Weekly Register: Chris Stapleton’s ‘From A Room: Vol. 1’ Reaches Half-Million Sales Mark

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Chris Stapleton

From A Room: Vol. 1, the latest album from Mercury Nashville artist Chris Stapleton, sold 6K this week, bringing the project’s cumulative numbers over the half-million mark, with 502K sold to date. Stapleton’s previous album, Traveller, has sold 2.05 million to date, and lands at No. 3 on the top country album sales rankings this week, with 11.7K sold this week (total consumption).

Columbia Nashville artist Luke Combs has this week’s top country album, with This One’s For You moving 16K in total consumption. He is followed by RCA Nashville band Old Dominion‘s Happy Endings, which sold 12.4K. Stapleton’s Traveller is at No. 3, while RCA Nashville artist Kane Brown‘s self-titled album moved 9.5K to land at No. 4. MCA Nashville’s Sam Hunt‘s Montevallo moved 9.1K to round out the Top 5 country albums this week.

On the digital songs charts, BMLG’s Taylor Swift holds the lead with two songs at the top of the digital songs chart, with “…Ready For It?” debuting at No. 1 with 135K and “Look What You Made Me Do” at No. 2, selling 114K in its second week, and standing at 467K RTD.

Hunt holds the No. 1 digital country track with “Body Like A Back Road” moving 24K (1.624 million RTD). Kane Brown’s “What Ifs” is at No. 2 with 22K, followed by Luke Combs’ “When It Rains It Pours” at 16K. Broken Bow Records’s Dustin Lynch‘s “Small Town Boy” is at No. 4 with 15K.

Valory Music Co.’s Thomas Rhett rounds out the Top 5 with the debut of “Life Changes,” with 14K. He has the No. 6 song as well, with “Unforgettable” moving 14K.

Information provided by Nielsen Soundscan.

Industry Ink: Brett Young, Audra McLaughlin, RecoveryFest Nashville

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Brett Young Hits Sales Milestone

Pictured (L-R): EVP Big Machine Label Group/BMLG Records President Jimmy Harnen, Brett Young, Big Machine Label Group President/CEO Scott Borchetta, Photo: BMLG Records

CMA New Artist of the Year nominee Brett Young is celebrating his self-titled debut album reaching Gold status. Additionally, his debut single “Sleep Without You” has been certified Platinum, while his hit “In Case You Didn’t Know” has reached 2x Platinum status.

Young was honored for the three achievements Saturday (Sept. 9) at Nashville’s Bridgestone Arena on the last stop of the U.S. leg of Lady Antebellum’s You Look Good World Tour.

 

Audra McLaughlin Inks Deal With Kore PR

Audra McLaughlin, a finalist on Season 6 of NBC’s The Voice, has added Kore Public Relations to her team. McLaughlin recently released the single “Boomerang.”

 

RecoveryFest Nashville 2017 Set For Sept. 30

RecoveryFest Nashville 2017 will be held Saturday, Sept. 30. The annual live music event will take place at East Park Greenspace (700 Woodlawn Street, Nashville 37206), located in the historic Edgefield part of town. The event is free to the general public and will begin at 11 a.m. and wrap at 5 p.m.

Among the performers are Bonnie Bramlett as well as FIX (The Recovery Rock Opera) featuring Peter Moon, Dianne Davidson, Chuck Glass, Kleavers, Bella Lee and Lola, Sonia Lee, Miranda Louise, John McAndrew, Kim Parent Band, Frank Sheen, Soul Incision and Tommy Womack.

RecoveryFest aims to bring together the community to celebrate and encourage the positive impact of recovery from mental and substance disorders, as well as other addictions. The organization was formed, in part, to change the conversation and break the stigma surrounding addiction, and not only to promote recovery and provide available resources, but to also serve as an educational platform to bring more awareness to the public regarding substance abuse and disorders of all kinds.

Tracy Lawrence Relives ‘Good Ole Days’ On New Album

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Tracy Lawrence has set a Nov. 10 release date for his upcoming album, Good Ole Days. The 11-track record celebrates the country legend’s mark on country traditionalism by pairing a selection of his hits with some of country and rock’s contemporary superstars and newcomers. The album will also feature two new songs.

“There’s such a hunger out there for the music from my era. I hear that from so many people, so I felt like this was a good time to kind of blend the old and the new,” said Lawrence. “My first commitment was from my buddy Tim McGraw, who chose to sing ‘Time Marches On,’ on the new record.”

Craig Morgan lends his vocals and heartfelt raw emotion on “Finally Home,” one of the two new tracks on the album and an ode to U.S. military members celebrating their enduring service to our country. A portion of the proceeds from “Finally Home” will be donated to Operation FINALLY HOME, a national, non-profit organization providing mortgage-free, custom-built homes to wounded, ill and injured veterans or widows and widowers of the fallen.

3 Doors Down leader Brad Arnold makes his country music debut on the title track “Good Ole Days,” which is the second of the two original songs. The collaborative collection also includes guest appearances by Jason Aldean, Big & Rich, Luke Bryan, Luke Combs, Easton Corbin, Dustin Lynch, Justin Moore, Kellie Pickler and Chris Young.

Lawrence is humbled by the excitement that his peers brought to the studio with their eagerness to keep each track as pure as the day it was first recorded, with only minor exceptions and a few added new nuances. “To realize that I’m older now and being looked at by younger kids in the same light as I looked at guys like Strait and Haggard, it’s very flattering,” he notes. “To know that I’ve made music that’s had that kind of impact on people, well, it’s pretty cool.”

Lawrence is excited to offer the first instant grat track “Can’t Break It To My Heart,” a duet with Aldean, as part of the album preorder which is available here.

Good Ole Days Track Listing:

1. Time Marches On (feat. Tim McGraw)
2. Sticks & Stones (feat. Luke Bryan)
3. Alibis (feat. Justin Moore)
4. Can’t Break It to My Heart (feat. Jason Aldean)
5. Good Ole Days (feat. Brad Arnold & Big & Rich)
6. If the World Had a Front Porch (feat. Luke Combs)
7. Texas Tornado (feat. Dustin Lynch)
8. Stars over Texas (feat. Kellie Pickler)
9. If the Good Die Young (feat. Chris Young)
10. Paint Me a Birmingham (feat. Easton Corbin)
11. Finally Home (feat. Craig Morgan)

 

Celebration Of Life Event To Be Held For Troy Gentry In Nashville

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Troy Gentry. Photo: Chris Hollo/Grand Ole Opry

A public celebration of life has been set for Montgomery Gentry member Troy Gentry, who died Friday, Sept. 8 in Medford, N.J. He was 50.

The celebration of life will take place Thursday, Sept. 14 at 11 a.m. CT at the Grand Ole Opry House, located on 2804 Opryland Dr. in Nashville. A private, family internment will follow.

For those unable to attend the celebration of life event, a live stream can be viewed at opry.com on Thursday.

In lieu of flowers, the family asks that donations be made to T.J. Martell Foundation or The American Red Cross for hurricane relief.

FlyteVu Adds Two Staffers, Celebrates Clio Award Wins

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Pictured (L-R): Joey Helsel, Stephanie Shank

FlyteVu has added two new members to its team. Joey Helsel has joined the company as Account Manager and Stephanie Shank has been named Publicist.

Prior to joining FlyteVu, Helsel spent several years managing on-site tour sponsorship activations for artists like Taylor Swift, P!NK and Katy Perry as Manager, Tour Partnerships for G7 Marketing. She brings over 10 years of experience in the entertainment marketing industry with expertise executing programs for professional sports teams, concert venues, large format events and global music tours.

Shank was most recently a Publicity Manager at dick clark productions in Los Angeles where she executed public relations campaigns, red carpets and media rooms for live entertainment events, including the Academy of Country Music Awards, the American Music Awards, the Billboard Music Awards, Dick Clark’s New Years Rockin’ Eve with Ryan Seacrest, the Golden Globes, and others.

FlyteVu has also promoted Laura Fuller to Project Manager where she will lead and execute campaigns on a number of client initiatives and projects.

FlyteVu is also celebrating the win of their first Gold Clio Award recognizing innovation and creative excellence in advertising, design and communication, a second Bronze Clio Award, and fourth Clio Award win overall. FlyteVu’s work on Cracker Barrel’s GRAMMY Award-winning a cappella collaboration of “Jolene” by Dolly Parton and Pentatonix has won a Gold Clio in the Music Marketing category for Partnerships & Collaborations. The agency’s work on Tennessee Tourism’s 7 Diamond campaign with Garth Brooks, in partnership with VML, received a Bronze Clio Award for Brand and Artist Collaboration in an Integrated Campaign.

 

Striking Matches Give Fans ‘Shameless’ Taste Of New Music

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Striking Matches is releasing a new four-song EP, Shameless, on Sept. 22 on Capitol Records. The collection, produced by Kennedy Karate (Børns), will give fans a taste of the duo’s forthcoming sophomore album, due out in 2018.

“Our new music originates from the two years we spent on the road touring our first album,” said the duo of the new project. “During that time, we changed as musicians, and as people. Out of it came the need to create something that felt sonically unique to us. Pushing ourselves as creators was terrifying and exhilarating, but ultimately necessary. We hope it inspires our listeners to step outside of what is comfortable, in order to progress.  With this new music, we needed to be honest, we needed to be brave, and we needed to be shameless.”

Striking Matches, which includes Sarah Zimmermann and Justin Davis, will be joining JOHNNYSWIM on the “Take The World Tour,” which launches on Sept. 19 in Amsterdam. The North American leg kicks off at The Fillmore in San Francisco on Oct. 18 and runs through Nov. 17. 

Shameless Track Listing:
Ghost
Medicine
Shameless
Bad

Moon Taxi Inks Deal With RCA Records

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Moon Taxi. Photo: Don VanCleave

Nashville-based five-piece rock band Moon Taxi has inked a major label deal with RCA Records.

Their latest single “Two High” has earned nearly 50 million streams on Spotify, and is in the Top 10 at Triple A Radio. The band has four previously-released albums, including 2015’s Daybreaker, which debuted at No. 2 on the Billboard New Artist chart.

The band’s songs have been used in commercials and TV spots for BMW, MLB, HBO Sports, NFL and McDonald’s, while the bandmembers have performed at festivals and events including Coachella, Governor’s Ball, Bonnaroo, Lollapalooza, Austin City Limits, Firefly, Hangout and more.

Moon Taxi was founded in 2006 by Trevor Terndrup (vocals, guitar), Tommy Putnam (bass), Spencer Thomson (guitar, programming), Tyler Ritter (drums), and Wes Bailey (keys) while attending Nashville’s Belmont University.

 

Stephanie Taylor, Jeremy Brook Launch Entertainment Law Firm

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Pictured (L-R): Stephanie Taylor, Jeremy Brook

Stephanie Taylor and Jeremy Brook have launched the Nashville-based entertainment law firm Taylor Brook Law, PLLC.

Together, Taylor and Brook have assisted clients in various music, copyright, film and television industry contracts as well as business entity structuring and strategy, business sales and acquisitions, including multi-million-dollar transactions.

Taylor received a Bachelor of Music and a Juris Doctor degree from the University of Nebraska, Lincoln and a Master in Business Administration from Belmont University. She was tenured faculty in MTSU’s College of Media and Entertainment. Taylor was also a professional fiddle player for a variety of artists, including Joey + Rory and Chris Young. She will be joining the 2017 class of Leadership Music; was included in MusicRow‘s annual InCharge issue, featured as one of Nashville Business Journal’s “40 Under 40,” and has been honored since 2014 as one of the “Best Lawyers in America” in the area of Entertainment Law-Music, Entertainment, and Theatre.

Brook received a Bachelor of Business Administration and a Juris Doctor degree from the University of Georgia. As a practicing attorney, Brook has served in a number of leadership roles in the music industry and the community, including as a Young Leaders Council Intern on the Board of Directors for the National Museum of African American Music; as a board member of the International Board of Directors for Alpha Epsilon Pi Fraternity, of the UGA Terry College of Business’s Young Alumni Board, and of the Gordon Jewish Community Center; as a volunteer attorney for Tennessee Volunteer Lawyers and Professionals for the Arts; and as a member of SOLID.

“I’m excited to partner with Jeremy; his extensive experience in business and finance is the perfect counterpoint to my experience as a professional musician. Our skills enable us to manage nearly any matter that affects our clients with first-hand knowledge of the challenges facing our creative community,” says Taylor. “Jeremy and I are thankful to have been attorneys at outstanding law firms, and we are thrilled to be working together to build a firm that can serve the unique needs of our clients.”

“We are business advisors navigating the ever-changing and complex paths of the music and entertainment industries,” says Brook. “Our goal—and the way we approach working with our clients—is to be an asset so our clients’ businesses can thrive and grow because they’ve made well-informed decisions and have found the right opportunities.”

Taylor can be reached at staylor@taylorbrooklaw.com.

Brook can be reached at jbrook@taylorbrooklaw.com.

Industry Pics: “Songs On A Mission,” Banner Music, Nashville House Concerts

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“Songs On A Mission” Features Carrie Underwood, Sam Hunt

Pictured (L-R): Sam Hunt and Carrie Underwood at the “Songs On A Mission” event benefiting Mission Lazarus. Photo: Connor Dwyer

Country stars Carrie Underwood and Sam Hunt joined hit songwriters Zach Crowell, Matt Jenkins and Bryan Simpson to help raise over $630,000 for Mission Lazarus at the inaugural “Songs On A Mission” event at The Mansion at Fontanel last Thursday night (Sept. 7).

Over 200 attendees enjoyed performances by the songwriters, who told the stories behind their hit songs, as well as Underwood and Hunt who closed out the evening.

“We were beyond appreciative of the fact that Zach, Matt and Bryan took the time to visit our 2,000 acre ranch in Honduras,” said Jarrod Brown, a Nashville businessman who co-founded Mission Lazarus with his wife Allison, NP. “When they came up with the idea of ‘Songs On A Mission,’ we never dreamed Carrie and Sam would agree to participate. We can’t thank all of them enough for donating their time and talents and for all of the amazing donors making this huge difference in the lives of so many people.”

Mission Lazarus was founded by the Browns in 2004 to serve the indigenous people of Honduras and Haiti.

 

Banner Music Hosts Writers Round-A-Thon For Hurricane Victims

Pictured (L-R): Ashley Kate Rogers, Susanne Smith, Camilla Kleindienst, Daniel Kleindienst, Victoria Powell, and Ryan Cunningham.

Banner Music and Wade Bowen’s Bowen Family Foundation hosted a Writers Round-A-Thon on Thursday (Sept. 7) to benefit Hurricane Harvey victims. The event featured 20 songwriters for a total of five writers rounds and raised $1450 for hurricane victims in Texas.

The songwriters included Ashley Kate Rogers, Chris Biano, Jeanie McQuinn, Jordan Hobson, Jarod Foster, Shelby Lee Lowe, Chris Lowe, Brooke McBride, Billy Dawson, Daniel Kleindienst, Victoria Powell, Richard Mitchell, Shaylee Simeone, Delaney Grant, JD Outlaw, Christina Pattakos, Sam Varga, Dustin Olson, Logan Tucker and Mary Lloyd. Rogers hosted the evening as she was born and raised in Galveston County, Texas, and had relatives directly affected by Hurricane Harvey.

“We are happy to show our love and support to people in need. We are thankful to the Wade Bowen Family Foundation and Ashley Kate Rogers for their participation,” said Camilla Kleindienst, Banner Music CEO.

 

Nashville House Concerts Launches Series At War Memorial Auditorium

Pictured (L-R): Nashville House Concerts co-hosts Storme Warren and Joe Denim.

Pictured (L-R): Shane McAnally and Josh Osborne perform on stage at Nashville House Concerts.

Nashville House Concerts, a new live music and variety series co-hosted by SiriusXM radio personality Storme Warren and country artist Joe Denim, debuted last Thursday night (Sept. 7) to a packed house and extraordinary lineup featuring Martina McBride, Shane McAnally, Josh Osborne, Ryan Kinder and surprise guest Jim Lauderdale all performing on stage at War Memorial Auditorium.

Each artist played with the esteemed house band led by Denim on keys and B3, Dave Wilson on bass (Sammy Kershaw, William Michael Morgan), Mica Roberts (Toby Keith) and Marti Slayton (George Straight) on background vocals, Dave Dykstra (William Michael Morgan, Josh Gracin) on drums and up-and-coming guitar slinger Nick Seguin.

Nashville House Concerts take place on the first Thursday of each month from Sept. 2017 to June 2018.

 

Walker Hayes’ New Album Set For December Release

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Walker Hayes has set a Dec. 8 release date for his album, boom. Hayes wrote or co-wrote every song on the 10-track album, which was produced by Shane McAnally.

“’boom!’ It’s my favorite word,” explains Hayes about the new album’s title. “It’s what I text my team every time another station adds ‘You Broke Up With Me’… It’s the first thing I say after I play a song from the album for anyone. So, it’s what we had to call the album. I’m just so excited to share another part of the story. BOOM!”

boom. features “You Broke Up With Me,” the project’s debut single, which has already racked up over 25 million streams and is Top 30 on the charts and climbing.

In anticipation of the new project, Hayes is releasing “Beautiful,” the first of four instant grat tracks, directly to the fans. The song lands on SiriusXM’s “The Highway” today. Hayes hits the road as part of Thomas Rhett’s Home Team Tour beginning Sept. 22 at Los Angeles’ Greek Theater.

boom. tracklisting:
1. “Beautiful” (Walker Hayes)
2. “Shut Up Kenny” (Walker Hayes, Pete Good, AJ Babcock)
3. “You Broke Up With Me” (Walker Hayes, Thomas Archer, Kylie Sackley)
4. “Halloween” feat. Nicolle Galyon (Walker Hayes, Nicolle Galyon)
5. “Dollar Store” (Walker Hayes, Scott Stepakoff)
6. “Beer In The Fridge” (Walker Hayes, Shane McAnally, Matt Jenkins, Scot Sherrod)
7. “Beckett” (Walker Hayes, Shane McAnally)
8. “Mind Candy” (Walker Hayes, Thomas Archer)
9. “Prescriptions” (Walker Hayes, Matt McGinn)
10. “Craig” (Walker Hayes)