Luke Bryan was the star of the evening at the American Country Awards on Monday (Dec. 10). The Georgia native earned guitars for Artist of the Year, Male Artist of the Year, Album of the Year (Tailgates & Tanlines) and four guitars for “I Don’t Want This Night To End” (including Single by a Male Artist, Single of the Year, Music Video by a Male Artist, Music Video of the Year). A clean sweep.
Luke Bryan. Photo: Frazer Harrison
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Miranda Lambert‘s “Over You,” which she co-wrote with her husband Blake Shelton, won Single by a Female Artist and Video by a Female Artist.
Miranda Lambert took home two awards at the American Country Awards. Photo: Frazer Harrison
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Jake Owen, who recently welcomed his first child on Thanksgiving, won for Breakthrough Artist of the Year.
Jake Owen accepts a guitar for Breakthrough Artist of the Year. Photo: Getty Images
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Jason Aldean won a guitar for Touring Artist of the Year at the American Country Awards. He said the Touring Award “means more to me than anything.”
Jason Aldean with wife Jessica on the American Country Awards carpet. Photo: Frazer Harrison
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Little Big Town won a guitar for Music Video of the Year: Group or Collaboration for chart-topping single “Pontoon.” The quartet also performed current single “Tornado.”
Little Big Town performed and won at the American Country Awards. Photo: Frazer Harrison
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Trace Adkins and Kristin Chenoweth co-hosted the American Country Awards for a second year. This year, the gags included Chenoweth dressing up as a parody of the television personality Honey Boo Boo.
Trace Adkins and Kristin Chenoweth. Photo: Getty Images
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Luke Bryan performed his hit “Kiss Tomorrow Goodbye” during the American Country Awards.
Luke Bryan performs at the American Country Awards. Photo: Getty Images
*For a full list of winners, click here.
Rock and Roll Hall of Fame Names Inductees for 2013
/by Jessica NicholsonDonna Summer
Heart, Albert King, Randy Newman, Public Enemy, Rush and the late Donna Summer (who resided in Nashville) will be inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame in 2013. Lou Adler and Quincy Jones will be awarded the Ahmet Ertegun (non-performer) Award.
The 28th Annual Rock and Roll Hall of Fame Induction Ceremony is scheduled for Thursday, April 18, 2013. For the first time, the ceremony will be held on the West Coast at Los Angeles’ Nokia Theatre L.A. The ceremony will be open to the public.
Joel Peresman, President and CEO of the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame Foundation, said via a release, “We are thrilled to announce this year’s class of inductees, which again represents the broad, compelling and significant definition of rock and roll.”
The induction ceremony will broadcast on HBO on Saturday, May 18 at 9pm ET/PT. Said Michael Lombardo, President of HBO Programming, “We are excited to team up once again with the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame for what is sure to be an incredible evening of one-of-a-kind performances.”
BMG Chrysalis Renews Agreement with Producer busbee
/by Jessica NicholsonBusbee, who is based in Los Angeles, has had success in multiple formats. He co-wrote “Our Kind of Love” with the members of Lady Antebellum and co-wrote “Summer Nights,” a hit for Rascal Flatts, with Brett James. Busbee co-wrote Hunter Hayes‘ “Storm Warning” with Hayes and Gordie Sampson. He has also worked with P!nk, Katy Perry, Kelly Clarkson, Backstreet Boys, Timbaland and many others.
BMG Chrysalis US also has a joint venture in place with busbee under which writers JP Clark, Luke Dick, Ben West and Deion Blaster are signed.
Darrell Franklin, Executive VP, Nashville said via a release: “busbee was one of the first writers that BMG signed in Nashville seven years ago. He always had his sights set on being a worldwide hit songwriter with cuts spanning all genres. His work ethic, determination and raw talent have helped busbee achieve his goal with hits in the pop world, film and TV, as well as hits in the country market both here and globally.”
“BMG is really approaching the business of music in a new way,” added busbee. “They work aggressively for their clients worldwide…and they truly feel and function like a boutique-major. I am incredibly excited to continue my partnership with them.”
CMT To Launch ‘CMT Hot 20 Countdown’ in January
/by Jessica NicholsonCMT Hot 20 Countdown will launch on Jan. 5 at 10:30 a.m. CT on CMT. CMT’s Cody Alan, Alecia Davis and Katie Cook will host the weekly, two-and-a-half hour series. The series will also feature in-studio live performances and interviews with both established and up-and-coming artists.
CMT Hot 20 Countdown will be taped in front of a live audience at its new location at the Music City Tower, just outside the Bridgestone Arena at the corner of 5th and Broadway.
Fan participation will be an essential component of the new show, as they will be able to interact with the hosts via social media integration on Twitter (using the hashtag #CMTHot20), Facebook and Instagram. Those interested in becoming part of the live, studio audience can email audience@cmt.com for details.
For booking artists on ‘CMT Hot 20 Countdown,’ contact Jaclyn Krimmel at jaclyn.krimmel@cmt.com. To pitch entertainment stories for the series, contact Ray Sells at ray.sells@cmt.com or Jennifer Meyer at jennifer.meyer@cmt.com.
rpm entertainment adds VP, Digital
/by Jessica NicholsonJames Stewart
rpm entertainment has expanded its staff, hiring James Stewart as VP, Digital, where he will work with rpme’s label, management, and publishing divisions to implement and maximize sales and marketing directives on physical and digital fronts. Stewart reports to Senior VP April Rider, effective immediately.
“We are excited to expand our growing label’s digital strategy and reach,” says Rider via a release. “Adding James to our rpme family will ensure our acts are in the digital forefront and we are thrilled to have his expertise.”
Stewart was most recently with UMG Nashville, where he worked on various digital campaigns for George Strait, Kip Moore, Jamey Johnson, Sugarland, Lionel Richie, Scotty McCreery, Lauren Alaina, David Nail, Easton Corbin, and others.
Prior to UMG Nashville, he worked with the Sun Record Company where he facilitated new digital distribution deals and acted as a consultant on issues from marketing and distribution, to licensing and merchandising.
“April and the whole crew at rpme are amazing,” says Stewart. “I’m happy to be here and excited about all the great things to come in 2013.”
Stewart can be reached at james@rpmegroup.com.
Patrick Joseph Publishing Announces First Signing
/by Eric T. ParkerPictured (L-R) Back: Pat Higdon, Matt Pincus, Casey Del Casino (Teren's attorney), Ron Perry (SONGS). Seated: George Teren
Pat Higdon of Patrick Joseph Music and Matt Pincus, CEO of SONGS Music Publishing, have announced Nashville-based George Teren as the first writer signed to Patrick Joseph Music/SONGS Music Publishing.
“I’ve been a huge fan of George’s songwriting for a long time and I’m so excited to finally get to work with him directly,” said Higdon. “He’s a talented professional who knows how to craft songs for today in timeless fashion.”
“George Teren is an incredible talent, with a rich career in creating music for the Nashville market and in many other genres,” said Pincus. “I am honored to have him join us as the inaugural member of the PJM/SONGS family, and look forward to working with Pat in making many more great things happen with George’s music.”
Teren’s catalog includes “Real Good Man” (Tim McGraw), “Homewrecker” (Gretchen Wilson), “When I get To Where I’m Going” (Brad Paisley) and “Ladies Love Country Boys” (Trace Adkins). Teren has also had cuts by Britney Spears, Nick Lachey, Tower of Power and Avalon, among others.
In 2012, Higdon relaunched the original Warner/Chappell joint venture with SONGS Music Publishing, containing catalogs from Matraca Berg, Tim Mensy, Troy Verges, Gary Harrison, Carolyn Dawn Johnson and Brett James.
Spotify Aims To Increase Discovery
/by Sarah SkatesMembers of Metallica share playlists on Spotify.
Spotify is rolling out music discovery features in coming weeks. There will be new tabs labeled “Discover” and “Follow,” which will help listeners find new music by following the tastes of hit artists and other tastemakers. It will also offer songs, playlists, and performance videos based on users’ past listening habits. Visually, Ad Age reports the Discover section incorporates lots of images and videos in a Pinterest-inspired way.
In 2013, Spotify will begin adding marketers to the Discover section. Many big-name brands also have Spotify apps, which they promote on the site with ads.
The free version of the on-demand music service is ad-supported and has more than 15 million users. Globally there are about 5 million paying subscribers, including 1 million in the U.S. who pay either $4.99 or $9.99 a month for the ad-free version. More here.
Jewel Remakes Hits with Pistol Annies, Kelly Clarkson
/by Sarah SkatesJewel
Jewel recruited Pistol Annies and Kelly Clarkson for her first greatest hits album, set for release Feb. 5. Pistol Annies joined her to record a new version of “You Were Meant For Me,” while Clarkson teamed with the songstress for “Foolish Games.” Rhino will release the project, which also contains a yet-to-be-announced new single.
During her almost two decade career, Jewel has sold more than 27 million albums. Her 1995 debut, Pieces of You, dominated the charts with “Who Will Save Your Soul,” “You Were Meant For Me” and “Foolish Games,” on its way to selling more than 12 million copies in the U.S. She has released 10 albums, including country efforts Perfectly Clear and Sweet and Wild. She’s earned four Grammy nominations, the most recent for her 2010 country ballad, “Satisfied.”
Additionally, the first leg of her Greatest Hits tour will begin in March.
Jewel—Greatest Hits Track Listing (Not Sequenced)
“Who Will Save Your Soul”
“You Were Meant For Me”
“Foolish Games”
“Hands”
“Down So Long”
“Jupiter”
“Standing Still”
“Break Me”
“Intuition”
“Good Day”
“Stronger Woman”
“Somewhere Over The Rainbow”
“Satisfied”
“Foolish Games” – with Kelly Clarkson
“You Were Meant For Me” – with the Pistol Annies
New Single (details to be announced shortly)
RIAA Releases November Awards
/by Eric T. ParkerTaylor Swift received high honors for triple-platinum sales alongside BMLG labelmates, including Florida Georgia Line’s Platinum single “Cruise,” Tim McGraw’s Gold certified “Truck Yeah,” and Justin Moore’s Gold album, Outlaws Like Me.
Country holiday albums shipments were strong this past month, including Christmas with Scotty McCreery (Mercury/19/Interscope) and Blake Shelton’s Cheers It’s Christmas (Warner Bros), each receiving Gold recognitions.
Kenny Chesney’s Blue Chair Records/Columbia Nashville release, “Come Over,” earned platinum status as well as Miranda Lambert’s RCA Records Nashville single, “Over You.” Chesney’s Greatest Hits II, Toby Keith singles from Mercury and DreamWorks, and Zac Brown Band’s Uncaged also received honors.
See the full list of November Awards here.
American Country Awards: In Photos
/by Jessica NicholsonLuke Bryan was the star of the evening at the American Country Awards on Monday (Dec. 10). The Georgia native earned guitars for Artist of the Year, Male Artist of the Year, Album of the Year (Tailgates & Tanlines) and four guitars for “I Don’t Want This Night To End” (including Single by a Male Artist, Single of the Year, Music Video by a Male Artist, Music Video of the Year). A clean sweep.
Luke Bryan. Photo: Frazer Harrison
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Miranda Lambert‘s “Over You,” which she co-wrote with her husband Blake Shelton, won Single by a Female Artist and Video by a Female Artist.
Miranda Lambert took home two awards at the American Country Awards. Photo: Frazer Harrison
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Jake Owen, who recently welcomed his first child on Thanksgiving, won for Breakthrough Artist of the Year.
Jake Owen accepts a guitar for Breakthrough Artist of the Year. Photo: Getty Images
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Jason Aldean won a guitar for Touring Artist of the Year at the American Country Awards. He said the Touring Award “means more to me than anything.”
Jason Aldean with wife Jessica on the American Country Awards carpet. Photo: Frazer Harrison
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Little Big Town won a guitar for Music Video of the Year: Group or Collaboration for chart-topping single “Pontoon.” The quartet also performed current single “Tornado.”
Little Big Town performed and won at the American Country Awards. Photo: Frazer Harrison
•••
Trace Adkins and Kristin Chenoweth co-hosted the American Country Awards for a second year. This year, the gags included Chenoweth dressing up as a parody of the television personality Honey Boo Boo.
Trace Adkins and Kristin Chenoweth. Photo: Getty Images
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Luke Bryan performed his hit “Kiss Tomorrow Goodbye” during the American Country Awards.
Luke Bryan performs at the American Country Awards. Photo: Getty Images
*For a full list of winners, click here.
Artist Updates (12/11/2012)
/by Jessica NicholsonKellie Pickler
Kellie Pickler’s 100 Proof, Jamey Johnson’s Living For A Song: A Tribute to Hank Cochran, Lionel Richie’s Tuskegee, JB and the Moonshine Band’s Beer for Breakfast and Easton Corbin’s All Over The Road have been named the Best Country Albums of 2012 by Rolling Stone magazine.
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