Updates From CMA Music Festival and CMT Awards

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Zac Brown Band and Alan Jackson will perform at the CMA Music Festival. ZBB is also set for the CMT Music Awards.



• CMT Music Awards organizers have added performances by Big & Rich, Toby Keith, Zac Brown Band and Luke Bryan. Recently announced host Kid Rock will perform with Sheryl Crow. The show premieres live on Wed., June 8 at 8:00 p.m. ET/7:00 p.m. CT on CMT and CMT.com. Already announced performers include Jason Aldean, Keith Urban, Lady Antebellum, Rascal Flatts and Sugarland.

As the CMA Music Festival draws near, running Thursday through Sunday, June 9-12, here’s a list of the latest updates:
• Zac Brown Band will be joined onstage at LP Field during the nighttime concerts on June 9 by Randy Travis, acclaimed folk/soul artist Amos Lee, and singer/songwriter Sonia Leigh. This is in addition to the previously announced appearance by Alan Jackson.
• The third annual Guitars of the Stars Benefit Auction will be Thurs., June 9, 4 p.m. at Hall of Fame Park. It will give fans the opportunity to bid on acoustic guitars decorated by country stars, with proceeds benefiting the Opry Trust Fund which assists members of the country music community in need. Among the stars confirmed to contribute guitars are Jerrod Niemann, Darius Rucker, and Carrie Underwood. Steve Wariner and Josh Thompson will each contribute performances and an autographed guitar to the free event.
• The Porter Wagoner Memorial Artists & Anglers Fishing Tournament will be Tues., June 7, where country music artists and celebrities will be paired with professional bass anglers for the event at Old Hickory Lake. The weigh-in will take place at 1:00 p.m. at Saunders Ferry Park in Hendersonville, Tenn. To cap the event, Bobby Bare will perform at 7:00 p.m. at the Farm House Restaurant at Fontanel. Both the weigh-in and concert are open to the public.
• David St. Romain will perform at the Nashville Navy Party as one of the events surrounding CMA Music Festival. The show is Tues., June 7 at Limelight at 5 p.m. He is gaining traction with single, “Twenty Years Late,” from his debut album, All I Really Wanted To Say.
LP Field line-up:
Thursday, June 9: Jason Aldean (with a guest performance from Kelly Clarkson), Easton Corbin, Sara Evans, Brad Paisley, and Zac Brown Band (with guest performances from Alan Jackson, Amos Lee, Sonia Leigh, and Randy Travis).
Friday, June 10: Dierks Bentley, Lady Antebellum, Reba, Ashton Shepherd, Sugarland, and Keith Urban.
Saturday, June 11: Trace Adkins, Little Big Town, Martina McBride, Rascal Flatts, Josh Turner, and Chris Young.
Sunday, June 12: The Band Perry, the JaneDear girls, Miranda Lambert, Darius Rucker, Blake Shelton, and Taylor Swift.
The event, which celebrates its 40th birthday since beginning as Fan Fair® in 1972, will once again be filmed for an ABC television special to air in late summer.

Photos From The Road (5/25/11)

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Corey Wagar stopped to visit with WCJW/Warsaw, NY, which was the first station to add her single “Hurricane.” (L-R): Wagar, WCJW PD Lee Richey, guitarist Gordon Brown


Aria Records Nashville David St. Romain continues to visit radio stations across the country to help promote his single, "Twenty Years Late." (L-R) Aria Records Nashville national promoter Kristen Cassidy, KWNR/Las Vegas PD Cary Rolfe, St. Romain.


Family trio Lucy Angel is visiting country radio in support of its new single "Serious,” and recently stopped at Hit Country 102.5 WMDH/New Castle, IN. (L-R): LA’s Emily Anderton, WMDH PD Shane Goad, LA’s Lindsay Anderton, LA’s Kate Anderton and WMDH’s Wild Bill

Golden "Honey Bee"

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Warner Music Nashville staff with President & CEO John Esposito


How sweet it is!
“Honey Bee” recorded by Blake Shelton buzzes beyond the hive to become the fastest rising single ever to sell over 500,000 units by a male country soloist—in seven weeks. The track was introduced during the ACM awards, hosted by Shelton and Reba, and downloaded 138,000 units its very first week.
The track will be featured on the newlywed’s upcoming Red River Blue album scheduled to debut July 12. Shelton is the reining CMA Male Vocalist and enjoying huge ratings as part of the TV singing competition, The Voice. “Honey Bee” follows his three consecutive No. 1 hits: “Who Are You When I’m Not Looking,” “All About Tonight” and “Hillbilly Bone.”
 

Peermusic Signs Rachel Farley

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(L-R) Ken Madson of Full Scope Entertainment (Rachel’s Manager), peermusic Sr. Creative Director/producer Michael Knox and peermusic VP Kevin Lamb watch songwriter Rachel Farley ink her co-publishing agreement.


peermusic has signed 15-year old Rachel Farley to an exclusive songwriter/co-publishing agreement, announces peermusic VP Kevin Lamb.
Farley was brought to the attention of peermusic via Sr. Creative Director Michael Knox (Jason Aldean, Montgomery Gentry, Trace Adkins, Randy Owen, Josh Thompson, Frankie Ballard) who is producing her debut CD for Average Joe’s Entertainment. The new release will feature Farley’s writing or co-writing on all 10 tracks. Knox discovered the young talent on MySpace and has followed her burgeoning career for three years.
“I was impressed with Rachel’s artistry for years,” says Knox, “but when I heard the songs she was writing, I was also amazed at how well she was able to express who she is, considering she was so young. She’s the kind of songwriter that can not only write for herself, but other artists as well.”
Farley began performing professionally at the age of 11 in her home town of Lawrenceville, Georgia, and was already penning her own original songs by age 12.
peermusic, founded in 1928 by Ralph S. Peer, calls itself the world’s largest global independent publishing company with 35 offices in 28 countries.

Bug Acquires Sugar Hill Publishing Rights

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Bug Music CEO John Rudolph announced today the company has entered into an exclusive agreement to administer rights to Sugar Hill Records’ music publishing catalog. The deal gives Bug Music worldwide rights to a 600-title library containing a “who’s who” of country, bluegrass and Americana music.
The rosters at Sugar Hill Records’ two publishing companies, Southern Melody Publishing Co. and Queen’s Counsel Music, include Nickel Creek members Chris Thile, Sarah and Sean Watkins, Robin and Linda Williams, Ralph Stanley, Etta Baker, Claude Hensley, Ruth Franks, Doc Watson, Tommy Thompson of Red Clay Ramblers, and members of Donna the Buffalo, Austin Lounge Lizards and Seldom Scene.
“Sugar Hill’s Southern Melody Publishing Co. and Queen’s Counsel Music developed a rich catalog of American roots music,” Bug Music Senior VP Garry Velletri said. “Sugar Hill has done an amazing job in working with their writers, and we’re proud to represent and find new opportunities across multiple platforms for their music.”
Bug Music claims to be the largest U.S. independent contemporary publisher, spread across eight offices in the U.S. and Europe. Sugar Hill Records, co-founded in Durham, North Carolina in 1978, has grown to become one of the country’s premier country, bluegrass and Americana record labels.
 

Whiskey Myers Meets Industry And Media

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(L-R) Cody Tate, Gary Brown, Cody Cannon, John Jeffers and Jeff Hogg. Photo: Izzynashville.com


(Nashville, TN) Texas-based Southern Country rockers Whiskey Myers debuted material from their recently released Firewater album last night for an industry crowd at downtown Nashville venue The Rutledge. Firewater, released April 26, earned a No. 3 debut on the iTunes Country Albums chart and a No. 26 debut on Billboard’s Country Albums chart.
The five-piece Tyler, Texas, outfit offered a 35-minute set which included their current Top 15 Texas chart single, “Bar, Guitar and a Honky Tonk Crowd.”
In the past year the band has opened for artists including Blake Shelton, Miranda Lambert, Luke Bryan and Randy Houser. In the coming months they have dates scheduled with Dwight Yoakam and .38 Special, among others.
 

Willie Nillie Photos

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Kick-Off Party for Willie Nelson’s Country Throwdown Tour
BMI hosted the kick-off party for the second annual Willie Nelson’s Country Throwdown Tour at its Nashville offices on Monday (5/23). Featuring a blazing performance by Lukas Nelson and Promise of the Real, the party was a rollicking start to the tour, which runs from May 27 to July 4, with a June 3 stop in Nashville at The Woods at Fontanel. BMI will also proudly sponsor the tour’s Bluebird Café Stage, which will host in-the-round acoustic sets from singer/songwriters including Adam Hood, Caitlyn Smith, Austin Lucas, Brent Cobb, Dani Flowers and Erin Enderlin.

Pictured (L-R): BMI’s Jody Williams, Brent Cobb, Lukas Nelson, Dani Flowers, Erin Enderlin, Willie Nelson’s Country Throwdown Tour’s Sarah Baer, Craig Campbell, Drake White, and BMI’s Beth Laird. Photo: Eric England


 
Hollywood/Nashville Mingle At Anastasia Brown’s Reception
Anastasia Brown and Format Entertainment hosted a reception at Ms. Brown’s home prior to the Nashville Screenwriters Conference. Format recently expanded its Nashville music supervision division and established a Format Music Publishing office, headed by Brown. Among those in attendance at the event were music execs and artists including Rod Essig, Trey Turner, JoDee Messina, Randy Scuggs, Chuck Prophet, Jonathan Cain, Damien Horne, producer Angelo Petragila, music supervisor Julia Michels, and screenwriters John Lee Hancock, Les Bohem, Derek Hass and Michael Brandt.

(L-R): Jeff Xander, Anastasia Brown, Angelo Petragila, Chuck Prophet and Renee White. Photo: Team Strategies


 
Miss Willie Brown Visits CMA
A&M/Octone Records Miss Willie Brown visited the CMA offices recently. The duo will perform on The Lay’s Stage at Bridgestone Arena Plaza on Friday, June 10 during the 2011 CMA Music Festival, which runs Thursday through Sunday, June 9-12, in downtown Nashville.

(L-R): CMA Senior Manager of Membership & Balloting Brandi Simms, Miss Willie Brown's Kasey Buckley and Amanda Watkins, and CMA Senior Coordinator of Member & Industry Relations Betsy Walker. Photo: Amanda Eckard / CMA

Luke Bryan Debuts Video, Sets "CMT Crossroads" Date

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Luke Bryan on the set of his new video for "Country Girl (Shake It For Me)."



Luke Bryan is gearing up for the Aug. 9 street date of his third studio set with this week’s release of the video for lead single “Country Girl (Shake It For Me).” Directed by award-winner Shaun Silva, the video was filmed last month in Los Angeles at Siren Studios.
Single stats are boding well for the success of Tailgates and Tanlines, coming via Capitol Records Nashville. The song debuted at No. 1 in U.S. digital singles sales with 105,498 downloads and is the fastest moving single of his career.
It’s the follow-up to Bryan’s three consecutive No. 1 hits “Do I,” “Rain Is A Good Thing” and “Someone Else Calling You Baby.”
Bryan is teaming with The Doobie Brothers for the next installment of CMT Crossroads, premiering Friday, June 24. He is also nominated for two 2011 CMT Music Awards: Best Web Video of the Year for “It’s A Shore Thing,” and Best New Live Act—the Nationwide Insurance Award.
Fans can catch him this summer on Tim McGraw’s Emotional Traffic tour.

Eye On Idol (5/25/11)

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American Idol viewers got a taste of things to come last night (5/24) as finalists Scotty McCreery and Lauren Alaina previewed their would-be first singles.
Scotty was first to sing with a tune called “I Love You This Big,” which was written by rapper/producer Lil Ronnie (Ronnie Jackson) with Brett James and songwriter/producer Ester Dean.
The live performance was not one of Scotty’s best, but thematically and stylistically it’s a good song choice. The lyrics are fitting for a young man with big dreams and a big heart. The chorus goes: “I love you this big/Eyes have never seen this big/No one’s ever dreamed this big/And I’ll spend the rest of my life/Explaining what words cannot describe but I’ll try/I love you this big.” The studio recording has an easy, worn-in George Strait feel to it, which allows Scotty to prove to the naysayers he has plenty vocal range.
Lauren closed out the show with “Like My Mother Does,” which was co-written by Nathan Chapman, Liz Rose, and Nicole Williams.
If Scotty’s was a good song choice, Lauren’s was doggone near perfect. Avid Idol watchers know that Lauren’s mother has been there every step of the way this season, all the way back to the audition round. Nearly every episode of the Final 13, Idol producers have cut to a shot of Mom in the audience tearfully cheering Lauren on to victory. The lyrics credit Mom for her strength: “She’s a rock, she is grace/She’s an angel, she’s my heart and soul/She does it all.”
Adding to the high drama, Lauren was dealing with some serious vocal cord strain before the show even started. But she toughed it out for a winning performance, making sure to hug her mother mid-song and melting my icy heart in the process. Curiously, this same song was previously released as a single by Atlantic artist Jesse Lee in 2010 but never dented the charts. Former Idol finalist Kristy Lee Cook also recorded the song for her 2008 album Why Wait.
Both songs are already available for purchase on iTunes, and Play MPE has serviced them both to radio. America crowns its newest Idol tonight (5/25) at 7 pm CT on Fox. Whatever the outcome, it looks like good news for Nashville.

Tim McGraw Countersues Curb Records

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Tim McGraw has filed a countersuit against longtime label home Curb Records, according to today’s Tennessean. The news broke last week that Curb was suing the superstar for breach of contract.
According to the newspaper, McGraw is seeking punitive damages, an advance payment for his latest recordings, and a legal ruling that he has fulfilled his contract with the label, which would allow him to enter other recording agreements.
McGraw is represented by attorney Rusty Jones of the Nashville firm Harris, Martin & Jones. The attorney for Curb Records is Jay S. Bowen of Bowen & Unger.