The Band Perry’s single, “Better Dig Two,” has been certified platinum by the Recording Industry Association of America. The song is the first single from the trio’s Pioneer album, to be released April 2.
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George Strait‘s The Cowboy Rides Away Tour debuted at No. 1 atop Pollstar’s Concert Pulse, besting artists including Justin Bieber, Neil Young and Crazy Horse, Dave Matthews Band and The Who. Martina McBride has joined Strait for the tour, which has already sold out 15 venues.
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Little Big Town and Hunter Hayes will headline the Blue Ridge Music Festival, to be held June 1 in Salem, Va. Additional performers will include Gloriana, Nashville star Charles Esten (Deacon Claybourne), Colt Ford, Greg Bates and more.
The Blue Ridge Music Festival will be held at the Salem Stadium. General admission tickets are available for $35 at the Salem Civic Center box office, all Ticketmaster locations, or charge by phone at (800) 745-3000. There are also a limited number of VIP tickets available for $99.50.
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Alan Jackson will release Precious Memories Volume II on March 26. The album is a follow-up to his 2006 album Precious Memories. Songs featured on Volume II include “Amazing Grace,” “He Lives,” “Just As I Am,” “O How I Love Jesus,” “There Is Power In The Blood” and “Sweet Hour of Prayer,” among others.
“Denise and I had made a list of 30 to 40 songs to do for that first album,” Jackson says. “We had so many that we didn’t get to, I thought we’d go in and do a few more just the same way – heartfelt and simple.”
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Ashley Monroe and new Nashville-based group Striking Matches will perform for a South by Southwest (SXSW) showcase in Austin on March 11. The event, presented by CMT, VH1 and MTV, will be held at the Control Room in Austin. Also performing on the bill are Guards, ZZ WArd, Elle King and Youngblood Hawke.
General admission tickets will be available for the show, though SXSW badge holders will be admitted free of charge.
ASCAP Reports 2012 Financials
/by Sherod RobertsonAccording to the report, growth in cable revenues (up 20 percent) and continued strength in foreign revenues were the primary factors in mitigating the impact of the radio and background music revenue declines.
ASCAP President and Chairman Paul Williams says, “Our goal in 2012 was to ensure a healthy, steady stream of royalties to our members who depend on ASCAP’s advocacy and collective licensing to pay the rent and put food on the table. We are navigating in a complex, rapidly changing environment in which huge, cash-rich technology companies are developing business models that fly fast and free with our copyrights. ASCAP’s advocacy for our members is, as always, a critical factor in ensuring fair treatment and payment for their work.”
ASCAP continued to upgrade its business systems in 2012 through IT innovations and ongoing, cost-saving operational improvements that resulted in an 11.3 percent operating expense ratio as compared with 12 percent last year.
ASCAP CEO John LoFrumento added, “Looking forward to 2013 and beyond, the news is good. We are poised to return to year-over-year growth in our domestic revenues and with foreign revenues remaining consistently high.
ASCAP expanded its suite of online tools in 2012 including programs ASCAP OnStage, ASCAP Play Music and an enhanced mobile app, which allows access to ASCAP’s tools on any mobile device.
Aldean, Gill and More Perform For New York City's All For The Hall
/by Jessica NicholsonJason Aldean, Vince Gill, Emmylou Harris, Rodney Crowell, Gregg Allman and Warren Haynes of The Allman Brothers Band, Ashley Monroe, Train’s Pat Monahan and surprise guest Joan Osborne gathered at New York City’s Best Buy Theater on Feb. 26 for an All For The Hall benefit concert honoring the Country Music Hall of Fame.
All of the artists shared the stage during the two-hour concert, trading songs and stories in an guitar-pull style. Harris sang with Crowell on a few cuts from their new duet album, Old Yellow Moon. Allman and Haynes brought their course Southern rock style and ace guitar skills to “Melissa,” “Midnight Rider” and “These Days.” Monahan performed his single “Bruises” with Monroe before performing his hit “Drops of Jupiter.”
In addition to the dinner and concert, part of the evening was set aside to raise money for the Country Music Hall of Fame and museum via a cocktail reception and auction, which included autographed guitars, concert tickets and autographed photos.
Pictured (L-R): Jason Aldean, Gregg Allman, Warren Haynes, Emmylou Harris, Rodney Crowell, Vince Gill, Ashley Monroe and Pat Monahan. Photo: Getty Images
Pictured (L-R): Jason Aldean, Gregg Allman, Warren Haynes, Emmylou Harris, Rodney Crowell, Vince Gill, Ashley Monroe and Pat Monahan. Photo: Getty Images
Industry Ink (3-5-13)
/by Jessica Nicholson• • •
For the schedule and other festival information, go to tinpansouth.com.
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Pictured (L-R): Debbie Carroll (Exec. Dir. MusiCares), Randy Goodman (Co-Chair Music City Music Council), Sally Williams (GM Ryman Auditorium), Stacey Schlitz (Schlitz Law). Photo: Denise Fussell
Artist Updates (3-5-13)
/by Jessica Nicholson• • •
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The Blue Ridge Music Festival will be held at the Salem Stadium. General admission tickets are available for $35 at the Salem Civic Center box office, all Ticketmaster locations, or charge by phone at (800) 745-3000. There are also a limited number of VIP tickets available for $99.50.
• • •
“Denise and I had made a list of 30 to 40 songs to do for that first album,” Jackson says. “We had so many that we didn’t get to, I thought we’d go in and do a few more just the same way – heartfelt and simple.”
• • •
General admission tickets will be available for the show, though SXSW badge holders will be admitted free of charge.
HoriPro Entertainment Group Acquires Full Circle Music Publishing
/by Jessica NicholsonFull Circle Music Group’s catalog includes “When I Get Where I’m Going,” “Old Alabama,” “All My Friends Say” and “Boys of Fall,” among many others. “It was a great catalog with a lot of wonderful hit songs. There are some awesome copyrights in that catalog, along with some stuff from writers that we feel like we can take out and exploit,” says HoriPro Sr. VP Butch Baker.
HoriPro Entertainment Group also owns catalog material from KISS, REO Speedwagon, Marilyn Manson and more. “We are pretty close to 25,000 copyrights in the company,” says Baker. Their roster includes hit songwriters such as Dean Dillon, Phil O’Donnell and Phil Barton.
Adkins Announces 11th Studio Album
/by Caitlin RantalaLike any labor of love, this album benefitted from relationships built over time and based on respect. The impressive list of producers who helped these songs stand up to Trace’s rich baritone include Tony Brown, Mark Wright, Frank Rogers, Kenny Beard and Mickey Cones. Additionally, several unexpected guests (to be announced) will appear, since love is nothing if not a collaboration.
“Hold on one second!” said Adkins. “This is an album of love songs but in my book, ‘Hot Mama’ and ‘Badonkadonk’ are love songs! So don’t start thinking these are all ‘I’ll love you til the end of time’ ballads…but yeah, we’ve got those too.”
Starting today, fans can pre-order the album on www.TraceAdkins.com. Fans can now complete online tasks related to either Trace’s new album, his appearances on NBC’s All-Star Celebrity Apprentice and his role as a Red Cross spokesman. Fans who complete tasks will be entered to win prizes like a pair of Nocona Boots signed by Trace, a year supply of Trace Adkins Hightower’s Smoked Sausage, an iPod or an autographed Trace Adkins-branded guitar. Grand prizes include a trip to the live finale of All-Star Celebrity Apprentice in New York City (regardless of the outcome) or an all-paid cruise aboard Country Cruising 2014.
Mark Your Calendar–March 2013
/by Eric T. ParkerMarch 4
Brad Paisley/Beat The Summer/Arista Nashville
Randy Houser/Runnin’ Outta Moonlight/Stoney Creek
March 11
Jason Aldean/1994/BBR
Jon Pardi/Up All Night/Capitol
The Band Perry/Done/Republic Nashville
Sheryl Crow/Easy/Old Green Barn-Sea Gayle-Warner Bros.-WMN
Tate Stevens/Power Of A Love Song/Syco Music-RCA
Billy Dean/I Can’t Leave A Good Thing/Rainman-Flying Island
Erica Nicole/Better Beer/Heaven-Nine North-Turnpike
Tobacco Rd. Band (Feat. Colt Ford)/That’s Country/Turnpike-Big Southern
March 18
Justin Moore/Point At You/Valory
Phil Vassar/Love Is Alive/Rodeowave
March 1
International Country Music Marketing Summit at Disneyland Paris
March 6
Remembering Mindy: A memorial for Mindy McCready at 4pm at Cathedral Of The Incarnation, 2015 West End Avenue in Nashville
March 7
Napa in Nashville at Nashville’s Hard Rock Cafe
March 8
Rumble on the Row at Liberty Hall in the Factory at Franklin
March 8-17
SXSW Conferences & Festivals
March 10
2013 T.J. Martell Honors Gala
March 12
Jeffrey Steele & Friends benefit concert at the Franklin Theatre
March 20
SOLID’s Music Row Madness Bowling Tournament at the Hillwood Strike & Spare, 5:30 p.m.–8 p.m.
March 22
MusicRow’s 2nd Annual Rising Women on the Row Breakfast. Tickets are available for the 8:30 a.m. ceremony at Maggiano’s.
March 5
Ashley Monroe/Like A Rose/Warner Nashville
Luke Bryan/Spring Break … Here to Party/Capitol Nashville
Howling Brothers/Howl/Readymade Records-Thirty Tigers
March 12
Shooter Jennings/The Other Life/Black Country Rock/Entertainment One Nashville
Kenny Rogers/The Gambler [reissue-vinyl]/Capitol Nashville
Junior Sisk & Ramblers Choice/The Story of the Day that I Died/Rebel Records
March 19
Kacey Musgraves/Same Trailer Different Park/Mercury Records
Josh Rouse/The Happiness Waltz/Yep Roc Records
March 26
Blake Shelton/Based On A True Story…/Warner Bros. Records
Thompson Square/Just Feels Good/Stoney Creek
Alan Jackson/Precious Memories Volume II/ACR-EMI Records Nashville
Maggie Rose/Cut To Impress/RPM Entertainment
March 29
B.J. Thomas/The Living Room Sessions/Wrinkled Records
More Performers Announced For 2013 CMA Music Festival
/by Jessica Nicholson“We have an amazing lineup of talent for this year’s Festival,” said Steve Moore, CMA Chief Executive Officer. “I know our fans will be entertained and enthralled to see our annual family reunion of the best and brightest performers in the industry.”
CMA Music Festival will take place June 6-9 in Nashville.
Fans can purchase tickets to 2013 CMA Music Festival through Ticketmaster at Ticketmaster.com or 1(800)745-3000.
Artist Updates (3-4-13)
/by Jessica NicholsonHosted by CMT’s Katie Cook, the special will highlight the highs and lows of the star’s life, and feature archival CMT interviews, never-before-seen footage and exclusive interviews with those who knew her closely. Country artists Ty Herndon, Richie McDonald, Lorrie Morgan and Jimmy Wayne, and Nashville industry vets Holly Gleason and Robert K. Oermann will all lend their insight. Additionally, David Malloy (producer, former boyfriend), Jimmy Nichols (musician, close friend), Norro Wilson (producer), and Eric Hughes, McCready’s child custody lawyer, will share their personal experiences with the troubled star.
Jayson Dinsmore and Lewis Bogach serve as executive producers while Mark Hall, Jennifer Meyer and Ray Sells will serve as producers.
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Miranda Lambert has released her latest video, “Mama’s Broken Heart,” on VEVO.
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B.J. Thomas joined Blake Shelton and Gwen Sebastian at the Grand Ole Opry on Saturday (March 2).
Pictured (L-R): B.J. Thomas, Blake Shelton, Gwen Sebastian
Leadership Music Class of 2014 Accepting Applications
/by Jessica NicholsonApplication forms, program dates, policies and FAQ’s are available online at http://leadershipmusic.org/
One industry veteran who is in the Class of 2013 summed up his experience: “I have more than 35 years in media and 20 years in music around the world, but these monthly days in Nashville are the highlight of my career.” And another member of the same class says, “A priceless glimpse into our entire industry from the experts shaping every aspect.”
Applications must be submitted via the on-line process no later than March 31, 2013.