Dierks Bentley
Dierks Bentley has always been a risk taker, and an artist eager to display the various facets of his music. In 2010, after lobbing nearly a dozen singles into the Top 5 on country radio (both traditional-leaning and more pop-inspired fare), he did the unexpected, releasing the acoustic-based, string-laden sounds of Up On The Ridge. In 2016, he released Black, a contemporary conceptual project that spawned the hits “Black,” “Somewhere On A Beach,” and “Different For Girls,” among others. Earlier this year, he released The Mountain, a project conceived in Colorado, which explores some of country music’s rougher rock edges.
Over Labor Day Weekend (Aug. 31-Sept. 2), Bentley will showcase his latest creative endeavor, welcoming nearly 30 artists back to Colorado for his own The Seven Peaks Festival.
“Starting my own festival is a dream come true,” Bentley tells MusicRow. “After playing as many festivals as I have over the years, it makes you think about what you’d do if you could put your own stamp on one.”
Miranda Lambert headlines the Saturday show, while Bentley closes out the festival with a headlining performance on Sunday. Bentley will also welcome his “Burning Man” collaborators Brothers Osborne, and “Different For Girls” duet partner Elle King. Meanwhile, newcomers including Boy Named Banjo, Abby Anderson, Rapidgrass and Travis Denning will commandeer the Whiskey Row side stage.
However, you never know where Bentley will show up over the course of the three days.
“I think we are going to have to lock him up to keep him off the stage,” Live Nation’s Brian O’Connell says. “He wants to play with every act that is on the bill, which is unique to say the least. Friday night, kind of a celebration of country music on Friday, it will be damn near impossible…I’m afraid for some of the artists…”
“With Seven Peaks, I was part of planning from day one and am looking forward to spending time with fans in all capacities: on stage, off stage, in the campsites and trying out the activities we’ve been working so hard to plan.” Bentley says.
For O’Connell, the Seven Peaks Festival has been years in the making. He had long been scouting for a Colorado location that would serve as the site for a new festival.
“We had decided on a different site at one point, and literally the night before we were going to go live, I just had a bad feeling about it and I pulled the whole thing down,” O’Connell recalls. “I felt like I was forcing it. So the idea of doing a country festival in Colorado is clearly not a new thing.”
O’Connell followed his intuition, waiting for the right opportunity. That opportunity came in the form of superstar Dierks Bentley and his manager Mary Hilliard Harrington, who suggested collaborating on the Colorado festival.
“That’s one of the cool things about our business is that we all do business together but we are also buddies. So we just broke down the fourth wall and let’s do this together.”
For Bentley, the festival in some ways feels like an extension of the album-making process.
“The more personal you can make it, the more of a universal appeal it has a possibility to be. I am taking everything I love musically, and surrounding it with everything I love about festivals, the things I’ve been making note of for years and hopefully creating one of the best fan experiences of any festival anywhere.”
Live Nation’s Brian O’Connell and Dierks Bentley
The festival will be held in Buena Vista, Colorado, which is located at the foot of the Continental Divide, surrounded by 14,000-foot peaks.
“Buena Vista is a cool town. I made a joke, ‘It’s kind of the essence of Colorado without skiing.’ It’s a real chill town with really great people in it. It’s a great place to really get away from the clutter and noise.”
The area is home to world-class rafting, as well as numerous other outdoor activities from mountain biking to hiking.
I’ve never seen any artist do an outdoor camping experience like this,” O’Connell says. “Someone asked me the other day, what are you going to do with the festival to make it different? I said, ‘Look up.’ There are seven 14,000-foot mountain peaks around you. There is nothing I can do to beat that.”
Though Bentley and company will headline the festival, O’Connell admits they have some stiff competition.
“When the sun sets and the sky turns purple, it’s amazing. We’ve talked about pausing the show just to watch the sunset. It’s that dramatic.”
Of course, taking on the role of financial partner in a festival comes with financial risk for artists, but O’Connell says that won’t deter more artist-branded festivals from launching. “It wouldn’t surprise me if everyone had one sooner or later, if they have that drive,” he says, also noting current festivals such as Luke Bryan’s Crash My Playa.
“Artists want to create, and they want something they own that is unique to them, that has their own touch on it, to draw their hard-core fans. Not everything in their world at this point is about money. The idea that they can have creative control is gold to most artists.”
RIAA Gold And Platinum: July 2018
/by Jessica NicholsonMulti-Platinum Album Certifications
Taylor Swift – Red (7x Platinum)
Platinum Album Certifications
Kenny Chesney– Live In No Shoes Nation
Luke Combs – This One’s For You
Taylor Swift– The Taylor Swift Holiday Collection
Gold Album Certification
Kenny Chesney– Live In No Shoes Nation
Multi-Platinum Singles Certifications
Taylor Swift – “Everything Has Changed” (2x)
Taylor Swift– “I Knew You Were Trouble” (7x)
Taylor Swift – “Red” (2x)
Taylor Swift– “Look What You Made Me Do” (4x)
Taylor Swift – “…Ready For It” (2x)
Taylor Swift– “Blank Space” (8x)
Platinum Singles Certifications
Jason Aldean – “You Make It Easy”
Jordan Davis -“Singles You Up”
Morgan Wallen -“Up Down”
Taylor Swift -“Forever And Always”
Taylor Swift – “Delicate”
Taylor Swift – “End Game”
Taylor Swift – “Welcome To New York”
Nathaniel Rateliff And The Night Sweats – “S.O.B.”
Gold Singles Certifications
Blake Shelton– “I’ll Name The Dogs”
Taylor Swift – “The Way I Loved You”
Taylor Swift– “The Best Day”
Weekly Register: Luke Combs, FGL Lead Country Sales Charts
/by Jessica NicholsonLast week’s chart-topping album, Songs For The Saints from Kenny Chesney, is at No. 2 this week, with 24K, followed by Jason Aldean‘s Rearview Town at No. 3 with 17K. Kane Brown‘s self-titled album is at No. 4 with 14K, and Dan + Shay‘s self-titled album rounds out the Top 5, with 14K.
Florida Georgia Line continues to dominate the Top Country Song Sales chart, as “Simple” moves 17K this week. Brett Young‘s “Mercy” is at No. 2 with 16K, followed by Dan + Shay’s “Tequila” at No. 3 with 12K. Jason Aldean (w/Miranda Lambert)’s “Drowns The Whiskey” is at No. 4 with 11K, followed by Kenny Chesney’s “Get Along” at No. 5 with 11K.
BMI To Honor John Prine With Troubadour Award
/by Jessica NicholsonJohn Prine
Broadcast Music, Inc. will honor singer-songwriter John Prine with the Troubadour Award at a private dinner held at BMI’s Nashville office on Monday, Sept. 10. The Troubadour Award celebrates songwriters who have made a lasting impact on the songwriting community. The award, given only once previously, honors writers who craft for the sake of the song and set the pace for generations of songwriters who will follow.
“For a couple of generations of songwriters John Prine’s music set the bar,” says Jody Williams, VP, Creative, Nashville. “Sometimes serious, sometimes humorous, but always poignant, his songs paint vivid pictures of unforgettable characters.”
Prine is a renowned songwriter and two-time Grammy-winner. He is a Nashville Songwriter Hall of Fame member and a PEN New England Lyrics Award recipient whose classic debut album, John Prine, is recognized as part of the Recording Academy’s GRAMMY Hall of Fame; his songs have been recorded by Johnny Cash, Carly Simon, Bette Midler, Bonnie Raitt, Norah Jones, George Strait, Miranda Lambert, Zac Brown Band, as well as many others.
His new, critically-acclaimed album, The Tree of Forgiveness, recently debuted at No. 5 on the Billboard 200 chart with over 54,000 equivalent albums sold in its first week—a career high chart position and sales week for the legendary singer, songwriter and performer. The album also debuted at No. 1 on Billboard’s Americana/Folk Albums chart, No. 2 on Billboard’s Country Albums chart and No. 2 on Billboard’s Rock Albums chart. Released on his own independent label, Oh Boy Records, the album is Prine’s first album featuring new material in over 13 years and was produced by Grammy Award winning producer Dave Cobb.
The private event will feature tribute performances and guest speakers. The event also serves as a homecoming for BMI’s Americana family of artists.
City National Bank Acquires Exactuals
/by Lorie HollabaughCity National Bank has acquired Exactuals, a Los Angeles-based provider of innovative SaaS solutions for complex payments in the entertainment industry.
Exactuals’ innovative payment system, PaymentHub, allows studios, unions, guilds, payroll companies, music publishers, record labels, and others to provide direct deposit payments, tax document management and online reporting to rights holders, performers, managers, service providers and independent contractors across the globe. Exactuals’ system provides payments and reporting functions with greater security, accuracy, transparency and speed, and firms can process global payments through operating accounts at City National.
In addition to PaymentHub, Exactuals recently launched RAI, a sophisticated artificial intelligence tool used by record labels and publishers to optimize ownership metadata for the calculation and payment of royalties.
Mike Hurst will remain CEO of Exactuals, and he and the firm’s other executives are being retained with multi-year contracts. The payments firm will continue to modernize the residuals and royalty payment process for the entertainment industry, and over time, it plans to expand to serve other businesses as a wholly owned subsidiary of City National Bank.
“Exactuals has developed a groundbreaking and unique payments and reporting platform that enhances security and reliability,” said City National Bank Chairman and CEO Russell Goldsmith. “City National has been a minority investor in Exactuals for several years, and the two companies have formed a strong partnership. Mike and his team are highly skilled, and we’re very pleased that they will be joining City National. This acquisition builds on City National’s history of serving the entertainment industry, and it is the latest example of our commitment to provide clients with premier service and state-of-the-art payments systems. We look forward to helping Exactuals as the firm continues to grow.”
Dolly Parton Receives First Excellence In Leadership Award From Leadership Tennessee
/by Lorie HollabaughPictured (L-R): Leadership Tennessee executive director Cathy Cate, First Lady and Leadership Tennessee III member Crissy Haslam, Dolly Parton, Class IV member and Excellence in Leadership Award chair State Rep. Mark White. Photo credit: Patrick Sheehan
Dolly Parton was presented with the inaugural Dolly Parton Excellence in Leadership Award by Leadership Tennessee Saturday night (Aug. 11) for her selfless work to improve lives across Tennessee.
Parton’s contributions to the Volunteer State are transformational to generations of Tennesseans, including her “Smoky Mountains Rise” telethon, which raised more than $12.5 million for her My People Fund, to provide financial assistance to victims of the devastating Gatlinburg wildfires in 2016. In addition to the joy her music has brought to millions of fans, Parton’s Imagination Library mails free books to children from birth until they begin school regardless of family income. Since its launch in 1995, the program has given more than 100 million books to children in five different countries on three different continents.
“Tennessee has many talented sons and daughters but there are few who are as beloved as Dolly Parton,” First Lady Crissy Haslam, chair of the Fifth Anniversary Committee said. “And while she may be most known for her music, she has undoubtedly proved to be an exemplar of leadership through her generosity, humility, inclusiveness, expertise and passion. As a state, we are indebted to all that Dolly has done for Tennessee and its people; there is no one better suited for the very first Excellence in Leadership Award.”
“My dream was to make as many people happy as I could in this life, and I am grateful to Leadership Tennessee and First Lady Crissy Haslam for recognizing our work done to improve the lives of all Tennesseans,” Parton said. “Even more humbling is for decades to come the future leaders of Tennessee will receive an award with the Parton family name attached to it, and for that I am truly honored and thankful.”
The Dolly Parton Excellence in Leadership Award, designed and created by artist and Nashville native Ben Caldwell, marked the culmination of a year celebrating Leadership Tennessee’s fifth anniversary.
Exclusive: Lainey Wilson Signs With Broken Bow Records
/by Jessica NicholsonBack Row (L-R): Colton McGee, Director of Business and Legal Affairs, BBR Music Group; Kent Marcus, Marcus & Colvin, LLP; Sara Knabe, VP of A&R, BBR Music Group; Mandelyn Monchick, Deep South Entertainment. Front Row (L-R): Jon Loba, EVP, BBR Music Group; Lainey Wilson; Dave Rose, Deep South Entertainment
Lainey Wilson has joined BBR Music Group’s Broken Bow Records imprint, alongside labelmates Jason Aldean, Dustin Lynch, Chase Rice and Everette. Wilson is signed as a writer to Sony/ATV and is booked by WME. The Louisiana native has also landed cuts for Luke Combs and Kasey Tyndall.
In April, Wilson independently released her six-song, self-titled EP; she is a co-writer on all six tracks. In May, her video for “Workin’ Overtime” premiered on CMT.
Old Dominion Celebrates Platinum Singles With Rooftop Show At JW Marriott Nashville
/by Lorie HollabaughPictured (L-R): Whit Sellers, Trevor Rosen, Matt Ramsey, Brad Tursi, Geoff Sprung
Old Dominion celebrated a trio of RIAA Platinum certifications for the No. 1 hits “Written In The Sand,” “No Such Thing As A Broken Heart” and “Song For Another Time,” and reaching one billion career streams with an exclusive rooftop concert at the new JW Marriott in downtown Nashville last Thursday night (Aug. 7).
The band performed a set full of fan favorites during the event and were surprised with a plaque by their label, Sony Music Nashville, for the achievements. Their banner week culminated on Saturday night with their performance for a record-setting hometown crowd at Nashville’s Nissan Stadium on Kenny Chesney‘s Trip Around The Sun Tour.
Pictured, Back Row (L-R): Taylor Lindsey, Sony Music Nashville; Dennis Reese, RCA Records Nashville; Tracy Fleaner, Sony Music Nashville; Ed Rivadavia, Sony Music Nashville; Basak Kizilsik, Morris Higham; Nate Ritchies, Morris Higham; Mike Betterton, Morris Higham; Steve Hodges, Sony Music Nashville; Paige Altone, Sony Music Nashville. Pictured, Front Row (L-R): Whit Sellers, Trevor Rosen, Matt Ramsey, Brad Tursi, Geoff Sprung
Given Music Publishing Enters Into Joint Venture With Gary Baker
/by Jessica NicholsonPictured Back row (L-R): Jenny Hall, Creative Director, Given Music Publishing; Given’s Michael Hollandsworth; Given Music Founding Partner Cindy Owen and Gary Baker.
Front row (L-R): Danny Wilson and Graeme Hogg.
Given Music Publishing and Gary Baker’s Baker-san Music have entered into a joint venture deal, according to an announcement made today by Given’s VP/GM Michael Hollandsworth. The agreement reunites Baker and Hollandsworth, who worked together at both Fame Music and Zomba Music. The joint venture includes Baker-san writer/artists Danny Wilson and Graeme Hogg (Justin Bieber’s “Believe” and The Wanted’s “We Own the Night”) as well as writer/producer Matt Johnson.
“I’m very happy to be reuniting with my long-time publisher Michael Hollandsworth,” Baker said. “I’m excited about being a Given writer but equally excited about bringing the remarkable singing and writing talent of Graeme and Danny to the team. We are looking forward to getting in the studio and showing Nashville what a rare talent these guys really are. I’m just as proud to bring my long-time songwriting partner Matt Johnson to the team. I look forward to what the future brings at Given and working with the talents of Cindy Owen and Jenny Hall. This just feels like a perfect fit for me.”
Under Hollandsworth’s guidance, Baker and Frank Myers co-wrote one of music’s most enduring songs, “I Swear,” which was a multi-week No. 1 record on both the country charts (John Michael Montgomery) and the Hot 100 charts (All-4-One). The songwriters were also three-time ACM and CMA nominees for Vocal Duo of the Year as the recording act Baker & Myers. As a writer, Baker went on to have great success with the international pop act the Backstreet Boys, as eight of his songs appeared on a number of the group’s multi-million selling records. He has just finished producing a Special Edition Greatest Hits & Fan Favorites on the Backstreet Boys, set for release this fall. He will also be involved with writing for the band’s upcoming studio album, scheduled for release in 2019.
“Gary and I started our association over thirty years ago,” Hollandsworth said. “It’s a publisher’s greatest reward to connect with a young writer and see them go on to earn a Grammy award, write a Song of the Year, have hundreds of millions of record sales, produce a superstar pop act, and still have incredible momentum all these years later. This definitely has been one of the most rewarding partnerships of my career.”
Pictured (L-R): Owen, Baker, Matt Johnson, Hollandsworth and Hall.
Martina McBride Signs With BMG, Preps Christmas Album And Cookbook
/by Jessica NicholsonMartina McBride has signed a new label deal with BMG, as she prepares for the release of her upcoming holiday album It’s The Holiday Season on Oct. 19.
Jon Loba, EVP BBR Music Group, “This is the coolest Christmas album I’ve ever heard but at the same time, it is an instant classic.”
McBride collaborated with the late Patrick “Pat” Williams to arrange a set of classic Christmas songs, with accompaniment from more than 40 world-class musicians at Capitol Studio in LA, and Blackbird Studio in Nashville. The album follows the release of her multi-Platinum holiday 1998 holiday album White Christmas. In support of the album, McBride will bring back her The Joy of Christmas Tour in November, this time with a complete, local orchestra. The run includes three nights at Nashville’s Schermerhorn Symphony Center on Nov. 29, 30 and Dec. 1.
“It’s been exactly 20 years since I released White Christmas,” says McBride. “With that album I wanted to make it classic and something that would stand the test of time, which I feel like it has done. I wanted to accomplish the same thing with It’s The Holiday Season, but with a different feel. So I decided to make most of the album with a big-band swing vibe that takes you back to the Sinatra, Dean Martin, Ella Fitzgerald records. We recorded more of the pop Christmas numbers that lend themselves to that kind of feel rather than focusing on the hymns like we did with White Christmas. I think they are great companion pieces and my hope is that they will both be enjoyed for years to come.”
Prior to the album release, McBride will release her all-season cookbook, Martina’s Kitchen Mix: My Recipe Playlist For Real Life. Available Oct. 30, the new collection includes nearly 300 pages of family recipes and new creations from her own kitchen. This follows her 2014 release Around The Table.
Brian O’Connell, Dierks Bentley Talk Seven Peaks Festival, Rise In Artist-Branded Festivals
/by Jessica NicholsonDierks Bentley
Dierks Bentley has always been a risk taker, and an artist eager to display the various facets of his music. In 2010, after lobbing nearly a dozen singles into the Top 5 on country radio (both traditional-leaning and more pop-inspired fare), he did the unexpected, releasing the acoustic-based, string-laden sounds of Up On The Ridge. In 2016, he released Black, a contemporary conceptual project that spawned the hits “Black,” “Somewhere On A Beach,” and “Different For Girls,” among others. Earlier this year, he released The Mountain, a project conceived in Colorado, which explores some of country music’s rougher rock edges.
Over Labor Day Weekend (Aug. 31-Sept. 2), Bentley will showcase his latest creative endeavor, welcoming nearly 30 artists back to Colorado for his own The Seven Peaks Festival.
“Starting my own festival is a dream come true,” Bentley tells MusicRow. “After playing as many festivals as I have over the years, it makes you think about what you’d do if you could put your own stamp on one.”
Miranda Lambert headlines the Saturday show, while Bentley closes out the festival with a headlining performance on Sunday. Bentley will also welcome his “Burning Man” collaborators Brothers Osborne, and “Different For Girls” duet partner Elle King. Meanwhile, newcomers including Boy Named Banjo, Abby Anderson, Rapidgrass and Travis Denning will commandeer the Whiskey Row side stage.
However, you never know where Bentley will show up over the course of the three days.
“I think we are going to have to lock him up to keep him off the stage,” Live Nation’s Brian O’Connell says. “He wants to play with every act that is on the bill, which is unique to say the least. Friday night, kind of a celebration of country music on Friday, it will be damn near impossible…I’m afraid for some of the artists…”
“With Seven Peaks, I was part of planning from day one and am looking forward to spending time with fans in all capacities: on stage, off stage, in the campsites and trying out the activities we’ve been working so hard to plan.” Bentley says.
For O’Connell, the Seven Peaks Festival has been years in the making. He had long been scouting for a Colorado location that would serve as the site for a new festival.
“We had decided on a different site at one point, and literally the night before we were going to go live, I just had a bad feeling about it and I pulled the whole thing down,” O’Connell recalls. “I felt like I was forcing it. So the idea of doing a country festival in Colorado is clearly not a new thing.”
O’Connell followed his intuition, waiting for the right opportunity. That opportunity came in the form of superstar Dierks Bentley and his manager Mary Hilliard Harrington, who suggested collaborating on the Colorado festival.
“That’s one of the cool things about our business is that we all do business together but we are also buddies. So we just broke down the fourth wall and let’s do this together.”
For Bentley, the festival in some ways feels like an extension of the album-making process.
“The more personal you can make it, the more of a universal appeal it has a possibility to be. I am taking everything I love musically, and surrounding it with everything I love about festivals, the things I’ve been making note of for years and hopefully creating one of the best fan experiences of any festival anywhere.”
Live Nation’s Brian O’Connell and Dierks Bentley
The festival will be held in Buena Vista, Colorado, which is located at the foot of the Continental Divide, surrounded by 14,000-foot peaks.
“Buena Vista is a cool town. I made a joke, ‘It’s kind of the essence of Colorado without skiing.’ It’s a real chill town with really great people in it. It’s a great place to really get away from the clutter and noise.”
The area is home to world-class rafting, as well as numerous other outdoor activities from mountain biking to hiking.
I’ve never seen any artist do an outdoor camping experience like this,” O’Connell says. “Someone asked me the other day, what are you going to do with the festival to make it different? I said, ‘Look up.’ There are seven 14,000-foot mountain peaks around you. There is nothing I can do to beat that.”
Though Bentley and company will headline the festival, O’Connell admits they have some stiff competition.
“When the sun sets and the sky turns purple, it’s amazing. We’ve talked about pausing the show just to watch the sunset. It’s that dramatic.”
Of course, taking on the role of financial partner in a festival comes with financial risk for artists, but O’Connell says that won’t deter more artist-branded festivals from launching. “It wouldn’t surprise me if everyone had one sooner or later, if they have that drive,” he says, also noting current festivals such as Luke Bryan’s Crash My Playa.
“Artists want to create, and they want something they own that is unique to them, that has their own touch on it, to draw their hard-core fans. Not everything in their world at this point is about money. The idea that they can have creative control is gold to most artists.”