Country Music Summit Set For June 6-7

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The Billboard Country Music Summit is planned for June 6-7 in downtown Nashville at the Renaissance Hotel. The two-day event features numerous panels, superstar Q&As with Kenny Chesney and Carrie Underwood plus an Industry Keynote study with Jason Aldean. The CMA will also sponsor a special industry research presentation. In addition to the educational schedule, there are networking events including cocktail receptions and showcases.
MusicRow Publisher David M. Ross will moderate a panel on Tuesday from 3:15-4 titled Publishing: Red and Black Ink; Return on Investment & Entrepreneurship in a Business of Pennies—a new roadmap. Panelists for the session include John Barker, Founder/President, ClearBox Rights; Chris Dubois, Partner, Sea Gayle Music; Pat Higdon, President UMPG, Nashville; Doug Johnson, VP of A&R, Curb Records; Carla Wallace, Co-Owner/VP Creative, Big Yellow Dog Music; and Jody Williams, VP, Writer/Publisher Relations, Nashville, BMI.
Limited seating is still available for the conference. MusicRow readers wishing to register can get a special 15% discount by using the promo code FRIEND11. [click HERE to register.]
 

Artist Signings: Hollywood Meets Nashville

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Oscar winning actor Tim Robbins has signed with 429 Records and will release his album, Tim Robbins And The Rogues Gallery Band, on July 19. A star of the big screen, writer, director and philanthropist, Robbins has been writing songs and performing his entire life. With the help of producer Hal Willner, Robbins embodies the role of singer, guitarist and storyteller on the collection’s nine songs.
Raised in a creative environment, Robbins’ first memories include hanging out as a child at the Gaslight in Greenwich Village, which his father managed. “My first desire to perform came from watching him on stage. I remember it as so intoxicating,” says Robbins.
For more information, visit www.429records.com and www.timrobbins.net

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Georgia artist Andy Velo, who is sponsored by Jim Beam Brands, has signed an exclusive management and record distribution agreement with the Red Dirt Music Company.
“Andy is a wonderful singing and performing talent as well as a fine up-and-coming actor,” Red Dirt COO Ben Ewing says. “We are proud to represent him in conjunction with Jim Beam Brands.”
Velo’s debut single will be released on the Red Dirt imprint in July with a full-length album to follow in the fall. He has just finished several tour dates in the Southeast, performing after-concert shows for fellow Jim Beam-sponsored artist Kid Rock.
Although his first love is music, Velo has also branched out onto the silver screen and landed supporting roles in We Are Marshall starring Matthew McConaughey and One Missed Call. His latest movie project, Field of Vision, will air on NBC on Saturday, June 11th at 8 pm EST/7pm CST.

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Rodney Dillard and The Dillard Band have signed with Mountain Music Entertainment for management representation. Dillard is well known for his role as Rodney Darlin on The Andy Griffith Show. He has also enjoyed a successful career in various musical genres as an artist, producer, writer, and vocalist.
“Working with Rodney and Beverly and The Dillard Band is incredibly exciting for us,” said Steve Johnson, President and CEO of Mountain Music Entertainment. “I grew up watching The Andy Griffith Show and also learning songs like ‘Dooley.’ I look forward to having Rodney and Beverly Dillard and The Dillard Band as part of our artist family and doing great things with them for the future.”
In 2009, The Dillards were inducted into the International Bluegrass Music Hall of Fame.
For more information, visit www.rodneydillard.tv and www.mountainmusicentertainment.com

Luke Bryan To Headline CMT On Tour

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Luke Bryan


Luke Bryan is set to headline the 10th annual CMT On Tour this fall with special guests Lee Brice and Josh Thompson. CMT On Tour: Luke Bryan Tailgates & Tanlines is set to kick off this September with approximately 25 shows to support Bryan’s third studio album for Capitol Records Nashville, Tailgates & Tanlines, due in stores August 9. His current single, “Country Girl (Shake It For Me),” has become his fastest rising single to date, already reaching the Top 15.
CMT On Tour launched in 2002 and has featured superstars Trace Adkins, Jason Aldean, Randy Houser, Jamey Johnson, Miranda Lambert, Brad Paisley, Rascal Flatts, Sugarland and Keith Urban. CMT On Tour is produced by Lindsay Bertelli of Reach. Cities and dates for the tour will be announced soon.
Following his 2010 award-winning year, Bryan was recently nominated for two 2011 CMT Music Awards: Best Web Video of the Year his video “It’s A Shore Thing” and Nationwide Insurance’s Best New Live Act. He is scheduled to perform his first main-stage performance at the 2011 CMT Music Awards and will also present on the show.

Tennessee Signs Law Prohibiting Netflix Password Sharing

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Tennessee state legislators have passed a bill that would make it illegal to use a friend’s login on music or video services like Netflix and Rhapsody, according to The Tennessean.
TN Governor Bill Haslam has signed the bill, which goes into effect July 1. The purpose of the measure is to target hackers who sell passwords online, hopefully slowing the losses incurred by illegal sharing.
The article states that people who share a subscription account with a spouse or family members in one household likely have no worries. Rather, it is the heavy duty offenders—such as college students giving their info to an entire dorm floor—that may face prosecution.
So far Tennessee is the only state in the U.S. with legislation addressing changes in consumer content delivery. Under the law, violators stealing $500 or less of entertainment would be charged with misdemeanor punishable by up to a year in jail and a $2500 fine. Larger infractions would be a felony with taller penalties. A federal law might be on the way, according to the RIAA.

Artist TidBits Thursday

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Jo Dee Messina


Jo Dee Messina has announced her A Million Doors campaign to help raise $2.3 million for a non-profit school in Nashville, the Holy Trinity Montessori, by donating proceeds from the sale of a new song “Carry Me.” She was also working on setting up a concert tour to benefit the school–and a Saturday, June 25 show in Pittsburg, Kansas was confirmed, but funds from that show are now earmarked to help victims of the recent violent tornados that devastated the region. For details visit www.jodeemessina.com
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Frankie Ballard is debuting the music video for “A Buncha Girls” today (6/2). Directed by Jim Wright and filmed in Venice Beach, CA the video features Ballard narrating for a group of girls taking a road trip to the beach and the adventures they have along the way on this summer day. The video can be seen online and on GAC and CMT Pure Country. Ballard is currently opening for Taylor Swift on the North American leg of her Speak Now World Tour 2011. Ballard kicked off the tour this weekend for a sold-out crowd in Omaha, NE and Des Moines, IA. He will be playing in Ft. Lauderdale, FL (6/2, 6/3) and Orlando, FL (6/4).

Frankie Ballard on set at the video shoot for “A Buncha Girls” Photo: Dylan Bell, 5.2.11


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Joe Nichols


Show Dog – Universal Music recording artist Joe Nichols has officially joined the Roper Apparel and Footwear family, formalizing a long-term endorsement agreement with the popular clothing and footwear company. Gary Mandelbaum, president of Karman, Inc., home of western and lifestyle brands Roper Apparel & Footwear and Stetson Apparel & Boots, explained, “Roper has had a long tradition of sponsoring cowboys and rodeo personalities and we felt it was time to include country music in our endorsee mix.”
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Frank Solivan & Dirty Kitchen has partnered with Music City Roots Live from the Loveless Cafe, Whole Foods Grocery, and Blackstone Brewing Company to award one winner with a Dirty Kitchen Experience giveaway. Solivan and band will arrive at the lucky winner’s home, accompanied by Music City Roots, and set up the Roots set in the winner’s home. Music City Roots will bring the party favors and Frank Solivan will personally cook dinner for the winner and 25 friends and perform a concert for them. The evening will be filmed and a DVD of the event given to the winner at the end of the night. In addition, the whole world can watch, as the entire party will stream live online. Visit http://musiccityroots.com/contest for details.

Dirty Kitchen Experience

HLN's Robin Meade Offers Debut Release

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Robin Meade, host of Morning Express with Robin Meade on HLN, will release her musical debut, Brand New Day, on Tuesday, June 21. Other stars appearing on the album include Celebrity Apprentice winner John Rich, American Idol’s Bo Bice, Kix Brooks, and Sarah Buxton. Victoria Shaw produced the album, which includes songs Meade co-wrote with Shaw, Rich, Gary Burr, Billy Dean, Matt Lopez of Due West and others.
Offered exclusively through Target and iTunes, Meade’s album offers a glimpse into her musical roots and aspirations. “Songwriting, like journalism, is about telling people’s stories, the things that make up their lives: their loves and losses, their passions and dreams, their challenges and victories. It was important to me that this album reflects my respect for country music.”
Meade will make her first CMA Music Fest appearance on the Lay’s Plaza Stage Sunday, June 12 at 11:45am.  She’s also playing in the annual City of Hope Softball Challenge June 11, performing a duet with Bo Bice June 12, and signing copies of her new album at her booth June 9-11.
In May, Meade co-hosted CMT’s “Disaster Relief Concert” that re-aired on HLN to raise money for recent storm and flood victims.

Gaga Says Digital Album Only Worth 99¢

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An interesting Ben Sisario blog in the N.Y. Times proclaims, “In Lady Gaga’s Album, Evidence Of A New Order.”

“A paradox of the new music industry: Albums sell less and less well every year, but as a marketing tool they are now more important than ever,” says Sisario.

The writer is referring to the fact that although Gaga’s Born this Way sold over one million debut week units, over 40% of them were digital units priced at 99¢ by Amazon.

“Once an artist’s biggest source of income, recorded music now plays second fiddle to touring, endorsements, merchandise sales and an array of other revenue streams once considered ancillary. That’s especially true for an artist like Lady Gaga, who has lined up more branding and promotional deals in the last six months than most artists will in a lifetime.”

However, not all parties to the achievement shared equal joy. Ish Cuebas, Trans World VP is quoted saying,

“I don’t think it sends a good message. I can understand what Amazon did, but I think it devalues music even further. In the customer’s mind it’s worth 99 cents.”

Although it is easy to see why competing retailers would be especially unhappy about Amazon’s low price special, most surprising was a statement from Lady Gaga to The Wall Street Journal when asked if she thought her new album was worth more than 99¢.

“No. I absolutely do not,” said Gaga. “Especially for MP3s and digital music. It’s invisible. It’s in space. If anything, I applaud a company like Amazon for equating the value of digital versus the physical copy, and giving the opportunity to everyone to buy music. It also wasn’t really 99 cents, because Amazon paid the difference on all of those purchases as part of their promotional campaign for one of their new services. I think it’s amazing and it was a really nice surprise and I felt honored that they chose my record to be part of it.”

 

Industry Ink: SESAC Awards, SongWriters Fest, Mow the Row

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SESAC’s Nashville Music Awards has been set for Monday, November 7 at the company’s Nashville headquarters. The invitation only event, which honors the top songwriters and publishers in country and Americana, awarded Lady Antebellum’s Hillary Scott with its coveted Songwriter of the Year honor in 2010.
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The 9th Annual Nashville SongWriters Festival tunes up tomorrow, offering original music, professional instruction and open jam sessions. The festival runs June 3-5 in and around the Music Row area. Registration is currently open. Check http://www.songwritersfestival.com/ for details.
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The popular Mow the Row Lawnmower race on Demonbreun, benefiting the Hospitality House in honor of Joshua Ragsdale, has been postponed. Originally set for June 7, the event will now be rescheduled for later. Watch mowtherow.com for updates.
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Registration for IBMA’s World of Bluegrass 2011 in Nashville opens today. The week-long event runs September 26 – October 2 and features a business conference, the International Bluegrass Music Awards, and the Bluegrass Fan Fest. More info at http://worldofbluegrass.org/
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At the International Country Music Conference held recently at Belmont University, the Belmont Book Award for best book on country music was presented to Bar Biszick-Lockwood for her book Restless Giant: The Life and Times of Jean Aberback & Hill and Range Songs. Additionally, the Lifetime Achievement Award was presented to Ralph Emery by Belmont Book Awards founder and Chair Don Cusic (pictured below).

(L-R): Cusic, Biszick-Lockwood, Emery.

Ole Ups Buenahora To GM

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Arthur Buenahora


ole has announced the promotion of Arthur Buenahora to the position of General Manager, Nashville Creative. Buenahora, who joined ole in March 2010 as Senior Creative Director, will continue to be located in the Nashville office overseeing its staff and roster. He will also sign new writers and collaborate with ole Chief Creative Officer Gilles Godard on issues effecting Nashville operations.
“Arthur has proven his ability to generate business in a strategic and effective manner,” says ole President Michael McCarty. “Among his accomplishments at ole is the development of Charlie Worsham, who we believe is a future superstar recording artist. We are confident that Arthur’s continuing leadership of the Nashville Creative team will result in even more momentum and success for ole in Country music.”
In previous music publishing and label A&R positions, he has signed and helped to develop a number of country music’s brightest stars including Dierks Bentley, Miranda Lambert, Eric Church and Taylor Swift.
ole is one of the world’s largest independent music publishers. Founded in 2004, and with offices in Toronto, Nashville and Los Angeles, ole boasts a team of over 30 experienced industry professionals focused on acquisitions, creative development and worldwide administration. ole has been named Canadian Country Music Association’s Music Publishing Company of the Year for the past four years and earned its first Grammy Award in 2009 for Best Country Song, “White Horse.”
 

Big Machine and Curb Sponsored Car Wins Indy 500

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Scott Borchetta got to have a victory celebration of a different kind along with Mike Curb at the Indy 500 on Sunday (5/29). The record label chiefs/racing buffs sponsored driver Dan Wheldon in the No. 98 William Rast/aigo/Curb/Big Machine/Forsythe Solutions/Dallara/Honda/Firestone car for Bryan Herta Autosport/Curb-Agajanian, which wound up in the winner’s circle after the historic 100th Anniversary Indy 500.
“Growing up a racer, this is the ultimate win, the ultimate race highlight and just one of the best racing experiences of my life,” says Borchetta. “To share it with my family, my label and all the incredible people involved with driver Dan Wheldon as well as Bryan Herta and his race team was a dream come true. One of the best days ever.”
After 200 laps on the 2.5 mile track, 2005 Indy 500 winner Wheldon emerged as the victor. With only 10 laps remaining, Wheldon passed both Bertrand Baguette and Scott Dixon, before overtaking rookie JR Hildebrand who hit the wall in the final turn.
The No. 98 car will be on display until October 23 in the Air Force One Pavilion alongside the No. 98 Centennial NASCAR Sprint Cup car. It was inducted into the Ronald Reagan Presidential Foundation and Library on May 27 as part of the Ronald Reagan Centennial Celebration honoring the former President’s 100th birthday.

(L-R): Mike Curb, Scott Borchetta, Dan Wheldon, Bryan Herta, Steve Newey; Photo: Dan R. Boyd