Breaking: Buddy Lee Attractions Closes After 54 Years

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Music talent agency Buddy Lee Attractions has closed its doors after 54 years, BLA CEO Donna Lee has confirmed to MusicRow.

Located at 38 Music Sq. E., Ste. 300, the company employed approximately 12 staffers and represented a lengthy roster of tours and bookings for country, inspirational and rock artists, recently including Andy Griggs, Michelle Wright, Jamie O’Neal, Mark Collie, Darryl Worley, Presley & Taylor, Ricochet, Ty Herndon, and more.

Among the company’s staffers are Lee; David Kiswiney, Sr. Executive VP; Steve Peck, VP; Joan Saltel, Agent; Mike Meade, Agent; Anthony Wozniak, Agent; Jimmy Dasher, Agent; Aura Guadagno, Agent; Amy Aylward, Agent; Jon Sayles, Agent, and Marsha Owen, Bookkeeper.

Originally founded in 1964 as Aud-Lee Attractions, the agency was fully acquired by Buddy Lee in 1968. Throughout its history, the agency has represented notable artists including George Strait, Willie Nelson, Garth Brooks, the Dixie Chicks, Florida Georgia Line, and Jason Aldean.

Eric Church To Double Down With 2019 Tour, Nashville Nissan Stadium Show

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Eric Church. Photo: Anthony D’Angio

Eric Church, who will release his new album Desperate Man on Oct. 5, has just announced his 2019 Double Down Tour. The trek will visit 19 cities, with back-to-back show nights in each venue, equaling 37 shows. Church will again forego an opening act, as he did on his landmark 2017 tour.

He will also make one headlining stop at Nashville’s Nissan Stadium on May 25, 2019 with tickets on sale October 19 at 10 a.m. CT.

In keeping with Church’s commitment to giving his fan club — known as the Church Choir — priority access, they will be able to purchase tickets during the fan club presale.

To keep scalpers at bay and to ensure tickets end up in the hands of real fans, after the fan club presale, tickets will be sold during Ticketmaster’s Verified Fan presale. All fans interested in priority access to tickets should get verified. Registration begins Friday, Sept. 21 at 10 a.m. CT.

Tickets inside Church’s stage will be made available exclusively to Church Choir members and only through the brand new Eric Church app. Church Choir members will also have the opportunity to take advantage of exclusive hotel deals in all Double Down Tour cities plus additional surprises related to the tour. More information is available at ericchurch.com.

Eric Church’s 2019 Double Down Tour dates are as follows:
January 18, 2019 Omaha, NE CHI Health Center+
January 19, 2019 Omaha, NE CHI Health Center+
January 25, 2019 St. Louis, MO Enterprise Center+
January 26, 2019 St. Louis, MO Enterprise Center+
February 1, 2019 Boston, MA TD Garden+
February 2, 2019 Boston, MA TD Garden+
February 8, 2019 Minneapolis, MN Target Center+
February 9, 2019 Minneapolis, MN Target Center+
February 15, 2019 Detroit, MI Little Caesars Arena+
February 16, 2019 Detroit, MI Little Caesars Arena+
February 22, 2019 Cincinnati, OH U.S. Bank Arena*
February 23, 2019 Cincinnati, OH U.S. Bank Arena*
March 1, 2019 Kansas City, MO Sprint Center+
March 2, 2019 Kansas City, MO Sprint Center+
March 8, 2019 Toronto, ON Scotiabank Arena+
March 9, 2019 Toronto, ON Scotiabank Arena+
March 15, 2019 Greensboro, NC Greensboro Coliseum+
March 16, 2019 Greensboro, NC Greensboro Coliseum+
March 22, 2019 Chicago, IL Allstate Arena*
March 23, 2019 Chicago, IL Allstate Arena*
March 29, 2019 Milwaukee, WI Fiserv Forum+
March 30, 2019 Milwaukee, WI Fiserv Forum+
April 12, 2019 Dallas, TX American Airlines Center*
April 13, 2019 Dallas, TX American Airlines Center*
April 19, 2019 Cleveland, OH Quicken Loans Arena*
April 20, 2019 Cleveland, OH Quicken Loans Arena*
April 26, 2019 Greenville, SC Bon Secours Wellness Arena*
April 27, 2019 Greenville, SC Bon Secours Wellness Arena*
May 3, 2019 Pittsburgh, PA PPG Paints Arena+
May 4, 2019 Pittsburgh, PA PPG Paints Arena+
May 10, 2019 Denver, CO Pepsi Center*
May 11, 2019 Denver, CO Pepsi Center*
May 17, 2019 Los Angeles, CA STAPLES Center*
May 18, 2019 Los Angeles, CA STAPLES Center*
May 25, 2019 Nashville, TN Nissan Stadium#
June 28, 2019 George, WA The Gorge Amphitheatre#
June 29, 2019 George, WA The Gorge Amphitheatre#

+on sale October 5 at 10 a.m. local time
*on sale October 12 at 10 a.m. local time
#on sale October 19 at 10 a.m. local time

YouTube Lowers Barrier To Entry For Creators Charging Monthly Fees

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In June YouTube expanded channel memberships, allowing creators to charge subscribers a $4.99 monthly fee. This week, Engadget is reporting the barrier to entry just got easier for creators.

Previously, channel memberships were only allowed for 100,000+ subscribers. Now channels with 50,000+ subscribers will be able to earn money directly from fans, rather than relying on money from ads.

Jimmie Allen Set To Spin Down ‘Mercury Lane’ In October

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Jimmie Allen is set to release his debut album, Mercury Lane, Oct. 12 via Stoney Creek Records/BBR Music Group. Allen teased the track listing and behind-the-scenes photos on his socials earlier this week, and has now revealed the artwork and additional details for the full-length album, along with a brand new song.

Hailing back to the origin of Allen’s story, the Ash Bowers/Eric Torres-produced album takes its name from the street Allen grew up on and pays tribute to the influence home and family has had on his incredible journey. Fans will instantly receive six songs with a pre-order of Mercury Lane, including “Best Shot,” “Underdogs,” “21,” “Warrior,” “Back of Your Mind” and “Make Me Want To,” a brand new track that highlights the singer’s romantic side.

“Mercury Lane is where my journey began. All of the fundamental life lessons that shaped my values and make me who I am today, I was taught on that street—its where I learned about love, family, life, how to believe in myself, the concept of never giving up, following your dreams and being a good person,” said Jimmie Allen. “This album touches on all of those ideals and truly feels like I’m sharing a piece of my heart with the world. I’ve been working toward this moment for so long; I can’t wait to share it with everyone.”

Allen’s debut single, “Best Shot” is in the Top 20 on the charts, and has more than 38 million streams to date, and he’s slated to make his national TV debut on Oct. 9 on NBC’s TODAY.

Mercury Lane Track Listing:
“American Heartbreaker” — (Jimmie Allen, Lance Miller, Chris Stevens, Ash Bowers)
“Make Me Want To” — (Jimmie Allen, Paul Sikes, Jennifer Denmark)
“Deserve to Be” — (Jimmie Allen, Danielle Blakey, Tripp Howell)
“How to Be Single” — (Natalie Hemby, Shane McAnally, Jimmy Robbins)
“Wait for It” — (Ash Bowers, Thom McHugh, Steve Williams)
“High Life” — (Lance Miller, Brett Warren, Brad Warren, Chris Stevens)
“21” — (Brandon Hood, Josh Jenkins, Ash Bowers)
“Underdogs” — (Ash Bowers, Brandon Lay, Jonathan Singleton)
“Like You Do” — (Jimmie Allen, JP Williams, Josh London, Jason Mizell)
“Back of Your Mind” — (Jimmie Allen, Matthew McVaney, Devin Tolentino)
“Boy Gets a Truck” — (Ash Bowers, Aaron Scherz)
“County Lines” — (Brett Tyler, Ben Burgess, Matt Dragstrem)
“Best Shot” — (Jimmie Allen, Josh London, JP Williams)
“Warrior” — (Jimmie Allen, Casey Beathard, Ash Bowers)
“All Tractors Ain’t Green” — (Jimmie Allen, Brandon Hood, Tim Nichols)

Jimmy Robbins Inks New Co-Pub Deal With Round Hill, Signs Eric Arjes To JV

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Pictured (Back row, L-R): Matthew Beckett (Round Hill counsel), Austen Adams (Dickinson Wright), Joe Fisher (BNNS). (Front row, L-R): Mark Brown (SVP, GM Round Hill Nashville), Jimmy Robbins, Sarah Robbins (JRM), Josh Saxe (Sr. Director A&R, Round Hill Nashville)

Round Hill Music Nashville and Baby Needs New Shoes have signed a new co-publishing deal with hit songwriter and producer Jimmy Robbins.

Robbins has earned 11 Top 10 hits including 8 No. 1 songs as a writer, as well as a No. 1 song as a producer for Canaan Smith’s “Love You Like That” and a Billboard No. 1 Album as a producer for RaeLynn’s Wildhorse. He is a CMA Triple Play Award winner and was ASCAP Song Of The Year winner for Thomas Rhett’s “It Goes Like This.” Robbins also recently earned NSAI’s 10 Songs I Wish I’d Written award for Maren Morris’ “I Could Use A Love Song.”

“It is a real pleasure to be able to announce that Round Hill is continuing our very productive relationship with Jimmy Robbins. Jimmy is a uncommonly talented writer and we are thrilled to be in business together,” boasts Mark Brown, Round Hill Nashville’s SVP & GM.

In addition, Round Hill and Jimmy have expanded their joint venture company JRM and signed Eric Arjes to an exclusive co-publishing deal. Arjes is a multi-genre songwriter and producer who has landed cuts with artists like Tim McGraw, Lonestar, Thompson Square and Newsboys to name a few. Arjes has found continued success in the sync world, creating and performing music featured in national TV Ad campaigns for Hershey’s, Lowe’s, Pringles, Dr Pepper, and Walmart, as well as television shows like The Walking Dead and Teen Wolf, and movie trailers/soundtracks like The Muppets Most Wanted.

“I am thrilled to be continuing with the whole Round Hill team and couldn’t be more excited about Eric joining it. He’s one of the most talented people I’ve met and we’re lucky to work with him,” adds Robbins.

Pictured (L-R): Mark Brown (SVP, GM Round Hill Nashville), Matthew Beckett (Round Hill counsel), Josh Saxe (Sr. Director A&R, Round Hill Nashville), Eric Arjes, Jimmy Robbins, Sarah Robbins (JRM)

Josh Turner Fulfills Dream With New Project, ‘I Serve A Savior’

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Josh Turner is releasing a longtime passion project, I Serve A Savior, on Oct. 26. The faith-based collection features hand-picked hymns, a few brand new originals, and live recordings of some of Turner’s most memorable hits including “Me and God” and “Long Black Train.”

The gospel project also includes a special song penned by Turner’s wife, Jennifer, and eldest son, Hampton, “The River (of Happiness)” featuring backing vocals by Jennifer and all four of Turner’s sons. “It’s an uplifting song,” said Turner. “And having Jennifer and the boys singing on it drives that home.”     

“My faith is the most important thing to me,” said Turner. “I want people to hear the sentiment and heart behind this record. I want them to feel the same inspiration that I felt. I want them to feel that and hopefully they’ll make these songs a part of their life. Working on this project has definitely been a God-ordained blessing. I never would have thought I’d be doing this record this year, but God opened a door and I walked through it. I’ve seen many seemingly impossible things take place during the making of this record and I’ve felt God’s anointing over it.”

In addition to the 12-track project, Turner will release a 90-minute live performance DVD of the new faith-based collection, filmed at Gaither Studios. The DVD will include a special interview of Turner with gospel legend Bill Gaither and will also be edited into a one-hour TV special hosted by Gaither which will air this fall on several networks across the U.S. and Canada.

I Serve A Savior Track Listing:
1. I Saw The Light (Featuring Sonya Isaacs)
2. I Pray My Way Out Of Trouble (Featuring Bobby Osborne)
3. Great Is Your Faithfulness 
4. Swing Low, Sweet Chariot
5. Without Him
6. I Serve A Savior
7. How Great Thou Art (Featuring Sonya Isaacs)
8. The River (of Happiness) Featuring the Turner family (Live From Gaither Studios) 
9. Amazing Grace
10. Long Black Train (Live From Gaither Studios)
11. Doxology
12. Me And God (Live From Gaither Studios) 

Weekly Chart Report (9/21/18)

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

Elektra Music Group Staffs Up With Jason Martin As VP, Promotion/Triple A

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Jason Martin

Ahead of its Oct. 1 launch, Elektra Music Group has announced three key promotion department appointments.

Roadrunner Promotion will change its name to Elektra Promotion, with longtime Roadrunner team member Jason Martin appointed as VP, Promotion/Triple A. Martin will be based in Nashville.

Also newly-appointed are Myra Dehais (based in San Diego) as SVP of Promotion-West Coast/Alternative, and New York-based Melanie Scull (VP, Promotion for pop radio). All three will report to Elektra Music Group Co-President Mike Easterlin, who will lead the company with co-president Gregg Nadel.

“Radio remains a powerful and essential force in fan engagement, especially as we’re launching and building careers for artists across the Elektra Group roster,” said Easterlin and Nadel. “We’re so excited to have three of the most experienced and well-respected promo folks in the industry at the core of our promo team. We’re happy to welcome Melanie into the WMG family and congratulate Myra and Jason on their new gigs. It’s great to have them on board as we gear up for our official launch in a couple of weeks.”

Martin joined the Roadrunner promotion team nearly two decades ago, initially serving as Denver regional rep, and most recently as national VP of Alternative & Pop Promotion. He started his career at 91X/San Diego as a production assistant before working in promotion and marketing at Rhino Records and RCA.

Scull joins Elektra Music Group from RED Distribution, where she was VP of Pop Promotion. Melanie started her promotion career at Capitol Records, serving in regional positions in Dallas and LA before being upped to National Promotion Director for Top 40 projects. She has also worked at Republic and in2une Music.

Dehais has been with Atlantic Records as part of the Roadrunner promotion team since 2012. Having previously worked at Epic, Warner Bros. Records, and RED, she brings a magnitude of multi-format experience to her new post. She first joined Atlantic in 1993 after several years in college and commercial radio.

In addition to these moves, Bill Millman will return to Boston from Chicago to take up the position of New England Midwest Regional Manager for Elektra Music Group.

This announcement follows two Elektra Music Group A&R appointments: Will McDonald, Vice President, A&R and Marketing, based in Nashville; and Shawn Cohen, Senior Director, A&R, based in Los Angeles. At launch, Elektra Music Group will boast a 60-plus member team embracing all key music company functions, including A&R, Artist Development, Business & Legal Affairs, International, Marketing, Promotion, Publicity, Sales & Streaming, and Video.

Elektra Music Group will include Elektra, Fueled By Ramen (FBR), Roadrunner, Low Country Sound, and Black Cement Records – which will be nurtured as unique, independent label brands. Co-Presidents Easterlin and Nadel will report to Atlantic Records Group Chairman & CEO Craig Kallman and Chairman & COO Julie Greenwald. The Elektra Music Group roster will include notable artists such as Twenty One Pilots, Sturgill Simpson, Zac Brown Band, Brandi Carlile, Fitz and the Tantrums, Paramore, Slipknot, Panic! At The Disco, Coheed and Cambria, Kaleo, Gojira, and others.

LANCO’s “Greatest Love Story” Earns RIAA 2X Platinum Certification

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Pictured (L-R): Chandler Baldwin (LANCO), Jim Catino (Sony Music Nashville), Brandon Lancaster (LANCO), John Zarling (Sony Music Nashville), Tripp Howell (LANCO), Caryl Atwood (Sony Music Nashville), Jen Way (Sony Music Nashville), Eric Steedly (LANCO), Josh Easler (Arista Nashville), and Jared Hampton (LANCO).

Before NSAI’s annual “Nashville Songwriter Awards” Wednesday night (Sept. 19) at the Ryman Auditorium, CMA Vocal Group of the Year nominee LANCO was surprised by Sony Music Nashville with the news that their multi-week No. 1 hit “Greatest Love Story” has been certified 2X Platinum by the RIAA.

Directly after, LANCO performed the song before lead singer and the track’s sole-writer Brandon Lancaster was honored with the Songwriter/Artist of the Year award.

“Looking back on this year and thinking of how many doors ‘Greatest Love Story’ has opened for the band blows my mind. This is a song we all believed in since day one and night after night we continue to see how it resonates with more and more people,” said Lancaster. “2018 has proved that five guys can go from jamming in a warehouse to actually living out this wild dream. It just validates that we are on the right path and we can’t thank our fans enough for riding out this journey with us. It feels like it’s just the beginning.”

RIAA Issues Mid-Year Report, Powered By Streaming

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Halfway through 2018, the United States music business “continues its comeback story, powered by great new music, talented artists and a re-invented record industry.”

Findings include the music industry’s rapid transition from unit-based physical and digital sales towards streaming music sources. Total revenues from recorded music in the United States grew 10 percent to $4.6 billion at retail in 1H 2018. Streaming music accounted for 75 percent of industry revenues. At wholesale value, revenues rose 10 percent to $3.1 billion.

The full report can be found at riaa.com.