SoundExchange has filed a lawsuit in the United States District Court for the District of Columbia against SiriusXM for alleged underpayment of digital royalties from 2007-2012. The company is accusing SiriusXM of taking inadmissible deductions and exemptions in royalty payment calculations to SoundExchange, including deductions for pre-1972 recordings and music channel packages. It also wants back late fees and interest due from the underpayments as well.
The underpayments are alleged to amount to between 50 and $100 million or more, and is seeking to recover the monies for the artists and labels it represents.
A copy of the official filing can be seen here: soundexchange.com.
The lawsuit is merely the latest in the battle between the two companies. Last year, according to the Hollywood Reporter, SiriusXM sued Soundexchange over an alleged plan to monopolize copyrights from the recording industry. The satellite radio company wanted to make direct deals with rights holders instead. A separate lawsuit was filed earlier this month against SiriusXM by the Turtles over rights usage of their pre-1972 songs, which are not protected under federal law.

Deana Carter, Rodney Crowell, Paul Franklin, Vince Gill, Emmylou Harris, Kree Harrison, Robert Earl Keen, Lorrie Morgan, David Nail, Darius Rucker, Steve Wariner, Jesse Keith Whitley, Chris Young and Thompson Square will join host Dierks Bentley at the 7th Annual ACM Honors. The awards show will be held Sept. 10, 2013 at the Ryman Auditorium in Nashville, and will celebrate the non-televised special honorees and award winners from the 48th Annual Academy of Country Music Awards, held earlier this year.
Carter, Nail, Rucker and Wariner will serve as presenters during the evening, while musical tributes will be made by Crowell & Harris, Gill & Franklin, Harrison, Keen, Morgan, Whitley, Young and Thompson Square.
Tickets are on sale now at Ticketmaster and the Ryman box office.
Previously announced honorees for this year’s ACM Honors are:
Special Awards recipients:

• Jason Aldean – Crystal Milestone Award
• Guy Clark – Poet’s Award
• Blake Shelton – Gene Weed Special Achievement Award
• Keith Whitley (posthumously) – Cliffie Stone Pioneer Award
• Tommy Wiggins – Mae Boren Axton Award
• Hank Williams (posthumously) – Poet’s Award
• Lady Antebellum – Jim Reeves International Award
• The Judds – Cliffie Stone Pioneer Award

MBI (Musician/Bandleader/Instrumentalist) Award Winners:

• Chuck Ainlay – Audio Engineer of the Year
• Matt Chamberlain – Percussionist/Drummer of the Year
• J.T. Corenflos – Guitarist of the Year
• Aubrey Haynie – Fiddle Player of the Year
• Mike Johnson – Steel Guitar Player of the Year
• Jay Joyce – Producer of the Year
• Michael Rojas – Piano/Keyboard Player of the Year
• Jimmie Lee Sloas – Bass Player of the Year
• Ilya Toshinsky – Specialty Instrument(s) Player of the Year

Industry Award Winners:

• Jerry Hufford, Buck Owens’ Crystal Palace – Don Romeo Talent Buyer of the Year
• Ed Warm, Joe’s Bar – Promoter of the Year
• Joe’s Bar (Chicago, IL) – Nightclub of the Year
• Red Rock Casino & Resort (Las Vegas, NV) – Casino of the Year
• Ryman Auditorium (Nashville, TN) – Venue of the Year

Randy Travis’ 21^st studio album, Influence Vol. 1: The Man I Am, is set to hit stores on Oct. 1. The record is a journey back through Travis’ musical career to the songs and artists who influenced his sound and style, and features Travis putting his own vocal stamp on vintage songs from Merle Haggard, Lefty Frizzell, and Waylon Jennings, among others. It also includes his recent duet with Joe Nichols, “Tonight I’m Playing Possum,” the tribute to George Jones he debuted earlier this year at the CMA Music Festival.
Travis first came upon the idea of making the album after releasing his 25^th Anniversary Celebration and going back through his collaborations with artists like Zac Brown Band, Kenny Chesney, Willie Nelson, and Carrie Underwood, reflecting on the heroes who have inspired him throughout the course of his career.
“When I think of my musical heroes of yesteryear, or the younger stars of this year, I am reminded that it is true we learn from the ones ahead of us, and teach the ones that follow.  They are the reason I chose to make this album,” says Travis.
Songs on the new CD include:
1)   “Someday We’ll Look Back” – originally recorded by Merle Haggard (released 1971)
2)   “Big Butter And Egg Man” – originally recorded by Louis Armstrong and His Hot Five (released 1926)
3)   “What Have You Got Planned Tonight Diana” –originally recorded by Merle Haggard (released 1976)
4)   “Ever Changing Woman” – originally recorded by Merle Haggard (released 1980)
5)   “Pennies From Heaven” – originally recorded by Bing Crosby (released 1936)
6)   “Thanks A Lot” – originally recorded by Ernest Tubb (released 1964)
7)   “Trouble In Mind” – originally recorded by Thelma La Vizzo (released 1924)
8)    “My Mary” – originally recorded by Merle Haggard/Willie Nelson (released 1983)
9)   “Saginaw Michigan” – originally recorded by Lefty Frizzell (released in 1964)
10)  “Always On A Mountain (When I Fall)” – originally recorded by Merle Haggard (released 1978)
11)   “Because You Asked Me To” – originally recorded by Waylon Jennings (released 1973)
12)  “Why Baby Why ” – originally recorded by George Jones (released 1955)
13) “Tonight I’m Playing Possum” – recorded by Joe Nichols/Randy Travis (released 2013)

Scotty McCreery will release his sophomore album, See You Tonight, which will be in stores on Oct. 15. The project is produced by Frank Rogers and features several songs co-written by McCreery. This is the follow-up to McCreery’s debut album Clear As Day.
McCreery has been staying busy on the road with his first headline tour, The Weekend Roadtrip Tour 2013, which runs through the end of 2013.
Track Listing:
1. Now – Written by McCreery, busbee and Frank Rogers
2. See You Tonight – Written by McCreery, Ashley Gorley and Zach Crowell
3. Get Gone With You – Written by Ross Copperman, Lynn Hutton and Tammi Kidd Hutton
4. Feelin’ It – Written by Frank Rogers and Matthew West
5. Feel Good Summer Song – Written by J. T. Harding, Shane McAnally and Josh Osborne
6. Buzzin’ – Written by busbee and Frank Rogers
7. Can You Feel It – Written by McCreery, Ashley Gorley and Zach Crowell
8. The Dash- Written by Kyle Jacobs and Preston Brust
9. Blue Jean Baby – Written by Matt Ramsey, Trevor Rosen and Matt Jenkins
10. Forget To Forget You – Written by Casey Beathard and Michael Dulaney
11. I Don’t Wanna Be Your Friend – Written by McCreery, Frank Rogers and David Fanning
12. Carolina Moon – Written by Jon Randall Stewart and Ronnie Stewart
13. Something More – Written by Scotty McCreery and Frank Rogers

Songwriter Charley Stefl has signed with Eleven Eleven Music Group for representation. The award-winning singer-songwriter-producer stopped by SESAC’s Nashville headquarters to celebrate the signing with Eleven Eleven execs.

SESAC’s Shannan Hatch, Eleven Eleven’s Jason Morris, Charley Stefl, Eleven Eleven’s Jewel Coburn and SESAC’s Tim Fink.

 • • •

The Academy of Country Music recently made a $700,000 contribution to ACM Lifting Lives on behalf of the artists who participated in the taping of ACM Presents: Tim McGraw’s Superstar Summer Night in Las Vegas earlier this year. Ticket proceeds from the taping also went to ACM Lifting Lives. The taping included appearances and/or performances from Jason Aldean, Dierks Bentley, Luke Bryan, John Fogerty, Brantley Gilbert, Faith Hill, Taylor Swift, Keith Urban, Nelly, Ne-Yo, Pitbull, Florida Georgia Line, Lady Antebellum and The Band Perry. More than 11 million viewers tuned in on CBS to watch the special.

Pictured (L-R): ACM Treasurer Duane Clark, ACM Lifting Lives Chairman Bruce Bowman, ACM Chairman of the Board Ken Robold, outgoing ACM Chairman of the Board Butch Waugh, ACM President Darin Murphy, ACM Parliamentarian Paul Moore.

• • •

MSO PR Nashville is celebrating its fifth anniversary since opening its Nashville office (helmed by Nashville Director and publicist Lyndie Wenner) in July 2008. Wenner works with company President Mitch Schneider, Sr. VP Todd Brodginski, Account Executive Angela Villanueva and Tour Press Director Bari Lieberman, who are all based in the company’s Los Angeles headquarters. The client roster for both offices includes Dwight Yoakam, Dave Stewart, Dee Jay Silver, Lonestar, Jo Dee Messina, John Fogerty, Truth & Salvage Co., and Wynonna Judd. The company celebrated its fifth anniversary with a media mixer at the historic Union Station Hotel in Nashville.

Pictured (L-R): MSO President Mitch Schneider, radio personality/musician Billy Block, MSO Nashville Director/Publicist Lyndie Wenner and MSO Account Executive Angela Villanueva. Photo: Randi Radcliff.

• • •

Singer and actress Lucy Hale, known for her work on the ABC television series Pretty Little Liars, has teamed with DMG Nashville, Hollywood Records, Bigger Picture Group and Monarch Publicity to introduce her debut country album. Hale is currently working with producer Mark Bright on the project. This fall, she will visit radio stations across the country before her single is released next year.

Lucy Hale in the studio working on her debut country project.

• • •

The Hard Rock Café Nashville and Musicians On Call’s Young Professionals Committee have joined forces to present Rumble at the Rock, a fundraising event for the Nashville branch of Musicians On Call. The all-ages event will include a giant inflatable obstacle course, ring toss, dunking booth, Twister games, and more, and tickets are on sale now for $10 in advance or $15 at the door. The first hundred tickets sold will receive a free gift on the day of the rumble. Advance tickets can be purchased at http://tinyurl.com/RumbleattheRock. Proceeds will go to help patients in local Nashville hospitals.