The Music Row area will gain two retail shops on April 9, when Music City Pickers and Toys In The Attic jointly open in Edgehill Village. The new businesses will host a grand opening gala on Sat., April 14.
Both shops were created by Little Texas band member and Hot Apple Pie frontman, Brady Seals, former Gibson Guitar web editor Gabe Hernandez, and appraiser Stephen Shutts.
The Toys In The Attic side of the store will offer musical artifacts from rock and roll, blues, R&B, bluegrass and country music. In addition, two collections of photographs taken by photographer Steve Gladstone, and record producer Eddie Kramer will be available for purchase.
The Music City Pickers side of the store will feature an changing selection of vintage and new, high-end musical instruments. Guitars, basses, amps and effects will be available to buy, sell and consign. The store will also feature custom local instrument builders.
“We wanted to create a very unique musical retail environment for Nashville, along with the possibility of having live music performances,” said Seals. “This is a great collaboration between two companies that totally complement and feed off each other.”
Shutts has an additional business location, The Rock-N-Roll Pit Stop, located on the grounds of The Loveless Cafe. Additionally, he and The Mavericks’ Robert Reynolds have signed for a reality show featuring their search for music memorabilia which will debut late 2012 on CMT.
RIAA Touts First Sales Uptick Since 2004
/by bossrossFor perspective, note that the 2011 total digital and physical sales of $7.007 billion is still less than half of the industry highpoint of over $14.584 billion in 1999. According to the just-released report, this is also the first year that digital sales edged out physical formats, moving from 46% last year to slightly over 50% for 2011.
Digital sales are growing. The RIAA digital categories include singles, albums, kiosk and music video which together increased 17.3% to represent a total of $2.6 billion. Digital album sales value jumped 25% to account for $1.1 billion of that $2.6 billion total.
Subscription services aka “access models” surged 13% to a new high in 2011 of $241 million. Users increased from 1.5 million to 1.8 million. Subscription revenue and its 1.8 million users is still an extremely small segment, but industry eyes are paying close attention to this category.
Digital performance distributions which includes payments to performers and copyright holders for webcasting, satellite radio, and other non-interactive digital music services, increased 17% to $292 million in 2011. Revenues from digital performance royalties for the first time surpassed the sales of ringtunes, ringbacks, and other mobile products, which fell 38% to $277 million in 2011.
Sync royalties are included for the first time this year. The sync category increased 4% this year to $196 million and its inclusion helped to push the overall total into the .2% positive territory.
Sugarland to Visit Dancing With the Stars
/by FreemanJennifer Nettles and Kristian Bush will perform “Run” with singer/songwriter Matt Nathanson in their first appearance tonight. Later, the duo will return to the stage to sing “Find The Beat Again” from the album The Incredible Machine.
Sugarland’s headlining “In Your Hands” tour kicks off April 5, in Toledo, OH.
The season premiere of DWTS aired last night (3/26) with contestants Donald Driver, William Levy, Gavin DeGraw, Gladys Knight, Jack Wagner, Jaleel White, Katherine Jenkins, Maria Menounos, Martina Navratilova, Melissa Gilbert, Roshon Fegan, and Sherri Shepherd.
McCreery to Perform on “Idol”
/by Caitlin RantalaThe song reflects McCreery’s life in Garner, N.C. “’Water Tower Town’ is my Garner song on the album, my hometown song,” he says. “It reminds me of Garner, which has a big water tower right across from where I grew up playing ball. It has a lot of elements in there that remind me of Garner.”
The American Idol champ’s first two singles, “I Love You This Big” and “The Trouble With Girls,” have been certified Gold. McCreery has toured the nation as part of Brad Paisley’s “Virtual Reality Tour 2012” presented by Chevrolet. Since mid-January, he has performed in front of nearly 225,000 people.
McCreery has been nominated for this year’s Academy of Country Music New Artist of the Year Award, which will be given out during the 47th Annual Academy of Country Music Awards in Las Vegas on Sunday, April 1. He will perform “Water Tower Town” on the show, which airs live on CBS at 8 p.m. ET/7 p.m. CT.
Love and Theft Planning RCA Records Release
/by Eric T. ParkerThe self-titled project, recorded with producer Josh Leo (Alabama, Nitty Gritty Dirt Band), is currently available for pre-order. The album’s lead single, “Angel Eyes,” landed this week at No. 43 on MusicRow’s CountryBreakout Chart.
Since releasing its Top 10 hit “Runaway” on Lyric Street’s Carolwood Records two years ago, the band has downsized to a duo with Stephen Barker Liles and Eric Gunderson and signed with RCA Records.
“Stephen and I have always been on the same page as far as the vision for Love and Theft and what we want it to be,” says Gunderson. “We feel like we have made the record we’ve always wanted to make.”
Love and Theft will kick off the ACM Fremont Street Experience in Las Vegas this Fri., March 30.
Watch the new “Angel Eyes,” music video below.
Leadership Music Applications Due
/by FreemanThe nine-month, Nashville-based, education program starts in September and is designed to foster understanding and teamwork among professionals from different parts of the industry. Participants are required to attend an orientation, all-day sessions once a month, and opening and closing retreats.
Since its formation over 22 years ago, Leadership Music has graduated close to 900 executives from the program.
Longtime Opry Background Vocalist Carol Lee Retires
/by Sarah Skates(L-R): Pete Fisher, Carol Lee Cooper and Marty Stuart. Photo: Chris Hollo
Longtime Grand Ole Opry background vocalist Carol Lee Cooper of the Carol Lee Singers marked the end of her career with the venerable show on Saturday night (3/24).
During an Opry segment hosted by Cooper’s friend Marty Stuart, Opry Vice President and General Manager Pete Fisher presented Cooper with a framed print commemorating her years of service to the Opry. Stuart and his band the Fabulous Superlatives then treated Cooper and the audience to a rousing rendition of “Carol Lee,” penned and sung by band member Kenny Vaughan. Afterwards, as Cooper sat center stage, Stuart held her hand and closed the segment with the gospel standard “The Unseen Hand.”
“For thousands of Grand Ole Opry fans over the years,” Fisher said, “the sound of the Carol Lee Singers has become wonderfully familiar over the Opry airwaves. For all of us at the Opry, Carol Lee has and always will be family. We are so pleased to celebrate her long Opry career with her tonight and look forward to hearing about her future successes.”
“This wonderful Opry family will always have a special place in my heart,” Cooper said. “I’m proud to have spent so much of my life here around the music and people I love. I am blessed to have so many good things and interesting projects in store for me, and I already look forward to sharing them with everyone here.”
Cooper first appeared on the Opry stage with her parents, longtime Grand Ole Opry members Wilma Lee and Stoney Cooper, in 1956. She formed and has led the Carol Lee Singers, named by Opry patriarch Roy Acuff, on Opry background vocals since 1972. The Carol Lee Singers’ other members, Norah Lee Allen, Rod Fletcher, and Dennis McCall, will continue at the Opry as “The Opry Singers.”
Clarkson Re-Records Hit Song For Country Radio
/by FreemanClarkson, who is managed by Nashville’s Starstruck Entertainment (along with Reba and Blake Shelton), recently posted on Facebook that she has re-recorded her hit “Mr. Know It All” as a single for country radio. The original American Idol champ worked with producer Dann Huff on the song’s update.
“Hey everybody, I got to work with Dann Huff and recut ‘Mr. Know It All’ for country radio!” she posted. “I hope y’all like it!! I had a lot of fun recutting the song and getting the opportunity to work with Dann!”
The song will be available for download on iTunes April 3.
Clarkson has recently crossed the reality singing show aisle to serve as a mentor on NBC’s The Voice, and will also appear on ABC’s Duets this summer.
Photo: Razor & Tie Publishing Signs Seth Jones
/by Caitlin RantalaL–R: Razor & Tie’s Lisa Johnson; SESAC’s John Mullins and Shannan Hatch; Jones; Razor & Tie’s Craig Balsam, Ross Asher and Beka Tischker
SESAC affiliate Seth Jones has signed an exclusive agreement with Razor & Tie Publishing for representation. Jones, a songwriter/producer/multi-instrumentalist proficient in many genres, stopped by SESAC’s Nashville headquarters with Razor & Tie Publishing executives to celebrate the signing.
New Edgehill Village Shops Specialize in Artifacts and Instruments
/by Eric T. ParkerBoth shops were created by Little Texas band member and Hot Apple Pie frontman, Brady Seals, former Gibson Guitar web editor Gabe Hernandez, and appraiser Stephen Shutts.
The Toys In The Attic side of the store will offer musical artifacts from rock and roll, blues, R&B, bluegrass and country music. In addition, two collections of photographs taken by photographer Steve Gladstone, and record producer Eddie Kramer will be available for purchase.
The Music City Pickers side of the store will feature an changing selection of vintage and new, high-end musical instruments. Guitars, basses, amps and effects will be available to buy, sell and consign. The store will also feature custom local instrument builders.
“We wanted to create a very unique musical retail environment for Nashville, along with the possibility of having live music performances,” said Seals. “This is a great collaboration between two companies that totally complement and feed off each other.”
Shutts has an additional business location, The Rock-N-Roll Pit Stop, located on the grounds of The Loveless Cafe. Additionally, he and The Mavericks’ Robert Reynolds have signed for a reality show featuring their search for music memorabilia which will debut late 2012 on CMT.
Cracker Barrel Sponsors Josh Turner’s Tour
/by Caitlin Rantala“We sponsored Josh’s tour and released the CD Josh Turner Live at the Ryman in 2007, and we’re very pleased to be traveling down the road with him a second time,” said Julie Craig, Cracker Barrel Marketing Manager. “He’s an indelible part of country music and we are proud to continue our association with such a talented, grounded, and genuine artist.”
Cracker Barrel also has another project in the works with Turner, and details are forthcoming. Turner’s fifth studio album Punching Bag arrives in stores this Summer.