The 2015 CMA Foundation Board of Directors. (Front Row, L-R): Tiffany Kerns, CMA Community Outreach Manager; Ron Samuels, Board Chairman and Chairman/CEO of Avenue Bank; Sarah Trahern, CMA Chief Executive Officer; Joe Galante, Board Vice Chairman, CMA Board member, and President of Galante Entertainment; Kitty Moon Emery. (Back Row, L-R) Ed Hardy, CMA Board member; Lon Helton, CMA Board member and CEO of Country Aircheck; Blair Garner, host of “America’s Morning Show”; Frank Bumstead, CMA Board Chairman and Chairman of Flood, Bumstead, McCready & McCarthy, Inc.; John Huie, CMA Board member and Co-head of CAA Nashville. Photo: Amanda Eckard / CMA
The CMA Foundation has announced its annual donation for music education, with $2.68 million to be awarded across 29 programs. The grants bring CMA’s total contributions since 2006 to more than $13.68 million.
“If it weren’t for the artists, who all perform for free during CMA Music Festival, and the thousands of fans who support the event each year, these donations would not be possible,” said Sarah Trahern, CMA Chief Executive Officer. “The CMA Foundation donates to causes that are important to our community, but every dollar is given on behalf of the artists and fans that support Music Fest each June.”
CMA created the non-profit CMA Foundation in 2011. The CMA Foundation focuses on improving and sustaining music education programs while supporting worthwhile causes important to the organization.
Programs benefiting from the CMA Foundation in 2016 include:
4-H
The 4-H Mission is to empower youth to reach their full potential, working and learning in partnership with caring adults. National 4-H Council exists to support this through a direct mission: to increase investment and participation in high quality 4-H Positive Youth Development. Through investment in promising, scalable programs nationwide, Council promotes replication of life-changing experiences and outcomes for youth. CMA Foundation is proud to support the inaugural Music Education Matters Summit in Atlanta.
Camp Southern Ground
The vision for Camp Southern Ground in Peachtree City, Georgia, is that of CMA Award-winning artist Zac Brown. Inspired by his own experience as a camp counselor, it is to create a state-of-the-art facility that will serve children ages 7-17 with both typical and special needs. It will be a place for children and their families to learn healthy life skills through an advanced program involving superior nutrition, physical exercise, music and arts, technology, and embracing the outdoor environment. Camp Southern Ground will have activities to challenge, educate and inspire children with diverse abilities, and from all socioeconomic backgrounds, races, and religions.
Chicago Center for Music Education
Chicago Center for Music Education (ChiME) maintains a commitment to bring about whole-school change by providing year-round, age-appropriate music programs directly to schools. Their in-schools program breaks down barriers of race, culture, and economics through the universal language of music, and utilizes music as the vehicle for cognitive development as well as the development and enhancement of age appropriate social-emotional learning skills.
Classical Kids Music Education
Classical Kids Music Education in Chicago is a theatrical organization that produces the highly acclaimed Classical Kids Live! symphony concert series. Classical Kids has collaborated with more than 400 distinguished orchestras in introducing more than 2 million children and their family members to the extraordinary lives and musical masterpieces of the great classical composers. Classical Kids works to enrich communities through direct access to culturally significant venues, professional artists and organizations, and high-quality theatrical productions, while fostering a new appreciation for classical music and the vibrant culture of that era.
Education Through Music
Education Through Music (ETM) partners with inner-city schools to provide all students with music as a core subject, and to create school communities that value the arts. ETM’s mission is to promote the use of music in schools as a means of enhancing students’ academic performance and general development. The ETM model currently serves nearly 27,000 students in inner-city schools in New York City and reaches another 10,000 children through the work of their licensed affiliate organization in Los Angeles.
Ethos, Inc.
Ethos believes that all kids, regardless of socioeconomic status or geographic location, deserve access to music education. Founded in 1998 in Portland, Oregon, Ethos is a 501(c)(3) non-profit that provides music lessons, group classes, camps, multicultural performances, and workshops to more than 7,000 students across Oregon each year. Initial classes were held in a basement at the University of Portland and staffed by a dedicated group of volunteers. Since then, the group has moved into its North Portland headquarters and employed nine full-time staff, eight full-time AmeriCorps members and 52 part-time music instructors.
Girls Rock
Girls Rock Santa Barbara (GRSB) is a non-profit organization that empowers female-identified youth and fosters self-confidence, creativity, and teamwork by using music and female mentorship as tools for social change. GRSB brings girls together from diverse backgrounds and gives them the opportunity to expand their cultural awareness, develop life skills, and tell their unique group story. It is less about playing an instrument and more about finding one’s voice through music. GRSB is driven by one simple motto: love the music you make, and love yourself for making it.
Give a Note Foundation
Reston, Va.-based Give a Note Foundation was established in 2011 by the leaders of the National Association for Music Education (NAfME) in response to the increasing threats to music education programs in an education environment that is focused on tested subjects and STEM. It became clear that in order to strengthen and preserve music for every child, we needed to expand support for music education beyond the music education profession. The mission of Give a Note Foundation is to nurture, grow and strengthen music education opportunities – every student, every school, every community.
Guitars in the Classroom
Guitars in the Classroom (GITC) is dedicated to improving the quality of education for all students by expanding the role of learning through music in every kind of classroom. GITC improves musical access in public education through ongoing teacher training, mentoring and in-classroom coaching, as well as access to musical and instrumental resources. GITC teachers learn to lead hands on music integrated with English Language Arts, math, science, social studies, character development, and special education. GITC’s work promotes teacher effectiveness, student literacy, and academic success in K-12 by boosting student engagement, communication skills, critical thinking, and the capacity for creative collaboration.
Harmony Project
Harmony Project offers music instruction to Los Angeles children with the greatest needs and the fewest resources. Founded in 2001 with only 36 students, the Harmony Project now commits to more than 2,000 students for their entire childhood to ensure they receive the support necessary to graduate high school and continue to college. Their mission promotes the healthy growth and development of children through the study, practice, and performance of music; builds healthier communities by investing in the positive development of children through music; and develops children as musical ambassadors of peace, hope, and understanding amongst people of diverse cultures, backgrounds, and beliefs.
Metro Nashville Public Schools
A joint effort of Metro Nashville Public Schools, the mayor’s office and music industry and community leaders, the Music Makes Us initiative aspires to be a national model for high quality music education. With a focus on music literacy and student participation, Music Makes Us is strengthening traditional school music while adding a contemporary curriculum that embraces new technologies and reflects our diverse student population.
Mr. Holland’s Opus Foundation
The Mr. Holland’s Opus Foundation keeps music alive in schools by donating musical instruments to under-funded music programs, giving young people the many benefits of music education, helping them to be better students, and inspiring creativity and expression through playing music. The Foundation was inspired by the acclaimed motion picture “Mr. Holland’s Opus,” the story of the profound effect a dedicated music teacher had on generations of students. In nearly twenty years, the foundation has donated just over 18,000 instruments to 1,357 schools nationwide. Over the life of the instruments, generations of students will benefit for years to come.
Music & Youth Initiative
The Music & Youth Initiative in Boston establishes sustainable, high-quality after-school music programs for underserved youth, ages 10-18, through collaborations with leading youth development organizations (such as Boys & Girls Clubs and YMCAs), universities, and corporate partners. These “Music Clubhouse” programs are free (or for a minimal cost) to the participating youth. Music & Youth currently has 17 Music Clubhouses in Massachusetts and Texas, where more than 600 teens and pre-teens participate in formal contemporary music lessons every week. Founded in 2004, Music & Youth Initiative is a 501(c)(3) non-profit organization.
Music Resource Center – Cincinnati
MRC-Cincinnati is a multifaceted, non-profit, after-school music and recording studio for adolescents that utilizes music education, recording, and the performing arts as a way to mentor teens, resulting in a sense of empowerment and accomplishment in an urban setting. Members can choose to take music lessons (guitar, drums, piano, voice), learn to make beats in the Teaching Studio, record their bands’ songs in the new, professional, multi-track recording studio, hold band practice in the rehearsal room, create original music in one of four project studios, have an after-school snack, hot summer lunch or help with homework in the lobby or perform in their new venue.
Musicians Corner
The mission of Kidsville at Musicians Corner is to utilize the arts and play to help educate Nashville’s youth in the areas of music, nutrition, fitness, and literacy to enhance the development of healthy and successful futures for the city’s youngest citizens. They believe in the intrinsic value of play and provide opportunities for experiential learning, and multi-sensory, object-based exploration.
Nashville Children’s Theatre
Nashville Children’s Theatre (NCT) is a professional theatre company providing the children, families, and educators of Middle Tennessee with theatrical experiences that inspire imagination, develop creativity, and build community. Founded in 1931 with a belief that a cultural heritage is the right of all children, NCT serves 80,000 Middle Tennessee youth, educators, and families each year with world-class productions and theatre education programs. In order to create future leaders who can solve tomorrow’s challenges with innovative ideas, NCT’s programs are developed and executed by the highest caliber artists and are accessible to children and families at all levels of financial, developmental, and physical abilities.
Nashville Symphony Association
The Nashville Symphony is the largest performing arts non-profit in Tennessee and a major contributor to music education in Middle Tennessee. Music education and community engagement have been at the heart of the 83-member orchestra’s mission since its founding in 1946. Through concerts, classroom presentations, curriculum materials, instrument lessons and other hands-on learning opportunities, the Symphony’s free education and engagement programs reach and engage tens of thousands of adults and children in Middle Tennessee every year.
New Orleans Jazz & Heritage Foundation
The mission of the New Orleans Jazz & Heritage Festival and Foundation, Inc. (Jazz & Heritage Foundation) is to promote, preserve, perpetuate, and encourage the music, culture and heritage of communities in Louisiana through festivals, programs, and other cultural, educational, civic, and economic activities.
Notes for Notes
Notes for Notes is a 501(c)(3) non-profit organization that designs, equips, and staffs after-school recording studios inside Boys & Girls Clubs offering youth the opportunity to explore, create, and record music for free. Notes for Notes studios are packed with professional instruments (guitars, basses, drums, keyboards/synths), equipment (DJ gear, digital music workstations), and full recording facilities. Beyond providing access to equipment and resources, they educate youth about careers both on the stage and behind the scenes.
Play On, Philly! (POP)
POP partners with Philadelphia schools to provide an educational and social preparedness program while developing high-level musical knowledge and performance skills. During its 2011 pilot year, POP served 110 students in grades K-8 at St. Francis de Sales School. In 2012, the tuition-free program was expanded to Freire Charter Middle School, serving students in grades 5-8. Today, Play On, Philly! trains 250 students at these two Music Center sites. Students are immersed in intensive, after-school music instruction 2.5 hours per day, 5 days per week throughout the school year and in a rigorous summer program in July.
Quest Center
The Quest Center is a 501(c)(3) non-profit music education and resource center located in Dickson, Tennessee, a largely rural and lower-income community 35 miles west of Nashville. The Center offers programs and a curated environment for music education, enrichment and community development. The program serves children grades pre-K-12, including at-risk youth; those with behavioral, social, and emotional issues; and developmental delays.
Rocketown of Middle Tennessee
Founded by contemporary Christian music artist Michael W. Smith in 1994, Rocketown in Nashville serves children and teens through innovative and one-of-a-kind programs. Their vision is to be the place of peace, purpose, and possibilities for youth. All young people are welcome at Rocketown, and they regularly interact with those who are under-served, unsupported, disconnected, and feel isolated and hopeless. They believe young people grow and learn more readily in a community that is welcoming, diverse, and challenges them to think.
Rosie’s House: A Music Academy for Children
Rosie’s House in Phoenix is dedicated to the long-term success of Arizona students and utilizes music as a method of inspiration, motivation, and intervention for youth. Rosie’s House Free Afterschool Music Lessons for Underserved Youth acts as a method of prevention by providing a “home” for more than 200 youth vulnerable to drug and gang violence. In Arizona, at a time when the average per-pupil expenditure on arts instruction is less than $1, they are a beacon of opportunity for youth that need a safe after-school “home.” Overall, they serve 410 youth annually through their string, wind, brass, piano, choir, and mariachi programs.
Tennessee Performing Arts Center
TPAC’s Disney Musicals in Schools (DMIS) is a free semester-long, after-school musical theater program that inspires students and their school communities to organize around the challenging work of mounting a 30-45-minute musical production. Guided by TPAC Teaching Artists, this program utilizes active partnerships that combine school, professional, and community resources to create rich avenues for student learning while providing teachers with the training and tools needed to strengthen their arts programs. DMIS is expected to reach nearly 1,300 Metro Nashville Public Schools students in 26 elementary and middle schools this school year.
The People’s Music School
The People’s Music School’s mission is to deliver access to the benefits of high-quality, tuition-free music education. Through intensive instruction and performance, students achieve excellence in music that transfers to other areas in life. They grow musically, socially, emotionally, and intellectually, and develop a foundation of responsibility, self-esteem, resilience, and purpose. TPMS currently serves nearly 500 at-risk students through individual instruction, group ensemble participation, music theory, and performance opportunities across the Chicago metropolitan area.
The Young Americans
The Young Americans in Corona, California, is a non-profit 501(c)(3) performing arts and educational company with no political or religious affiliations. The group was founded in 1962 by Milton C. Anderson and is credited with creating the very popular “glee” and “show-choir” concepts in the early ‘60’s. The Young Americans serve as the oldest and largest youth music advocacy group in the world whose main focus is to help strengthen music education programs in schools and communities, and to inspire people though music and the arts.
Virginia Tech Foundation, Inc.
The Virginia Tech String Project, established in 2007, is the signature outreach program for the School of Music at Virginia Tech. Their mission is twofold: to provide affordable string instrument lessons to students in the community and to prepare Virginia Tech’s undergraduate music students for success in the field of music education. They fill a significant gap in the public school system curriculum by providing low-cost beginning lessons in string instruments to students in the third and fourth grades. The students are taught by undergraduate music students, who are overseen, evaluated, and given critical feedback by the conductors and director.
W.O. Smith/Nashville Community Music School
Since 1984, W.O. Smith Music School has provided music instruction to low-income students in the metropolitan Nashville area. Their vision is simple: transform lives through music. They strive to offer the best music education possible for their students, and do so through private instruction, classes, ensemble opportunities, as well as master classes and performances by both local and national artists. The children are provided an instrument, necessary musical materials, and a volunteer teaching artist for their instruction. Lessons are offered for fifty cents and no student is turned away due to an inability to pay fees for any school programs.
Youth Empowerment through Arts and Humanities
YEAH! provides a conservatory-style learning atmosphere in which students are immersed for one week in the art of making music. Established 13 years ago in Murfreesboro, Tennessee, YEAH! provides music programming that is accessible and engaging for young women because of its emphasis on pop, rock ‘n’ roll, and Country Music. Girls participate in instrument instruction, music industry workshops, social justice workshops, ensemble practice, and guest artist performances. Participating students form a band and learn in an ensemble setting using popular music to build music fundamentals. Students are taught how to play instruments, work together, write original songs, and market their bands.
New Educational Programs Will Explain Music’s Role in History, Free Speech
/by Craig_ShelburneOn February 22 and 29, the museum will host a performance of Freedom Sings, the story of free speech in America as told through rock, pop, hip-hop, and country music. The cast revisits turning points in five decades of contemporary history, with songs from Loretta Lynn and the Beatles to today’s top hits. Freedom Sings is in its fifteenth year of touring American colleges and communities. For the museum performance, Freedom Sings will be presented to grades 9 to 12.
In addition, a new program titled Music Matters: The Songs That Shaped America, is being developed for grades 6 to 8. The presentation will feature a band of Nashville musicians telling the stories of some of America’s most powerful songs and the events that inspired them. Aligned with middle school social studies curriculum, the program explores the ways in which music has reflected society and changed the way Americans see the world. Through an interactive and educational concert experience, students are better able to understand historical events and challenging subject matter. Music Matters will be presented on April 8 and the program is 75 minutes long.
Both programs are free to Title I schools, and transportation subsidies may be available to qualifying schools.
“The late Mr. John Seigenthaler, founder of the First Amendment Center, famously spent his life fighting for freedom and justice. As a board member and champion of the Country Music Hall of Fame and Museum, he understood the vital role that music plays in ongoing dialogue about the social issues of our day. Without his unparalleled support, the museum would not be what it is today,” said museum CEO Kyle Young. “We’re thrilled to partner with the First Amendment Center to offer these important programs as an extension of the museum experience and to further support the great work Mr. Seigenthaler initiated years ago.”
“These two programs tell the vibrant story of our nation through the power and passion of music,” said Ken Paulson, president of the First Amendment Center and author of both shows. “From the troubadours of the eighteenth century to contemporary pop, rock and hip-hop, free expression has been at the heart of America’s music.”
The Newseum Institute’s First Amendment Center has offices at the Newseum in Washington, D.C., and at the John Seigenthaler Center on the campus of Vanderbilt University in Nashville. The center serves as a forum for the study and exploration of free-expression issues through education, information and entertainment.
Combustion Music Raises $55,000 for Bahamas Charities
/by Craig_ShelburneCombustion Music’s second annual Hope Town Music Festival, held on the island of Elbow Cay in the Bahamas, raised $55,000 for three area charities. The festival presented four shows across three days (Dec. 4-6).
Combustion Music President and Owner Chris Farren has owned a home on the island for the last 12 years. He got the idea to host the event after deciding it would be fun to bring Nashville songwriters to the little island, where he spends much of his spare time.
“Raising money for these three local charities was a no-brainer” says Farren. “All of my friends donated their time and talents, and together with the local community and some incredible Nashville sponsors, we raised a bunch of money that will all stay on the island and make a difference … not to mention the fact we all had a blast.”
Along with Farren, featured songwriters included Matthew West, Ashley Gorley, Chris DeStefano, Jon Pardi, Jimmy Robbins, JT Harding, Troy Verges, Matt Jenkins, and Sara Haze.
Every Child Counts, Friends of the Environment, and The Hope Town Fire and Rescue Department were the charitable beneficiaries.
Suntrust Bank, The Academy of Country Music, Warner/Chappell Music, Northwestern Mutual, MV2 Music and A+ Storage were among the event sponsors. Next year’s festival will take place Dec 1-5.
Larry Gatlin Talks Grand Ole Opry Anniversary
/by Jessica NicholsonLarry Gatlin
Christmas Day is always a little extra special for country star Larry Gatlin and his brothers Steve and Rudy. The Gatlin Brothers were inducted as members of the Grand Ole Opry on Dec. 25, 1976. “Next year around this time, we will be celebrating 40 years as Opry members, and it has truly been one of the great honors of my life,” says Larry Gatlin.
The Grand Ole Opry’s radio show has been celebrating its 90th anniversary throughout this year, and the Gatlin Brothers have been proud members, and frequent performers, during many of those decades. “My favorite memory has to be the first time I walked on that Opry stage. It was a Saturday matinee during the heat of August,” recalls Gatlin. “We were singing backup harmony with Dottie West. It had to have been 400 degrees in there because the old Ryman [Auditorium] was not air-conditioned.
“Now, I always enter the Ryman from stage right because I want to walk past the place where we stood. We stood stage right, two little microphones, Dottie was singing and we were singing [West’s 1964 hit], ‘Here Comes My Baby,’ so that is my favorite memory.”
Gatlin says he arrived in Nashville in 1972, with his brothers following around 1975. The brothers had just begun having their first major country chart successes with “Broken Lady” and “Statues Without Hearts” when they were given the honor of becoming members of the Grand Ole Opry. “Mr. Bud Wendell and the folks at the Opry and Dottie West championed our cause. They invested and believed in what we could accomplish. They haven’t kicked us out so far, so I guess we are doing ok.”
In the 1970s, before country entertainers had the plethora of online, television, print, and radio opportunities they have today, performing on the Grand Ole Opry was an even more crucial element of a country entertainer’s career. “At that point in time, country music had not really taken off, and entertainers were not on all the national TV shows. The Opry and the radio show was their lifeline to the people. When Dottie brought me to town to write songs for her company, most of the people I started hanging around–Dottie, Jack Greene, Jeannie Seely—were Opry members.
“The first Saturday night I was in Nashville, I went to the Opry with Dottie, and from that moment, I hoped and prayed I could be a member. A lot of my contemporaries, a lot of musicians, get to be guests on the show, but they will not get to be members of that organization, that family. It is very selective and we are grateful more than I can say.”
Gatlin acknowledges the challenge the Grand Ole Opry, like countless entertainment venues, faces as entertainment options abound. “[Grand Ole Opry VP/GM] Pete Fisher does a wonderful job steering our Opry. Pete has a very difficult job, he really does. It is very hard to keep it relevant but at the same time honor the musicians and singers and the members who have been there in the past. It’s very difficult. People used to sit every Friday and Saturday night and be glued to the WSM radio show and the Opry. Now, they still do that, but they are in competition with this little thing in my hand, the telephone.”
Over the years, Gatlin and his brothers have performed at the Grand Ole Opry, both at the Ryman Auditorium and its current home at the Grand Ole Opry House. Regardless of the location, Gatlin is appreciative of the spirit of the Opry. “The Grand Ole Opry is not a building. It’s the morphing, ever-changing, ever-expanding, living thing of wonderfully talented people, talented musicians and writers, and great singers. Also with the Opry band and the crew members, these are the people who make it work,” Gatlin says, recalling a recent Grand Ole Opry performance. “Last night we had 10 different artists on that show. There was only the 30-second or one-minute interval between acts. For the crew and musicians to do what they do and keep that thing on time, and keep hitting the mark, it’s an amazing thing.”
Gatlin and his brothers keep hitting the mark as well, and have been for 60 years. They recently released the Gospel project The Gospel According To Gatlin (Curb Records), and are offering their trademark sibling harmonies as part of Larry Gatlin & The Gatlin Brothers Christmas Dinner Show at Gaylord Opryland in Nashville. The Christmas shows feature a split set, including several of their hits including “Houston (Means I’m One Day Closer To You)” and “Broken Lady,” as well as holiday offerings including “White Christmas,” “Jingle Bells,” and Christmas carols.
“The gig at Opryland is really cool. We are used to doing 90 minutes to two hours for shows,” says Gatlin. “Here, we leave about 4 p.m. and drive 20 miles to sing in a wonderful place. They feed us every night and we’ve become friends with the crew and catering, and the waiters, everyone scurrying back and forth. The sound and lights are wonderful so we are grateful for the show. The crowds have been great and they are talking about having us back next year.”
The Larry Gatlin & The Gatlin Brothers Christmas Dinner Show will run through Dec. 26. They will also celebrate the season (and no doubt the anniversary of their Opry induction) with a performance at the Grand Ole Opry (at the Ryman Auditorium) on Dec. 25.
“Now, it’s a more tempered response when I go in,” Gatlin says of each time he performs as an Opry member. “It’s more comfortable now, like an old pair of boots. I’m still excited, but back then it was total awe. Now it’s total respect and gratitude.”
Artist Updates: Brett Eldredge, Cam, Carrie Underwood
/by Craig_ShelburneBrett Eldredge Sings Sinatra
Pictured (L-R): Wes Vause, SVP Publicity, WMN; Justin Luffman, VP Brand Management, WMN; Kristen Williams VP Promotion, WMN; Rob Baker, Longshot Management; John Esposito, President & CEO, WMN; Brett Eldredge; Peter Strickland, EVP & GM, WMN; Scott Hendricks, EVP A&R, WMN; Camille Alston, Longshot Management.
Brett Eldredge delivered a set of Frank Sinatra tunes at the World Famous Skull’s Rainbow Room in Printer’s Alley on Tuesday night (Dec. 15). Dressed in a Kingsman tuxedo and performing for an standing-room-only crowd, Eldredge offered selections like “Fly Me to the Moon,” “Summer Wind,” and “Have Yourself a Merry Little Christmas,” among many others
Cam Sings at Year in Vevo Event in New York City
Cam performs at Year in Vevo in New York City. Photo: Bryan Bedder/Getty Images for VEVO
Cam performed at the Year in Vevo event at Skylight Clarkson Sq in New York City on Saturday (Dec. 12). Vevo’s year-end celebration featured exclusive performances, meet and greets, competitions and one-of-a-kind music video installations.
Carrie Underwood Extends European Dates
Carrie Underwood has added two more dates to the European leg of The Storyteller Tour. She will appear in Stockholm, Sweden, on March 4 and Oslo, Norway, on March 5. Her headlining dates at Country 2 Country were already confirmed for Glasgow, Scotland; London, England; and Dublin, Ireland. The Storyteller Tour kicks off January 30 in Jacksonville, Florida, and will play in 40 arenas across the U.S. and Canada.
DISClaimer: Indie Artists Offer Sterling Holiday Tunes
/by Robert K OermannMaiden Dixie
The indie acts are sending holiday wishes today.
There was, in fact, a bumper crop of seasonal singles by indies this year. In addition to these 10, Eric Durrance, J. Michael Harter, Troy Johnson, The Sarah Dunn Band, Emily Vance, Stephanie Thompson, C.J. Garton, Allie Louise and more put out Christmas singles this year.
Of those in today’s column, Maiden Dixie wins a DisCovery Award. The band is base in Minneapolis, and I’d sure like to hear more from it.
There were several new novelty tunes in this stack of platters, such as “Motorcyle Santa,” “Cowboy for Christmas” and our Disc of the Day winner, “That Better Be Santa Claus” by a witty cowboy named Greg Sterling.
SARABETH/Cowboy For Christmas
Writers: Sarabeth Swagerty/Glen Mitchell/Tim Morgan; Producer: Glen Mitchell; Publishers: Delta Pearl/Mathis Mountain/Ameribrit, BMI/ASCAP; Circle S (CDX)
– It’s a western swinger, with loads of fiddle and steel. A cool, yule toe tapper.
TEEA GOANS/Christmas Time Is Here
Writers: Vince Guaraldi/Lee Mendelson; Producer: Terry Choate; Publisher: Lee Mendelson Film, BMI; Crosswind (CDX)
-One of our finest traditional country singers shows off her jazz chops on this dreamy ballad. Soothing and swaying.
HALEY & MICHAELS/The Very Merry Little Christmas Medley
Writers: none listed; Producers: Haley & Michaels/Brad Hill; Publishers: none listed; H&M (CDX)
-This male-female duet scampers over eight standards in less than three minutes. For the listener with attention-deficit disorder.
STEPHANIE RABUS/That Red Nosed Reindeer
Writers: Justin Peters/Steven Rupe; Producer: Justin Peters; Publishers: Justin Peters/ABET, BMI; Platinum Planet
-She sings well, but the song is too wordy.
LEE ANNA McGUIRE/You and Me and the Christmas Tree
Writers: Constance/Lee Anna McGuire/Justin Peters; Producer: Justin Peters; Publishers: ABET/Platinum Planet/Justin Peters/Songs For The Planet, BMI; Platinum Planet
-Young sounding, with sprinkles on top.
THE NICKEL SLOTS/A Shot and a Beer for Christmas
Writer: Tony Bruska; Producer: The Nickel Slots; Publishers: Highway 113, ASCAP; Nickel Slots (CDX)
-This is a rockabilly romp with a bellowing vocal and a roaring track. Get up and jitterbug.
SKYLAR ELISE/Motorcycle Santa
Writers: Skylar Elise/Erik Halbig; Producer: Krik Halbig; Publishers: none listed, BMI; Lexi Dale (CDX)
-Rollicking contemporary country with a slammin’ beat and a offbeat lyric. Listenable.
MAIDEN DIXIE/O Come, O Come, Emmanuel
Writers: traditional; Producer: Makoa Johnson; Publisher: public domain; Navigator (CDX)
-Nicely done. The ooomphy, echoey track surrounds the performance with drama. The male and female voices are equally strong and compelling on this imaginatively arranged standard. Send more.
Greg Sterling
GREG STERLING/That Better Be Santa Claus
Writers: Chick Rains; Producer: Brandon Epps & Sam Martin; Publishers: Sony ATV Tree, BMI; Greg Sterling Music
-He surprises his wife by coming home early on Christmas eve in this irresistible tempo tune. She’s in a negligee he’s never seen before, and there’s a strange noise coming from the backyard. Very country. Very hilarious. Absolutely play it.
RUSTY RIERSON/The Reason for the Season
Writer: Nolan Kroeker; Producer: Rusty Rierson & Carter Green; Publisher: none listed, BMI; Record Ranch
-He doesn’t have much of a voice, and the track plods.
Cheap Trick Signs to Big Machine Records
/by Craig_ShelburneCheap Trick
Cheap Trick will release their next album on Big Machine Records on April 1. In addition, the band will be inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame on April 8. Both announcements were made on Thursday morning (Dec. 17).
“Coinciding with their entry into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame, I am beyond proud and excited to announce that Cheap Trick are the newest members of the Big Machine Records family,” said Big Machine Label Group President and CEO Scott Borchetta. “As a band, they’ve never stopped rock’n the free world and they play every night with as much conviction as their first power-pop-punk club shows from the mid ’70’s. I can’t wait for Cheap Trick fans everywhere to have the new album.”
“We can’t thank the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame enough for honoring Cheap Trick. Thanks to all the fans who have supported us for all these years and to the Hall of Fame members who cast their votes. We are excited,” said Cheap Trick bass guitarist Tom Petersson.
The band’s upcoming album, Bang Zoom Crazy… Hello, was produced by Julian Raymond. It will be the band’s 17th studio album and first in more than five years. Their hits include “Surrender,” “I Want You To Want Me,” “Dream Police” and “The Flame.”
The 2016 Rock and Roll Hall of Fame induction ceremony is scheduled for April 8.
Copyright Royalty Board Sets New Rates
/by Jessica NicholsonThe newly announced rate for subscription services is $0.0022 per stream (currently $0.0025). Meanwhile, the rate for non-subscription services has been set at $0.0017 per stream (currently at $0.0014). Subscribers make up approximately 5 percent of Pandora’s 78 million users.
The rates will apply only for 2016. The rates during the following years, 2017 through 2020, will be adjusted to reflect the increases or decreases in the Consumer Price Index. The previous CRB rate was set in 2009.
The new rates are slightly in favor of creators, but substantially less than some hoped to achieve ($0.0025 per stream). Webcasters, however, proposed rates ranging from $0.0005 to $0.0011.
This decision affects performers and compensation of the sound recording, not songwriters/publishers. Additionally, the rates do not affect on-demand services (i.e., Spotify), which allow users to select songs they wish to hear. On-demand services negotiate rates directly to license music. However, internet radio services, which allow users to listen to pre-made “stations,” but do not allow them to select individual songs, use a statutory licensing system under federal copyright law, with rates determined by the CRB.
For the full ruling from the CRB, click here.
CMA Foundation Announces $2.68M In Music Education Grants for 2016
/by Jessica NicholsonThe 2015 CMA Foundation Board of Directors. (Front Row, L-R): Tiffany Kerns, CMA Community Outreach Manager; Ron Samuels, Board Chairman and Chairman/CEO of Avenue Bank; Sarah Trahern, CMA Chief Executive Officer; Joe Galante, Board Vice Chairman, CMA Board member, and President of Galante Entertainment; Kitty Moon Emery. (Back Row, L-R) Ed Hardy, CMA Board member; Lon Helton, CMA Board member and CEO of Country Aircheck; Blair Garner, host of “America’s Morning Show”; Frank Bumstead, CMA Board Chairman and Chairman of Flood, Bumstead, McCready & McCarthy, Inc.; John Huie, CMA Board member and Co-head of CAA Nashville. Photo: Amanda Eckard / CMA
The CMA Foundation has announced its annual donation for music education, with $2.68 million to be awarded across 29 programs. The grants bring CMA’s total contributions since 2006 to more than $13.68 million.
“If it weren’t for the artists, who all perform for free during CMA Music Festival, and the thousands of fans who support the event each year, these donations would not be possible,” said Sarah Trahern, CMA Chief Executive Officer. “The CMA Foundation donates to causes that are important to our community, but every dollar is given on behalf of the artists and fans that support Music Fest each June.”
CMA created the non-profit CMA Foundation in 2011. The CMA Foundation focuses on improving and sustaining music education programs while supporting worthwhile causes important to the organization.
Programs benefiting from the CMA Foundation in 2016 include:
4-H
The 4-H Mission is to empower youth to reach their full potential, working and learning in partnership with caring adults. National 4-H Council exists to support this through a direct mission: to increase investment and participation in high quality 4-H Positive Youth Development. Through investment in promising, scalable programs nationwide, Council promotes replication of life-changing experiences and outcomes for youth. CMA Foundation is proud to support the inaugural Music Education Matters Summit in Atlanta.
Camp Southern Ground
The vision for Camp Southern Ground in Peachtree City, Georgia, is that of CMA Award-winning artist Zac Brown. Inspired by his own experience as a camp counselor, it is to create a state-of-the-art facility that will serve children ages 7-17 with both typical and special needs. It will be a place for children and their families to learn healthy life skills through an advanced program involving superior nutrition, physical exercise, music and arts, technology, and embracing the outdoor environment. Camp Southern Ground will have activities to challenge, educate and inspire children with diverse abilities, and from all socioeconomic backgrounds, races, and religions.
Chicago Center for Music Education
Chicago Center for Music Education (ChiME) maintains a commitment to bring about whole-school change by providing year-round, age-appropriate music programs directly to schools. Their in-schools program breaks down barriers of race, culture, and economics through the universal language of music, and utilizes music as the vehicle for cognitive development as well as the development and enhancement of age appropriate social-emotional learning skills.
Classical Kids Music Education
Classical Kids Music Education in Chicago is a theatrical organization that produces the highly acclaimed Classical Kids Live! symphony concert series. Classical Kids has collaborated with more than 400 distinguished orchestras in introducing more than 2 million children and their family members to the extraordinary lives and musical masterpieces of the great classical composers. Classical Kids works to enrich communities through direct access to culturally significant venues, professional artists and organizations, and high-quality theatrical productions, while fostering a new appreciation for classical music and the vibrant culture of that era.
Education Through Music
Education Through Music (ETM) partners with inner-city schools to provide all students with music as a core subject, and to create school communities that value the arts. ETM’s mission is to promote the use of music in schools as a means of enhancing students’ academic performance and general development. The ETM model currently serves nearly 27,000 students in inner-city schools in New York City and reaches another 10,000 children through the work of their licensed affiliate organization in Los Angeles.
Ethos, Inc.
Ethos believes that all kids, regardless of socioeconomic status or geographic location, deserve access to music education. Founded in 1998 in Portland, Oregon, Ethos is a 501(c)(3) non-profit that provides music lessons, group classes, camps, multicultural performances, and workshops to more than 7,000 students across Oregon each year. Initial classes were held in a basement at the University of Portland and staffed by a dedicated group of volunteers. Since then, the group has moved into its North Portland headquarters and employed nine full-time staff, eight full-time AmeriCorps members and 52 part-time music instructors.
Girls Rock
Girls Rock Santa Barbara (GRSB) is a non-profit organization that empowers female-identified youth and fosters self-confidence, creativity, and teamwork by using music and female mentorship as tools for social change. GRSB brings girls together from diverse backgrounds and gives them the opportunity to expand their cultural awareness, develop life skills, and tell their unique group story. It is less about playing an instrument and more about finding one’s voice through music. GRSB is driven by one simple motto: love the music you make, and love yourself for making it.
Give a Note Foundation
Reston, Va.-based Give a Note Foundation was established in 2011 by the leaders of the National Association for Music Education (NAfME) in response to the increasing threats to music education programs in an education environment that is focused on tested subjects and STEM. It became clear that in order to strengthen and preserve music for every child, we needed to expand support for music education beyond the music education profession. The mission of Give a Note Foundation is to nurture, grow and strengthen music education opportunities – every student, every school, every community.
Guitars in the Classroom
Guitars in the Classroom (GITC) is dedicated to improving the quality of education for all students by expanding the role of learning through music in every kind of classroom. GITC improves musical access in public education through ongoing teacher training, mentoring and in-classroom coaching, as well as access to musical and instrumental resources. GITC teachers learn to lead hands on music integrated with English Language Arts, math, science, social studies, character development, and special education. GITC’s work promotes teacher effectiveness, student literacy, and academic success in K-12 by boosting student engagement, communication skills, critical thinking, and the capacity for creative collaboration.
Harmony Project
Harmony Project offers music instruction to Los Angeles children with the greatest needs and the fewest resources. Founded in 2001 with only 36 students, the Harmony Project now commits to more than 2,000 students for their entire childhood to ensure they receive the support necessary to graduate high school and continue to college. Their mission promotes the healthy growth and development of children through the study, practice, and performance of music; builds healthier communities by investing in the positive development of children through music; and develops children as musical ambassadors of peace, hope, and understanding amongst people of diverse cultures, backgrounds, and beliefs.
Metro Nashville Public Schools
A joint effort of Metro Nashville Public Schools, the mayor’s office and music industry and community leaders, the Music Makes Us initiative aspires to be a national model for high quality music education. With a focus on music literacy and student participation, Music Makes Us is strengthening traditional school music while adding a contemporary curriculum that embraces new technologies and reflects our diverse student population.
Mr. Holland’s Opus Foundation
The Mr. Holland’s Opus Foundation keeps music alive in schools by donating musical instruments to under-funded music programs, giving young people the many benefits of music education, helping them to be better students, and inspiring creativity and expression through playing music. The Foundation was inspired by the acclaimed motion picture “Mr. Holland’s Opus,” the story of the profound effect a dedicated music teacher had on generations of students. In nearly twenty years, the foundation has donated just over 18,000 instruments to 1,357 schools nationwide. Over the life of the instruments, generations of students will benefit for years to come.
Music & Youth Initiative
The Music & Youth Initiative in Boston establishes sustainable, high-quality after-school music programs for underserved youth, ages 10-18, through collaborations with leading youth development organizations (such as Boys & Girls Clubs and YMCAs), universities, and corporate partners. These “Music Clubhouse” programs are free (or for a minimal cost) to the participating youth. Music & Youth currently has 17 Music Clubhouses in Massachusetts and Texas, where more than 600 teens and pre-teens participate in formal contemporary music lessons every week. Founded in 2004, Music & Youth Initiative is a 501(c)(3) non-profit organization.
Music Resource Center – Cincinnati
MRC-Cincinnati is a multifaceted, non-profit, after-school music and recording studio for adolescents that utilizes music education, recording, and the performing arts as a way to mentor teens, resulting in a sense of empowerment and accomplishment in an urban setting. Members can choose to take music lessons (guitar, drums, piano, voice), learn to make beats in the Teaching Studio, record their bands’ songs in the new, professional, multi-track recording studio, hold band practice in the rehearsal room, create original music in one of four project studios, have an after-school snack, hot summer lunch or help with homework in the lobby or perform in their new venue.
Musicians Corner
The mission of Kidsville at Musicians Corner is to utilize the arts and play to help educate Nashville’s youth in the areas of music, nutrition, fitness, and literacy to enhance the development of healthy and successful futures for the city’s youngest citizens. They believe in the intrinsic value of play and provide opportunities for experiential learning, and multi-sensory, object-based exploration.
Nashville Children’s Theatre
Nashville Children’s Theatre (NCT) is a professional theatre company providing the children, families, and educators of Middle Tennessee with theatrical experiences that inspire imagination, develop creativity, and build community. Founded in 1931 with a belief that a cultural heritage is the right of all children, NCT serves 80,000 Middle Tennessee youth, educators, and families each year with world-class productions and theatre education programs. In order to create future leaders who can solve tomorrow’s challenges with innovative ideas, NCT’s programs are developed and executed by the highest caliber artists and are accessible to children and families at all levels of financial, developmental, and physical abilities.
Nashville Symphony Association
The Nashville Symphony is the largest performing arts non-profit in Tennessee and a major contributor to music education in Middle Tennessee. Music education and community engagement have been at the heart of the 83-member orchestra’s mission since its founding in 1946. Through concerts, classroom presentations, curriculum materials, instrument lessons and other hands-on learning opportunities, the Symphony’s free education and engagement programs reach and engage tens of thousands of adults and children in Middle Tennessee every year.
New Orleans Jazz & Heritage Foundation
The mission of the New Orleans Jazz & Heritage Festival and Foundation, Inc. (Jazz & Heritage Foundation) is to promote, preserve, perpetuate, and encourage the music, culture and heritage of communities in Louisiana through festivals, programs, and other cultural, educational, civic, and economic activities.
Notes for Notes
Notes for Notes is a 501(c)(3) non-profit organization that designs, equips, and staffs after-school recording studios inside Boys & Girls Clubs offering youth the opportunity to explore, create, and record music for free. Notes for Notes studios are packed with professional instruments (guitars, basses, drums, keyboards/synths), equipment (DJ gear, digital music workstations), and full recording facilities. Beyond providing access to equipment and resources, they educate youth about careers both on the stage and behind the scenes.
Play On, Philly! (POP)
POP partners with Philadelphia schools to provide an educational and social preparedness program while developing high-level musical knowledge and performance skills. During its 2011 pilot year, POP served 110 students in grades K-8 at St. Francis de Sales School. In 2012, the tuition-free program was expanded to Freire Charter Middle School, serving students in grades 5-8. Today, Play On, Philly! trains 250 students at these two Music Center sites. Students are immersed in intensive, after-school music instruction 2.5 hours per day, 5 days per week throughout the school year and in a rigorous summer program in July.
Quest Center
The Quest Center is a 501(c)(3) non-profit music education and resource center located in Dickson, Tennessee, a largely rural and lower-income community 35 miles west of Nashville. The Center offers programs and a curated environment for music education, enrichment and community development. The program serves children grades pre-K-12, including at-risk youth; those with behavioral, social, and emotional issues; and developmental delays.
Rocketown of Middle Tennessee
Founded by contemporary Christian music artist Michael W. Smith in 1994, Rocketown in Nashville serves children and teens through innovative and one-of-a-kind programs. Their vision is to be the place of peace, purpose, and possibilities for youth. All young people are welcome at Rocketown, and they regularly interact with those who are under-served, unsupported, disconnected, and feel isolated and hopeless. They believe young people grow and learn more readily in a community that is welcoming, diverse, and challenges them to think.
Rosie’s House: A Music Academy for Children
Rosie’s House in Phoenix is dedicated to the long-term success of Arizona students and utilizes music as a method of inspiration, motivation, and intervention for youth. Rosie’s House Free Afterschool Music Lessons for Underserved Youth acts as a method of prevention by providing a “home” for more than 200 youth vulnerable to drug and gang violence. In Arizona, at a time when the average per-pupil expenditure on arts instruction is less than $1, they are a beacon of opportunity for youth that need a safe after-school “home.” Overall, they serve 410 youth annually through their string, wind, brass, piano, choir, and mariachi programs.
Tennessee Performing Arts Center
TPAC’s Disney Musicals in Schools (DMIS) is a free semester-long, after-school musical theater program that inspires students and their school communities to organize around the challenging work of mounting a 30-45-minute musical production. Guided by TPAC Teaching Artists, this program utilizes active partnerships that combine school, professional, and community resources to create rich avenues for student learning while providing teachers with the training and tools needed to strengthen their arts programs. DMIS is expected to reach nearly 1,300 Metro Nashville Public Schools students in 26 elementary and middle schools this school year.
The People’s Music School
The People’s Music School’s mission is to deliver access to the benefits of high-quality, tuition-free music education. Through intensive instruction and performance, students achieve excellence in music that transfers to other areas in life. They grow musically, socially, emotionally, and intellectually, and develop a foundation of responsibility, self-esteem, resilience, and purpose. TPMS currently serves nearly 500 at-risk students through individual instruction, group ensemble participation, music theory, and performance opportunities across the Chicago metropolitan area.
The Young Americans
The Young Americans in Corona, California, is a non-profit 501(c)(3) performing arts and educational company with no political or religious affiliations. The group was founded in 1962 by Milton C. Anderson and is credited with creating the very popular “glee” and “show-choir” concepts in the early ‘60’s. The Young Americans serve as the oldest and largest youth music advocacy group in the world whose main focus is to help strengthen music education programs in schools and communities, and to inspire people though music and the arts.
Virginia Tech Foundation, Inc.
The Virginia Tech String Project, established in 2007, is the signature outreach program for the School of Music at Virginia Tech. Their mission is twofold: to provide affordable string instrument lessons to students in the community and to prepare Virginia Tech’s undergraduate music students for success in the field of music education. They fill a significant gap in the public school system curriculum by providing low-cost beginning lessons in string instruments to students in the third and fourth grades. The students are taught by undergraduate music students, who are overseen, evaluated, and given critical feedback by the conductors and director.
W.O. Smith/Nashville Community Music School
Since 1984, W.O. Smith Music School has provided music instruction to low-income students in the metropolitan Nashville area. Their vision is simple: transform lives through music. They strive to offer the best music education possible for their students, and do so through private instruction, classes, ensemble opportunities, as well as master classes and performances by both local and national artists. The children are provided an instrument, necessary musical materials, and a volunteer teaching artist for their instruction. Lessons are offered for fifty cents and no student is turned away due to an inability to pay fees for any school programs.
Youth Empowerment through Arts and Humanities
YEAH! provides a conservatory-style learning atmosphere in which students are immersed for one week in the art of making music. Established 13 years ago in Murfreesboro, Tennessee, YEAH! provides music programming that is accessible and engaging for young women because of its emphasis on pop, rock ‘n’ roll, and Country Music. Girls participate in instrument instruction, music industry workshops, social justice workshops, ensemble practice, and guest artist performances. Participating students form a band and learn in an ensemble setting using popular music to build music fundamentals. Students are taught how to play instruments, work together, write original songs, and market their bands.
CMA Announces New Board of Directors
/by Jessica NicholsonPictured (L-R): John Esposito, incoming Chairman of the CMA Board and President and CEO of Warner Music Nashville; Sarah Trahern, CMA Chief Executive Officer; Frank Bumstead, outgoing CMA Board Chairman and Chairman of Flood, Bumstead, McCready & McCarthy, Inc.; Sally Williams, incoming CMA Board President and General Manager of Ryman Auditorium; and Bill Simmons, incoming CMA Board President-Elect and Vice President at The Fitzgerald Hartley Company. (Not pictured: Jessie Schmidt, returning CMA Board Secretary/Treasurer and President of Schmidt Relations.)
Photo: Christian Bottorff / CMA
The Country Music Association announced Wednesday (Dec. 16) its newly elected Board of Directors. The appointments are effective Jan. 1, 2016.
Frank Bumstead completes his term as Chairman of the CMA Board and current CMA Board President John Esposito, President and CEO of Warner Music Nashville, assumes that post. CMA President-Elect Sally Williams, General Manager of Ryman Auditorium, will become President. Bill Simmons, Vice President at The Fitzgerald Hartley Company, has been named President-Elect. Jessie Schmidt, President of Schmidt Relations, returns as Secretary/Treasurer of the CMA Board.
It’s been an honor to be Chairman of the CMA Board,” said Bumstead. “Serving an industry I love, with people I respect, has been a career highlight. I may be stepping down as Chairman, but I’m not stepping away from the critical work of this Board and the important goals of this organization and I am very confident in John Esposito and Sally Williams to continue this important mission.”
“Chairing the CMA Board at this important point in our history is a privilege,” said Esposito. “2016 is a pivotal time as we celebrate the 50th Anniversary of the CMA Awards, expand the footprint of Country Music internationally, and develop ways to keep CMA Music Festival fresh for our fans. I’m thankful to my tenacious and passionate colleague Frank Bumstead for his valuable tutoring and look forward to working alongside President Sally Williams as we tackle new, exciting opportunities that will hopefully benefit the entire industry.”
Following is a list of 2016 CMA Directors and Directors at Large:
Directors By Membership Category
Carryover Directors, who are serving the second year of a two-year term, are followed by newly-elected Directors (indicated in bold).
Advertising/Public Relations/Media
Lon Helton, Country Aircheck
Affiliated
Joe Galante, Galante Entertainment Organization
Bill Mayne, Country Radio Broadcasters, Inc.
Artist
Brett Eldredge
Kix Brooks
Composer
Jim Beavers
Bob DiPiero, Love Monkey Music
Entertainment Services
Stacey Schlitz, SchlitzLAW
Frank Bumstead, Flood, Bumstead, McCready & McCarthy, Inc.
International
Ted Ellis, CMT Canada, Toronto, Ontario, Canada
Maria Molin Ljunggren, Capitol Music Group Sweden
Marketing/Digital
Jennie Smythe, Girlilla Marketing
Sally Seitz, iTunes
Music Publisher/Performing Rights Organization
Troy Tomlinson, Sony/ATV Music Publishing
Michael Martin, ASCAP
Musician
Kenny Greenberg, Greenberg Music
Biff Watson, Biff-Bangs Productions, Inc.
Personal Manager
Kerri Edwards, KP Entertainment
Ann Edelblute, The HQ
Producer/Engineer/Studio
Mark Bright, Mark Bright Productions
Radio
Kurt Johnson, Townsquare Media, Dallas, Texas
Jeff Garrison, Cox Media Group, San Antonio, Texas
Record Company
Mike Dungan, Universal Music Group Nashville
Randy Goodman, Sony Music Nashville
Talent Agent
Rob Beckham, William Morris Endeavor Entertainment, LLC
Talent Buyer/Promoter
Brian O’Connell, Live Nation Nashville
Tony Conway, Conway Entertainment Group
Touring Personnel
Scott Scovill, Moo TV, CenterStaging, and Moo Creative Media
Terry Calonge, Richards & Southern
Venue
Ed Warm, Joe’s Bar, Chicago, Ill.
Lifetime Directors
J. William Denny, Denny Properties
Ralph Peer II, peermusic
Ex-Officio Members
Jim Free, The Smith-Free Group, LLC, Washington, D.C.
Kyle Young, Country Music Hall of Fame and Museum
Butch Spyridon, Nashville Convention & Visitors Corporation
Directors at Large:
Marcie Allen, MAC Presents, LLC, New York, N.Y.
Becky Brenner, Albright & O’Malley & Brenner Country Radio Specialists, Seattle, Wash.
Scott Borchetta, Big Machine Label Group
Luke Bryan
Steve Buchanan, Opry Entertainment Group
Pat Collins, SESAC
Gil Cunningham, Neste Event Marketing
Ansel Davis, Martingale Entertainment, LLC
Virginia Davis, G-Major MGMT
Jay DeMarcus, Rascal Flatts
Chris DuBois, Sea Gayle Music
Kent Earls, Universal Music Publishing Group Nashville
John Esposito, Warner Music Nashville
Karen Fairchild, Little Big Town
John Hamlin, Switched On Entertainment
Ed Hardy, Hardy Media and Entertainment Group
Clint Higham, Morris Higham Management
Mary Hilliard Harrington, The GreenRoom
John Huie, Creative Artists Agency
Clay Hunnicutt, Big Loud Records
Brett James, Cornman Music
Marion Kraft, ShopKeeper Management
Vivien Lewit, YouTube
Jon Loba, BBR Music Group
John Marks, Spotify
Shane McAnally, Smack Songs, LLC
Deb McDermott, Media General
Ebie McFarland, Essential Broadcast Media
Mike McVay, Cumulus Media, Atlanta
Mike Moore, Entercom Communications, Portland, Ore.
Charlie Morgan, Emmis Communications, Indianapolis, Ind.
Jim Ed Norman, The Curb Group
Milly Olykan, AEG Europe, London, United Kingdom
Jason Owen, Sandbox Entertainment
Brian Philips, CMT/MTV Networks
Rod Phillips, iHeartMedia, Cincinnati
Rob Potts, Rob Potts Entertainment Edge, Five Dock, Australia
Sherod Robertson, MusicRow Enterprises
David Ross, BossRoss Media
Darius Rucker
Jessie Schmidt, Schmidt Relations
Victoria Shaw, Songalicious Publishing
Bob Shennan, BBC, London, United Kingdom
Bill Simmons, The Fitzgerald Hartley Company
Clarence Spalding, Maverick
Jeff Stevens, Jeff Stevens Music
Larry Vallon, AEG Live, Los Angeles, Calif.
Ben Vaughn, Warner/Chappell Music, Inc.
Troy Vollhoffer, Premier Global Production Company, Inc.
Dwight Wiles, Smith Wiles & Company
Jody Williams, BMI
Sally Williams, Ryman Auditorium
Chris Young
Group Tour Operators Give Nashville Top Honors
/by Craig_ShelburneNashville, courtesy Nashville Convention and Visitor’s Bureau
The Nashville Convention & Visitors Corp (NCVC) has been named the top destination marketing organization in North America by members of the National Tour Association. The decision by the country’s tour operators to name Nashville the Gold recipient is a reflection of the city’s strength with group travelers.
“This outstanding honor for the Nashville Convention & Visitors Corp not only recognizes the organization as a whole, but it particularly highlights the great work that the tourism sales team is doing,” said Ken Levitan, Board Chair of the Nashville Convention and Visitors Corp and Co-President of Vector Management. “We know we’ve been hitting convention sales out of the park, so this recognition is validation of our long-lasting appeal to the group tour segment. We know that being successful in all market segments is the key to sustained success.”
The award is voted on by National Tour Association tour operators based on the quality of product, level of customer service, value to customers and dedication to relationship building. Winners will be featured in the January edition of Courier, the official monthly magazine for members of the National Tour Association. Nashville also will be recognized at the association’s annual convention in Atlanta.
The NCVC has a three-person tourism sales team that focuses on groups of 10 or more visiting Nashville. The city also was recognized in the Theater/Show Venue category with The Grand Ole Opry Entertainment Group being named the Silver recipient.