Carlton Anderson performs for MusicRow staffers. Photo: Eric T. Parker/MusicRow
Growing up in a middle class family just outside of Houston, Texas, Carlton Anderson watched his father, and plenty of others in the community work in “black gold,” the oil rigs. Anderson even tried his own hand at it.
“I did that just long enough to know it wasn’t what I wanted to do,” says Anderson. “I did a lot of odd jobs before picking up a guitar.”
Blessed with a talent for songwriting and a confident baritone, Anderson played in honkytonk bars around Texas, mixing originals with songs made famous by his heroes such as George Strait, Willie Nelson, and Alan Jackson. Soon knew he had a choice to make.
Instead of following his father into the oil business, Anderson enrolled in Belmont University’s music business program in Nashville. He became the first in his family to graduate college.
Along the way, he auditioned for The Voice, but didn’t make the final cut for the televised portion of the audition, for which he is now grateful.
“It got to the last 100 people and then all the teams filled up, but that was a blessing in disguise.”
Meanwhile, he was also knocking on doors around Music City.
“As a songwriter, you are used to being told ‘no’ before you are told ‘yes,’” he says. “I think I got told no by every publishing company in this town before Warner/Chappell said ‘yes’ in 2015.”
It didn’t take long for others in Nashville’s music community to take note of the warm Texas twang in Anderson’s baritone voice, and his throwback country sound.
Earlier this year, it was announced Anderson had joined Sony Music Nashville’s Arista Nashville imprint. He is managed by Morris Higham’s Robert Filhart and is aligned with ASCAP.
Anderson also earned his first official cut as a writer, having co-written “Where Cowboys Are King,” a track on Cody Johnson’s upcoming debut album for WMN, Ain’t Nothin’ To It.
During a visit to the MusicRow Magazine office, Anderson poured his own Texas-to-Tennessee story into the track “Raised,” penned with Trent Willmon and Phil O’Donnell.
He also offered his debut major label single, “Drop Everything,” penned by Rhett Akins, Matt Dragstrem, and Ashley Gorley. He penned another track, “Keep Abilene Beautiful,” with Tony Lane and Tom Douglas.
“It’s amazing to get into rooms with songwriters who are my heroes,” Anderson says. “I remember as a kid, thinking that George Strait was writing all this stuff, like a typical fan. I’ve been very blessed to write with some of these guys.”
Carlton Anderson with MusicRow staffers.
Second Annual Heal The Music Day Raises $300,000
/by Jessica NicholsonThe event raised $300,000 in support of Music Health Alliance. Every dollar donated equals $30 in life-saving healthcare resources. The organization’s free services include access to doctors and hospitals, medicine, health insurance and finding financial assistance during times of illness.
Since its founding in 2013, Nashville-based non-profit Music Health Alliance has served 9,000 members of the music community nationwide, and saved over $40,000,000 in healthcare costs including insurance premium savings, medical bill reductions and discounted medications. Among its successes are helping to spare 428 families from bankruptcy due to medical crisis, and providing 8 patients with access to transplants (including heart, lung, kidney and liver transplants). The organization has also facilitated access to over 200 trauma counseling sessions for Las Vegas shooting survivors and their families.
To participate in “Heal The Music Day,” members of the music community pledged a percentage of their single day earnings to support the lifesaving services provided by Music Health Alliance. Pledged supporters included:
David Adams
Alabama Shakes Touring
Average Joe’s Entertainment
Dan Baird
Jay Barron
Marc Beeson
Richard Bennett
Sam Bush
Blue Bird Cafe
Scott Robinson (Dualtone Records)
Jill Brown
Luke Bryan
Dr. Charles Campbell
Jackie Campbell
John Carter Cash
Rosanne Cash
Beth Nielson Chapman
Penelope Crawford
Andrew Combs
Jamie Cheek/FBMM
Elizabeth Cook
Roger Cook
Country Music Association
Rodney Crowell
Dierks Bentley
Dolan Family Foundation
Lynn Evans
Tommy Emmanuel
First Tennessee Bank
FS Wealth Sports & Entertainment
Joe & Phran Galante
The Gause Foundation
Mary Gauthier
Vince Gill
Caroline Gretsch
Girlilla Marketing/Jennie Smythe
Kevin Griffin (Better Than Ezra)
Emmylou Harris
Don Henry
I’m With Her (Sara Watkins, Sarah Jarosz & Aoife O’Donovan)
Lance Hoppen
Barry Jeffrey
Jewel
Alicia Jones
Kid Rock Foundation
Miranda Lambert
Brenda Lee
Brennan Leigh
Paul Leim
Daniel Levetin
Lighting Association
#LoveWinsRt91
Steve Lukather (Toto)
Sharon Mejia
Michael McDonald
James Merkel
Maren Morris
Miles and Music Foundation
Monarch Publicity
Willie Nelson
Dawn Nepp
Greg Oswald
Tina Parol
William Petree
Pilgrimage Festival
Pinnacle Financial Partners
James Pennebaker
Dave Pomeroy
Luke Powers
Margo Price
John Prine
Promethues Trust
Mebane Pruitt
Reba McEntire
Red Light Management
Rebecca Rego
Thomas Rhett
Michael W. Rhodes
Shel
Ken Shepherd
Earle Simmons
Skynrd Foundation
Granger Smith
Steuart Smith (The Eagles)
John David Souther
Chris & Morgane Stapleton
Robert & Rebecca Strang
Madeline Stressman
Marty Stuart
Third & Lindsley
Keith Urban
The Vaden Group
The Vagabonds
Jon Vezner
The War & Treaty
Warner Chappell Music
Steve Wariner
Gene Watson
Emily West
Lanny West
John Paul White
Kris Wiatr/Wiatr & Associates
Alex Wightman
Jay & Katherine Williams
Paul Worley
Chely Wright
Yazoo Brewery
Young Heirlooms.
Music Biz 2019 Conference To Honor Bebe Rexha With Breakthrough Artist Award
/by Jessica NicholsonThe Music Business Association (Music Biz) will present singer/songwriter Bebe Rexha with a Breakthrough Artist Award at the Music Biz 2019 Conference’s Awards & Hall of Fame Dinner on Tuesday, May 7 at the JW Marriott Nashville.
The award is presented to artists who have truly emerged and made a particularly significant impact on the music scene in the past year, and who are poised to propel to stellar new heights. Rexha will join the ranks of past winners, including last year’s recipient, singer/songwriter Julia Michaels, as well as Ariana Grande, Sam Hunt, Meghan Trainor, Halsey, Maren Morris, Lukas Graham, Nicki Minaj, John Legend, Carrie Underwood, and The Killers, among others.
“From crafting infectious hits across multiple genres to the successful launch of her debut album, Expectations, Bebe Rexha has made an undeniable impression on the music business that has only solidified even more in the past year,” commented Music Biz President James Donio. “With 12 million overall single sales, six billion total global streams and a radio audience of more than 10 billion, her success is unmistakable and she is more than deserving of our Breakthrough Artist Award.”
After Rexha’s debut album, Expectations, was released on June 22, her single “I’m a Mess” shot up the charts. By then, Rexha was no stranger to smashing chart records; “Meant to Be,” her collaboration with Florida Georgia Line, landed on Billboard‘s Hot Country Songs list for 50 weeks in a row. It also won the Choice Country Song Award at the 2018 Teen Choice Awards and was chosen for Best Collaboration at the 2018 MuchMusic Video Awards.
Rexha has also penned songs for multiple artists, including “Like a Champion” for Selena Gomez and “Glowing” for Nikki Williams. Her foremost songwriting project was the Grammy-winning “The Monster” for Eminem and Rihanna, released in 2013, a smash hit that went platinum six times over stateside. Most recently, she wrote the hook for “Hey Mama,” the David Guetta, Nicki Minaj and Afrojack hit that went platinum three times. Her music spans multiple genres – from hip-hop and pop, to alternative rock and country.
Rexha also scored a No. 1 hit on the Billboard Pop and Rap charts with “Me, Myself & I” featuring G-Eazy, and was featured on “In The Name of Love,” the hit Martin Garrix single that has earned more than 332 million views on YouTube. Her single, “I Got You” earned more than 244 million views; and single “No Broken Hearts,” featuring Nicki Minaj, has more than 241 million views.
Born in Brooklyn, New York, Rexha taught herself to play guitar and piano and spent her childhood singing in the choir and performing in musicals. In 2010, she met Fall Out Boy’s Pete Wentz and became lead vocalist for his electronic project Black Cards, before setting out on her own as a solo artist. She has released three solo EPs: I Don’t Wanna Grow Up (2015), All Your Fault: Pt. 1 (2016), and All Your Fault: Pt. 2 (2017).
Music Biz 2019 will take place May 5-8 at the JW Marriott in downtown Nashville.
‘Amy Grant’s Tennessee Christmas’ To Air On Hallmark Channel
/by Lorie HollabaughAmy Grant
Amy Grant’s Tennessee Christmas music special is set to air Monday, Dec. 3 at 8 p.m. ET/PT on the Hallmark channel. Grant will be joined by husband Vince Gill, Kellie Pickler, and longtime friend Michael W. Smith on the show for an evening filled with performances and fun.
Grant will be sharing family Christmas memories and beloved traditions along with shining a light on the charities that are close to her heart, including Song for Veterans, the Scott Hamilton Cares Foundation, the Appalachian Relief Fund, World Relief, and Barefoot Republic, Grant’s own camp for kids. The hour-long special is part of the network’s No. 1-rated programming event, Countdown To Christmas.
Grant and Gill kicked off their long-running concert series, “Christmas at the Ryman” this week. The beloved Nashville Christmas tradition, which began in 2008, will run for 12 nights this year through Dec. 21 and includes guests Rodney Crowell, John Jorgenson and multi-instrumentalist Rory Hoffman.
Dates Announced For CMT Next Women Of Country Tour 2019
/by Jessica NicholsonTour dates have been announced for the 2019 CMT Next Women of Country Tour, featuring headliner Cassadee Pope. The 11-date tour will launch April 11 in Tampa, Florida, and will also feature openers and fellow Next Women of Country members Clare Dunn and Hannah Ellis. The tour wraps May 4 in Columbia, Missouri.
The tour marks the first-ever headlining tour for Pope, who was named as part of CMT’s inaugural Next Women of Country class in 2013. She is working on her upcoming second album, slated to release in 2019.
VIP Packages for the CMT Next Women of Country Tour will become available Friday (Nov. 30).
Willie Nelson, Vince Gill, Kacey Musgraves Join MusiCares Person Of The Year Tribute Concert
/by Lorie HollabaughParton, who is being recognized as the 2019 MusiCares Person of the Year in recognition of her significant creative accomplishments and longtime support of many charitable causes, will close out the evening’s performances.
Proceeds from the annual Person of the Year tribute, now in its 29th year, provide essential support for MusiCares, the charity founded by the Recording Academy that ensures industry members have a place to turn in times of financial, medical, and personal need.
The Person of the Year gala will begin with a reception and silent auction offering an exclusive selection of luxury items, VIP experiences, and one-of-a-kind celebrity memorabilia for bidding guests. The reception and silent auction will be followed by a gala dinner sponsored by AEG, a live auction, the concert, and the award presentation.
Carlton Anderson Brings Throwback Country Sounds To Arista Nashville Debut
/by Jessica NicholsonCarlton Anderson performs for MusicRow staffers. Photo: Eric T. Parker/MusicRow
Growing up in a middle class family just outside of Houston, Texas, Carlton Anderson watched his father, and plenty of others in the community work in “black gold,” the oil rigs. Anderson even tried his own hand at it.
“I did that just long enough to know it wasn’t what I wanted to do,” says Anderson. “I did a lot of odd jobs before picking up a guitar.”
Blessed with a talent for songwriting and a confident baritone, Anderson played in honkytonk bars around Texas, mixing originals with songs made famous by his heroes such as George Strait, Willie Nelson, and Alan Jackson. Soon knew he had a choice to make.
Instead of following his father into the oil business, Anderson enrolled in Belmont University’s music business program in Nashville. He became the first in his family to graduate college.
Along the way, he auditioned for The Voice, but didn’t make the final cut for the televised portion of the audition, for which he is now grateful.
“It got to the last 100 people and then all the teams filled up, but that was a blessing in disguise.”
Meanwhile, he was also knocking on doors around Music City.
“As a songwriter, you are used to being told ‘no’ before you are told ‘yes,’” he says. “I think I got told no by every publishing company in this town before Warner/Chappell said ‘yes’ in 2015.”
It didn’t take long for others in Nashville’s music community to take note of the warm Texas twang in Anderson’s baritone voice, and his throwback country sound.
Earlier this year, it was announced Anderson had joined Sony Music Nashville’s Arista Nashville imprint. He is managed by Morris Higham’s Robert Filhart and is aligned with ASCAP.
Anderson also earned his first official cut as a writer, having co-written “Where Cowboys Are King,” a track on Cody Johnson’s upcoming debut album for WMN, Ain’t Nothin’ To It.
During a visit to the MusicRow Magazine office, Anderson poured his own Texas-to-Tennessee story into the track “Raised,” penned with Trent Willmon and Phil O’Donnell.
He also offered his debut major label single, “Drop Everything,” penned by Rhett Akins, Matt Dragstrem, and Ashley Gorley. He penned another track, “Keep Abilene Beautiful,” with Tony Lane and Tom Douglas.
“It’s amazing to get into rooms with songwriters who are my heroes,” Anderson says. “I remember as a kid, thinking that George Strait was writing all this stuff, like a typical fan. I’ve been very blessed to write with some of these guys.”
Carlton Anderson with MusicRow staffers.
Entertainment Law Firm Marcus & Colvin Relocates, Adds Senior Associate
/by Jessica NicholsonStephanie Westerman
Entertainment law firm Marcus & Colvin, LLP has relocated its Nashville office to the rising Pie Town community, at the corner of Division Street and 5th Ave. S. The company has also hired Stephanie Westerman as a senior associate.
Westerman previously worked as Viacom, handling licensing of content for all programming, and most recently worked in the business affairs department at Concord Music.
“I am so excited that Stephanie has joined our firm,” said Marcus & Colvin co-owner Kent Marcus. “In the few months that she has been with us, Stephanie has made an immediate impact on the quality service we provide our clients, not only with her proven, well-established skills, but her positive energy and dedication. I have no doubt that Stephanie will be a significant part of this firm’s future.”
“Until I met with Kent and Jeff, I was fairly certain that in-house was the place for me, but right away I knew that the opportunity to work with them was one I could not pass up,” said Westerman. “They are unmatched in their expertise and ability to stay ahead of the curve. I am thrilled to be a part of the team.”
Marcus & Colvin represents some of the top names and companies in the entertainment industry, including a diverse array of Grammy award-winning artists, estates, designers, labels, publishers, management companies, film and television production companies, music festivals and promoters, digital service providers, industry executives, and marketing agencies. Marcus & Colvin is also of counsel with the New York- and Los Angeles-based entertainment law firm of Carroll, Guido & Groffman, LLP.
‘Variety’ Honors Mary Ann McCready With 2018 Business Managers Elite Award
/by Lorie HollabaughMary Ann McCready, co-founder of FBMM (Flood, Bumstead, McCready & McCarthy), has been honored with Variety’s 2018 Business Managers Elite Award. The Business Managers Elite Award honors business leaders and recognizes professional success, a high level of commitment to the community, and a strong involvement in philanthropic efforts. McCready is the first woman and first person outside of Los Angeles and New York to be honored with this award.
“This is a well-deserved honor for Mary Ann, and all of us at FBMM are extremely proud of her,” said Frank Bumstead, FBMM co-founder. “Her genuine passion for our clients and those in the community is evident in everything she does. She has left an indelible mark on Music City, and she continues to be a force in the industry.”
Her distinguished career includes becoming the first female vice president of national sales at CBS Records, and being the first female recipient of the CMA President’s Award. She is also an inaugural member of the Country Music Hall of Fame’s Circle Guard, among other honors.
McCready is heavily involved in the Nashville community as well. She was the first co-chairperson of the Music City Music Council and has served as a longtime trustee, finance committee member and investment committee chairwoman for the Country Music Hall of Fame and Museum. She was at the forefront of the establishment of the CMA’s Horizon Award, and she also dedicates her time to the community as an Advisory Council member for the W.O. Smith Community Music School, among other organizations.
Tim McGraw To Launch Flagship TRUMAV Fitness Club In Nashville’s Gulch Area
/by Jessica NicholsonTim McGraw
Tim McGraw has partnered with Snap Fitness to develop a custom line of boutique fitness clubs, called TRUMAV Fitness. The flagship club, owned by fitness entrepreneur Wirth Campbell, is slated to open in Nashville’s Gulch neighborhood in January at 601 9th Ave. S.
Snap Fitness, led by Peter Taunton and based out of Chanhassen, Minnesota, announced a two-year partnership with Tim McGraw in 2017 that included the development of a custom-designed fitness club franchise.
TRUMAV Fitness will provide instructional exercise classes and a personal boutique fitness space. Members can work out on their own, with a trainer, or in a group class setting. Each club will include custom equipment and programs based on Snap Fitness’s 25-year expertise and McGraw’s personal workout routines. Each club will feature two signature workouts, TRUFIT and TRUPOWER. Both deliver full body results with a standalone group training experience that focuses on heart rate training through wearable technology. TRUFIT is the standard high energy 45-minute workout and is designed to increase your metabolic rate post workout helping you continue to burn calories throughout the day. TRUPOWER is an elite level workout that TRUMAVs can test into, lasting 35 minutes and following a variety of military-based fitness scenarios that are completed as a team.
Campbell grew up in Nashville playing football for Ensworth High School and continued on to play for Auburn University. He is currently a cast member of the reality show Very Cavallari, which originally aired on the E! Network in the summer of 2018.
“Physical fitness is something I value – it can help you lead your best life,” said McGraw. “Working out becomes a habit when it’s an easy part of your every day. That’s why I’ve partnered with Snap Fitness to create TRUMAV. We want to help you find what works for your fitness goals and give you a community that can inspire you to achieve them.”
Studio 3 Bee Forms Alliance With Intercept Music
/by Lorie HollabaughThe announcement was made by Tod Turner, chief executive officer of Intercept Music. The new agreement builds on Brand Ambassador relationships that Intercept Music has already signed in the Latin, pop, Christian and gospel fields, with several more in the works.
“The vision for Intercept Music is to empower artists to take control of their music, and their careers,” says Turner. “We started by forming a partnership with InGrooves’ world class distribution service in over 150 countries. InGrooves is the perfect home for indie artists. Our Brand Ambassadors are another critical part of the process: they provide us with key insights into the needs of the artists they know best. When it comes to country and its many musical cousins, Butch, Skip and Renee have an incredible record of success in nurturing talent, and they are a natural choice to be our liaison with the community.”
Intercept Music offers a combination of tools to enable indie artists to promote, market and distribute their own music. The core Intercept Music suite automates social media marketing for artists, enabling them to plan and schedule the release of news and new songs months at a time. With a subscription to the service, artists also gain free, worldwide distribution of their music to more than 600 digital storefronts and every major streaming service in more than 200 countries. Artists can also opt for concierge-level service to set up and launch their accounts, and even one-on-one coaching with a range of experts in many genres to help guide their music and career development.
“We are proud to be associated with Intercept Music,” said Bishop, Bell and Waugh collectively. “This is the most forward thinking, innovative, and necessary modern music company that addresses the needs of the rapidly evolving music industry. It presents the opportunity for every talented musician/artist to have access to global exposure through the most sophisticated technology available. This new model allows the artists to focus on making music, while Intercept handles everything else.”
From now through Jan. 31, 2019, Studio3Bee has arranged for a special discount of 50% off the first month’s $49.95 subscription (discount will apply at checkout.) More information can be found at Studio3Bee.Interceptmusic.com.