Country Music Hall of Fame group Alabama has signed a new management deal with Tony Conway’s Ontourage Management.
Band members Randy Owen, Jeff Cook, and Teddy Gentry said, “We have known Tony Conway for 30 years, and his reputation and major accomplishments in the music industry made this a natural fit. We want to continue our journey, and we feel Tony can help us accomplish that.”
Conway has more than 38 years of industry experience. He spent 33 years with Buddy Lee Attractions, rising to the role of CEO and co-owner. In 2010, Conway launched Conway Entertainment Group and Ontourage Management. Conway has represented a wide array of clients through the years, including George Strait, Willie Nelson, Waylon Jennings, Garth Brooks, George Jones, Lorrie Morgan, The Dixie Chicks, Miranda Lambert and Jason Aldean.
“I have had the pleasure of knowing the members of Alabama for many years, and I am extremely proud they have chosen us to help further their endeavors and work with them on future projects. New music, selected tour dates, a film documentary, and a book are in the plans. Alabama has created an incredible legacy through both music and philanthropy. We are honored to be part of their team,” said Conway.

Zach and Colton Swon, better known as The Swon Brothers, won numerous fans during their time competing on the fourth season of NBC’s The Voice. The Muskogee, Okla., natives were coached by fellow Oklahoman Blake Shelton, and earned a third place finish.
Shortly after their stint on The Voice, they signed with Arista Nashville, home to Brad Paisley, Carrie Underwood, Jerrod Niemann, Kix Brooks, The Henningsens and others. Since their time on The Voice, and signing with William Morris Endeavor Entertainment for booking, the brothers have had precious little downtime. Their calendar is filled with concert dates and recording sessions. Not a bad payoff from the audition for The Voice, especially considering it was an impulse decision for the brothers. “We went along to support someone else who was auditioning, and we auditioned, too,” said Zach. “We didn’t expect to make it to the finals.”
Zach and Colton have been performing for most of their lives, and by the ages of nine and 12, they were traveling to Nashville in pursuit of their musical dreams. They moved to Nashville full-time in August 2013. The brothers visited MusicRow‘s office recently to perform a trio of acoustic songs including their first single, “Later On,” penned by Ryan Hurd, Joey Hyde, and Justin Wilson. The song was one of the first tunes pitched to the duo for their upcoming debut album, and will officially impact radio in March. “It had that harmony-driven melody that we love,” said Zach. They are collaborating with producer Mark Bright on the project.
The Swon Brothers also performed a new tune, which the brothers co-wrote with Charles Kelley and Dave Haywood of Lady Antebellum. The brothers talked to Kelley during a recent Eagles concert at Nashville’s Bridgestone Arena, and the pair decided to write together. Their final song during the visit was a cover of Loggins & Messina’s “Danny’s Song,” that Shelton suggested they perform on The Voice. The brothers recently performed the song with Kenny Loggins backstage at one of Loggins’ concerts.
“We are excited to be here in Nashville, living our dream,” said Colton.
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New York-based PR and Artist Development firm, The Press House, has opened a Nashville office at 24 Music Square West. Founder and CEO, Dawn Kamerling, says, “We’ve had a presence in Nashville for a while now, and a lot of our artists are based there. It just makes sense for us to expand in this direction.”
The Press House’s Music Row office will be headed by Senior Publicist, Maria Drummond, whose career includes time at SiriusXM, AAM Management, and Jerry Duncan Promotions. “It’s an exciting time in Nashville. Everyone, everywhere is hyper-aware of how cool this city is,” says Drummond. “But being a native, none of this is new to me. The music has always been diverse, it’s always been more than just Country, and it’s always been good. I’m excited to showcase that with our roster.”
President of Artist Development, Tommy Merrill, says, “After spending so much time in Nashville over the past year and half, working with the phenomenal talent in town, and having a honest and genuine connection with those artists, we feel a greater presence in Tennessee is the perfect move to make. The goal is to bring our international and national artists to Nashville and to give our Southern artists opportunities that come from beyond their stomping grounds.”
“It’s a great time for the company,” says Kamerling from her office in lower Manhattan. “I am excited about our changes and continual growth and look forward to see what kind of opportunities 2014 will bring!”
The Press House’s current client list includes Lori McKenna, James McCartney, Blake Morgan, Ed Romanoff, and others.
Drummond can be reached at maria@thepresshouse.com or at 615-306-0737.

The Academy of Country Music and Great American Country are teaming for the sixth consecutive year, and the newcomer category for the 49th Annual Academy of Country Music Awards will be voted on by the fans through VoteACM.com and GACtv.com/ACM, beginning Tuesday, Jan. 21, 2014.
The Academy of Country Music once again combined all newcomer categories into a single, overall category for New Artist of the Year. The New Artist of the Year award absorbs all newcomer categories including New Male Vocalist, New Female Vocalist, and New Vocal Duo or Group categories from past years, and the winner will be revealed on the live. telecast of the 49th Annual Academy of Country Music Awards.
The top eight artists from the first round of ACM professional voting are considered semi-finalists and will compete via the Great American Country fan vote, combined with the ACM professional membership vote, to determine the final three nominees for the award. The final three nominees will compete for the trophy, with a combined fan and professional membership vote to determine the winner.
The show is produced for television by dick clark productions and will be broadcast from the MGM Grand Garden Arena in Las Vegas Sunday, April 6th, 2014 at 8:00 PM live ET/delayed PT on the CBS Television Network.
NEW ARTIST OF THE YEAR semi-finalists:
Lee Brice
Brett Eldredge
Tyler Farr
Justin Moore
Kip Moore
Kacey Musgraves
Thomas Rhett
Parmalee
First round fan voting for New Artist of the Year will begin at www.VoteACM.com and www.GACTV.com/ACM on Tuesday, Jan. 21st at Noon E.T., and will close on Tuesday, Feb. 4 at 3 p.m. ET. The final three nominees will be announced in the coming weeks and will move on to compete in the final round of voting for the New Artist category at VoteACM.com. Final round fan voting begins on Monday, March 24 and will close on April 6, with the winner being announced live during the 49th Annual Academy of Country Music Awards broadcast on CBS on Sunday, April 6 at 8 p.m. ET/PT.

A new post on HollywoodReporter.com lists the 10 Most-Watched Awards Shows, including a break down of total viewers, demo rating and median age.

The Oscars on ABC are the top show with 40.4 million viewers. The Grammys on CBS are the most watched music show, and second overall, with 28.4 million.
See the full list.