Weekly Chart Report (11/2/12)

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Tim McGraw visits with Clear Channel Media and Entertainment’s Boxer, who was attending Premiere Networks’ 21st annual CMA Awards Radio Remote Broadcast in Nashville

SPIN ZONE
Little Big Town’s “Pontoon” may have made a splash at the CMA Awards last night (11/1), but it’s Florida Georgia Line’s “Cruise” that floats to the MusicRow Chart’s No. 1 spot at the end of the week. Looking back over the chart’s history, “Cruise” is the fastest rising debut to hit No. 1 since Darius Rucker went solo in 2008 and took “Don’t Think I Don’t Think About It” to the top in 18 weeks. Major kudos, all around.

Following in the wake of “Pontoon,” Little Big Town’s “Tornado” looks to be carving out a path of its own at No. 16. Also looking very strong is “I Can Take It From There,” the latest from Chris Young, which moves 45-34 after a gain of 282 spins.

Lisa Torres stopped into the KSMA/98.7 Kiss Country Studios in Mason City, Iowa to sing a few songs and hangout with morning personality J. Brooks.

Bookending the MusicRow Chart at No. 80 is another entry from the gang at Big Machine Label Group: “Telescope,” the first single from ABC’s Nashville and first chart appearance of Hayden Panettiere. BMLG label mates The Band Perry scored the week’s biggest debut with “Better Dig Two,” landing at No. 55, followed by the CMA Awards-opening “The Only Way I Know” by Jason Aldean (with Luke Bryan and Eric Church) at No. 66.

Frozen Playlists: KITX, KMKS, KYKX, KZZY, WKWS, WXXK, WWBE

Upcoming Singles
November 5
Jana Kramer/Whiskey/Elektra Nashville-W.A.R.
Livewire/Lies/Way Out West
Love and Theft/Runnin’ Out Of Air/RCA

November 8
Matt Farris/Redneck Radio/Skytone

November 12
Amy Rose/I Just Want You to Know/Wild Rose

• • • • •

New On The Chart—Debuting This Week
Artist/song/label — chart pos.
The Band Perry/Better Dig Two/Republic Nashville – 55
Jason Aldean/The Only Way I Know/Broken Bow — 66
George Strait/Give It All We Got/MCA – 68
Thompson Square/If I Didn’t Have You/Stoney Creek – 70
Tim McGraw/One Of Those Nights/Big Machine – 75
Jerrod Niemann/Only God Could Love You More/Sea Gayle-Arista Nashville – 78
Hayden Panettiere/Telescope/BMLG – 80

Most Added
Artist/song/label — New Adds
The Band Perry/Better Dig Two/Republic Nashville – 36
George Strait/Give It All We Got/MCA – 23
Tim McGraw/One Of Those Nights/Big Machine – 21
Chris Young/I Can Take It From There/RCA Nashville – 16
Hunter Hayes/Somebody’s Heartbreak/Atlantic-WMN – 16
Jason Aldean/The Only Way I Know /Broken Bow – 15
Brantley Gilbert/More Than Miles/Valory – 13
Hayden Panettiere/Telescope/BMLG – 11
Thompson Square/If I Didn’t Have You/Stoney Creek – 11
Toby Keith/Hope On The Rocks/Show Dog-Universal – 10

Greatest Spin Increase
Artist/song/label — spin+
The Band Perry/Better Dig Two/Republic Nashville – 458
George Strait/Give It All We Got/MCA – 318
Chris Young/I Can Take It From There/RCA Nashville – 282
Zac Brown Band/Goodbye In Her Eyes/Southern Ground-Atlantic – 276
Tim McGraw/One Of Those Nights/Big Machine – 258

On Deck—Soon To Be Charting
Artist/song/label — spins
John Karl / Redneck Rich — 236
Lucky Ned Pepper/I Remember The Music/Nine North – 225
Randy Rogers Band/One More Sad Song/MCA Nashville – 222
Vince Hatfield/Sometimes You Gotta Get Away/Blue Moon – 210
Love and Theft/Running Out Of Air/RCA Nashville – 198

HIGH Valley visits Clear Channel’s KEEY/Minneapolis. Pictured (L-R): KEEY PD Gregg Swedberg, HV's Brad Rempel, Curtis Rempel and Bryan Rempel and KEEY MD J.D. Greene

Wade Hayes chatted with WIVK/Knoxville about his new single, "Is It Already Time," during the Music Row Live radio remotes in Nashville earlier this weekPictured (L-R): Andy Ritchie, Hayes and Alison Mercer. Photo: JR Hughes

Charlie Cook On Air: Eric Church

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I am writing this days before the CMA Awards, so if Eric Church cleaned up yesterday I am not just jumping on the bandwagon. Though after seeing the Eric Church show last Friday night at the Patriot Center in Washington, DC, I am ready to drive the bandwagon.

There are a few things about Eric’s show that really stood out. The most obvious is that it took place on a college campus not located in Alabama or West Virginia. The Patriot Center is the home arena of the George Mason University Patriots.

This is a university that offers a minor in Ancient Mediterranean Art and Archaeology. Not Football. Like most colleges though I noticed during the show that it, like WVU, majors in beer drinking. Right in Eric’s sweet spot.

The arena holds about 10,000 people and it was full. I estimate 95% of this crowd was under 25 years old.

The entire show seemed built for this crowd. Opener Kip Moore has always had a good college following even before he hit it big with country radio. He was well received and, while the arena was about 30% full when he took the stage, those folks were excited to see him perform. I was impressed to see him stay until the end of the entire program, after Eric, and sign autographs for everyone willing to line up. This was about 11:15 and by the length of the line I imagine Kip was there until midnight.

Justin Moore was the middle act. I have seen him a couple of times now and think he has come a long way as he has piled up radio hits. He seems to have more confidence on stage and the crowd was wild for his music.

The thing about both Kip and Justin—this is country music with a capital C.

I am not a concert reviewer. I judge the show by how much fun the crowd is having. These kids were having fun. In fact, I think that they passed fun about halfway through the show.

Back to Eric. I had a chance to speak with him for a minute before the show and you can tell he is enjoying his first headlining tour. It is tiring, without question, to go out there and do 90 minutes of a high intensity show every night but his energy on stage lifts the entire crowd.

The Blood, Sweat and Beers tour does about 15 west coast dates before coming back to the east coast at the end of the month. If the show is anywhere near you before it winds down in February run, don’t walk, to see it.

The thing about the show is how interactive it is with the fans, and how energetic the crowd is. I wouldn’t be surprised to learn that everyone in the audience has downloaded “Chief” to their iPhone.

Yeah, they are supposed to know “Homeboy,” “Drink In My Hand” and “Springsteen” (which is a very cool part of the show), but they also knew every word to “I’m Getting Stoned” and “Jack Daniels.”

And when about 500 people take off a boot during the song “These Boots” and few even throw them on the stage, apparently not concerned about limping home, you know they have been Eric Church fans for a few years.

In motion pictures, actors are referred to as dangerous. When Jack Nicholson is on screen, you stay on Jack. He is the middle of everything. That’s how I felt about Eric during his hour and a half performance—he is dangerous. He so commands the stage, which is busy with fire and smoke, that he seems bigger than life.

What really excites me about Kip Moore, Justin Moore and Eric Church playing this show to an overwhelmingly college crowd is that they had to be introduced to these acts on country radio. Yeah today college radio plays all three of these guys but it had to start on country radio and that speaks to a healthy future for everyone.

(The views expressed in this article are those of the author and do not necessarily reflect those of MusicRow)

2012 CMA Awards Winners [Full List]

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Miranda Lambert and Blake Shelton. Photo: Donn Jones/CMA

ENTERTAINER OF THE YEAR
Jason Aldean
Kenny Chesney
Brad Paisley
WINNER Blake Shelton
Taylor Swift

ALBUM OF THE YEAR (Award goes to Artist and Producer(s))
WINNER Chief, Eric Church, Produced by Jay Joyce, EMI Records Nashville
Four The Record, Miranda Lambert, Produced by Frank Liddell, Chuck Ainlay, and Glenn Worf, RCA Nashville
Home, Dierks Bentley, Produced by Brett Beavers, Luke Wooten, and Jon Randall Stewart, Capitol Records Nashville
Own The Night, Lady Antebellum, Produced by Paul Worley and Lady Antebellum, Capitol Records Nashville
tailgates & tanlines, Luke Bryan, Produced by Jeff Stevens and Mark Bright, Capitol Records Nashville

FEMALE VOCALIST OF THE YEAR
Kelly Clarkson
WINNER Miranda Lambert
Martina McBride
Taylor Swift
Carrie Underwood

MALE VOCALIST OF THE YEAR
Jason Aldean
Luke Bryan
Eric Church
WINNER Blake Shelton
Keith Urban 

VOCAL GROUP OF THE YEAR
Eli Young Band
Lady Antebellum
WINNER Little Big Town
The Band Perry
Zac Brown Band

SONG OF THE YEAR (Award goes to Songwriter(s))
“Even If It Breaks Your Heart,” Will Hoge and Eric Paslay
“God Gave Me You,” Dave Barnes
“Home,” Dan Wilson, Brett Beavers, and Dierks Bentley
WINNER “Over You,” Miranda Lambert and Blake Shelton
“Springsteen,” Eric Church, Ryan Tyndell, and Jeff Hyde

NEW ARTIST OF THE YEAR
Lee Brice
Brantley Gilbert
WINNER Hunter Hayes
Love & Theft
Thompson Square

SINGLE OF THE YEAR (Award goes to Artist and Producer(s))
“Dirt Road Anthem,” Jason Aldean, Produced by Michael Knox, Broken Bow Records
“God Gave Me You,” Blake Shelton, Produced by Scott Hendricks, Warner Bros. Records
“Home,” Dierks Bentley, Produced by Brett Beavers and Luke Wooten, Capitol Records Nashville
WINNER “Pontoon,” Little Big Town, Produced by Jay Joyce, Capitol Records Nashville
“Springsteen,” Eric Church, Produced by Jay Joyce, EMI Records Nashville

DUO OF THE YEAR
Big & Rich
Love &Theft
Sugarland
Civil Wars
WINNER Thompson Square

MUSICIAN OF THE YEAR
Sam Bush, mandolin
Paul Franklin, steel guitar
Dann Huff, guitar
Brent Mason, guitar
WINNER Mac McAnally, guitar

MUSIC VIDEO OF THE YEAR (Award goes to Artist and Director)
“Come Over,” Kenny Chesney, Directed by Shaun Silva
“Over You,” Miranda Lambert, Directed by Trey Fanjoy
“Pontoon,” Little Big Town, Directed by Declan Whitebloom
WINNER “Red Solo Cup,” Toby Keith, Directed by Michael Salomon
“Springsteen,” Eric Church, Directed by Peter Zavadil

MUSICAL EVENT OF THE YEAR (Award goes to each Artist)
“Dixie Highway,” Alan Jackson featuring Zac Brown, ACR/EMI Records Nashville
WINNER “Feel Like A Rock Star,” Kenny Chesney (duet with Tim McGraw), Blue Chair Records/Columbia Nashville
“Roll Me Up and Smoke Me When I Die,” Willie Nelson with Snoop Dogg, Kris Kristofferson, and Jamey Johnson, Legacy Recordings
“Safe & Sound,” Taylor Swift (featuring The Civil Wars), Big Machine Records/Universal Republic Records
“Stuck On You,” Lionel Richie (with Darius Rucker), Mercury Records Nashville

Check here for CMA Broadcast Award Winners, which were presented earlier in October.

New Exhibits Celebrate Minnie Pearl

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The Country Music Hall of Fame ® and Museum presented the panel discussion Memories of Minnie Pearl on Sat., Oct. 27 to coincide with the new exhibit. The panel featured some of Minnie Pearl’s friends, peers and students of comedy. Paul Reubens—portrayer of Pee-wee Herman—sent a video message honoring Minnie Pearl. Pictured (L-R): Irlene Mandrell, Cindy Moore, Shelley Bowman, Matthew Bowman, Colley Bowman, Will Bowman, Public Programs Coordinator Abi Tapia, Keith Bilbrey, Brent Bowman, Susie Quick and Too Slim (of Riders in the Sky). Photo by Donn Jones

The Ryman Auditorium and the Country Music Hall of Fame are celebrating what would have been Sarah Cannon’s 100th birthday with new exhibits. Cannon brought to life the iconic Grand Ole Opry character Minnie Pearl.

At the Ryman, Proud to be Here! The Legacy of Minnie Pearl is part of the self-guided tour. It chronicles her life from Nashville’s Ward-Belmont School where she was named “Most Humorous” by her classmates, to her storied association with the Grand Ole Opry. The display prominently features one of her famous powder-blue gingham dresses and flower-adorned straw hat with its $1.98 price tag. Other items include Cousin Minnie’s Country Music Hall of Fame plaque, an oversized Hatch Show Print, scripts and Cannon’s National Medal of the Arts medallion.

The Hall of Fame’s spotlight exhibit, Minnie Pearl: Centennial Celebration, will run through August 2013. Among the artifacts on display are a script of Minnie Pearl’s 1957 network television debut on NBC’s This Is Your Life, a Family Feud trophy from her team with fellow Opry stars, and The American Cancer Society’s John C. Tune Award for Sarah Cannon’s efforts to educate the public about breast cancer.

She gave her name to the Sarah Cannon Cancer Center and the Minnie Pearl Cancer Foundation to help raise funds and awareness, and to provide support for those suffering from the disease. She was a tireless advocate for early detection and research for a cure until her passing on March 4, 1996.

Mark Your Calendar (November 2012)

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Album Releases

November 6
Third Day/Miracle/Provident

November 13
Cody Canada & The Departed/Adventūs/Underground Sound
Old Man Luedecke/Tender is the Night/True North Records
Aaron Lewis/The Road/Blaster-WMN

November 19
Rascal Flatts/Rascal Flatts: All Access & Uncovered [DVD]/BMLG

November 20
Jason Isbell & The 400 Unit/Live From Alabama/Lightning Rod Records-Thirty Tigers
Chris Isaak/Chris Isaak Live! Beyond the Sun/Vanguard Records
Six Market Blvd./Shake It Down [re-release]/Vision Entertainment-Thirty Tigers via Sony RED Distribution

Single Releases

November 1
Tim McGraw/One Of Those Nights/Big Machine
Kelly Clarkson (feat. Vince Gill)/Don’t Rush/19-RCA-Columbia

November 5
Jana Kramer/Whiskey/Elektra Nashville-W.A.R.
Livewire/Lies/Way Out West
Love and Theft/Runnin’ Out Of Air/RCA

November 8

Matt Farris/Redneck Radio/Skytone

November 12
Amy Rose/I Just Want You to Know/Wild Rose
Aaron Lewis/Forever/Blaster

November 19
Dustin Lynch/She Cranks My Tractor/Broken Bow Records

Industry Events

November 1
46th Annual CMA Awards. Broadcast live at 7 pm/CT on ABC

November 17
St. Jude’s Give thanks. Walk — 7 am, The Park Green at Nashville West Shopping Center

November 18
40th Anniversary American Music Awards. Broadcast live from L.A.’s Nokia Theatre at 7pm/CT on ABC

Industry Ink (11/1/12)

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Leadership Music has partnered with Sound Healthcare to give its more than 900 alumni the opportunity to purchase health insurance. Sound Healthcare was created in 2006 by RJ Stillwell and Tatum Hauck and has created similarly beneficial partnerships with the Country Music Association and more.

“In these uncertain times, there is enormous peace of mind associated with having options for insurability that were previously unavailable, and we are so pleased to be able to offer our alumni this exceptional benefit,” said Debbie Schwartz Linn, executive director of Leadership Music.

• •

Creative Nation’s Beth Laird is among the individuals selected for the second Catalyst class, a program started by the Nashville Entrepreneur Center to help business owners expand their operations beyond the $1 million benchmark. The 18-month program got underway in September. Also part of the class are Vision Entertainment’s Clay Neuman and Moo Creative Media’s John Huber. More info here.

• • •

Mike Denney, the President of Canadian country music label/management/distributor MDM Recordings Inc., has been appointed as a member of the Canadian Country Music Award (CCMA) Board of Directors. Denney is a 25 year veteran of Canada’s music industry and will hold the position for a two year term.

• • •

PLA Media’s artist roster is growing with the addition of hot new trio Scarletta for public relations representation. The group’s debut single “Right Here, Right Now” is climbing the MusicRow Chart and they will appear locally in Nashville on Fox 17’s “Tennessee Mornings” Tuesday, Nov. 6.

• • •

Talent and production company Foothill Entertainment Group has appointed Steve Stern as its new Director of Corporate Relations. Stern is a songwriter and member of AFM local #257, and owns his own New Anthem Music publishing company.

Primetime “Nashville”: Episode 104

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Episode 104: “We Live in Two Different Worlds”
The episodes are named for classic country songs, this week it’s a Hank Williams tune.

Nashville ratings slipped to a season low Wednesday (10/31) night, impacted partly by Hurricane Sandy coverage and Halloween. The ABC show drew about 5.8 million viewers, according to overnight ratings from Zap2It.com. In more business news, the network ordered full seasons of several other series, but not Nashville.

Last night’s episode was packed with new locations (Catch This Music, Jack’s BBQ, Watermark, Hillwood Country Club) and cameos (Katie Couric, Robin Roberts), but only debuted one song. Laying the foundation for a few story arcs, including one led by Kimberly Williams Paisley, resulted in a somewhat slow-paced hour.

During a $1400-per-ticket fundraiser for husband Teddy’s slumping mayoral campaign, Rayna sang “Changing Ground,” a Gillian Welch song making its first appearance as part of Rayna’s catalog. The concert at the country club ended disastrously after a fight between Teddy and Deacon caused Rayna to decide to fire Deacon from her band. Emotions between the star and her former lover remain fresh years after the end of their romantic relationship. It makes for the show’s best drama, with Rayna’s steamy dreams and their fantastic onscreen chemistry.

New plot developments included a secret meeting between Teddy and former flame Peggy to discuss keeping a deep secret, which has yet to be revealed but could destroy their families. Adding to the intrigue was the revelation that Deacon’s addiction recovery sponsor is opposing mayoral candidate Coleman Carlisle, which means he is also in recovery.

Teddy and Peggy's secret meeting.

Juliette’s shoplifting scandal spun out of control after she refused to accept the seriousness of the situation. She repeatedly tried to shrug it off because “it’s just a bottle of nail polish.” She slammed the door in the police officers’ faces and laughed, “seriously, get a real job.” Her story showed up in all the major media, including a report by Katie Couric and an SNL sketch. But when the CMA Awards dropped her as a presenter, she conceded to an interview with GMA’s Robin Roberts (a real life country music supporter). When asked about her mother’s recent arrest, Juliette yanked off her microphone and ended the interview. It should have been a dramatic, highly-charged scene, but was anticlimactic instead. Industry viewers might have noticed James “Spoon” Williams as part of the TV crew, and Juliette’s Martin Guitars shirt in another scene.

One of the episode’s most emotional moments was when Juliette found a tattered photograph in her mom’s bag, a picture of them when Juilette was a child. She collapsed in tears. During such a trying time, Juliette didn’t have one friend in her corner. The scandal resulted in her losing tour sponsors and likely having to call off the outing. Looks like Deacon is going to be out of job from both camps. Her manager Glenn tried to drop her as well, but she convinced him otherwise.

The Scarlett, Avery, Gunnar triangle is getting tired. Avery’s jealousy and resentment of Scarlett and Gunnar’s new publishing deal, as well as their potential interest in each other, is driving Avery and Scarlett apart. Spicing up the storyline was Gunnar’s fling with Hailey, an assistant at the publishing company, which is housed at the real-life offices of Catch This Music. The video below features the actors singing “Fade Into You” with The Mavericks at a recent party at Anastasia Brown’s home.

Send Nashville show news to sskates@musicrow.com.

Miranda Lambert Joins “got milk” Campaign

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Miranda Lambert is the latest celebrity to join the popular National Milk Mustache “got milk?” Campaign. The ad campaign was unveiled yesterday (10/31) at a press conference at the Country Music Association.

Lambert makes a point to eat breakfast every day, either at home or on her tour bus and sets the table with milk. The ad copy reads “Fine tune your morning. got milk? Nourish every day.”

Visit thebreakfastproject.com or www.facebook.com/milkmustache for more information.

(L-R): Melissa Malcolm, Field Marketing Manager, MilkPEP; Katie DeGenova, Marketing Manager, MilkPEP; Miranda Lambert; and CMA Chief Executive Officer Steve Moore. Photo: Christian Bottorff

BMLG Promotes Kelly Rich

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Kelly Rich

The Big Machine Label Group announced the promotion of Kelly Rich to Senior Vice President of Sales, Marketing and Interactive. Previously VP of the department, Rich will further lead sales and marketing efforts for the label’s roster which includes Taylor Swift, Tim McGraw, Rascal Flatts, Reba, The Band Perry and many more.

Since Rich joined the label in 2006, BMLG has achieved over 27 million album sales. Her most recent accomplishments include Swift’s new album, RED, and work with key physical and online retailers to achieve major marketing presence across multiple media platforms. Additionally, Rich has been named a Billboard Women In Music honoree twice.

“Kelly arrived right around the release of Taylor’s first album – right when the company was taking flight,” said Scott Borchetta, President and CEO of BMLG. “She has been instrumental in making sure we didn’t miss any opportunities in the retail space from day one and helped establish us as real and respected players in an extremely competitive environment.”

Rich is an industry veteran with over 22 years of experience in marketing and sales. Previously, she was the Vice President of Sales for Universal Music Group Nashville and was a part of the Dreamworks and BMG/Arista sales team.

CMA Awards Predictions

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ENTERTAINER OF THE YEAR
Skates: Taylor Swift—Her global impact is unprecedented. In 2012 her mind-boggling success continued with a blockbuster world tour and record breaking sales.

Freeman: Kenny Chesney—He spent much of the last year reminding us why he’s won four of these things already: a monster stadium tour with his buddy Tim McGraw and a couple more smash hits for good measure.

FEMALE VOCALIST OF THE YEAR
Skates: Miranda Lambert—Four The Record is a masterpiece and her popularity both inside and outside of country music grew this year.

Freeman: Carrie Underwood—After a relatively quiet 2011, Carrie came roaring back in 2012 with a hot new album (Blown Away), tour, and a batch of big singles.

MALE VOCALIST OF THE YEAR
Skates: Luke Bryan—A string of monster hits resulted in a breakthrough year for Bryan.

Freeman: Jason Aldean—The Georgia native vaulted into the superstar stratosphere with a record-setting tour, spectacular sales, and a string of chart-topping hits.

NEW ARTIST OF THE YEAR
Skates: Brantley Gilbert—A winning combination of radio hits, sales and touring added up for a fantastic debut year.

Freeman: Hunter Hayes—A thrillingly talented musical prodigy finds his footing and an enthusiastic fanbase.

VOCAL GROUP OF THE YEAR
Skates: Lady Antebellum—A smash world tour and songwriting chops helped Nashville’s favorite trio maintain momentum.

Freeman: Zac Brown Band—This hard-working ensemble has been consistently churning out memorable hits on its steady trajectory to stardom.

ALBUM OF THE YEAR 
Skates: Chief, Eric Church, Produced by Jay Joyce, EMI Records Nashville—It’s a production marvel enhanced by masterful songwriting. Church’s edgy sound and lyrical perfectionism can’t be topped.

Freeman: Chief, Eric Church, Produced by Jay Joyce, EMI Records Nashville—Near universal acclaim, hits-a-plenty, sonic alchemy–this one seems pretty obvious.

SONG OF THE YEAR 
Skates: “Even If It Breaks Your Heart,” Will Hoge and Eric Paslay—They perfectly captured the pursuit of musicians, and simultaneously touched heartstrings of everyone on Music Row. Plus, Hoge’s hard-earned success and Paslay’s stellar breakout year gave voters all the more reason to pick this song.

Freeman: “Home,” Dan Wilson, Brett Beavers, and Dierks Bentley—Expertly walks the tightrope of being patriotic, inspiring, and anthemic without resorting to hawkish chest beating.

SINGLE OF THE YEAR 
Skates: “Springsteen,” Eric Church, Produced by Jay Joyce, EMI Records Nashville—A big hit from a fantastic album. The well-written, radio friendly track even drew praise from The Boss himself.

Freeman: “Pontoon,” Little Big Town, Produced by Jay Joyce, Capitol Records Nashville—Summer’s inescapable smash about escape, “Pontoon” motorboated to the top of the charts with help from an exotic mandolin riff and one slinky, party-ready groove.

DUO OF THE YEAR
Skates: Sugarland—The band soldiered onward, with Nettles scoring a judging slot on primetime show Duets.

Freeman: The Civil Wars—The critical darlings broke out big time and managed to unite fans of all stripes in the process.

The show airs at 7 pm/CT tonight on ABC, live from Nashville’s Bridgestone Arena.