Toby Keith and Chris Young have been added to the performance lineup for the American Country Awards, airing live from the MGM Grand Garden Arena in Las Vegas Monday, Dec. 5 (8-10 PM/ET) on Fox. Keith will perform his current single (and viral sensation) “Red Solo Cup,” while Young will perform his recent No. 1 hit “Voices.” Young is currently nominated for Breakthrough Artist of the Year, Single of the Year, and Male Single of the Year (both for “Voices”).
Jason Aldean and Zac Brown Band lead the nominations with eight apiece, followed by Thompson Square with seven. Taylor Swift and The Band Perry are next with six nominations each. Voting for most categories wrapped on Nov. 11, except for Artist of the Year, which closed on Friday, Dec. 2.
Additionally, the show will count down the Top 10 Artists of the Decade, based on Mediabase monitored spins from Jan 1, 2001 through Dec. 31, 2010. At the end of the presentation one artist will be named Artist of the Decade. Possible contenders include Kenny Chesney, Toby Keith, Tim McGraw, Brad Paisley, Garth Brooks, Alan Jackson, Brooks & Dunn, Rascal Flatts, George Strait and Keith Urban.
Young and Keith join a performance lineup that includes show co-hosts Trace Adkins and Kristin Chenoweth, along with Blake Shelton, Pistol Annies, Thompson Square, Eli Young Band and The Band Perry. Scheduled to appear are Lauren Alaina, Rachel Bilson, Miranda Lambert, Scotty McCreery and the men of Pawn Stars (Richard Harrison, Rick Harrison, Corey Harrison and Austin Russell).
Glenn Meadows Joins Mayfield Mastering
/by Caitlin RantalaGlenn Meadows
Mastering engineer Glenn Meadows has joined Nashville’s Mayfield Mastering, bringing more than four decades of award-winning expertise to the Berry Hill neighborhood facility.
As a two-time Grammy winner and former owner and chief mastering engineer of Nashville’s Masterfonics Studios, Meadows’ resume includes engineering work on albums from some of Country and Pop music’s biggest artists, including Merle Haggard, Patsy Cline, Conway Twitty, George Strait, Loretta Lynn, Vince Gill, Alabama, Shania Twain, Randy Travis, LeAnn Rimes, Reba McEntire, Steely Dan, Jimmy Buffett and hundreds more.
One of the most recent projects mastered by Meadows is Taylor Swift’s new CD/DVD package, Speak Now World Tour Live, released on Nov. 21 through Big Machine Records.
“To have someone as accomplished and respected as Glenn Meadows engineering in our facility really sets the bar high,” says Mayfield Mastering owner John Mayfield. “I tend to think it sets you apart from the competition when you have a world class talent like Glenn available day in and day out. His resume speaks for itself. I can’t say enough about how happy we are to have him here.”
Mayfield Mastering is located at 2825 Erica Place, Nashville, TN, 37204. Contact the facility at (615) 383-3708 or info@MayfieldMastering.com. For more information, visit www.MayfieldMastering.com.
Warner/Chappell Adds To Roster
/by Sarah Skates(L–R) Front Row: Chip Petree (Petree Law), Damien Horne, Steve Markland (VP A&R Warner/Chappell Music), Alicia Pruitt (Sr. Director A&R Warner/Chappell Music). Back Row: BJ Hill (Sr. Director A&R Warner/Chappell Music), Phil May (GM/VP Warner/Chappell Music), John Esposito (President & CEO, Warner Music Nashville)
Warner/Chappell Music today (12/5) announced a worldwide co-publishing agreement with Damien Horne, member of country trio The Farm.
Horne and bandmates Nick Hoffman and Krista Marie are signed to Elektra Nashville, part of Warner Music Nashville. The Farm’s new single “Home Sweet Home” is at radio now and an album is set for release in 2012.
Horne is also a solo singer/songwriter whose artistry blends elements of R&B, pop, hip-hop, soul, and rock with a uniquely uplifting message.
McCreery’s Debut Album Goes Gold
/by Caitlin RantalaThe UMG Nashville star is the youngest man in history to open at the top of the all-genre chart with a debut release. Clear As Day also garnered the highest first-week sales of any solo country artist this year.
McCreery will perform his current hit, “The Trouble With Girls,” on the American Country Awards, which airs live on FOX tonight (12/5) at 8 PM/ET.
Additionally, he will also be a part of Brad Paisley’s 2012 tour, which begins Jan. 12 in Grand Rapids, MI.
Seays Continue House Concerts With Christmas Benefit
/by Caitlin RantalaWanda and Terry Seay
The 2nd Annual Christmas Songwriters Open House and Benefit, hosted by It’s All About Z Music’s Terry and Wanda Seay, will take place at the couple’s home on Sat., Dec. 10. Benefiting the Radnor Lake Preservation Area and the WO Smith School of Music, doors open at 1 p.m. and the event features over fifty songwriters including Tony Arata, Becky Hobbs, David Bradley, Rich Fagan, and Kasey Jones.
With over nine hours of music to enjoy, guests are asked to bring a covered dish and drinks to share, and a $25 donation. The casual dress event will take place at 106 Clyde Circle Franklin, TN 37064. To RSVP, email Terry.Seay@itsallaboutZmusic.com.
The Seays have been hosting house benefit concerts in Franklin for the past two years and were recently featured on Headline|Country with Storme Warren.
DIRECTIONS FROM NASHVILLE
Take I-65 South from Nashville (15 minutes from I-440)
To Exit #61 – RT 248 Goose Creek ByPass / Peytonsville Road
Turn Left and cross over I-65 and continue on Peytonsville Road for 1/4 mile
Turn Left on Long Lane and Pass Ag/Expo Center—continue on around
Turn Left on Alfred Ladd Rd. at Entrance to “The Highlands at Ladd Park”
Continue down the hill make first left on Rich Road and immediate Right onto Wise Lane
Travel one block and make Right onto Clyde Circle – first house on right – 106
Bobby Dean – White Lightning or Pink Champagne
/by ProgrammerPlaylistIn January 2011, after 30 years of juggling his trucking business and singing in local bars at night, Dean released his first CD On The Radio after signing with Lamon Records Nashville. The album has already produced two singles, “Hank on the Radio” and “Rebound,” the latter of which received airplay from several MusicRow reporting stations.
Dean’s new country radio single, “White Lightning or Pink Champagne” and the accompanying music video, are about a guy who can never figure out which mood his girl is in. Does she want to go honky-tonking in her jeans or to a fine restaurant all dressed up? Either way, she’s going to have some fun!
Dean spent much of his summer in Nashville, greeting fans during CMA Music Fest.
He’s spent the fall recording a collection of new songs with producer/Lamon Records president Dave Moody which will be released in 2012. Moody, a member of the Grammy-nominated Moody Brothers band, describes Dean’s talents like this: “Bobby has a unique style voice, very traditional sounding, yet he makes it his own.”
In November, Dean was in Puerto Vallarta, Mexico, for T.J. Martell Foundation fundraiser.
See the “White Lightning or Pink Champagne” video at http://vimeo.com/channels/lamon
Contact:
Dave Moody, Lamon Records Nashville
Phone: 615.379.2121, x101
Email: staff@lamonrecords.com
www.lamonrecords.com
www.facebook.com/bobbydean09
Gibson Guitar Creates Pro Audio Division
/by Caitlin RantalaKRK Systems provides accurate and reliable monitors and control room solutions, while Cerwin-Vega! Inc. is a leader in the design, manufacture, and distribution of loudspeakers for the home and professional audio markets. Stanton DJ designs and manufactures professional audio products for DJs. Along with Gibson, the companies form Gibson Pro Audio division, which will be headquartered in Nashville, Tennessee.
“Right now we have an extremely powerful brand that people recognize and value, but the musical instrument category is inherently limited because people who purchase instruments also need to know how to play them,” says Henry Juszkiewicz, Chairman and CEO of Gibson Guitar. “This new division is perfectly aligned with our core. It expands our reach to fellow music lovers and allows us access to 20 in 20 consumers instead of the one in 20 we currently hit.”
“CMA Country Christmas” Boosts ABC’s Ratings
/by Caitlin RantalaThe "CMA Country Christmas" cast performs "Jingle Bells" (L-R) Little Big Town's Kimberly Schlapman, Jimi Westbrook, and Karen Fairchild; Darius Rucker; and Sugarland's Jennifer Nettles and Kristian Bush. Photo: Donn Jones
ABC ranked as the second most watched network Thursday night (12/1), with CMA Country Christmas drawing 9.26 million viewers at the 9 PM/ET hour and 8.75 million viewers during 10 PM/ET spot.
During its time slot, CMA Country Christmas was the most-watched TV program overall. The show also topped CBS’ Grammy Nominations Concert by 3.3 million viewers from the previous night (11/30). In addition, among adults ages 18-49, CMA Country Christmas beat out NBC’s original programming (The Office/Whitney/Prime Suspect) by 11%.
Hosted for the second time by Sugarland’s Jennifer Nettles, the concert featured Lauren Alaina, Vince Gill, Amy Grant, Faith Hill, Little Big Town, Martina McBride, Scotty McCreery, Kellie Pickler, Rascal Flatts, Darius Rucker, Brian Setzer, Sugarland, Brad Paisley and Keith Urban. It re-airs Saturday, Dec. 17 (9:00-11:00 PM/ET) on the ABC.
CMA Country Christmas is a production of the Country Music Association. Robert Deaton is the executive producer, Paul Miller is the director and David Wild is the writer.
Class Action Suit Forces Ticketmaster To Offer Credits
/by Sarah SkatesConsumers who made purchases on Ticketmaster.com between Oct. 21, 1999 and Oct. 19, 2011, are eligible for credits. Email notices to these users are expected to be sent this week.
The company faces a minimum payment of $11.25 million per year over the four-year life of the settlement.
According to details of the settlement at www.ticketfeelitigation.com:
Credits cannot be used for events at venues operated by competitor A.E.G. Live.
In a statement, Ticketmaster emphasized that it was not admitting to any wrongdoing through the lawsuit agreement. The company can continue to charge processing fees, but must now state on its website that it is profiting by doing so.
ACAs Air Tonight, New Performers Added
/by FreemanJason Aldean and Zac Brown Band lead the nominations with eight apiece, followed by Thompson Square with seven. Taylor Swift and The Band Perry are next with six nominations each. Voting for most categories wrapped on Nov. 11, except for Artist of the Year, which closed on Friday, Dec. 2.
Additionally, the show will count down the Top 10 Artists of the Decade, based on Mediabase monitored spins from Jan 1, 2001 through Dec. 31, 2010. At the end of the presentation one artist will be named Artist of the Decade. Possible contenders include Kenny Chesney, Toby Keith, Tim McGraw, Brad Paisley, Garth Brooks, Alan Jackson, Brooks & Dunn, Rascal Flatts, George Strait and Keith Urban.
Young and Keith join a performance lineup that includes show co-hosts Trace Adkins and Kristin Chenoweth, along with Blake Shelton, Pistol Annies, Thompson Square, Eli Young Band and The Band Perry. Scheduled to appear are Lauren Alaina, Rachel Bilson, Miranda Lambert, Scotty McCreery and the men of Pawn Stars (Richard Harrison, Rick Harrison, Corey Harrison and Austin Russell).
Arista Adds New Regional Promotion Manager
/by Freeman“We are thrilled to have Andy join the Arista Nashville family,” said Tyson. “Some people are just born to do promotion and Andy is one of those people. His innate promotion ability coupled with his awesome understanding of radio make him the perfect addition to our team.”
“The opportunity to work at Arista is beyond my wildest dreams,” shares Elliott. “The caliber of talent from the artists to the staff is amazing. I’m honored and thrilled to join the team.”
Elliott brings 18 years of radio experience with him, including time as PD for KJJY and KHKI in Des Moines. Most recently he was Director of Promotion for the Midwest and Southwest at New Revolution Entertainment. Starting Dec. 12, reach him here.