Pandora Cuts 5 Percent Of Staff, Expands Atlanta Office

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This week, Pandora announced a restructuring that it expects will help save $45 million annually. As part of the restructuring, Pandora is laying off 5 percent of its staff. The shift allows the company to focus on ad-tech, non-music content, device integration, marketing technology and audience development efforts, and will combine certain roles. The music streaming company also announced plans to expands its workforce in Atlanta, a location with lower costs than the company’s Oakland, California headquarters.

In 2016, the company reported its headcount at 2,488 employees. Pandora expects the restructuring to be significantly finished in the first quarter of 2018.

“Pandora is the largest music streaming service in the U.S. People spend more time on Pandora than any other digital platform in the country, and as our dynamic industry evolves, we must also evolve,” said Roger Lynch, CEO of Pandora. “As I shared last quarter, we know where and how to invest in order to grow. We have an aggressive plan in place that includes strategic investments in our priorities: ad-tech, product, content, partnerships and marketing. I am confident these changes will enable us to drive revenue and listener growth.

“Atlanta is a city with a rich history in music and a large pool of diverse tech talent that we can tap into as we scale,” added Lynch. “While we are committed to having Oakland remain our headquarters, we’re excited to build on the great foundation of our awesome team there and expand our presence in Atlanta over time. These changes allow us to act faster, invest for growth and extend our leadership as the audio market hits what we believe will soon be a major inflection point.”

 

 

Cody Belew Joins ASCAP Family

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Pictured (L-R): ASCAP’s Evyn Mustoe Johnston, Cody Belew and ASCAP’s Robert Filhart

Singer/songwriter Cody Belew stopped by ASCAP’s Nashville offices Jan. 31 to officially sign with the performing rights organization.

A native of Beebe, Arkansas who received his Bachelor of Arts in Music from Arkansas Tech University, Belew moved to Nashville in 2011. While constantly writing songs and figuring out how to navigate the music business, he opened Hyde Salon in 2012 and helped to build that into a thriving Nashville brand before opening Duet, a women’s contemporary store, in the fall of 2017.

“I was never cut out for the whole ‘starving artist’ thing,” commented Belew. “Through entrepreneurial opportunities, I found that I could support myself while being a writer and then play out a handful of times a year. I never thought I’d be in any business outside of the music business. I’ve been eager to join the ASCAP family for some time now. This is a big milestone for me, and I’m very excited to begin working together.”

Belew has performed alongside Rascal Flatts, CeeLo Green, and even The Muppets. In 2013, he was the face of the national “Say Love” campaign for Heifer International, a global nonprofit working to eradicate poverty and hunger through sustainable, values-based holistic community development. He wrote and recorded the song “Say Love” and traveled to Ecuador to film the music video. He is currently writing for an upcoming project set for release in the summer of 2018.

“Cody is a valuable asset to the ASCAP family,” said Robert Filhart, ASCAP Creative Director. “His energetic and engaging live performance along with his honest and emotional lyrics set him apart in this competitive industry. His writing is relatable and raw, and he is certainly one to watch.”

 

 

Spotify Launches New Songwriter Credits Feature

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Spotify has implemented a new songwriter credits feature that will enable users around the world to view songwriter and producer credits for tracks on the desktop platform. Information on artists, songwriters, and producers will be available by simply right-clicking on a track and selecting “show credits” from the menu of options.

During the launch phase in this first step in displaying writer credits, Spotify will highlight information from label-provided metadata and will display the source of the credits. As the process evolves, the feature will become more efficient and provide better functionality as the company incorporates additional information from industry partners.

“Songwriters are an integral force behind the music we love,” said Tiffany Kumar, Global Head of Songwriter Relations, Spotify. “With the newly launched credits feature, we aim to increase songwriter and producer visibility and, in turn, foster discovery among new collaborators, industry partners, and fans.”

“The more we share information, the more opportunities we can help create for songwriters,” added Annika Goldman, ‎Director of Music Publishing Operations, Spotify. “This is just the beginning of making songwriter and producer credits more easily available to Spotify listeners, and we look forward to continually improving that information, in close collaboration with our music industry partners.”

Weekly Chart Report 2/2/18

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

Trace Adkins Reveals 2018 How Did We Get Here Tour

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Trace Adkins will embark on his own How Did We Get Here Tour in 2018, kicking off on April 6 in Biloxi, Mississippi, with dates across the U.S. and Canada into the fall currently announced.

An exclusive fan pre-sale began Tuesday, Jan. 30 and ends tonight (Feb. 1) at 10 p.m. local venue time. Tickets will go on sale to the general public beginning Friday, Feb. 2 for select dates.

Trace Adkins’ 2018 How Did We Get Here Tour:
April 6 | Biloxi, MS | IP Casino Resort
April 7 | Fort Worth, TX | Billy Bob’s
May 1 | Bowling Green, KY | Southern Kentucky PAC
May 5 | New Cumberland, WV | Mountaineer Park
May 6 | Punxsutawney, PA | Punxsutawney Community Center Auditorium
May 11 | Bowler, WI | Northstar Star Mohican Casino
May 12 | Hinckley, MN | Grand Casino Hinckley Event Center
June 21 | Ridgefield, CT | Ridgefield Playhouse
June 23 | Charles Town, WV | Hollywood Casino
June 30 | Oklahoma City, OK | Starlight Amphitheatre
July 5 | Fayetteville, GA | Southern Ground Amphitheater
July 7 | Vinton, LA | Delta Downs
July 11 | Pauma Valley, CA | Casino Pauma Showroom
July 12 | Santa Maria, CA | Santa Barbara County Fair
July 15 | Sacramento, CA | California State Fair
July 16 | Turlock, CA | Stanislaus County Fair
July 18 | Eugene, OR | Lane County Fair
July 19 | Worley, ID | Coeur d’Alene Casino
July 27 | Urbana, IL | Champaign County Fair
July 31 | Petersburg, WV | Tri County Fair
Aug 6 | Vale, SD | Full Throttle Saloon
Aug 8 | Winnipeg, MB | Club Regent
Aug 9 | Saskatoon, SK | Saskatoon Prairieland Park
Aug 11 | Belvidere, IL | Boone County Fair
Sept 8 | Shipshewana, IN | Blue Gate Theater
Sept 10 | Wooster, OH | Wayne Country Fair
Sept 14 | Hutchinson, KS | Kansas State Fair
Sept 15 | Albuquerque, NM | Sandia Resort & Casino
Sept 21 | Breham, TX | Washington County Fair
Sept 22 | Garnett, KS | Anderson County Cornstock
Sept 29 | Montgomery, AL | Garrett Coliseum
Sept 30 | Mount Vernon, KY | Renfro Valley Ent Center
Oct 26 | Bossier City, LA | Horseshow Riverdome
Oct 27 | Tunica, MS | Gold Strike

Joshua Hedley To Release Third Man Records Debut In April

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Joshua Hedley. Photo: Jamie Goodsell

Third Man Records artist Joshua Hedley will release his debut album for the label on April 20. The 10-song project, titled Mr. Jukebox, was produced by Skylar Wilson and Jordan Lehning. The album includes nine original songs as well as a version of “When You Wish Upon A Star.” In addition to Hedley on vocals and fiddle, the album features Eddie Lange on steel guitar/guitar, Jeremy Fetzer from Steelism on guitar/baritone guitar, Michael Rinne on bass, Jon Radford on drums/percussion and Micah Hulscher on piano/organ.

Florida native Hedley first asked for a fiddle at age 3. By age 8, he was finally given a fiddle. He began playing at local VFW and American Legion halls and by age 12, he had joined his first band. His bandmates were all in their 40s. At 19, he moved to Nashville and began sneaking into Robert’s Western World, where he became a performer and sideman, and ultimately, a frontman. He’s performed with Jonny Fritz, Justin Townes Earle and was featured in the 2015 documentary Heartworn Highways Revisited.

“It’s not a throwback,” Hedley says of the classic sounds on his new album. “It sounds new because it is new, and it sounds the way it sounds because it’s the only thing I know how to do. I can’t write a song that sounds different. Classic country is like a suit. Nothing about a men’s suit has changed in like 100 years. Classic never goes out of style. Something can’t be a throwback if it’s never been out of style.”

He continues, “I just want people to remember they have feelings, and that they’re valid. Not everything is Coors Light and tailgates. There are other aspects of life that aren’t so great that people experience. They’re part of life, part of what shapes people. And that’s worth noting.”

MR. JUKEBOX TRACK LIST
1. Counting All My Tears
2. Mr. Jukebox
3. Weird Thought Thinker
4. Let’s Take A Vacation
5. These Walls
6. I Never (Shed A Tear)
7. This Time
8. Don’t Waste Your Tears
9. Let Them Talk
10. When You Wish Upon A Star

Mark Your Calendar—February 2018

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Single Add Dates

February 5
Jason Aldean/You Make It Easy/BBR
County Wide/Country Boy’s Dream/SMG Nashville

February 12
Maren Morris/Rich/Columbia Nashville
Sir Rosevelt/Something ‘Bout You/Elekra/WAR
Jagertown/Rearview/G & N Entertainment
Vince Youngs/My Turn/78 RPM/Jerry Duncan
Blair Matthews/All I’ve Got Going Is You/Riverfront Promotions

February 19
Aaron Watson/Run Wild Horses/Big Label Records
Ashla Taylor/Nothin’ About You/West End Music Group/Rebel Intelligence

February 20
Jimmie Allen/Best Shot/Stoney Creek Records
Brett Young/Mercy/BMLGR

February 26
Dave McElroy/Nowhere With You/Free Flow Records

Album Releases

February 2
Montgomery Gentry/Here’s To You/AJE
Justin Timberlake/Man of the Woods/RCA

Feb 9
Wade Bowen/Solid Ground/Thirty Tigers

February 16
Michael W. Smith/A Million Lights/Rocketown Records-The Fuel Music
Dugger Band/East Tennessee Son/Dugger Band Music

February 23
Michael W. Smith/Surrounded (live)/Rocketown Records-The Fuel Music

Industry Events

February 5
MusicRow‘s Country Radio Meet & Greet and CountryBreakout Awards (invitation-only)

February 5-7
Country Radio Seminar 2018

February 13
All For The Hall New York at the Times Square Playstation Theater

February 21
ACM Awards second round voting closes

‘MusicRow’ Opens Submissions For 2018 ‘InCharge’

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MusicRow will consider new candidates for its annual InCharge issue, the published directory of Nashville’s music industry decision makers, through Friday, Feb. 16.

CLICK HERE TO SUBMIT A New APPLICATION FOR INCHARGE.

Since 1987, MusicRow has curated the definitive list of Nashville’s music industry professionals—the top executives responsible for the successful careers of today’s biggest artists. Now in its 31st year, the InCharge publication serves the April/May issue of MusicRow magazine and is slated for a late April release.

For advertising opportunities, please contact srobertson@musicrow.com.

Sam Hunt To Curate, Headline Two-Day Nashville Music Festival The Nashional

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Sam Hunt

Sam Hunt will curate his first-ever music festival The Nashional this spring at the Bicentennial Capitol Mall State Park in Nashville, Tennessee, on Friday, April 20 and Saturday, April 21. Hunt will be headlining the musically diverse line-up that includes Nashville genre-bending band Judah & The Lion, R&B rapper Fetty Wap, American country music duo Brothers Osborne, west coast rapper Kyle, indie-pop artist Quinn XCII, LA’s indie-rock band LANY, American country music band LANCO, electronica singer/songwriter/producer Chelsea Cutler, Nashville-based rapper Ernest K. and contemporary country duo Muscadine Bloodline, making it one of the most eclectic music events this spring. Tickets go on sale on Friday, Feb. 9 at 10 AM CT at ticketmaster.com.

The Nashional is a unique two-day event that highlights the inclusive, diverse, and genre-blurring landscape of music today. Nashville’s Bicentennial Capitol Mall State Park will be home to this inaugural event and will feature an experiential environment for fans to enjoy. Hunt was inspired to create this festival while out on his “15 In a 30” national tour this past summer.

“The sense of community in Nashville helps give it the character and personality that makes me proud to be a part of it,” says Hunt. “I wanted to create an experience at The Nashional that celebrates music, community, and everything they mean to each other and this city.”

Bud Light is the official beer sponsor of The Nashional.

YouTube video

Patrick Thomas Named President, Silverfish Media

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Patrick Thomas

Silverfish Media has promoted two leaders within the organization. Director of Programming Patrick Thomas has been elevated to President, and Jessica Humphreville (“Carsen”) has been upped to Director of Programming. Both Thomas and Humphreville will continue in their current on-air roles with “Big D & Bubba” and “Country With Carsen,” respectively in addition to these new responsibilities.

CMA and ACM award winner Thomas has been with Silverfish Media since its inception in 2014, and has worked with Big D and Bubba since 1999.  Silverfish Media is home to nationally syndicated radio programs Big D & Bubba, Country With Carsen, and Honky Tonkin’ With Tracy Lawrence.

“Patrick is a rare combination of creativity, intelligence, and business sense,” said Big D. “He is in rare air and we couldn’t be happier to promote him to President.”

“I’m excited to have the opportunity to run this great company and to continue making entertaining radio with my friends!” said Thomas. 

Humphreville joined the Silverfish Media team in 2015 and recently extended her contract with the company.

“Before Carsen joined us, we hadn’t added a full-time cast member to the show in more than 15 years,” said Thomas.  “We were holding out for the right person! We couldn’t be happier to have her on our team.”

“I’m honored to be a part of this team, and this company, and humbled to be given this new role,” said  Humphreville. “These guys are literally the best in the business.”