s Marathon Music Works. The CMA Touring Lifetime Achievement Award goes to an individual who has accomplished the highest level in the country music field of touring.
Jon Pardi, who recently released his third album Heartache Medication, has been named as host for the event.
“I am extremely humbled and honored to receive this award from the CMA,” Conway shared. “I have to give credit to all of the artists that have allowed me to represent them and to all the agents, managers, promoters and staff I have worked with the last 44 years. They are the reason for any success I may have achieved. It takes a team and I have worked with THE BEST.”
Conway, who currently manages Alabama, Lorrie Morgan and Randy Travis, is widely recognized as a leader in live event production. He coordinated the very first Farm Aid show in 1985, working closely with many installations of the event since. Conway was also Executive Producer for the annual CMA Music Festival (formerly Fan Fair and now CMA Fest) for 11 years and was instrumental in moving the festival from the old Nashville Fairgrounds to its current downtown Nashville location. Conway opened his first talent agency in Lexington, Kentucky after graduating college. In 1974, he moved to Nashville, soon after meeting talent agent Buddy Lee and joining Buddy Lee Attractions, Inc.
Conway was named President of Buddy Lee Attractions in 1987 and eventually became CEO and co-owner of the company in 1998. During his tenure, Conway represented artists including Willie Nelson, Garth Brooks, The Highwaymen (comprised of Willie Nelson, Johnny Cash, Kris Kristofferson and Waylon Jennings), Bill Monroe, the Dixie Chicks, Roy Orbison, George Strait, George Jones, Waylon Jennings, Marty Stuart, Ronnie Milsap and Emmylou Harris, among others. In 2010, Conway took his 35 years of experience and industry contacts and struck out on his own, forming Conway Entertainment Group/Ontourage Management. With this new venture, Conway draws upon his past as he embraces a future that fully utilizes his strengths in artist touring, personal management and live event production.