Michelle Attardi
Dan Hodges Promotes Michelle Attardi
Michelle Attardi has been promoted to Creative Director at Dan Hodges Music. Attardi graduated from Berklee College of Music with honors and has worked at the company for two years, where she is responsible for writer management and song placement for the DHM staff writers and clients. In her new position she will also serve as a liaison between the creative and administrative arms of the company.
“Michelle appreciates the creative process and the people behind it,” said DHM owner Dan Hodges. “She strives to find areas for growth for herself and others and is a complement in all we do.” She can be reached at michelle@danhodgesmusic.com.
Emporium Presents
Dan Steinberg’s Square Peg Concerts and Jason Zink’s Sherpa Concerts have come together to form Emporium Presents. Steiny and Zink have been producing shows together in one form or another since the mid-nineties. The promoters have shared three offices (Denver, Nashville and Seattle), and a fairly sizable staff to produce hundreds of events together annually.
All phone numbers and addresses for the Colorado, Tennessee and Washington offices will remain the same. The Nashville office is located at 3819 Sentinel Dr., Nashville, TN 37209, 615-301-8728. However they now share the new website www.emporiumpresents.com and have new email addresses: steiny@emporiumpresents.com and jason@emporiumpresents.com.
Renee Bell with Winston
Renee Bell Opens Winston Dog
Dog owner and former music industry executive Renee Bell recently opened Winston Dog, a boutique and fluff out bar for dogs of all sizes, in the Hill Center of Green Hills. A weekend of grand opening celebrations will take place on Saturday, June 20 and Sunday, June 21.
The boutique features a fluff out bar where dogs can get a paw scrub, a spritz, a nail trim and more, as well as a high-end collection of canine couture items.
Ten percent of all sales from the grand opening weekend will benefit Tiny But Mighty, an organization focused on celebrating the unbreakable bonds between dogs and people as well as raising awareness and funds for animal welfare and rescue groups including the Nashville Humane Association. Details at winstondog.net.
Pitch, Please Hosts Writers Round
Songplugger group Pitch, Please will host a songwriting round at Soulshine Pizza on June 24. The pitch group consists of representatives from Warner/Chappell, Big Machine Music, ThiS Music, HoriPro, Big Loud Shirt and Kobalt.
Events will begin at 5:00 p.m. Writers include Josh Mirenda, Matt Dragstrem, Jake Scott, Mike Walker, Hunter Phelps, Emily Weisband, Michael Hardy and Laura Veltz.
Katie Kettelhut
Show Dog Hires Katie Kettelhut
Katie Kettelhut has been named Promotion Coordinator for Show Dog Nashville. Kettelhut graduated from the Minnesota School of Business with honors and worked as an intern at TKO Artist Management prior to joining the label. Reach her at katie.kettelhut@showdogmail.com.
Franklin’s Pilgrimage Festival Reveals Full Lineup, From Chris Stapleton To Cage The Elephant
/by Lorie HollabaughThe unique two-day festival at The Park at Harlinsdale Farm, a former walking horse farm, will feature performances on multiple stages, one-of-a-kind artist mashups, local food and beverages, local artisans, and Little Pilgrim’s Landing for kids. Many of the sets will be acoustic.
The previously-announced lineup includes Willie Nelson, John and Jacob, Will Hoge, Sheryl Crow and The Lone Bellow.
Also on the newly-announced list are Wilco, Weezer, The Decemberists, Dr. John, Jimmy Cliff, Punch Brothers, Iron & Wine, Neko Case, Lucius, Preservation Hall Jazz Band, Saint Motel, Nikki Lane, Charles Bradley and His Extraordinaires, Madisen Ward and the Mama Bear, Big Sam’s Funky Nation and The Grand Southern.
Two-day passes are $172, a VIP package is available for $499, and single day passes will also be available at a later date and can be purchased here. A portion of each ticket sold will benefit the City of Franklin and Franklin Parks and MusiCares.
NaSHOF Hosts ‘Hits From The Hall’ At City Winery
/by Kelsey_GradyClockwise: Gretchen Peters, Jim Collins, Shane McAnally
The Nashville Songwriters Hall of Fame (NaSHOF) will host its second “Hits From The Hall” show on Tuesday, June 23, at City Winery Nashville. Hall of Fame member Gretchen Peters will be joined by special guests Jim Collins and Shane McAnally for the 6:30 p.m. show.
The three songwriters will share the stage as they perform hits they’ve written for artists such as Jason Aldean, Kenny Chesney, Miranda Lambert, Martina McBride, Kacey Musgraves, George Strait, Trisha Yearwood and more. The writers will swap stories recounting how the hits were written and recorded, giving the audience a rare glimpse inside the life behind the songs.
Tickets are $20 for downstairs seating; $30 for limited upstairs VIP seating. All seats are reserved and may be purchased online here.
Nashville’s African American Music Museum To Honor Little Richard, CeCe Winans
/by Lorie HollabaughThe new museum, which will celebrate the contributions of African Americans in American culture, is set to open in 2018, and the annual luncheon helps raise money for the museum’s programs and community outreach.
The legends luncheon is held each year to honor and celebrate artists, musicians and songwriters who are influenced by African American music and whose creative contributions have impacted the soundtrack of American culture.
Tickets are $125 and can be purchased online at NMAAM.org.
Cam And Kelsea Ballerini Perform ‘Burning House’ On ‘The Bobby Bones Show’
/by Troy_StephensonKelsea Ballerini (L) and Cam (middle) on The Bobby Bones Show.
iHeartMedia’s nationally syndicated The Bobby Bones Show invited Arista’s Cam to the show Monday (June 15) morning to collaborate with Black River Entertainment’s Kelsea Ballerini on Cam’s new single “Burning House.”
Last week, Cam and Ballerini participated in CMT Next Women of Country, a five-woman in-the-round showcase and discussion at the Country Music Hall of Fame and Museum, where Ballerini sang background harmonies as Cam performed “Burning House.” While the two were at the event, Bobby Bones sent a Tweet to the artists inviting them to perform the song on his show.
Cam also visited The Bobby Bones Show last week during CMA Fest to perform part of the song live on the radio. Since then, the digital sales have increased 8,500 percent.
The song’s lyric video is available on iHeartRadio.com.
“Burning House” is set to impact radio on July 6 and it is featured on Cam’s EP, Welcome To Cam Country, here.
CMA Music Fest: Chris Young, Randy Houser, Swon Brothers, Tanya Tucker, Kayla Adams
/by Kelsey_GradyChris Young Celebrates Three Consecutive Gold Singles And Gold Album
After celebrating his 30th birthday Friday (June 12), Chris Young spent Saturday as the CMA Artist of the Day on the Close Up stage. RCA Records Nashville surprised him with plaques commemorating milestone sales for three consecutive Gold singles: “Aw Naw,” “Who I Am With You,” and “Lonely Eyes,” and a Gold album certification for Neon. To cap off the weekend, the star was elated to take the stage at LP Field in his hometown Saturday night, receiving a standing ovation from the packed stadium.
Pictured (L-R): Alaina Vehec (Director, Digital Sales, Sony Music Nashville), Chris Young, Caryl Healey (VP, Sales, Sony Music Nashville), Taylor Lindsey (Director, A&R, Sony Music Nashville). Photo: Katie Kauss
Randy Houser Receives Standing Ovation With “Like A Cowboy”
Randy Houser gave a show-stopping delivery of his Top 5 hit, “Like A Cowboy” at LP Field on Friday night, bringing the crowd to their feet. Without so much as a soundcheck going into his set that night, Houser and his band also powered through the chart-topping “Runnin’ Outta Moonlight” and Houser’s rollicking new single, “We Went.”
Randy Houser performs at LP Field on Friday, June 12. Photo: Donn Jones
The Swon Brothers Rock The Riverfront Stage at CMA Music Fest
Pictured (L-R) Front row: Vanessa Parker-Davis (Publicist/Splash! PR), Paul Barnabee (Sony Music SVP Marketing), Lesly Simon (Sony Music VP of Radio Promotions/Arista), Zach Swon, Colton Swon, Mike Craft (Sony Music SVP Finance and Operations), Jennifer Tressler (VEVO, SR. Manager Programming & Industry Relations), Risha Rodgers (WME), Sarah Westbrook (Sony Music Director of Marketing), Jeri Cooper (Hill Entertainment Group) Luke Cooper and Holland Hill. Back row: Allen Brown (Sony Music VP, Media & Corporate Communications), Josh Hunter (Hill Entertainment Group), Bob Foglia (Sony Music Marketing and Media Manager), John Sigler (Sony Music Director of National Promotion), Greg Hill (Hill Entertainment Group), Scott Whitley (Hill Entertainment Group), Will Overton (Droptine Music) and Hilary Thoemke (Hill Entertainment Group)
Kayla Adams Pink Guitar Giveaway Winner
SSM Entertainment artist Kayla Adams gave away two pink guitars at her CMA Fest Booth this year. The first winner was 19-year-old Mary Katelyn Price from Tuscaloosa, Ala. Mary Katelyn will be studying music at Belmont University, Adams’ alma mater, beginning this fall.
Photo: Martha Moore/so much MOORE media
Tanya Tucker Plays The Riverfront Stage
Pictured (L-R): APA Nashville’s Frank Wing, Chris Looney, Jeff Howard, Tanya Tucker, Steve Lassiter, Cass Scripps
No. 1 Party: ‘Say You Do’ Writers Find Hit By Getting Lost
/by Sarah SkatesPictured (L-R): “Say You Do” songwriters Shane McAnally, Trevor Rosen and Matthew Ramsey with ASCAP songwriter-artist Dierks Bentley. Photo: Ed Rode
CMA Music Fest may be over, but the industry keeps on partying. Yesterday (June 15) ASCAP hosted a No. 1 party for Dierks Bentley’s “Say You Do.” Immediately afterward, his UMG Nashville labelmate Kacey Musgraves celebrated her new album with a listening party at Play, but that’s another story.
“Say You Do” is Bentley’s 13th career No. 1, and the first one he didn’t write. Accordingly, he thanked his label team and album executive producer Arturo Buenahora for conducting an extensive song search for Riser. This is the third No. 1 from the project. The title track and follow-up single went to radio yesterday.
“Say You Do” was written by Shane McAnally, Trevor Rosen and Matthew Ramsey. All three thanked Bentley for his devotion to the craft of songwriting and for being open to cutting outside songs when he is such a talented writer himself.
While McAnally was marking his eleventh No. 1 at the party, he was also basking in a twelfth charttopper—as a co-wrtier on Kenny Chesney’s “Wild Child” which hit No. 1 yesterday.
Old Dominion bandmates Ramsey and Rosen were toasting their first and second No. 1s, respectively. In concert, the band performs “Say You Do” and have loved the thrill of fans singing it back to them.
Rosen thanked McAnally for floating him with a monthly draw when he was between publishing deals. The no-strings-attached deal evolved into their publishing relationship. “I can’t even believe I get to be a part of this,” said Rosen.
ASCAP’s Mike Sistad led the ceremony. Publishers Music Of RPM, Rehits Music, SMACKSongs, Sonic Geo Music and Universal Music Publishing were on hand to congratulate the group. “I stand in awe of your talent,” saluted Rehits’ Ree Guyer Buchanan. UMPG’s Cyndi Forman recalled loving the song so much she played the work tape over and over. Mike Dungan represented UMG Nashville. Charlie Monk spoke on behalf of the CRB. Riser producer Ross Copperman was there to celebrate as well.
Ramsey recalled Sistad’s support early in his career. “Mike heard a glimmer in there,” he said. The PRO rep gave him some valuable advice which he took to heart: “Nobody works harder at this than you—except your wife.”
Ramsey also received words of wisdom from his grandfather before he moved to Nashville, who told him “to get lost on purpose.” In Ramsey’s early days he would drive around exploring the city.
He’s still following that advice, but in a more metaphorical way. When McAnally showed up to write what would become “Say You Do,” he was working with the lines “Say you might/ For tonight,” but didn’t know where the lyrics were going. They decided to get lost on purpose and find out. Turns out it led straight to No. 1.
Industry Ink: Dan Hodges Music, Show Dog, Renee Bell, Emporium Presents, Pitch Please Pluggers
/by Lorie HollabaughMichelle Attardi
Dan Hodges Promotes Michelle Attardi
Michelle Attardi has been promoted to Creative Director at Dan Hodges Music. Attardi graduated from Berklee College of Music with honors and has worked at the company for two years, where she is responsible for writer management and song placement for the DHM staff writers and clients. In her new position she will also serve as a liaison between the creative and administrative arms of the company.
“Michelle appreciates the creative process and the people behind it,” said DHM owner Dan Hodges. “She strives to find areas for growth for herself and others and is a complement in all we do.” She can be reached at michelle@danhodgesmusic.com.
Emporium Presents
Dan Steinberg’s Square Peg Concerts and Jason Zink’s Sherpa Concerts have come together to form Emporium Presents. Steiny and Zink have been producing shows together in one form or another since the mid-nineties. The promoters have shared three offices (Denver, Nashville and Seattle), and a fairly sizable staff to produce hundreds of events together annually.
All phone numbers and addresses for the Colorado, Tennessee and Washington offices will remain the same. The Nashville office is located at 3819 Sentinel Dr., Nashville, TN 37209, 615-301-8728. However they now share the new website www.emporiumpresents.com and have new email addresses: steiny@emporiumpresents.com and jason@emporiumpresents.com.
Renee Bell with Winston
Renee Bell Opens Winston Dog
Dog owner and former music industry executive Renee Bell recently opened Winston Dog, a boutique and fluff out bar for dogs of all sizes, in the Hill Center of Green Hills. A weekend of grand opening celebrations will take place on Saturday, June 20 and Sunday, June 21.
The boutique features a fluff out bar where dogs can get a paw scrub, a spritz, a nail trim and more, as well as a high-end collection of canine couture items.
Ten percent of all sales from the grand opening weekend will benefit Tiny But Mighty, an organization focused on celebrating the unbreakable bonds between dogs and people as well as raising awareness and funds for animal welfare and rescue groups including the Nashville Humane Association. Details at winstondog.net.
Pitch, Please Hosts Writers Round
Songplugger group Pitch, Please will host a songwriting round at Soulshine Pizza on June 24. The pitch group consists of representatives from Warner/Chappell, Big Machine Music, ThiS Music, HoriPro, Big Loud Shirt and Kobalt.
Events will begin at 5:00 p.m. Writers include Josh Mirenda, Matt Dragstrem, Jake Scott, Mike Walker, Hunter Phelps, Emily Weisband, Michael Hardy and Laura Veltz.
Katie Kettelhut
Show Dog Hires Katie Kettelhut
Katie Kettelhut has been named Promotion Coordinator for Show Dog Nashville. Kettelhut graduated from the Minnesota School of Business with honors and worked as an intern at TKO Artist Management prior to joining the label. Reach her at katie.kettelhut@showdogmail.com.
Signing Pics: New West Inks All Them Witches, SESAC Signs David Adam Byrnes
/by Sarah SkatesNew West Signs All Them Witches
New West Records has signed Nashville psych-rock band All Them Witches. The band’s forthcoming third studio album will be released in the fall.
New West President John Allen said, “When I first saw All Them Witches live I was immediately struck by their creativity and raw energy as a rock band. If there’s one defining factor of all New West artists it’s that they all know who exactly they are and there’s immense gravity in that. We at New West are very excited to be part of All Them Witches’ epic vision and believe their potential is limitless.”
The band’s single, “Charles Williams,” from 2014 album, Lightning At The Door, received impressive airplay on WRLT Lightning 100. All Them Witches also played a prime spot at Bonnaroo over the weekend.
Pictured (front row L-R): Ben McLeod, Robby Staebler, Allan Van Cleave of All Them Witches;
(Back Row): John Strohm, Loeb and Loeb; Michael Parks, All Them Witches; John Allen, New West; Santo Pullella, management
SESAC Signs David Adam Byrnes
Artist/songwriter David Adam Byrnes has signed with SESAC for representation. The Arkansas native recently released new single, “Alcoholiday.” He has opened shows for Chris Young, David Nail, Colt Ford, Justin Moore and Thompson Square.
Pictured (L-R): SESAC’s Shannan Hatch and Byrnes. Photo: Bev Moser
Cold River Records’ Katie Armiger Takes A Career Break
/by Troy_StephensonKatie Armiger
Cold River Records’ President Pete O’Heeron announced that artist Katie Armiger will be taking a “breather” to pursue other career aspirations. During the last nine years Armiger has released four albums with Cold River Records, headlined two national tours, and made her debut on the Grand Ole Opry.
“It has been the thrill of a lifetime to work with her and watch her blossom into one of the best singer-songwriters of her generation,” says O’Heeron. “Katie is a special talent and an even better person. Watching her grow and reach for her goals has been so much fun…. We care deeply for Katie as a person and artist. To our radio partners, we thank each of you for your support and friendship through the years. We hope to have an opportunity to thank each of you in person and we will be in touch very soon.”
O’Heeron adds that there are currently no plans to reduce staff at Cold River and will have more information about the label’s future in the next few days.
Heather McBee Upped At Project Music Vertical
/by Lorie HollabaughHeather McBee
Heather McBee has been named Program Director for the Project Music Vertical Program. McBee rises to the position from Industry Lead for Project Music’s accelerator program.
In her new position McBee will focus on expanding Project Music from a 14-week accelerator program to a year-round offering for music tech companies. She will also serve as a mentor to entrepreneurs and management teams that participate in the center’s accelerators. Project Music graduated eight startup companies from its program in April, and the companies have already collectively raised over $2 million in private investment.
“I am excited to have Heather join our team in this expanded role,” said Stuart McWhorter, President and CEO of The Nashville Entrepreneur Center. “Her background and experience in the music industry, along with her earlier success at the Nashville Entrepreneur Center as the Industry Lead for Project Music, significantly enhances our continued support of music-based businesses.”
McBee has 25 years of experience in marketing, sales and operations in the music industry. She served as VP/Marketing & Web Initiatives at Sony Nashville and at Cumulus Media’s America’s Morning Show as Operations Director where she worked until 2014. At Cumulus she helped launch the nationally syndicated program and acted as liaison for record labels and affiliates.
“I am thrilled to see the EC continue to strategically invest by adding a veteran of Heather’s caliber to the staff. She will be an important resource to all project music companies,” said former Sony Music Chairman and EC Master Mentor, Joe Galante.
McBee said, “I’m honored to have the opportunity to continue working with Stuart (McWhorter) and Joe (Galante) to build the EC’s presence in music and music tech. Music-minded entrepreneurs have very unique needs, and this is our chance to build a community to foster more growth and development in one of Nashville’s core business verticals.”