• • • Toby Keith is heading into the Oct. 24 release of Clancy’s Tavern with a No. 1 hit. The album’s lead single “Made In America” is his 29th charttopper and recently went to No. 1 on MusicRow’s CountryBreakout chart. He penned the track with frequent co-writer Bobby Pinson. A Deluxe Edition of Clancy’s Tavern includes four extra songs that are covers recorded live at Keith’s 2010 Incognito Bandito club show at The Fillmore in New York City.
• • • Over 250 members of the industry gathered for the annual End of the Row Party to raise money and awareness for the TJ Martell Foundation on Sept. 22. The event was hosted for the second year by law firm Crownover, Blevins behind their offices and sponsored by Merrill Lynch’s Raj Patnik and Zach Richards. The night netted over $5500 for the Foundation and featured performances by hit songwriters Barry Dean, Brett James, Luke Laird and Shane McAnally. Laura Bell Bundy was the host and emcee. Other up-and-coming writers who performed were Liz Moriondo, Jeremy Parsons, James Hunter, Julie Foresterand Jen Foster.
• • • Last week Belmont University welcomed Grand Ole Opry GM and VP Pete Fisher as guest speaker for the Mike Curb College of Entertainment and Music Business seminar series. Fisher also serves on the Curb College advisory board.
(L-R): Rush Hicks, Belmont Music Business program chair; Wesley Bulla, Curb College Dean; Pete Fisher, Grand Ole Opry; Sarita Stewart, Entertainment Industry Studies
• • • Grammy winning artist and songwriter Peter Frampton will join the Music City Walk of Fame, presented by founding sponsor Gibson Guitar. Frampton will be recognized officially with the unveiling of a commemorative sidewalk marker on Sat., Oct. 22 at 1:00 p.m. in Walk of Fame Park in downtown Nashville. The induction ceremony sponsored by GAC, is free and open to the public. Frampton lived in Nashville for seven years, and many of his band and crew live here. He continues to write, record and rehearse in the city regularly.
• • • Gene Watson’s tour bus was in a wreck over the weekend. Thankfully no one was seriously injured. He was eight miles from his show in Sandstone, MN when the bus lurched off the road and nearly flipped over. He is now back in Nashville where he will join Randy Travis on the Grand Ole Opry tonight to sing “Didn’t We Shine,” which was recorded for Travis’s 25th Anniversary Celebration album.
• • • APA’s David Plyler was the top fundraiser for the Cystic Fibrosis Foundation of Middle Tennessee’s “Nashville’s Top 30 Under 30” initiative. He was honored at a party Sat., Sept. 24 on the 21st floor of The Pinnacle at Symphony Center. The event had raised more than $55,000 for cystic fibrosis research.
David Plyler of Agency for the Performing Arts is recognized by (L-R): Nashville’s Top 30 Under 30 co-chairmen Tim Bewley and Fiona Haulter, and Cystic Fibrosis Foundation of Middle Tennessee Director of Development Lesley McMahan
Pictured following the Women's Half-Marathon in Nashville. (L-R): Caitlin King Rossman (Associated Press), Cindy Heath (Monarch Publicity), Lori Christian (Capitol Records)
Black River Taps Industry Vet For VP Post
/by Sarah SkatesDoug Johnson
Black River Entertainment COO Gordon S. Kerr and General Manager Greg McCarn announced today that 30-year music industry professional Doug Johnson has joined Nashville-based Black River Entertainment as the label’s Vice President, A&R, effective today (10/4).
“I am so pleased to have Doug join our Black River staff. His outstanding background and proven success in the music industry is a tribute to his hard work and commitment to musical excellence,” shares Kerr. “I look forward to Doug’s contribution to the Black River family!”
Johnson’s diverse talents include success as a recording engineer, mixer, musician, songwriter (“Three Wooden Crosses,” “Love Like Crazy,”) producer and record company executive, most recently with Curb Music. In his new role with Black River, Johnson will oversee creative direction for the label’s roster including Craig Morgan, Sarah Darling, Glen Templeton, Due West and Jeff Bates.
“I am thrilled to be joining the Black River Entertainment family. I love this business, the music, the people who make it and those of us crazy enough to dream we can make the world a better place with it,” adds Johnson. “I am honored that Gordon and Greg are trusting me to be an asset in regards to the Black River roster, staff and future. I appreciate the opportunities Mike Curb has given me over the past nine years and wish Mike, the Curb staff and roster continued success.”
Black River Entertainment also operates the newly renovated Sound Stage recording studios, Ronnie’s Place recording studio, Black River Publishing, and Black River Management.
Johnson can be reached at doug@blackriverent.com.
Apple Offering Falls Short of Expectations
/by adminA 4S 16 gigabyte version will sell for $199 with a 2-year contract, and a 32 gigabyte model for $299. Earlier models will be discounted.
Also mentioned at the Apple event was updated versions of the iPod Nano and Touch music players plus the launch of the iCloud and IOS 5 software coming Oct. 12.
McBride To Turn Empire State Building Pink
/by Sarah SkatesMartina McBride: Light Up The Sky, in partnership with Stanford Women’s Cancer Center, will be showcased exclusively on Clear Channel Radio’s websites.
Much of the promotion for McBride’s new album includes pink ribbon events to raise breast cancer awareness. She will take an Amtrak train from Los Angeles to New York City, making 11 stops along the way to meet with fans and survivors and perform three mini concerts.
The lead single, “I’m Gonna Love You Through It,” addresses cancer and the music video features survivors and their supporters including celebrities Robin Roberts, Hoda Kotb, Sheryl Crow and Katie Couric.
Also on the schedule, McBride’s new installment of CMT’s Invitation Only premieres Mon., Oct. 17 at 10:00 – 11:00 p.m., ET/PT. See clip below.
Tags: I’m Gonna Love You Through It – From Invitation Only, Martina McBride, Martina McBride Videos
Lehning Joins Adams and Reese
/by adminLehning, who has been practicing law since 2002, previously served as Senior Counsel for SoundExchange in Washington, DC, the collective designated by the United States Copyright Office to collect and distribute royalties for digital audio sound recording performances to performing artists and record labels. Prior to that, he served as Counsel for Sony BMG Music Entertainment in New York, where he worked with the record company’s law department handling copyright, trademark, e-commerce, new media and other intellectual property matters. Lehning received his J.D. from the Georgetown University Law Center in 2002, and earned his Bachelor of Arts in English and French from Belmont University, in 1997.
Lehning’s practice focuses on domestic and international IP matters, both with new media and the new and old copyright laws. Ryan has worked for a broad scope of clients in the music, film, television, software and book publishing industries. He has experience providing counsel to major copyright owning trade associations and companies with respect to emerging technology issues primarily associated with secondary liability, copyright licensing, digital distribution and the Digital Millennium Copyright Act. He is the former co-chair of the Washington, DC Chapter of the Copyright Society of the United States of America, and he is a former board member of the Alliance of Artists and Recording Companies (AARC).
“The Lehning name is legendary in the music industry, and we are delighted to bring the last Lehning to Music Row to join his family and ours, where his talents belong,” said Linda Edell Howard, Adams and Reese Entertainment and New Media Team Leader and a Partner in the Music Row office.
Bentley Joins “Wounded Warrior Project” With Tour Launch
/by Sherod RobertsonAiming to support and honor wounded veterans who have sacrificed, each pre-show party will be a chance for fans to give back to veterans and win prizes from Bentley including ticket upgrades, merchandise and autographed limited edition handwritten lyrics of the new single “Home.”
The 2011 Country & Cold Cans Tour, with special guests Jerrod Niemann and Eli Young Band, continues through Nov. 19 in Denver, Colorado. For a full list of tour dates and more info on upcoming “Believe in Heroes” events, visit: www.dierks.com or www.woundedwarriorproject.org.
Industry Ink Tuesday
/by Sarah Skates• • • Toby Keith is heading into the Oct. 24 release of Clancy’s Tavern with a No. 1 hit. The album’s lead single “Made In America” is his 29th charttopper and recently went to No. 1 on MusicRow’s CountryBreakout chart. He penned the track with frequent co-writer Bobby Pinson. A Deluxe Edition of Clancy’s Tavern includes four extra songs that are covers recorded live at Keith’s 2010 Incognito Bandito club show at The Fillmore in New York City.
• • • Over 250 members of the industry gathered for the annual End of the Row Party to raise money and awareness for the TJ Martell Foundation on Sept. 22. The event was hosted for the second year by law firm Crownover, Blevins behind their offices and sponsored by Merrill Lynch’s Raj Patnik and Zach Richards. The night netted over $5500 for the Foundation and featured performances by hit songwriters Barry Dean, Brett James, Luke Laird and Shane McAnally. Laura Bell Bundy was the host and emcee. Other up-and-coming writers who performed were Liz Moriondo, Jeremy Parsons, James Hunter, Julie Foresterand Jen Foster.
• • • Last week Belmont University welcomed Grand Ole Opry GM and VP Pete Fisher as guest speaker for the Mike Curb College of Entertainment and Music Business seminar series. Fisher also serves on the Curb College advisory board.
(L-R): Rush Hicks, Belmont Music Business program chair; Wesley Bulla, Curb College Dean; Pete Fisher, Grand Ole Opry; Sarita Stewart, Entertainment Industry Studies
• • • Grammy winning artist and songwriter Peter Frampton will join the Music City Walk of Fame, presented by founding sponsor Gibson Guitar. Frampton will be recognized officially with the unveiling of a commemorative sidewalk marker on Sat., Oct. 22 at 1:00 p.m. in Walk of Fame Park in downtown Nashville. The induction ceremony sponsored by GAC, is free and open to the public. Frampton lived in Nashville for seven years, and many of his band and crew live here. He continues to write, record and rehearse in the city regularly.
• • • Gene Watson’s tour bus was in a wreck over the weekend. Thankfully no one was seriously injured. He was eight miles from his show in Sandstone, MN when the bus lurched off the road and nearly flipped over. He is now back in Nashville where he will join Randy Travis on the Grand Ole Opry tonight to sing “Didn’t We Shine,” which was recorded for Travis’s 25th Anniversary Celebration album.
• • • APA’s David Plyler was the top fundraiser for the Cystic Fibrosis Foundation of Middle Tennessee’s “Nashville’s Top 30 Under 30” initiative. He was honored at a party Sat., Sept. 24 on the 21st floor of The Pinnacle at Symphony Center. The event had raised more than $55,000 for cystic fibrosis research.
David Plyler of Agency for the Performing Arts is recognized by (L-R): Nashville’s Top 30 Under 30 co-chairmen Tim Bewley and Fiona Haulter, and Cystic Fibrosis Foundation of Middle Tennessee Director of Development Lesley McMahan
Pictured following the Women's Half-Marathon in Nashville. (L-R): Caitlin King Rossman (Associated Press), Cindy Heath (Monarch Publicity), Lori Christian (Capitol Records)
Good Works: The Roys, NSAI, Big & Rich, and Flatts
/by FreemanThe Roys
Sibling duo The Roys have been tapped to headline the Musicians On Call benefit tonight (10/4) at the Hard Rock Cafe in downtown Nashville. Doors open at 7 pm, with the music starting at 8 pm. Also on the bill are Kimberly Wolff, Hannah Anders and Jason Gregory. Roys members Lee and Elaine Roy are the reigning two-time Inspirational Country Music Duo of the Year, and have performed at country and bluegrass festivals all over the country.
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Tuesday News Roundup
/by adminTrolley Barn #1 at Rolling Mill Hill is a 22,000 square foot space that will house 72 incubation space. Since it’s launch in 2010, the center has helped launch 19 companies and helped them raise over $5.2 million in seed stage and venture funding. While the EDA grant will partly cover the construction buildout of the center, as a non-profit 501c3 organization, public and private funding and corporate sponsorships are needed to support the center’s operations.
“Nashville is a city full of creative, smart, hard-working people, and the Entrepreneur Center is harnessing this resource, cultivating ideas and incubating inventive businesses to help continue moving the city forward and create jobs in the process,” Mayor Karl Dean said.
Scotty McCreery, Season 10 winner of American Idol is scheduled to perform the National anthem prior to Game One of the World Series, Oct. 19. “This is absolutely incredible for me,” said McCreery. “I have two loves in life—music and baseball.” McCreery’s debut album launches October 4 on Mercury Nashville/19 Recordings/Interscope Records.
Ralph Murphy Book Details Songwriting Laws
/by adminMurphy has been successful as a songwriter for five decades. Consistently charting songs in an ever-changing musical environment makes him a member of that very small group of professionals who make a living doing what they love to do. Murphy’s book helps arm songwriters for success by demystifying the process and opening the door to serious professional songwriting.
Nashville Songwriters Association Executive Director Bart Herbison called the book, “A must read.” Grammy winnning Hall of Famer songwriter Don Schlitz has said about the book, “Ralph has taught countless grateful students (myself included) and still loves the art, the craft and the process. Now he has taken the time to write it down… lucky us!”
TN Proclaims Oct. Country Music Month
/by adminHaslam’s proclamation cites the Appalachian foothills as origins of country music and the format’s principles and values. “This art form remains quintessentially American, uncovering the poetry embedded in everyday life, and celebrating the same traits that inspired those who laid its foundation,” reads the proclamation.
Country Music Month was first created by the CMA in 1964 to highlight the format, landmark events and the formation of CMA and the anniversary of the WSM Grand Ole Opry. This year’s Awards will be held at the Bridgestone Arena in Nashville and broadcast live on ABC TV. The Grand Ole Opry will celebrate its 86th birthday (visit opry.com). CMA is making Web tools available for partners including logos, graphics, banners, video and audio files, and more. For information visit CountryMusicMonth.com/webtools.