Pictured (l-r): ASCAP’s Ryan Beuschel, Warner/Chappell Music’s Ben Vaughn, Cornman Music’s Nate Lowery, producer Ross Copperman, ASCAP’s LeAnn Phelan, Brett James, Dierks Bentley, Combustion Music’s Chris Farren, Universal Music Group’s Mike Dungan and producer Arturo Buenahora. Photo by Ed Rode.
Nashville industry well-wishers jammed beer-and-burger joint Pour House Tuesday afternoon (April 29) to cheer
Dierks Bentley and his co-writer
Brett James for their first No. 1 single together, “I Hold On.” The chart-topper marks James’ 16th No. 1 single, and Bentley’s 11th chart-topper as a songwriter.
“I’d never gotten to write with [Dierks] before,” said James. “I’ve been a fan from afar. He walked into my barn/studio, and he said, ‘I’ve got some verse ideas, and they might suck,’ and he basically read me the first two verses of the song. All I did was ride your train that day. He’s quality through and through.”
ASCAP, performing rights organization home to both James and Bentley, hosted the event, along with sponsor Northwestern Mutual.
ASCAP’s
LeAnn Phelan brought forward Warner/Chappell’s
Ben Vaughn, Cornman Music’s
Nate Lowery, producer
Ross Copperman, Combustion Music’s
Chris Farren, executive producer
Arturo Buenahora and Universal Music Group’s
Mike Dungan.
Buenahora praised Bentley’s authenticity as an artist and his talent as a songwriter. “I begged my way onto this project for several years,” he said. “Chris Farren called me with the idea of producing this song. It’s a great song that has touched so many people, and there is more on the way,” he promised.
The celebration was especially sweet for producer Copperman, who celebrated his first
Billboard chart-topping song as a producer. Complimenting Copperman, Bentley said, “In hockey, there are ‘grinders,’ those people who are in there every day, with energy. He put in the hours.”
Pictured (L-R): Brett James and Dierks Bentley
James also praised the work ethic of Capitol Records Nashville’s radio promotion staff. “I’ve been an artist twice, and I know that you can write the best song and if you don’t have someone to push it up the charts, you won’t have a No. 1 song.”
The crowd gathered around the stage and bar area, socializing and enjoying the signature drinks of Pour House, as the songwriters received honors from the Country Music Association and Country Radio Broadcasters, as well as Dungan’s legendary “Impaler Award.”
“I really love Country music,” said Bentley, who took the time to hand out plaques of his own to Buenahora, Dungan, Copperman, publicist
Mary Hilliard Harrington and many others who have supported his career success. He recalled his first paying gig in Nashville. “Every No. 1 party makes me take stock of where I am. I still remember leaving my house and remember how the guitar case felt in my hand. I was walking to my truck, which I still have, to go play a show for money. That guitar was my toolkit, and I used it to make money. It still blows me away.”
Kobalt Unveils YouTube Matching Technology ProKlaim
/by Jessica NicholsonAs royalties from YouTube continue rising, music publishers and record labels continue identifying opportunities to garner a portion of the payments. Kobalt Music Group has launched ProKlaim, a detection technology that identifies and claims copyrights being used in user-generated videos.
The company states that ProKlaim has matched more than 50 million videos and 1 billion YouTube streams per month.
“Our mission has always been to help artists and songwriters maximize their digital revenue,” said Willard Ahdritz, Founder and CEO of Kobalt Music Group. “Our technical integration with YouTube now allows us to do that in a groundbreaking way. We’ve been able to deliver 100 percent of Kobalt’s eligible catalog to YouTube with an extended range of high quality metadata for each song that enables much faster, more efficient content matching and reporting. It also enables us to deliver daily-automated feeds of updated new, claimed and blocked content to ensure we are quickly resolving any rights conflicts for our clients.”
Mark Your Calendar – May 2014
/by Eric T. ParkerMay 1
iHeartRadio Music Awards airing live on NBC from Los Angeles’ Shrine Auditorium
May 3
2014 Tennessee Radio Hall of Fame inductions at the Embassy Suites in Murfreesboro
May 4
“Play One For Billy [Block]” will take place at The Listening Room from 5-8 p.m.
May 5
36th annual ASCAP Christian Music Awards at the historic Franklin Theatre
May 6
We’re All 4 The Hall at Nashville’s Bridgestone Arena
May 7-11
19th Annual Key West Songwriters Festival presented by BMI
May 12
T.J. Martell Foundation honors Rob Beckham at its inaugural Ambassador of the Year event at Nashville’s The Rosewall at 6 p.m.
May 13
Grammy Block Party at Owen Bradley Park
May 16
Miranda Lambert: Backstage Access opens at the CMHoF
May 18
Billboard Music Awards live from the MGM Grand Garden Arena in Las Vegas on ABC
May 19
Roy Orbison’s Mystery Girl will screen at Nashville’s Belcourt Theatre
May 20
ACM Presents: An All-Star Salute To The Troops on the CBS, taped April 7 at Las Vegas’ MGM Grand Garden Arena
May 22-June 1
Americana Experience in Franklin, Tenn.
May 30-June 1
K-LOVE Fan Awards and Ultimate Fan Experience; award show at the Grand Ole Opry House
Single Add Dates
May 5
Chasin’ Crazy/That’s How We Do Summertime/RPME
May 12
Dan + Shay/Show You Off/Warner Bros.-WAR
Bucky Covington/Buzzin’/Barefootin’, Inc.
David Grey & Lisa Lee Albritton/We’re Out of Here/Cat 5 Records
Jordan Anderson/American Dream/GTR Nashville
May 19
Jerrod Niemann/Donkey/Arista
Randy Houser/Like A Cowboy/Stoney Creek Records
Grayson/Time Machine/Way Outback Records
Eric Von/I Can’t Help But Smile/HMG Nashville
May 26
Casey Donahew Band/Lovin Out of Control/Almost Country Ent.
Crystal Day/Drown/HMG Nashville
Album Releases
May 6
Hunter Hayes/Storyline/Atlantic Records-Warner Music Nashville
Leah Turner/Leah Turner [EP]/Columbia Nashville
Various/All My Friends: Celebrating the Songs & Voice of Gregg Allman/Rounder Records
Various/The Music of Nashville Season 2, Volume 2/Big Machine Records
Josh Dorr/Josh Dorr [EP]/RCA Records Nashville
May 13
Dolly Parton/Blue Smoke/Sony Music Masterworks-Dolly Records
Rascal Flatts/Rewind/Big Machine
Mary Sarah/Bridges/144 Entertainment
Radney Foster/Everything I Should Have Said/Devil’s River Records
May 19
Brantley Gilbert/Just As I Am/The Valory Music. Co.
Various Artists/Mud Digger 5/Average Joes
May 20
Roy Orbison/Mystery Girl – Deluxe [CD/DVD]/Legacy Recordings-Roy’s Boys
Hank Williams/The Garden Spot Programs, 1950/Omnivore Recordings
May 27
Jamie O’Neal/Eternal/Momentum Label Group
SESAC Signs Trey Smith of duo Smithfield
/by Jessica NicholsonSESAC has signed Trey Smith, of Bigger Picture recording duo Smithfield, for representation. Smith visited the performing rights organization’s Nashville office with his Smithfield partner Jennifer Fiedler to celebrate the new signing. Fiedler recently signed with ASCAP.
The Texas-raised duo moved to Nashville in 2012; they signed with Bigger Picture Group in 2013.
Pictured (L-R): Bigger Picture’s Jason Campbell, SESAC’s Dennis Lord and Smithfield’s Jennifer Fiedler & Trey Smith. Photo: Peyton Hoge
StubHub Bringing Concert Series to Nashville
/by Sarah SkatesThe Pandora Presents concerts are free and feature emerging artists. Performers will be determined by using Pandora to analyze the musical preferences of local listeners. The series launches April 30 with Tokyo Police Club at Boulevard 3 in Los Angeles. Other stops will include Delta Spirit on May 27 in Boston, as well as yet to be announced artists in Nashville in June, San Francisco in July and Los Angeles in August.
StubHub’s Next Stage Concert Series benefitting Mr. Holland’s Opus Foundation will kick off its self-produced and self-ticketed benefit concerts in Los Angeles on May 18 with the first artist being announced and tickets going on sale next week. This is the first of five concerts in the series which will continue in Nashville in June, San Francisco in August, Chicago in September and New York, NY in October.
For details visit www.stubhub.com/next-stage-concert-series.
GMA Celebrates Honors and 2014 Hall of Fame Inductions
/by Jessica NicholsonMichael W. Smith performs.
The Gospel Music Association gathered artists and industry executives last night (April 30) at Lipscomb University’s Allen Arena to honor organizations and individuals who have impacted popular culture through gospel music. Gospel Music Association Hall of Fame inductees for the evening included Brown Bannister, Gaither Vocal Band, Rich Mullins and Take 6.
GMA Honors recipients include Dr. Bobby Jones, Don Moen, Michael Guido, Show Hope and World Vision. Amy Grant, Vince Gill, Michael W. Smith, Ellie Bannister Holcomb, David Crowder and Take 6 performed during the event. Grant, Gill, and Bannister Holcomb performed “El Shaddai” as Brown Bannister watched and recalled memories of working with Grant. “One encouragement to Christian artists is to tell the truth and be real,” he said.
Smith offered a rendition of “Awesome God,” written by the late Rich Mullins. Mullins’ brother David accepted the legend’s induction into the GMA Hall of Fame. David Crowder later paid tribute to the Gaither Vocal Band by performing “Because He Lives.” Inductee Bill Gaither said, “I love the art of music, but more importantly, I love the message we are able to share.”
“This evening has exceeded all expectations,” stated John Huie, co-chair and visionary of the GMA Honors. “The power of music was on display tonight. Our industry is full of individuals that share way more than music, they share themselves, their hearts and souls and I couldn’t be more proud to be a part of it all.”
DC Talk present during the GMA Honors and Hall of Fame inductions
Ellie Bannister Holcomb, Amy Grant and Vince Gill perform.
GMA’s Jackie Patillo and GMA Honors co-chair John Huie.
Songwriters Hall of Fame To Honor Del Bryant
/by Sarah SkatesThe Visionary Leadership Award acknowledges a member of the Songwriters Hall of Fame Board of Directors who has made a significant contribution in furthering the ongoing mission of the organization and in elevating it to a level of prominence and distinction. Chairman Emeritus Hal Davis was the inaugural, and to date, only recipient of the award.
Under Bryant’s leadership at BMI, the PRO represents more than 600,000 songwriters, composers and music publishers in all genres of music and more than 8.5 million musical works. It has distributed more than $814 million in royalties for its 2013 fiscal year.
Inductees into the Songwriters Hall of Fame at this year’s event include Ray Davies, Donovan, Graham Gouldman, Mark James and Jim Weatherly. The prestigious Johnny Mercer Award will be presented to Kenneth Gamble and Leon Huff. Doug Morris will be honored with the Hitmaker Award and Dan Reynolds of Imagine Dragons will receive the Hal David Starlight Award.
Tickets begin at $1000 each, and are available through Buckley Hall Events, 914-579-1000. Net proceeds will go toward the Songwriters Hall of Fame programs.
Exactly one year ago today, Bryant announced his retirement from BMI after more than 40 years. He is relocating from New York to Nashville and will continue as a consultant for the company.
Weekly Register: Luke Bryan Keeps Playing At No. 1
/by Sarah SkatesOn the Country tracks chart, there are a few bright spots. Hunter Hayes debuted “You Think You Know Somebody” with 24k. Also among the newer songs, Dustin Lynch’s “Where It’s At” sold 23K in its second week. Kristen Merlin cast a spell over viewers of The Voice, resulting in 18K downloads of her cover of Sugarland’s “Stay.” (This was after technical difficulties prevented her from finishing the song live on the show.)
Luke Bryan keeps playing at the top of the Country Tracks and Albums charts. His single “Play It Again” sold 96K TW for a RTD of 821K. Crash My Party sold 19K TW for a RTD total of 1.826 million.
The cast of Nashville debuted a live recording of its television concert special On The Record with sales of 18K of the digital-only BMLG release.
Passing the 1 million mark this week were FGL and Bryan’s “This is How We Roll” and Brantley Gilbert’s “Bottoms Up.”
The Frozen soundtrack stayed at No. 1 on the overall albums chart, selling 115K this week and 2.45 million RTD.
By comparison, the entire Country album Top 75 sold 190K this week.
No. 1: Dierks Bentley, Brett James Celebrate 'I Hold On'
/by Jessica NicholsonPictured (l-r): ASCAP’s Ryan Beuschel, Warner/Chappell Music’s Ben Vaughn, Cornman Music’s Nate Lowery, producer Ross Copperman, ASCAP’s LeAnn Phelan, Brett James, Dierks Bentley, Combustion Music’s Chris Farren, Universal Music Group’s Mike Dungan and producer Arturo Buenahora. Photo by Ed Rode.
Nashville industry well-wishers jammed beer-and-burger joint Pour House Tuesday afternoon (April 29) to cheer Dierks Bentley and his co-writer Brett James for their first No. 1 single together, “I Hold On.” The chart-topper marks James’ 16th No. 1 single, and Bentley’s 11th chart-topper as a songwriter.
“I’d never gotten to write with [Dierks] before,” said James. “I’ve been a fan from afar. He walked into my barn/studio, and he said, ‘I’ve got some verse ideas, and they might suck,’ and he basically read me the first two verses of the song. All I did was ride your train that day. He’s quality through and through.”
ASCAP, performing rights organization home to both James and Bentley, hosted the event, along with sponsor Northwestern Mutual.
ASCAP’s LeAnn Phelan brought forward Warner/Chappell’s Ben Vaughn, Cornman Music’s Nate Lowery, producer Ross Copperman, Combustion Music’s Chris Farren, executive producer Arturo Buenahora and Universal Music Group’s Mike Dungan.
Buenahora praised Bentley’s authenticity as an artist and his talent as a songwriter. “I begged my way onto this project for several years,” he said. “Chris Farren called me with the idea of producing this song. It’s a great song that has touched so many people, and there is more on the way,” he promised.
The celebration was especially sweet for producer Copperman, who celebrated his first Billboard chart-topping song as a producer. Complimenting Copperman, Bentley said, “In hockey, there are ‘grinders,’ those people who are in there every day, with energy. He put in the hours.”
Pictured (L-R): Brett James and Dierks Bentley
James also praised the work ethic of Capitol Records Nashville’s radio promotion staff. “I’ve been an artist twice, and I know that you can write the best song and if you don’t have someone to push it up the charts, you won’t have a No. 1 song.”
The crowd gathered around the stage and bar area, socializing and enjoying the signature drinks of Pour House, as the songwriters received honors from the Country Music Association and Country Radio Broadcasters, as well as Dungan’s legendary “Impaler Award.”
“I really love Country music,” said Bentley, who took the time to hand out plaques of his own to Buenahora, Dungan, Copperman, publicist Mary Hilliard Harrington and many others who have supported his career success. He recalled his first paying gig in Nashville. “Every No. 1 party makes me take stock of where I am. I still remember leaving my house and remember how the guitar case felt in my hand. I was walking to my truck, which I still have, to go play a show for money. That guitar was my toolkit, and I used it to make money. It still blows me away.”
Facebook Changes Will Improve Mobile Apps
/by Jessica Nicholson– AppLinks, an open-source, open-standards kit that allows apps to link to each other directly via code. This will allow mobile users to avoid hitches when linking from one app to another. Presenter Ilya Sukhar noted Spotify is working with live-music events site Songkick to use AppLinks to sell concert tickets.
– A new mobile ‘Like’ button for third-party applications, which eliminates the barrier between the desktop and the mobile experience.
– Anonymous Login, a feature that will allow consumers to test apps without sharing their own Facebook credentials. Zuckerberg also promised Facebook users more privacy and sharing options to limit the personal data app developers receive.
For a full list of new Facebook features, visit developers.facebook.com.
Carrie Underwood Headlines TIME 100 Gala
/by Jessica NicholsonCarrie Underwood on the TIME 100 Gala red carpet
Carrie Underwood was recently honored during the TIME 100 Gala as one of the world’s 100 most influential people for 2014. She attended and headlined during the TIME 100 Gala, held at Jazz at Lincoln Center in New York City.
Other celebrities in attendance included Amy Adams, Alfonso Cuaron, Megyn Kelly, Seth Meyers, Rupert Murdoch, Rand Paul, Charlie Rose, Christy Turlington, fellow TIME Gala 100 performer Pharrell Williams, and more.
The full TIME 100 list and related tributes appear in the May 5 issue of TIME, available on newsstands and tablets now and can also be found at time.com/time100.
Longtime friend and fellow Country performer Brad Paisley served as a guest writer for Underwood’s piece in the TIME 100 issue.
“So many young girls want to be just like her. In that sense, I see hope for the world. If I had a daughter, nothing would make me happier than to hear her say she wanted to grow up to be like Carrie Underwood,” wrote Paisley.
Underwood performs during the TIME 100 Gala.
Underwood with Pharrell Williams