Pictured: ASCAP’s Ryan Beuschel, Warner-Tamerlane Music Publishing’s Steve Markland, producers Frank Liddell and Glenn Worf, RCA Nashville’s Keith Gale, Songs of Parallel’s Tim Hunze, Little Blue Egg’s Robin Palmer, Vista Loma’s Stephanie Cox, BMI’s Clay Bradley, and producer Chuck Ainlay; (Front row, L-R): co-writers Brandy Clark and Miranda Lambert, Shane McAnally, and co-writer Kacey Musgraves. Photo credit: Rick Diamond
It was a star-studded event in Nashville yesterday (Sept. 11) as
Brandy Clark,
Kacey Musgraves and
Shane McAnally were feted for penning the chart-topper “Mama’s Broken Heart,” recorded by
Miranda Lambert. An industry crowd gathered at Nashville restaurant Cabana.
BMI’s
Clay Bradley called “Mama’s Broken Heart” “the ultimate revenge song,” citing the tune’s dramatically different twist on the typical breakup song. “Mama’s Broken Heart” pits daughter against mother, instead of scorned woman against a failed lover. The PRO honored Musgraves with a BMI guitar, commemorating her first No. 1 song.
ASCAP honored Clark and McAnally; this marks Clark’s second No. 1 song as a co-writer (she also co-wrote The Band Perry’s “Better Dig Two”). It is McAnally’s sixth No. 1 song.
Among those being honored were producers
Frank Liddell, Chuck Ainlay and
Glenn Worf, RCA Nashville’s
Keith Gale, Little Blue Egg’s
Robin Palmer, Songs of Parallel’s
Tim Hunze, Vista Loma’s
Stephanie Cox and Warner-Tamerlane Music Publishing’s
Steve Markland. Avenue Bank’s
Ron Cox was on hand to speak about the company’s donation to the Starkey Hearing Foundation on behalf of the songwriters.
Blake Shelton and
American Idol‘s
Kree Harrison were among the supporters in the crowd.
Lambert revealed her passion for the song nearly usurped her own wedding to Shelton in 2011. “It was supposed to be on Kacey’s album,” said Lambert. “At my wedding rehearsal dinner, Kacey’s sister was taking photos and Kacey was there, too, and I told her, ‘I want to sing “Mama’s Broken Heart.”‘ The song is that important–the wedding can wait!” Lambert quipped. “The song was worth fighting for.” Musgraves struck a deal with her. “She said, ‘Well, okay, you can record it if I can sing background vocals on it.'” Indeed, that is co-writer Musgraves’ voice you hear backing Lambert on the song.
“I had dreams my whole life,” Clark told the crowd. She gave credit to McAnally, who is not only a co-writer on the song, but is an essential part of Clark’s upcoming album
12 Stories, which releases Oct. 22. “Some [dreams] came true, but now, a lot of dreams that I thought would remain dreams became reality.”
Earlier in the week, the songwriters found out that “Mama’s Broken Heart” was nominated for a CMA trophy for Song of the Year, as was “Merry Go Round,” co-written by Musgraves and McAnally, along with Josh Osborne. The honors were not lost on McAnally. “This is not about the CMAs, but hearing my name called at all was mind-blowing. I grew up watching it every year for a long time,” said McAnally.
For Musgraves, things came full-circle to have Lambert, a fellow Texan, record the song. “We grew up 10 miles down the road from each other. I remember meeting her down the road at the pizza shop when we were 12. I feel so lucky to write songs and call it a job.”
Charlie Cook On Air: I Wanna Talk About Me
/by contributorCharlie Cook
The start of the college football season. The new NFL season. The ending of great TV shows like Breaking Bad. The start of the network TV season, filled with new shows and the return of favorites like Big Bang Theory and Scandal. The baseball playoffs and The World Series. The NHL season is just a couple of weeks away. High school football every Friday night. Add 40+ hour work weeks and homework every day with the kids. The holiday season is not far off and your listeners are starting to go online to do some shopping. As I write this The United States is still involved with the politics of a new conflict in the Middle East so that dominates the news every day.
Where is your radio station, or your recording career, in all of this? Are you relevant? Are you relatable? Are you a diversion?
It is a lot easier for radio stations to become involved in the listeners’ day. All of the topics mentioned in the first few paragraphs can be subjects for bits or phone conversations. No matter your format, your market is touched by some or all of this. Talking about these subjects makes you local and gets you between the listener and their lives. It connects you to the listener without them even realizing you have done so.
As the new television season kicks off, how about soliciting your listeners to view some of the new shows and review them for your audience? Assign a half dozen listeners and schedule them throughout the first week of the season. How about having contests on the air with listeners Friday morning to pick High School football winners or have each of the morning show’s participants compete with each other?
I know good morning shows already do all of this every morning, but my point is the 15 or so events that are all happening around the same time can cause your staff to sound overwhelmed and lose the listener’s “little things” that mean more to them than to us.
I mentioned that it is easier for radio to pull this off than an individual artist. Performers don’t really have the forum, but I suggest you schedule some time with radio stations around the country in the next month and come prepared to talk, not about your new CD, which will get the needed promotion, but about these local issues.
Spend a minute learning about what is important to the local audience. Is there a high school rivalry the coming weekend? Become aware of the situation and weigh in on it. Do you think the audience would appreciate that you know what’s happening in their lives?
This is the time of the year when you’re setting up fourth quarter CD sales. Building a connection with the local listeners will pay off. I know “doing prep” takes time. For the announcers and the performers, the effort will pay off both short-term and long-term.
Many major market PDs are skittish about putting the artists on air. Too much talk? Baloney. I believe fun, entertaining content in fact will cause longer listening. But an interview that revolves around either the host (you know who you are) or just about the artist is, “been there done that.” As Toby Keith said, “ I Wanna Talk About Me.”
(The views expressed in this article are those of the author and do not necessarily reflect those of MusicRow.)
IEBA's 43rd Annual Conference Set For October
/by Lorie HollabaughThe conference will include a keynote Q&A from Billboard’s Ray Waddell, followed by a panel that will feature a case study on the Houston Livestock Show and Rodeo. Additional panels will focus on the evolving revenue streams in the casino business, the new role of the booking agent, and the cost of doing business on the road. Attendees will also have the opportunity to sit down with IEBA’s Board of Directors and other prominent business leaders to discuss the latest trends and hot topics in live entertainment during the event. Table topics will include arenas, casino entertainment, clubs, corporate buying, EDM, fairs, festivals, indian gaming, PACs & small venues, and tour marketing.
IEBA’s Agents Alley gives entertainment buyers and sellers time together to discuss the specifics of the upcoming touring season at two events this year: a Tailgate Party on Sunday, Oct. 20 and a two-hour booking session on Tuesday, Oct. 22.
The conference culminates with an honors and awards dinner Oct. 22. For more information about the conference, visit IEBA.org. Early bird registration rates apply through Sept. 18th.
Jason Aldean To Release Concert Film
/by Jessica NicholsonJason Aldean
Jason Aldean‘s Night Train Tour has garnered plentiful media buzz throughout the past year, playing stadiums from Mississippi to Massachusetts. He played to a sold-out hometown crowd of more than 66,000 fans at the University of Georgia’s Sanford Stadium in April, and now fans can relive (or see for the first time) the experience via a release of the concert film Night Train To Georgia, which will be available Oct. 15.
The piece, a TackleBox Films production, was produced by Shaun Silva, Ivan Dudensky and Don Leopore.
“That day in Athens will always be one of my proudest accomplishments,” said Aldean. “I’ve been working my whole career to get to this point where I can go into a stadium like Sanford, which I’ve idolized my whole life, and leave a mark. I watch it back now to remember the details because it was all overwhelming and a pretty surreal moment for me.”
The 90-minute film features 18 songs, including “She’s Country,” “Big Green Tractor,” “My Kinda Party” and “Take A Little Ride.” It also offers personal interviews and footage from Aldean’s Fenway Park and Wrigley Field shows, as well as appearances by Luke Bryan (“The Only Way I Know”), Kelly Clarkson (“Don’t You Wanna Stay”) and Ludacris (“Dirt Road Anthem”), on songs they’ve recorded together.
A trailer for the film can be seen below.
http://vimeo.com/73504320
Lambert, Musgraves, Clark, McAnally Celebrate No. 1
/by Jessica NicholsonPictured: ASCAP’s Ryan Beuschel, Warner-Tamerlane Music Publishing’s Steve Markland, producers Frank Liddell and Glenn Worf, RCA Nashville’s Keith Gale, Songs of Parallel’s Tim Hunze, Little Blue Egg’s Robin Palmer, Vista Loma’s Stephanie Cox, BMI’s Clay Bradley, and producer Chuck Ainlay; (Front row, L-R): co-writers Brandy Clark and Miranda Lambert, Shane McAnally, and co-writer Kacey Musgraves. Photo credit: Rick Diamond
It was a star-studded event in Nashville yesterday (Sept. 11) as Brandy Clark, Kacey Musgraves and Shane McAnally were feted for penning the chart-topper “Mama’s Broken Heart,” recorded by Miranda Lambert. An industry crowd gathered at Nashville restaurant Cabana.
BMI’s Clay Bradley called “Mama’s Broken Heart” “the ultimate revenge song,” citing the tune’s dramatically different twist on the typical breakup song. “Mama’s Broken Heart” pits daughter against mother, instead of scorned woman against a failed lover. The PRO honored Musgraves with a BMI guitar, commemorating her first No. 1 song.
ASCAP honored Clark and McAnally; this marks Clark’s second No. 1 song as a co-writer (she also co-wrote The Band Perry’s “Better Dig Two”). It is McAnally’s sixth No. 1 song.
Among those being honored were producers Frank Liddell, Chuck Ainlay and Glenn Worf, RCA Nashville’s Keith Gale, Little Blue Egg’s Robin Palmer, Songs of Parallel’s Tim Hunze, Vista Loma’s Stephanie Cox and Warner-Tamerlane Music Publishing’s Steve Markland. Avenue Bank’s Ron Cox was on hand to speak about the company’s donation to the Starkey Hearing Foundation on behalf of the songwriters.
Blake Shelton and American Idol‘s Kree Harrison were among the supporters in the crowd.
Lambert revealed her passion for the song nearly usurped her own wedding to Shelton in 2011. “It was supposed to be on Kacey’s album,” said Lambert. “At my wedding rehearsal dinner, Kacey’s sister was taking photos and Kacey was there, too, and I told her, ‘I want to sing “Mama’s Broken Heart.”‘ The song is that important–the wedding can wait!” Lambert quipped. “The song was worth fighting for.” Musgraves struck a deal with her. “She said, ‘Well, okay, you can record it if I can sing background vocals on it.'” Indeed, that is co-writer Musgraves’ voice you hear backing Lambert on the song.
“I had dreams my whole life,” Clark told the crowd. She gave credit to McAnally, who is not only a co-writer on the song, but is an essential part of Clark’s upcoming album 12 Stories, which releases Oct. 22. “Some [dreams] came true, but now, a lot of dreams that I thought would remain dreams became reality.”
Earlier in the week, the songwriters found out that “Mama’s Broken Heart” was nominated for a CMA trophy for Song of the Year, as was “Merry Go Round,” co-written by Musgraves and McAnally, along with Josh Osborne. The honors were not lost on McAnally. “This is not about the CMAs, but hearing my name called at all was mind-blowing. I grew up watching it every year for a long time,” said McAnally.
For Musgraves, things came full-circle to have Lambert, a fellow Texan, record the song. “We grew up 10 miles down the road from each other. I remember meeting her down the road at the pizza shop when we were 12. I feel so lucky to write songs and call it a job.”
Artist Updates (9-12-13)
/by Jessica NicholsonThompson Square
Thompson Square will return to Conan to perform their current single, “Everything I Shouldn’t Be Thinking About,” on Thursday, Sept. 19. Conan airs on TBS at 11 p.m. ET/10 p.m. CT. The husband/wife duo earned their third consecutive CMA nomination for “Vocal Duo of the Year” earlier this week.
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CRS Appoints Senior Director Post
/by Eric T. ParkerMichelle Kammerer
Country Radio Seminar has announced the promotion of Michelle Kammerer to Sr. Director of Brand Marketing and Strategic Partnerships.
“Michelle has done an amazing job in developing and executing our creative approach for our sponsors and partnerships,” said CRS Executive Director Bill Mayne.
“We’ve worked very hard over the last 2+ years and I am excited to continue that journey as part of a great staff and incredible board to make CRS the best it can be,” said Kammerer. “See you at CRS 2014!”
Kammerer is actively involved in the music industry community. She serves in The Society of Leaders In Development (SOLID) as Treasurer, in the Women’s Music Business Association (WMBA) as Membership & Marketing Co-Chair and Women Rock For The Cure as Development Director. She is also a member of SOURCE.
Kammerer can be reached by email or phone 615-327-4487.
Taryn Pray Launches Publicity Company
/by Jessica NicholsonTaryn Pray
Publicist Taryn Pray has left her post as Director, Media Marketing at Universal Music Group to launch Taryn Pray PR. Her first clients include Lauren Alaina and Josh Thompson.
Pray joined Capitol’s media team in 2011, and became part of UMG Nashville’s team after UMG acquired EMI. Pray previously worked in publicity at Sony Music Nashville, helping manage media campaigns for artists on Columbia Nashville and BNA Records, including Miranda Lambert, Kellie Pickler, Josh Thompson and Kenny Chesney.
Pray can be contacted at taryn@tarynpraypr.com or at 615-948-7474.
Leigh Parr Joins UMG Nashville As Director, Media Marketing
/by Jessica NicholsonLeigh Parr
UMG Nashville announces today that Leigh Parr has joined the Media Marketing department. Parr, Director of Media Marketing, will oversee publicity and media outreach for artists including George Strait, Scotty McCreery, Little Big Town, Eric Paslay and Dierks Bentley. She replaces Taryn Pray, who has left to launch her own venture.
Parr brings nearly 12 years of industry experience to UMG Nashville. Following her graduation from the University of Alabama, she spent nearly five years with William Morris Agency, followed by three years in management with McGhee Entertainment. Most recently, she served as an independent publicist with PR firm, Essential Broadcast Media.
“I could not be more thrilled to have Leigh join our publicity team at UMG Nashville,” explains Lori Christian, VP, Media Marketing. “She brings with her not only a rich background in publicity but management and agency experience as well that will benefit not only our publicity team but our overall marketing team. I have worked with Leigh on many projects over the years and have always been impressed with her dedication, hard work and passion. ”
Parr can be reached at Leigh.Parr@umusic.com.
Candlelight Vigil Commemorates 10-Year Anniversary of Cash's Death
/by Lorie HollabaughBorn to a family of seven in Ark., Cash began writing songs at age 12 and formed his first band during a stint in the Air Force. After moving to Memphis in 1954, he signed with Sun Records and recorded some of his first songs, “Hey Porter,” and “Cry! Cry! Cry!” Just two years later he recorded two of his signature smashes, “Folsom Prison Blues” and “I Walk The Line,” but later left Sun to sign with Columbia. In the 1960s he began touring with the Carter Family, which included Anita, Helen, and June, who would later become the love of his life. June penned what would become one of his biggest crossover hits, “Ring Of Fire,” but the two wouldn’t wed until 1968, 13 years after they first met backstage at the Grand Ole Opry. In 1967, the two won a Grammy for their hit duet, “Jackson.”
From 1969-71, Cash starred in his own TV show on ABC, which featured guests like Louis Armstrong, James Taylor, Ray Charles, and Bob Dylan. He later sang a duet with Dylan on Dylan’s Nashville Skyline album and even penned the liner notes for the collection. During this time he cemented his “Man In Black” image by wearing all black as a tribute to the poor, downtrodden, and overlooked in society. He often identified with and voiced his compassion for prisoners as well, and performed concerts throughout the years at various prisons around the country including his legendary San Quentin show in 1958 which led to a pair of successful albums, Johnny Cash At San Quentin and Johnny Cash at Folsom Prison. In 1980, Cash became the Country Music Hall of Fame’s youngest living inductee at age 48, and during the mid-80s toured and recorded with compadres Waylon Jennings, Willie Nelson, and Kris Kristofferson as the Highwaymen, releasing three albums.
An original three-page handwritten draft of the liner notes for Johnny Cash’s 2000 album release, Love, which was released individually and also as part of a 3-CD box set titled, Love, God and Murder. Reads in part, “I remember when I fell into June’s ‘Ring of Fire.’ There was a lot of showing it as well as saying it. Never had there been a deeper love than my love for her. At times it was painful but we shared the pain so it was just half painful. Now, even though it has mellowed out, the flame of our love still burns. And it burns, burns, burns.” Signed at the conclusion of the last page “Johnny Cash.” From the personal collection of MusicRow Publisher/Owner Sherod Robertson
In the 90’s Cash signed with Rick Rubin’s label and released the highly-lauded American Recordings album which he recorded in his own living room accompanied by only his Martin guitar. The album featured covers of contemporary artists and won a Grammy for Best Contemporary Folk Album. By 1997, suffering from complications due to diabetes Cash was forced to leave the road, though he recorded two more albums, American III: Solitary Man and American IV: The Man Comes Around. The latter project included a video of Cash’s rendition of the Nine Inch Nails song “Hurt,” which is now recognized by some as his epitaph. At wife June’s behest, Cash continued working up until the day he died practically, recording 60 songs in the last four months of his life and performing several surprise shows at the Carter Family Fold outside Bristol. He passed away less than four months after his beloved June, and some say he simply died of a broken heart.
He was awarded the Kennedy Center Honors in 1996, a Grammy Lifetime Achievement Award in 1999, the National Medal of Arts in 2001, and in 2005 his life was memorialized in a feature film starring Joaquin Phoenix, Walk The Line. A limited-edition postage stamp with his image was released in June of this year, and a new museum dedicated to the life of the legend was opened in Nashville late this summer featuring an impeccable collection of hundreds of pieces of memorabilia from his life.
Dolly Parton Surprised With $50,000 Donation To Dr. Robert F. Thomas Foundation
/by Jessica NicholsonDolly Parton was recently surprised with a check for $50,000 by Dr. Robert F. Thomas Foundation supporter Michael Cooper, CEO and President of GlobalDoc, Inc. Parton is the foundation’s honorary chairperson. A portion of the donation is earmarked for the Sevier County Boys & Girls Club, to aid the organization’s anti-bullying awareness efforts.
“The director was yellin’ ‘action’ all day but turns out the real action was created by our good friend Mike Cooper who came bearing the gift of $50,000 to support the good work of the Dr. Robert F. Thomas Foundation, a cause that’s truly near and dear to my heart,” Parton said. “I had no idea Mike was coming but I told him he could surprise me like that anytime!”
Debbie Dowling, Executive Director of the Dr. Thomas Foundation; Ellen Wilhoit, Chief Administrative Officer of LeConte Medical Center; and Linda Ogle, Dr. Thomas Foundation board member, were all on hand for the presentation.
Pictured (L-R): Linda Ogle (Dr. Robert F. Thomas Foundation Board Member), Ellen Wilhoit (CAO, LeConte Medical Center), Debbie Dowling (Executive Director, Dr. Robert F. Thomas Foundation), Dolly Parton, Mike Cooper (CEO GlobalDoc), and Julio Pujols (Executive Assistant, GlobalDoc).