Sketch for the planned CMA Theater at the Country Music Hall of Fame and Museum
The Country Music Association has pledged $10 million to the Country Music Hall of Fame and Museum’s capital campaign Working On A Building: Country Music Lives Here, which will help finance its expansion to over 350,000 square feet. The donation is the largest in the Hall of Fame’s history.
The Country Music Hall of Fame and Museum opened in 1967, and the CMA has supported it with contributions of nearly $5 million since then, including a $1 million endowment to the Hall’s education program Words & Music. The Country Music Hall of Fame honor was established in 1961 by the CMA, which voted in 1964 to establish a museum and archives for country music through the Country Music Foundation.
“CMA and the Country Music Hall of Fame and Museum are connected by history and our shared interest in preserving the legacy, rewarding excellence, and advancing the future of the format,” said Steve Moore, CMA Chief Executive Officer. “This donation is the latest example of CMA’s longstanding commitment to the Hall of Fame. We are proud to support the growth of the Hall and we look forward to using the CMA Theater in a variety of ways that will shine a spotlight on the Country Music industry and format.”
Included in the expansion will be the 800-seat state of the art CMA Theater, which will be used for concerts, films, lectures, and corporate meetings. The room will boast a 500 seat main floor and two 150-seat balconies, as well as a lobby entrance connecting to the Omni Hotel and access from the Music City Center.
“Beyond the impressive amount of this gift, it represents a major milestone in the life and history of the place known around the world as ‘Music City,'” said Museum Board Member John Seigenthaler, founder, First Amendment Center. “It reflects back on this community’s cultural history and the contributions of the Country Music Association and the Country Music Hall of Fame and Museum as we envision a future enriched by our legacy as a center of music, entertainment, and tourism.”
“We are indebted to the CMA for a gift that serves our educational mission, benefits Music City, and serves a worldwide audience,” said Museum Director Kyle Young. “In Nashville, the CMA Theater’s seating capacity is unique and will fill a gap in available performance halls. It is sure to become a coveted venue for touring artists in many genres of music and it will be recognized as one of Music City’s cultural crown jewels.”
The Museum launched its $75 million Working On A Building campaign in July 2011 with $56.8 million in cash secured. The expansion is expected to be finished in 2014.
Weak Release Slate Puts Coal In Country Sales Stockings
/by bossrossLike turning lemons to lemonade, it’s coal dust soufflé when you receive lumps of the black rocks in your holiday stocking. And that’s exactly what country sales departments will be forced to munch as consumers shop their way through the final three weeks of 2011.
What’s the problem you ask? Well, if Nashville had thought to release something with the appeal of Michael Buble’s Christmas album we would have had registers ringing about 480,000 times this week, owned the No. 1 album on the Top 200 all-genre chart, plus had a disc that had sold over 1.5 million units in 7 weeks. Nashville—but not country music—does have some ownership in the Black Keys who have the No. 2 disc this week with the band’s El Camino debut selling over 206,000 units. But, I’m sorry to say, country music couldn’t even muster a top ten showing this week on the all genre Top 200 album chart. Country’s best selling bin bopper was Scotty McCreery who clocks in at lucky No. 13 for the all genre crowd with sales of almost 52,000. McCreery and other performers likely got some boost from last week’s ACA Awards show, but because of the holiday time period it is hard to measure.
A brief look at our graph shows the disappointing trend. At the end of Q3 country YTD sales were ahead of last year by 9% and stretched up to 9.8% a few weeks later before starting a steady and consistent downward slide. Country album sales (physical and digital) this week totaled 1.248 million units bringing our YTD sales unit total to 38.206 million. Doing the math against last year’s total album sales—43.72—shows that breaking even with last year will require sales of 1.838 million units each week. That’s a lot of units without some truly magic shiny disc to draw people away from other format debuts, which are plentiful. Just this past week we saw Top 20 debuts from Black Keys, Amy Winehouse, the Glee Cast, Korn, The Roots and Chevelle. From Nashville—nothing.
Tracks
As we follow the tracks trail we see a bit more vibrancy. Toby Keith’s “Red Solo Cup” was downloaded 96,000 times which would equal almost 10,000 TEA albums increasing his album sales this week by over 30%. I guess having the song performed on Glee last week didn’t hurt. YTD country track sales have passed the 135 million range which in TEA (track equivalent album) language means an additional 13.5 million albums worth of sales. However, as one of this column’s mentors and behind-the-scenes contributors would note, the 13.5 million TEA must be compared to last year’s TEA sales so we are ,”talking apples to apples.” Duly noted, and if anyone out there has last year’s TEA number broken out for country it would be greatly appreciated. Unfortunately, Nielsen SoundScan, our keepers of the data, did not break country tracks out on a separate chart last year and so that number remains a mystery.
Apples to apples. OK. But even so, 13.5 million albums worth of track sales is a large line item on the country music balance sheet and cannot be ignored. (135 million X $1.29=$174.2 million). Isn’t it time that TEAs became a larger part of the lingo? Focusing on tracks greatly changes the economics of the business. It’s like selling singles beers instead of 12 packs, but the world is a changing folks. And each of us has a choice when it comes to running our business. Stand in front of the train, or climb on board.
What are you going to do?
Aristo International Report Highlights Country’s Global Reach
/by Sarah SkatesClick to view.
The Winter 2011 edition of the Aristo International Report showcases the latest country music happenings around the globe.
Among the highlights are international tours by Dierks Bentley and Dolly Parton. Bentley’s Country and Cold Cans Tour will visit Canada and Australia in February/March 2012, and Parton’s 2011 Better Day World Tour included several dates in Europe and Australia.
This newsletter also discusses the return of the International Festival of Country Music to London’s Wembley Arena after a 20-year hiatus, and a new event at Scotland’s Celtic Connections festival.
Elsewhere, the CMA Songwriter Series includes stops in the UK and Ireland with Bill Anderson, Clint Black and Bob DiPiero, and CMA International Awards were presented to ASCAP Nashville’s Ralph Murphy and Australian sister trio The McClymonts.
Other features include a Q&A with Lytle Management’s Sarah Brosmer, who was a driving force in the international success of acts like The Mavericks, and country music awards in France and Britain.
GAC’s “Headline Country” Expands
/by Sherod RobertsonStorme Warren
Headline Country on GAC will begin airing episodes weekly in 2012 with the show scheduled for Thurs., Jan. 12, 10:00 p.m./Eastern. Previously, the show had been airing bi-weekly.
Storme Warren hosts the show providing viewers backstage and behind the scenes access to country music’s biggest artists, events, and celebrations. Warren’s travels have taken him to festivals in Japan, Australia and Europe as well as military base visits in several countries.
“GAC’s dedication to bringing country music fans as close as possible to the stars is undeniable,” Warren says. “As a weekly outlet, Headline Country will provide a constant window to Music Row and we look forward to expanding our coverage of country music around the globe.”
“Storme is tireless and he and his crew work hard to be where the biggest stories in country music are taking place,” says GAC GM/SVP, Sarah Trahern. “It’s great that our fans will now get twice as much news delivered in a timely fashion.”
Headline Country is produced by Surfing Moose Productions; Executive Producers Larry Fitzgerald, Mark Hartley, Storme Warren and Supervising Producer, Jeremy Weber.
Durante Plans Livestream; Wagar Teams With Holiday Express
/by bossrossWagar joins with over 100 other musicians to help spread holiday cheer throughout New Jersey. Her current album On The Edge was produced by Kent Wells and her single, which she wrote, is called, “I Hate My Boyfriend.”
The Band Perry on NYE; Sugarland at Nobel Peace Concert (Video)
/by Eric T. ParkerFergie will host the Los Angeles party where The Band Perry will perform alongside blink-182, Christina Perri, Florence + The Machine, Gym Class Heroes, LMFAO, OneRepublic, Nicki Minaj, Taio Cruz and will.i.am. Jenny McCarthy will report from Times Square in New York with guests Lady Gaga, Justin Bieber, Pitbull, and Nashville’s own Hot Chelle Rae.
The bi-coastal celebration will include over 5 hours of performances and reports on New Year’s celebrations from around the globe, plus Dick Clark’s traditional midnight countdown from Times Square.
••••
The duo offered “Stuck Like Glue” and “Tonight” as part of the celebration, which honored honored Liberian President Ellen Johnson Sirleaf, Leymah Gbowee of Liberia, and Tawakkul Karman of Yemen. All three women were recognized for their non-violent struggle for the safety of women and for women’s rights in peace-building work.
Watch an interview and performance below:
Top 2012 PR Trends
/by bossrossOne theme which travels throughout the article is “engagement.” In fact, Liesse names “engagement” as a key goal for 2012 and notes that there is a difference between someone who clicked “like” or “follow” and rarely if ever returns to the brand’s page vs. an engaged fan who interacts on a regular basis. Another key point is that the power of everyday consumer influencers will continue to grow. This is not about celebrities, but people who are passionate about a particular topic.
Another key trend predicted by the article is that social media strategies will continue to expand to more fully include mobile users and at the same time managers will strive to find better metrics with which to measure and analyze response to their brand. As the attention on social media becomes increasingly mission critical, more companies will decide to bring the management of their social media properties in-house.
Here’s a list of the Top Ten Tends. Click HERE to download the article and read the explanations.
Alan Jackson Viral Campaign Earns Award Nomination
/by FreemanThe campaign allowed music fans the ability to vote for a free Alan Jackson concert in their city by using Eventful’s Demand it! service. The winner with over 31,000 votes was Mineral, VA (pop. 490), which was struck by the Aug. 23 east coast earthquake. The concert is being planned for 2012 and details will be revealed once the date is set.
Other campaigns nominated in the category include Occupy Wall Street, NoH8, Coca-Cola’s “Where Will Happiness Strike Next?,” Old Spice, Kraft macaroni & cheese Twitter, and Diesel’s Facebook/QR code campaign. Other categories for the digital news/culture site’s annual Awards include Best Branded Mobile App, Best Music Service/App, Must-Follow Musician on Social Media, Best Smartphone and more. Individuals can login through Facebook or Twitter to place votes here. Winners will be announced on December 19.
Lee Ann Womack Treats Social Club Members For Holidays
/by Sarah SkatesLee Ann Womack
Lee Ann Womack was in Las Vegas for a three-night stand earlier this month to coincide with the National Finals Rodeo. While she was there she hosted the 3rd Annual LAWS Balls Holiday Chat for all her Lee Ann Womack Social Club & Country Music Appreciation Society members.
“You always want to make these things a little special,” explains Womack. “What can you do to make the fans realize how much they mean to you? And I was taking out our decorations at home a few weeks ago, and it struck me! This year, we’re not only going to decorate a tree in Las Vegas… but everyone who asks a question or RSVPs is going to have their name on an ornament I’ve made. Then when we take the tree down, because we’re not going to leave your balls in Vegas, we’ll send them to each of you as a special gift to remember this past year!”
Womack’s Social Club is an especially close-knit group. This year they sold out GAC’s CMA Fan Festival Kick-Off Breakfast at the Country Music Hall of Fame.
Weblinks: YouTube Buys RightsFlow; Verizon Eyes Movie Services
/by Sarah SkatesCMA Pledges $10 Million to Hall of Fame
/by FreemanSketch for the planned CMA Theater at the Country Music Hall of Fame and Museum
The Country Music Association has pledged $10 million to the Country Music Hall of Fame and Museum’s capital campaign Working On A Building: Country Music Lives Here, which will help finance its expansion to over 350,000 square feet. The donation is the largest in the Hall of Fame’s history.
The Country Music Hall of Fame and Museum opened in 1967, and the CMA has supported it with contributions of nearly $5 million since then, including a $1 million endowment to the Hall’s education program Words & Music. The Country Music Hall of Fame honor was established in 1961 by the CMA, which voted in 1964 to establish a museum and archives for country music through the Country Music Foundation.
“CMA and the Country Music Hall of Fame and Museum are connected by history and our shared interest in preserving the legacy, rewarding excellence, and advancing the future of the format,” said Steve Moore, CMA Chief Executive Officer. “This donation is the latest example of CMA’s longstanding commitment to the Hall of Fame. We are proud to support the growth of the Hall and we look forward to using the CMA Theater in a variety of ways that will shine a spotlight on the Country Music industry and format.”
Included in the expansion will be the 800-seat state of the art CMA Theater, which will be used for concerts, films, lectures, and corporate meetings. The room will boast a 500 seat main floor and two 150-seat balconies, as well as a lobby entrance connecting to the Omni Hotel and access from the Music City Center.
“Beyond the impressive amount of this gift, it represents a major milestone in the life and history of the place known around the world as ‘Music City,'” said Museum Board Member John Seigenthaler, founder, First Amendment Center. “It reflects back on this community’s cultural history and the contributions of the Country Music Association and the Country Music Hall of Fame and Museum as we envision a future enriched by our legacy as a center of music, entertainment, and tourism.”
“We are indebted to the CMA for a gift that serves our educational mission, benefits Music City, and serves a worldwide audience,” said Museum Director Kyle Young. “In Nashville, the CMA Theater’s seating capacity is unique and will fill a gap in available performance halls. It is sure to become a coveted venue for touring artists in many genres of music and it will be recognized as one of Music City’s cultural crown jewels.”
The Museum launched its $75 million Working On A Building campaign in July 2011 with $56.8 million in cash secured. The expansion is expected to be finished in 2014.