Maren Morris Announces ‘Renegade Revival Run’ Four-Date Tour

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Maren Morris has added a special run of tour dates for Spring 2018 called the Renegade Revival Run.

Morris will take the four-date tour to three legendary, well known hot spots for country music fans, including Pappy and Harriet’s in Pioneertown, California, Greune Hall in New Braunfels, Texas, and two nights at Buck Owens’ Crystal Palace in Bakersfield, California.

Morris will give her fans the option to purchase a Renegade Revival VIP Upgrade Package where all proceeds go to Morris’ The HEROES Fund which benefits fine art programs and music education in public schools.

Tickets for the Renegade Revival Run go on sale Oct. 13 at 10 a.m. local time.

Renegade Revival Run Tour Dates
4/11/2018 Bakersfield, CA Buck Owens’ Crystal Palace
4/12/2018 Bakersfield, CA Buck Owens’ Crystal Palace
4/13/2018 Pioneertown, CA Pappy and Harriet’s
5/4/2018 New Braunfels, TX Greune Hall

 

Big Machine Records Signs Josh Phillips

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Pictured Back (L-R): Dickinson Wright’s Noah McPike, Big Machine Label Group’s Tali Canterbury, Make Wake Artist Management’s Chris Kappy, BMLG’s Andrew Kautz and Malcolm Mimms. Front: Big Machine Records’ Jim Weatherson, Josh Phillips, BMLG’s Scott Borchetta

Big Machine Records has added Josh Phillips to its artist roster. He joins artists including Taylor Swift, Rascal Flatts, Jennifer Nettles, Cheap Trick, Midland, Carly Pearce, The Cadillac Three, Tucker Beathard, Lauren Jenkins and Alex Williams.

Phillips’ debut five-song EP Lee County is available now. The singer-songwriter is managed by Nashville’s Make Wake Artist Management (which also manages Luke Combs). Phillips will join Combs on his Don’t Tempt Me With A Good Time Tour, which launches Oct. 3 in Los Angeles.

BMLG President & CEO Scott Borchetta says, “Josh is that rare combination of great voice, great storyteller and great performer who exudes Southern culture. He is a great addition to the super-hot Big Machine roster.”

“From the moment I met Scott Borchetta and the team at Big Machine, it felt like home,” says Phillips. “Everybody comes to Nashville with a dream and it’s one that I would think of every time I played a little bar or club just grinding it out. Today, I get to live out that dream for me and my fans. I’m excited to share my music with the world!”

LEE COUNTY EP (THE ACOUSTIC SESSIONS) TRACK LIST
1. “Fixer Upper” | Josh Phillips, Marcus Kiser
2. “Midnighters” | Josh Phillips, Randy Montana
3. “Fast Ride” | Josh Phillips, Brian Davis
4. “Long Way Home” | Josh Phillips
5. “Kids That Did” | Josh Phillips, Ray Fulcher, Jonathan Singleton

Earls Of Leicester Named Entertainer Of The Year For Third Straight Year At IBMA Awards

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The Earls of Leicester

The Earls of Leicester, Shawn Camp, and Molly Tuttle were among the big winners last night (Sept. 28) at the 28th Annual International Bluegrass Music Awards, hosted by Bela Fleck and Abigail Washburn.

Held at the Duke Energy Performing Arts Center in Raleigh, North Carolina, the awards were voted on by the professional membership of the International Bluegrass Music Association (IBMA). The Earls of Leicester made it a “three-peat” during the awards, winning the coveted Entertainer of the Year Award for the third year in a row (2015, 2016, 2017). Awards were also presented to many first time recipients, including Tuttle, who is the first female to win Guitar Player of the Year.

The 2017 International Bluegrass Music Awards Recipients:
ENTERTAINER OF THE YEAR: The Earls of Leicester

VOCAL GROUP OF THE YEAR: Flatt Lonesome (their second win in this category, previously in 2016)

INSTRUMENTAL GROUP OF THE YEAR: Michael Cleveland & Flamekeeper (their fourth win in this category, previously in 2008, 2009 and 2010)

SONG OF THE YEAR: “I Am A Drifter” – Volume Five (artist), Donna Ulisse/Marc Rossi (writers)

ALBUM OF THE YEAR: Mountain Voodoo – Balsam Range (artist), Balsam Range (producer), Mountain Home Records (label)

GOSPEL RECORDED PERFORMANCE OF A YEAR (tie): “I Found a Church Today” – The Gibson Brothers (artist), Eric Gibson/Leigh Gibson (writers), In The Ground (album), Eric Gibson, Leigh Gibson, and Mike Barber (producers), Rounder Records (label)
“Sacred Memories” – Joe Mullins & The Radio Ramblers with Ricky Skaggs and Sharon White Skaggs (artist), Dolly Parton (writer), Sacred Memories (album), Joe Mullins (producer), Rebel Records (label)

INSTRUMENTAL RECORDED PERFORMANCE: “Fiddler’s Dream” – Michael Cleveland (artist), Arthur Smith (writer), Fiddler’s Dream (album), Jeff White and Michael Cleveland (producers), Compass Records (label)

EMERGING ARTIST OF THE YEAR: Volume Five

RECORDED EVENT OF THE YEAR: “I’ve Gotta Get a Message To You” – Bobby Osborne with Sierra Hull, Alison Brown, Rob Ickes, Stuart Duncan, Trey Hensley, Todd Phillips, Kenny Malone, Claire Lynch, and Bryan McDowell (artists), Original (album), Alison Brown (producer), Compass Records (label)

FEMALE VOCALIST OF THE YEAR: Brooke Aldridge (her first win in this category)

MALE VOCALIST OF THE YEAR: Shawn Camp (his second win in this category, previously in 2015)

BANJO PLAYER OF THE YEAR: Noam Pikelny (his second win in this category, previously in 20

BASS PLAYER OF THE YEAR: Alan Bartram (his first win in this category)

DOBRO PLAYER OF THE YEAR: Josh Swift (his first win in this category)

FIDDLE PLAYER OF THE YEAR: Patrick McAvinue (his first in in this category)

GUITAR PLAYER OF THE YEAR: Molly Tuttle (first woman to win this category)

MANDOLIN PLAYER OF THE YEAR: Sierra Hull (her second year in this category, previously in 2016)

Cam To Launch ‘Best Coast Tour’ In November

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Cam has announced she will hit the road this Fall on her headlining Best Coast Tour beginning Nov. 28. The West Coast tour features opening act Logan Mize and will hit Bakersfield, San Diego, West Hollywood, Seattle and Portland among its stops.

Audiences at the shows will also see an original commissioned LED structure onstage crafted by the Bay Area company, Sheet Metal Alchemist. Tickets for the tour, which wraps December 16, go on sale today and are available at CamCountry.com.

“I’m coming home to tour the West Coast!!”, says Cam. “I’ve picked some of the cutest and quirkiest venues, I’ve built a crazy visual set, and I even get to play new music from the upcoming album! Obviously I’m going all out for the VIP experience too, to take care of the Best Coast that raised me. I’m so proud to come home and show off what I’ve created.”

Cam has also been opening for the legendary George Strait‘s residency concert series throughout the year in Las Vegas, “Strait to Vegas”, at the T-Mobile Arena which includes two remaining dates, Dec. 8-9.

Tour Dates:
Nov. 28: San Luis Obispo, CA;  Madonna Inn
Nov. 29: San Francisco, CA;  Bimbo’s 365 Club
Nov. 30: Bakersfield, CA;  Buck Owens Crystal Palace
Dec. 1: San Diego, CA;  Moonshine Beach
Dec. 5: West Hollywood, CA;  The Troubadour
Dec. 7: Pioneertown, CA; Pappy and Harriet’s
Dec. 14: Vancouver, BC; The Commodore Ballroom
Dec. 15: Seattle; The Crocodile
Dec. 16:  Portland, OR; Hawthorne Theater

Weekly Chart Report 9/29/17

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

Belmont University Celebrates 10-Year Anniversary of Pioneering Songwriting Major

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Pictured (L-R): Doug Howard, Dean Curb College; Bo Thomas; Bob Fisher, Belmont President; James Elliott, Chair of Songwriting Program; Drew Ramsey, Songwriting Professor, James Thiele, Songwriting Professor.

Photos: Belmont University

Belmont University celebrated the 10th anniversary of its successful Songwriting major with an event at its own Ocean Way Nashville studios last night (Sept. 27). The program is one of the nation’s first undergraduate songwriting majors, and is part of the Curb College of Entertainment and Music Business, headed by Dean Doug Howard.

“Every segment of the music industry can trace its success back to songwriters and their amazing songs without which we would have nothing,” said Howard. “We are proud to celebrate our unique program and faculty that support, encourage, and educate aspiring student songwriters through direct interaction with the world’s finest professional songwriters and music publishers.”

James Isaac Elliott, chair of the songwriting department, said, “What makes this program successful are three key elements: the caliber of award-winning songwriters who teach our students, the challenging and innovative curriculum we offer, and the industry partners who come alongside us in developing the next generation of great writers.”

Among those award-winning faculty members are Nashville Songwriter Hall of Fame members Pat Alger and Tom Douglas, who performed last night along with Warner Music Nashville artist/Belmont graduate Devin Dawson, and current students Anna Vaus and Jake Rogers, who already have publishing deals.

Additionally, the celebration featured a special presentation to Dawson. In honor of his success, Warner Music Nashville Chief Operating Officer Matt Signore and Senior Vice President A&R Cris Lacy presented an endowed $25,000 scholarship in Dawson’s name, and the university matched the contribution, creating a $50,000 endowed scholarship.

Currently, 260 Belmont students are majoring in songwriting.

Pictured (L-R): L-R: David Sassano, WMN; Sarah Cates, Belmont; James Elliott, Belmont; Devin Dawson; Cris Lacy, WMN; Matt Signore, WMN; Lisa Ray, WMN; Megan Joyce, WMN; Todd Ramey, Sandbox Management.

The Warner team announces the Devin Dawson Songwriting Scholarship at Belmont University. Pictured (L-R): Matt Signore, WMN; Cris Lacy, WMN; Devin Dawson.

Music Biz Seeks Panel, Presentation, Speakers For May 14-17 Conference At Omni Nashville Hotel

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The Music Business Association has opened its Call for Presentations for its 2018 Music Biz conference, to be held May 14-17 at the Omni Nashville Hotel.

All submitted topics should present a balanced perspective, with representatives from the commerce, content, and creative communities being given the chance to weigh in on the discussion. Suggested topics of interest can be seen below. Submissions will be considered based on overall quality, focus, and innovation; relevance to the issues facing the music and entertainment industry; sound research and theoretical basis (if applicable); practical implications to the Music Biz audience; and the experience and reputation of proposed speakers.

Those wishing to submit a speaker for consideration rather than a panel or presentation idea can email Nicole Hennessey at nicole.hennessey@musicbiz.org.

The deadline to submit is November 10 at 6 p.m. CT with chosen entries notified by December 8.

Further details can be found at musicbiz.org.

Prime areas of interest for Music Biz 2018 include:
Artists, Labels & Brands
Blockchain & Metadata
Copyright Reform
Direct-to-Fan
DIY
Financial Literacy & Planning
Global Expansion
Live Music Events
Marketing & Public Relations
Merchandising Management
Physical Retail
Playlisting
Professional Development
Public Relations
Publishing
Radio
Royalty Collection
Sync
Social Media
Songwriting

Presentations, case studies, and conversation/interview formats are encouraged, while sales-pitch-oriented presentations will not be considered. There are no fees required to submit a proposal, and Music Biz membership is not required to submit.

‘And The Writer Is…’ Podcast Features Nashville Hitmakers

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Pictured (L-R): David Silberstein, Mark Tindle (Big Deal Music Group), Ashley Alexander (Big Deal Music Group), Ross Golan, Casey Robison (Big Deal Music Group), Joe London, Amber Packer (Big Deal Music Group), Jeremy Levin (Mega House Music)

The acclaimed songwriting podcast, And The Writer Is…, returns for a second season, featuring a special country week with Thomas Rhett, busbee, Nicolle Galyon, Ashley Gorley and Zach Crowell.

The season—which debuts new, hour-long episodes every Tuesday—will additionally feature a lineup including the NMPA’s David Israelite, Jack Antonoff, Babyface, Charlie Puth, Julia Michaels, Claude Kelly, Dan Wilson, Sir Nolan, Lindy Robbins and Mike Posner.

A celebration was held Sept. 27 at the Sound City Studio in Van Nuys, California before hundreds of songwriters and music industry executives and Big Deal Music Group partners. And The Writer Is… host Ross Golan and co-producer Joe London announced the lineup of the new season—which launched earlier that day with Golan’s interview with Antonoff, who recently penned hits for Taylor Swift, Lorde, St. Vincent and his own band Bleachers. Gold plaques were presented in commemoration of the podcast’s first season exceeding 500,000 downloads.

Stream or download new episodes at andthewriteris.com, iHeartRadio, iTunes, Spotify and other podcast platforms.

BMI Country Awards To Honor Bob DiPiero And Keith Urban On Nov. 7

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Pictured (L-R): Keith Urban, Bob DiPiero

Broadcast Music (BMI) will celebrate the extraordinary career of Nashville songwriter Bob DiPiero by naming him a BMI Icon at its 65th annual BMI Country Awards. Keith Urban will be honored with the BMI Champion Award at the invitation-only ceremony.

The 2017 BMI Awards will be hosted on Tuesday, November 7th, in advance of the CMA Awards telecast the following evening. BMI President and CEO Mike O’Neill, and Jody Williams, BMI Vice President, Creative, Nashville will host the event at BMI’s Nashville office.

Throughout the evening, songwriters, publishers and administrators of the past year’s most-performed country songs in the United States from BMI’s repertoire of nearly 13 million musical works will be honored. The BMI Country Song, Songwriter and Publisher of the Year will also be named during the ceremony.

DiPiero will receive the BMI Icon award in recognition of his unique and indelible influence on generations of music makers over the past 38 years. The BMI Icon Award is presented to songwriters who have distinctly and profoundly influenced the music industry. In receiving the award, DiPiero will join an impressive list of country music’s greatest songwriters including previous recipients Mac Davis, Vince Gill, Hank Williams, Jr., Willie Nelson, Merle Haggard, Charlie Daniels, Bill Anderson, Kris Kristofferson and more.

“Since the early 80’s Bob DiPiero, and his songs, have been a consistent and potent influence on country music,” said Williams. “He is a quintessential professional whose work ethic is matched only by his love of life, his fellow songwriters, and his beautiful wife Leslie. He’s a mentor, a friend, and world-class songwriter. He’s the embodiment of a BMI Icon.”

Since first moving to Nashville in 1978, DiPiero has been responsible for an uninterrupted string of country music hits. He’s written over 1,000 songs that have been recorded by top country artists beginning with his very first cut, “I Can See Forever In Your Eyes” by Reba McEntire. His first No. 1 came in 1983 with “American Made,” by The Oak Ridge Boys. The song later became a national ad jingle for Miller Beer, as well as Baby Ruth candy bars. Since then, DiPiero has received many accolades including 50 BMI MillionAir Awards for his country radio staples such as “Gone” (Montgomery Gentry), “Worlds Apart” (Vince Gill), “The Church On Cumberland Road” (Shenandoah), “Daddy’s Money” (Ricochet), “Blue Clear Sky” (George Strait), “You Can’t Take the Honky Tonk Out Of the Girl” (Brooks & Dunn), “There You Are” (Martina McBride) and “Southern Voice” (Tim McGraw).

Other major awards include two CMA Triple Play awards in 1995 and 1996, a BMI Country Song of the Year in 1995 for “Wink” performed by Neal McCoy and a Country Radio Music Award for Song of the Year in 1997 for “Worlds Apart” performed by Gill. In 1998, DiPiero was named Songwriter of the Year at the Nashville Music Awards and in 2007 he was inducted into the Nashville Songwriters Hall of Fame and Nashville’s Walk of Fame. The Country Music Hall of Fame honored him with their prestigious “Poets and Prophets Series: Salute to Legendary Songwriter Bob DiPiero” in 2014. That same year, the Country Music Association presented DiPiero with the CMA Chairman’s Award.

Urban’s honor will be received for his work in supporting the next generation of songwriters and music makers, as well as his tireless commitment to numerous music education programs such as the CMA Foundation, the Grammy Foundation, the Mr. Holland’s Opus Fund, MusiCares and more. Urban’s All For The Hall benefit concerts have raised over $2.6 million for the Country Music Hall of Fame and Museum, and since 2013, the proceeds from his new URBAN™ Guitar Collection have benefited both the Grammy Foundation and Mr. Holland’s Opus Fund.

“Not only is Keith Urban one of the most talented and prolific songwriters in the industry, but he’s also a true humanitarian,” said Williams. “The BMI Champion Award recognizes his contributions to the music community and his tireless efforts to bring attention to important causes that directly affect the next generation of songwriters.”

Dillon Carmichael Signs Publishing And Artist Deal With Riser House, Preps Debut With Dave Cobb

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Pictured seated: Dillon Carmichael. Back (L-R): Kristen Ashley, Riser House; Lauren Spahn, Shackelford Law; Matt Swanson, Riser House; John Dorris, Hallmark Direction Company; Jennifer Johnson, Riser House.

Riser House Entertainment has announced the label and publishing signing of country performer Dillon Carmichael. Carmichael is currently in the studio cutting his debut record with highly sought after producer, Dave Cobb.

Carmichael—from Burgin, Kentucky—is the nephew of Eddie Montgomery and John Michael Montgomery. At the age of seventeen, Carmichael was signed by Jennifer Johnson, then with Song Factory Music.

“I knew from the first moment I heard him sing that I had to work with him. I’ve been his champion since the beginning, and here we are seven years later and I believe in him more than ever,” says Jennifer Johnson, now President of Riser House Entertainment. “Kristen Ashley, VP of Creative, has also been rooting for Carmichael from the early Song Factory days and has been an instrumental part in his signing to Riser House.”

Over the past seven years, Carmichael has toured the Southeast, opening for the likes of his musician uncles, Big & Rich, Aaron Lewis and Chris Young. Carmichael is managed by Hallmark Direction Company’s John Dorris.

Riser House Entertainment is also home to recording artist Mitchell Tenpenny in addition to a publishing roster including Michael Whitworth, Dallas Wilson, and Rob Crosby.

Riser House’s Chairman Of The Board Matt Swanson said, “Authentic country fans better hang on to their cowboy hats!”

Pictured seated: Dillon Carmichael. Back (L-R): Kristen Ashley, Riser House; Lilly-June, Dog/Riser House Mascot; Jennifer Johnson, Riser House.

 

Pictured seated: Dillon Carmichael. Pictured back (L-R): Kristen Ashley, Riser House; Matt Swanson, Riser House; Jason VanAuken, Riser House; Jennifer Johnson, Riser House.