Aubrey Preston
Last week,
MusicRow reported that AMT Trust swooped in with a last-minute contract to purchase 30 Music Square West, home of historic RCA Studio A, and save it from destruction. The property had recently been purchased by Bravo Development who planned to
build a five-story condo building on the site. Bravo, led by
Tim Reynolds, paid approximately $4 million for the property.
Local philanthropist
Aubrey Preston formed AMT Trust in order to
purchase and preserve the property. Preston, whose trust is under contract to pay $5.6 million for 30 Music Square West, was previously involved in other local Nashville-area preservation projects, including the Franklin Theatre and Leipers Fork area, which he calls home. The Cleveland, Tenn. native also worked with the Americana Music Association to create the Americana Music Triangle, a budding multistate tourism project stretching from Nashville to Memphis, Tenn., to New Orleans.
MusicRow spoke with Preston about his plans for 30 Music Square West.
How did you become interested in the project?
It comes from my appreciation of the history of American music and the role that Studio A played in that.
The person that got me involved was [songwriter and SaveStudioA member]
Trey Bruce, an old friend. Our kids went to school together. He called me and we went out for coffee and he started showing me what was going on [with RCA Studio A], and to tell you the truth, I didn’t believe what I was hearing, so I had to go look and understand it a little more. I was astonished about what was getting ready to happen. I’m so grateful that Mr. Reynolds gave us an option at the eleventh hour to purchase the property, and avoid this disaster for our town.
Talk about forming AMT Trust.
AMT is a little company that I put together really at the eleventh hour, because I didn’t wake up last Tuesday thinking I was going to buy a building. I realized that nobody else was going to buy it and I thought it was impossible that the building could be torn down. We bought the property in that entity [AMT Trust] that was created that day, to have the flexibility to learn more about the property and listen to smart people who can help us with the best strategy to preserve it in the long run. What we learn from the preservation people, and our legal and accounting advisors, will determine what the ownership vehicle will be. There’s a lot of discovery that needs to happen as far as the best way to preserve it in the long run, which is our primary goal.
What is the closing day on the sale?
The closing day is Dec. 31, so it will happen on or before that day.
Are there plans to sell the building to another owner?
That kind of got out into the press. The general idea is that we needed to get the property under contract. When we talk about selling the building, we’re really talking about trying to find the right vehicle, the appropriate entity for us to own the building. We’re planning on being the owners of the property, we’re just not sure what that will look like.
What are your ideas for what the building will look like? Will you incorporate the building into a new development, or is it more about leaving it as is?
It’s real early in our process of discovering exactly what we bought, and listening closely to the talented preservation people who can help us understand the obstacles.
My general way of going about things in the past has been to follow a path of pure preservation. Obviously, there was the Leipers Fork area, and then the Franklin Theatre that I was highly involved in redeveloping. There are things you want to do to update them, but in both of those situations, and in general, try to take the most pure path we can take, yet still kind of update the property to make it economically vibrant.
If I was guessing right now, I would say we would try to make the property look and feel a lot like it did in 1965, and of course this will involve getting pictures from the archives. We understand RCA and New York [have archives], and there are other people who have a lot of pictures. As some of those things come forward and we understand what the building looked like in 1965, when it was opened, that will be very important to how we guide the property.
What about the tenants who have been told that they will have to leave the property?
The problem that we’re up against is that the contract we had to sign literally at the eleventh hour was really more of a “dare” contract than a sales contract. The terms of the contract are so onerous on the buyer, that’s one of the reason there weren’t any buyers. We’re prohibited from talking to any of the existing tenants for 30 days until the due diligence period is over. So, we won’t be able to really comment in depth on who will be staying until we have some conversations with those folks. Our goal is to preserve the building and preserve the music-making way of life there that’s been going on for 50 years. It seems crazy to re-purpose the building now and do something else, when sites like this are so rare globally.
Are there other historical music industry-related properties that might be purchased in the future?
I think we’ll keep an open mind to that, but we’re not Music Row investors, that’s not our primary purpose. This we’re seeing as a philanthropic kind of acquisition that hopefully over time, will heal itself from an economic perspective. Clearly we’ve overpaid for the property from a pure economic perspective. It’s hard to make that kind of investment regularly and make it up on volume.
Next year marks 50 years for RCA Studio A.
I think next year will be a great opportunity to look back over history and really kind of revisit all of the great things that have happened there. I think Chet Atkins, the party that they opened it at, if I heard it right, was in March 1965, so maybe we can get together in March and have a party to celebrate it. It’s interesting the people who have taken note of this. Justin Timberlake dropped it to his 40 million Facebook fans on Sunday, which I think is kind of indicative of how important this is to people around the world who are watching. He’s been watching this obviously, and you wonder who else has been watching to see what Nashville is going to do.
Karpowicz Elected Chairman Of BMI Board Of Directors
/by Troy_StephensonPaul Karpowicz
Paul Karpowicz, President of the Meredith Local Media Group, was elected Chairman of the Board of Directors of Broadcast Music, Inc. (BMI) at a Board meeting held on Tuesday, Oct. 7 in Nashville.
Karpowicz is responsible for the direction of Meredith’s 12 television stations and has nearly 30 years experience in the industry. His career includes more than 20 years at LIN, where he presided over the growth of its station group and includes a previous role as VP and General Manager for WISH-TV. He has served as Chairman of the CBS Affiliates Board, the NAB Television Board and the Television Bureau of Advertising Board. He is a graduate of Notre Dame University.
Karpowicz was most recently Vice Chair of the BMI Board of Directors and succeeds Susan Davenport Austin, Vice Chairman of Sheridan Broadcasting Corporation and Senior Managing Director of Brock Capital Group, who was elected Presiding Director at the meeting. Karpowicz joined the BMI Board in 2007.
The Company also held its Annual Shareholder Meeting that same day. Newly elected to the Board were Caroline Beasley, Executive VP, CFO, Treasurer and Secretary of the Naples, Florida-based Beasley Broadcast Group, Inc.; and William S. Hoffman, President of Cox Media Group.
Re-elected as members of the Board were Michael Fiorile, President and CEO of The Dispatch Printing Company, and Vice Chairman and CEO of Dispatch Broadcast Group, Columbus, OH; Catherine L. Hughes, the Founder and Chairperson of Radio One, Inc., Silver Spring, MD; and Jerome L. Kersting, Cincinnati, Ohio. All will serve terms that will expire in 2018.
Fiddle Virtuoso Stuart Duncan Named Next Nashville Cat
/by Troy_StephensonStuart Duncan
The Country Music Hall of Fame and Museum’s quarterly program series Nashville Cats: A Celebration of Music City Musicians returns Saturday, Nov. 1, with fiddle virtuoso Stuart Duncan. The 1:30 p.m. interview, held in the museum’s Ford Theater, is included with museum admission and free to museum members.
The program will include an in-depth, one-on-one interview illustrated with vintage recordings, photos and film clips from the museum’s Frist Library and Archive. The program will be streamed live at countrymusichalloffame.org/streaming.
A multi-instrumentalist best known for his fiddling, Duncan has performed live and played on sessions for the likes of Elvis Costello, Emmylou Harris, Alan Jackson, Alison Krauss, John Prine, Robert Plant, George Strait, Barbra Streisand and many, many others. He is also a longtime member of the Nashville Bluegrass Band.
Duncan has won many awards for his musicianship, including multiple International Bluegrass Music Association awards and multiple Academy of Country Music instrumental awards. He lives in Nashville and continues to record.
Kellie Pickler and Amy Grant Kick Off Breast Cancer Month with $125K
/by Eric T. ParkerPictured (L-R): Host Ashley Eicher, Pickler, American Cancer Society Board Chair Pamela K. Meyerhoffer, Grant.
Amy Grant, Kellie Pickler, and Athena bottled water kicked off October’s Breast Cancer Awareness month at the Eat. Drink. Party Pink! party, held in Nashville on Sept. 30 at Rosewall. Grant performed a title she co-wrote and recorded, “Welcome Yourself,” aimed at donating $.77 from each download to the American Cancer Society by the year’s end. Grant had debuted the song on NBC’s Today earlier that morning.
The invitation-only festivities featured additional acoustic performances from the female warriors, before the bottled water company made a presentation of $100,000 to the American Cancer Society. A social media #PARTYPINK campaign raised an additional $25,000 for the society as of Oct. 3.
Pickler’s set included a dedication to her close friend Summer Miller, who is in remission from cancer and was in attendance that night. The two buddies had shaved their heads in solidarity when Miller began chemotherapy treatments. Pickler performed her 2008 title “Don’t You Know You’re Beautiful,” “Someone Somewhere Tonight,” and “Red High Heels.” Grant additionally performed her 1994 title track “The House of Love,” and “I Don’t Know Why.”
Athena was created by a breast cancer survivor in 2003, and purchased by Tom Harrington’s Atlanta-based DS Services of America, in 2010.
Bob Dylan to Be Honored As MusiCares Person of the Year
/by Jessica NicholsonDylan, who has earned 10 Grammy awards in his career, joins an illustrious list of MusiCares honorees, including Carole King, Bruce Springsteen, Sting, James Taylor, Elton John, Aretha Franklin, Paul McCartney, Barbra Streisand, and others.
MusiCares aids musicians with various financial, medical or personal needs. The 2015 Grammy Awards will be held Feb. 8, 2015.
New Albums Coming From High Valley, The LACS
/by Sarah SkatesBrothers Brad Rempel and Curtis Rempel make up High Valley. Brad co-wrote nine tracks on the new album and also co-wrote “I Remember You” on Trisha Yearwood’s upcoming release, Prize Fighter.
High Valley will be on a headlining Canadian tour through December, and opened for Shania Twain earlier this year.
Kristin Barlowe directed video for “County Line” here.
“County Line” (Brad Rempel / Ben Stennis / Seth Mosley)
“Make You Mine” ft. Ricky Skaggs (Brad Rempel / Ben Stennis / Seth Mosley)
“Be You” (Brad Rempel / Ben Stennis / Seth Mosley)
“Fathers And Sons” (Brad Rempel / Travis Meadows / Blake Bollinger)
“Farm Girl” (Brad Rempel / Deric Ruttan / Jim Beavers)
“Why God Made A River” (Brad Rempel / Don Poythress / Seth Mosley)
“She’s With Me” (Brad Rempel / Ben Stennis / Seth Mosley)
“Come On Down” (Brad Rempel / Fred Wilhelm / Jared Crump)
“While The Gettin’s Good” (Dave Berg / Deanna Bryant / Tommy Lee James)
“Rescue You” (Brad Rempel / Ben Stennis)
• • • • •
Average Joes Entertainment’s The LACS are back with Nothing In Particular, set for release Oct. 28.
Nothing In Particular is a collection of songs that have either never been released or were not previously released together. Included is the theme song to Animal Planet’s popular show, Mud-Lovin’ Rednecks, the party anthem “Wylin’,” and the working man’s creed, “Country Boy Downtime.”
The band’s 3rd Annual Lactoberfest, an event that gives back to their local community, will be held Oct. 17-18 in Bloomingdale, GA. It features headliner Molly Hatchet and appearances by CMT reality stars Maddie Breaux and Tiffany Heinen, and The Dreadknots from the History Channel’s Ax Men.
Track listing
“Nothing In Particular”
“Mud Lovin’ Rednecks”
“Let Your Country Hang Out”
“Black Moon”
“King Of The Honey Hole”
“Field Party” ft. JJ Lawhorn
“Country Boy Downtime”
“Goin’ Deep” ft. Luke Martin
“All Weekend Long”
“Wylin'” (Remix) ft. Bubba Sparxxx and Charlie Farley
“Smokestack” (Remix) ft. Cap Bailey
(songwriters were not listed in the press announcement)
Exclusive: Q&A With Aubrey Preston, RCA Studio A's Future Owner
/by Jessica NicholsonAubrey Preston
Last week, MusicRow reported that AMT Trust swooped in with a last-minute contract to purchase 30 Music Square West, home of historic RCA Studio A, and save it from destruction. The property had recently been purchased by Bravo Development who planned to build a five-story condo building on the site. Bravo, led by Tim Reynolds, paid approximately $4 million for the property.
Local philanthropist Aubrey Preston formed AMT Trust in order to purchase and preserve the property. Preston, whose trust is under contract to pay $5.6 million for 30 Music Square West, was previously involved in other local Nashville-area preservation projects, including the Franklin Theatre and Leipers Fork area, which he calls home. The Cleveland, Tenn. native also worked with the Americana Music Association to create the Americana Music Triangle, a budding multistate tourism project stretching from Nashville to Memphis, Tenn., to New Orleans.
MusicRow spoke with Preston about his plans for 30 Music Square West.
How did you become interested in the project?
It comes from my appreciation of the history of American music and the role that Studio A played in that.
The person that got me involved was [songwriter and SaveStudioA member] Trey Bruce, an old friend. Our kids went to school together. He called me and we went out for coffee and he started showing me what was going on [with RCA Studio A], and to tell you the truth, I didn’t believe what I was hearing, so I had to go look and understand it a little more. I was astonished about what was getting ready to happen. I’m so grateful that Mr. Reynolds gave us an option at the eleventh hour to purchase the property, and avoid this disaster for our town.
Talk about forming AMT Trust.
AMT is a little company that I put together really at the eleventh hour, because I didn’t wake up last Tuesday thinking I was going to buy a building. I realized that nobody else was going to buy it and I thought it was impossible that the building could be torn down. We bought the property in that entity [AMT Trust] that was created that day, to have the flexibility to learn more about the property and listen to smart people who can help us with the best strategy to preserve it in the long run. What we learn from the preservation people, and our legal and accounting advisors, will determine what the ownership vehicle will be. There’s a lot of discovery that needs to happen as far as the best way to preserve it in the long run, which is our primary goal.
What is the closing day on the sale?
The closing day is Dec. 31, so it will happen on or before that day.
Are there plans to sell the building to another owner?
That kind of got out into the press. The general idea is that we needed to get the property under contract. When we talk about selling the building, we’re really talking about trying to find the right vehicle, the appropriate entity for us to own the building. We’re planning on being the owners of the property, we’re just not sure what that will look like.
What are your ideas for what the building will look like? Will you incorporate the building into a new development, or is it more about leaving it as is?
It’s real early in our process of discovering exactly what we bought, and listening closely to the talented preservation people who can help us understand the obstacles.
My general way of going about things in the past has been to follow a path of pure preservation. Obviously, there was the Leipers Fork area, and then the Franklin Theatre that I was highly involved in redeveloping. There are things you want to do to update them, but in both of those situations, and in general, try to take the most pure path we can take, yet still kind of update the property to make it economically vibrant.
If I was guessing right now, I would say we would try to make the property look and feel a lot like it did in 1965, and of course this will involve getting pictures from the archives. We understand RCA and New York [have archives], and there are other people who have a lot of pictures. As some of those things come forward and we understand what the building looked like in 1965, when it was opened, that will be very important to how we guide the property.
What about the tenants who have been told that they will have to leave the property?
The problem that we’re up against is that the contract we had to sign literally at the eleventh hour was really more of a “dare” contract than a sales contract. The terms of the contract are so onerous on the buyer, that’s one of the reason there weren’t any buyers. We’re prohibited from talking to any of the existing tenants for 30 days until the due diligence period is over. So, we won’t be able to really comment in depth on who will be staying until we have some conversations with those folks. Our goal is to preserve the building and preserve the music-making way of life there that’s been going on for 50 years. It seems crazy to re-purpose the building now and do something else, when sites like this are so rare globally.
Are there other historical music industry-related properties that might be purchased in the future?
I think we’ll keep an open mind to that, but we’re not Music Row investors, that’s not our primary purpose. This we’re seeing as a philanthropic kind of acquisition that hopefully over time, will heal itself from an economic perspective. Clearly we’ve overpaid for the property from a pure economic perspective. It’s hard to make that kind of investment regularly and make it up on volume.
Next year marks 50 years for RCA Studio A.
I think next year will be a great opportunity to look back over history and really kind of revisit all of the great things that have happened there. I think Chet Atkins, the party that they opened it at, if I heard it right, was in March 1965, so maybe we can get together in March and have a party to celebrate it. It’s interesting the people who have taken note of this. Justin Timberlake dropped it to his 40 million Facebook fans on Sunday, which I think is kind of indicative of how important this is to people around the world who are watching. He’s been watching this obviously, and you wonder who else has been watching to see what Nashville is going to do.
Artist Updates: Vince Gill, Glen Campbell, Carter/Cash Family, Jamey Johnson
/by Kelsey_GradyVince Gill
In addition to being named to the Nashville Predator Foundation’s Board of Directors, Vince Gill will now also serve on the broadcast team for select home games.
“I’ve been involved with the Nashville Predators since I first heard that an NHL franchise was on its way to Nashville,” says Gill, a longtime season ticket holder. “I’ve seen the incredible work that the Nashville Predators Foundation does in the community, and while we’ve worked together in the past, I’m looking forward to continuing to build and strengthen that relationship in the weeks and months ahead. Along with that involvement, I’m excited to join the Preds broadcast group to talk hockey and interact with some of the Predators’ great fans.”
Adds Nashville Predators Foundation President Sean Henry, “Vince Gill is a Nashville treasure and is at the forefront of virtually any initiative that puts kids in the position to make good choices. Vince’s generosity has been a true example of how to make an impact in one’s home community, and by leveraging Vince’s spirit and popularity with the Predators fan base, the Nashville Predators Foundation will be able to continue their mission of making a difference in kids’ lives.”
• • •
Photo: Jake Whiteman, NBC
Already one of the most acclaimed documentaries of the year ahead of its Oct. 24 release, Glen Campell…I’ll Be Me, will give movie-goers an intimate look at the life and musical legacy of Country music icon Glen Campbell and his family. Directed by James Keach (Walk The Line) and produced by Trevor Albert (Groundhog Day), the film shows the three-year period after Glen’s diagnosis with Alzheimer’s disease.
Landing the first interview with Campbell and his family in advance of the documentary premiere, NBC Nightly News will air the segment today (Oct. 7), while Today will feature another portion of the interview tomorrow (Oct. 8).
Additionally, a music video for his final recording, “I’m Not Gonna Miss You,” will first appear on NBCnews.com tomorrow.
• • •
Items on display in the Carter Family and Johnny Cash exhibits have never before been displayed for the public and come to MIM on loan from John Carter Cash, son of Johnny Cash and June Carter Cash, and Dale Jett, grandson of A.P. Carter. The items will be on display through April 2016.
“When I first visited MIM, I was excited by its inimitable beauty and scale. It has been a wondrous blessing to work with the staff there and help bring about the Carter Family / Johnny Cash display,” said John Carter Cash. “I feel it is inspired and shows a unique view into the history of country music that cannot be seen anywhere else.”
• • •
The festival kicked-off on Friday night with headliner Blake Shelton setting the pace for the high roller weekend. Saturday, Dierks Bentley and Miranda Lambert continued the 3-day country music event playing sets “among the most fun and raucous of the fest[ival]” said Las Vegas Review Journal. Jason Aldean ended the festivities with a bang on Sunday as the final headliner.
• • •
Celebrity golfers included Kid Rock and professional golfers Tommy Biershenk, John Daly and Boo Weekley. Also playing golf were Robbie “Shank” Biershenk, the younger brother of Tommy Biershenk and a contestant in the Golf Channel’s 2012 Chasing the Dream Series, and John Daly II, the son of the famed golfer.
Those joining Johnson in the event’s concert included Colt Ford, Jerrod Niemann, James Otto, Chris Hennessee and Gina Gailey.
“There were about 1,000 people in attendance,” says Johnson. “For our first year accepting sponsors, it was a great success on every level.”
Industry Ink: ASCAP, Bomar, CTM, Shelton
/by Eric T. Parker• • •
After a book tour through the southern region, Bomar will return to Nashville on Oct. 20 for a 6:30 p.m. reading, Q&A and book signing at Parnassus Books in Green Hills. The Music City native is son of publisher Woody Bomar. More info at ScottBBomar.com.
• • •
• • •
Executives gathered backstage before Blake Shelton wrapped his Ten Times Crazier Tour 2014 at California’s Hollywood Bowl this past Saturday (Oct. 4) to surprise the Warner Music Nashville entertainer with a plaque celebrating sales of more than 20 million digital singles. Shelton’s next tour dates will be in 2015. His latest album, Bringing Back The Sunshine, was released Sept. 30.
Pictured (L-R): Scott Hendricks (EVP, A&R), Peter Strickland (EVP & GM, WMN), John Esposito (President & CEO, WMN), Blake Shelton, Kevin Herring (SVP, National Promotion), Narvel Blackstock (Starstruck Management), Brandon Blackstock (Starstruck Management)
Jack White To Play Nashville's Bridgestone Arena
/by Jessica NicholsonTickets for the concert go on sale Friday, Oct. 10 via Ticketmaster.
His last big show in Nashville was a two-night gig at the Ryman Auditorium in 2012.
White is well-known for his Third Man Records (located at 623 7th Ave. S.), where earlier this year he created the “World’s Fastest Record” for Record Store Day, recording and pressing a record in less than four hours. In 2014, he also performed at Manchester, Tenn.’s Bonnaroo festival.
On Sunday, Oct. 5, White was named Songwriter/Artist of the Year by the Nashville Songwriters Association International.
The 48th Annual CMA Awards Announces More Live Performers
/by Troy_StephensonJason Aldean
The superstar lineup continues to grow with the announcement today that Jason Aldean, Dierks Bentley, Kenny Chesney, and Tim McGraw are each performing during “The 48th Annual CMA Awards,” which airs live Wednesday, Nov. 5 (8:00 PM/CT) from the Bridgestone Arena in Nashville on the ABC Television Network.
Hosted for the seventh consecutive year by Brad Paisley and Carrie Underwood, the show will also feature performances by Luke Bryan, Lady Antebellum, Miranda Lambert, Little Big Town, Paisley, Blake Shelton, The Band Perry, Underwood, and Keith Urban.
Aldean has 13 career CMA Awards nominations and has won for Musical Event of the Year with Kelly Clarkson for “Don’t You Wanna Stay” and Album of the Year for My Kinda Party, both in 2011.
Bentley has a career total of 15 nominations. He won his first CMA Award in 2005 – the Horizon Award, now known as New Artist of the Year.
Chesney, a four-time CMA Entertainer of the Year, has 39 career CMA Awards nominations and eight wins.
In 2014, McGraw and Faith Hill collected two nominations each for “Meanwhile, Back At Mama’s,” which was nominated for Musical Event and Single of the Year. McGraw has 35 career CMA Awards nominations and is the reigning CMA Award winner for Music Video and Musical Event of the Year for “Highway Don’t Care” with Taylor Swift and Urban.