Top song crafters from Nashville and Los Angeles melded their creative talents during a recent inaugural, three-day pop/country winter songwriters retreat. The event at Nashville’s Fontanel was created by BMI and Warner/Chappell, and presented by City National Bank.
Writers taking part included Danielle Bradbery, Ross Copperman, Dan+Shay, Michael Dulaney, Jesse Frasure, Nicolle Galyon, Haley Georgia, Marv Green, Ross Golan, Hunter Hayes, David Hodges, Breyan Isaac, Nolan Lambroza, Ammar Malik, Bonnie McKee, Wendell Mobley, Maren Morris, Cam Ochs, Eric Paslay, The Band Perry, Bear Rinehart, Bo Rinehart, Dave Thomson, Laura Veltz, Tony Martin, Maggie Chapman, and Jordan Reynolds.
“Last June I had breakfast with Ross Golan, who is a BMI writer,” says BMI’s Jody Williams. “He lives in L.A. but spends a lot of time in Nashville. It was his idea, so we all put together this writers retreat.” The initial idea was to pair six pop writers with six country writers on any given day, while also pairing artists in different creative combinations.
Marv Green at the BMI and Warner/Chappell Fontanel Winter Retreat
Los Angeles writers stayed at the Inn at Fontanel, and met with the Nashville writers at the Fontanel mansion to work. “We needed a place that would create a community for the writers,” said Warner/Chappell’s BJ Hill. “It also had to be suitable to have five co-writing sessions going on at one time, without there being any interference.”
“I always love being introduced to new co-writers that I hadn’t had access to before, and I always learn something,” says BMI and Warner/Chappell writer Marv Green. “When it comes to the structure of a song, and composing, we think a little differently so I always learn a new little bag of tricks.”
Danielle Bradbery takes part in the BMI and Warner/Chappell Fontanel Winter Retreat
“Nashville and L.A. are two very different cultures and different communities, so I feel when you bring writers together with a different background, a different skill set, and a different approach to how they write music, it creates a whole new sound,” says Jessa Gelt, of BMI’s Los Angeles office.
Get an inside look at the retreat below.
Artist Updates: Warner Bros., Dwight Yoakam, Lady Antebellum, Darius Rucker
/by Jessica NicholsonWarner Bros. Records Artists Set For Nashville GROWCO Conference
They will join fellow artists Dean Alexander, Anderson East, and Ryan Kinder. Also on hand for the event will be actress Jessica Alba, Airbnb co-founder Joe Gebbia, and television personalities Daymond John (ABC’s Shark Tank) and Marcus Lemonis (CNBC’s The Profit).
Dwight Yoakam Announces Ryman Auditorium Concert
Each ticket purchase includes a download of Yoakam’s latest album Second Hand Heart, set for release April 14. Ticket sales are online only.
Lady Antebellum Extends ‘7FOR7’ Campaign with Quicken Loans
Lady Antebellum
Lady Antebellum has teamed with mortgage lender Quicken Loans to offer seven fans a backstage experience, and a year of relief from their mortgage with the launch of ‘7FOR7 Sweepstakes.’
The campaign supports the band’s upcoming Wheels Up 2015 Tour presented by Quicken Loans, which begins May 1. The sweepstakes is an extension of the trio’s charity-focused 7FOR7 campaign, and will offer seven grand prize winners a year’s worth of mortgage payments courtesy of Quicken Loans, as well as a VIP concert experience for them and a guest, including meet-and-greet passes and complimentary travel.
Darius Rucker To Host ACM Lifting Lives Celebrity Golf Classic
Darius Rucker
Darius Rucker will return to host the ACM Lifting Lives Celebrity Golf Classic presented by G. Debbas Chocolatier and GoPicnic for the fourth consecutive year on Saturday, April 18, 2015 at Brookhaven Country Club in Dallas, Texas. The ACM Lifting Lives Celebrity Golf Classic, the ninth held since 2004, brings together country music artists Kix Brooks, Charles Kelley, Chris Young, Branch & Dean, and more artists to be announced as well as other members of the music community in a scramble tournament to raise funds and awareness for ACM Lifting Lives’ Diane Holcomb Emergency Relief Fund.
ASCAP Appoints Alice Kim New Chief Strategy, Development Officer
/by Troy_StephensonAlice Kim
ASCAP announced Monday, April 6, the appointment of Alice Kim as the organization’s EVP, Chief Strategy & Development Officer, reporting to ASCAP CEO Elizabeth Matthews. Kim will oversee strategy, business development, product development and administration services as ASCAP charts a new course to offer enhanced services to its songwriter, composer and music publisher members and to its licensing partners.
Kim started her career in investment banking at Dean Witter and venture capital at CIBC Capital Partners and Dolphin Equity. She then joined a couple of start-ups, PreCache and Enpocket, both of which were acquired by Fortune 100 companies. Kim continues to be an avid angel investor and a strong advocate of start-ups in NYC.
“ASCAP is transforming to offer innovative new services to our members and licensing partners in order to meet their needs in this new and evolving era in the music and media landscape,” says Matthews. “Alice has deep expertise of consumer behavior, trends in digital content adoption and monetization models. She is uniquely positioned to help us harness our assets for the benefit of our songwriters, composers and publishers as well as our licensing partners as we move into a world of increased data transparency and efficiency.”
Trace Adkins Finds New Label Home With BBR Music Group
/by Jessica Nicholson(Pictured, L-R): Almon & Pike’s Orville Almon; Vector Management’s JW Williams; BBRMG EVP Jon Loba; BBRMG General Manager Rick Shedd; BBRMG’s Colton McGee; Trace Adkins; BBRMG President & CEO Benny Brown. Photo: BBR Music Group
Multi-talented recording artist, actor, author, and spokesperson Trace Adkins has signed a new recording contract with BBR Music Group.
Adkins is currently working on his 13th studio album with producer Mickey Jack Cones, who has produced Joe Nichols and Randy Houser.
“Trace Adkins has built a career and a legacy doing things his own way, never bowing to trends or society. He’s a straight shooter whose philosophy aligns with BBR Music Group’s independent, hands on approach. The music is what matters at BBR Music Group and that’s a viewpoint we share with Trace. We’re excited to welcome Trace to the BBR Music Group family and look forward to collaborating on new, amazing music,” said Benny Brown, President/ CEO of the BBR Music Group.
Adkins is managed by Vector Management, booked by Creative Artists Agency (CAA) and represented by publicity agency Sunshine Sachs. He is an ASCAP-affiliated songwriter.
Adkins entered the music scene with the 1996 release of Dreamin’ Out Loud on Capitol Nashville, his label home for more than a decade. He went on to become one of country music’s most distinctive vocalists, selling more than 10 million albums, and notching hits including “Every Light in the House Is On,” “Songs About Me,” “Honkytonk Badonkadonk,” “Ladies Love Country Boys,” and more.
He later recorded albums for Show Dog-Universal and released a Christmas project, The King’s Gift, on the Caliburn label in 2013.
Adkins parlayed his music success into television and movies, as a runner-up on the 2008 season of Donald Trump’s The Celebrity Apprentice, and later won The All-Star Celebrity Apprentice. Adkins has appeared in The Lincoln Lawyer alongside Matthew McConaughey, Wyatt Earp’s Revenge, Mom’s Night Out, and more.
He served as a spokesperson for The American Red Cross and Wounded Warriors. Adkins also penned an autobiography entitled A Personal Stand: Observations and Opinions from a Free-Thinking Roughneck, which was released in late 2007.
“When you’ve been doing this as long as I have, you don’t always get the feeling that the sky’s the limit,” said Adkins. “I feel that way right now. When I sign up for something, I go all-in. Since Benny, Jon and I shook hands and said ‘let’s do this thing,’ we’ve been all-in together.”
“Trace Adkins is not only a Country music megastar but an accomplished film and TV actor who has become a highly-recognizable celebrity. In this incredibly fractured entertainment environment, it’s an extraordinary accomplishment to have achieved touch points across multiple forms of media. The BBR Music Group is ecstatic to add an artist of international acclaim to its roster,” said BBR Music Group EVP Jon Loba.
New Agenda Committee Leadership For CRS 2016
/by Kelsey_GradyPictured (L-R): Tom Hanrahan, Greg Frey, and Judy Lakin.
New leadership was announced Monday, April 6, for the 2015-2016 Country Radio Seminar Agenda Committee. Leading the committee are Tom Hanrahan (Sr. VP of Programming / iHeart Media of Alabama) as Chairman, as well as Greg Frey (Corporate Program Director Program Director – WKHX, KICKS 101.5 Atlanta / Cumulus Media, Inc.) and Judy Lakin (Director of Sales, Cox Media Group Houston KKBQ-FM / KTHT-FM / KGLK) as Co-Vice Chairman.
CRS President Charlie Morgan comments, “The engine that drives the success of the Country Radio Seminar is the content-rich sessions that make up our agenda each year, so the work of the Agenda Committee is vital. As we move to our new home in 2016 at The Nashville Omni, we are fortunate and grateful for the leadership of Tom, Greg and Judy guiding the committee of dedicated industry volunteers that create our agenda.”
Incoming Chairman Hanrahan adds, “I am looking forward to working with Greg and Judy and our other committee colleagues to develop a CRS 2016 agenda lineup that includes many of the issues that face the radio and record Industries today.”
Edgehill Village Getting Makeover
/by Sarah SkatesLongtime tenants Tweed Baby Outfitters and Ani & Ari are moving out.
Ani & Ari, the custom corset shop known for dressing Miranda Lambert, Carrie Underwood, and Hayden Panettiere, is moving to a new yet-to-be-announced showroom.
Tweed is closing its storefront on April 17 after five years in business.
Partners Rob Lowe, McClain Towery, Elliott Kyle, and Jay Weaver bought the Edgehill property in 2014 for $9.2 million. They are also seeking rezoning to erect a mixed-use building on another of their properties, at the corner of Village and Edgehill.
Meanwhile, on the other end of The Row….
A grocery store and parking deck could eventually be coming to the parking lot behind Off Broadway Shoes (McGavock St. and 16th Ave. S.).
Elmington Capital Group, owners of the strip housing Tin Roof and numerous other businesses, is seeking approval from the Metro Planning Department to build a grocery store as part of its long-range planning.
Nashville Memorial Set For Photographer Alan Mayor
/by Jessica NicholsonAlan L. Mayor
A public memorial service for late photographer Alan Mayor is planned for Monday, April 20 from 4 p.m.-7 p.m. at Nashville’s BMI office, located at 10 Music Sq. E. Misty Loggins and friends will perform songs in Mayor’s memory.
Mayor died Monday, Feb. 23 of complications of a stroke. He was 65.
Mayor was born Aug. 21, 1949 in Belleville, Ill., and graduated from Clarksville High School, followed by Austin Peay State University with a triple BA degree in Philosophy, English, and Theatre. Mayor is survived by brother Kenneth Albert Mayor of Clarksville, Tenn.; sister Theresa Mayor-Smith and her husband Lee M. Smith of Cadiz, Ky.; niece Allison Smith Maloney (Grant) of Nashville, Tenn.; nephew Parker Albert Smith of Clarksville, Tenn.; cousin Steve Cothan Fulmer of Columbia, S.C.; cousin Jean Fulmer Pickney of Columbia, S.C.; and cousin Leslie Hedrick Morris (Bruce) of Asheville, N.C.
In lieu of flowers, contributions can be made to T.J. Martell Foundation in Nashville, Tenn.; MusiCares in Nashville, Tenn.; Opry Trust Fund (2804 Opryland Drive in Nashville); St. Jude Children’s Research Hospital; Meals on Wheels, or to Fifty Forward Meals on Wheels in Green Hills-Nashville.
Some of his many career highlights include when he captured Paul and Linda McCartney on stage with Dolly Parton and Porter Wagoner and his photographs of Tim McGraw and Faith Hill‘s wedding. Mayor was also the principal photographer of Garth Brooks’ early career. Mayor collected many of his most historically significant photographs in his 1999 book, The Nashville Family Album: A Country Music Scrapbook, for which Brooks wrote the introduction.
Country, Pop Songwriters Blend Talents During Nashville Retreat
/by Jessica NicholsonWriters taking part included Danielle Bradbery, Ross Copperman, Dan+Shay, Michael Dulaney, Jesse Frasure, Nicolle Galyon, Haley Georgia, Marv Green, Ross Golan, Hunter Hayes, David Hodges, Breyan Isaac, Nolan Lambroza, Ammar Malik, Bonnie McKee, Wendell Mobley, Maren Morris, Cam Ochs, Eric Paslay, The Band Perry, Bear Rinehart, Bo Rinehart, Dave Thomson, Laura Veltz, Tony Martin, Maggie Chapman, and Jordan Reynolds.
“Last June I had breakfast with Ross Golan, who is a BMI writer,” says BMI’s Jody Williams. “He lives in L.A. but spends a lot of time in Nashville. It was his idea, so we all put together this writers retreat.” The initial idea was to pair six pop writers with six country writers on any given day, while also pairing artists in different creative combinations.
Marv Green at the BMI and Warner/Chappell Fontanel Winter Retreat
Los Angeles writers stayed at the Inn at Fontanel, and met with the Nashville writers at the Fontanel mansion to work. “We needed a place that would create a community for the writers,” said Warner/Chappell’s BJ Hill. “It also had to be suitable to have five co-writing sessions going on at one time, without there being any interference.”
“I always love being introduced to new co-writers that I hadn’t had access to before, and I always learn something,” says BMI and Warner/Chappell writer Marv Green. “When it comes to the structure of a song, and composing, we think a little differently so I always learn a new little bag of tricks.”
Danielle Bradbery takes part in the BMI and Warner/Chappell Fontanel Winter Retreat
“Nashville and L.A. are two very different cultures and different communities, so I feel when you bring writers together with a different background, a different skill set, and a different approach to how they write music, it creates a whole new sound,” says Jessa Gelt, of BMI’s Los Angeles office.
Get an inside look at the retreat below.
Former BMLG Finance VP Opens 7th Wave Entertainment Group
/by Troy_StephensonBrad Kash
Former VP of Finance for Big Machine Label Group, Brad Kash, has formed 7th Wave Entertainment Group, providing business management, royalty processing, audit support and consulting services for artists, producers, songwriters, publishers and independent record labels.
In his previous position, Kash lead a team that supported the company’s artist roster encompassing Taylor Swift, Tim McGraw, Rascal Flatts, Brantley Gilbert, Florida Georgia Line and The Band Perry to name a few. Through 7th Wave, Kash will continue to provide external consulting and support services for Big Machine.
“Serving as a member of the Big Machine executive team reporting to Scott Borchetta and COO, Andrew Kautz was an incredible education and experience and I look forward to delivering the same high level of passion, creativity and success to our clients,” said Kash.
Prior to his tenure with BMLG, Kash brings over 15 years of music industry experience including time as Director of Operations Finance & Administration at EMI CMG, CFO and Managing Partner of Big Fish Entertainment, and Senior Manager of Accounting & Finance for Hard Rock Café’s corporate operations where amongst other responsibilities he managed the finance-side acquisition and valuation process for Hard Rock’s extensive music memorabilia collection.
7th Wave Entertainment Group also offers independent record label consulting and support providing guidance and strategies in the areas of operations, accounting, finance and royalties.
Brad Kash and 7th Wave Entertainment Group can be reached at (615) 599-4154 or at brad.kash@7thWaveEntertainment.com.
Medical Aid Fund Set For Video Director Steven Goldmann
/by Jessica NicholsonSteven Goldmann
Canadian film and music video director Steven Goldmann, who has been battling cancer, is set to be moved from the hospital to his home, where he will be supported by a hospice team.
A fund has been set up to help Goldmann’s family with medical and other expenses. The fund aims to raise $50,000.
Goldmann has directed videos for numerous artists, including Faith Hill, Josh Turner, Brooks & Dunn, Martina McBride, Alan Jackson, Mary Chapin Carpenter, The Mavericks, Pam Tillis, Clint Black, Shania Twain, Shawn Camp, Kathy Mattea, Lorrie Morgan, Wade Hayes, and numerous others.
He also directed the films Trailer Park of Terror (2007/Summit Entertainment), Our Country (2003/Gaylord Entertainment), Broken Bridges (2006/CMT/Paramount).
Among the awards Goldmann has garnered are a 2007 Canadian Country Music Awards’ CMT Video of the Year for Emerson Drive‘s “Moments,” the 2003 Academy of Country Music Video of the Year award for Jackson’s “Drive,” 1996’s Canadian Country Music Awards’ CMT Video of the Year and the 1996 Silver Clio Award, both for Twain’s “(If You’re Not In It For Love) I’m Outta Here.” He also directed Hill’s 1998 video “This Kiss,” which garnered him the TNN Music City News Best Video of the Year, Nashville Music Awards and CMT’s Video of the Year.
In 1996, he earned the ACM’s Video of the Year for Collin Raye‘s “I Think About You.”
To donate to the fund, visit gofundme.com.
Spotify, CAA, Kalatech Reps Gather For ‘Who Knew’ Event in Nashville
/by Kelsey_GradyNashville music industry members gathered for an evening of education and networking as part of the second “Who Knew” event on Thursday, April 2. The sold-out event took place at Nashville’s The Listening Room Cafe.
Speakers included Steve Savoca (Spotify), Randy Wachtler (Warner Chappell Production Music), Hunter Williams (CAA), Charles Alexander (Outside The Box), Doyle Davis (Grimey’s), Brittany Wagusen (Kalatech), Notelle (EDM artist), and Project Music.
Spotify’s Steve Savoca
Attendees network prior to the second Who Knew event.
The Listening Room Cafe welcomes a sold-out crowd.