Pictured (L-R): BMI’s Leslie Roberts, BMI Songwriters of the Year Chris Tomlin and Matt Maher, BMI’s Mike O’Neill, Del Bryant and BMI’s Jody Williams at the 2016 BMI Christian Awards. Photo: Steve Lowry
Matt Maher, Chris Tomlin, and For King and Country’s Luke Smallbone were among the big winners last night (June 21) during BMI’s annual Christian Awards, held at the performing rights organization’s Nashville office.
Maher and Tomlin tied this year for Christian Songwriter of the Year. Maher was honored for his songs “Because He Lives (Amen),” “Come As You Are,” and “Soul On Fire.” Tomlin, a co-writer on “Because He Lives (Amen),” also penned “At The Cross (Love Ran Red),” and “Jesus Loves Me.”
For King and Country’s “Shoulders” earned BMI Christian Song of the Year honors. The track was penned by BMI songwriter Luke Smallbone, alongside Ben Glover, Joel Smallbone, and Tedd Tjornhom. Publishers include Dayspring Music, Kilns Music and Warner-Tamerlane Publishing Corporation.
Word Music Publishing (Dayspring Music and Warner-Tamerlane Publishing Corporation) took home the Publisher of the Year award, having earned the highest percentage of copyright ownership among the year’s most-performed songs, including the hits “More Than You Think I Am,” “Save My Life,” “Shoulders,” “Through All Of It” and “Who I Am.”
Steven Curtis Chapman honors former BMI executive Joe Moscheo. Photo: Steve Lowry
BMI Nashville’s VP, Writer/Publisher Relations Jody Williams and BMI Nashville’s Executive Director, Writer/Publisher Relations Leslie Roberts hosted the ceremony.
The evening began on a somber yet joyous note, with Steven Curtis Chapman performing “My Redeemer Is Faithful and True,” in honor of musician, Imperials member, and former BMI executive Joe Moscheo, who died earlier this year. Moscheo joined BMI in 1978 and served as vice president of special projects, staying with the company for 16 years. Chapman is but one of the many songwriters Moscheo championed during his time at BMI.
Maher took his spot behind a keyboard for a rendition of “Because He Lives (Amen),” while duo All Sons & Daughters also offered a performance of “I Surrender.”
The evening was especially sweet for those picking up their first BMI Christian honors. Though BMI writer Tim Nichols has been awarded 19 BMI awards for his country compositions, including “Live Like You Were Dying” recorded by Tim McGraw, he picked up his first BMI Christian award during last night’s ceremony, for co-writing “More Than You Think I Am,” alongside Bernie Herms and Danny Gokey.
For King & Country’s “Shoulders” was named BMI Christian Song of the Year. Pictured (L-R): BMI’s Leslie Roberts; Word Music Publishing’s Josh Bailey; Trevor Mathiesen; Joel Timen; songwriter Joel Smallbone (accepting on behalf of his brother, BMI writer Luke Smallbone); Word Music Publishing’s Janine Appleton; Jonathan Mason; Rod Riley; Ben Vaughn; Jake Ottmann; BMI’s Jody Williams. Photo: Steve Lowry
Others picking up their first BMI honors included THiS Music’s Molly Reed (for “Through All Of It”), Monty Allen and Robert Arthur (for “Glory Bound”).
Among those in attendance were former BMI President/CEO Del Bryant, as well current BMI President/CEO Mike O’Neill and Sr. VP, Writer/Publisher Relations Phil Graham.
“We’re honored to be able to celebrate these top Christian music creators,” noted Williams. “These songwriters and publishers earned incredible airplay while spreading a wonderful message.”
For a full list of honorees, visit bmi.com.
All Sons & Daughters. Photo: Steve Lowry
Nashville’s July 4 Fireworks to be Livestreamed, Broadcast Live on Local TV
/by Troy_StephensonNashville, courtesy Nashville Convention and Visitor’s Bureau
The Nashville Convention & Visitors Corp has announced that the city’s annual July 4 concert and fireworks display will be live-streamed and the fireworks display will be broadcast live on local television through a partnership with WKRN-News 2.
The live-stream will start at 5 p.m. at visitmusiccity.com/july4th and will include five hours of live music. At 9 p.m., News 2 will begin broadcasting the music from Ascend Amphitheater commercial-free and will include a portion of headliner Sheryl Crow’s performance, along with the Nashville Symphony Orchestra performing live music synchronized to the 30-minute fireworks display.
“For years, the biggest request has been to broadcast the fireworks show locally on TV,” said Ken Levitan, board chair of the Nashville Convention & Visitors Corp and co-president of Vector Management. “We’ve been working on this, and we are extremely pleased to partner with News 2 this year so that Nashvillians who can’t make it downtown can still enjoy the spectacular fireworks show synchronized to the music of the GRAMMY-winning Nashville Symphony.”
Let Freedom Sing! July 4 in Music City presented by Dr Pepper includes two days of festivities, three stages, 15 live music acts and the largest fireworks show in the country – all free and open to the public at a new location at Ascend Amphitheater and The Green at Riverfront Park.
Chris Tomlin, Matt Maher Earn Top Honors At BMI Christian Awards
/by Jessica NicholsonPictured (L-R): BMI’s Leslie Roberts, BMI Songwriters of the Year Chris Tomlin and Matt Maher, BMI’s Mike O’Neill, Del Bryant and BMI’s Jody Williams at the 2016 BMI Christian Awards. Photo: Steve Lowry
Matt Maher, Chris Tomlin, and For King and Country’s Luke Smallbone were among the big winners last night (June 21) during BMI’s annual Christian Awards, held at the performing rights organization’s Nashville office.
Maher and Tomlin tied this year for Christian Songwriter of the Year. Maher was honored for his songs “Because He Lives (Amen),” “Come As You Are,” and “Soul On Fire.” Tomlin, a co-writer on “Because He Lives (Amen),” also penned “At The Cross (Love Ran Red),” and “Jesus Loves Me.”
For King and Country’s “Shoulders” earned BMI Christian Song of the Year honors. The track was penned by BMI songwriter Luke Smallbone, alongside Ben Glover, Joel Smallbone, and Tedd Tjornhom. Publishers include Dayspring Music, Kilns Music and Warner-Tamerlane Publishing Corporation.
Word Music Publishing (Dayspring Music and Warner-Tamerlane Publishing Corporation) took home the Publisher of the Year award, having earned the highest percentage of copyright ownership among the year’s most-performed songs, including the hits “More Than You Think I Am,” “Save My Life,” “Shoulders,” “Through All Of It” and “Who I Am.”
Steven Curtis Chapman honors former BMI executive Joe Moscheo. Photo: Steve Lowry
BMI Nashville’s VP, Writer/Publisher Relations Jody Williams and BMI Nashville’s Executive Director, Writer/Publisher Relations Leslie Roberts hosted the ceremony.
The evening began on a somber yet joyous note, with Steven Curtis Chapman performing “My Redeemer Is Faithful and True,” in honor of musician, Imperials member, and former BMI executive Joe Moscheo, who died earlier this year. Moscheo joined BMI in 1978 and served as vice president of special projects, staying with the company for 16 years. Chapman is but one of the many songwriters Moscheo championed during his time at BMI.
Maher took his spot behind a keyboard for a rendition of “Because He Lives (Amen),” while duo All Sons & Daughters also offered a performance of “I Surrender.”
The evening was especially sweet for those picking up their first BMI Christian honors. Though BMI writer Tim Nichols has been awarded 19 BMI awards for his country compositions, including “Live Like You Were Dying” recorded by Tim McGraw, he picked up his first BMI Christian award during last night’s ceremony, for co-writing “More Than You Think I Am,” alongside Bernie Herms and Danny Gokey.
For King & Country’s “Shoulders” was named BMI Christian Song of the Year. Pictured (L-R): BMI’s Leslie Roberts; Word Music Publishing’s Josh Bailey; Trevor Mathiesen; Joel Timen; songwriter Joel Smallbone (accepting on behalf of his brother, BMI writer Luke Smallbone); Word Music Publishing’s Janine Appleton; Jonathan Mason; Rod Riley; Ben Vaughn; Jake Ottmann; BMI’s Jody Williams. Photo: Steve Lowry
Others picking up their first BMI honors included THiS Music’s Molly Reed (for “Through All Of It”), Monty Allen and Robert Arthur (for “Glory Bound”).
Among those in attendance were former BMI President/CEO Del Bryant, as well current BMI President/CEO Mike O’Neill and Sr. VP, Writer/Publisher Relations Phil Graham.
“We’re honored to be able to celebrate these top Christian music creators,” noted Williams. “These songwriters and publishers earned incredible airplay while spreading a wonderful message.”
For a full list of honorees, visit bmi.com.
All Sons & Daughters. Photo: Steve Lowry
Nashville Meets London Music Festival Confirms 10 Artists
/by Craig_ShelburneFour Nashville artists and six artists from the United Kingdom will perform at the first Nashville Meets London music festival this summer.
American Young, Logan Brill, Ty Herndon, and Logan Mize will represent Nashville at the festival, which will take place Aug. 13-14 at Canada Square Park in London. Admission is free and open to the public.
Yola Carter, Megan O’Neill, Pauper Kings, Hannah Rose Platt, Honey Ryder, and William the Conqueror are the United Kingdom artists confirmed to appear.
Nashville Meets London is co-produced by The AristoMedia Group in Nashville, as well as Canary Wharf Arts + Events and Peter Conway Management. Baylen Leonard, BBC Radio 2 Country DJ, is the artistic program consultant.
Exclusive: Mark Chesnutt Introduces A New ‘Tradition’
/by Craig_ShelburnePictured (L-R): Craig Shelburne, Molly Hannula, Troy Stephenson, Mark Chesnutt, Sherod Robertson, Jessica Nicholson, Eric T. Parker
Mark Chesnutt has never lived in Nashville but he’s catching up with friends in the country music industry this week to talk about his upcoming album, Tradition Lives.
Chesnutt says he relied on producer Jimmy Ritchey to round up the new material. Asked how long it takes to decide whether or not to record a song, Chesnutt quickly replied, “As soon as I hear it. If I let it play all the way through, then that’s a good sign.”
It took three years to find and record the songs for Tradition Lives, Chesnutt said. He noted that a renewed interest in country music – in addition to releasing a new album and maintaining longtime friendships with talent buyers – has kept his phone ringing. Although he’s been playing about a hundred dates a year, he expects that number to increase. Right now he’s booked for about 175 shows for 2016.
Tradition Lives is Chesnutt’s first new album since 2010. It is being released by Row Entertainment and distributed by BFD through RED distribution.
Still based out of Beaumont, Texas, Chesnutt remains one of the notable country singers of the 1990s. Between 1990 and 1999, he charted 20 Top 10 hits, including eight No. 1 singles such as “Brother Jukebox” and “Almost Goodbye.” For the duration he recorded for MCA Nashville and sister label Decca Records. He won the 1993 CMA Horizon Award for new artists.
Tradition Lives includes “Never Been to Texas,” a song he wrote with Roger Springer and Slugger Morrissette years ago that he had never recorded. (However, Chesnutt did grab a two-week No. 1 hit with their composition, “It’s a Little Too Late.”) The bonus track is “There Won’t Be Another Now,” a song written by Red Lane and recorded twice by Merle Haggard.
Chesnutt had never performed the song before he and Ritchey decided to record it acoustically, just for the sake of having it around. After Lane and Haggard passed away, Chesnutt believed it belonged on the album. “[Jimmy] played guitar and I sang it—and we kept it until the album was done,” Chesnutt said. “When Merle and Red both died, we said, ‘Let’s stick it on there and make it a tribute.'”
Toby Keith Event Raises $1.175 Million For OK Kids Korral
/by Craig_ShelburnePictured (L-R): Asleep at the Wheel’s Ray Benson, Toby Keith
The 13th Annual Toby Keith & Friends Golf Classic raised $1.175 million for OK Kids Korral, a housing resource in Oklahoma City for families with children in cancer treatment. The OK Kids Korral is supported by the Toby Keith Foundation.
Keith held the event on June 3-4 in Norman, Oklahoma, and hosted a gala and dinner headlined by Asleep at the Wheel, in addition to a shotgun start celebrity golf tournament.
Auction items included a golf package that visits five Irish castles, a South African rifle and bow hunt, a signed and framed piece from the estate of Ronald and Nancy Reagan, and a rare signed album by Elvis Presley.
Music memorabilia from Jimmy Buffett, Ted Nugent, Eric Church, Miranda Lambert, Jason Aldean, Flaming Lips and Heart also earned high bids.
Tom Douglas, Allen Shamblin Embark On Song/Video Series
/by Craig_ShelburnePictured (L-R): Tom Douglas, Allen Shamblin
Nashville songwriters Tom Douglas and Allen Shamblin have begun a four-song and four-music video collaborative effort titled Shatter the Madness.
The first clip in their series uses their CMA Award-winning song, “The House That Built Me.” The remaining songs (“Legacy,” “Good Man Gone Bad” and “Shatter the Madness”) will be released every few weeks on iTunes and the music videos will follow suit, posting to tomdouglasmusic.com when each single is released.
Additional content, including interviews with the two writers, who discuss the stories behind the songs, will also become available at the site. The song “Shatter the Madness” will be released after the Republican National Convention and before the Democratic National Convention.
“Allen and I are great friends and frequent writing partners,” Douglas said. “Lately we found ourselves talking more and more about world events, the current state of politics in America and fear for the future our children and grandchildren face. Then we started writing about it, and the songs on Shatter the Madness are what came out.”
“As songwriters, by nature Tom and I do a lot of observing—we observe people, we observe what’s going on in the world and what we have observed is a lot of fear and panic,” Shamblin said. “We think people are losing hope so what we want to do with these songs is try to give them back some of that hope they’ve lost.”
Reviver Entertainment Group Launches With Key Executives
/by Craig_ShelburneDavid Ross, President and CEO of Reviver Records, has announced the launch of Reviver Entertainment Group, which encompasses Reviver Records, Reviver Label Services, 1608, Reviver Publishing, and Reviver Productions.
Gator Michaels, SVP Promotion, moves to EVP/GM for REG, reporting directly to Ross. Michaels will oversee all aspects of REG.
Bob Reeves who serves as VP/Promotion and also covers the West Coast radio promotion for 1608 becomes SVP of Promotion, overseeing promotion for both Reviver Records and 1608 Promotion. Reeves came to Reviver after six years at Warner Music Nashville, as well as a recent stint at Blaster Records.
“This is a well-deserved recognition of the proven success and creativity both Gator and Bob have shown. They both bring energy, drive and passion that showcases the capabilities of Reviver Entertainment Group,” says Ross.
Publicity for Reviver Entertainment Group will be handled by Webster Public Relations and distribution of its product continues through BDG, RED – A Division of SONY Music, LLC.
Luke Bryan’s First-Ever Farm Tour EP Arrives Sept. 23
/by Craig_ShelburneLuke Bryan will release an EP of all new music titled Farm Tour…Here’s to the Farmer on Sept. 23.
Although the upcoming shows will mark the entertainer’s eighth annual Farm Tour, this is the first time Bryan has released a Farm Tour EP.
Tickets for the Farm Tour 2016, which is presented by Bayer, go on sale to the general public on Friday (June 24).
During last year’s tour, Bryan performed for over 110,000 fans during the eight-city run. A portion of the ticket proceeds are granted for local college scholarships to students from a farming family or a student that is an agriculture major within the communities the tour plays. Additionally, Bryan and Bayer make a presentation to a local farmer onstage in each city of the Farm Tour.
Bayer Presents Luke Bryan Farm Tour 2016
October 5: Gaston, South Carolina; Culler Farms
October 6: Greenback, Tennessee; Maple Lane Farms
October 7: Elizabethtown, Kentucky; Highland Farms
October 8: Monroeville, Indiana; Spangler Farms
October 12: Batesville, Mississippi; FT Farms
October 13: Prairie Grove, Arkansas; Ogden Ranch
October 14: Centralia, Missouri; Stowers Farm
October 15: Effingham, Illinois; Mid America Motorworks
CMA Foundation, Country Artists Will Advocate For Music Education
/by Craig_ShelburneThe CMA Foundation, Kristian Bush, Charlie Worsham, and the National Association for Music Education (NAfME) will discuss music education with lawmakers in Washington, D.C., on Thursday (June 23).
Representatives for the CMA Foundation will include: Sarah Trahern, CMA Chief Executive Officer; Joe Galante, CMA Foundation Chairman and CMA Board Member; and Jennie Smythe, CMA Board Member. The organizations will advocate for complete, high-quality music programs for all students as part of NafME’s annual “Hill Day” for music education.
The day’s events will begin at Hart Senate Office Building for a short morning briefing, during which Bush and Worsham will offer remarks, and an awards ceremony, honoring Senator Lamar Alexander (TN) for his work on behalf of music education.
The CMA and the CMA Foundation have contributed more than $13.6 million to support quality, sustainable music education programs across the country. The CMA Foundation set a record in 2016 with $2.6 million in charitable gifts to music education initiatives, including a $150,000 research grant to Give a Note Foundation, an affiliate of NAfME.
CMA created the nonprofit (501C3) CMA Foundation in 2011 as the charitable giving arm of CMA. Funds for the Foundation are provided by CMA on behalf of the hundreds of artists who perform and make appearances during CMA Music Festival for free.
Industry Ink: BMI, Americana Honors & Awards, Diamond Eye Music
/by Jessica NicholsonMickey Guyton Sings At Hall Communications Awards Banquet
Front row: Mickey Guyton, Hall Communications President Art Rowbotham, Hall Communications Board Chairwoman Bonnie Rowbotham, Hall Communications Executive Vice President Bill Baldwin. Back row: BMI’s Jessica Frost and Hall Communications CFO Janet Hamm.
BMI presented a special performance by Capitol Recording artist and BMI singer-songwriter Mickey Guyton at the 32nd annual Hall Communications Awards Banquet held Saturday, June 4 at the Hilton Hotel in Mystic, Connecticut. Guyton performed a number of songs including “Better Than You Left Me,” from her self-titled debut EP, as well as her newest single, “Heartbreak Song,” which was released to radio June 3. Hall Communications, Inc. is a family owned company which operates 21 AM and FM radio stations in Florida, the Mid-Atlantic and New England states.
Americana Honors & Awards Ceremony Names House Band
Buddy Miller at the 2015 Americana Honors & Awards. Photo: Erika Goldring/ Getty Images
Buddy Miller is set to return to lead the Americana All-Star House Band for the upcoming Americana Honors & Awards ceremony, which will take place Sept. 21 at Nashville’s Ryman Auditorium. The all-star band will include Dave Cobb, Stuart Duncan, Fred Eltringham, Matt Rollings, Don Was, and The McCrary Sisters to play alongside those nominated for awards this year.
SESAC Writer Matt Willis Signs With Diamond Eye Music
Pictured (L-R): SESAC’s Shannan Hatch, Diamond Eye Music’s Chris Burch, Willis, Diamond Eye Music’s Alyssa Adams & Callie Benjamin, and SESAC’s Liz Cost. Photo: Peyton Hoge
SESAC-affiliated artist/songwriter Matt Willis has signed with Diamond Eye Music for publishing representation. Willis moved to Nashville from Navarre, Ohio, in 2008 to pursue a full-time career in songwriting. His song “Backseat Driver” was recorded by William Michael Morgan for the singer’s debut on Warner Bros. Records.