Lizzie Sider at Waterstone Charter School in Homestead, FL
bullying prevention campaign, titled
Nobody Has The Power To Ruin Your Day, has impacted more than 30,000 students in the state of Florida in the past two months. In January and February, Sider visited 65 schools as a spokeperson for PACER’s National Bullying Prevention Center.
The 15-year-old’s performance at each school includes a rendition of her single “Butterfly,” which was co-penned with
Jamie O’Neal. Last fall, Sider embarked on a 100-school tour in California, bringing her anti-bullying message to more than 70,000 students.
Remaining tour dates:
March 14 Tommie Barfield Elementary – Marco Island, Fla.
March 14 Gulf Coast Academy Charter South – Naples, Fla.
March 18 Hobe Sound Elementary (2 assemblies) – Hobe Sound, Fla.
March 18 Pine Crest – Boca Raton, Fla.
March 24 Wildwood Middle School – Wildwood, Fla.
March 24 Lake Panasoffkee Elementary – Lake Panasoffkee, Fla.
March 25 Webster Elementary School – Webster, Fla.
March 25 South Sumter Middle School – Webster, Fla.
March 26 Forest City Elementary School – Altamonte Springs, Fla.
March 27 Roundlake Elementary School – Mt. Dora, Fla.
March 27 Bushnell Elementary – Bushnell, Fla.
March 28 Pine Crest School – Ft. Lauderdale, Fla.
For more information, visit
lizziesider.com.
Lizzie Sider's Anti-Bullying Campaign Continues In Florida
/by Jessica NicholsonLizzie Sider at Waterstone Charter School in Homestead, FL
Lizzie Sider’s bullying prevention campaign, titled Nobody Has The Power To Ruin Your Day, has impacted more than 30,000 students in the state of Florida in the past two months. In January and February, Sider visited 65 schools as a spokeperson for PACER’s National Bullying Prevention Center.
The 15-year-old’s performance at each school includes a rendition of her single “Butterfly,” which was co-penned with Jamie O’Neal. Last fall, Sider embarked on a 100-school tour in California, bringing her anti-bullying message to more than 70,000 students.
Remaining tour dates:
March 14 Tommie Barfield Elementary – Marco Island, Fla.
March 14 Gulf Coast Academy Charter South – Naples, Fla.
March 18 Hobe Sound Elementary (2 assemblies) – Hobe Sound, Fla.
March 18 Pine Crest – Boca Raton, Fla.
March 24 Wildwood Middle School – Wildwood, Fla.
March 24 Lake Panasoffkee Elementary – Lake Panasoffkee, Fla.
March 25 Webster Elementary School – Webster, Fla.
March 25 South Sumter Middle School – Webster, Fla.
March 26 Forest City Elementary School – Altamonte Springs, Fla.
March 27 Roundlake Elementary School – Mt. Dora, Fla.
March 27 Bushnell Elementary – Bushnell, Fla.
March 28 Pine Crest School – Ft. Lauderdale, Fla.
For more information, visit lizziesider.com.
Lifenotes: Condolences To Wade Jessen
/by Jessica NicholsonServices are currently pending; condolences can be sent here.
Industry Ink (3/13/14)
/by Jessica Nicholson“Townsquare stations have been supporting St. Jude for years. This year we were excited to unite 20 markets for our first national two-day event,” said Kurt Johnson, Sr. VP of Programming for Townsquare Media.
St. Jude Children’s Research Hospital’s treatments have helped push the overall childhood cancer survival rate from 20 percent to 80 percent since opening more than 50 years ago.
• • •
Jessica Frey, a Wayne State University graduate, has joined the PLA Media team as Publicity & Social Media Coordinator. She can be reached at jessica.frey@plamedia.com.
PLA Media clients include Lynn Anderson, Ashton Shepherd, Bryan White, Hannah Bethel and others.
• • •
Mark Bracco, ABC-TV’s Vice President, Alternative Series and Specials, could be moving to Dick Clark Productions reports the LA Times.
Bracco is the ABC executive in charge of awards shows; the network is currently home to the CMA Awards.
Meanwhile, DCP is the company behind the ACM Awards as well as many other trophy fests.
Bracco is expected to become executive vice president of programming and development at DCP, reporting to chief executive Allen Shapiro and president Mike Mahan.
• • •
The Women’s Music Business Association hosted a writers round at the Bluebird Cafe on Wednesday (March 12). The round featured songwriters Kelly Archer, Jamie Floyd, Elise Davis, and Stephanie Lambring.
Pictured (L-R): Kelly Archer (writer), Raeanna Mowl (WMBA President), Meredith Herberg (WMBA Events & Education Co-Chair), Rachel Mowl (WMBA Events & Education Co-Chair), Elise Davis (writer), Jamie Floyd (writer), and Stephanie Lambring (writer). Photo: Allison Nokes
Pandora Leads Streaming Services
/by Sarah SkatesGraph by Statista.
Pandora is the most used music streaming service in the U.S., according to Edison who polled Americans age 12 and up for its 2014 audio report, The Infinite Dial. It found that 31 percent of responders had listened to Pandora in the past month.
Coming in second on the list was iHeartRadio, which was listened to by nine percent of those polled. iTunes Radio was a close third with eight percent, followed by Spotify, Google Play, Rhapsody, Slacker and TuneIn Radio.
Pandora’s share of total U.S. radio listening in February 2014 was 8.91 percent, an increase from 8.25 percent at the same time last year. The company had 75.3 million active listeners, increase of 11 percent from the same time period last year.
Beats Music, which launched in January, is too new to be included in the chart above.
As streaming grows in popularity, Apple is pressuring labels for iTunes store exclusives.
In more streaming service news…
On-demand service Spotify has obtained a $200 million credit facility in anticipation of a speculated IPO. The company also announced the acquisition of The Echo Nest. Spotify has over 6 million paying subscribers and over 24 million active users.
Beats Music has raised about $60 million in funding from current investors Jimmy Iovine, Dr. Dre and Access Industries, reports Billboard. The company is in the process of acquiring TopSpin Media.
Sea Gayle Music Signs CJ Solar
/by Jessica NicholsonPictured (Front row, L-R): Marc Driskill, EVP/GM Sea Gayle; Solar; Chris DuBois, Partner Sea Gayle.
(Back row, L-R): Mike Owens, VP Creative Sea Gayle; Brandon Gregg, Office Manager Sea Gayle; Jake Gear, Creative Director Sea Gayle; and Freeman Wizer, VP Creative Sea Gayle.
Sea Gayle Music has signed Baton Rouge, La. songwriter-artist CJ Solar to a publishing agreement.
“A few months ago, Freeman Wizer, VP Creative at Sea Gayle, asked me if we had any internship spots open for this semester,” said Marc Driskill, EVP/GM of Sea Gayle. “We had a spot open and offered it to CJ. It wasn’t long after he started that Mike Owens, VP Creative at Sea Gayle heard some of CJ’s songs and wanted to sign him. As soon as everyone on the creative team heard his music, we offered him a deal on the spot. His lyrics are well beyond his years and his voice is distinctive and soulful. What a great story and an amazing talent. We are really excited about working with CJ and having him as part of the Sea Gayle roster.”
Sea Gayle Music was established in 1999. Sea Gayle’s songwriters have written 36 chart-topping songs and have earned the company ASCAP Country Publisher of the Year honors two out of the past four years.
Ballard, Crouse Become CMHoF "Friends and Family" Members
/by Jessica NicholsonWarner Bros. Records guitarist-singer Frankie Ballard was recently invited to become an honorary “Friends and Family” member of the Country Music Hall of Fame® and Museum. Last Thursday (March 6), Ballard met the staff and toured several revered exhibits.
The Michigan native is on the road promoting “Helluva Life,” featured on his new album, Sunshine & Whiskey.
Pictured (L-R): Pamela Johnson (Vice President of Development, Country Music Hall of Fame and Museum), Rachel Weingartner (Membership Manager, Country Music Hall of Fame and Museum), Ali Tonn (Director of Education and Public Programming, Country Music Hall of Fame and Museum) and Elice Cuff (Sweet Talk Publicity).
Credit: Courtesy of Country Music Hall of Fame and Museum.
• • •
Crouse has opened for Taylor Swift, The Band Perry, Darius Rucker, Toby Keith, Sara Evans and the Goo Goo Dolls. His single, “Why God Made Love Songs” is currently at radio.
Pictured (L-R, back row): Pamela Johnson (VP of Development, Country Music Hall of Fame and Museum), Rachel Weingartner (Membership Manager, Country Music Hall of Fame and Museum), Ali Tonn (Director of Education and Public Programming, Country Music Hall of Fame and Museum) and Jenny Alexander (Director of Institutional Giving, Country Music Hall of Fame and Museum). Front: Joel Crouse
Artist Pics (3/13/14)
/by Jessica NicholsonCarrie Underwood joined rock band Thousand Foot Krutch onstage during a recent Winter Jam concert at Tulsa, Okla.’s BOK Center. Underwood joined the band for the song “Let The Sparks Fly.”
Photo credit: Angela Huckeby
• • •
Sara Evans joined VH1 Big Morning Buzz hosts Nick Lachey and Jim Shearer after her performance during a day of media tapings.
Pictured (L-R): Nick Lachey, Sara Evans, Jim Shearer. Photo: Steve Stuts
• • •
Eric Paslay performed his hit single “Friday Night” from his self-titled debut album on Fox & Friends.
Pictured (L-R): Fox & Friends host Elisabeth Hasselbeck with Eric Paslay.
• • •
Pictured: BBR Management’s Shawn Pennington; WME’s Greg Oswald; Christian Easterling (Thompson Square’s tour manager); Shawna Thompson and Keifer Thompson of Thompson Square.
Jerrod Nieman‘s High Noon Adventure kicked off in Mexico on Friday, and ran from March 7-10 at the Hard Rock Hotel Riviera Maya. Niemann and guests The Swon Brothers and Dee Jay Silver welcomed fans with several days of music and fun.
The event wrapped with a concert from Niemann, who will release the Sea Gayle Records/Arista Nashville project High Noon on March 25.
Back row (L-R): Kerry Wolfe (WMIL); RJ Curtis (All Access); Mike Kennedy (KBEQ); songwriter Lance Miller; Brian Michel (WUBL); Ken Boesen (WKIS) and partner Dan Johnson; Arista’s Andy Elliott; Becky Brenner (Albright & O’Malley & Brenner); Arista’s John Sigler; Jaye Albright (A&O&B); Mike McNamee (“The Big Time with Whitney Allen”); Todd Nixon (WCKT/WCTQ); Hoss Michaels (KXKT); Tim Conlon (WKIS); and Dan Stone (WNCY). Front row (L-R): Arista’s Ryan Dokke; Sony Music Nashville Chairman/CEO Gary Overton; Arista’s Jenny Shearin; Dee Jay Silver; Zach Swon and Colton Swon; Robin Rhodes (Premiere); Jerrod Niemann; Arista’s Lauren Thomas, Ali O’Connell, and Lesly Tyson; and Whitney Allen, Jackie Stevens, and Melissa Moldovan (“The Big Time with Whitney Allen”), and Arista’s Jeri Cooper. Foreground: B-Dub (KUPL).
Pictured (L-R): Sony Music Nashville Sales VP Caryl Healey; Rdio’s Emily Cohen; The Swon Brothers: Colton and Zach Swon; Jerrod Niemann; Rhapsody’s Brandy Campbell; Sony Music Nashville Director, Digital Sales, Alaina Vehec; and Dee Jay Silver. Photo credit: Vincent van den Berg
Music Row Executive Launches Campaign for Metro Council
/by Jessica NicholsonJeff Syracuse
Jeff Syracuse, manager of Licensing Operations at BMI’s Nashville office, has announced his 2015 candidacy for Metro Council. Syracuse has been a member of the Nashville music industry for 15 years.
Syracuse aims to represent District 15 in the Donelson area, which is home to the Grand Ole Opry, Gaylord Opryland Hotel & Convention Center, Music Valley and more. “Donelson is in a prime location as the city grows,” Syracuse says. “It is rapidly becoming very attractive to a growing and diverse population from young professionals to active seniors.”
Syracuse, a Middle Tennessee resident since 1998 and a Donelson resident since 2002, has served in a number of leadership roles in the Donelson community, including President of the Donelson-Hermitage Chamber of Commerce, The Donelson Gateway Project, and The Friends of Two Rivers Mansion. He is also a Founding Board Member of the community organization Hip Donelson, and a founding board member of the Donelson Hills Neighborhood Association. Additionally, he was named one of the Nashville Business Journal’s “Forty Under 40” honorees for 2014.
Syracuse’s campaign for Metro Council holds the theme “The Soul of a City Lies in the Hearts of the People,” and will focus on strengthening local non-profit organizations and schools that serve the community.
“Nashville is experiencing incredible growth and investment, and has become a world-class destination for both tourism and new residents,” Syracuse says. “I want to help lead Donelson during this time of transition, and attract new business and investment while preserving the character and history of our community.”
His campaign is funded by Friends of Jeff Syracuse for Metro Council 15th District, with Jenny White is serving as Treasurer.
For more information, visit jeffsyracuse.com.
ASCAP Signs Smithfield's Fiedler
/by Jessica NicholsonPictured (L-R): ASCAP’s Robert Filhart, Smithfield’s Trey Smith and Jennifer Fiedler, Bigger Picture’s Jason Campbell, ASCAP’s Michael Martin and LeAnn Phelan.
Singer-songwriter Jennifer Fiedler, from the Country duo Smithfield, recently joined performing rights organization ASCAP. Smithfield is signed with Bigger Picture Group, and will soon begin working on their debut project with producer Matt Rovey.
Florida Georgia Line, BMLG Aid Fight Against Hunger
/by Michael_SmithPictured (L-R): Florida Georgia Line’s Tyler Hubbard and Brian Kelley
Florida Georgia Line has partnered with Big Machine Label Group, Feeding America and General Mills as part of the company’s third annual Outnumber Hunger campaign, which has provided more than 25 million meals to Americans in need.
“Through our experiences with Outnumber Hunger, we have learned the far reach of hunger in America, affecting people from all different backgrounds,” said the band’s Tyler Hubbard. “This year, we’re proud to take an even bigger role in the fight against hunger and rally the nation to help those in need.”
Florida Georgia Line and other Big Machine Label Group artists will be featured on boxes for more than 90 General Mills products, including Cheerios, Betty Crocker and Yoplait. Each product will contain a code that can be entered online to help Feeding America secure meals on behalf of a local food bank.
“Our artists are proud to raise their voices with General Mills and Feeding America to highlight the troubling hunger issues that so many Americans face day-to-day,” said Big Machine Label Group Pres./CEO Scott Borchetta. “This powerful group of partners is using its collective voice to rally Americans and help the 49 million people across our country who struggle with hunger.”
Outnumber Hunger’s 2014 campaign will include a live concert on Friday, April 4 at The LINQ in Las Vegas, featuring Florida Georgia Line, Rascal Flatts, Justin Moore, Thomas Rhett, The Cadillac Three, Cassadee Pope and Danielle Bradbery. The concert is part of the ACM’s Party for a Cause Festival, leading up to the 49th Annual ACM Awards on April 6.
For more information, visit feedingamerica.org.