DISClaimer: Maren Morris, Travis Meadows Rise Above With New Singles

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Maren Morris, Travis Meadows

This is a week of thoughtful ballads.

Kellie Pickler, Delta Rae, Taylor Hicks and Maren Morris all check in with lyrics to make you stop and listen.

In collaboration with Vince Gill, Morris has the unquestioned Disc of the Day. It’s a song to help heal us from what we’ve been through this week.

The DisCovery Award goes to Travis Meadows. This isn’t his first record, but it’s the first time he has appeared in this column. He has a heckuva back story as well as a heckuva record. Check him out.

DANIELLE BRADBERY/Sway
Writers:Danielle Bradbery/Johan Fransson/Emily Weisband; Producer: Josh Kerr; Publisher: Songs of Universal, Inc. / One Voice Global Publishing / Canal Music Publishing BV. All rights for One Voice Global Publishing and Canal Music Publishing BV controlled and administered by Songs of Universal, Inc./ Warner/Chappell Music Scandinavia AB (STIM)./ WB Music Corp. / Thankful For This Music (ASCAP). All rights o/b/o itself, Warner/Chappell Music Scandinavia AB, and Thankful For This Music administered by WB Music Corp.; Big Machine
– She was just 16 when she won on The Voice, and it has been a long dry spell since then. This sweet ditty celebrates the innocent joy of hearing a spirit-lifting tune on the radio. Lilting and listenable.

BILLY BURNETTE/Oh Well
Writers: none listed; Producer: none listed; Publisher: none listed; BB
-Billy salutes his rockabilly heritage with a mighty assist from slapping, stand-up bass player Mark Winchester. Rocking.

MAREN MORRIS ft. VINCE GILL/Dear Hate
Writers: Maren Morris/Tom Douglas/David Hodges; Producer: Brad Hill/Maren Morris; Publisher: International Dog Music (BMI) a division of Big Yellow Dog, LLC, adm by Words & Music, a Division of Big Deal Music, LLC.  Sony/ATV Tree Publishing/Tomdouglasmusic (BMI). All rights adm by Sony/ATV Music Publishing LLC; 3 Weddings Music (BMI). All rights adm by Songs of Kobalt Music Publishing.; Columbia
– Very, very moving. The song addresses a variety of national tragedies involving blind violence and concludes that love will always win in the end. Deliberately released in the wake of the Las Vegas massacre, it could not come at a better time for our community. Well done.

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TRACE ADKINS/Still A Soldier
Writers: Phil O’Donnell/Wade Kirby; Producer: Mickey Jack Cones; Publisher: ole Purple Cape Music (BMI) admin by OLE, Paw and Pamaw Music (BMI), admin by OLE, Round Hill Works (BMI), Fat Pony Music (BMI) admin by Round Hill
Works.; BBR/Wheelhouse
– Trace has always been a huge supporter of our enlisted folks, and he makes it explicit in this chesty, proud anthem.

DUSTIN LYNCH/I’d Be Jealous Too
Writers: none listed; Producer: none listed; Publisher: none listed; BBR
– I fail to see what is “country” about this recording. Why don’t we just put a cowboy hat on Justin Bieber?

TRAVIS MEADOWS/Pray For Jungleland
Writers: Travis Meadows/Drew Kennedy; Producer: Jeremy Spillman; Publisher: none listed; Blaster (track)
– As you might guess from the title, this channels Bruce Springsteen. But this guy’s voice carries its own special charisma. Audio excitement.

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DELTA RAE/No Peace In Quiet
Writers: Eric Hölljes /Tiffany Goss/Adam Wood; Producer: Dann Huff; Publishers: 2016 WB Music Corp. / Eric Hölljes Music (ASCAP). All rights o/b/o itself and Eric Hölljes Music administered by WB Music Corp./ Curb Congregation Songs (SESAC)./ Curb Songs (ASCAP); Valory
– Everything this band does is deliciously melodic and oh-so catchy. This gorgeous ballad is another perfect gem. Make room for this on your playlists, please.

KELLIE PICKLER/If It Wasn’t For A Woman
Writers: Kellie Pickler/Kyle Jacobs/Brian Bunn; Producer: Kyle Jacobs/Matt McClure; Publishers: Pickle Butt Publishing/I Hope Mamma Likes This Song Publishing/Kyroll Music (ASCAP/BMI); KP
– She is such a doll. This touching ballad is for the grandma who raised her.

TAYLOR HICKS/Six Strings and Diamond Rings
Writers: Jason Deer/Jo Smith/Don Rollins; Producer: none listed; Publisher: none listed; Sony RED/Modern Whomp
– This American Idol alumnus can sing, sing, sing. This well-written outing gives him plenty of space to phrase masterfully. The lyric tells the familiar saga of a traveling musician whose lifestyle wears on his marriage. Steel guitar star Robert Randolph provides superb instrumental support.

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ADAM DOLEAC/Whiskey’s Fine
Writers: Adam Doleac/Monty Criswell; Producer: Lindsay Rimes; Publishers: none listed; 287 (track)
– “Come on in, the whiskey’s fine,” he says to the old flame who knocks on his door in the dead of night. The lyric is sexy and his vocal delivery has plenty of passion. Judging by the EP’s jacket, I’m assuming that fiery electric guitar work is his, too.

Warner Music Nashville’s Artist Development Team Promotes Two

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Pictured (L-R): Marieke Blanchi, Mike Dupree

Warner Music Nashville continues to strengthen its newly reformatted Artist Development team with promotions for two team members. Marieke Bianchi will move from Senior Director to VP, Marketing & Strategic Partnerships as Mike Dupree transitions from Director of Visual Content Development to VP, Creative Services. Both positions will report to recently appointed SVP Artist Development Shane Tarleton.

“In Marieke’s new role, she will work closely with team leads to develop more robust marketing plans for our artists and further integrate each department into the planning process,” said Tarleton. “Additionally, she will continue to secure strategic partnerships while also creating artist brand stories that are compelling to all outside partners. Mike will continue to lead all video initiatives for the label and take on expanded responsibilities within the Creative Services team.”

Prior to joining WMN in 2016, Bianchi worked at Hunter PR in New York, collaborating with brands including Gallo Wines, Kraft Foods and Tabasco. Dupree began his career in sales before shifting to media development at Word Entertainment, and in 2010 he began working with Warner Music Nashville’s country roster. Following a period as creative producer for Change Healthcare in 2014, Dupree returned to the WMN family just over a year ago.

Tarleton continued, “Our Artist Development team is the heartbeat of Warner Music Nashville, and we’ve just powered up in a major way with these two appointments!”

Former Presidents To Host Hurricane Relief Concert In Texas

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All five living former US Presidents—Barack Obama, George W. Bush, Bill Clinton, George H.W. Bush and Jimmy Carter—will come together to host the hurricane recovery benefit concert, Deep From The Heart: The One America Appeal, set for Oct. 21 at Texas A&M’s Reed Arena. Funds raised from the event will benefit those affected by hurricanes in Texas, Florida and the Caribbean.

The concert will feature performances from Alabama, Lee Greenwood, The Gatlin Brothers, Lyle Lovett, Robert Earl Keen, Sam Moore, Yolanda Adams, Cassadee Pope and Stephanie Quayle.

The One America Appeal launched Sept. 7 when all five living former presidents aired a joint PSA during the NFL’s regular season opening broadcast. All proceeds from the Oct. 21 concert will go toward the effort.

“Thanks to our very generous underwriters, we can once again state that every dollar we raise through ticket sales for our ‘Deep From the Heart’ show will go to our designated hurricane recovery funds,” said David Jones, CEO of the George H. W. Bush Presidential Library Foundation. “So grab your friends and join us at Reed Arena on October 21st for what promises to be a truly unforgettable night that also helps a lot of Americans.”

A special restricted account has been established through the George H. W. Bush Presidential Library Foundation to collect and distribute donations to assist hurricane victims. Donations will be distributed to Houston Harvey Relief Fund, focusing on the greater Houston region, as well as to Rebuild Texas Fund, assisting hurricane-ravaged communities across the state, Florida Disaster Fund, Juntos y Unidos Por Puerto Rico, launched by First Lady Beatriz Rossello and a private sector coalition, and The Fund for the Virgin Islands.

Tickets for the Deep From the Heart concert are now on sale at bush41.org/deep-from-the-heart.

John Oates Adds Team Members For New Album Release

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John Oates has added some members to his team leading up to the release of his 2018 solo album, Arkansas. Oates with The Good Road Band has partnered with Thirty Tigers for label services, Paradigm for booking, and Sandbox Entertainment’s Josh Matas for management leading up to the album’s release. He will also continue his longstanding relationship with Richlynn Group for marketing and publicity.

Oates will celebrate the new signings by previewing new music with a special performance at the Station Inn in Nashville on Oct. 13.

117 Entertainment Group Adds Management Division

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Bobby Bare

117 Entertainment Group, which launched earlier this year under the direction of company president & CEO Zach Farnum, will expand into management with 117 Management.

Country Music Hall of Famer Bobby Bare, known for songs such as “Detroit City” and “500 Miles Away From Home,” signs on as the first management client. Management staffers will be announced in the coming weeks.

The company’s public relations branch has been reorganized under the name 117 Publicity, headed by VP Bev Moser. 117 Publicity represents 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 Bare.

“Bobby Bare is the quintessential country music legend. He paved paths for the Outlaw movement, is a Grammy-winner and Hall of Famer and has had over 50 country Top 40 hits,” said Farnum, adding, “Bare is one of the kindest and most respected people in the business. I’ve had an incredible and successful run working with him as his publicist and am humbled to move into this new role.”

“I’m so glad to have Zach Farnum representing me, I think he’s just using me as bait to get bigger, younger acts,” joked Bare.

 

Kelsea Ballerini To Flip Switch As Opry Goes Pink To Fight Breast Cancer

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The Grand Ole Opry and Women Rock For The Cure are joining forces in the fight against breast cancer on Oct. 24 with its ninth annual “Opry Goes Pink” show. Kelsea Ballerini will be on hand to kick off the festivities by flipping the switch on the Opry’s signature barn backdrop, turning it pink for the night as she takes the stage to perform to raise awareness and funds for Women Rock for the Cure, a Nashville-based non-profit committed to supporting young women facing breast cancer.

Trisha Yearwood will also perform during the evening and introduce this year’s Women Rock for the Cure honorary survivor, symbolizing individual battles being won against the disease. LANCO will make their Opry debut, Easton Corbin, Runaway June, and others will perform, and CMT’s Cody Alan will appear as a guest announcer for the night.

Beginning today, when fans order tickets, $5 from every ticket sold will be donated to Women Rock For The Cure. Tickets are available at (615) 871-OPRY and opry.com. 

BMI Opens Applications For 2018 Scholarship Season

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The BMI Foundation is now accepting online applications for its 2018 scholarships, open to young musicians and songwriters attending colleges and universities nationwide.

The Foundation will administer seven distinct scholarships including the third annual Nashville Songwriting Scholarship, which will award $5,000 for the best original song in any of the following genres: Americana, blues, bluegrass, contemporary Christian, country, folk, and roots. The contest is open to students between the ages of 17 and 24, who are enrolled in any college or university located in the United States. Kacey Musgraves endorses the competition and serves as a final judge. More information can be found at bmifoundation.org/nashville.

Other scholarships available include the BMI Future Jazz Master Scholarship, BMI Student Composer Awards, John Lennon Scholarships, peermusic Latin Scholarship, Woody Guthrie Fellowship, and BMI Founders Award for Radio Broadcasting. Applications must be completed online no later than Feb. 1, 2018. For complete details and to apply, visit bmifoundation.org/programs.

“We are delighted to once again have the opportunity to introduce the world to young, talented artists on the cusp of exciting careers in music,” said BMI Foundation President Deirdre Chadwick. “These scholarships are essential for continued musical education and development, and last year we were thrilled to receive a record number of applications.”

CMA Releases New Research Findings Regarding Country Fans and Streaming

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The Country Music Association released new research findings after evaluating how streaming is changing consumers’ relationship to music, including country and other genres. Country music listeners were part of research that included tracking their music streaming behaviors on mobile devices, PCs and laptops, as well as extensive quantitative research describing their attitudes and perceptions about streaming experiences and providers.

The findings are based on data collected from 2800 U.S. adults age 18-54, including both those who do and do not use music streaming. The research was conducted between March and June of 2017.

Key findings include:

Streaming services are under-delivering on surfacing country.
There is a need to solve discoverability problems and place more and newer titles and artists on services with as much prominent placement and recommendations as possible. Not only are country music fans less satisfied with service-created playlists for the genre compared to others, they are less satisfied with their ability to discover new country music as well in today’s streaming experience. Nearly half cited having better country music recommendations as the change that would most likely lead them to more country music streaming.

Paid adoption vs. growth.
This recent study shows that paid users stream much more often than free users – nearly twice as frequently compared to free users. These paid users are streaming country titles more frequently, as well with 22 percent streaming country songs five or more times a day versus 9 percent among free users.

Streaming drives overall music industry spending.
Country music listeners using paid streaming accounts are more actively listening to country music titles and more actively spending toward music in general. Among streamers that report streaming country titles daily, 69 percent are paid users versus 31 percent free users.

Paid service users also showed significantly more spending on other country music media formats compared to free users. A finding that suggests there are key music consumers willing to spend is not a replacement across the spectrum of users.

Non-streamers are confused about streaming platforms.
Services need to explain the benefits, points of differentiation and how to use these platforms. According to this latest data, consumer confusion may be a key barrier to adoption of streaming among some country music fans. The No. 1 reason cited for not using any streaming services was a lack of understanding about the features and benefits of streaming apps or that they are too hard to use. Educating non-users could go a long way toward driving new user growth.

“What we found in our research is exciting and very timely” says Karen Stump, CMA Senior Director of Consumer Research. “As our genre continues to exceed industry averages for year over year growth in audio streaming consumption, the time is now to build on opportunities to meet this growing consumer demand.”

The CMA commissioned the research, which was conducted by Magid Research Associates and LUTH Research.

Staff Changes At Average Joes Entertainment

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Pictured (L-R): Mary Ann Kaylor-Griffiths, Allie Eckes

Nashville-based Average Joes Entertainment has promoted Mary Ann Kaylor-Griffiths to publicist for the company. Kaylor-Griffiths was previously publicity/marketing assistant.

Allie Eckes has been appointed Marketing Coordinator. A graduate of Miami University in Oxford, Ohio with a double major in Journalism and Mass Communications, Eckes joined Average Joes earlier this year as receptionist.

Average Joes, located at 3728 Keystone Ave. in Nashville, represents artists including Colt Ford, Montgomery Gentry, Cap Bailey, Cypress Spring, Devin Burris, and Sarah Ross.

Carrie Underwood To Release Live Concert Film In November

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[Click photo to enlarge]

Last year, Carrie Underwood was the top touring country female artist, performing more than 100 concerts during her Storyteller Tour-Stories In The Round, performing to more than 1 million fans.

On Nov. 17, Underwood fans can experience the tour again, with the digital release of a live concert filmed at her sold-out Madison Square Garden show. Carrie Underwood: The Storyteller Tour – Stories In The Round, Live from Madison Square Garden will be available digitally on iTunes, Amazon, Google Play, and Qello.

“We had the best time on ‘The Storyteller Tour’ performing for the fans last year,” said Underwood. “The amazing production and 360-degree stage let me get closer to them than ever before. I saw so many of their social media posts asking for a release of the show and we knew we had to do it. I’m so happy to get this out and relive the most fun I’ve ever had on tour!”

The tour’s massive production included 112 automation cues controlling all elements of the 150-foot-long in the round stage, including seven stage elevators, three rings of video screens, a revolving center stage and more. The tour used over 51,000 pounds of carbon dioxide, and dropped over 400 pounds of Mylar. Carrie’s wardrobe, created by Emmy-winning costume designer Marina Toybina, consisted of 32 custom made costumes and 214 pieces of jewelry, allowing for different outfit combinations. Barry Lather (Rihanna, Mariah Carey, Usher, Michael Jackson) served as Creative Director, while Butch Allen (Metallica, The Eagles, Eric Church, No Doubt) was the Production & Lighting Designer.

 

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The Carrie Underwood: The Storyteller Tour – Stories In The Round, Live from Madison Square Garden set list includes 17 of her 26 No. 1 singles, as well as fan favorites and a collaboration with tour openers Easton Corbin and The Swon Brothers.

Renegade Runaway
Last Name/Somethin’ Bad
Undo It
Good Girl
Church Bells
Cowboy Casanova
Heartbeat
Jesus, Take the Wheel
Wasted
Blown Away
Two Black Cadillacs
Dirty Laundry
Choctaw County Affair
I Will Always Love You
What I Never Knew I Always Wanted
Mountain Music (featuring Easton Corbin and The Swon Brothers)
Clock Don’t Stop
All-American Girl
Little Toy Guns
Before He Cheats
Smoke Break
Something in the Water