Artist Snapshots (5/16/12)

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(L-R) : ASCAP's Mike Sistad, Old Dominion's Trevor Rosen, ASCAP's Alison Toczylowski and Robert Filhart, Old Dominion's Matt Ramsey and Geoff Sprung, Carly Pearce, Old Dominion's Whit Sellers and Devin Malone, Jared Ashley and ASCAP's Michael Martin. Photo: Tinti Moffat

ASCAP presented the third installment of ASCAP Amped on Monday (5/14) at Margaritaville in downtown Nashville. Performers included Carly Pearce, Jared Ashley, and Old Dominion.

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(L-R): WMN VP of A&R Cris Lacy, WMN President/CEO John Esposito, Johnny Gates, WMN SVP Brand Management Peter Strickland, Andrew DeRoberts, Matt Scanlon, Jamie Jarbeau

Warner Music Nashville’s Johnny Gates & The Invite performed a showcase at 3rd & Lindsley on Monday (5/14). The band is currently working on its debut album.

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(L-R): John Grady (Crush Management), Lisa Ramsey-Perkins (Senior Director A&R Sony Music Nashville), Steve Buchanan (President Grand Ole Opry Group), Kristen Kelly, Pete Fisher (VP/General Manager Grand Ole Opry), Lesly Tyson (VP National Promotion Arista Nashville). Photo: Chris Hollo

Arista Nashville’s Kristen Kelly recently made her Grand Ole Opry debut, performing her debut single “Ex-Old Man” and “He Loves To Make Me Cry.” Kelly is also featured as a performer on the “Virtual Opry” stage in “The Escape” plaza of Brad Paisley’s Virtual Reality World Tour 2012.

Little Big Town To Host 2012 Ride For a Cure

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Country foursome Little Big Town is back to host the 2012 Ride For a Cure on Sunday, June 10, marking the group’s sixth consecutive year hosting. All proceeds will benefit the T.J. Martell Foundation.

The event will stay true to form with the exception of a new starting location for registration and the pre-ride Jam Session that will be Mickey Roo’s (509 Hillsboro Road, Franklin, TN 37069) in the Kroger Independence Square parking lot on Hillsboro Pike. Registration begins at 8 am. Pre-ride entertainment will include Cali Rodi and riders will depart at 10:30 am for the Harley-Davidson Columbia Superstore.

Post-ride festivities will begin at 12 pm and include a lunch hosted by Applebee’s, an All-Star Jam Session with performances by Lauren Alaina, Dean Alexander, Love and Theft and Little Big Town as well as a live auction for all attendees.

Weekly Register: A Softer Rate of Descent

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Last year, and for the past few years, country albums were very likely to drop from 60-65% in the second week of release. This year’s recent chart behavior shows that a new trend might be developing, lowering that second week drop to somewhere in the range of 50-55%. For example, Carrie Underwood’s week two Blown Away sales dropped 55% this week; Lionel Richie fell 52% in week two, Rascal Flatts fell the furthest dropping 68%, but Lee Brice and Kip Moore slid only 48% and 45% respectively in their second weeks.

In some of the above cases however, the week two numbers were buffered by using some good ole marketing tricks. For example, Carrie Underwood benefited from Mothers Day in week two. Lionel Richie took advantage of Easter and the ACM Awards to prop up week two sales. But Lee and Kip did it the hard way, just leveraging their growing fan bases with a hit track, and no doubt some aggressive pricing.

A few data points doesn’t secure a bona fide trend, but we’ll watch these movements and keep you informed.

this week: 5-13-12

Albums
As our quick-check grid shows, country album sales continue to stay ahead of last year, showing a healthy 8.4% YTD advance. The future shows a plucky release schedule taking shape through early summer. (Click here to see it all.) Projects from artists such as Alan Jackson, Kenny Chesney, Josh Turner and Zac Brown Band, plus many others should help to maintain the season’s early jump over 2011. However, looking back at 2011, May-July saw good performing releases from Eric Church, Blake Shelton, Chris Young, Scotty McCreery, Justin Moore and Brad Paisley. So the competition to stay ahead in 2012 will be heated.

New this week are Top 20 country debuts from Pat Green (No. 16; 6.5k) and Turnpike Troubadours (No. 14; 8k). However, Carrie Underwood (No. 1; 120k), Lionel Richie (No. 2; 71k) and Luke Bryan (No. 3; 26k) do the heavy lifting on this week’s chart.

Last week's numbers: 5-6-12

Tracks
Country tracks are catching on with fans, up 20% for 2012. This new sales opportunity is especially nice if one of your artists has a hit track and a younger, mouse-moving fanbase. Just ask this week’s top 10 wranglers Eric Church, Luke Bryan, Taylor Swift, Carrie Underwood (2), Kip Moore, Jason Aldean, Hunter Hayes, Miranda Lambert and Lee Brice how they feel about the extra clicks. The top five tracks this week each added more than 45k downloads this week and all seem destined to pass into Platinum territory. Take a look: “Springsteen” (816k), “Drunk On You” (858k), “Eyes Open” (779k), “Good Girl” (825k), and “Somethin’ ‘Bout A Truck” (719k).

With country track sales increasing dramatically, it begs the question: will downloads change the way consumers discover new music? For example, I was a 13-hour road hog yesterday and discovered a new entry in the “Shake it Girl” lyric sweepstakes. Luke Bryan’s anthem “Country Girl (Shake It For Me)” still retains the title in this award category, but a challenger can be found on the new Lacs album, “Shake It” featuring Big and Rich. This honking, pedal to the metal sonata is the wake up call every trucker needs about halfway through a long haul (actually I was driving a sedan). Is it a big ole country radio summer smash? If friends start posting about it and others start listening on subscription services, like Spotify, could it begin to translate into downloads or impulse buys? Something to watch for…

Edens Edge Album Tracklist Released

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Cherrill Green (harmony vocals, mandolin, banjo, guitar), Hannah Blaylock (lead vocalist) & Dean Berner (harmony vocals, guitar, dobro)

Big Machine Records’ trio Edens Edge has revealed the official tracklist for its self-titled debut album, which is set to be released on June 12.

Award-winning producers Mark Bright and Dann Huff each worked on individual tracks with the Arkansas-bred trio, who penned half of the songs. Edens Edge displays the group’s unique musical blend that is deeply rooted in Country music, acoustic instrumentation and vocal harmonies.

This summer, the group will open shows on Rascal Flatts’ nationwide Changed tour.

For more information click here.

Tracklist:

  1. Amen (Skip Black, Hannah Blaylock, Catt Gravitt, Gerald O’Brien)
  2. Swingin’ Door (Terry Clayton, Brett James, Ashley Monroe)
  3. Skinny Dippin’ (Dean Berner, Laura Veltz, Vince Melamed)
  4. Too Good To Be True (Gordie Sampson, Hillary Lindsey, Troy Verges)
  5. Last Supper (Hannah Blaylock, Catt Gravitt, Danny Myrick)
  6. Feels So Real (Angelo, Hillary Lindsey, Tia Sillers)
  7. Who Am I Drinking Tonight (Hannah Blaylock, Laura Veltz)
  8. Liar (Andy Stochansky, Laura Veltz)
  9. Cherry Pie (Dean Berner, Vince Melamed, Laura Veltz)
  10. Christ Alone (Steve Smith)

Underwood Interviewed By Oprah

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L–R: Carrie Underwood, Oprah Winfrey and Mike Fisher. Photo: Harpo Inc./George Burns

OWN: Oprah Winfrey Network presents all new episodes of Oprah’s Next Chapter this summer beginning Sunday, May 20 (9-10 p.m. ET/PT) when Winfrey travels to Nashville, Tennessee for an in-depth interview with country music artist Carrie Underwood and her husband NHL player Mike Fisher for their first ever television interview together.

Underwood reflects on her rise to stardom as she looks back on her journey. She and Fisher will also talk about how they balance their successful and fast-paced careers with their two year marriage. The couple will take Winfrey to their new plot of land where they plan to build their dream home.

Underwood’s new CD Blown Away recently debuted at No. 1 on Billboard’s Top Country and All-Genre sales charts. She was presented with a plaque to honor the achievement on Saturday (5/12) at the Grand Ole Opry.

L-R: Steve Buchanan (President Grand Ole Opry Group), Gary Overton (Sony Music Nashville Chairman & CEO), Underwood, Caryl Healey (Sony Music Nashville VP Sales), Ann Edelblute (XIX Entertainment), Pete Fisher (VP/General Manager Grand Ole Opry). Photo: Grand Ole Opry/Chris Hollo

Chris Young, Anthony Smith, Becky Harris Launch Artist Concepts

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Pictured (L-R): Anthony Smith, Chris Young, Brinley Addington, Becky Harris. Photo: Marc Rucker

Successful business manager Becky Harris, hit songwriter Anthony Smith (“Tomorrow”) and RCA recording artist Chris Young have launched Artist Concepts, a production and artist development company.

All three partners will seek out top new talent and Smith will spearhead the search for music. Smith and Young will co-produce the artists, and Harris will oversee bookkeeping and business management.

Artist Concepts’ first signing is singer-songwriter Brinley Addington. The Belmont alum also inked a publishing agreement with Razor & Tie, where Nashville operations are led by Lisa Johnson. He is set to go into the studio next month.

Addington is opening shows for Young, and has been added to this fall’s Blake Shelton & Friends Cruise. Check out video clips and music at www.brinleyaddington.com.

Smith is currently accepting song submissions for the project at artistconcepts@yahoo.com.

Jimmy Barret Inks Booking Agreement

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Singer/songwriter Jimmy Barret has signed an agreement with William Morris Endeavor (WME) for booking representation. WME will also be overseeing Barret’s television, film, and sponsorship opportunities, with Rob Beckham and Braeden Rountree serving as the responsible agents.

Barret’s team is lead by former Sony Music Nashville Sr. VP Promotion Skip Bishop, who is also currently assisting promotion efforts for Blaster Entertainment’s Aaron Lewis. Producer Jay Joyce is working with Barret in the studio, and his single “Southern Places” will be released to country radio in summer.

(L-R): Braeden Rountree (WME), Barret, Rob Beckham (WME), Skip Bishop (B Major Music)

Audio Masters Golf Tournament Starts Tomorrow

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The 15th annual Audio Masters Golf Tournament is taking place Thursday and Friday (5/17-18) at the Harpeth Hills Golf Course in Nashville.

The event the primary fundraiser for the Nashville Engineer Relief Fund to aid live music engineers in the community experiencing medical or other life crisis situations. The event is a cooperative effort of the Audio Engineering Society Nashville Section and NERF, Inc.

Thursday, May 17 is the Live Sound Day, which features engineering friends in the Live Sound industry and is open to all. Friday, May 18 is the Studio Day, which focuses on the Recording Studio community. Both days will include a four person best ball tournament, breakfast and open driving range, and awards receptions following the golf, as well as an abundance of treats and beverages along the way.

For more information, click here.

Industry Photos (5/15/12)

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L–R: Parnassus Books’ Niki Castle and Karen Hayes, BMI’s Jody Williams, Gregg Allman, Harper Collins Books’ Sharon Glassmeyer, BMI’s Clay Bradley, and Parnassus Books’ Mary Grey James. Photo by Eric England

BMI and Parnassus Books hosted a book signing on May 10 for Southern rock legend and longtime BMI songwriter Gregg Allman, whose acclaimed new memoir My Cross to Bear was published on May 1. BMI’s spacious Nashville lobby was packed with fans, friends, musicians, and well-wishers, who all walked away with signed copies of the fascinating autobiography. Co-written by Alan Light, My Cross to Bear recounts Allman’s storied career and the legacy of the Allman Brothers Band.

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L–R: Brian White, HoriPro’s Amy Hendon Scott, SESAC’s Tim Fink, Karyn Williams, Catt Gravitt & Phillip Coleman Photo: Sheel

SESAC featured some of the industry’s best talent at the “16th Annual Key West Songwriters’ Festival.” The organization hosted a breakfast at Kelly’s, and offered the standing-room-only crowd an exciting showcase with performances from Brian White, Karyn Williams, Lance Miller, Nathan Barlowe, Rob Hatch, Liz Sharpe and many others.

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L-R: Joe Walsh, Timothy B. Schmit, Berklee President Roger H. Brown, Don Henley, and Glenn Frey. Front Row from L-R: Mulatu Astatke and Alison Krauss.

Close to 900 graduates from 58 countries received degrees today at Berklee’s 2012 commencement. Berklee president Roger H. Brown presented honorary doctor of music degrees to the Eagles, Alison Krauss, and Mulatu Astatke. Astatke delivered the commencement address to the graduating class and an estimated crowd of more than 4,000 guests at the Agganis Arena. Backed by the Berklee Gospel Ensemble, Krauss performed the traditional Appalachian song “Down by the River to Pray.” Astatke played vibraphone with students on his composition “Yakermew Sew.” Other concert highlights included Eagles hits “Hotel California,” “Take It Easy,” and “Desperado,” and an Alison Krauss duets medley.

DISClaimer Single Reviews (5/16/12)

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All stars, no waiting.

Music Row brings out the big guns this week with new entries by George Strait, Rascal Flatts, Little Big Town, Randy Travis, Keith Urban and The Mavericks. And here’s the kicker: Everybody sounds good.

So much so, that we’re dividing up the DisClaimer awards this week. Little Big Town wins the Disc of the Day for group performance. The female Disc of the Day belongs to rising star Gwen Sebastian. And in an extremely tight race, Randy Travis edges out Strait and Urban to take home the Disc of the Day in the male division. But absolutely program all three.

The DisCovery Award goes the newcomers Florida Georgia Line. They’re saying, “Here comes summer” in a big way.

RASCAL FLATTS/Come Wake Me Up
Writer: Sean McConnell/Johan Fransson/Tim Larsson/Tobias Lundgren; Producer: Dann Huff & Rascal Flatts; Publisher: none listed; Big Machine (track)
—This lustrous ballad has it all — a gorgeous melody, terrific audio dynamics, emotional lyrics, towering vocals, pop-crossover potential. In short, the second single from the group’s new Changed CD is a home run.

THE MAVERICKS/Born to Be Blue
Writer: Raul Malo/James House; Producer: Raul Malo & Niko Bolas; Publisher: Big Machine/Raul Malo/Super 98/Notorious Women/Songs of Kobalt, BMI; Valory Music
—It’s in Raul’s nouveau-Orbison mode, full of throb and drama. Irresistibly hooky, if somewhat muffled sounding.

GWEN SEBASTIAN/Met Him in a Motel Room
Writer: Rory Feek/Jamie Teachenor; Producer: none listed; Publisher: none listed; Flying Island (www.gwensebastian.com)
—Longtime MusicRow indie fave Sebastian gained a much higher profile this year as a contestant on TV’s The Voice and as Blake Shelton’s opening act on the road. To capitalize, she’s chosen a superb story song. Her spirited vocal is matched by a brightly bopping track and a lyric about finding God in the strangest places. Thank the Gideons for this one.

GEORGE STRAIT/Drinkin’ Man
Writer: George Strait/Bubba Strait/Dean Dillon; Producer: Tony Brown & George Strait; Publisher: Day Money/Hori Pro/Living for the Night/Sixteen Stars/Sony-ATV, ASCAP/BMI; MCA Nashville (track)
—There’s no happy ending here: He is trapped in the vice of alcohol and finds no way out. Steel licks swirl, fiddles sigh, guitars ripple and a piano adds grace notes as Strait’s weary, sad vocal leads us through a minor masterpiece. You young people take note: This is real country music.

MARTY RAYBON/Dirt Road Heartache
Writer: Melissa Ann Peirce/Jerry Dean Salley; Producer: Marty Raybon; Publisher: Chatawa/Songs of Peer, LTD; Rural Rhythm (track)
—Marty’s hillbilly tenor fits this uptempo bluegrass romp like the proverbial glove. The fleet-fingered instrumental support is dazzling.

JESSIE JAMES/Military Man
Writer: Clint Lagerberg/Cary Barlowe/Jessie James/Nicky Chinn; Producer: Mark Wright; Publisher: Big Loud Songs/Big Loud Bucks/Extreme Freedom/Castle Bound/Bummerman/In La La Land/Nicky Chinn/Ten Ten, ASCAP/SESAC; Show Dog Universal
—She’s the daughter of a man in uniform. She sings well, but the melody just lays there, and the lyric is way too wordy.

KEITH URBAN/For You
Writer: Monty Powell/Keith Urban; Producer: Dann Huff & Keith Urban; Publisher: Crane Song/Toreador/ole/Songs of Universal/Mary Rose, SESAC/BMI; Capitol (CDX)
—The intriguing, involving, minor-key melody draws you in. The lyric of a soldier willing to lay down his life speaks directly to thousands of contemporary Americans. Stirring.

RANDY TRAVIS /More Life
Writer: Mike Reid/Rory Bourke; Producer: Kyle Lehning; Publisher: Rivers and Roads/Rory Bourke, ASCAP/BMI; Warner Bros. (CDX)
—Two of the great voices of our time are together on this disc, with Don Henley adding high harmonies to Randy’s lead vocal. The icing on the cake is that the song is simply awesome and breathtaking. Facing the end, a man wishes only for “More Life,” to “love stronger, stay in the moment one moment longer.” This moved me to my core.

LITTLE BIG TOWN/Pontoon
Writer: Natalie Hemby/Luke Laird/Barry Dean; Producer: Jay Joyce; Publisher: EMI Blackwood/Wruckestrike/Universal-Careers/Barrytones, BMI; Capitol (CDX)
—The production magic of Jay Joyce gives the LBT voices renewed style. The crunchy groove and relaxed party atmosphere are right on the money for summertime. It goes without saying that the singing and harmonies are pluperfect bliss.

FLORIDA GEORGIA LINE/Cruise
Writer: Kelley/Rice/Rice/Hubbard/Moi; Producer: Joey Moi; Publisher: none listed; Big Loud Mountain (www.floridageorgialine.com)
—After an a cappella intro, this takes off like a speedboat on a glassy lake. The track is rushing and wooshing, and the voices are sprightly. What more do you want? Get on board.