Academy Of Country Music Announces Officers, Board Of Directors For 2018-2019 Term

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The Academy of Country Music has announced the newly-elected Officers and Board of Directors for the 2018-2019 term. Previously announced officers include Chairman Duane Clark, President Ed Warm, Vice President Lori Badgett, Treasurer Carmen Romano, Parliamentarian Paul Moore, Sergeant-at-Arms Tim DuBois and Secretary Tommy Moore.

This year, 11 of the 13 qualifying professional categories were elected by the Academy’s membership. In addition to those elected, director-at-large positions have been appointed by Chairman Duane Clark, President Ed Warm and Vice President Lori Badgett. Directors are elected from each category based on the number of members in that category. Each director serves staggered two-year terms, with half the board membership changing each year.

Newly elected members of the Board of Directors include:

Jackie Campbell, 615 Leverage
Beville Dunkerley, Pandora
Tom Forrest, Taillight
Becky Gardenhire, WME
Ali Harnell, AEG
Bob Kingsley, Bob Kingsley’s Top 40 Countdown
Frank Liddell, Carnival Music
Cindy Mabe, Universal Music Group
John Marks, Spotify
Ebie McFarland, Essential Broadcast Media
Lee Thomas Miller
Norbert Nix, Triple Tigers Records*
Sally Seitz, Apple Music
Jackie Stevens, The Big Time
Stacy Vee, Goldenvoice
Troy Vollhoffer, Premier Global Production*
Trisha Yearwood

Newly appointed director-at-large members of the Board of Directors include:

Bobby Bones, The Bobby Bones Show
Leslie Cohea, Sandbox Entertainment
Charlie Cook, Cumulus
George Couri, Triple 8 Management
Kele Currier, ASCAP
Chris Farren, Combustion Music
Leslie Fram, CMT
Nick Hartley, Fitzgerald Hartley
Jon Loba, Broken Bow Music Group
Michael McAnally Baum, SMACK Songs
Shawn McSpadden, Redlight Management
Curt Motley, UTA
Brian O’Connell, Live Nation
Rod Phillips, iHeart Media
Tim Roberts, Entercom
Clarence Spalding, MAVERICK

*Elected to fill one-year term which was previously vacated.

“Having served on the Academy’s Board for years, I’ve witnessed firsthand what an amazing group of extraordinary leaders endeavoring to build the Academy’s future, and a dedicated and passionate ACM staff, can accomplish. It’s an honor to serve alongside these amazing women and men to shape the Academy’s next chapter,” said ACM Chairman Duane Clark.

OFFICERS
Chairman- Duane Clark, FBMM
President – Ed Warm, Joe’s Live
Vice President- Lori Badgett, City National Bank
Treasurer – Carmen Romano, FBMM
Parliamentarian Paul Moore, PGM Connections, LLC.
Sergeant-at-Arms Tim DuBois, Artist Management Partners
Secretary Tommy Moore, Academy of Country Music

AFFILIATED
Jackie Campbell, 615 Leverage
Beville Dunkerley, Pandora
Michael Knox, Music Knox / peermusic Nashville
John Marks, Spotify
Sally Seitz, Apple Music

ARTIST/ENTERTAINER/MBI
Cam
Jake Owen
Hillary Scott
Marty Stuart
Trisha Yearwood

CLUB/CASINO/CONCERT-VENUE OPERATOR
Roger Gearhart, Graham Brothers Entertainment
Troy Vollhoffer, Premier Global Production

COMPOSER
Lee Thomas Miller

MANAGER
Kerri Edwards, KPentertainment
Fletcher Foster, Iconic Entertainment
Daniel Miller, Red Light Management / Fusion Music

MEDIA/PUBLIC RELATIONS
Ebie McFarland, Essential Broadcast Media

MUSIC PUBLISHER/PRO
Frank Liddell, Carnival Music
Rusty Gaston, THiS Music

ON-AIR PERSONALITY
Bob Kingsley, Bob Kingsley’s Country Top 40

RADIO
Jackie Stevens, The Big Time

RECORD COMPANY
Andrew Kautz, Big Machine Label Group
Gordon Kerr, Black River Entertainment
Cindy Mabe, Universal Music Group Nashville
Norbert Nix, Triple Tigers Records

TALENT AGENT
Becky Gardenhire, WME
Steve Lassiter, APA

TALENT BUYER/PROMOTER
Ali Harnell, AEG
Stacy Vee, Goldenvoice

TV/MOTION PICTURE
Tom Forrest, Taillight

DIRECTORS AT LARGE
Chuck Aly, Country Aircheck
Bobby Bones, The Bobby Bones Show
Leslie Cohea, Sandbox Entertainment
Bradley Collins, Frontman Consulting
Charlie Cook, Cumulus
George Couri, Triple 8 Management
Kele Currier, ASCAP
Enzo DeVincenzo, Red Light Management
Crystal Dishmon, Shopkeeper Management
Chris Farren, Combustion Music
Leslie Fram, CMT
Nick Hartley, Fitzgerald Hartley
Shannan Hatch, SESAC
Greg Hill, Hill Entertainment Group
Gayle Holcomb, WME
Chris Janson
Jeff Krones, CAA
Cris Lacy, Warner Music Nashville
Jon Loba, Broken Bow Music Group
Michael McAnally Baum, SMACK Songs
Shawn McSpadden, Red Light Management
Curt Motley, UTA
Brian O’Connell, Live Nation
Lynn Oliver-Cline, River House Artists
Chris Parr, MAVERICK
Rod Phillips, iHeart Media
Kelly Rich, Amazon
Tim Roberts, Entercom
Clarence Spalding, MAVERICK
Peter Strickland, Marathon Talent Agency
Neil Vance, L3 Entertainment
Brian Wright, Universal Music Group Nashville

PAST CHAIRS
Paul Barnabee, FBMM
Darin Murphy, CAA
Ken Robold, Sony Music Nashville
Ken Tucker, Wheelhouse Records
Ben Vaughn, Warner Chappell
Butch Waugh, Studio2bee

EX OFFICIO PAST CHAIRS
Rod Essig, CAA
Mark Hartley, Fitzgerald Hartley

Amazon Music Launches Alexa-Powered New Release Notifications Feature

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Amazon Music has quietly released a new feature that will further connect fans with their favorite artists. With New Release Notifications, Amazon Alexa users in the United States can now ask Alexa to follow their favorite artist. The listener will then be notified when an artist releases a new song or album.

Users will receive a notification on each Echo device and via the Amazon Music mobile app for iOS or Android. Users must have notifications enabled via the Alexa app and the Amazon Music app to receive these updates.

On Echo smart speakers, users will see a yellow light ring when there is a new notification. Users can listen by saying, “Alexa, play my messages” or “Alexa, what are my notifications?”

Amazon has teamed with artists including Future and Anderson.Paak to promote the new feature.

 

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Live In The Vineyard Concludes 10th Anniversary Celebration

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Pictured (L-R): Seth Ennis, Phil Barton, Jon Randall, Liz Rose, Cassadee Pope and LITV CEO Bobbii Jacobs at LE Estates Nov. 4th during the 10th Anniversary Live In The Vineyard. Photo: Will Bucquoy

Live In The Vineyard celebrated its 10th anniversary Nov. 1-4 with performances across Napa Valley by artists including Jason Mraz, Jewel, Matt Nathanson, Mat Kearney, Michael Franti, Cassadee Pope, Rita Wilson, LOCASH, Tegan Marie and many more. The event wrapped Nov. 4 amidst the lush scenery of boutique wineries in Napa, and this year’s event paid special tribute to singer-songwriters with over forty artists performing at over 30 estates and vineyards, bringing in over 500 people from across the country to Napa to be a part of the special weekend.

LITV gave attendees exclusive access to artists, top tier wine makers, world-renowned chefs offering exquisite food tastings and pourings by some of the most revered vintners at wineries including Chappellete Winery, Eleven Eleven, Italics Winegrowers, JaM Cellars, LE Estates, Robert Mondavi Winery, Shadybrook, Stag’s Leap, Trefethen, Vista Collina, and more.

During the day, wineries across wine country hosted pop-up concerts in an up-close and personal, intimate setting. Then on Friday and Saturday night, concert events took place at Lincoln Theater in Yountville with performances on Friday night that included Mraz, Nathanson, Wilson, Blaine Mitchell and Whitney Woerz and Saturday night with acoustic performances by Maggie Rose, Haley Reinhart, Dean Lewis, Emily Bear, Patrick Droney and Andreas Moss.

Pictured (L-R): Chris Lucas (LOCASH), Clare Dunn, LITV CEO Bobbii Jacobs, and Preston Brust (LOCASH) at Brasswood Napa Valley during the 10th Anniversary Live In The Vineyard. Photo: Will Bucquoy

Kenny Chesney Varies Venues On 2019 Songs For The Saints Tour

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Kenny Chesney decided for some dates on his upcoming Songs for the Saints tour, he’d bring the music to the fans for a change, rather than making them travel to the giant stadiums for his massive concert experience. On this new tour, he’s performing in several cities without stadiums, offering up more of a stripped-down, intimate feel this time around.

Initial dates include shows include Champaign, Illinois; Grand Rapids, Michigan; and Tuscaloosa, Alabama, among others, and will focus on the heartland, mid-Atlantic and South over the course of three months.

“I wanted to change it up,” Chesney says. “Last year was so intense, and amazing. No Shoes Nation took it to a whole other level, and they blew all of us away. It was the kind of energy you don’t take for granted. So when we started thinking about next year, they made me wanna come to them. Rather than the massive two-day set-up, make everyone come to a stadium away from their homes, I wanted to go to where the fans live… strip things back a bit, and make it a little more intimate. This is the kind of thing you do for passion. To rein things in a bit, change up the way we present the music, I know these songs will show us things they don’t when we’re in those massive stadiums. I never worry about the energy or the passion, but I think the songs are different depending on where you play them. So I’m fired up for 2019.”

Songs for the Saints 2019 Tour Initial Cities:
Champaign, IL                   State Farm Center
Grand Rapids, MI                  Van Andel Arena
Greensboro, NC                     Greensboro Coliseum
Washington, DC                    The Anthem
Tallahassee, FL                      Donald L Tucker Civic Center
Orange Beach, AL                 The Wharf
Columbia, MO                       Mizzou Arena
Wichita, KS                           INTRUST Bank Arena
Wilkes-Barre, PA                   Mohegan Sun Arena
Atlantic City, NJ                   Hard Rock Live at Etess Arena
Tuscaloosa, AL                     Tuscaloosa Amphitheater

Carly Pearce, Russell Dickerson Announce Co-Headlining Tour

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With both artists having earned No. 1 singles, “Every Little Thing” hitmaker Carly Pearce will co-headline a tour next year with fellow rising star Russell Dickerson (“Yours,” “Blue Tacoma”).

The 11-city The Way Back Tour will launch Jan. 24 in Cleveland, Ohio. Tickets for the tour go on sale Nov. 9.

“Carly and I go way, way back and we have cheered each other on for years,” Russell said. “Breaking onto the scene together has been such a fun ride, so we had to book a tour together to celebrate!”

“It’s crazy to think about eight years ago when Russell and I had a residency in Nashville together. Now, to see the evolution of our careers that have mirrored in so many ways is a dream come true,” said Pearce. “Sometimes slow and steady wins the race, and I couldn’t be more proud of how far we’ve come.”

2019 THE WAY BACK TOUR DATES & CITIES

Jan. 24: Cleveland, OH; House of Blues
Jan. 25: Madison, WI; The Sylvee
Jan. 26: Fort Wayne, IN; The Clyde Theatre
Jan. 31: Lexington, KY; Manchester Music Hall
Feb. 2: Myrtle Beach, SC; House of Blues
Feb. 21: Baton Rouge, LA; Texas Club
Feb. 22: Nacogdoches, TX; Banita Creek Hall
Feb. 23: Tulsa, OK; Cain’s Ballroom
Feb. 28: Champaign, IL; The City Center
March 1: Grand Rapids, MI; 20 Monroe Live
March 2: Chicago, IL; Joe’s on Weed

Artist Pics: Carly Pearce, Jerrod Niemann, Jimmie Allen, Tenille Arts

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Carly Pearce Performs On Dancing With The Stars

Carly Pearce and EVP of Country Programming Strategy at iHeartMedia Rod Phillips on set last night (Nov. 5) at Dancing With The Stars.

As Dancing With The Stars contestants Evanna Lynch and Keo Motsepe took the floor with a Rumba during the ABC hit show’s live broadcast last night (Nov. 5), Carly Pearce performed her searing, Gold-certified ballad “Every Little Thing,” which steered a chart-topping trifecta on SiriusXM’s The Highway and solidified her the highest charting solo female debut since July 2015.

 

Jerrod Niemann Performs “Old Glory” At Dallas Cowboys/Tennessee Titans Game

Jerrod Niemann performs. Photo: James D. Smith/Dallas Cowboys

Curb Records country star Jerrod Niemann hit the field with the Dallas Cowboys and Tennessee Titans last night (Nov. 5), saluting American service members with his red-white-and-blue ballad, “Old Glory,” during halftime of the ESPN Monday Night Football game in Arlington, Texas.

 

Jimmie Allen Co-Hosts Fourth Hour Of NBC’s TODAY

Jimmie Allen co-hosts the fourth hour of NBC’s TODAY with Kathie Lee & Hoda. Photo courtesy of TODAY show

On the heels of his first full-length release Mercury Lane, with his debut single “Best Shot” earning the biggest point increase of the week on the country radio charts (currently at No. 3 and climbing), Jimmie Allen took his talents to New York three times in the past four weeks. The 33-year-old Delaware native has performed, commentated and now, as of this morning, co-hosted the fourth hour of NBC’s TODAY with Kathie Lee and Hoda.

 

ACM Welcomes Tenille Arts

Pictured (L Pete Fisher, ACM CEO; Tenille Arts; Mary Pambukyan, ACM Jr. Staff Accountant; Jim Malito, Reviver Entertainment Group, VP/Promotion

The Academy of Country Music welcomed Reviver Records/19th & Grand recording artist Tenille Arts to the office while she was in Los Angeles recently. While at the Academy, Arts performed her current single, “I Hate This,” and other songs from her upcoming album.

 

 

 

 

 

Pandora’s Q3 Financials Show Paid Subscribers, Revenue Up

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Pandora’s third-quarter financials, ending Sept. 30, were released Monday (Nov. 5).

Q3 revenue was $417.6 million, a 16 percent growth year-over-year, with subscriptions now making up 30 percent of that. There are now 6.8 million Pandora Plus and Pandora Premium subscribers, up around 12 percent, year-over-year. Active users were down to 68.8 million at the end of the third quarter of 2018, and total listener hours were 4.81 billion for the third quarter of 2018.

“I’m proud of the progress we’ve made over the past year to reinvigorate Pandora,” said Roger Lynch, the company’s CEO. “A year ago, we committed to drive listener engagement through product innovation, expand our content, and increase distribution partnerships. We also prioritized making our ad tech capabilities a strategic advantage. And we executed. We launched new products like Premium Access, delivering on-demand functionality and improved listener engagement in our ad-supported tier; forged partnerships with leading brands such as T-Mobile, AT&T, Comcast, and Snap; and solidified our global leadership in digital audio advertising with the acquisition of AdsWizz and the launch of our programmatic audio marketplace.”

Continued Lynch, “Looking ahead, I couldn’t be more excited about Pandora joining forces with SiriusXM. A combined Pandora-SiriusXM will create the world’s largest audio entertainment company, bringing Pandora additional resources to accelerate growth and building on SiriusXM’s leadership in the car, subscription expertise, and unique content.”

Added CFO Naveen Chopra, “Our Q3 financial results, which exceeded both revenue and adjusted EBITDA guidance, showed meaningful improvement. Revenue growth accelerated, thanks to better monetization and a fast-growing subscription business; gross margins are expanding as evidenced by a 500 basis point sequential improvement in Q3; and we’re operating more efficiently: we recorded a 300 basis point reduction in operating expenses (excluding marketing and subscription commissions) as a percentage of revenue. All of this puts us on track to significantly improve cash flow and adjusted EBITDA next year and beyond.”

At the end of September it was announced SiriusXM will acquire the Oakland-based music service in an all-stock transaction, which was valued at approximately $3.5 billion and expected to be made official in Q1 of next year. Also beginning in 2019, a partnership with SoundCloud will enable advertisers and brands to purchase SoundCloud’s U.S. ad inventory directly through Pandora. This will increase Pandora’s U.S. ad audience reach to over 100 million users. Concurrently, SoundCloud entered into an agreement to use AdsWizz’s programmatic platform globally.

The year-over-year earnings comparisons do not include Australia and New Zealand, where the service was discontinued in July 2017, and Ticketfly, which was sold to Eventbrite in September 2017.

BMI Highlights Rising Writers As Part Of Next Big Wave Series

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Pictured (L-R): BMI’s Leslie Roberts, BMI songwriter Rocky Block, BMI’s Nina Carter and BMI’s Mason Hunter gather for a photo at the Next Big Wave mixer.

On Monday (Nov. 5), BMI held the final 2018 installation of its Next Big Wave series sponsored by Pinnacle Bank. The mixer provided an opportunity for songwriters who had either recently signed or are about to sign their first publishing deal, to network and mingle with their peers. Several writers in attendance had previously attended a Next Big Wave session for unsigned writers or had participated in Belmont and BMI’s Catalog Cast.

BMI’s Leslie Roberts shared words of encouragement during the mixer, including highlighting several writers who had attended a Next Big Wave session in the past and will return to BMI next week as award winners at the BMI Country Awards.

Designed to forge personal relationships, foster professional connections and inspire growth and creativity within budding careers, each event in the series is specifically tailored to a different group of new arrivals. With three evenings dedicated respectively to songwriters without publishing deals, new music industry hires and songwriters who have recently secured their first publishing deal, attendees have the opportunity to mix, mingle and dine with their peers. BMI’s Creative team is on-hand for a unique opportunity to network and learn more about BMI’s role in their individual careers. The series allows Nashville’s rising talent to create lasting relationships with BMI and beyond for a stronger Music Row community.

Kane Brown Previews Sophomore Effort ‘Experiment,’ Out Nov. 9

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Kane Brown is prepping the release of his sophomore album, Experiment, on Nov. 9 via RCA Nashville. Sony Nashville held an album reveal party at Nashville’s The Bobby Hotel on Friday, Nov. 2 for industry insiders.

“I feel like with this album we were really trying to grow, and make the live show a lot better,” said Brown. “We were experimenting. I didn’t know what the hell I was doing [with] the first album. I didn’t really help [producer Dann Huff] out at all. I didn’t know Dann. I didn’t know what I was supposed to listen for. I got to this album and told Dann I wanted to be in the studio—give my input and be a lot more involved with it.”

What came from that was a special bond, Brown said. “There was one time where I told him he could do a better guitar solo on a song—he’s one of the best guitar players in the world. He sent me like eight solos within 30-minutes that were all No. 1 solos.”

Label Pres./CEO Randy Goodman took to the mic to describe the pressures Brown faced in recording a follow-up to his self-titled debut, which spent 12 weeks at No. 1 on the country consumption chart, where is still top 5 after 100 weeks. “[Kane’s debut album was] an unvarnished look at [one] young African-American man growing up in the South,” said Goodman. “It’s that hard-straggle journey that’s brought him here today.

“If writing a sophomore album in a matter of months is not enough pressure, add to that an intense touring schedule—at a uniquely high level for a brand new artist—media attention, if not scrutiny, the highs of his first award to his inexplicable snub by the CMA membership, followed by his sweep of fan-voted AMA’s, and the unprecedented programatic commitments by the DSP’s—all of that paling in the light of his nuptials,” praised Goodman. “You might be willing to cut the 25-year old some slack if the pressure prompted a change in his attitude, or persona. I can attest Kane remains the even-keeled man of few words. I’m so proud of and for Kane.”

The party included gifts for attendees, including Sony’s XPERIA Ear Duo wireless headphones, for which Brown is a spokesperson.

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Earlier last week, Apple Music hosted an exclusive show at 12th & Porter to record live performances, released with the streaming music provider. In addition, there’s a 15-minute behind-the-music video, which Apple Music produced for its service. Brown is the first country artist to partner with Apple Music for a partnership like this.

Before his first-ever sold-out headlining performance at the Hulu Theater at Madison Square Garden on Nov. 7, Brown will appear on LIVE with Kelly & Ryan on Tuesday, November 6 ahead of a 6 p.m. iHeartCountry LIVE for a first look inside Experiment. Additionally Brown will appear on Pickler and Ben Nov. 8, The Voice on Nov. 13, Jimmy Kimmel LIVE Outdoor Stage on Nov. 14 and Macy’s Thanksgiving Day Parade on Nov. 22.

Apple Music Presents Kane Brown Live in Nashville

Dolly Parton Offers New Song, “Girl In The Movies,” Plus Sia Collaboration As Instant Grat Tracks

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Fans who preorder The Dumplin’ Original Motion Picture Soundtrack will receive Dolly Parton’s “Girl In The Movies” and her previously-released collaboration with Sia, “Here I Am” as instant grat tracks. The soundtrack, which features Parton on every song, releases Nov. 30, and “Dumplin’” will premiere in select theaters and on Netflix on Dec. 7.

Limited edition Dumplin’ Original Motion Picture Soundtrack merchandise bundle offerings are available as well, from The Girl In The Movies Tiara to t-shirts and coffee mugs, plus a limited run of Dolly autographed album covers.

Guests on the project include Sia, Elle King, Mavis Staples, Miranda Lambert, Willa Amai, Rhonda Vincent, Alison Krauss, Macy Gray, and DOROTHY, as well as cameos by “Dumplin’” stars Danielle Macdonald and Jennifer Aniston. The song “Girl In The Movies,” has already garnered a nomination for Best Original Song from a Feature Film by the Hollywood Music In Media Awards.

DUMPLIN’ ORIGINAL MOTION PICTURE SOUNDTRACK Track Listing:
1. Here I Am (Dolly Parton & Sia)*
2. Holdin’ On To You (Dolly Parton & Elle King)*
3. Girl in the Movies**
4. Red Shoes**
5. Why (Dolly Parton & Mavis Staples)*
6. Dumb Blonde (Dolly Parton & Miranda Lambert)+
7. Here You Come Again (Dolly Parton & Willa Amai)^
8. Who**
9. Push & Pull (Jennifer Aniston & Danielle MacDonald)**
10. If We Don’t (Dolly Parton & Rhonda Vincent with Alison Krauss)**
11. Two Doors Down (Dolly Parton & Macy Gray with DOROTHY)*
12. Jolene (New String Version)

Songwriters:
*Dolly Parton
**Dolly Parton/Linda Perry
+Curly Putman
^Barry Mann/Cynthia Weil