BOBBY KARL WORKS THE ROOM
Chapter 509
Taylor Swift and Mick Jagger in Nashville on Sept. 26. Photo: Getty Images
A lucky few got to attend an intimate private party to celebrate Taylor Swift on Saturday (Sept. 26) backstage at Nashville’s Bridgestone Arena.
A small living-room sized area was tented in the rehearsal hall and furnished with beige couches and cocktail tables. Décor also included glass cases containing some of the pop superstar’s costumes. A photo booth was in one corner.
Taylor’s publicist is Tree Paine. She invited her fellow Recording Academy board members to the soiree. Among those accepting were Daniel Hill, Erika Wollam Nichols & Roger Nichols, Jeff Balding, and LeAnn Phelan.
Trey Fanjoy brought Anastasia Brown as her “date.” Phil Thornton brought Taj Johnson-George, who is not only a member of the Grammy-nominated SWV and a 2009 Survivor competitor, but turns out to be a major Taylor Swift fan. She told Taylor that she follows her religiously on social media.
Lisa Harless brought her niece. Julian King, Lori Badgett and Ben Fowler brought their daughters. For Ben’s 10-year-old, it was her first concert, ever.
Taylor greeted each person individually, easily making small talk, especially with the little girls. She autographed a photo for each attendee, personalizing every one. We also each got a souvenir photo with the pop princess.
She joked with Taj that she thought she could take her on. Taylor may have the height, but my money’s on Taj’s Survivor toughness.
Bart Herbison presented Taylor with five No. 1 plaques from the Nashville Songwriters Association. All of them were for songs from her triumphant, eight-million-selling pop collection 1989.
“C’mon, y’all, Yay for Taylor!” he exhorted. We cheered with pleasure.
“Where’s the camera? Let’s take a picture,” said the delighted star.
“It’s my first pop album, but I took my Nashville songwriting sensibilities into the sessions with me,” she added. “That’s what Nashville taught me.
“Thank you for coming to my show. I know how busy you are. You are people I admire and respect so much. Thank you for wanting to spend your Saturday night with me.”
She served us light refreshments and soft drinks. Then momma Andrea Swift took everyone on a backstage tour of the mammoth production. The kids were completely saucer eyed.
On our way into Taylor’s “homecoming” show, we encountered such other fabulons as Victoria Shaw, Peter Cooper, Brandon Heath and Nashville Recording Academy board president Shannon Sanders.
We walked into a concert atmosphere that was deliriously joyous. The audience at a Taylor Swift show is almost as entertaining as the show, itself, with its costumes, homemade signs, battery-powered holiday lights, tutus, headdresses, cat outfits, Taylor-inspired couture and sparkles everywhere. The crowd is simply adorable.
Here’s another cool thing. Taylor’s songs mean so much to them. They sang along to every single lyric of every single song.
Most of the shows on the 1989 Tour have featured surprise celebrity guests. Saturday night’s included two of the greatest, living legend Mick Jagger and awesome vocal phenom Leona Lewis. Taylor rocked “Satisfaction” with the former and sang a soaring rendition of 2008’s No. 1 pop smash “Bleeding Love” with the latter.
The crowd sang, too, and roared deafeningly as each was announced. Jagger wasn’t a surprise to the “lucky few,” since we’d glimpsed him briefly in a hallway backstage. (Friday’s concert featured appearances by Steven Tyler, Kelsea Ballerini and Alison Krauss). The crowd greeted opening acts Vance Joy and Haim with equal enthusiasm.
“Nashville….you have never looked as beautiful as you do, 15,000-strong, on a Saturday night,” said Taylor to the sold-out audience. “I feel like tonight is going to be the crowd of all crowds. And I really want it to be worth your while.”
The concert mainly consisted of material from 1989. She opened with “Welcome to New York,” for instance. But she also offered a few tunes from her years as a country act – “Fifteen” and “Love Story” – plus “We Are Never Ever Getting Back Together.”
The set pieces were simpler than on the Red Tour. A massive video screen backed the three-tiered stage. Twelve athletic male dancers accompanied most songs.
There were nine costume changes. This was sometimes accomplished because of female-empowerment and self-actualization video testimonials from Taylor buddies such as Lena Dunham and Selena Gomez.
A long, long runway extended almost the entire length of the Bridgestone. It rose 20-feet into the air and then rotated like a propeller blade over the audience. Taylor strutted fearlessly on it, in high heels. I wouldn’t walk that elevated thing on a dare, even in sneakers.
But the coolest effect was the light-up bracelet that was taped to every seat in the house. You put it on, and throughout the show, unseen forces made it change color – white, red, green, pink, blue, turquoise – depending on the mood of the song. This synchronized coordination resulted in the lovely vision of the crowd becoming a celestial galaxy.
“You’ve been so generous to me tonight,” said Taylor, “so welcoming, so open.
“I am having such a good time….Getting to hang out with you for two-and-a-half hours is going to be a memory for me. You make me so happy.
“Nashville, I’m going to ask you to sing one last time with me tonight,” she said before beginning the gloriously synth-throbbing “Out of the Woods.” Confetti rained down on our heads as the song reached its crescendo.
Of course it wasn’t the end. We rocked out to the “Shake It Off” finale as even more tons of confetti descended on our heads from the girders.
If you didn’t have a good time, you had to be made of lead.
‘CMA Country Christmas’ Taping Coming To Grand Ole Opry House
/by Troy_StephensonThis year’s “CMA Country Christmas” television special will be taped in front of a live audience on Saturday, Nov. 7 at 6 p.m. ET at the Grand Ole Opry House in Nashville. The special will air sometime this holiday season on the ABC Television Network.
“The special will tape on a new day and in a new venue this year,” said Sarah Trahern, CMA Chief Executive Officer. “The Opry was the home of the CMA Awards for many years and it is nice to be back. And taping the show on Saturday is more convenient for Nashville families who have made this part of their holiday traditions.”
Along with the taping, there will be a toy drive for deserving children. In 2014, through a partnership with ABC Television Network and the U.S. Marine Corps’ Toys for Tots program, CMA collected more than 5,000 unwrapped gifts for deserving children in the region.
“CMA Country Christmas” is a production of the Country Music Association. Robert Deaton is the Executive Producer, Paul Miller serves as Director, and David Wild is the writer.
For updates and information visit CMAchristmas.com.
Taylor Swift Earns $14K From Ryan Adams’ First Week Sales
/by Eric T. ParkerThe numbers are in for the Ryan Adams remake of Taylor Swift‘s 1989 blockbuster release. Adams sold just shy of 50,000 units, pushing both albums to the iTunes Top 10 list. With the help of Downtown Music Publishing’s Joe Conyers, MusicRow has estimated Swift’s earnings from the cover album’s first week of sales.
Given an equal split between songwriters, Swift’s total first-week royalty share of Ryan Adams’ cover album sales is estimated at $27,904.
If Swift’s deal with Sony/ATV was a 50/50 split, this would give each party $13,952.
Swift’s own record sales were up 13 percent from the week prior, moving 13,297 units this week. For that figure, you can do the math. Estimations would be almost impossible as control composition likely applies to her songwriting in addition to the deluxe album track royalties, on top of her artist royalty splits with BMLG.
Interestingly enough, Swift will earn streaming revenue from Adams’ albums, which is available on ad-based services. Swift removed her own last year. Recent qualms with those payouts may not likely have any significant impact on earnings.
Let’s just say the PR Swift has received from the Adams cover likely exceeds first week royalties, which may barely cover the cost of jet fuel to her next tour stop. Read about Swift’s Nashville homecoming on her 1989 Tour here.
Taylor Swift and Mick Jagger. Photo: Getty Images
JHE Production Group Opening Nashville Office
/by Jessica NicholsonNorth Carolina-based production company JHE Production Group is opening an office in Nashville.
Live event producer Bert Hensley is set to manage the Nashville location in the General Manager role. Hensley previously worked at Gary Musick Productions for 11 years. His career experience includes coordinating and facilitating programs for entertainment industry organizations including ACM, CMA, BMLG, as well as T.J. Martell Foundation, Fortune 500 companies, marketing agencies and more.
“Over the course of 27 years, JHE has worked closely with businesses, agencies and musical acts from Nashville,” said JHE Production Group President and CEO Jay Howard. “We are excited by the opportunity to capitalize on those relationships and provide event solutions in the Nashville market.
“Bert is well known throughout Nashville for his keen sense of creative production design and flawless live event direction,” Howard continued. “He embodies our people-first culture and approaches events with the same passion for delivering best-in-class event experiences for every customer.”
JHE Production Group’s Nashville operations will be located at 816 Airpark Center Drive.
For more information, visit gojhe.com.
Ashley Monroe Cancels Six Shows On ‘The Blade Tour’
/by Jessica NicholsonShe posted the following notice on social media:
Due to unforeseen circumstances, I’ve had to postpone the following dates of The Blade Tour. I am so sorry and will post rescheduled dates as they appear
10/1 – Macon, GA @ Cox Capitol Theatre
10/8 – Indianapolis, IN @ The Vogue
10/9 – Grand Rapids, MI @ Intersection
10/10 – Columbus, OH @ Rumba Cafe
11/13 – Springfield, IL @ Boondocks
11/21 – Birmingham, IL @ Workplay Theatre
Monroe’s album of the same name released in July. She is also slated to join Miranda Lambert on several tour dates this fall.
CMHoF To Bring Music Education Program To New York City Public Schools
/by Jessica NicholsonThe Country Music Hall of Fame and Museum will bring its education program, Words & Music, to New York City Public Schools via a partnership with fellow nonprofit Education Through Music, which promotes the integration of music into the curricula for disadvantaged schools.
Students at Pelham Gardens Middle School/MS 566 in the Bronx will co-write an original song under the direction of Grammy-winning songwriter Liz Rose. Students will initially work with Rose through a distance-learning session.
On Oct. 5, Rose will visit MS 566 in the Bronx to meet the class and make final preparations for the song’s premiere performance at the All For The Hall New York benefit concert, slated for Oct. 6. The concert will feature performances from Vince Gill, Emmylou Harris, Brad Paisley, Paul Simon, and Carrie Underwood. Rose and the students will kick off the evening with a performance of the newly-created song.
“For nearly four decades, the Words & Music program has helped students access and express their creativity, while building essential language arts skills,” said museum CEO Kyle Young. “The lyrics the students write can be personal and moving reflections of their real-world experience or offer insights into their imagination, which often leave us in awe. The museum is proud to be able to extend the reach of this learning opportunity to New York City Public Schools via this meaningful partnership with Education Through Music.”
“Education Through Music is delighted to partner with the Country Music Hall of Fame and Museum and to have our students compose and perform their original song under the direction of the talented Liz Rose,” said Katherine Damkohler, executive director of Education Through Music “The students at MS 566 are excited to collaborate on the creation of original lyrics that reflect their personal experiences, and to see their work come to life when they perform alongside the some of the biggest names in country music.”
The Country Music Hall of Fame and Museum and Education Through Music will continue to offer the Words & Music program to New York City Public Schools throughout the 2015–16 academic year. The All for the Hall New York fundraiser will dedicate net proceeds to fund the museum’s education programs, including Words & Music.
Weekly Register: Alabama Returns To Country Charts
/by Sarah SkatesLuke Bryan stays at No. 1 country (No. 9 overall) with Kill The Lights selling 28K. Rounding out the Top 5 is Brett Eldredge with 9.5K, in his second week of release.
Also making debuts on the country chart are releases from Clare Dunn, Leigh Nash, and Joe Ely.
Bryan also has the top country track (No. 17 overall) with “Strip It Down” selling 43K. Thomas Rhett scores the top country debut track with “Die A Happy Man” selling 40K and entering at No. 2. Rounding out the top 5 country tracks are Cam’s “Burning House” (33K), Carrie Underwood’s “Smoke Break” (27K), and Chris Janson’s “Buy Me A Boat” (27K).
On the overall charts, Drake and Future are riding high at No. 1 on the Top 200 with What A Time to Be Alive debuting with 375K (334K album only). Drake’s track, “Hotline Bling,” sits atop the tracks chart selling 104K.
Lana Del Rey debuts at No. 2 on the Top 200 with Honeymoon selling 116K (105K album only). And Ryan Adams’ cover of Taylor Swift’s 1989 debuts at No. 7 selling 56K, while Swift’s original is at No. 8 with 42K.
Info according to Nielsen Soundscan
Turnpike Troubadours debut at No. 3 on the country album chart.
Uphoric TV Network: First To Offer Inside Look at Music Festivals
/by Jessica NicholsonMusic fans will soon get a 360-degree look at the global music festival circuit. Uphoric TV, launched by New York-based entertainment marketing company UG Strategies, aims to become the first “television” network dedicated to documenting music festivals across the globe. The network launches with a multi-year contract with Verizon’s mobile television/video platform, Go90, followed by other digital content platforms.
“What ESPN is for sports, we want to be for festivals,” UG Strategies CEO Parag Bhandari tells MusicRow. “We’ve been working with festivals for years, and we began collecting content two years ago.”
Popular Middle Tennessee festivals Bonnaroo and Music City Food+Wine Festival are among the events to be highlighted as part of Uphoric TV’s initial launch. “With the Music City Food+Wine Festival, we featured Kings of Leon. We put a spotlight on the food as well, and talked with the band about music, food, and Nashville.” Other festivals across the globe highlighted by the network thus far include CMJ, the TBD Fest in Sacramento and the Oasis Festival in Marrakech, Morocco.
Among the network’s initial programming: “Industry Profile,” which spotlights publicists, bookers, festival promoters, celebrity chefs, production designers, costume designers, and more in the festival industry; and “Locals Only,” which features local bands in popular festival cities.
Another program, “On The Road,” highlights festival touring. “For example, we followed band The Struts as they traveled between festivals in the UK,” notes Bhandari.
“All Access” offers longer-form artist interviews. “We really try to do something different, like perhaps we will take a band to ride go-karts in Austin, or try local cuisine at a festival in New Orleans and have them talk about music, but also about the local food culture,” he says.
Programming will first be available in the United States only, via Go90, with additional domestic and international distributers and multi-channel networks to be added over the next six-12 months. Verizon plans to launch the service this month with a mix of live programming, web series and original content.
“The social television, mobile television, Hulu/Netflix model is where we feel the demographic is headed,” says Bhandari, “and we wanted to go with a linear route that allows us to expand.”
Songwriters Announced For The ASCAP GPS Project Live
/by Troy_StephensonThe American Society of Composers, Authors and Publishers (ASCAP) has announced the line-up of songwriters that will make up the ASCAP Guidance from Publishers for Songwriters (GPS) Project LIVE at The Basement on Monday, Sept. 28, beginning at 5 p.m.
Now in its fifth year, the GPS Project aims to display unsigned writers to the Nashville publishing community. Throughout the project, songwriters are paired with publishers for one meeting a month along with a follow-up for critiquing and networking. Additional special activities this year have included a songwriters camp and various networking opportunities.
“We have to remain focused on writer development,” commented ASCAP Associate Director Evyn Mustoe and ASCAP Director Robert Filhart. “GPS gives deserving unsigned writers an opportunity to learn from the best publishers in Nashville, and this show will give every publisher the opportunity to see and hear most of the writers from the current GPS class.”
The 2015 ASCAP GPS Project kicked off in January and will continue through the end of the year.
New West Records GM Ruthig Exits
/by Jessica NicholsonMichael Ruthig
New West Records General Manager Michael Ruthig has exited the label in order to begin Ruthig Consulting.
Bobby Karl Works The Room: Taylor Swift Takes Nashville
/by Bobby KarlBOBBY KARL WORKS THE ROOM
Chapter 509
Taylor Swift and Mick Jagger in Nashville on Sept. 26. Photo: Getty Images
A lucky few got to attend an intimate private party to celebrate Taylor Swift on Saturday (Sept. 26) backstage at Nashville’s Bridgestone Arena.
A small living-room sized area was tented in the rehearsal hall and furnished with beige couches and cocktail tables. Décor also included glass cases containing some of the pop superstar’s costumes. A photo booth was in one corner.
Taylor’s publicist is Tree Paine. She invited her fellow Recording Academy board members to the soiree. Among those accepting were Daniel Hill, Erika Wollam Nichols & Roger Nichols, Jeff Balding, and LeAnn Phelan.
Trey Fanjoy brought Anastasia Brown as her “date.” Phil Thornton brought Taj Johnson-George, who is not only a member of the Grammy-nominated SWV and a 2009 Survivor competitor, but turns out to be a major Taylor Swift fan. She told Taylor that she follows her religiously on social media.
Lisa Harless brought her niece. Julian King, Lori Badgett and Ben Fowler brought their daughters. For Ben’s 10-year-old, it was her first concert, ever.
Taylor greeted each person individually, easily making small talk, especially with the little girls. She autographed a photo for each attendee, personalizing every one. We also each got a souvenir photo with the pop princess.
She joked with Taj that she thought she could take her on. Taylor may have the height, but my money’s on Taj’s Survivor toughness.
Bart Herbison presented Taylor with five No. 1 plaques from the Nashville Songwriters Association. All of them were for songs from her triumphant, eight-million-selling pop collection 1989.
“C’mon, y’all, Yay for Taylor!” he exhorted. We cheered with pleasure.
“Where’s the camera? Let’s take a picture,” said the delighted star.
“It’s my first pop album, but I took my Nashville songwriting sensibilities into the sessions with me,” she added. “That’s what Nashville taught me.
“Thank you for coming to my show. I know how busy you are. You are people I admire and respect so much. Thank you for wanting to spend your Saturday night with me.”
She served us light refreshments and soft drinks. Then momma Andrea Swift took everyone on a backstage tour of the mammoth production. The kids were completely saucer eyed.
On our way into Taylor’s “homecoming” show, we encountered such other fabulons as Victoria Shaw, Peter Cooper, Brandon Heath and Nashville Recording Academy board president Shannon Sanders.
We walked into a concert atmosphere that was deliriously joyous. The audience at a Taylor Swift show is almost as entertaining as the show, itself, with its costumes, homemade signs, battery-powered holiday lights, tutus, headdresses, cat outfits, Taylor-inspired couture and sparkles everywhere. The crowd is simply adorable.
Here’s another cool thing. Taylor’s songs mean so much to them. They sang along to every single lyric of every single song.
Most of the shows on the 1989 Tour have featured surprise celebrity guests. Saturday night’s included two of the greatest, living legend Mick Jagger and awesome vocal phenom Leona Lewis. Taylor rocked “Satisfaction” with the former and sang a soaring rendition of 2008’s No. 1 pop smash “Bleeding Love” with the latter.
The crowd sang, too, and roared deafeningly as each was announced. Jagger wasn’t a surprise to the “lucky few,” since we’d glimpsed him briefly in a hallway backstage. (Friday’s concert featured appearances by Steven Tyler, Kelsea Ballerini and Alison Krauss). The crowd greeted opening acts Vance Joy and Haim with equal enthusiasm.
“Nashville….you have never looked as beautiful as you do, 15,000-strong, on a Saturday night,” said Taylor to the sold-out audience. “I feel like tonight is going to be the crowd of all crowds. And I really want it to be worth your while.”
The concert mainly consisted of material from 1989. She opened with “Welcome to New York,” for instance. But she also offered a few tunes from her years as a country act – “Fifteen” and “Love Story” – plus “We Are Never Ever Getting Back Together.”
The set pieces were simpler than on the Red Tour. A massive video screen backed the three-tiered stage. Twelve athletic male dancers accompanied most songs.
There were nine costume changes. This was sometimes accomplished because of female-empowerment and self-actualization video testimonials from Taylor buddies such as Lena Dunham and Selena Gomez.
A long, long runway extended almost the entire length of the Bridgestone. It rose 20-feet into the air and then rotated like a propeller blade over the audience. Taylor strutted fearlessly on it, in high heels. I wouldn’t walk that elevated thing on a dare, even in sneakers.
But the coolest effect was the light-up bracelet that was taped to every seat in the house. You put it on, and throughout the show, unseen forces made it change color – white, red, green, pink, blue, turquoise – depending on the mood of the song. This synchronized coordination resulted in the lovely vision of the crowd becoming a celestial galaxy.
“You’ve been so generous to me tonight,” said Taylor, “so welcoming, so open.
“I am having such a good time….Getting to hang out with you for two-and-a-half hours is going to be a memory for me. You make me so happy.
“Nashville, I’m going to ask you to sing one last time with me tonight,” she said before beginning the gloriously synth-throbbing “Out of the Woods.” Confetti rained down on our heads as the song reached its crescendo.
Of course it wasn’t the end. We rocked out to the “Shake It Off” finale as even more tons of confetti descended on our heads from the girders.
If you didn’t have a good time, you had to be made of lead.