(L-R): MusicRow’s Sherod Robertson, Secrets of the List author David Ross, and BMI’s Kay Clary. Photo: Drew Maynard
Chapter 397
Oh, the trials of being a Party Boy – Should I go and celebrate with one of my best old pals or salute Music Row’s new Platinum puppy? The answer is, of course, do both: Nobody said this job was going to be easy.
So it came to pass that on Tuesday eve (5/22), we began the cocktail party at BMI to fete the publication of Secrets of the List, the debut book by David Ross. Waiters circulated with mini crab cakes, bacon-wrapped asparagus, smoked salmon on toast points, mozzarella-and-tomato skewers and other delights.
“I first met David in 1981 when I was a waitress at the Music Row watering hole Close Quarters,” recalled BMI’s Kay Clary, adding that at the time Ross was inventing himself as our “town crier” with his innovative publication of MusicRow. “It is hard to imagine us without MusicRow as a resource.” She introduced the magazine’s current owner/publisher, Sherod Robertson.
(L-R): Newlyweds Gary Burr and Georgia Middleman with David Ross
Sherod read congratulations from Suzanne Clement, the assistant to the Dean at the Curb College at Belmont University, and added his own felicitations. “Today is all about David and not about MusicRow,” he said. “We’re very proud of you. We have something very unusual – It’s a plaque!” It actually was kind of special – at the bottom was space for a card to be signed by everyone there. “We’re very excited to see where Secrets of the List takes you.”
“I hate surprises,” quipped Ross. “I used to know everything that was going on at MusicRow.
“I first met BMI as a songwriter, so it’s really a pleasure for me to have this party here. This is my first event as an author, so this is a new thing for me.
“If you’re going to be successful at anything, you have to have friends, supporters and loyal followers, and you all have been that for me. I love all you guys.” A portion of last night’s sales of the book will be donated to the Country Music Hall of Fame, he added.
The cast of characters attending was multi-generational, ranging from young tech nerds to industry vets. This is because the book is about maximizing marketing using email and social media, and we all need to learn about that.
Schmoozing fabulons included Jon Walker, Jeff Walker, Mark Wright, Janie West, Whitney Daane, Garth Shaw, Victoria Shaw, Vanessa Parker-Davis, Sherrie Austin, Tom Baldrica, Tom Corley, Tim McFadden, Tony Conway, Martha Moore, Mike Martinovich, Mike Milom, Jay Frank, Pat Finch, Dan Keen, Dean Unkefer, Ed Benson, Neal Spielberg, Eileen Littlefield, Jimmy Harnen, Katie Gillon, Jana Talbot, Woody Bomar, Lisa Harless, Kitty Moon Emery and Debbie Schwartz Linn.
• • • •
(L-R): Capitol Records Nashville SVP Marketing Cindy Mabe, Capitol Records Nashville SVP Promotion Steve Hodges, Producer Jeff Stevens, Bryan, Red Light Management’s Kerri Edwards, Capitol Records Nashville COO Tom Becci
Onward! Meanwhile, across the river on the C and D parking lots of LP Field, Luke Bryan took the stage (5/22) to whoop it up on account of that increasingly rare phenom, a Platinum record.
He couldn’t resist ad libbing. Luke was romping through hits such as “Rain Is a Good Thing” and “Someone Else Calling You Baby,” and during “Drunk on You,” he interjected, “I guess I’m drunk on you and high on Platinum Time!” He also flung the contents of a Solo Cup over the heads of the crowd. “We’re just gonna kinda play ‘em and have a good time,” he proclaimed. He and the band sounded especially good. So kudos to whoever was in charge of sound.
The album in question is Tailgates & Tanlines. As usual, Luke Bryan was cheerful and ingratiating.
Scene makers at this sunshiny Platinum party included Joanna Carter, Jimmy Carter, Steve Bogard, Steve Buchanan (to whom we offered congratulations on landing the network TV series Nashville), Dan Hill, Dale Bobo, John Grady, Rob Simbeck, Charlie Chase, Lisa Konicki, Walter Campbell, Mike Vaden, Sarah Trahern, Tracy Gershon and Donna Hughes. Oddly enough, the fiesta attracted few interlopers or local on-lookers. I guess nobody expected us to be there in such an out-of-traffic locale. Especially during rush hour.
Miller Lite beer stations were numerous and convenient. Food trucks offered pizza, smoked barbeque and ice cream shakes. Carl Black Chevy had tented tailgate parties.
If you wanted to keep rocking that night (5/22), there was the Opry salute-to-the-military show, featuring a red-carpet walk of those who serve, instead of the stars. Rascal Flatts, Kellie Pickler, John Conlee, Ronnie Milsap, Montgomery Gentry, Mark Wills and more were on the bill.
“This show continues the Opry’s long and very important tradition of recognizing our nation’s armed forces with a hail and ‘thank you’,” said Opry VP and GM Pete Fisher. The show will air as the premiere episode of GAC’s new Noteworthy at the Opry series on Saturday at 9:00 p.m. It will also be seen by US military around the world as part of the American Forces Television Network.
Americana Awards Nominees Coming Next Week
/by Sarah SkatesThe Americana Honors & Awards will be presented Sept. 12 at the Ryman Auditorium, where Bonnie Raitt will receive the Lifetime Achievement Award.
CMA Supports W.O. Smith School
/by MichelleThe CMA Foundation is donating $50,000 to benefit summer music education programs for 170 low-income students at the W.O. Smith Nashville Community Music School. The donation is part of CMA’s Keep the Music Playing initiative, which supports music education on behalf of the hundreds of artists who perform for free during CMA Music Festival.
“This is a wonderful opportunity for us to bridge the school year by making music education available for these low-income children during the summer,” said Kitty Moon Emery, Chair of The CMA Foundation Board of Directors. “Supporting music education is an investment in the future of our city. Statistics demonstrate that students involved in arts programs have higher graduation rates and the benefits of music education translate to their other core curriculum.”
To date, CMA and The CMA Foundation have provided more than $6.1 million to support the initiative, purchasing more than 4,000 instruments for 80 Metro Nashville Public Schools and providing the tools and incentives to help keep students engaged in school. The figure also includes a $1 million endowment gift to the Country Music Hall of Fame and Museum’s “Words & Music” program, which assists language arts and music teachers with classroom instruction in the basics of songwriting.
For information about the school visit www.wosmith.org.
Photo courtesy of W.O. Smith Nashville Community Music School
Rascal Flatts’ “Changed” Goes Gold
/by Caitlin RantalaChanged was produced by Dann Huff and Rascal Flatts. It features five songs written by the members of the band and has garnered praise from the Associated Press, New York Times, NPR, USA Today and more.
Rascal Flatts is currently nominated for the 2012 CMT Music Award for Group of the Year for the “Banjo” video. Fans can vote through June 4 at www.cmt.com and the results will be revealed at the June 6 show.
The group is also nominated for a Teen Choice Award in the category of Choice Country Group. The awards will air on FOX on July 22. Fans can vote at www.TeenChoiceAwards.com.
Kevin Costner Launches Mini-Series And CD
/by Eric T. ParkerThe soundtrack from the series features music from his country/rock band, Kevin Costner & Modern West. Music from the album is currently available on iTunes and Amazon. The show tells the true American story of a family feud that nearly launched a war between Kentucky and West Virginia.
A slew of network promotional appearances got underway on NBC’s The Tonight Show with Jay Leno. The star will also visit ABC’s Good Morning America today (5/24) and Live! with Kelly later in the day. On Fri., May 25, he’ll join the hosts of the morning show, FOX & Friends. Costner will also stop by for a 2-part episode for The Tavis Smiley Show within the week.
Costner’s band is gearing up for a summer concert tour across the U.S. and Canada to promote its current single, “The Angels Came Down,” which reached the Top 10 on the Billboard Christian Digital Songs Chart. Its third CD, From Where I Stand, is expected to be released in the U.S. this summer.
Industry Ink Thursday (5/24)
/by Sarah SkatesEntrepreneur Christina Rahm Cook and Dan Hodges Music, LLC have entered into a joint publishing agreement and signed songwriter Chad Raymon. Hodges says, “I’ve worked with Chad for some time and Christina has followed his career closely. We are both thrilled with the opportunity to work with him long term.” DHM Administration, a division of Dan Hodges Music, LLC has been assigned worldwide administration rights for the venture. Pictured (L-R): Brittany Spyksma, Christina Cook, Chad Raymon, Dan Hodges, Susan Hodges. Photo: Robbie Quinn
Jake Dungan
• [Updated] Congrats to Jane and Mike Dungan on yesterday’s (5/23) birth of their first grandchild. Jacob “Jake” Graham Dungan was born at 2:17 p.m. to Jennifer and Chris Dungan. He weighed 8 lbs., 12 oz. and is 21 inches long.
• Joe Nichols and Show Dog-Universal have parted ways.
• Warner Music Nashville’s Pickin’ On The Patio returns for the summer tonight (5/24) with a performance by Charlie Worsham. Doors open at 5:00 p.m. and show starts at 5:30 p.m. The series will be held the fourth Thursday of every month, from May to October, on the WMN Patio.
Aderra Media Works, which makes collectible flash drives with exclusive pre-loaded content, is expanding into the country market with a Nashville office. Drives can come with concert footage and recordings, behind-the-scenes video, unreleased tracks, or an entire catalog of albums. They can also be used for regular USB storage, and feature technology that allows for future materials to be updated onto the device. www.AderraMediaWorks.com
• Black River Entertainment’s Dawn Delvo is working to be the first woman in Nashville to raise $100,000 for the Leukemia & Lymphoma Society through her Woman Of The Year campaign. She recently hosted a successful All Access For LLS Celebrity eBay Auction and is collecting donations through June 7 at www.allaccessforlls.com. Email her at dawn@blackriverent.com or find her on Facebook.
• Dwight Yoakam will give the Superstar Keynote Q&A at the 3rd Annual Billboard Country Music Summit, set for June 4-5 at the Cannery Ballroom in Nashville. He joins a growing slate of speakers and panelists, including Luke Bryan and Willie Nelson.
• A new restaurant is coming to midtown/Music Row. Bishops Hot Chix will be at 112 19th Ave. S., according to the Nashville Post.
The May installment of ASCAP's popular monthly showcase series at The Bluebird Cafe featured Young Guns Publishing songwriters Cyndi Thomson, Gimm+Icky, Ben Reno, Cassidy Ford, Kimberly Paige and Phoebe Sharp. Young Guns Publishing, a division of Ramblin' Music, was founded in May 2011. Pictured (L-R): ASCAP's Mike Sistad, Jeff Garrison of Gimm+Icky, Ben Reno, Kimberly Paige, Pheobe Sharp, Tripp Weir of Gimm+Icky, Cyndi Thomson, Cassidy Ford and Ramblin' Music President Cliff Downs
CMT Music Awards Adds Performers
/by Caitlin RantalaKeith, along with actress Kristen Bell will additionally handle hosting duties for the fan-voted awards event. Previously announced performers include Kenny Chesney, Lady Antebellum, Little Big Town, Brad Paisley, Carrie Underwood and Zac Brown Band.
Additionally, Luke Bryan will host the 2012 CMT Music Awards Video of the Year Special premiering Saturday, June 2 at 1 pm/CT. Bryan will present the nominees for the coveted Video of the Year category in the one-hour special.
The 2012 CMT Music Awards will air live Wednesday, June 6 at 7 pm/CT on CMT and CMT.com.
Bobby Karl Works The Room
/by Bobby Karl(L-R): MusicRow’s Sherod Robertson, Secrets of the List author David Ross, and BMI’s Kay Clary. Photo: Drew Maynard
Chapter 397
Oh, the trials of being a Party Boy – Should I go and celebrate with one of my best old pals or salute Music Row’s new Platinum puppy? The answer is, of course, do both: Nobody said this job was going to be easy.
So it came to pass that on Tuesday eve (5/22), we began the cocktail party at BMI to fete the publication of Secrets of the List, the debut book by David Ross. Waiters circulated with mini crab cakes, bacon-wrapped asparagus, smoked salmon on toast points, mozzarella-and-tomato skewers and other delights.
“I first met David in 1981 when I was a waitress at the Music Row watering hole Close Quarters,” recalled BMI’s Kay Clary, adding that at the time Ross was inventing himself as our “town crier” with his innovative publication of MusicRow. “It is hard to imagine us without MusicRow as a resource.” She introduced the magazine’s current owner/publisher, Sherod Robertson.
(L-R): Newlyweds Gary Burr and Georgia Middleman with David Ross
Sherod read congratulations from Suzanne Clement, the assistant to the Dean at the Curb College at Belmont University, and added his own felicitations. “Today is all about David and not about MusicRow,” he said. “We’re very proud of you. We have something very unusual – It’s a plaque!” It actually was kind of special – at the bottom was space for a card to be signed by everyone there. “We’re very excited to see where Secrets of the List takes you.”
“I hate surprises,” quipped Ross. “I used to know everything that was going on at MusicRow.
“I first met BMI as a songwriter, so it’s really a pleasure for me to have this party here. This is my first event as an author, so this is a new thing for me.
“If you’re going to be successful at anything, you have to have friends, supporters and loyal followers, and you all have been that for me. I love all you guys.” A portion of last night’s sales of the book will be donated to the Country Music Hall of Fame, he added.
The cast of characters attending was multi-generational, ranging from young tech nerds to industry vets. This is because the book is about maximizing marketing using email and social media, and we all need to learn about that.
Schmoozing fabulons included Jon Walker, Jeff Walker, Mark Wright, Janie West, Whitney Daane, Garth Shaw, Victoria Shaw, Vanessa Parker-Davis, Sherrie Austin, Tom Baldrica, Tom Corley, Tim McFadden, Tony Conway, Martha Moore, Mike Martinovich, Mike Milom, Jay Frank, Pat Finch, Dan Keen, Dean Unkefer, Ed Benson, Neal Spielberg, Eileen Littlefield, Jimmy Harnen, Katie Gillon, Jana Talbot, Woody Bomar, Lisa Harless, Kitty Moon Emery and Debbie Schwartz Linn.
• • • •
(L-R): Capitol Records Nashville SVP Marketing Cindy Mabe, Capitol Records Nashville SVP Promotion Steve Hodges, Producer Jeff Stevens, Bryan, Red Light Management’s Kerri Edwards, Capitol Records Nashville COO Tom Becci
Onward! Meanwhile, across the river on the C and D parking lots of LP Field, Luke Bryan took the stage (5/22) to whoop it up on account of that increasingly rare phenom, a Platinum record.
He couldn’t resist ad libbing. Luke was romping through hits such as “Rain Is a Good Thing” and “Someone Else Calling You Baby,” and during “Drunk on You,” he interjected, “I guess I’m drunk on you and high on Platinum Time!” He also flung the contents of a Solo Cup over the heads of the crowd. “We’re just gonna kinda play ‘em and have a good time,” he proclaimed. He and the band sounded especially good. So kudos to whoever was in charge of sound.
The album in question is Tailgates & Tanlines. As usual, Luke Bryan was cheerful and ingratiating.
Scene makers at this sunshiny Platinum party included Joanna Carter, Jimmy Carter, Steve Bogard, Steve Buchanan (to whom we offered congratulations on landing the network TV series Nashville), Dan Hill, Dale Bobo, John Grady, Rob Simbeck, Charlie Chase, Lisa Konicki, Walter Campbell, Mike Vaden, Sarah Trahern, Tracy Gershon and Donna Hughes. Oddly enough, the fiesta attracted few interlopers or local on-lookers. I guess nobody expected us to be there in such an out-of-traffic locale. Especially during rush hour.
Miller Lite beer stations were numerous and convenient. Food trucks offered pizza, smoked barbeque and ice cream shakes. Carl Black Chevy had tented tailgate parties.
If you wanted to keep rocking that night (5/22), there was the Opry salute-to-the-military show, featuring a red-carpet walk of those who serve, instead of the stars. Rascal Flatts, Kellie Pickler, John Conlee, Ronnie Milsap, Montgomery Gentry, Mark Wills and more were on the bill.
“This show continues the Opry’s long and very important tradition of recognizing our nation’s armed forces with a hail and ‘thank you’,” said Opry VP and GM Pete Fisher. The show will air as the premiere episode of GAC’s new Noteworthy at the Opry series on Saturday at 9:00 p.m. It will also be seen by US military around the world as part of the American Forces Television Network.
Ronnie Dunn Interviewed for SiriusXM’s “Town Hall,” Performs on Fallon
/by Caitlin RantalaPrime Country will also present a special broadcast of Dunn’s concert at The Stage in Nashville, which was recorded live on May 16. The concert will air on Friday, May 25 at 8 pm/CT and will be rebroadcast throughout the weekend.
The event is part of SiriusXM’s “Town Hall” series that gathers musicians and SiriusXM listeners in intimate settings. Previous “SiriusXM Town Hall” specials have featured Bruce Springsteen, Tom Petty, Coldplay, and more.
Additionally, Dunn’s newest solo album Ronnie Dunn—Special Edition was reissued yesterday (5/22) as a Cracker Barrel exclusive with bonus tracks. To support the release, Dunn will appear on CBS This Morning and on NBC’s Late Night With Jimmy Fallon on Thursday, May 24.
Artist Updates (5/23/12)
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CMA Reveals Awards Date, Voting Schedule
/by Sarah SkatesThe eligibility period for the 2012 CMA Awards is July 1, 2011 to June 30, 2012. All voting will be conducted online by eligible CMA members in good standing.
First ballot—will be emailed June 25 and voting will close July 9 at 5:00 PM/CT
Second ballot—will be emailed Aug. 9 and close Aug. 21 at 5:00 PM/CT
Final nominees in each of the 12 categories will be announced in early September.
Third and final ballot—will be emailed Oct. 4 and close Oct. 22 at 5:00 PM/CT
The CMA Awards will air on ABC. Last year’s awards was the No. 1 entertainment show for the week among the key advertising sales demographic Adults 18-49. The special beat its nearest competition by 5.6 million viewers and by 26 percent in Adults 18-49, according to Nielsen. Held during November Sweeps (Nov. 9), The 45th Annual CMA Awards on ABC finished No. 1 on Wednesday in Viewers across all key demos. In Total Viewers (16.4 million; 17.49 Live+7) and Adults 18-49 (4.8/13; 5.2/14 Live+7) it was ABC’s strongest Wednesday in two years with an estimated 35 million viewers watching at least some portion of the three-hour, live gala.
Rounding out events during CMA Awards Week will be the taping of CMA Country Christmas Sat., Nov. 3 at the Bridgestone Arena. Robert Deaton is the Executive Producer and Paul Miller is the Director of the CMA Awards and CMA Country Christmas.
Ticket information for both events will be announced later this summer.