Industry Ink: Rodney Atkins At Opry, BMI At SXSW, ASCAP At Bluebird

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Rodney Atkins Feels The Love Following Opry Performance

Pictured (L-R): Greg Hill, President, Hill Entertainment Group; John Clore, VP Marketing, Curb Records; Jim Ed Norman, CEO, Curb Records; Sally Williams, GM, Grand Ole Opry / SVP, Programming & Artist Relations, Opry Entertainment; Ry Atkins, Rose Falcon Atkins; Rodney Atkins; Ryan Dokke, SVP/General Manager, Curb Records; and Benson Curb, SVP Revenue & Marketing, Curb Records. Photo: Chris Hollo/Opry.

Following Rodney Atkins’ March 12, 2019 Grand Ole Opry performance, his Curb Records team presented him, wife Rose Falcon, and son Ry with an Opry baby care package in anticipation of Rodney and Rose’s upcoming baby, due August 2019.

 

BMI Celebrates Ray Benson’s Birthday At SXSW

Chris Shiflett of the Foo Fighters (center) performs with Ray Benson and his band Asleep at the Wheel during the BMI Howdy Texas presents Ray Benson’s Birthday at SXSW on March 12, 2019, in Austin, TX. Photo: Erika Goldring for BMI

BMI highlighted the work of several performers during the 2019 SXSW Music Conference and Festival, with the BMI Howdy Texas Presents: Ray Benson’s 68th Birthday Bash on March 12.

Performers included Katie Pruitt, Robert Ellis, Wade Bowen, Dale Watson, Chris Shiflett of the Foo Fighters, Ed Roland of Collective Soul, Randy Houser and Robert Earl Keen.

The event benefited the Health Alliance for Austin Musicians (HAAM) and was sponsored by Delaware North, Topo Chico, the Texas Music Office, Austin Music Movement, Sugar & Dude, Chevron, Judy & Patrick Cantilo, Husch Blackwell LLP, Castletop Capital, St. David’s Foundation, Seton Family Healthcare and Quest Diagnostics.

 

ASCAP Presents at the Bluebird Cafe

Pictured (L-R): ASCAP VP of Membership Michael Martin, Michelle Pereira, Cecilia Castleman, Johnny Dailey, ASCAP Membership Manager Holly Chester, Cross Atlantic

On Wednesday, March 13, ASCAP hosted its long-running monthly showcase series at the Bluebird Cafe. The round featured ASCAP songwriter-artists Cecilia Castleman, Cross Atlantic, Johnny Dailey and Michelle Pereira. Dailey made his Bluebird Cafe debut at the showcase, curated by ASCAP Membership Manager Holly Chester.

Hillsong United’s New Album ‘People’ Coming In April

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Hillsong UNITED will release a new 12-song album, People, on April 26. The live album will feature the single “Another in the Fire.” Recorded live in Sydney, Australia, the album includes three previously-released tracks, “As You Find Me,” “Good Grace,” and “Whole Heart (Hold Me Now).”

“So Will I (100 Billion X),” one of UNITED’s biggest songs to date, has been certified Gold by RIAA with over 108 million career streams.

The group will return to the United States for the first time in nearly three years for their The People Tour MMXIX, which launches April 25 in Austin, Texas and wraps July 2 at New York City’s Madison Square Garden.

Official track listing for PEOPLE:

  1. Ready or Not
  2. Here’s to the One
  3. Might Sound Wild
  4. Whole Heart (Hold Me Now)
  5. As You Find Me
  6. Clean
  7. Starts and Ends
  8. Highlands
  9. Holy Ground
  10. Another in the Fire
  11. Good Grace
  12. Echoes (Till We See the Other Side)

SESAC, Tony Arata, Beth Nielsen Chapman, Rivers Rutherford Hold Benefit Concert For Gilda’s Club

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Songwriters Tony Arata, Beth Nielsen Chapman and Rivers Rutherford have teamed with SESAC for a benefit concert to aid Gilda’s Club Middle Tennessee. The event will be held Wednesday, April 17, beginning at 6:30 p.m. at SESAC (35 Music Sq. E.)

The event will help fund Gilda’s Club Middle Tennessee’s free cancer support program, which serves anyone impacted by cancer, including those diagnosed and their family and friends. Gilda’s Club’s evidence-based programming includes support groups, healthy lifestyle workshops, mind-body classes, social activities, educational lectures and community resource information. Offering approximately 60 professionally-led support and networking groups, and more than 50 educational workshops and lectures each month, Gilda’s Club Middle Tennessee is able to make a tangible difference in the lives of those impacted by cancer.

Tickets to the event are $100, and available at gildasclubmiddletn.org. Attire is business casual, or casual with a touch of red.

Acmeville Records Teams With Blank Range

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Blank Range

Acmeville Records has partnered with Nashville rock band Blank Range for the band’s latest record. The album, titled In Unison, will be released on vinyl in April. Acmeville Records will release a limited edition, 300-copy run of the album, available at theacmevillenashville.com, and at select Nashville-based stores including The Groove in East Nashville.

Acmeville Records was founded as the in-house record label for Acme Feed & Seed in order to empower Acme’s mission of the discovery and preservation of Nashville’s music and history. When the Acme team discovered that Blank Range was going on infinite hiatus to pursue solo projects, they sprang into action to ensure that the band’s final album would be memorialized on vinyl in order to preserve this essential chapter in Music City history.

In Unison which was recorded in a home north of Nashville, showcases three Blank Range members taking turns delivering lead vocals throughout the 10 tracks of the album.

Since Blank Range formed in 2013, the avant-garde indie group has been a force to be reckoned with on the Nashville music scene. The band won The Road to Bonnaroo competition in 2014, they went on to open for the likes of rockers Alice in Chains, Spoon, and Drive-By Truckers. In 2018 they toured with Margo Price and Tyler Childers.

Blank Range has also been an integral part of the Acme Radio Live family, appearing on Acme Radio Live since 2017.

Before the Blank Range members transition into individual projects, they’ll be performing the last three shows on the books this year as a group in conjunction with Acme Radio Live and Acme Feed & Seed. On April 13, Blank Range will perform at Acme Radio Live’s Record Store Day at The Groove, followed by three encore performances throughout the summer which will take place on the Acme Feed & Seed stage (dates to come).

“While we’re coming to the end of one chapter in the Music City, we’re also welcoming the next chapter of the individual artists in Blank Range and continuing to preserve their legacy,” said Carl Gatti, Director of Entertainment and Radio at Acme Feed & Seed.

“Acme has provided a platform for musicians, and especially Blank Range, to get their craft out into the world for years,” said the band’s manager, Hampton Howerton. “The first vinyl pressing on Acmeville Records is a natural extension of their mission and it’s a testament to the songs the band wrote and recorded that the folks at Acme felt the desire to preserve In Unison on wax.”

In Pictures: BMI At SXSW

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BMI (Broadcast Music, Inc.) brought several top singer-songwriters for day two of SXSW with the Yeti x BMI Day Party. Soul, country, indie, pop and alt-rock converged when Logan Ledger, Willie Jones, Billy Strings, Illiterate Light, Katie Schecter, Wafia, JP Saxe, Jackie Venson, Republican Hair and Tomar & the FCs took stages both inside and outside of the Yeti Flagship store in Austin, Texas.

Katie Schecter and her band pose for a shot at Yeti’s Flagship Store in Austin before their set at BMI / Yeti Day Party during SXSW on March 13, 2019, in Austin, TX. Photo: Erika Goldring

BMI / Yeti Day Party takes place on two stages at the Yeti Flagship Store during SXSW on March 13, 2019, in Austin, TX. Photo: Erika Goldring

Pictured: BMI’s Josh Tomlinson (second on Left) poses with Austin-based Tomar & The FCs at the BMI / Yeti Day Party during SXSW on March 13, 2019, in Austin, TX. Photo: Erika Goldring

Willie Jones perform at the BMI / Yeti Day Party during SXSW on March 13, 2019, in Austin, TX. Photo: Erika Goldring

Weekly Chart Report (3/15/19)

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Click here or above to access MusicRow’s weekly CountryBreakout Report.

Garth Brooks, Taylor Swift, Maren Morris, Luke Combs Earn Top iHeartRadio Music Awards

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Taylor Swift on stage at the 2019 iHeartRadio Music Awards at the Microsoft Theater in Los Angeles. Photo by Jeff Kravitz/FilmMagic for iHeartMedia

The 2019 iHeartRadio Music Awards offered up plenty of great music and moments at the Microsoft Theater in Los Angeles Thursday night (March 14) with artists like Garth Brooks, Taylor Swift, Alicia Keys and Halsey receiving special honors during the festivities. Among the big winners were “The Middle” for Song Of The Year by Maren Morris, Zedd, and Grey, “Meant To Be” by Bebe Rexha featuring Florida Georgia Line for Country Song Of The Year, Luke Combs as Country Artist Of The Year, Jason Aldean‘s Rearview Town for Country Album Of The Year, and Jordan Davis for Best New Country Artist.

Garth Brooks performed a medley of his hits and received the first-ever Artist of the Decade Award from actor Chris Pratt, Alicia Keys was honored during the show with the iHeartRadio Innovator Award, Halsey accepted the iHeartRadio Fangirls Award presented by L’Oréal Paris, and Taylor Swift was given the Tour of the Year Award during the star-studded night of music.

Broadcast live on FOX, on iHeartMedia radio stations nationwide, and on iHeartRadio and hosted by T-Pain, the fan-fueled awards featured performances and incredible collaborations including Alicia Keys, Ariana Grande, Backstreet Boys, Ella Mai, Garth Brooks, Halsey with special guests Yungblud and Travis Barker, John Legend, Kacey Musgraves backed on piano by special guest Chris Martin, lovelytheband and Marshmello with special guest Lauv.

For the first-time ever, the iHeartRadio Music Awards presented an AI (Artificial Intelligence) voice assistant with an award. The iHeartRadio Game Changer Tech Award, which honors the most innovative use of technology that brings fans closer to the music they love, was awarded to Amazon’s Alexa. Garth Brooks and Bobby Bones spoke to Alexa, who gave a tongue-in-cheek acceptance speech.

In addition, iHeartMedia partnered with leading short-form mobile video app TikTok to present seven awards in the seven days leading up to the telecast. Beginning Thursday, March 7, winning artists were presented their awards and gave acceptance speeches that aired exclusively on the TikTok app each morning at 8:00 AM ET.  Winners included Panic! At The Disco for Alternative Rock Album of the Year, Jason Aldean for Country Album of the Year, twenty one pilots for Rock Album of the Year, Marshmello for Dance Artist of the Year, Imagine Dragons for Most Thumbed Up Artist of the Year, the Chainsmokers for Dance Album of the Year and Lauren Jauregui’s dog, Gracie, for Cutest Musician’s Pet.

Song of the Year: “The Middle” – Zedd, Maren Morris, Grey
Artist of the Year: Ariana Grande
Female Artist of the Year: Ariana Grande
Male Artist of the Year:  Drake
Best Duo/Group of the Year: 5 Seconds Of Summer
Best Collaboration: “Finesse (Remix)” – Bruno Mars featuring Cardi B
Pop Album of the Year: Sweetener – Ariana Grande
Best New Pop Artist: Marshmello
Alternative Rock Song of the Year: “High Hopes” – Panic! At the Disco
Alternative Rock Artist of the Year: Imagine Dragons
Alternative Rock Album of the Year: Pray for the Wicked – Panic! At The Disco
Best New Rock/Alternative Rock Artist: lovelytheband
Rock Song of the Year: “Safari Song” – Greta Van Fleet
Rock Artist of the Year: Three Days Grace
Rock Album of the Year: Trench – twenty one pilots
Country Song of the Year: “Meant To Be” – Bebe Rexha featuring Florida Georgia Line
Country Artist of the Year: Luke Combs
Country Album of the Year: Rearview Town – Jason Aldean
Best New Country Artist: Jordan Davis
Dance Song of the Year: “The Middle” – Zedd, Maren Morris, Grey
Dance Artist of the Year: Marshmello
Dance Album of the Year: Sick Boy – The Chainsmokers

Garth Brooks performs on stage at the 2019 iHeartRadio Music Awards at the Microsoft Theater in Los Angeles, Photo by Rich Fury/Getty Images for iHeartMedia

Kacey Musgraves performs at the 2019 iHeartRadio Music Awards in Los Angeles Photo by Rich Fury/Getty Images for iHeartMedia

Maren Morris speaks on stage at the 2019 iHeartRadio Music Awards in Los Angeles Photo by Kevin Mazur/Getty Images for iHeartMedia

Garth Brooks at the 2019 iHeartRadio Music Awards Photo by Kevin Mazur/Getty Images for iHeartMedia

Eric Church Extends Double Down Tour

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Eric Church performs on the Double Down Tour. Photo: Anthony D’Angio

Eric Church has added 13 shows in eight cities to the 2019 trek of his Double Down Tour, including stops in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania; Green Bay, Wisconsin; and Sacramento, California. The new shows will run from Sept. 13 through Nov. 23, following the 19 cities he announced earlier this spring.

“I don’t want to be two months from the end of this thing—so we’re going to play a little more… I can’t thank you enough for what this is and what I’m seeing every night,” he told fans via a video announcement. “I appreciate everybody giving me everything they’ve got and I look forward to seeing you on the road!”

A pit ticket pre-sale for all added shows except the Oct. 25 Little Rock, Arkansas show (additional details below) begins on Tuesday, March 19 at 9:30 a.m. through the Eric Church Official App with an additional pre-sale for paid fan club members running from Tuesday, March 19 at 10 a.m. through Thursday, March 21 at 10:00 p.m. and tickets on sale to the general public on Friday, March 22 at 10 a.m. All times are local.

Additionally, fans can prepare for upcoming tour dates with Apple Music’s new “Get Ready to Double Down” exclusive playlist and keep the celebration going all year long with “The Party Never Ends,” both available as part of a free three-month trial for new Apple Music subscribers (terms apply).

Upcoming Double Down Tour Dates
March 15-16 – Greensboro Coliseum, Greensboro, N.C.*
March 22-23 – Allstate Arena, Chicago, Ill.*
March 29-30 – Fiserv Forum, Milwaukee, Wis.*
April 12-13 – American Airlines Center, Dallas, Texas*
April 19 & 20 – Quicken Loans Arena, Cleveland, Ohio*
April 26 & 27 – Bon Secours Wellness Arena, Greenville, S.C.*
May 3 & 4 – PPG Paints Arena, Pittsburgh, Pa.*
May 10 & 11 – Pepsi Center, Denver, Colo.*
May 17 & 18 – STAPLES Center, Los Angeles, Calif.*
May 25 – Nissan Stadium, Nashville, Tenn.*
June 28 & 29 – The Gorge Amphitheatre, George, Wash.*
Sept. 13 & 14 – Resch Center, Green Bay, Wis.
Sept. 20 & 21 – Scotiabank Saddledome, Calgary, Alberta
Oct. 11 & 12 – Wells Fargo Center, Philadelphia, Pa.
Oct. 25 – Verizon Arena, Little Rock, Ark.**
Nov. 1 – SNHU Arena, Manchester, N.H.
Nov. 2 – XL Center, Hartford, Conn.
Nov. 15 & 16 – The Anthem, Washington, D.C.
Nov. 22 & 23 – Golden 1 Center, Sacramento, Calif.

*previously announced dates

 

Sony/ATV CEO Martin Bandier Issues Letter To Songwriters Regarding CRB Rates Appeal

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Martin Bandier

Sony/ATV Music Publishing CEO Martin Bandier has added his voice to those from the songwriting and publishing communities criticizing Spotify, Amazon, Google, and Pandora for their appeal of the recent rate ruling from the Copyright Royalty Board. Notably, Apple Music is not participating in the appeal. Bandier issued the following letter to Sony/ATV writers, expressing his disappointment “that Spotify and the other companies have chosen to attack songwriters by appealing the long-overdue rate increases.”

If the ruling goes forward, pay from such music services to songwriters would increase by 44 percent.

Bandier’s letter reads:

Dear Songwriter,

I am writing to update you about some important developments for songwriters in the U.S. regarding the mechanical royalty rates that the Copyright Royalty Board set last year.

As you may recall, in January 2018 the CRB set a series of new rates that include an increase to the statutory mechanical rate for on-demand streaming from 10.5 percent of revenue to 15.1 percent of revenue over the period 2018 to 2022. This was a significant victory for songwriters.

However, the hard-fought win is now under threat as Spotify, Amazon, Google and Pandora have filed notices to appeal these rates. Apple has decided not to appeal. If Spotify and the other streaming services are successful with this appeal, it may result in a reduction in the royalty payments that songwriters will receive from the streaming services. As a result, the National Music Publishers’ Association (NMPA) has announced that it will also file an appeal but will withdraw that appeal if the services do the same.

I am incredibly disappointed that Spotify and the other companies have chosen to attack songwriters by appealing the long-overdue rate increases. The move flies in the face of everything that I have fought for on behalf of songwriters for fair-market rates. Songwriters are unquestionably the most important contributors to the success of the streaming services and deserve the benefits of the new rates that we worked so hard to achieve.

While Sony/ATV will work diligently and closely with the NMPA to protect these new rates, there are no more important or effective voices on this issue than those of songwriters themselves. I therefore urge you to make yourselves heard and to speak out against this appeal. At the same time, we will be sure to update you as events develop.

Regards,

Martin Bandier
Chairman & CEO
Sony/ATV Music Publishing

Bandier’s comments follow those of NMPA chief David Israelite, who earlier this week issued a point-by-point “fact check” rebuttal specifically against Spotify’s blog post explaining their reasoning behind the appeal.

Four Music Organizations Call For Better Digital Attribution, Credits System

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Four music organizations have revealed a new collaboration to support building a “more robust and effective system of digital attribution and credits.”

The RIAA, SAG-AFTRA, A2IM, and Artist Rights Alliance released a joint statement regarding working together to build a more efficient credits system for artists, songwriters and publishers. The statement reads, in part:

“As music has shifted online, systems of attribution have become less robust and consistent. Where once cover art and liner notes often reflected who contributed to each specific musical recording, including producers, songwriters, and side players, attribution today is often less extensive, sometimes identifying only the featured artist or band, and the track and album name.

“Credits are a creator’s resume. Knowing what music an artist or songwriter has made or contributed to can help them find more fans and build and sustain their careers over time. Credits are also a learning tool and ‘map’ to the music ecosystem for fans, creating a more educated music audience to the benefit of the music business as a whole…we welcome collaborating with everyone in the music ecosystem to develop and implement a more robust and effective system of digital attribution and credits to the benefit of creators and consumers alike.”

Some digital services have made efforts to increase the attention to writer and publisher credits listed alongside music featured on those services.

In 2018, YouTube began featuring credits for artists, songwriters, as well as labels or publishers involved in the songs heard in a range of its video clips, from official artist videos to fan-developed videos. Last year, Spotify also announced that users can view songwriter and producer credits on the service’s desktop platform. Tidal also offers writer and publisher information.