(L-R): Cooper Samuels, Asst. VP/Music & Entertainment Private Client Banker, Avenue Bank; April Britt, Sr. VP/Chief People Officer, Avenue Bank; Ron Cox, Sr. VP/Dir. of the Music & Entertainment Division, Avenue Bank; Judi Turner, Communications & Events Manager, Leadership Music; Sarah Cates, Sr. Dir.of Curb College Initiatives, Belmont University; Debbie Schwartz Linn, Executive Director, Leadership Music; Andy Moats, EVP/Chief Credit Officer and General Bank Group Director, Avenue Bank.
Avenue Bank’s
Ron Cox, Sr. VP/Dir. of the Music & Entertainment Division, presented a check to Leadership Music’s Executive Director,
Debbie Schwartz Linn for $4,000 yesterday (July 29) in support of the educational organization.
Cox, who serves as the adjunct professor, joined other Avenue Bank team members to write, develop and teach the curriculum for a 15-week class offered to Belmont students called, “Personal Finance and Banking in the Music Industry.” Fees required to be paid by Belmont to the adjunct professor of record were accumulated and gifted back to the industry with this donation to Leadership Music.
Cox shared, “With Belmont’s presence and impact in the music industry through the Mike Curb College of Entertainment and Music Business, we found a unique way to pool our synergies together. We continually receive very positive reviews from the class because we cover a wide variety of subject matter from personal budgeting, saving and investing, buying a home, starting a business, entrepreneurship, touring, publishing and many other relevant topics associated with personal and business finance within the music industry. We are proud of our partnership with both Belmont and Leadership Music, and it how this class is a picture of the true community spirit within our music industry.”
• • •
Al Brake
PLA Media has added Country artist
Al Brake to its roster. “Being a rock and roll devotee, I love his spin on Country music with rock infusion. PLA is poised to take Al’s success in the Canadian marketplace worldwide,” says
Pam Lewis, President PLA Media.
The Canadian singer-songwriter earned two honors from Indie Music Channel in 2013 for Best Country Producer and Best Country Recording. He recently released the single, “Hot Pink Lady” to radio. Brake began playing guitar at age 8, and later added bass, mandolin and drums to his repertoire. When he isn’t touring or recording, he is with his wife and four children at their home in Canada.
• • •
SESAC’s Ellen Truley and husband, actor Todd Truley welcomed New York City entrepreneur and City Winery CEO Michael Dorf to Nashville during a reception held at the event space in advance of the establishment’s opening. City Winery, located at 609 LaFayette Street, is set to open in a 30,000-square-foot space on Oct. 1. It will also be the site of the Americana Music Association’s Honors & Awards VIP After Party on Sept. 17. City Winery also has locations in New York, Chicago, and Napa Valley, Calif.
Pictured (L-R): City Winery’s Michael Dorf, SESAC’s Ellen Truley and actor Todd Truley.
Rounder Records Signs Trigger Hippy
/by Jessica NicholsonTrigger Hippy, founded by Black Crowes drummer and Nashville resident Steve Gorman, features dual vocals from Joan Osborne and Black Crowes member Jackie Greene. Nashville guitarist and session player Tom Bukovac (who co-produced the album with the band) and bassist Nick Govrik round out out Trigger Hippy. The band was signed by industry veteran Tracy Gershon.
The band’s debut album will debut Sept. 30 on Rounder. The band is slated for a show at Nashville’s 3rd & Lindsley on Aug. 3.
Nashville Music Roundup: ASCAP at the Bluebird
/by Jessica Nicholson• • •
• • •
SuretoneLIVE.com is partnering with The Stomp to livestream each show. For more information, visit thestompnashville.com.
Wes Vause Named Sr. VP, Publicity at WMN
/by Jessica NicholsonWes Vause
Wes Vause has been named Sr. VP, Publicity, WMN, effective October 2014. Vause will oversee all publicity for Warner Music Group’s Country and Christian divisions, which include Atlantic, Elektra, Warner Bros., LoudMouth, and Word Entertainment.
He joins from Sony Music Nashville, where he was VP, Media. He is based in Nashville, and will report to John Esposito, President and CEO, WMN.
“Wes is a veteran publicist and artist champion who’s had a big hand in helping many top talents develop into superstars,” said Esposito. “Passionate and enterprising, I look forward to Wes helping us continue to break extraordinary artists and build long-term careers.”
Vause joined Sony Music Nashville in 2000 as Director of Media and climbed the ranks to Vice President. Over the course of his 14 year tenure at Sony, Vause helped grow the career of Kenny Chesney. Vause has also been instrumental in the success of Miranda Lambert, among many others.
Prior to Sony, Vause held positions at Asylum and Polydor Records. Vause is a member of the Country Music Association, as well as the Academy of Country Music, and is an alumnus of Leadership Music, Class of 2010. Vause graduated from Belmont University with a degree in Music Business, and currently resides in Nashville, TN.
Sam Hunt's 'X2C' To Release Aug. 12
/by Jessica NicholsonHunt has also garnered songwriting credentials with “Come Over,” (Kenny Chesney), “We Are Tonight” (Billy Currington), and “Cop Car” (Keith Urban). Hunt co-wrote all tracks on X2C, which was produced by Zach Crowell and Shane McAnally.
“I’m can’t wait to share a few early tracks from the album,” says Hunt. “We’ve been having so much fun with the music out on the road and I’m excited to get this music out to our fans.”
X2C Track Listing:
1. Leave The Night On (Sam Hunt, Shane McAnally, Josh Osborne)
2. Ex To See (Sam Hunt, Josh Osborne, Matt Ramsey)
3. House Party (Sam Hunt, Zach Crowell, Jerry Flowers)
4. Breakup In A Small Town (Sam Hunt, Zach Crowell, Shane McAnally)
RED Distribution To Launch 'Ten Bands, One Cause' Initiative
/by Jessica NicholsonRed Distribution has launched ‘Ten Bands, One Cause,’ a retail initiative to support National Breast Cancer Awareness month in October. Ten bands will reissue titles on Sept. 30 on pink vinyl for the cause, which sponsor’s Gilda’s Club NYC.
Kellie Pickler, Jason Isbell, St. Paul & The Broken Bones, In This Moment, Courtney Barnett, Against Me!, Nothing, Temples, Lucius, and Me First & The Gimme Gimmes will all reissue titles as part of the project. Limited edition pink vinyl copies will be shipped to retailers nationwide, and $1 of every unit shipped will sponsor Gilda’s Club NYC. Among those titles are Pickler’s The Woman I Am, and Isbell’s Southeastern.
Gilda’s Club NYC is a non-profit created in memory of Gilda Radner, an original cast member of Saturday Night Live. Radner died from ovarian cancer in 1989.
Brooks, Yearwood Put Malibu Home on the Market
/by Jessica NicholsonThe Malibu, Calif. beach house owned by Garth Brooks and Trisha Yearwood.
Garth Brooks and Trisha Yearwood have put their Malibu, Calif. beach house on the market, according to zillow.com. The property, which they purchased in 2008 for $4.95 million, sits on more than half an acre, and features four bedrooms, and three-and-a-half bathrooms.
Industry Ink: Avenue Bank, PLA Media, SESAC
/by Jessica Nicholson(L-R): Cooper Samuels, Asst. VP/Music & Entertainment Private Client Banker, Avenue Bank; April Britt, Sr. VP/Chief People Officer, Avenue Bank; Ron Cox, Sr. VP/Dir. of the Music & Entertainment Division, Avenue Bank; Judi Turner, Communications & Events Manager, Leadership Music; Sarah Cates, Sr. Dir.of Curb College Initiatives, Belmont University; Debbie Schwartz Linn, Executive Director, Leadership Music; Andy Moats, EVP/Chief Credit Officer and General Bank Group Director, Avenue Bank.
Avenue Bank’s Ron Cox, Sr. VP/Dir. of the Music & Entertainment Division, presented a check to Leadership Music’s Executive Director, Debbie Schwartz Linn for $4,000 yesterday (July 29) in support of the educational organization.
Cox, who serves as the adjunct professor, joined other Avenue Bank team members to write, develop and teach the curriculum for a 15-week class offered to Belmont students called, “Personal Finance and Banking in the Music Industry.” Fees required to be paid by Belmont to the adjunct professor of record were accumulated and gifted back to the industry with this donation to Leadership Music.
Cox shared, “With Belmont’s presence and impact in the music industry through the Mike Curb College of Entertainment and Music Business, we found a unique way to pool our synergies together. We continually receive very positive reviews from the class because we cover a wide variety of subject matter from personal budgeting, saving and investing, buying a home, starting a business, entrepreneurship, touring, publishing and many other relevant topics associated with personal and business finance within the music industry. We are proud of our partnership with both Belmont and Leadership Music, and it how this class is a picture of the true community spirit within our music industry.”
• • •
Al Brake
PLA Media has added Country artist Al Brake to its roster. “Being a rock and roll devotee, I love his spin on Country music with rock infusion. PLA is poised to take Al’s success in the Canadian marketplace worldwide,” says Pam Lewis, President PLA Media.
The Canadian singer-songwriter earned two honors from Indie Music Channel in 2013 for Best Country Producer and Best Country Recording. He recently released the single, “Hot Pink Lady” to radio. Brake began playing guitar at age 8, and later added bass, mandolin and drums to his repertoire. When he isn’t touring or recording, he is with his wife and four children at their home in Canada.
• • •
SESAC’s Ellen Truley and husband, actor Todd Truley welcomed New York City entrepreneur and City Winery CEO Michael Dorf to Nashville during a reception held at the event space in advance of the establishment’s opening. City Winery, located at 609 LaFayette Street, is set to open in a 30,000-square-foot space on Oct. 1. It will also be the site of the Americana Music Association’s Honors & Awards VIP After Party on Sept. 17. City Winery also has locations in New York, Chicago, and Napa Valley, Calif.
Pictured (L-R): City Winery’s Michael Dorf, SESAC’s Ellen Truley and actor Todd Truley.
BMI And iBiquity Form "HD Radio Artist Spotlight"
/by Troy_StephensonThe program is designed to grow new artists and help established acts with tour support out on the road.
HD Radio enables radio stations to create new broadcast channels on HD2 and HD3. The first artists to be featured on “HD Radio Artist Spotlight” are Charlie Worsham, Jon Pardi, Ashley Monroe, Due West, and Muddy Magnolias.
“iBiquity Digital has been an outstanding partner of BMI through their support of our songwriter festivals and broadcaster events,” says Mason Hunter, BMI Executive Director-Strategic Partnerships & Business Development. “The HD Radio Artist Spotlight furthers our relationship by providing another avenue for talents like Ashley Monroe, Jon Pardi, Charlie Worsham, and others to be heard and connect with Country music fans!”
For more information, be sure to visit bmi.com or hdradio.com.
Miranda Lambert, Trey Fanjoy Working on Comedy Feature
/by Jessica Nicholson“With over a dozen award-winning collaborations with Miranda, I’ve no doubt Trey’s transition into features will be equally successful,” said Lambert’s manager Marion Kraft (Shopkeeper Management).
Fanjoy has worked with Lambert throughout her career. Fanjoy directed the video for Lambert’s first single, and has helmed the clips for “Kerosene,” “The House That Built Me,” “Fastest Girl In Town,” “Over You,” “Mama’s Broken Heart,” and Lambert’s latest video “Somethin’ Bad,” with Carrie Underwood.
Fanjoy is also considering work on two other projects, including the faith-friendly Take It Back, and Teenage Dream, which includes American Idol’s Randy Jackson, and Rafaella DeLaurentis as producers.
No word on a possible release date for Something In The Water.
Artist Updates (7/30/14)
/by Jessica NicholsonEmily West stunned judges and the audience during last night’s episode of America’s Got Talent. The former Nashville resident performed Sia‘s “Chandeliers” at Radio City Music Hall, and the performance prompted America’s Got Talent judge Howard Stern to call West the best America’s Got Talent singer he has seen.
“I’ve been waiting for someone like you, that’s how strong I feel about you,” said Stern. “So on the money. You’re the best singer I’ve seen since I joined the show.”
West previously earned a Nashville record Capitol Records Nashville and released the single “Rocks In Your Shoes” in 2008.
Watch West’s America’s Got Talent performance below.
Brothers Jake and Jamin Orrall bring fresh takes on the Pixies’ “Gouge Away,” My Bloody Valentne’s “Come In Alone,” Teenage Fanclub’s “Mad Dog 20/20,” and Beck’s “Totally Confused.”
Trace Adkins
Trace Adkins will travel to Boston’s Fenway Park on Aug. 2 to perform the national anthem opening the Red Sox vs. Yankees, the second of a three-game series, which will be broadcast nationally on FOX.
Adkins previously performed the anthem at Fenway in July 2012 and in St. Louis, Mo. in 2011 for Game 2 of the World Series.
Adkins has also added vocal duo Jill & Kate to his touring band.
This fall, Mandisa will join Casting Crowns and Sidewalk Prophets in September for 39 stops on the Thrive Tour, as well as performances at various events with Third Day, Steven Curtis Chapman, and Hillsong United.