BossRoss: Introducing Web Read

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Click on this image to read the stories or visit the widget on the right lower side of the web site.


The weekend is the perfect time to dig a little deeper and now, with BossRoss: Web Read, you’ve got some links all ready for the clicking…
This week’s curated articles can be found in a widget on the lower right hand side of the web site or by clicking this link. One of the most interesting stories asks, “How Much Traffic Does Twitter Drive?” We’d be remiss to not mention the blindingly fast ascent of Googleplus from zero to ten million users in scarcely one week. Did you know that the big G’s ‘plus one’ button gets punched over 2.3 billion times each day? And while the big roar is all about Spotify, don’t let MOG pass you by. This L.A. Times update informs that the service, launched in 2006, is evolving again…
I love list type articles, like “The Top 10 Reasons Why” or “Six Ways to Improve.” So I had to include this interesting study which promises, “5 Basic Things You Should Be Doing To Manage Your Online Reputation.”
Let me know what kinds of articles you’d like to see selected…
Sit back, settle into a comfortable Saturday morning position and click in!

EMI Signs Jon Pardi

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EMI Records Nashville has signed singer/songwriter Jon Pardi to its roster. Pardi is already hard at work writing and recording his debut album. He is planning to release his debut single early next year.
The northern California native has been playing guitar since he was eight years old. At 12 he began writing songs, and by age 14 Pardi had his first band.

(L-R): Standing: Managers Dan Anderson of Red Light Management, and Charlie Walker of C3; Autumn House, Capitol/EMI Records Nashville VP A&R. Seated: Mike Dungan, Capitol/EMI Records Nashville President and CEO; Jon Pardi; and Tom Becci, Capitol/EMI Records Nashville COO

Artist Action Friday (7/15)

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Neal McCoy and grandson Titan.


• • • Rascal Flatts’ single “I Won’t Let Go” has earned Digital Gold certification from the RIAA for over 500,000 digital downloads. The track recently became the band’s 13th career No. 1. Written by Steve Robson and Jason Sellers, the song is the second consecutive charttopper from Rascal Flatts’ current Big Machine Records album Nothing Like This.
• • • Blaster Records artist Neal McCoy and his wife Melinda welcomed their first grandchild on July 7. Their daughter Miki and her husband, Trevor Stong delivered Titan McCoy Strong, weighing 7 lbs 6 oz  and 21 inches long. Mother and baby are happy and healthy in Texas.
• • • Indie Texas act Rosehill is seeing mainstream success with new single “Dream It All Over Again.” It is the duo’s second consecutive music video that has climbed to No. 10 on CMT Pure’s 12-Pack Countdown. The song was written by Randy Rogers, Radney Foster, Jay Clementi, and is available for free download at Rosehill-Live.com. Foster and Clementi also produced Rosehill’s current album White Lines and Stars.



Thompson Square on the set of the video for "I Got You."


 


• • • The Nashville Symphony will present Home for the Holidays with LeAnn Rimes on Dec. 8 at 7 p.m.





• • • Stoney Creek Records duo Thompson Square is climbing the radio and video charts with new single “I Got You.” Next up the husband and wife team will join BBR labelmate Jason Aldean’s My Kinda Party Tour.
• • • Suzy Bogguss has authored a new book. The American Folk Songbook is a CD and companion songbook that will be available at Cracker Barrel and other outlets. She will celebrate the release
with a book signing and performance at Belle Meade Plantation Thurs., Aug. 4, from 5:30 – 7:30 p.m.
 

New Date For "Country's Night To Rock"

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Little Big Town will perform during "CMA Music Festival: Country's Night to Rock" airing Sunday, Aug. 14, on the ABC Television Network. Photo: John Russell / CMA


The CMA Music Festival TV special is shifting dates, in a move possibly influenced by the airing of the popular Teen Choice Awards opposite the originally scheduled date.
CMA Music Festival: Country’s Night to Rock is now set to air Sun., Aug. 14 on ABC.
In related news, Dierks Bentley and Little Big Town have been added to the list of performers appearing in the three-hour, primetime concert special. They join previously announced stars including Alabama with Brad Paisley, Alan Jackson with Zac Brown Band, Jason Aldean with Kelly Clarkson, Lady Antebellum, Miranda Lambert, Blake Shelton, Sugarland, Taylor Swift, and Keith Urban.
Swift and other country faves are among the nominees at Fox’s 2011 Teen Choice Awards, where Swift scored six nods.

Folk Festival Set For Three-Year Run in Nashville

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The National Folk Festival is putting down roots in Nashville for a three-year run starting this Labor Day weekend. Going on Sept. 2-4, the free, public event offers music and dance performances, workshops, children’s activities, regional and ethnic foods, storytelling, parades, craft exhibits and demonstrations, and more.
The Bicentennial Capitol Mall State Park will host the event which celebrates a range of diverse cultures. Expected are over 250 traditional performers and craftspeople on six stages throughout the park.
Nashville Mayor Karl Dean credits the music industry, the business sector, and the nonprofit community with coming together to bring the Folk Festival to town.
Marking its 73rd anniversary in 2011, the National Folk Festival is organized by the National Council for the Traditional Arts (NCTA).
It will be held in Nashville during Labor Day weekend 2011, 2012 and 2013.

Rootsy "1861 Project" Bridges Past And Present

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Many notable Nashvillians have contributed to a new Civil War-themed album called The 1861 Project. They will gather at The Basement to celebrate the release on Tues., July 19 at 7 p.m.
With a narrator setting the backdrop for the audience, performances of the unique project run more like a play than a traditional concert. The show debuted Wednesday night (7/13) on Music City Roots.
Musical colleagues Thomm Jutz, Peter Cronin and Paul Schatzkin teamed to create the passion project of story songs about the Civil War. The album doesn’t re-create the sound of the period, instead it is an acoustic, roots-driven offering with performances by John Anderson, Marty Stuart, Dana Cooper, Chris Jones, and more.
Producer Jutz—whose track record includes work with Nanci Griffith and Mary Gauthier—helmed The 1861 Project. Following countless hours of historical research, he and Cronin wrote about half of the songs on the album. Also offering contributions are tunesmiths Irene Kelley, Charley Stefl, Jon Weisberger, Mark Fain, Stan Webb, Jefferson Ross, and Dana Cooper.
Some of the songs are derived from true stories handed down through generations, while others are historical conjecture. “I Have” tells of a man walking home barefoot for hundreds of miles following the surrender at Appomattox. Another song, “Eyes,” relates the story of an Irish immigrant, one of many drafted into Union service from their new home in New York City. The exuberant “Gospel Train” is from the perspective of a runaway slave “riding” the Underground Railroad to freedom.
These are among the stories that unfold in Volume 1: From Farmers To Foot Soldiers, which focuses on the period’s working class. Meanwhile, Jutz, Cronin and Schatzkin say plans for Volume 2 are already taking shape.
Timing for the project’s release coincides perfectly with the sesquicentennial of The American Civil War. Completion of the album also represents a personal victory for German-born Jutz, who is in the midst of the naturalization process to become an American citizen.

Row Roundup

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>>Lyric Financial has moved to Music Row. The financial services company which specializes in providing funding solutions for music professionals and companies has a new home at 2 Music Circle South, across the street from the CMA. Lyric founder Eli Ball invites interested parties to stop by for a visit and some sweet tea.
>>Insiders are reporting that Mr. Honey Bee, aka Blake Shelton will likely land in the top position on both the Top 200 album chart and the Country album chart at the close of this week with debut scans of about 110,000 units of his new album Red River Blue. The Voice coach has also added “video host” to his career resume. Shelton (via video) joins groups backstage as they tour the Grand Ole Opry sharing personal stories and film clips. As part of the newly-offered tour, guests see artist dressing rooms each decorated with unique themes such as “Cousin Minnie,” “Wagonmaster,” “Little Jimmy,” and “Mr. Roy,” (honoring Opry greats Minnie Pearl, Porter Wagoner, Jimmy Dickens, and Roy Acuff, respectively.)
>>Musical legend Ricky Skaggs’ newest CD,Country Hits Bluegrass Style (Skaggs Family Records), will be in stores July 19. The 14-song release is a mix between Skaggs’ country and bluegrass roots, something he has been sharing with fans around the country during his current Treasure Chest Tour. Skaggs’ first two country #1 singles and standouts on the new album, “Crying My Heart Out Over You” and “I Don’t Care,” are accompanied by eight more #1 country hits, such as “Cajun Moon” and “Highway 40 Blues.” A 14-time Grammy Award winner, Skaggs is well known for both his country music classics as well as his bluegrass hits. Skaggs Family Records was formed in 1997 and has since released 12 consecutive Grammy nominated classics. The artist has won a total of eight ACM Awards and eight CMA Awards, including CMA Entertainer of the Year in 1985.

Chesney Tour By The Numbers

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Photo by Danny Clinch

A run-down of the 2011 Corona Presents Kenny Chesney’s ‘Goin’ Coastal’ Tour.

Here’s what it takes to make Goin’ Coastal a reality:
• 1,000,000—number of tickets sold thus far on the tour, with numerous shows left to go.
• 110—number of workers, including crew, drivers, caterers, sound and lighting techs, and musicians. For stadium shows, the number shoots up to 140.
• 23 trucks and 10 buses in Chesney’s fleet. While the trucks barrel on to the next stop, buses return home between shows along with the band and crew,
• 60,000—miles logged each tour.
• 80,000 pounds—weight of the ‘Goin’ Coastal’ stage set-up.
• 8—number of hours to set up for one show.
• 3—number of recent sold-out shows at Colorado’s famed Red Rocks Amphitheatre.
• 3—number of sides on the “periaktoi” columns which frame the stage. Influenced by ancient Greek theatre, one side features video tiles, the second features lighting and strobes, and the third is all mirrors.
• $39.50 plus fees—cheapest seat to his stadium show with ZBB in Kansas City, Missouri on July 30.
• $225 plus fees—most expensive ticket for the same show.

MR's Ross Shares Sales Insight With News 2

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WKRN News 2 tapped MusicRow Publisher David Ross to give industry insider perspective for a story on last night’s evening news. The segment explored the recent bump in digital album sales, which climbed 19% in the first two quarters of 2011.
MusicRow subscribers who regularly follow Ross’s sales analysis will be familiar with the facts he shared with News 2. While digital album sales are on the rise, total album sales which include digital, are still on the decline. “Overall all genre album sales are down 34% over the last six years, and country music is down 44%,” Ross told reporter Jamey Tucker.
See the video below, following commercial. Or read the story here.

Weekly Chart Report (7/15/11)

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New No. 1 – Lady Antebellum “Just A Kiss”
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Easton Corbin visited with WCTK/Providence staff at Showcase Live/Foxboro, MA on July 10. Mercury recently celebrated Corbin being the first solo male country artist in 17 years to have his first two singles reach No. 1 at radio. (L-R): WCTK MD Jessica Tyler, Corbin, and Mercury’s Sally Green


SPIN ZONE
Following a record-setting heatwave in the South and many other parts of the country, it’s evident that summer is in full swing. That means a number things for all of us: vacations near water, painful sunburns, and of course, summer songs on country radio.
Every year artists try their hand at recording and releasing a summer classic, but only a special few are fortunate enough to make it happen. There are ample offerings at present, so we checked in with a few CountryBreakout Reporters to see what listeners love. Many name-checked Keith Urban’s “Long Hot Summer” (No. 19) and Jason Aldean’s “Dirt Road Anthem” (No. 7) right off the bat.
“Favorite song for the younger generation is ‘Dirt Road Anthem,’” says Susie Martin of WATZ/Alpena, MI. “After that, it’s Keith Urban’s ‘Long Hot Summer’ and Kenny Chesney/Grace Potter duet ‘You and Tequila.’”
“The new Keith Urban is firing up our phones big time,” echoes Boomer Kingston of KGKL/San Angelo, TX
“Listener favorites would have to be a toss up between Taylor Swift’s ‘Mean’ and Jason Aldean’s ‘Dirt Road Anthem,’” adds CW Simon of KMKS/Bay City, TX.
“Wolf listeners can’t get enough of ‘Long Hot Summer,’” chimes in Colby Ericson of KVWF/Wichita. “We’ve set several records for heat in the past month and of course we would latch on to this one!”
Jake Owen’s latest, which hit No. 10 this week, also received some praise for its summer theme.
“Current top requests for us is Jake Owen’s ‘Barefoot Blue Jean Night’ because it is an uptempo cooker,” says Ted Cramer of WIFE/Connersville, IN.
“Best summer song of the season is Jake Owen’s ‘Barefoot Blue Jean Night,’” agrees JR Runyon of KCNY/Conway, AR. “I just wish it was longer, but then don’t we all wish summer was too?”
Other popular tunes included Scotty McCreery, Zac Brown Band and the latest from Sawyer Brown.
“Our listeners’ favorite new summer song is without a doubt the new Sawyer Brown song ‘Smokin’ Hot Wife,’” says Heath Shelby of KWCK/Searcy, AR
“Our top requested summer song—a song that’s popular in summer even if it doesn’t sound typically summer—is ‘I Love You This Big’ by Scotty McCreery,” says Dave Spencer of WBKR/Owensboro, KY.
“Central Maine is lovin’ ‘Knee Deep’ by Zac Brown Band and Jimmy Buffett,” says Andy Capwell of WEBB/Augusta, ME. “Alan Jackson’s ‘Long Way To Go’ and Phil Vassar’s ‘Let’s Get Together’ are also getting a solid response.”
Time will reveal how enduring these songs will be. When asked about their favorite classic summer songs, a few titles invariably come up. Interestingly, the song that came up most often among CountryBreakout reporters was Kid Rock’s 2008 crossover hit “All Summer Long.”
“Can’t wait to get out the northern summer songs like Kid Rock’s ‘All Summer Long,’ which is specifically about northern Michigan,” says Susie Martin.
“Kid Rock’s ‘All Summer Long’ is still one of our most requested summer songs, and my favorite is still Kenny Chesney’s ‘Summertime,’” says Doug Rogers of WJMG/Shawano, WI.
“Alan Jackson’s ‘Summertime Blues’ is still one of my all time favorites,” suggests Boomer Kingston of KGKL.
“Older tunes getting requests include Kid Rock’s ‘All Summer Long’ and Phil Vassar’s ‘Six Pack Summer,’” says Ted Cramer of WIFE.
“As far as classics, the two we still get calls for are Kid Rock’s ‘All Summer Long’ and the ‘Summer Fun Mix’ of Alan Jackson’s ‘Good Time,’” says Heath Shelby of KWCK.
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Frozen Playlists: KTJJ, KTTI, Sirius XM, WAAG, WDXX, WHWK, WJVL, WPPL, WTRS




Upcoming Singles
July 18
LeAnn Rimes/Give/Curb
Craig Morgan/This Ole Boy/Black River
Kristin Chenoweth/I Want Somebody/Sony/CO5
Taylor Swift/Sparks Fly/Big Machine
Darren Warren/Cowboy Up and Party Down/NuCorp/Nine North
July 25
Montgomery Gentry/Where I Come From/Average Joe’s
Blake Shelton/God Gave Me You/Warner Bros./WMN
Martina McBride/I’m Gonna Love You Through It/Republic Nashville
Sonia Leigh/My Name Is Money/Southern Ground/BPG
Eric Paslay/Never Really Wanted/EMI Records Nashville
Keith Bryant/Can’t Tell Somebody Who To Love/Jordash
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New On The Chart—Debuting This Week
Artist/song/label — chart pos.
Taylor Swift/Sparks Fly/Big Machine — 48
Blake Shelton/God Gave Me You/Warner Bros./WMN — 52
Eric Lee Beddingfield/Great Depression/Rebel Dawg Music — 72
Craig Morgan/This Ole Boy/Black River Entertainment — 79
Susan Cattaneo/Girls Night Out/Jersey Girl Music — 80
Greatest Spin Increase
Artist/song/label — spin+
Blake Shelton/God Gave Me You/Warner Bros./WMN — 543
Taylor Swift/Sparks Fly/Big Machine — 413
Keith Urban/Long Hot Summer/Capitol — 408
Toby Keith/Made In America/Show Dog-Universal — 328
Brad Paisley feat. Carrie Underwood/Remind Me/Arista — 281
Most Added
Artist/song/label — New Adds
Blake Shelton/God Gave Me You/Warner Bros./WMN — 41
Taylor Swift/Sparks Fly/Big Machine — 30
Martina McBride/I’m Gonna Love You Through It/Republic Nashville — 17
Rascal Flatts f. Natasha Bedingfield/Easy/Big Machine — 14
Montgomery Gentry/Where I Come From/Average Joe’s — 12
Eric Lee Beddingfield/Great Depression/Rebel Dawg Music — 8
On Deck—Soon To Be Charting
Artist/song/label — spins
Katie Armiger/I Do But Do I/Cold River — 234
Montgomery Gentry/Where I Come From/Average Joe — 223
Cash Creek/Unlikely Angel/Ohana Music Group — 197
Big & Rich/Fake ID/Warner — 194
Martina McBride/I’m Gonna Love You Through It/Republic Nashville — 180

Columbia Nashville newcomer Bradley Gaskin made a stop at WIL/St. Louis to serve up a round of "Mr. Bartender," his self-penned, debut single. (L-R): Sony Nashville Senior VP Promotion Skip Bishop, APD/MDWIL Danny Montana and Gaskin.


Sherry Lynn filled Court House Square in Hampton, Iowa, June 28 for the Chamber of Commerce’s “Tuesday on the Town” series. Sherry’s show was selected to raise funds for the Franklin County Relay for Life. (L-R): KLMJ/Hampton, IA's Mike Betten, Sherry Lynn, Janet Betten