Sony/ATV Signs Andy Wills
Sony/ATV has signed songwriter Andy Wills to an exclusive publishing agreement.
Wills is also affiliated with Torrez Music Group.
He is an accomplishede writer who penned Jerrod Niemann’s current single “Blue Bandana” which is rocketing up the country charts. “Blue Bandana” has set a new benchmark for Neimann, earning him the best country radio impact week of his career.
Pictured (L-R) Nathan J. Drake, Dickinson Wright PLLC; Alex Torrez, Torrez Music Group; Andy Wills; Terry Wakefield, Sony/ATV Music Publishing; Derek Crownover, Dickinson Wright PLLC.
Change The Conversation Visits SOURCE
SOURCE, an organization of women music executives in Nashville, held its monthly members luncheon at ASCAP on July 23, 2015, and welcomed the founders of Change the Conversation as guest speakers.
On hand to speak were CMT Sr. VP Music Strategy Leslie Fram, Rounder Records VP A&R Tracy Gershon and MTSU Recording Industry Department Chair and journalist Beverly Keel. They started Change the Conversation to advocate the factual feminine advantages inside the entertainment community through information, shared successes and exposing misconceptions.
(L-R): Tracy Gershon, Leslie Fram and Beverly Keel
Music Pub Works Visits Washington DC
Music Pub Works senior executives Denise Zavitson and Jill Napier recently traveled to Washington, D.C. to present the company’s proprietary publishing software to the United States Copyright Office.
MPW, a subsidiary of Zavitson Music Group, is a cloud-based web application that provides a streamlined approach to managing all aspects of cataloging, registering, pitching, and revenue collection for songs.
Zavitson and Napier demonstrated the software’s capability of tracking copyrighted material from artistic inception to the point of revenue generation, as well as its Application Program Interface (API) capabilities. While in D.C., Zavitson and Napier also had meetings with Representative Marsha Blackburn’s office, the Recording Industry Association of America and the National Music Publishers Association.
Pictured at the U.S. Copyright office (L-R): Michelle Choe, Denise Zavitson, Sarang Damle, Steve Ruwe, Jill Napier, Rick Marshall, and John Riley
LeAnn Rimes to Release Next Holiday Album with Tour
/by Lorie HollabaughLeAnn Rimes
LeAnn Rimes will the release a new album, titled Today is Christmas, due out this fall as the second holiday album in a series announced last year. The album is a special project with Kobalt Label Services.
This second-year holiday tour will take her to the west coast from December 4-20 for the Today is Christmas Tour. Ellee Duke will open the outing.
“I wait for Christmas all year long, it’s my absolute favorite holiday,” says Rimes. “I can’t wait to share some of my new original Christmas songs with my fans as well as my favorite classics. I am looking forward to making more holiday memories with my fans this year.”
Today is Christmas Tour dates:
December 4 – Tacoma, WA – Emerald Queen Casino
December 5 – Bellingham, WA – Mount Baker Theater
December 6 – Grande Ronde, OR – Spirit Mountain Casino
December 8 – Santa Rosa, CA – Wells Fargo Center for the Arts
December 11 – Tracy, CA – Grand Theater Center for the Arts
December 12 – Merced, CA – Merced Theatre
December 13 – Malibu, CA – Pepperdine University
December 18 – Chandler, AZ – Wild Horse Pass Hotel & Casino
December 19 – Laughlin, NV – Edgewater Hotel & Casino
December 20 – Palm Desert, CA – McCallum Theater of the Performing Arts
Meghan Trainor’s MTRAIN Tour Grinds To A Halt
/by Sarah SkatesMeghan Trainor
Meghan Trainor is canceling the remainder of her tour. She shared the news with fans today (Aug. 11) on her Facebook page, citing a hemorrhaged vocal cord. She said she will undergo surgery to correct the problem.
Trainor’s MTRAIN Tour was supposed to include an Aug. 15 stop at Nashville’s Ryman Auditorium.
The outing, promoted exclusively by Live Nation, kicked off July 3 in Atlantic City, NJ. She played international dates throughout the summer in the UK, Australia, Singapore, Japan, Denmark, Germany and Italy. Her stateside concerts were scheduled through mid-September.
Trainor’s Facebook post.
CMA Week to Include Celeb Fashion Show
/by Lorie HollabaughThe show will feature off-beat looks ranging from street style to stage costumes and runway-ready designs, and more than 80 styles will be modeled in the one-hour fashion extravaganza. The event will also include entertainment from very special musical guests that will be announced closer to show time.
The invitation-only catwalk event is being organized by Neste Event Marketing and celebrity stylist Christiev Alphin, and will be held at Sylvia Roberts’ home, which many may know from its appearances on the ABC-TV show Nashville. Tickets go on sale Aug. 10, and purchasers must be on the invite list and enter their first and last name and a special show code to buy tickets.
A full list of designers, models and entertainers will be announced at a later date. For more information about the special event visit www.offtherecordnashville.com.
Chris Janson’s Warner Bros. Debut Coming This Fall
/by Lorie HollabaughProducer Byron Gallimore, President & CEO of WMN John Esposito and VP A&R, Cris Lacy in the studio with Janson as he records his new album.
In between a busy summer touring schedule, Chris Janson has been in the studio with producers Byron Gallimore, Chris DuBois, and Brent Anderson working on his debut album for Warner Bros. Nashville. It is on track for release this fall.
The project will feature Janson’s hot debut single for the label, “Buy Me A Boat,” which shot into the Top 10 after 13 weeks on the charts and is nearing gold certification with over 475,000 downloads. “Buy Me A Boat” has also been streamed more than six million times on Spotify, and the video has been viewed more than 3.2 million times on YouTube.
“I can’t tell you how happy I am to have this music coming out,” Janson said. “I’ve been writing nonstop for 10 years, so material was not a problem. My A&R rep said we have two albums of material. I have songs about boats, love, kids, back in my drinkin’ days and Jesus. It will definitely be a piece of Chris Janson.”
Janson has been opening for Toby Keith’s Good Times & Pick Up Lines Tour and playing fairs and festivals around the country this summer.
Lifenotes: Singer Audrey Auld
/by Sarah SkatesPhoto from Audrey Auld’s official Facebook page.
Singer-songwriter Audrey Auld-Mezera, a one time Nashvillian, died on Sunday, Aug. 9 following a battle with cancer. She was 51 and had been living in California.
The Australia native’s full-length solo debut The Fallen was nominated for Best Country Album by the Australian Recording Industry Association (ARIA). During her career she also received a second ARIA nomination.
Auld worked with musicians including Bill Chambers, Kieran Kane, Fred Eaglesmith, Mary Gauthier, Dale Watson, Kasey Chambers, and Carrie Rodriguez. Auld’s music was used on television shows Justified, Longmire, NCIS: New Orleans and The Good Guys.
In recent years she hosted songwriting workshops for inmates in San Quentin Prison. Her final album, Hey Warden, was inspired by those experiences and released earlier this year.
She is survived by husband, Mez Mezera. Funeral arrangements have not been announced.
Songwriter News: Hits From The Hall, SNG Signing, Belmont
/by Sarah SkatesHits From The Hall at City Winery
The Nashville Songwriters Hall of Fame (NaSHOF) will host its third Hits From The Hall show on Tuesday, Aug. 25, at City Winery Nashville. Hall of Fame members Gary Burr (“Nobody Wants To Be Lonely”) and Roger Cook (“Long Cool Woman In A Black Dress”) will be joined by special guest Josh Kear (“Need You Now”) for the 6:30 p.m. show. Tickets are $20 for downstairs seating; $30 for limited upstairs VIP seating. All seats are reserved and may be purchased beginning Thursday, Aug. 13, at citywinery.com/nashville or by contacting the venue at (615) 324-1010.
SNG Signs Marianne Allison
SNG Music has signed artist/songwriter Marianne Allison to an exclusive global publishing agreement.
The Ocean Springs, MS native was nominated for Country Female Artist of the Year in 2015 by New Music Weekly and has had two No. 1 singles on Indie World Country Record Report. She has also had television and film sync success and won multiple international songwriting competitions, including The John Lennon Songwriting Contest.
Pictured (L-R) standing: Gary Reamey (Partner), Erin Kidd (Dir. of Promotion & Administration), Steve Leslie (Partner), and seated: Marianne Allison
Belmont University’s Songwriter’s Association announces its new leadership board for the 2015-2016 school year, comprised of students Emma Place, Ashleigh Smith, Casey Cattie and Allie Herring. BUSA’s purpose is to unite all student songwriters into one community while providing learning and performance opportunities.
NSAI recognizes BUSA as one of its chapters. BUSA seminars in the past have included talks from Tom Douglas, Cole Taylor, Jimmy Robbins, Luke Laird, Barry Dean, Natalie Hemby and many more.
Dan + Shay Find Right Kind Of Crazy for Fall Tour
/by Lorie Hollabaugh“We are PUMPED to hit the road this fall with a newly designed set list and light show!” said Smyers. “And we’re really excited to have our good friend Kelsea Ballerini on a handful of the dates. As always, we look forward to meeting as many fans as possible at the shows. See y’all out there!”
Dan + Shay’s Just The Right Kind of Crazy Tour dates:
Oct. 1 – Headliners Music Hall, Louisville, Kentucky
Oct. 2 – Rave, Milwaukee, Wisconsin
Oct. 3 – LC Pavilion WCOL Fest, Columbus, Ohio
Oct. 4 – Penn State, University Park, Pennsvlvania
Oct. 8 – The Mann Center, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania*
Oct. 9 – The Emporium, Patchogue, New York*
Oct. 10 – The National, Richmond, Virginia*
Oct. 11 – The Fillmore, Silver Spring, Maryland*
Oct. 15 – Mill City Nights, Minneapolis, Minnesota*
Oct. 16 – The Blue Note, Columbia, Missouri
Oct. 18 – The Intersection, Grand Rapids, Michigan*
Oct. 21 – UCF Arena, Orlando, Florida
Oct. 22 – University of West Florida, Pensacola, Florida
Oct. 23 – Naval Air Station, Jacksonville, Florida*
Oct. 24 – Iron City, Birmingham, Alabama*
*Denotes dates with Kelsea Ballerini as special guest
Tracy Lawrence Radio Show Scores Syndication
/by Troy_StephensonTracy Lawrence
Tracy Lawrence’s radio show, Honky Tonkin’ with Tracy Lawrence, will make it syndicated debut at 12 p.m. CT, Sunday, Aug. 16 on Nashville’s WSM-AM.
The three-hour show, produced by Silverfish and syndicated through Compass Media Networks, features hits from the 1980s, ‘90s and early 2000s, interviews and special guests (which have previously included Reba McEntire, John Anderson, and more), contests, prizes and audience interaction through calls and social media.
“I’m so excited about WSM picking up my show,” Lawrence said. “It is such a huge thing for the show to be heard not only in Nashville but through all of our affiliates around the country. I started hosting ‘Honky Tonkin’’ in January with the desire to keep more of the traditional country sound alive with an emphasis on honky-tonk music. I feel that there is such a huge demand from the fans for this [type of programming], and with WSM picking up the show, it really validates that point. Let’s keep it country.”
Honky Tonkin’ with Tracy Lawrence has secured more than 30 stations in its first six months of existence.
“Tracy Lawrence is one of the core artists of our format who can genuinely reach out to his fans and constantly builds an audience that is loyal and true to him,” said Dean Warfield, program director for 650 AM WSM.
Lawrence has over a dozen radio hits (“Sticks and Stones,” “Alibis,” “Texas Tornado,” “Time Marches On,” “Paint Me A Birmingham,” “Find Out Who Your Friends Are”), and over 13 million albums sold. He does almost 100 live appearances each year.
Industry Pics: Sony/ATV, SOURCE, Music Pub Works
/by Sarah SkatesSony/ATV Signs Andy Wills
Sony/ATV has signed songwriter Andy Wills to an exclusive publishing agreement.
Wills is also affiliated with Torrez Music Group.
He is an accomplishede writer who penned Jerrod Niemann’s current single “Blue Bandana” which is rocketing up the country charts. “Blue Bandana” has set a new benchmark for Neimann, earning him the best country radio impact week of his career.
Pictured (L-R) Nathan J. Drake, Dickinson Wright PLLC; Alex Torrez, Torrez Music Group; Andy Wills; Terry Wakefield, Sony/ATV Music Publishing; Derek Crownover, Dickinson Wright PLLC.
Change The Conversation Visits SOURCE
SOURCE, an organization of women music executives in Nashville, held its monthly members luncheon at ASCAP on July 23, 2015, and welcomed the founders of Change the Conversation as guest speakers.
On hand to speak were CMT Sr. VP Music Strategy Leslie Fram, Rounder Records VP A&R Tracy Gershon and MTSU Recording Industry Department Chair and journalist Beverly Keel. They started Change the Conversation to advocate the factual feminine advantages inside the entertainment community through information, shared successes and exposing misconceptions.
(L-R): Tracy Gershon, Leslie Fram and Beverly Keel
Music Pub Works Visits Washington DC
Music Pub Works senior executives Denise Zavitson and Jill Napier recently traveled to Washington, D.C. to present the company’s proprietary publishing software to the United States Copyright Office.
MPW, a subsidiary of Zavitson Music Group, is a cloud-based web application that provides a streamlined approach to managing all aspects of cataloging, registering, pitching, and revenue collection for songs.
Zavitson and Napier demonstrated the software’s capability of tracking copyrighted material from artistic inception to the point of revenue generation, as well as its Application Program Interface (API) capabilities. While in D.C., Zavitson and Napier also had meetings with Representative Marsha Blackburn’s office, the Recording Industry Association of America and the National Music Publishers Association.
Pictured at the U.S. Copyright office (L-R): Michelle Choe, Denise Zavitson, Sarang Damle, Steve Ruwe, Jill Napier, Rick Marshall, and John Riley
‘MusicRow’ Exclusive: Pete Fisher Leads Opry’s 90 Year Tradition
/by Eric T. ParkerPete Fisher. Photo: Chris Hollo.
In 1999 Pete Fisher joined the Opry’s leadership team with a focus on maintaining the brand’s cultural significance. Sixteen years later, his efforts have paid off.
MusicRow outlines those achievements in an in-depth print piece, found in the 2015 Artist Roster. The Opry Vice President/General Manager goes into further detail about star inductions and the memories he treasures most from his experiences.
“During my tenure here, we’ve inducted Mel Tillis, Charlie Daniels, the Del McCoury Band, Ralph Stanley, The Oak Ridge Boys,” recalls Fisher to MusicRow during a recent visit to his Opryland offices. “Contemporary-wise it’s been Brad Paisley, Carrie Underwood, Keith Urban, Little Big Town, Darius Rucker, and Old Crow Medicine Show, whose music ties back to the late ‘20s on the Opry.
“Opry membership has always been determined by the management of the time. I believe I’m the seventh manager in the Opry’s history. With that comes varying philosophies from the way it might have been done previously.
“It’s basically a decision Steve Buchanan and I make. The factors we considers are divided into two pieces. One is career accomplishment: artists who have achieved and sustained a respectable level of success. We almost have to think what a name will mean 20 years down the road in country music. The other piece is more the intangible: the emotional or relationship. When the artist is here as a guest performer, do we really see a genuine emotional connection to what the Opry is and what it stands for? It’s not about who’s the biggest name in country music, or who loves the Opry the most or how many times they have performed as a guest artist. It’s kind of a combination.”
Surviving over a decade and a half of time backstage saw Fisher literally paddling through murky waters, during the 2010 Nashville flood, and helming the reemergence of the now 90 year old institution.
“The memories I’ll treasure the most are probably the one-on-one interactions with people like Jimmy Dickens or Porter Wagoner and Jim Ed Brown,” he sums. “Nothing touches that for me. Those are precious memories.”
Pick up your copy of the MusicRow Artist Roster to read more on the Opry’s 90th Anniversary celebration and what to expect in the future.