Photos: Charley Pride, Margaret Durante, Jeremy McComb

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Pictured (l-r): MS Senator Robert Jackson, Charley Pride, MS Country Music Trail's Alex Thomas; Photo: Jeff Holder.


Charley Pride has been honored with a road marker on the Mississippi Country Music Trail. The ceremony was held Tuesday, March 29 on Highway 3 in Pride’s hometown of Sledge, MS. A portion of the highway has also been renamed “Charley Pride Highway.” “I’m honored and humbled at the same time. It was wonderful!” says Pride. “Who’d have thought that a kid who walked four miles to school and four miles home every day would ever get such a tribute?”

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Recording artist Margaret Durante visited the CMA offices on April 8 to perform songs from her forthcoming EP including the title track and upcoming single “Maybe Tonight.” Durante is signed to Stroudavarious Records’ imprint Emrose Records.

Pictured (l-r): CMA Senior Coordinator of Member & Industry Relations Betsy Walker, Stroudavarious Records President Bill Catino, Hot Schatz Public Relations Owner and Press Agent Schatzi Hageman, Stroudavarious Records Vice President of Marketing Derek Simon, Margaret Durante, Conway Entertainment Group President and CMA Board Member Tony Conway, Stroudavarious Vice President of Promotion Bill Macky, and CMA Senior Manager of Membership & Balloting Brandi Simms.

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Pictured (l-r): Wounded Warrior Mike Durner and Jeremy McComb



Jeremy McComb participated in the Wounded Warrior Project Soldier Ride in San Diego, Calif. during late March. McComb says, “While I’m a bit sore and exhausted, this weekend was incredible and life changing for me!! I made so many new friends with the Wounded Warrior Project. The warriors continue to amaze me through their stories, their selfless actions, their spirit and will.”
 

NYP: EMI Will Be Sold As Single Unit

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With rumors swirling about the auction of Warner Music Group, prognosticators have let the upcoming sell of EMI slide to the back-burner.
But today (4/12) the New York Post reports that Citigroup, which took control of EMI in February, plans to sell the company as a whole, instead of selling off separate recording and publishing divisions.
This plan is in line with the wishes of EMI Chief Executive Roger Faxon reports the paper, which also says that EMI’s corporate structure has the recorded music and publishing units so intertwined that they would be difficult to break apart.
A buyer for Warner could be announced as early as this week. And the EMI sale is expected to start when the Warner one closes.

Industry Ink Tuesday (4/12)

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Stacey Lee


iV Group has hired Stacey Lee as Creative Facilitator to work with new agency partners and manage client projects. Previously, Lee was a music supervisor and a music production supervisor for film and television in Los Angeles, working on major network series including The West Wing and Friday Night Lights. Lee also worked as Senior Account Executive for DMI Music & Media Solutions, where she created custom audio branding solutions for clients ranging from Target to General Mills. Under the direction of CEO Steve Keller, iV Group provides strategic audio branding for a wide range of global agencies and brands. Lee can be reached at slee@ivgroup.cc or 615-320-1444.
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CMT’s first scripted series Working Class has been canceled according to a note on the show’s official Facebook page. The first season finale was April 1. The show’s star Melissa Peterman will still host new episodes of The Singing Bee.
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The GMA Dove Awards are following suit of other major awards shows and offering fan voting for select categories this year. Fans can vote here for the Artist of the Year and New Artist of the Year categories before the end of today (4/12). Those who vote will be entered to win a trip to the Dove Awards in Atlanta, GA on Wednesday, April 20. The awards show will be televised on GMC on Easter Sunday, April 24, 2011 at 7 p.m. ET.
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The Songwriter Agency has signed Richie McDonald and Bryan White for booking representation. McDonald scored numerous hits as the front man and principal songwriter for Lonestar. White hit the top of the country charts four times and received awards from the CMA, ACM and Grammys. The Songwriter Agency is headed by Paul Compton, Randy Harrell and Rod Parkin. For booking, contact Harrell at Randy@thesongwriteragency.com or 904-437-8463.
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BMI has entered a partnership with Sony’s new multi-platform streaming digital music service “Music Unlimited powered by Qriocity.” With the agreement, Music Unlimited can stream the more than 6.5 million musical compositions in the BMI repertoire.
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Publishing executives Dave Durocher and Steve Toland, have partnered with marketing executive Jason Collins to launch one-stop sync licensing outfit Splother. Splother’s content will be selected by music industry executives, offering a simple “click to pay” solution for licensing music for film, television, advertising, video games and more. Splother launches April 15, 2011 at splother.com.
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Professor and exec Paul Allen has written the 2nd edition of Artist Management for the Music Business (Focal Press). Allen’s book includes artist manager profiles, a template for an artist career plan, and samples of major contract sections for artist management and record deals.
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New Cuts of Bluegrass has launched out of Franklin, TN delivering the latest releases from the bluegrass world to radio stations, DJs and programmers nationwide on one disc. The service compiles new song releases from major and independent labels and ships the discs to over 450 traditional and internet radio stations as well as satellite broadcasters. Contact them at 615-294-6536
 or info@newcutsofbluegrass.com.

Eye On Idol: Toscano Rumor Mill

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Following the surprise elimination of Pia Toscano from American Idol last Thursday (4/7), rumors about her future plans are swirling.
US Weekly is reporting that the ballad belter has already landed a recording contract with Jimmy Iovine’s Interscope Records, but ABC News reports that Toscano herself has denied signing anything and that she’s currently focusing on the upcoming Idol tour.
E! News has added that Interscope would at least like to release a single with Toscano while the show is still on, pending approval with 19 Management. It might make sense for Interscope to strike while she’s such a hot item, but it’s not confirmed at this point.
Interestingly, Yahoo’s Reality Rocks has footage of Idol Executive Producer Nigel Lythgoe confirming that Toscano wasn’t ever really considered a front runner. People loved/respected her vocal talent, but she wasn’t their favorite. As to why her exit was such a huge shock, perhaps everyone just assumed she would make it to the end because that’s usually how it works on Idol for singers of her caliber.
Toscano also managed to get her name in the tabloids over the weekend for something not singing-related. According to TMZ, the singer went on a date Friday in Los Angeles with Dancing With The Stars cast member and pro dancer Mark Ballas.
So while the exact truth remains a little fuzzy, it looks very likely that Pia will soon rise to slay yet another big ballad.

Artist Action On TV

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Lee Brice performed on The Price is Right as part of a special episode dedicated to the recent ACM Awards. Photo: Cliff Lipson/CBS


>>>The Judds premiered last night (4/10) on Oprah Winfrey Network (OWN). Wynonna and Naomi have been promoting the reality show about their farewell tour with media visits, including The Late Late Show with Craig Ferguson, airing tomorrow Tuesday, April 12.
>>>Also tomorrow, April 12, Sara Evans will perform her hit single “Stronger” on The Tonight Show with Jay Leno. The song has sold enough downloads to be certified Gold by the RIAA.
>>>The Grascals will make their debut on CBS TV’s The Talk on Tuesday, April 12 when they perform current single, “I Am Strong.”

The Roys visited "Better TV" to promote their new album "Lonesome Whistle." (L-R) Elaine Roy, Audra Lowe, Lee Roy and Rhiannon Ally


Toby Keith sat down with Becca on "The Country Vibe" to talk about his new charity Pros 4 Vets, and new mezcal liquor. (L-R): Chuck, Becca, Toby Keith


"Opry Memories," featuring performances from the Grand Ole Opry 1965-1975, will premiere April 13 at 7 PM/CDT on Nashville Public Television and will run on PBS stations nationwide in June. All performances were taped at the Ryman Auditorium. Hosted by actor-singer John Schneider (R), the show offers performances by Johnny Cash, Loretta Lynn, Dolly Parton, George Jones, and Bill Anderson (L), who is celebrating his 50th Anniversary year as a member of the Opry. Photo: Don Olea


 
 

Warner Reviewing Final Bids

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The second round of bidding ended last week in the auction of Warner Music Group, and the New York Times reports a purchaser could be revealed as early as this week. The selling price is expected to be about $3 billion.
At least 10 bidders have been vying for all or part of the company. Some investors have bid separately for the label and publishing divisions.
Media watchers say $3 billion is a healthy price for the company, and believe it is a good sign for the music industry that so many bidders are interested in Warner, given the industry’s slumping sales.

Alison Krauss And Union Station Offer Target Exclusive

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The new album from Alison Krauss & Union Station will be released tomorrow (4/12) bringing fans the first new music from the band since 2004. Paper Airplane, coming via Rounder Records, offers 11 tracks.
The band has also teamed with Target stores for an exclusive deluxe edition of the project which has an additional six tracks, including three studio songs – “These Days” and “A Place Outside,” both written by Angel Snow and Krauss’ brother, Viktor Krauss; and “Frozen Fields,” composed by Jeff Black and Jon Randall. The other three bonus tracks are live versions of “We Hide & Seek,” “Faraway Land” and “Every Time You Say Goodbye.” Target is selling the project at a $13.99 price point.
“These Days” is also being offered as a bonus track for iTunes pre-orders.
AKUS will spend release week in NYC making media appearances, including a visit to The Late Show with David Letterman on Wednesday, April 13, and The Today Show on Thursday, April 14.
The title track is the album’s first single, with the music video reaching No. 5 on CMT.com.
This is the band’s follow-up to 2004’s triple Grammy-winning Lonely Runs Both Ways. Krauss also won numerous Grammys for her collaboration with Robert Plant four years ago.
Alison Krauss & Union Station featuring Jerry Douglas are set for a nationwide tour launching in June and visiting over 50 cities through September.

BMI Promotes Camellia Petty

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Camellia Petty


BMI has promoted longtime employee Camellia Petty to Vice President, Product & Application Development.
In her new role, Petty is responsible for building the business processes and technical foundations required to meet the future needs of BMI’s songwriters, composers, publishers and licensees.
Since joining BMI in 1995 as Project Manager, she has played a key role in creating innovative programs to accurately distribute royalties to BMI’s songwriters and music publishers. Those programs include new methodology for the precise distribution of royalties from professional sports teams, theme parks, airlines and live performances in concert venues of all sizes.
She reports to Nashville based James King, Senior Vice President, Business Technology. “Camellia’s abilities and experience equip her to thrive in this position,” King said. “She has the knowledge, discipline, and passion required to deliver the next generations of technology for our affiliates and business partners.”
Petty holds a Bachelor’s degree in Business Administration from Cumberland University (Lebanon, Tennessee) and an Associate of Science degree from Nashville State Technical Institute. Petty is an active member of the Nashville Technology Council, the BMI Foundation and ORACLE Customer Support Council.

Acklen Park

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“I Love You, I Need You”
Otter Rapids Music
The country radio debut for new ensemble Acklen Park is “I Love You, I Need You.” Written by the band’s vocalist Marcum Stewart with Rebecca Pitzer, the light-hearted song goes for adds starting April 18. A video will be available soon.
Led by vocalists Stewart and Andrea Villarreal, Acklen Park features Rob Ray on piano/keys, Jeremy Colas on lead guitar, Casper Kiser on bass, and Dave Bobrow on drums. The band’s self-titled album was produced by Chris Utley at Nashville’s Benchmark Sound and is available for digital purchase. 10 of its 11 tracks were penned by Stewart, while Pitzer co-wrote four of the songs.
http://www.acklenparkonline.com
Acklen Park Facebook
http://www.youtube.com/user/AcklenPark
[wpaudio url=”https://music-row-website-assets.s3.amazonaws.com/wp-content/uploads/2011/04/10194522/ap-iluinub.mp3″ text=”Acklen Park – I Love You, I Need You” dl=”0″ autoplay=”1″]

Music Supervisors Return To Nashville Film Festival

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Six of Hollywoood’s leading music supervisors will be in Music City for events during the Nashville Film Festival.
In attendance will be Andrea von Foerster (500 Days of Summer, The O.C.), Alethia Austin (Grassroots, The Cursed), Jon Ernst (The Hills, The World According to Paris), Chris Mollere (Greek, The Vampire Diaries), Marcy Bulkeley (Music Supervisor/BLT & Assoc.), and Richard Glasser (VP Motion Picture Music/Weinstein Co.).
First up is a panel discussion titled Music Supervisors 201, scheduled for Wed., April 20, 10AM at the Regal Green Hills Cinema. Open only to established publishers and industry professionals, this panel moves past the basics and takes an in-depth look at song placement for film and TV. Music supervisors will discuss their current projects, and there will be opportunities for submissions and relationship-building. The panel will be moderated by noted entertainment attorney Jim Zumwalt. To order panel tickets ($35) go to www.NashvilleFilmFestival.org.

The same group of music supervisors will participate in an informal “speed-dating” event organized by the CMA and the Nashville Film Festival on Tues., April 19. The event will be 6:30-9pm at the CMA offices. This is not a pitch session. Limited tickets are available for $150/person and will be sold on a first-come, first-served basis. Call Ted Crockett (615) 742-2500 to attend, voicemails will be returned in the order received.
The Nashville Film Festival runs April 14-21.
Please note panelists are subject to last-minute substitutions.