Luke Bryan
dominates the finalists for the inaugural
American Country Countdown Awards, with seven nominations in categories including Artist of the Year, Male Vocalist of the Year, Collaboration of the Year, Album of the Year, and Digital Song of the Year (“Drink A Beer,” “Play It Again,” and “This Is How We Roll”).
Closely following Bryan are
Florida Georgia Line with six nominations, including Artist of the Year, Group/Duo of the Year, Collaboration of the Year, Album of the Year, Digital Song of the Year (for “This Is How We Roll” and “Dirt”).
Jason Aldean picked up four nods, while
Blake Shelton and
Miranda Lambert tied with three nominations.
The American Country Countdown Awards will air from Nashville’s Music City Center on Monday, Dec. 15, beginning at 8 p.m. ET on FOX. Bryan is a featured performer during the evening, as well as Florida Georgia Line and Miranda Lambert. Florida Georgia Line’s
Tyler Hubbard and
Brian Kelley will serve as hosts for the awards.
Finalists were announced this morning (Nov. 11) on Cumulus’ nationally syndicated radio show, “America’s Morning Show with Blair Garner.”
Finalists are determined by statistics and radio airplay charts from Nov. 1, 2013 through Oct. 31, 2014. Finalists for Album of the Year are based on album sales from Soundscan and finalists for Artist of the Year are based on a combination of Mediabase airplay, digital data from Big Champagne and tour information from
Pollstar. All other award categories are made of those with the largest audience reach according to Mediabase.
The only fan-voted category is Breakthrough Artist of the Year Presented by Samsung Galaxy. Fan voting begins Nov. 24 and continues through Dec. 10. Fans can vote by including the following in a tweet: the artist’s Twitter handle, “Breakthrough Artist,” and the hashtag #ACCAwards.
American Country Countdown Awards Finalists:
ARTIST OF THE YEAR
- Jason Aldean
- Luke Bryan
- Florida Georgia Line
- Lady Antebellum
- Blake Shelton
MALE VOCALIST OF THE YEAR
- Jason Aldean
- Dierks Bentley
- Luke Bryan
- Randy Houser
- Blake Shelton
FEMALE VOCALIST OF THE YEAR
- Danielle Bradbery
- Miranda Lambert
- Cassadee Pope
- Taylor Swift
- Carrie Underwood
GROUP/DUO OF THE YEAR
- The Band Perry
- Eli Young Band
- Florida Georgia Line
- Lady Antebellum
- Zac Brown Band
SONG OF THE YEAR
- “When She Says Baby” – Jason Aldean
- “Beat Of The Music” – Brett Eldredge
- “Lettin’ The Night Roll” – Justin Moore
- “Drink To That All Night” – Jerrod Niemann
- “Chillin’ It” – Cole Swindell
COLLABORATION OF THE YEAR
- “This Is How We Roll” – Florida Georgia Line featuring Luke Bryan
- “Small Town Throwdown” – Brantley Gilbert featuring Justin Moore and Thomas Rhett
- “Meanwhile Back At Mama’s” – Tim McGraw featuring Faith Hill
- “My Eyes” – Blake Shelton featuring Gwen Sebastian
- “We Were Us” – Keith Urban and Miranda Lambert
ALBUM OF THE YEAR
- “Crash My Party” – Luke Bryan
- The Outsiders” – Eric Church
- “Here’s To The Good Times” – Florida Georgia Line
- “Just As I Am” – Brantley Gilbert
- “Platinum” – Miranda Lambert
DIGITAL SONG OF THE YEAR
- “Burnin’ It Down” – Jason Aldean
- “Drink A Beer” – Luke Bryan
- “Play It Again” – Luke Bryan
- “Dirt” – Florida Georgia Line
- “This Is How We Roll” – Florida Georgia Line featuring Luke Bryan
BREAKTHROUGH ARTIST OF THE YEAR PRESENTED BY SAMSUNG GALAXY®
(Fan-voted Award via Twitter)
- Brett Eldredge
- Tyler Farr
- Kip Moore
- Thomas Rhett
- Cole Swindell
Nashville Music Hotspots Included in Top 100 "Most Buzzed About" Venues
/by Jessica NicholsonPhoto courtesy Eventbrite
Several Nashville venues are among the “most buzzed about” venues. Eventbrite and Mashworks gathered 12.5 million social media conversations across Twitter, Facebook, blogs and forums for more than 600 venues, from Aug. 1, 2013, through July 31, 2014.
Nashville’s Grand Ole Opry ranked as the 11th most talked about U.S. venue on social media, just behind NYC’s Pacha. The list’s Top 10 was primarily filled with EDM-related music clubs.
Other Nashville venues making the Top 100 include the Ryman Auditorium (No. 52 on the list), CMA Theatre (No. 59), and Mercy Lounge (No. 79).
Forty-three percent of the conversations surrounding these venues came from millennials, aged 18 to 34.
Other findings from the research:
* Millennials tend to talk about their experiences on the weekends and on Mondays. More than half of the venue conversations occurred on Fridays, Saturdays and Sundays. Monday was the third most-popular day of the week for social media postings, with millennials talking about their weekend experiences.
* Posts from millennials include a picture, video or link 30 percent of the time. Millennials are most likely to include a picture, video, or link when engaging in conversation about fashion, events, and artists.
* Image and status were primary concerns in 34 percent of the conversations. Nineteen percent of posts centered on portraying a party lifestyle, while 15 percent of the conversations centered on fashion.
Owen, Swindell, Rice Join Chesney's The Big Revival Tour
/by Kelsey_GradyPictured (L-R): Chase Rice, Cole Swindell, Jake Owen
Kenny Chesney has always brought acts he’s believed in out on the road. His 2015 The Big Revival Tour is no different as Chesney brings on labelmate Jake Owen, MusicRow‘s 2014 Breakthrough Songwriter winner Cole Swindell, and Chase Rice for what will be one of the summer’s best parties.
“When I came to town, I was a writer, trying to get my songs cut – and playing on a stool down on Lower Broadway,” Chesney says. “I didn’t have nearly the success Cole and Chase are enjoying right now, but I know the difference getting your music in front of an audience makes. For both of these guys, who have a lot of energy and a real way of grabbing people, I think it’s the perfect way to get the audience fired up for the show.”
Kenny Chesney’s The Big Revival Tour is presented by Corona Light.
Gibson Brands to Take Over Legendary Tower Records Sunset Strip Location
/by Jessica NicholsonThe Tower Records retail store chain began in 1960 in Sacramento. A decade later, it had become a power player in the music retail market. In 1971, the location at 8801 Sunset Blvd was built; the location would become a popular place for artists including John Lennon, Elton John, Bruce Springsteen, and the many others who visited and performed there.
By the 1990s, Tower Records had 213 stores worldwide. The music chain closed its doors in the United States in 2006.
“Gibson Brands and Tower Records have both always been about the music,” commented Chairman and CEO of Gibson Brands Henry Juszkiewicz. “We want to reinvent this site to be the international phenomenon that its legacy deserves. Gibson Brands is dedicated to innovation, prestige and improving the quality of life and music for its customers. Our goal is to provide the most exceptional customer audio products and experiences in the world.”
Gibson Brands is home to more than 100 instrument, electronics and audio brands, including the guitar brand Gibson. Other brands include Epiphone, Dobro, Valley Arts, Kramer, Steinberger, Tobias, Slingerland, Maestro, Baldwin, Hamilton, Chickering and Wurlitzer. In professional audio, KRK Systems, TASCAM, Cerwin-Vega, Stanton, and Cakewalk also continue Gibson’s tradition of quality in their respective markets. Consumer electronics brands include Onkyo, Integra, TEAC, and Esoteric.
Industry Ink: BMLG, Oswald Entertainment's Cole Johnstone, The Recording Academy
/by Jessica NicholsonSeveral Big Machine Label Group employees are taking part in No Shave November. Throughout the month, they will ditch their razors and let their beards grow, in order to bring awareness for the research and treatment for diseases in children. BMLG’s Beards For My Horses efforts will be donated to the St. Jude Children’s Research Hospital. Last year, the team raised more than $16,000. Contributions can be made here.
Staff members recently gathered at the start of the challenge to show off their clean-shaven faces.
Pictured (L-R): Andrew Thoen, Dave Kelly, George Briner, Jim Weatherson, Andrew Kautz, Macklin Andrick, Chris Stacey, Kris Lamb, Alex Heddle, Garrett Hill and Stephen Brady. Not Pictured: Erik Powell, Michael Sloane, Alex Valentine, Julian Raymond and Allan Geiger
• • •
Cole Johnstone
Oswald Entertainment partner Cole Johnstone, day-to-day manager for Big & Rich, B&R Records, John Rich, Big Kenny and The Farm, has exited after five years and is seeking his next opportunity.
Johnstone’s previous day-to-day management clients with Marc Oswald and Dale Morris included Randy Owen, Krista Marie, as well as marketing/web efforts for Fontanel Resorts and The Deadwood Mountain Grand Casino & Hotel.
Austin Neal, who joined Oswald Entertainment in June, has assumed day-to-day responsibilities for Big & Rich and The Farm.
Johnstone can be reached at colejohnstone@gmail.com.
• • •
Formerly referred to as the Grammy Awards Pre-Telecast Ceremony, the event presents the first Grammy Awards of the day in approximately 70-73 categories, and is streamed live internationally at grammy.com.
Scott Borchetta, Daniel Ek Weigh In On Spotify Debate
/by Sarah SkatesToday (Nov. 11), Spotify CEO Daniel Ek responded with a blog post. Here is an excerpt:
Ek is correct that recording artists are not paid by radio, unless they or their labels have entered into other revenue sharing agreements with radio corporations, such as the ones pioneered by Big Machine Label Group Pres. and CEO Scott Borchetta. It is worth noting that songwriters are paid for plays on terrestrial radio.
Borchetta visited the national radio program Sixx Sense with Nikki Sixx and discussed pulling Swift’s music from Spotify. The full interview is available here. An excerpt is below:
Meanwhile, Nashville techie Jay Frank has posted a new blog called “Understanding Spotify.”
Read more about legislation which seeks a higher royalty for digital music services in MusicRow’s Publisher Issue, which includes an interview with NSAI’s Bart Herbison.
Scooter Carusoe Re-Signs With Carnival Music
/by Jessica NicholsonCarusoe co-wrote Brett Eldredge‘s hit song “Mean To Me,” and has co-penned chart-toppers including “Anything But Mine” and “Better As A Memory” (both recorded by Kenny Chesney).
He has also penned several songs for David Nail‘s albums I’m About to Come Alive, The Sound of a Million Dreams, and I’m A Fire, as well songs for Eli Young Band (“Guinevere”), Uncle Kracker (“Blue Skies”), and Casey James (“The Good Life”), among others.
“Writers, songs, and publishers don’t find their way to success by chance,” Carusoe says. “It is a collaborative effort that requires belief on all sides. That’s what I’ve found in my relationship with Carnival. We believe in a common goal, achieved by a unique sound.”
“Scooter is exactly the kind of writer Carnival exists to champion: brilliant, stubborn, and in constant pursuit of a sound that is entirely his own,” says Frank Liddell, Carnival Music Co-founder & Owner. “He’s a favorite writer of mine—I’d listen to him no matter who published his songs. But I couldn’t be prouder that it’s us.”
Born in North Carolina and raised in Knoxville, Tenn., Carusoe lives in Nashville with his wife and two sons.
Diamond Rio To Celebrate 25 Years With First Live Album
/by Troy_Stephenson“It’s something we’ve wanted to do for a while,” lead singer Marty Roe says. “Our live show plays a major role in who we are. I didn’t start as a recording artist. I started on stage.”
Diamond Rio Live includes 22 of their top 10 singles, five no.1 singles and two never before recorded highlights of their show, the Newgrass Medley and Western Medley.
After 25 years together, the band has sold more than 10 million albums, won a Grammy Award, a Dove Award, six Vocal Group of the Year awards (CMA and ACM), released two Greatest Hits projects and nine studio albums including three certified platinum and five gold, had five multi-week no. 1 singles, 22 Top 10 singles, an autobiography and zero band member changes.
Diamond Rio Live track listing:
1. Show Opening
2. “Unbelievable”
3. “Norma Jean Riley”
4. Hits Medley #1 (“This Romeo Ain’t Got Julie Yet,” “Oh Me, Oh My Sweet Baby,” “Imagine That,” “Sweet Summer,” “Wrinkles”)
5. “Mirror Mirror”
6. Talking
7. “One More Day”
8. “Beautiful Mess”
9. Hits Medley #2 (“You’re Gone,” “In A Week Or Two,” “Mama Don’t Forget To Pray For Me,” “Walkin’ Away,” “Holdin’,” “Love A Little Stronger,” “It’s All In Your Head”)
10. “In God We Still Trust”
11. “This Is My Life”
12. “I Believe”
13. Newgrass Medley (“Walk This Way,” “Carry On My Wayward Son,” “Born To Be Wild”)
14. Talking
15. “Meet In The Middle”
16. “How Your Love Makes Me Feel”
17. “Bubba Hyde”
18. Talking
19. Western Medley (“Cattle Call,” “El Paso,” “Tumbling Tumbleweeds,” “They Call The Wind,” “Mariah,” “Way Out There”)
Luke Bryan Leads American Country Countdown Awards Finalists
/by Jessica NicholsonLuke Bryan
Luke Bryan dominates the finalists for the inaugural American Country Countdown Awards, with seven nominations in categories including Artist of the Year, Male Vocalist of the Year, Collaboration of the Year, Album of the Year, and Digital Song of the Year (“Drink A Beer,” “Play It Again,” and “This Is How We Roll”).
Closely following Bryan are Florida Georgia Line with six nominations, including Artist of the Year, Group/Duo of the Year, Collaboration of the Year, Album of the Year, Digital Song of the Year (for “This Is How We Roll” and “Dirt”).
Jason Aldean picked up four nods, while Blake Shelton and Miranda Lambert tied with three nominations.
The American Country Countdown Awards will air from Nashville’s Music City Center on Monday, Dec. 15, beginning at 8 p.m. ET on FOX. Bryan is a featured performer during the evening, as well as Florida Georgia Line and Miranda Lambert. Florida Georgia Line’s Tyler Hubbard and Brian Kelley will serve as hosts for the awards.
Finalists were announced this morning (Nov. 11) on Cumulus’ nationally syndicated radio show, “America’s Morning Show with Blair Garner.”
Finalists are determined by statistics and radio airplay charts from Nov. 1, 2013 through Oct. 31, 2014. Finalists for Album of the Year are based on album sales from Soundscan and finalists for Artist of the Year are based on a combination of Mediabase airplay, digital data from Big Champagne and tour information from Pollstar. All other award categories are made of those with the largest audience reach according to Mediabase.
The only fan-voted category is Breakthrough Artist of the Year Presented by Samsung Galaxy. Fan voting begins Nov. 24 and continues through Dec. 10. Fans can vote by including the following in a tweet: the artist’s Twitter handle, “Breakthrough Artist,” and the hashtag #ACCAwards.
American Country Countdown Awards Finalists:
(Fan-voted Award via Twitter)
Jason Aldean Removes Latest Album From Spotify
/by Jessica NicholsonOld Boots, New Dirt thundered onto the charts in October with sales of 278K, the second most sales in one week for a Country album this year.
It is worth noting that Broken Bow Records and Big Machine Label Group are independent label groups.
Both Aldean and Swift will be on the road in 2015 to promote their new releases. Aldean’s headlining Burnin’ It Down Tour will launch Feb. 12 in South Carolina, while Swift’s 1989 World Tour will begin in May in Japan.
The Recording Academy Names Alicia Warwick Exec. Dir.
/by Sarah SkatesAlicia Warwick
Alicia Warwick has been promoted to Executive Director for The Recording Academy Nashville Chapter, handling day-to-day operations.
Susan Stewart, who previously served as Regional Director of the South Region and Executive Director of the Nashville Chapter, will retain her Regional Director duties overseeing the Nashville Chapter and three other Chapters in the South Region.
Warwick’s 15-year career began at NSAI. She joined The Recording Academy in 2006, where she most recently worked as Sr. Project Manager, handling the Nashville Chapter’s initiatives including branding, sponsorship, social media and the Nashville Producers & Engineers Wing. She is a 2014 graduate of Leadership Music.
Supporting the South Region will be team members Lyn Aurelius, Sr. Production Manager, and Ashley Ernst, Manager Administrative Operations. Nathan Pyle is Administrative Assistant to both the South Region and the Nashville Chapter.
Meanwhile, the Nashville Chapter team includes Laura Crawford, Sr. Membership Coordinator; Courtney White, Project Coordinator; Bri Stewart, Chapter Assistant; and Stephen Lavender, Grammy U Representative.