One aspiring artist will get a shot at performing during this year’s CMA Music Festival, thanks to AT&T U-Verse. The Country Deep Rising Star Contest is offering rising performers a chance to attend the 2015 CMA Music Festival and to perform on the AT&T U-Verse Showcase Stage.
The winner will join a packed lineup that includes appearances from Lauren Alaina, Katie Armiger, Craig Campbell, Amber Carrington, Kristy Lee Cook, Joel Crouse, Jessie James Decker, Travis Denning, Eric Dodd, Cale Dodds, Elizabeth Huett, Savannah Keyes, Ryan Kinder, Love and Theft, Rachele Lynae, Dustin Lynch, MamaDear, Kristen Merlin, Katie Ohh, Angaleena Presley, Rainey Qualley, Ray Scott, Sister C, The Railers, Aaron Watson, and more to be announced.
Interested artists can apply at risingstar.att.com through May 10.
CMA Music Festival’s Fan Fair X has contest opportunities for fans with no musical ambitions, as well.
For many of the artist appearances at Fan Fair X, most signings do not require tickets. Fans can freely join the line formations for autographs and meet-and-greets for non-ticketed artist signings.
Fans can sign up for the ticket drawing for meet and greet sessions, fan experiences including front-row seats at the CMA Close Up Stage, a “Fast Pass” for the CMA booth, tickets to the 2016 CMA Music Festival, and more. Fans can enter to win these experiences at cmafest.com from May 28 (beginning at 10 a.m. CT) through June 1 (ending at 11:59 p.m. CT).
Fans will be prompted to create an account and complete the online entry form by selecting the artist they would like to meet from the list of ticketed meet-and-greet sessions. Only one account per person is permitted and fans can only be selected once.
Once the form is complete, fans are automatically entered into the random ticket drawing for each artist selected. If drawn, the fan will receive two tickets to that session. Winners will be notified by email by Friday, June 5.
AT&T U-verse Fan Fair X is free to all CMA Music Festival LP Field ticket holders. Individual tickets are $10 per day. A $25 for a four-day pass, or $35 four-day pass including one general admission into the Country Music Hall of Fame and Museum for 2015 is available at CMAfest.com.
‘American Idol’ To End in 2016
/by Jessica NicholsonThe 2015-2016 season will once again see host Ryan Seacrest, along with judges Keith Urban, Harry Connick, Jr., and Jennifer Lopez, on board for the show’s final run.
Fox Networks Group co-chief Gary Newman stated that the decision to cancel the show was not an easy one, but “we all felt collectively it was time to bring American Idol to an end.” He says the final, 15th run “will be a true season-long celebration,” and producers are looking for “surprises we can have for fans” that will make the farewell as “significant as the run it had on our network.”
Once a ratings juggernaut, American Idol‘s ratings have been in decline for the past several seasons. The show’s 11th season in 2012 opened to 21.6 million viewers, a 17 percent drop from 2011. The 2013 season (season 12) premiered to 17.9 million viewers, down 19 percent from 2012. The 2014 season (season 13) premiere of Idol also saw a decline in viewers between ages 18-49, drawing 15.2 million viewers. Idol‘s season 14 premiere this year brought in 11.2 million viewers.
At its peak in 2007, Idol opened to 37.4 million viewers.
Idol, created by Simon Fuller, began airing stateside in 2002, and became a ratings juggernaut for several seasons, thanks in part to the razor-sharp wit of Simon Cowell, who was an American Idol judge for the show from 2002-2010.
American Idol has produced several notable artists including Kelly Clarkson (season 1 winner), Carrie Underwood (season 4 winner), and Scotty McCreery (season 10 winner), and Academy award-winner Jennifer Hudson (season 3 finalist).
Lady A Kicks Up Their ‘Wheels’
/by Sarah SkatesThe Wheels Up Tour opens in Lubbock.
Lady Antebellum’s Wheels Up 2015 Tour lifted off last weekend and will continue in Bossier City (5/8) and Lafayette, LA (5/9) this weekend.
The 65-city outing is presented by Quicken Loans and features special guests Hunter Hayes and Sam Hunt.
During opening weekend the tour descended on Lubbock, Houston and Dallas, Texas. In Dallas the group surprised superfan Vira Crouse, a single mother of three from Colorado, with a year’s worth of mortgage relief as part of their 7FOR7 initiative in partnership with Quicken Loans.
Opening night in Lubbock.
Ashley Clark Plots I.R.S. Nashville Debut
/by Sarah SkatesI.R.S. Nashville will release Ashley Clark’s debut EP, Greyhound, on June 9. The first single and title track is out now and will impact country radio May 18. See the music video below.
Clark’s full-length debut will be released later this year. The album was produced by Mutt Lange (AC/DC , Def Leppard, Shania Twain, Maroon 5, Muse) as they collaborated over a two year period.
Lange and Clark were introduced by manager Simon Fuller. “I had been looking for a country singer to work with and Ashley ticked all the boxes,” says Lange. “He has an incredible range and can sing anything. He’s a very talented writer, and as a musician…he’s an animal.”
Clark is one of 11 children born to a traveling Pentecostal preacher. At age five he was given a fiddle and joined the family band which performed at churches, tent revivals and festivals.
He eventually joined Carrie Underwood’s band and spent more than two years on the road with her, which is how he met Fuller.
Greyhound track listing
1. Greyhound
2. To The Moon
3. Do What You Do
4. Buy You Beer
5. Heaven Would Hurt
‘Nashville’ Actor and Singer Chris Carmack Preps Solo EP
/by Jessica NicholsonChris Carmack of the recently renewed ABC drama Nashville, will make the jump from portraying a rising country singer-songwriter to releasing his own independent EP.
Pieces of You, featuring the single “Being Alone,” is slated for a spring release. The project was produced by Ben Fowler (Lynyrd Skynyrd) and Phoenix Mendoza.
Equally as confident in his songwriting abilities as his acting abilities, Carmack is the sole writer on “Being Alone.” “‘Being Alone’ is about a young person’s solitary struggle to discover his own identity while trying to adhere to the stifling plans and expectations of others,” Carmack said. “The entire EP is comprised of songs I wrote when I was in Los Angeles trying to do just that: find my identity in a world that had no shortage of opinions about who I should be.”
Carmack joins several Nashville cast members who have released music outside of the show. Lennon and Maisy Stella, who portray Rayna Jaymes’ daughters Daphne and Maddie, released a live EP in 2012. Jonathan Jackson (Avery Barkley) and his band Enation signed with Loud and Proud Records in 2013. Fellow cast members Charles Esten, Clare Bowen, and Sam Palladio also have new music in the works.
Lucky Nashville fans might get the chance to hear the new single in person, as Carmack is currently on the eight-city Nashville tour, which runs through May 10. Carmack also has upcoming shows in Sioux City and West Des Moines, Iowa, before making his CMA Music Fest debut at the Belk Park Stage on June 13.
Artist Updates: Sheryl Crow, Cole Swindell, Frankie Ballard, Clay Walker
/by Jessica NicholsonSheryl Crow To Headline Nashville Cancer Research Charity Concert
The concert will benefit the Van Andel Institute, a biomedical research facility dedicated to finding the origins of cancer and Parkinson’s disease.
“In 2013, more than 36,000 Tennesseans were diagnosed with cancer – and more than 1.6 million Americans got the same terrible news,” said Crow. “As a country, we need to do more to stop cancer. I visited Van Andel Institute last summer and was impressed by what I saw; the Institute understands there is no time to waste.”
Hosts include Brent and Tami Peterson, and coach Phillip Fulmer. Speakers include David Van Andel (Chairman and CEO/Van Andel Institute),
Peter Jones, Ph.D., D.Sc. (Van Andel Research Institute Research Director), and Jim Nicolette (Associate Director, Van Andel Education Institute).
Blair Garner of America’s Morning Show on NASH FM, serves as emcee. A VIP reception precedes the concert at 5:30 p.m. The event is open to the public. Tickets are $89/general admission and $200/VIP, and can be purchased at www.vai.org.
Cole Swindell Gets Special Honor During Chesney’s The Big Revival Tour
Cole Swindell was presented with his very own jersey at Levi’s Stadium last Saturday where he performed as part of Kenny Chesney’s The Big Revival Tour.
Pictured (L-R): Christopher Giles (Director of Business Operations, San Francisco 49ers), Cole Swindell, Al Guido (COO, San Francisco 49ers).
Frankie Ballard Contributes Song To New Film Hot Pursuit
Frankie Ballard. Photo: Sam Erickson
Warner Bros. Records recording artist Frankie Ballard is getting his first cinematic moment in the new film Hot Pursuit. The movie starring Reese Witherspoon and Sofia Vergara opens Friday and features Ballard’s bluesy anthem “Drinky Drink” from his 2014 project Sunshine & Whiskey.
“I’m very honored that music I made will be heard in a feature film. I’ve always hoped this song would see the light of day and now it is! I haven’t laid eyes on the scene yet, but hopefully it’s a sexy place for ‘Drinky Drink’ to live forever. I know one thing, if Sophia Vergara and Reese Witherspoon are dancing to it … my life will never be the same,” laughs Ballard.
Clay Walker To Hold Sixth Annual Chords of Hope Benefit Concert in Nashville
Clay Walker
Clay Walker will host the sixth annual Chords of Hope Benefit Concert at 3rd & Lindsley during Nashville’s CMA Fest on Wednesday, June 10.The concert, presented by Teva Pharmaceutical Industries Ltd., sponsored by Pinnacle Financial Partners and produced by Clay’s charity Band Against MS (BAMS), will help raise money and awareness for multiple sclerosis (MS) research with proceeds going to the MS Center at Vanderbilt University Medical Center. Doors open at 6:30 p.m. and tickets are now available here via Eventbrite.
“Every year we have had such an amazing turnout at Chords of Hope which only fuels my passion to keep the annual benefit going for years to come,” said Walker.
Lynyrd Skynyrd Featured On ‘CMT Crossroads’ For Second Time
/by Eric T. ParkerPictured (L-R): Lynyrd Skynyrd, Brantley Gilbert
A decade after Lynyrd Skynyrd made their first appearance on the music series CMT Crossroads (with Montgomery Gentry, 2004), the rockers return to the Franklin, Tenn. stage for a collaboration with Brantley Gilbert on Saturday, June 27 at 9 p.m. CT on CMT.
Gilbert will release Just As I Am Platinum Edition on May 18, which features five unreleased tracks, in addition to a remix of the chart-topping “Bottoms Up” featuring rapper T.I.
On May 17, Gilbert will vie for Top Country Artist and Top Country Album at the Billboard Music Awards, airing live from Las Vegas on ABC at 8/7c. The Georgia native took home the first fan-voted Renegade Award earlier this year at the iHeartRadio Music Awards. He will join Kenny Chesney’s The Big Revival Tour for select dates this summer.
CMT Crossroads is produced by Kathryn Russ. John Hamlin, Margaret Comeaux and Bill Flanagan serve as executive producers for CMT.
Sony/ATV Signs Belmont University Sophomore
/by Eric T. ParkerPictured (L-R): Ed Williams (Sony ATV Music), James I. Elliott (Songwriting Chair, Belmont University), Maddie Larkin, Troy Tomlinson (President/CEO Sony ATV Music Nashville). Photo: Andrea Hallgren
Belmont University songwriting major Maddie Larkin has signed a publishing deal with Sony/ATV Music Publishing through her participation in the Curb College of Entertainment and Music Business’s All Access program.
President and CEO of Sony/ATV Music Nashville Troy Tomlinson said, “We were truly impressed with the level of talent of the Belmont students. Maddie’s abilities and commercial appeal moved us to sign her to a publishing deal and begin what I suspect will be a long time relationship and many years of success.”
Larkin, a sophomore, said, “I am so grateful to be joining the Sony/ATV team! Since I first started coming to Nashville to write when I was 15, I have dreamed of being able to call Sony my home.”
All Access gives students the opportunity to present their talent and work to the world’s leading country music publisher. Students submitted two music videos to the Sony/ATV Creative team, who then selected six students to perform live in Columbia Studio A in February. All Access will continue in the upcoming school year.
CMA Music Fest’s Fan Fair X Gives Country Fans More Chances To Win
/by Jessica NicholsonThe winner will join a packed lineup that includes appearances from Lauren Alaina, Katie Armiger, Craig Campbell, Amber Carrington, Kristy Lee Cook, Joel Crouse, Jessie James Decker, Travis Denning, Eric Dodd, Cale Dodds, Elizabeth Huett, Savannah Keyes, Ryan Kinder, Love and Theft, Rachele Lynae, Dustin Lynch, MamaDear, Kristen Merlin, Katie Ohh, Angaleena Presley, Rainey Qualley, Ray Scott, Sister C, The Railers, Aaron Watson, and more to be announced.
Interested artists can apply at risingstar.att.com through May 10.
CMA Music Festival’s Fan Fair X has contest opportunities for fans with no musical ambitions, as well.
For many of the artist appearances at Fan Fair X, most signings do not require tickets. Fans can freely join the line formations for autographs and meet-and-greets for non-ticketed artist signings.
Fans can sign up for the ticket drawing for meet and greet sessions, fan experiences including front-row seats at the CMA Close Up Stage, a “Fast Pass” for the CMA booth, tickets to the 2016 CMA Music Festival, and more. Fans can enter to win these experiences at cmafest.com from May 28 (beginning at 10 a.m. CT) through June 1 (ending at 11:59 p.m. CT).
Fans will be prompted to create an account and complete the online entry form by selecting the artist they would like to meet from the list of ticketed meet-and-greet sessions. Only one account per person is permitted and fans can only be selected once.
Once the form is complete, fans are automatically entered into the random ticket drawing for each artist selected. If drawn, the fan will receive two tickets to that session. Winners will be notified by email by Friday, June 5.
AT&T U-verse Fan Fair X is free to all CMA Music Festival LP Field ticket holders. Individual tickets are $10 per day. A $25 for a four-day pass, or $35 four-day pass including one general admission into the Country Music Hall of Fame and Museum for 2015 is available at CMAfest.com.
‘Nashville’ Renewed For Season Four
/by Sarah SkatesNashville will be back for a fourth season. ABC television network announced the show’s renewal last night (May 6), helping the series move closer to the number of episodes needed for syndication.
Unlike many television programs, Nashville earns revenue from its music sales and concert tour, which is going on now and features members of the show’s cast.
For the show’s fourth season, the city of Nashville earmarked at least $500,000 as an incentive to keep production here, reports The Tennessean. Additionally the state of Tennessee included $8 million in its budget, part of the Haslam administration’s $16 million for film and television development overall, according to the newspaper.
In return, the city and state earn tourism dollars, attracted by the show.
Nashville the series spends about $20 million per season on local labor. It employs about 500 workers when it is in production, and 150 to 200 year-round.
The season three finale airs Wednesday, May 13 at 9 p.m./CT on ABC.
LifeNotes: Publisher, Songwriter Dan Wilson, Jr. Dies
/by Jessica NicholsonDan Burton Wilson, Jr.
Songwriter and publisher Dan Burton Wilson, Jr., died April 21, 2015 at Fort Sanders Regional Medical Center in Knoxville, Tenn. He was 69.
Wilson worked at Sony/ATV (Tree) Publishing in Nashville for 20 years as a song plugger, writer, producer and VP of Creative Affairs.
He also penned numerous songs, which were recorded by Ricky Skaggs, The Oak Ridge Boys, Jerry Reed, and others. Wilson co-penned “War Is Hell (On The Homefront, Too),” a No. 1 hit for T.G. Sheppard in 1982. Wilson retired from the music industry in 1996.
A celebration of life will be held at Ligon & Bobo Funeral Home on Tuesday, May 12 at 6 p.m. His family will receive visitors on Tuesday, May 12 from 4 p.m. until services begin at 6 p.m. In lieu of flowers, memorial contributions can be made to the Dan Wilson Memorial Trust at any Suntrust Bank branch. Ligon & Bobo Funeral Home is located at 241 West Main St. in Lebanon, Tenn.
Wilson, Jr. is survived by daughters Tori (Mark) Langellier of Heyworth, Ill., and Karen Fischer of Normal, Ill.; grandchildren Gage, Carsyn, and Kannon Langellier of Heyworth, Ill., Kaleb Peterson, Jake Fischer of Normal, Ill.; sister Betty Mitchell; niece Wynne Luter; and nephew Tom Mitchell.