Jenny Tolman Signs With SESAC

(L-R:) SESAC’s Lydia Schultz, Jenny Tolman, and SESAC VP of Creative Services Shannan Hatch

Jenny Tolman has joined SESAC as a new affiliate.

Tolman just surpassed 100,000 streams on Spotify with her recently-launched song “Stripper For A Week.” The Nashville native has opened for acts like Alabama, Love and Theft, Brandy Clark, and Cole Swindell, and is set to release her forthcoming debut album Jennyville.

Weekly Register: Kane Brown Tops Country Albums, Digital Sales Charts

Sony Music Nashville artist Kane Brown tops both the country albums sales rankings and the country digital songs charts this week. Brown’s deluxe version of his self-titled album moved 43K in total consumption this week. Meanwhile, his new track “Heaven” debuts in the top slot, with 35K.

Thomas Rhett‘s Life Changes takes the No. 2 spot with 17K, followed by last week’s No. 1, Shania Twain‘s NOW, with 15K.

Luke CombsThis One’s For You is at No. 4, with 12K, followed by Chris Stapleton‘s Traveller with 11K.

Following Brown’s No. 1 song on the country digital songs rankings is Maren Morris‘ “Dear Hate” at No. 2 with 27K, and another Kane Brown hit, “What Ifs,” (ft. Lauren Alaina) at No. 3 with 22K.

Tim McGraw and Faith Hill‘s “Rest of Your Life” is at No. 4 with 18K, followed by LANCO‘s “Greatest Love Story” with 17K at No. 5.

Information provided by Nielsen Soundscan.

Townsquare Media Shuffles Executive Team

Townsquare Media has shuffled leadership in its executive team. The company has promoted Bill Wilson and Dhruv Prasad to Co-Chief Executive Officers, both reporting to the Board of Directors. Steven Price, Townsquare’s founder and current Chief Executive Officer, will transition to a new role of Executive Chairman of the Board. In addition, Erik Hellum has been appointed as Chief Operating Officer, Local Media.

“Appointing two of our long-time senior executives as Co-Chief Executive Officers will allow Townsquare to strengthen and solidify its management team while preserving continuity and stability,” said David Quick, a Townsquare Board Member since inception and Managing Director at Oaktree Capital Management, L.P. Townsquare’s principal shareholder. “Our Board is pleased that Steven will continue to focus on the Company’s overall strategic direction and we are appreciative that Townsquare will continue to benefit from Steven’s counsel through his continued leadership of the Board.”

Mr. Price founded Townsquare in May 2010 and previously served as Chairman and Chief Executive Officer of the Company. Prior to founding Townsquare in 2010, Mr. Price was Senior Managing Director at Centerbridge Partners, a private equity firm, where he led the firm’s investment efforts in telecom, technology and media. Before that, he held a similar position at Spectrum Equity Investors. From 2001-2004, Mr. Price served as Deputy Assistant Secretary of Defense (Spectrum, Space and Communications), for which he was awarded the Secretary of Defense Medal for Outstanding Public Service. Mr. Price was formerly the President and Chief Executive Officer of LiveWire Ventures, a software and services company he founded in 1998, and the President and Chief Executive Officer of PriCellular Corporation, a publicly traded cellular telephone operator. Earlier in his career, Mr. Price worked as an attorney at Davis, Polk & Wardwell and as an investment banker at Goldman Sachs. Mr. Price graduated magna cum laude from Brown University, where he was elected to Phi Beta Kappa, and earned a J.D. from Columbia University School of Law. He is co-owner and Alternative Governor of the Atlanta Hawks and serves as an Adjunct Professor of Marketing at Columbia Business School.

Mr. Wilson joined Townsquare in September 2010 and most recently served as Executive Vice President and Chief Content & Digital Officer of the Company. Previously, Mr. Wilson was President of AOL Media from 2006 to May 2010 where he had overall responsibility for the Company’s global content strategy. In his nine years at AOL, he also served in a number of roles including President, AOL Programming & Studios and Executive Vice President, AOL Programming. Under his leadership, AOL’s content sites grew to reach more than 75 million monthly unique visitors domestically and over 150 million worldwide. Prior to joining AOL in 2001, Mr. Wilson served as Senior Vice President for Worldwide Marketing at Bertelsmann Music Group (BMG), which he joined in 1992, and was responsible for worldwide marketing including artist, digital and non-traditional marketing across more than 50 countries for the world’s biggest artists including Dave Matthews Band, Outkast, Whitney Houston and Santana. Mr. Wilson graduated summa cum laude from the State University of New York at Stony Brook with a B.A. in economics and a B.S. in business management and earned a M.B.A. with honors in finance and marketing from Rutgers University’s Graduate School of Management.

Mr. Prasad co-founded Townsquare in 2010 and most recently served as Executive Vice President, Live Events of the Company, where he led all aspects of the Company’s Live Events division. Prior to co-founding Townsquare, Mr. Prasad spent nearly a decade in private equity investing and corporate finance, completing transactions in media, communications, financial services, real estate, and technology. He previously worked at Thomas H. Lee Partners and Spectrum Equity Investors, and began his career in the Investment Banking Division of Salomon Smith Barney, where he worked in New Yorkand Hong Kong. He received an A.B. cum laude from Dartmouth College and a M.B.A. from the Wharton School at the University of Pennsylvania. He is a graduate of Leadership Music in Nashville, TN.

Mr. Hellum joined Townsquare in August 2010 following the acquisition of GAP Radio Broadcasting, where he served as President of GAP West from May 2008 to August 2010. Prior to joining GAP West, Mr. Hellum worked at Bonneville International Communications, where he was Vice President/ Market Manager of WIL/WRTH in St. Louis, MO from October 2002 to November 2004 and spent 4 years as Vice President/Market Manager of KTAR AM/FM and KPKX in Phoenix, AZ from November 2004 to April 2008. Previously, Mr. Hellum was Vice President—Sales for AM/FM and oversaw Clear Channel’s early cross-platform sales efforts. He began his career at Katz Radio, where he held positions of increasing responsibility in BostonPhiladelphiaChicagoLos Angeles, and New York. Mr. Hellum received a B.A. from the University of Wisconsin.

Nashville Songwriters Hall Of Fame To Add Inductee For 2017

Dewayne Blackwell

The Nashville Songwriters Hall of Fame Class of 2017, which was announced in August, will have an additional inductee alongside Vern Gosdin, Jim McBride, Walt Aldridge and Tim Nichols.

“Friends In Low Places” songwriter Dewayne Blackwell will join the Nashville Songwriters Hall of Fame next week, according to Hall of Fame member Pat Alger, chair of the organization’s board of directors.

The five new inductees will join the 203 existing members of the elite organization when they are officially inducted during the 47th Anniversary Nashville Songwriters Hall of Fame Gala on Monday, October 23, at the Music City Center.

“There was a tie this year in our veteran category and our board unanimously agreed that both writers should be inducted,” Alger said. “Dewayne is presently living outside the country and consequently it took us a while to locate him and give him the good news. He is a master songwriter with a long career of influential hits beginning at the birth of rock and roll with ‘Mr. Blue’ and including one of the most played songs of modern times – ‘Friends In Low Places.’ He is a most welcome addition to our Hall of Fame.”

Blackwell’s parents were Dust Bowl “Okies” who migrated to California from Texas when he was a boy. One of eight children, he grew up as an itinerant crop picker. In his early years as a songwriter, Blackwell’s first success was The Fleetwoods’ No. 1 Pop hit with “Mr. Blue” in 1959. Throughout the 1960s and ’70s, his works were recorded mainly by Pop acts such as Bobby Vee, Roy Orbison, Bobby Vinton, The Four Preps and The Everly Brothers. Then in the 1980s, he began his “second” songwriting career after moving to Nashville with hits such as “Honkytonk Man” by Marty Robbins, “I’m Gonna Hire A Wino To Decorate Our Home” by David Frizzell, “Make My Day” by T.G. Sheppard & Clint Eastwood and “Saturday Night Special” by Conway Twitty. In 1991 Blackwell’s co-written “Friends In Low Places” by Garth Brooks was named ASCAP Country Song of the Year, as well as the Single of the Year by both the CMA and the ACM.

Tickets for the Hall of Fame Gala are $250 each and benefit the nonprofit Nashville Songwriters Foundation. Select seating is available to the public and may be purchased as available by contacting Executive Director Mark Ford at hoftix@nashvillesongwritersfoundation.com or 615-460-6556.

Chris Young Brings Kane Brown, LANCO For 2018 Tour

Chris Young, soon to be the newest member of the Grand Ole Opry after his induction Tuesday (Oct. 17), has revealed his slate of 2018 headlining concerts. The Chris Young Losing Sleep 2018 World Tour will launch next year with 18 shows during the initial winter run. Young’s Sony Music Nashville label mates Kane Brown and LANCO will join the first leg of the tour.

“I’m excited about getting out on the road in the new year with Kane and the guys from LANCO,” says Young. “It’s been really cool to write, record and tour with Kane over the last year. And then to have LANCO bring their unique energy out on the road too – I can guarantee it’s going to be a great time.”

Tickets and VIP packages for the Chris Young Losing Sleep 2018 World Tour, promoted by AEG Presents and Concerts West, go on sale beginning Friday, October 20 at 10am (local time). American Express Card Members can purchase tickets before the general public beginning Wednesday, October 18 at 10 a.m. (local time) through Thursday, October 19 at 10 p.m. (local time).

A limited number of exclusive VIP Packages will also be available for sale starting October 17. These exclusive offers can include premium tickets, access to a pre-show VIP Hang (includes an exclusive performance and special Q&A session), limited-edition lithographs, autographed memorabilia and much more. Tickets and VIP packages can be purchased at ChrisYoungCountry.com.

Chris Young Losing Sleep 2018 World Tour (initial 2018 winter run)

January 11, Indianapolis, IN, Bankers Life Fieldhouse
January 12, Independence, MO, Silverstein Eye Centers Arena
January 13, St. Louis, MO, Chaifetz Arena
January 18, Highland Heights, KY, BB&T Arena
January 19, Grand Rapids, MI, Van Andel Arena
January 20, Hoffman Estates, IL, Sears Centre Arena,
February 1, Lowell, MA, Tsongas Center at UMass Lowell
February 2, Bangor, ME, Cross Insurance Center
February 3, Mashantucket, CT, Foxwoods Resort Casino
February 8, Pittsburgh, PA, Petersen Events Center
February 9, Fairfax, VA, EagleBank Arena
February 10, Huntington, WV, Big Sandy Superstore Arena
February 15, Duluth, GA, Infinite Energy Arena
February 16, St. Augustine, FL, St. Augustine Amphitheatre
February 17, Estero, FL, Germain Arena
February 22, Green Bay, WI, Resch Center
February 23, Minneapolis, MN, Target Center
February 24, Cedar Rapids, IA, US Cellular Center

Dierks Bentley Brings ‘Only The Brave’ Screening To Nashville

Attendees were welcomed by a panel of actors and producers including James Dale, Dierks Bentley, Josh Brolan and Brendan McDonough. Photo: CMT/Instagram

Nashville first responders, actors and music industry were among the invited guests to the advance screening of Only The Brave, a film based on the true story of the Granite Mountain Hotshot firefighting operation.

Arizona native Dierks Bentley penned and performed an oroginal song, “Hold The Light,” for the project.

“My involvement with this story began back when this tragic fire happened,” said Bentley. “We heard about it and I worked with my manager, Mary Hilliard, and we decided to play some music in Prescott, [Arizona] about three weeks after this fire in hopes of raising money and spirits—just doing what we do as musicians. It had a profound impact on me and where I first met [original Hotshot] Brendan McDonough and some other folks in the community.

“I was so lucky a few years later to sit in a movie next to director Joe Kosinski and I think it was Mike Mitchell and they offered me the opportunity to be part of writing a song.”

Bentley finished “Hold The Light” with Jon Randall after being started from the pens of Sean [S.] Carey and Joe Trapanese. Bentley recorded the song in the studio in Nashville with many of his bandmates and producer and songwriter Ross Copperman.

“The movie and song is not only about honoring these 19 guys and their families, but goes beyond that—certainly in the country music community with Las Vegas,” concluded Bentley. “It is a timely movie about first responders, who are brave enough to head towards danger when the rest of us are trying to head away.”

Only the Brave will hit theaters Oct. 20.

Chris Tomlin Kicks Off Good Good Father Tour, Releases Special Edition Album

Chris Tomlin kicked off his “Good Good Father Tour” on Oct. 12 in St. Charles, Missouri, sponsored by Amazon Music Unlimited. The tour will hit Baltimore, Tampa, Savannah, Des Moines, and other cities through Nov. 12. In conjunction with the tour, Tomlin is releasing a special Never Lose Sight Tour Edition album, featuring five unreleased live versions of his biggest hits, including “Home,” “Good Good Father,” and “Our God,” available to stream and download exclusively on Amazon Music Unlimited.

Hitting 18 cities across America, “The Good Good Father Tour” will also feature special guest Matt Maher along with Pastor Darren Whitehead, who will be sharing from HOLY ROAR 7 Words That Will Change the Way You Worship, a book collaboration from Tomlin and Whitehead.

Industry Ink: Music Health Alliance, The Kinkead Agency, 117 Management, Production Music Association

Music Health Alliance Upcoming Events

Music Health Alliance has announced two events for October, including Breast Fest 2017 on Oct. 24 and the What The Health Workshop on Oct. 26. All Music Health Alliance services and advocacy, including these two events, are completely free to members of the music community. Additional information is below and links to both events can be found here.

Event: Breast Fest 2017
Date: Tuesday, October 24
Time: 10 a.m. – 3 p.m.
Location: Music Health Alliance, 2021 Richard Jones Rd, Suite 160, Nashville, TN 37215
Description: Music Health Alliance and Saint Thomas Health’s Mobile Mammogram Unit will offer free mammograms to any female in the music industry with or without insurance. Over age 40 and at least one year since last mammogram. 36-40 if you have a family history of mother or sister with breast cancer in their 30s. Call (615) 200-6861 to schedule your appointment now.
 
Event: “What The Health” Workshop
Date: Thursday, October 26
Time: 1-3 p.m.
Location: MusiCares, 1904 Wedgewood Ave., Nashville, Tennessee 37212
Description: Worried about your insurance options for 2018? Well, “What The Health?” Join the Music Health Alliance staff as they explain your health insurance options for next year. Open Enrollment is only 45 DAYS this year (November 1-December 15). This will be your one chance to ask questions, get the steps to enroll yourself, or schedule an appointment with an MHA Advocate to walk you through the process. RSVP to Music Health Alliance at (615) 200-6896.

For those who cannot attend, the session will be live streamed at Music Health Alliance’s Facebook page.

 

Sandra Lynn Signs with The Kinkead Entertainment Agency

Pictured (L-R): Greg Scott (Kinkead Entertainment Agency), Julie Devereux (Kinkead Entertainment Agency), Christy Walker-Watkins (AristoMedia), Matt Watkins (AristoMedia), Heather Campbell (Vaden Group), Cheri Cranford (AristoMedia), Sandra Lynn, Cole Johnstone (Manager/Johnstone Entertainment), and Bob Kinkead (Kinkead Entertainment Agency). Photo: Chuck Arlund

Country recording artist Sandra Lynn has signed with The Kinkead Entertainment Agency for booking representation. Lynn has also enlisted Johnstone Entertainment for artist management, AristoPR/AristoMedia for public relations and video promotion and Vaden Group for business management.

Lynn said, “I’m so thrilled to be working with such an amazing team, and can’t wait for all that lies ahead with this new music.”

 

Drew Blakeley Announced as VP of 117 Management

Drew Blakeley

Following the recent announcement of 117 Management, President & CEO Zach Farnum is proud to announce that leading the management division will be artist manager Drew Blakeley.

Blakeley began his career in the country music industry nearly 10 years ago and comes to 117 after a departure from Conway Entertainment Group, where he spent the last three years on management teams for Lorrie Morgan, LOCASH, Randy Travis, Alabama and more.

117 Publicity, headed by VP Bev Moser, represents a wide array of artists including Chuck Negron, Jerry Lee Lewis, Lewis Brice, Logan Mize, Paul Bogart, Max T. Barnes, Scooter Brown Band, Darren Bessette Band, Nashville Association of Talent Directors as well as Bobby Bare.

Blakeley can be reached at drew@117group.com and 615-997-0100 x703.

 

2017 Production Music Conference Concludes with Record Attendance

Pictured (L-R): PMA Executive Director Morgan McKnight, journalist Jon Burlingame, film composer Mychael Danna, and Konsonant Music composer Andrew Gross.

The Production Music Association (PMA), the leading advocate and voice of the global production music community, recently concluded its 2017 Production Music Conference which drew over 600 attendees from all areas of the music industry. The event was held Oct. 4-6 at the Hollywood Loews Hotel.

Conference attendees enjoyed the third annual Mark Awards event on Oct. 4, as well as keynote speeches from David Israelite, president and CEO of NMPA, and film composer Mychael Danna. A total of sixteen unique industry panels were presented during the three-day conference, including “Production Music is the Record Industry,” “How Big Data Can Double Your Income,” “Writing a Production Music Hit,” and “Trailerizing Your Music.”

Three renowned music industry executives were honored at this year’s Mark Awards:  Romano Di Bari of Italy’s Flipper Music received the “Hall of Fame Award,”  Alison Smith of BMI received the “Ambassador Award,” and Dr. Lynne Lummel, formerly with ASCAP, received the “Visionary Award.”

Adam Taylor, chairman of the PMA and president of APM Music said, “We were delighted with the turnout for this year’s conference. Our panelists and guest speakers were top notch and presented not only compelling and intriguing topics, but also offered practical advice to our members as to where the future of our production music industry is heading, and the hurdles we all must face together as we move further into the digital age.”

Chris Stapleton Announces ‘From A Room: Volume 2,’ Following His Best-Selling Albums Of 2017

As Chris Stapleton’s All-American Road Show continues to stampede across the country, the Grammy, CMA and ACM Award-winning musician is prepping the second volume part to his sophomore Mercury Records Nashville project.

From A Room: Volume 2 will be released Dec. 1 and is now available to pre-order digitally and with exclusive limited-edition bundles.

The forthcoming album takes its name from Nashville’s historic RCA Studio A (the capital “A” in “From A Room”) where it was recorded over the last year, again with producer/guitarist Dave Cobb. Wife, Morgane Stapleton is naturally featured on harmony vocals alongside longtime band-members J.T. Cure (bass) and Derek Mixon (drums).

In addition to seven songs co-written by Stapleton, the album features versions of Kevin Welch’s “Millionaire” and the Homer Banks/Lester Snell-penned song made famous by Pops Staples, “Friendship.” Select co-writers featured on the project include Kendell Marvel, Brice Long, Matt Fleener, Mike Henderson, Jaron Boyer, Darrell Hayes and Jameson Clark.

Stapleton’s Volume one is now Gold-certified after debuting at No. 1, remaining the best-selling country album of 2017. His 2015 double-Platinum solo debut, Traveller, is currently the No. 2 best-selling country album of the year. Stapleton is the CMA’s reigning Male Vocalist of the Year and is nominated this year in the same category along with Entertainer of the Year and Album of the Year (From A Room: Volume 1).

In addition to the mostly sold-out All-American Road Show dates, Stapleton will perform as part of the All In For The Gambler: Kenny Rogers Farewell Concert on October 25 in Nashville and will join fellow country performers for the Country Rising benefit concert on November 12 in Nashville. Stapleton will also make his debut on PBS’ legendary Austin City Limits program later this month with the taping streamed live via ACL’s YouTube channel on October 23 at 8 p.m. CT with the broadcast version airing early next year.

FROM A ROOM: VOLUME 2 TRACK LIST:
1. Millionaire (Kevin Welch)
2. Hard Livin’ (Chris Stapleton, Kendell Marvel)
3. Scarecrow In The Garden (Chris Stapleton, Brice Long, Matt Fleener)
4. Nobody’s Lonely Tonight (Chris Stapleton, Mike Henderson)
5. Tryin’ To Untangle My Mind (Chris Stapleton, Jaron Boyer, Kendell Marvel)
6. A Simple Song (Chris Stapleton, Darrell Hayes)
7. Midnight Train To Memphis (Chris Stapleton, Mike Henderson)
8. Drunkard’s Prayer (Chris Stapleton, Jameson Clark)
9. Friendship (Homer Banks, Lester Snell)

CHRIS STAPLETON’S ALL-AMERICAN ROAD SHOW
October 19—Baton Rouge, LA—Raising Cane’s River Center Arena* (SOLD OUT)
October 20—San Antonio, TX—AT&T Center*
October 21—Bossier City, LA—CenturyLink Center* (SOLD OUT)
October 25—Nashville, TN—All In For The Gambler: Kenny Rogers Farewell Concert
October 26—Austin, TX—Austin360 Amphitheater* (SOLD OUT)
October 27—Houston, TX—Cynthia Woods Mitchell Pavilion presented by Huntsman* (SOLD OUT)
October 28—Dallas, TX—Starplex Pavilion* (SOLD OUT)
November 2—Charleston, WV—Charleston Civic Center (SOLD OUT)
November 3—Columbus, OH—Nationwide Arena*
November 4—Grand Rapids, MI—Van Andel Arena* (SOLD OUT)
November 10—Tampa, FL—MIDFLORIDA Credit Union Amphitheatre*
November 11—Jacksonville, FL—Jacksonville Veterans Memorial Arena*
November 12—Nashville, TN—COUNTRY RISING
November 16—Little Rock, AR—Verizon Arena*
November 17—Oklahoma City, OK—Chesapeake Energy Arena*
November 18—Omaha, NE—CenturyLink Center Omaha*
*with special guests Marty Stuart and Brent Cobb

IEBA Agents Power Panel Touches On Fan Attention Span, Data And Agency Structure

Pictured (L-R): Brian Manning (CAA), Pete Pappalardo (AGI), Jamie Loeb (Nederlander Concerts), Sam Hunt (Paradigm) and Seth Siegle (WME)

The International Entertainment Buyers Association (IEBA) conference is underway at the Omni Nashville Hotel.

On Monday (Oct. 16), IEBA hosted its Agents Power Panel with recent Nashville transplant Brian Manning (CAA – Demi Lovato, Meghan Trainor, Penatonix), Pete Pappalardo (AGI – Hall and Oats, Megadeath, Kidsbop), Sam Hunt (Paradigm – Major Lazer, xx, Run the Jewels) and another recent Nashville transplant who replaced Rob Beckham in the panel, Seth Siegle (WME – Gary Clark Jr., Kaleo, Amos Lee). Jamie Loeb of Nederlander Concerts moderated.

The panel touched on how the touring industry has changed, with artists moving in and out of public consciousness faster than ever before.

“Ultimately we sign with our gut, but it’s about connectivity,” said Manning. “Regardless from streaming, views, spins, etc. people need to have songs, connect with the audience and keep that connection from one tour to the next. To me, data is interesting, but it sometimes follows, rather than informing a trajectory.”

“It is amazing how the very lowest level of bands can be discovered,” echoed Manning. “[My 13 year old daughter] was texting me this morning about a new artist. She has pointed out 15 different artists to me over time. It’s so fast moving — she’s in and out of artists within a week.”

“A week?!” replied Loeb. “That is mind-numbingly depressing.”

“Especially to think when you’re booking festivals 13-14 months in advance,” quipped Hunt. “The most powerful people in the music industry are the children of festival buyers.”

The panel also touched on the advantage and disadvantages of territorial agents and data points.

For Pappalardo, it comes down to an artist delivering a quality show to expand a fan base.

“Everybody has the ability to put music out and get views on YouTube, but unless there’s a quality show, it doesn’t really translate or matter in the touring cycle,” Pappalardo remarked.

“Nobody signs and retains clients without having a personal relationship with them and caring about what they do,” said Manning.