Patti Page
, singer of “Tennessee Waltz” and over 100 other charted hits, died on Jan. 1 in Encinitas, Calif. She was one of the best selling artists of the 1950s with pop classics including “(How Much Is That) Doggie In the Window” and “Old Cape Cod.” She was 85 years old.
Born Clara Ann Fowler, Page recorded 50 albums, with 19 gold and 14 platinum singles.
In 1950, Page’s landmark recording of “Tennessee Waltz” made significant headway for Nashville’s music business, according to historian Robert K. Oermann. “She helped put Nashville on the map,” he explained, adding that the single sold six million copies. “It was a defining moment for Nashville as a song town. She had the most flawless diction and pronunciation—it was unmatched in her era. Her influence reached Anne Murray, Trisha Yearwood, and Kathy Mattea.”
Penned by Redd Stewart and Pee Wee King, and published by Acuff-Rose, “Tennessee Waltz” is a state song of Tennessee.
In the 1970s Page’s focus turned from pop to country music with singles “I Wish I Had a Mommy Like You,” “Give Him Love,” and the Tom T. Hall duet “Hello, We’re Lonely.” Page’s country albums were produced by Shelby Singleton, and later, Jon Vezner, and released by Mercury, Columbia, and Epic.
She was recognized with the Academy of Country Music’s Cliffie Stone Pioneer Award, and with a star on the former Country Music Hall of Fame and Museum Walkway of Stars, now part of the Music City Walk of Fame.
Page was to be honored with The Recording Academy’s Lifetime Achievement Award at a ceremony on Feb. 9. Her album
Patti Page Live at Carnegie Hall–the 50th Anniversary Concert earned a Grammy Award. She has a star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame.
Page is survived by her son Daniel O’Curran, daughter Kathleen Ginn, and sister Peggy Layton.
Private Viewing:
Tuesday, January 8, 2013, 4:00 p.m. to 8:00 p.m.
El Camino Memorial – Sorrento Valley, 5600 Carroll Canyon Road, San Diego, CA 92121
Flowers can be sent to this service.
Phone: (800) 352-2646, http://www.sorrentovalleychapel.com
Public Viewing:
Wednesday, January 9, 2013, 10:00 a.m.
Solana Beach Presbyterian Church, 120 Stevens Avenue, Solana Beach, CA 92075
858-509-2580, www.solanapres.org
Burial will be private
Memorial donations can be made to:
Society of Singers, Inc., 26500 W. Agoura Rd., 102-554, Calabasas, CA 91302, 818-995-7100, www.singers.org
or
GRAMMY Foundation, Attn: Annual Giving, 3030 Olympic Blvd., Santa Monica, CA 90404, www.grammyfoundation.org
American Idol Premiere Event Coming To Nashville
/by Jessica NicholsonPhoto (L-R): Mariah Carey, Keith Urban, Ryan Seacrest, Nicki Minaj and Randy Jackson.
American Idol fans are anxious to watch the show’s 12th season, as a new set of judges–including Mariah Carey, Keith Urban and Nicki Minaj–join returning judge Randy Jackson. Nashville fans of American Idol will be able to catch an early look at the music competition’s first episode of its 12th season.
Fans can attend an American Idol Premiere Event at the Regal Green Hills Cinema 16 on Wednesday (Jan. 9), one week before the season premieres on FOX on Jan. 16 and Jan. 17. Nashville will be one of 11 cities nationwide that will be uplinked via a television satellite from Los Angeles to receive a satellite feed of the first episode, as well as a live Q&A session with the judges (via satellite from Los Angeles), to be hosted by Ryan Seacrest.
To reserve a place, visit idolrsvp.com. If you are given a seat, the doors will open at 5 p.m., with the episode beginning at 6 p.m. and a live Q&A with the judges beginning at 7:30 p.m. Those who do not receive a ticket can still watch the Q&A event, which will also be streamed at americanidol.com.
Artist News (1/4/2012)
/by Eric T. ParkerThe Premium Records project, produced by Brad Jones, features seven new songs in addition to six remakes paying tribute to Don Williams, Razzy Bailey, Hayes Carll, Dave Alvin and Robert Earl Keen. A nationwide tour will follow, including a stop at Nashville’s 3rd and Lindsley on April 25. Full list of tour dates here.
• • •
“Impossible to narrow it down to 12 without leaving out equally great songs for 2012….BUT in no specific order, here we go!! 12 songs that lodged in my head and inspired me this year,” said Urban.
“Springsteen” (Eric Church)
“Somebody That I Used To Know” (Goyte)
“Dirt Road Anthem” (Jason Aldean)
“Pontoon” (Little Big Town)
“Wide Awake” (Katy Perry)
“I Love It” (Icona Pop)
“Fastest Girl In Town” (Miranda Lambert)
“Cruise” (Florida Georgia Line)
“I Knew You Were Trouble” (Taylor Swift)
“Titanium” (David Guetta feat Sia)
“Doom and Gloom” (Rolling Stones)
“Brother” (Matt Corby)
• • •
The event, which determines this year’s NCAA football champion, will be held at Sun Life Stadium in the South Florida. ESPN will broadcast the game at 8 p.m. ET.
Charlie Cook On Air: Music Row Predictions
/by contributorI predicted 20 stations would flip to country music in 2012. After CBS flipped to Country Radio late in 2011, I thought it would lead a rush to the format. I fell short by at least half. I thought there would be more top 100 market stations coming aboard last year. Not so. However, I am not going to back off thinking 2013 will see more stations coming into the fold. The music is just too good right now. It seems like more stations flipped to CHR. Top 40 music is as good as it’s been in years.
I predicted Miranda Lambert would continue to set the pace in 2012. That was pretty easy to predict, and she got even more influential in the last 12 months. I saw Carrie and Taylor kicking butt in 2012 and both had record breaking years.
I told you to watch for Brantley Gilbert, Luke Bryan, Easton Corbin and Jana Kramer in 2012. In 2013, I predict Thomas Rhett and Greg Bates are going to have breakout years.
I thought Ronnie Dunn would have a number one record in 2012. I missed that one. He has too much talent to be off the chart for so long. Kix is continuing to show strength and with him being on the radio as a host for about 40 hours a week, he should have a great 2013.
Last January I said, “The top 5 Country Radio performers for 2012 will be (in no particular order) Zac Brown Band, Blake Shelton, Carrie Underwood, Kenny Chesney and Miranda Lambert.” The top five were Luke Bryan, Eric Church, Jason Aldean, ZBB and Kenny Chesney. In 2013, I think Miranda will find her way into the top 5.
I predicted some major changes in the record company landscape but that was already in play in 2011, so not much danger of being wrong on that one. There were more changes than I originally thought, but things look settled today. We’ll look at it again next January.
Tim McGraw was in two of my predictions. I saw him and Kenny setting the summer on fire with their tour. I believe I mentioned this before the tour was officially announced. And before signing with his new label, I predicted Tim would be back big time on the radio. That was an easy prediction because he has been “big time on the radio” for 20 years now.
In 2013, I think Kenny is going to lead the way again on the No Shoes Nation tour with Eric Church as his support act. I have mentioned in this space that Eric’s show was the best one I saw in 2012 and he has the ability to hold an audience for 90 minutes.
I talked up HD radio one year ago. We did not see the kind of growth that I thought we would see in 2012 so I am going to stay with this prediction. Sooner or later both radio and the consumer are going to discover this is a treasure for the industry. Maybe there can be a partnership between the record industry and radio to program HD channels. Everyone can win, including the listener.
Regardless of the outcome from my 2012 predictions, I did better than the Mayans.
(The views expressed in this article are those of the author and do not necessarily reflect those of MusicRow.)
Top Selling Albums of the Year
/by Sarah SkatesMore year-end news includes Adele’s record breaking streak, and the best digital tracks week in history.
Top selling albums of 2012
based on Nielsen SoundScan transactions between Jan. 2, 2012 and Dec. 30, 2012, reported by Billboard.
No. 2—Taylor Swift, Red, 3.11 million
No. 3 and 5—One Direction, Up All Night, 1.62 million, and Take Me Home, 1.34 million. It is the first time the same artist has had two projects in the top 5 of the year.
No. 4—Mumford & Sons, Babel, 1.46 million
No. 7—Carrie Underwood, Blown Away, 1.20 million
No. 8—Luke Bryan, Tailgates & Tanlines, 1.10 million
No. 9—Lionel Richie, Tuskegee, 1.07 million
No. 10—Jason Aldean, Night Train, 1.02 million
Top digital songs of 2012
No. 1—Gotye, “Somebody That I Used to Know” (featuring Kimbra), 6.80 million
No. 3—fun., “We Are Young” (featuring Janelle Monae), 5.95 million
Digital tracks— The week ended Dec. 30 set the record for most tracks downloaded in a week with 55.74 million digital songs purchased, driven largely by Christmas gift card redemptions.
Read more in MusicRow’s exclusive Weekly Register Year End Edition.
GAC Honors Ed Hardy's Retirement
/by Jessica NicholsonPhoto (L-R): Tony Conway, W.O. Smith board president, Jonah Rabinowitz, W.O. Smith executive director and Ed Hardy. (Photo credit: Ed Rode)
Former GAC President Ed Hardy celebrated his decorated career with a gathering of associates and friends at the Country Music Hall of Fame and Museum recently. Hardy retired from his post at GAC at the end of 2012; Sarah Trahern was named as his successor.
GAC honored Hardy with a donation to Nashville’s W.O. Smith Music School. Hardy has been involved with the school as a past board president.
Hardy’s career includes several years as a chief executive at Deschutes River Broadcasting in Tri-Cities, Wash. When Deschutes merged with Citadel Broadcasting, as president of Citadel’s West Division, Hardy helped grow the company to more than 200 stations in over 40 markets.
His previous work includes serving as President/CEO of MeasureCast, an Internet-streaming broadcast audience measurement company, and as a consultant to MediaBlue/Nox Solutions, a provider of website design, hosting and fulfilling products for nationally syndicated and network radio talk show hosts.
Memorial Services for "Tennessee Waltz" Singer Patti Page
/by Sarah SkatesPatti Page
Patti Page, singer of “Tennessee Waltz” and over 100 other charted hits, died on Jan. 1 in Encinitas, Calif. She was one of the best selling artists of the 1950s with pop classics including “(How Much Is That) Doggie In the Window” and “Old Cape Cod.” She was 85 years old.
Born Clara Ann Fowler, Page recorded 50 albums, with 19 gold and 14 platinum singles.
In 1950, Page’s landmark recording of “Tennessee Waltz” made significant headway for Nashville’s music business, according to historian Robert K. Oermann. “She helped put Nashville on the map,” he explained, adding that the single sold six million copies. “It was a defining moment for Nashville as a song town. She had the most flawless diction and pronunciation—it was unmatched in her era. Her influence reached Anne Murray, Trisha Yearwood, and Kathy Mattea.”
Penned by Redd Stewart and Pee Wee King, and published by Acuff-Rose, “Tennessee Waltz” is a state song of Tennessee.
In the 1970s Page’s focus turned from pop to country music with singles “I Wish I Had a Mommy Like You,” “Give Him Love,” and the Tom T. Hall duet “Hello, We’re Lonely.” Page’s country albums were produced by Shelby Singleton, and later, Jon Vezner, and released by Mercury, Columbia, and Epic.
She was recognized with the Academy of Country Music’s Cliffie Stone Pioneer Award, and with a star on the former Country Music Hall of Fame and Museum Walkway of Stars, now part of the Music City Walk of Fame.
Page was to be honored with The Recording Academy’s Lifetime Achievement Award at a ceremony on Feb. 9. Her album Patti Page Live at Carnegie Hall–the 50th Anniversary Concert earned a Grammy Award. She has a star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame.
Page is survived by her son Daniel O’Curran, daughter Kathleen Ginn, and sister Peggy Layton.
Private Viewing:
Tuesday, January 8, 2013, 4:00 p.m. to 8:00 p.m.
El Camino Memorial – Sorrento Valley, 5600 Carroll Canyon Road, San Diego, CA 92121
Flowers can be sent to this service.
Phone: (800) 352-2646, http://www.sorrentovalleychapel.com
Public Viewing:
Wednesday, January 9, 2013, 10:00 a.m.
Solana Beach Presbyterian Church, 120 Stevens Avenue, Solana Beach, CA 92075
858-509-2580, www.solanapres.org
Burial will be private
Memorial donations can be made to:
Society of Singers, Inc., 26500 W. Agoura Rd., 102-554, Calabasas, CA 91302, 818-995-7100, www.singers.org
or
GRAMMY Foundation, Attn: Annual Giving, 3030 Olympic Blvd., Santa Monica, CA 90404, www.grammyfoundation.org
Carrie Underwood Sells First Home
/by Jessica NicholsonAccording to zillow.com, Underwood only lived in the home for two years; in 2007, she purchased another home in Brentwood, Tenn. for nearly $1.4 million. In 2011, Underwood and husband Mike Fisher purchased 400 acres of land outside of Nashville to build a new home.
Charity News: Gary Allan, Hudson Moore, Rumble on the Row
/by Jessica NicholsonPhoto (L-R): Tommy Disanto, Joe’s Bar Co-Owner; Gary Allan; Ed Warm, Joe’s Bar Co-Owner and ACM Lifting Lives and ACM Board Member.
Gary Allan headlined Joe’s Bar in Chicago recently, with a portion of the proceeds going to ACM Lifting Lives, which oversees charitable efforts for the Academy of Country Music. Allan’s concert raised over $11,000 for the cause.
Allan has previously been involved as a volunteer with the ACM Lifting Lives Music Camp, an annual event held in Nashville that benefits campers with developmental disabilities.
• • •
Hudson Moore
Texas artist Hudson Moore raised over $24,000 during his second annual Christmas concert in support of the Wounded Warrior Project.
The concert took place at the Ridglea Theatre in Fort Worth, Texas. Moore had a special treat for his audience, as Texas entertainer Pat Green made a special appearance during the event. The two performers collaborated on a cover of The Rolling Stones’ “You Can’t Always Get What You Want.”
• • •
The ninth annual “Rumble on the Row” will take place March 8, 2013 at Liberty Hall in the Factory at Franklin. The event will be the ninth “Ringside: A Fight for Kids” boxing event and benefits The Charley Foundation, a Nashville non-profit that supports charitable agencies for area children. This year’s returning “Rumble” champion Keith Gale (SVP National Promotion, RCA Nashville) will take on EJ Bernas (Director of National Promotion, Bigger Picture). Previous “Rumble” belt-holder Jimmy Rector (VP of Promotion, EMI Records Nashville) will compete against Damon Moberly (VP National Promotion, Mercury Nashville).
Tickets are $250 each and the evening includes gourmet dining, live music and celebrity guests. Show Dog-Universal VP of Promotion Tom Baldrica will serve as the ring announcer. For more information visit charleyfoundation.org.
Keith Gale and EJ Bernas
Watch a teaser video for the 2013 Rumble on the Row below.
Weekly Register: Year End Edition—Country Rises 4.1%
/by bossrossWelcome back from your holiday slumbers to the Weekly Register: Year End Edition. Hopefully, everyone enjoyed some quality time with family and friends. But let’s get back to work.
As expected, when measuring digital albums as a percentage of total albums sold the shift to digital continues. The all-genre audience has a higher preference for digital product (country 25.3%; all-genre 37.2%), but both groups added about 6 percentage points to last year’s tally (see grid).
Country album sales increased 4.1% this year, or by 1.77 million albums. Is that good?
The graphs tell the top level tale. Country and All-genre album sales ended about 4 percentage points on opposite sides of flat. Country finished the year up 4.1% (44.694 million; 2011—42.923; + 1.77 million) and all-genre sales shrunk -4.5% (315.844 million).
Country also enjoyed stronger increases in digital album sales (country +38%; all genre +14.1%) and track sales (country +12.8%, all-genre +5%).
For the past few weeks we have focused upon Taylor Swift’s incredible sales performance—a lot. Is that because we can’t spell any other artist names? Or because Ms. Swift is sending us to the Caribbean for a vacation? Unfortunately, “no.” We are highlighting her achievements because they are astronomical. Red reigns at No. 1 again on both the country and Top 200 album charts with weekly sales of over 241k, creating a 10-week total of 3.11 million units.
Swift also topped both the country and all-genre digital tracks charts—with different songs! “We Are Never Ever…” topped the country tracks chart with almost 236k downloads for the week (3 million RTD). “I Knew You Were Trouble” was No. 1 on Current Digital tracks with over 582k mouses clicking to download the track!!!! (2.04 million RTD).
Evaluating The Bigger Picture
It’s fair to conclude that it could be much better. Like every year, there were winners and losers—but a problem facing everyone is profitability. While costs are rising across the board for artist development, marketing, promotion and distribution, prices are falling and margins are shrinking. Sadly, the music industry witnessed the demise this year of once proud major label Capitol/EMI. And the worrisome all-genre showing (-4.5%) fuels speculation that more shrinkage lies ahead.
Many pundits believe the music industry is transitioning from physical product to an “access” model. Someday soon streaming will made as easily available on your auto dashboard as it already is on the desktop and mobile. Are you going to care about moving files from hard drive to hard drive once you see that all the music you ever wanted is instantly available wherever/whenever you want it? Right.
But does the industry have a model that can compensate its creators—songwriters, publishers, labels, artists and producers? Unfortunately, the answer is “Not yet.” That is a concern as we enter 2013.
According to SoundScan, country sold 77.912 million albums in 2004. Eight years later we find ourselves selling 43% less, with lower margins, prices and profits.
So yes, it’s exhilarating to watch Taylor Swift wave the country banner proudly around the world on her way to becoming the largest selling Nashville artist ever. It’s also rewarding to note that Nashville has become a creative mecca with highly distinctive artists such as Jason Aldean, Carrie Underwood, Eric Church, Brantley Gilbert, Little Big Town, Lady Antebellum, Zac Brown Band, Miranda Lambert, Blake Shelton, Jamey Johnson, Colt Ford and more. But there are challenges ahead for music professionals from all genres.
It’s time we started to prepare…
=========================
The MusicRow TEA Index sums physical, digital and TEA (track equivalent albums; 10 tracks=1 album) then calculates the percentage of total album sales that come from TEA. The idea is to measure the TEA effect against total album sales. (Our baseline numbers are gathered by industry sources from Nielsen SoundScan.) The 2011 full year TEA Index was 25% country and 27.7% all-genre, and it has expanded to 27.2% and 29.73%, respectively.
The holiday album rush lowered the last month’s numbers which dropped about 2 percentage points for both categories. The TEA index is another way to show that despite the popularity of tracks, they still account for less than one-third of overall album/track sales.
Bill Ivey Pens Book On American Democracy
/by Jessica NicholsonIvey has also penned the books Arts, Inc.: How Greed and Neglect have Destroyed our Cultural Rights, and Engaging Art: the Next Great Transformation of America’s Cultural Life.
Ivey holds a B.A. in history from the University of Michigan and an M.A. in folklore and ethnomusicology from Indiana University.
For more information on Handmaking America, visit powells.com or amazon.com.