CRS 2013 to Present Innovative Fan Research Study

The Country music fan research studies are always a highlight of Country Radio Seminar, but the 2013 version promises to take things in an entirely new direction from the statistical analysis and focus groups of years past.

Titled “A Day In The Life Of A Country Fan,” the project conducted by Edison Research will offer a video-based Ethnographic Research study of Country music fans as they go about their daily routines under the lens. Subjects will presented in high definition video in a variety of environments including work, home, and in their vehicles.

“We are very excited to have Edison Research bring us to a new level this year by actually taking us into the home, car, office and other natural environments of the Country fan,” says CRS Executive Director Bill Mayne. “This will allow us to see how they listen to radio, discover new music, use new media and more in their daily life. Joel Raab and his research committee have put together one of the most powerful and useful experiences at CRS 2013 for our attendees to take back to their businesses for profit. You simply cannot afford to miss this!”

Participants in the project include both male and female Country fans, aged 18-54 from Country lifestyle and non-Country lifestyle markets with varying degrees of technological knowledge. Edison Research is partnering with Prosperity Productions to conduct the study.

The results of the study will be presented by Edison Research’s Larry Rosin and Prosperity Productions’ Lori Hamilton during CRS 2013 on Wednesday, Feb. 27. CRS 2013 runs Feb. 27 – March 1 in downtown Nashville. Register here.

Baldrica Joins Show Dog-Universal Music

Tom Baldrica

Show Dog—Universal Music President Mark Wright today (9/4) announced the appointment of Tom Baldrica to Vice President Promotion and Radio Marketing. Baldrica, who recently exited his post as Pres. of Average Joes Entertainment, is already on the job at his new gig.

“Tom is such an injection of positive energy every time he walks into a room,“ remarked Wright. “We are honored to add such an experienced and passionate professional to our SDU team.”

“I am thrilled to be joining the Show Dog-Universal Music promotion team and reuniting with my long time friend Rick Moxley,” added Baldrica. “We’ve enjoyed much success together in the past, and I look forward to our new successes in the future!  I am a fan of Mark Wright, George Nunes and Bill Kennedy, and I look forward to working side by side with that most talented executive trio. Sic ’em Dogs!! Woof, Woof, Woof!”

Baldrica’s lengthy career in the music business also includes promotion and marketing positions with Sony Music Nashville and BNA Records.

SDU’s promotion team had a vacancy due to the exit earlier this summer of VP/ Strategic Planning & Promotion Jimmy Rector, who moved to EMI Records Nashville.

Baldrica can be reached at tom.baldrica@sdumusic.com or (615) 324-7779.

Eric Church Plans Live Album

Photo: Jim Sutter

As he prepares to head out on another leg of his headlining Blood, Sweat, & Beers Tour, Eric Church has revealed plans to bring his concert experience home with a live album slated for release in early 2013. To create the album, Church will record his two nights of concerts at Chattanooga’s Tivoli Theatre October 8-9.

Church is offering fans a chance to see the special taping with his newly-launched “Captured” video contest. Fans are encouraged to submit videos about how they first got into Church’s music for a chance to win two tickets to the taping, one night’s hotel stay, and a meet and greet with the artist. Entries are due by Sept. 12. Church will announce his top 10 favorites on Sept. 17 when polls will open for the final vote. The winner will be revealed Sept. 26.

See all upcoming tour dates here.

Industry Ink (9/4/2012)


Pictured (L-R): ASCAP's Michael Martin, Nicolle Gaylon, RaeLynn, ASCAP's LeAnn Phelan and Ryan Beuschel

Republic Nashville’s previous The Voice participant, RaeLynn, has officially joined ASCAP as a writer and publisher member.

The singer-songwriter was part of Blake Shelton’s team on the NBC show, and recently opened shows in the midwest for Miranda Lambert. She is working on a forthcoming debut record with fellow TV show participant and co-writer Nicolle Gaylon. RaeLynn is managed by Judy Stakee.

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Pictured (L-R): Inna, Holly Strawn, Laura Huftless, Shanna Strassberg, Rosie, Catherine Melvin, Cindy Heath, Fiona, Montine Felso. Photo: Zac Koffler

Three teams of women from Music Row will compete in the Women’s Half-Marathon Sat., September 22 on behalf of ABLE Youth’s Run, Walk, Wheel & Roll initiative.

Catherine Melvin (High Five), Cindy Heath (Monarch Publicity), Holly Strawn (Attorney, Rubin Lublin, LLC), Laura Huftless (CAA), Martha Ivester (CAA), Montine Felso (WMG), Shanna Strassberg (GAC) and Whitney Duncan (singer/songwriter) will compete in the 13.1 miles race alongside ABLE Youth partners DoveyRosie, and J.Rod who are racing in their wheelchairs.

Since its inception in 2010, the organization has provided 1st-time race experiences for over 50 children while raising over $50,000 for programs that teach children in wheelchairs the importance of living happy, healthy, successful and independent lives. To learn more about the event and to make a donation, click here.

Jamey Johnson to Launch New Album With Ryman Concert

Singer/songwriter Jamey Johnson will celebrate his new album Living for a Song: A Tribute to Hank Cochran with a release-day concert at the Ryman Auditorium Tuesday, Oct 16 at 7:30 p.m. The evening will feature Johnson with a very a special group of friends yet to be announced.

Living for a Song: A Tribute to Hank Cochran, which will be released on vinyl one week later on Sept. 25, includes collaborations with artists like Willie Nelson, Merle Haggard, Alison Krauss, Leon Russell, Vince Gill, Emmylou Harris and Ray Price. The album also features Asleep at the Wheel, Elvis Costello, George Strait, Ronnie Dunn, Bobby Bare, Lee Ann Womack, Kris Kristofferson and Cochran himself.

Tickets for the Ryman show will go on sale this Friday (9/7) at 10 am. To purchase ticket please visit www.ryman.com.

New Owner For Dick Clark Productions, Team Behind ACM Awards

Dick Clark Productions, the company which produces the Academy of Country Music Awards, will be sold to a group which includes Guggenheim Partners, reports the LA Times.

Guggenheim also has stakes in Billboard, Hollywood Reporter, AdWeek and the Los Angeles Dodgers. According to the Times it is likely that Billboard and AdWeek’s awards shows will soon be produced by DCP and that current DCP chief executive Mark Shapiro will exit.

DCP also produces The Golden Globes, The American Music Awards, and Fox’s So You Think You Can Dance.

Joining Guggenheim in the purchase of DCP are Mandalay Entertainment and Mosaic Media Investment Partners. The deal is believed to be worth $385 million, a price much higher than competing bids placed by CBS, Core Media Group, and a consortium led by Ryan Seacrest.

Sound Kitchen Hosting Annual Veterans Benefit Concert

Sound Kitchen Studios will host the 5th Annual We Are Building Lives benefit concert on Saturday, September 8. Emceed by WKRN’s Neil Orne, the event furthers Building Lives Foundation’s mission of assisting Nashville’s homeless veterans with mentoring, health and psychological care, transportation, housing and more. The VIP experience begins at 5:30 pm, and General Admission guests will be admitted at 7 pm.

Artists scheduled to perform include 3 Doors Down, singer/author Keni Thomas, Songwriters Matt Rogers, Gary Ray, Josh Dunne, Ward Davis, and Brian Callihan with a special appearance by Rob Rappaport. There will also be a charity auction, with items including a military-themed guitar signed by all performers. Tickets are $125 apiece and can be purchased here.

Songwriting Great Hal David Passes

Hal David at the Songwriters Hall of Fame dinner in New York in 2011. Photo: Charles Sykes/AP

Nashville Songwriters Hall of Fame member Hal David has died at age 91.

Due to a series of strokes, he had been in ill health for several months. He died on Saturday at Cedars-Sinai Medical Center in Los Angeles.

Lyricist Hal David is best known for many huge pop hits by artists such as Dionne Warwick, Gene Pitney, Dusty Springfield and B.J. Thomas that he co-wrote with Burt Bacharach. Their Broadway musical Promises, Promises won Tony Awards, and their “Raindrops Keep Fallin’ on My Head” earned the team an Oscar.

But David’s catalog also includes a string of country successes in Nashville, including the evergreen “Sea of Heartbreak.” Several of these were written with collaborators other than Bacharach.

The Brooklyn native began his career as a journalist writing for the New York Post. Hal David is the younger brother of lyricist Mack David, and he began getting his earliest songs recorded in the late 1940s. Hal David co-wrote a number of successes before teaming up with Bacharach in 1957, including hits for Sammy Kaye, Frank Sinatra and Teresa Brewer. The first big Bacharach/David hit was the No. 1 country song “The Story of My Life,” sung by Marty Robbins in 1958.

The collaborators hit their stride in the 1960s, creating a staggering number of modern pop classics – “What the World Needs Now Is Love,” “Alfie,” “Anyone Who Had a Heart,” “Walk on By,” “What’s New Pussycat,” “This Guy’s in Love with You,” “(They Long to Be) Close to You,” “Make it Easy on Yourself,” “The Look of Love,” “Don’t Make Me Over,” “Wives and Lovers,” “Wishin’ and Hopin’,” “Blue on Blue,” “The Man Who Shot Liberty Valance,” “I Just Don’t Know What to Do With Myself.” “A House Is Not a Home.” “Always Something There to Remind Me.” “Message to Michael,” “One Less Bell to Answer,” “Do You Know the Way to San Jose” and more.

A number of Mack David’s lyrics became popular in Nashville along the way. In addition to “The Story of My Life” and “Sea of Heartbreak” (originally sung by Don Gibson), “Only Love Can Break a Heart” (Sonny James), “Twenty Four Hours from Tulsa” (Randy Barlow) and “I Say a Little Prayer” (Glen Campbell & Anne Murray) all became country favorites.

After the Bacharach partnership was suspended in 1973, Hal David began traveling to Nashville to collaborate on songs. He co-wrote such chart-topping country hits as “It Was Almost Like a Song” (Ronnie Milsap) and “To All the Girls I’ve Loved Before” (Willie Nelson & Julio Iglesias).

Dottie West, Lynn Anderson, Johnny Cash, Brenda Lee, Wynonna Judd, Bobby Goldsboro, The Anita Kerr Singers, The Everly Brothers, Billie Jo Spears, Tony Joe White, Nat Stuckey, Chet Atkins, Bobbie Gentry, Mary Chapin Carpenter, Ray Stevens, Ferlin Husky, Barbara Mandrell, Merle Haggard, Highway 101, Rosanne Cash and Alan Jackson have all recorded David’s songs.

Hal David served as the president of ASCAP in 1980-86. He was inducted into the national Songwriters Hall of Fame in 1972, was given a 1997 Trustees Award by the Recording Academy and received his star in the Hollywood Walk of Fame in 2011. His induction into the Nashville Songwriters Hall of Fame occurred in 1984.

In May, he and Bacharach received the Library of Congress Gershwin Prize during a White House tribute concert. President Obama presented the honor. Due to his illness, David was unable to attend. His wife/widow Eunice David accepted on his behalf.

Rucker Helps Launch Fantasy Football League

Darius Rucker has helped launch Pigskin Fantasy U (PFU), which brings a fun new twist to college fantasy sports. The league allows participants to draft entire teams to create their roster.

The concept is very simple, making it fun for college football fans of all levels. During an online, real-time draft, participants select teams to make-up their roster for the season. Each week, the participant selects teams to either start or bench. Points are given when a starting team wins.

“I can’t wait for football season to start,” said PFU Celebrity Commissioner Rucker. Rucker, a University of South Carolina graduate and avid Gamecocks fan continued, “Watching games on Saturday is one of my favorite things to do and adding Pigskin Fantasy U to the mix is going to be awesome. My buddies and I needed another reason to talk about football and trash talk each other.”

PFU resides at www.PigskinFantasyU.com, where you can start or join a league for free through Oct. 31, long after the season starts. When you start your own league, you set your own rules regarding the number of teams each person drafts, whether you play a head-to-head or one-vs.-all format, as well as many other options. The live, online draft feature lets friends and foes alike join together from far away places.

Artist Updates (8/31/12)

David Nail recently announced his stripped down fall tour, which kicks off Sept. 6 in Cincinnati. But good luck getting into the Oct. 20 show at Chicago’s Joe’s Bar, which is already sold out weeks ahead of time. “When my manager called me to tell me, I thought he was putting me on,” says Nail. “But he was saying, ‘Don’t be thinking about putting too many people on the guest list… it’s sold all the way out!’ Which floored me, cause we’ve been going there and the fans are unbelievable… and so into music; but you don’t think in terms of people not being able to get a ticket!” Full dates here.

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Claudia Lee

Singer/actress Claudia Lee has been cast in the Universal Pictures action film Kick-Ass 2: Balls to the Wall, which is based on the second volume of the comic book series by Mark Millar. Production will begin in September, with a reported June 2013 release date, and the film will be directed by Jeff Wadlow. Lee will play Brooke, the ringleader of a school posse. The singer currently co-stars as Magnolia Breeland on the CW Network series Hart of Dixie, and her debut country album Here Right Now was released in February 2012.

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Dan Rather will join Willie Nelson for a special broadcast of AXS TV’s “Dan Rather Reports” from Austin City Limits Live, where the two will discuss the changing landscape of the music business. Also appearing will be newcomer Kat Edmonson, plus Marc Geiger, and NPR’s Bob Boilen. The show airs Tuesday, Sept. 4 at 8 pm/ET on AXS TV.

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Rachele Lynae

Newcomer Rachele Lynae is giving fans a special preview of her album before it officially lands in October. Starting today (8/31), fans can visit Country Weekly’s Facebook page and click on the “7 Free Songs” tab at the top. Complete the signup form to have the first free song delivered via email. Six additional songs will be delivered, one per day, for a full week of music.