New Bluegrass Offerings From Steve Martin, The Roys

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Steve Martin will release his second full length bluegrass album Rare Bird Alert on Rounder Records on March 15, 2011. He will be joined by the Steep Canyon Rangers, who toured extensively with him over the last year.
The new album features 13 new Martin-penned tracks and was produced by Tony Trishka. Sir Paul McCartney and The Dixie Chicks offered guest vocals on the project. This is the follow-up to his GRAMMY Award winning The Crow: New Songs for the Five-String Banjo.

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The Roys are prepping the March 22, 2011 release of Lonesome Whistle on Rural Rhythm Records. The CD was produced by the brother/sister duo and Andy Leftwich.
The lead single, “Coal Minin’ Man,” was written by Lee Roy and his friend Matt Rogers. It is available for digital purchase and has been serviced to bluegrass radio as well as other formats via AirplayDirect.

Warren Brothers Sign With EMI Music Publishing

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The EMI Music Publishing team welcomes new signees the Warren Brothers. Back Row (L-R): Sarah Pearson, Missy Wilson, Laura Wright, Hannah Post, Josh Van Valkenburg. Front Row (L-R): Ben Vaughn, Brett Warren, Brad Warren, Tom Luteran


Brad and Brett Warren, the Warren Brothers, have signed with EMI Music Publishing. The long-term deal covers their back catalog as well as new material. Among the pair’s numerous hits are Martina McBride’s “Wrong Baby Wrong,” and “Anyway;” Tim McGraw’s “Felt Good On My Lips” and “If You’re Reading This;” Lynyrd Skynrd’s “Red, White and Blue;” Faith Hill’s “The Lucky One;” and Dierks Bentley’s “Feel That Fire.”
As well as being hit country writers, the Warrens are accomplished rock and pop songwriters. They co-wrote nine tracks on Hinder’s forthcoming album, including lead single “All American Nightmare.” Lately they have been writing with artists as diverse as Lady Antebellum, Daughtry and Ne-Yo.
EMI Music Publishing Nashville’s Executive Vice President Ben Vaughn announced the signing. “Brett and Brad are great guys and two of Nashville’s most unique talents and personalities,” he said. “There aren’t many people capable of writing a country single one day, and then working with an rock or pop act the next, and being equally successful with both of them. We are so proud to have them as part of our Nashville family and it’s going to be a lot of fun.”

JaneDear Debut Coming Next Month

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Warner Bros. Records has set a Feb. 1 release date for the debut album from the JaneDear girls.
The self-titled project contains 11 songs written by the duo’s Susie Brown and Danelle Leverett. The Utah native and Texas native, respectively, play at least seven instruments between the two of them: accordion, guitar, bass, fiddle, ganjo, harp and mandolin.
The album’s lead single “Wildflower” is already a Top 20 hit.
At the end of the month, the girls head out on their first major tour. Jason Aldean’s My Kinda Party opens Jan. 21 in Little Rock, AR.
Track Listing:
1. Wildflower
2. Shotgun Girl
3. Merry Go Round
4. Sugar
5. Saturdays in September
6. Sing Along
7. Lucky You
8. Pretender
9. Never Gonna Let You Go
10. Free Ride
11. Everyday’s A Holiday

CMA Grows Strategic Partnership Department

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The Country Music Association has hired Chris Epperly as Director of Strategic Partnerships, and Angela Mendenhall as Manager of Strategic Partnerships. Sheri Warnke, Vice President of Strategic Partnerships, made today’s (1/6) announcement.
In the newly-created position of CMA Director of Strategic Partnerships, Chris Epperly will promote the Country Music format to companies and brands, develop marketing and promotional resources, and spearhead partnership development. With more than 10 years of related experience, he was previously VP, Brand Manager at North Carolina brand identity and advertising company Mirrus, Inc. Prior to that Epperly worked as Senior Manager at live entertainment company JHE Production Group, handling sponsorship and partnership revenues.
Returning full-time to CMA, Angela Mendenhall will develop and maintain strategic partnerships for all CMA assets, including CMA Music Festival, CMA Awards, and CMA Songwriter Series. Mendenhall joined CMA in 2005 as a Regional Partnership Manager, and was promoted to National Partnership Manager a year later. During a reorganization of the department, she became an independent contractor for CMA in 2009.
Mendenhall developed CMA’s long-standing relationship with Durango Boots, the 2008-2010 title partner of CMA Music Festival’s Acoustic Corner at Fan Fair® Hall as well as a CMA Awards promotional partner. She managed and built special programs for partners including Blue Bell Creameries, CMT, Coca Cola, Dr. Pepper, Field and Stream, GAC, McDonalds, Microsoft, RFD-TV, Sony PlayStation, and Wrangler. She also created and brought a variety of special events to CMA Music Festival including the Celebrity Bull Riding Challenge (2008-2010), CMA Celebrity Cook Off (2009), CMA Music Festival BBQ Championship (2009), and the K9 Ultimate Sports Show (2007-2010).

2010 Sales Wrap; Top Albums, Artists and Songs

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In the year’s top selling digital song, “California Gurls” Snoop Dog says, “Katy I’m all up on ya, cause you’re representing California.” This writer says to Taylor, Lady A, Ke$ha and ZBB, “To brag I’m not bashful, cause you’re cranking it loud for Nashville.”
OK, with lines like that, perhaps this writer’s rap career will remain a well kept secret. But Nielsen SoundScan’s Year-End U.S. shows that Nashville music did not play second fiddle in 2010. Below we will note the year’s Top Artists, Albums and Digital Tracks plus mention the Top country Artists of the SoundScan era (1991-1/02/2011). All the lists below are Top 10.
Albums
Lady Antebellum’s Need You Now (No. 2; 3.089 million units) and Taylor Swift’s Speak Now (No. 3; 2.96 million) finished behind the year’s top sales album—Eminem’s Recovery (No. 1; 3.415 mm). Ke$ha, also with Nashville roots, earned the No. 10 spot on the Top Ten list with sales of 1.143 million for her debut Animal. Country earned 30% of the units on the all genre Top Ten Selling albums. (Including Ke$ha, Nashville earned 35%.)
Looking at the digital component of the above album sales, Eminem, Taylor, Ke$ha and Lady A were the Top 4 in that order.
Artists
Taylor Swift gently moved Em down a notch for the overall Top Selling Artist stats. Swift’s 4.47 million units placed her ahead of Eminem’s 4.317 million. Lady A followed in third place with combined sales of 3.848 million. And congrats to Zac Brown Band who shifted 1.824 million units for a No. 9 position on the Top 10.
Looking at Nashville’s contribution to the Top Ten selling artists of the SoundScan era we find Garth Brooks in the No. 1 spot with 68.513 million units, George Strait at No. 6 (42.396 million), Tim McGraw (No. 8; 39.396 million) and Alan Jackson (No. 9; 38.275). With album sales declining, the members of this club are unlikely to greatly change. For example, Eminem, currently at No. 7 on this exalted list (39.643 million total) sold 3.4 million units this year. At that rate it would take almost 9 years to catch Garth Brooks—assuming Mr. Brooks’ total doesn’t grow.
Songs
As discussed in 2010 Sales Wrap: Country Slide, there is a digital gap between country consumers and the average of all music consumers, with respect to buying digital albums. This “divide” also applies to tracks, and as a result only one lone country song shows up on the year’s Top Ten Digital Songs list. Congrats to Lady A and “Need You Now” which downloaded a total 3.182 million units to gain the No. 10 spot and be named Top Digital Country Song. Katy Perry’s “California Gurls” featuring Snoop Dog topped the list with 4.398 million units.
Looking at the Top Selling Digital Songs for the entire SoundScan era (7/04/2004-1/02/2011) Ke$ha’s “Tik Tok” rides No. 6 with 5.483 million downloads and Taylor Swift’s “Love Story” is No. 10 with 4.853 million.
Summary
Tracking and charting annual unit counts, while important to navigating our industry, is not the entire story. Profits are much harder to document. Over the past few years we have seen CD list prices and sale prices drop while marketing and other costs increased. This adversely effects margins and profits. However, offsetting the bad news, track prices have gone up at iTunes and as the percentage of digital albums grows, there should be cost savings realized since there is no physical product involved.
Added Nielsen SoundScan Factoids
Lady Antebellum
—Finishes the year as the biggest selling group of 2010 with more than 3.8 million album sales.
—Need You Now album finishes the year as the top selling physical album with 2.7 million sales.
—Song “Need You Now”  is the most played song of the year with 600,000 spins over the airways.
Taylor Swift
—For the second time in three years is the biggest selling artist for 2010 with more than 4.4 million album sales.
—If it wasn’t for the passing of Michael Jackson in 2009, Swift would have been the best selling artist for three consecutive years; she came in second behind Michael in 2009 with 4.6 million album sales and was the best selling artist in 2008.
—Has sold more than 4 million album sales for three consecutive years; the only artist to sell 4+ million albums each of the last three years.
—Speak Now in the best selling Internet album in 2010 with 185,000 sales.
—Ends the year as the most played artist over the airways in 2010 with more than 1.1 million spins; edging out  Lady Antebellum, by 1,000 spins.

Benefit News

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Valentine’s with the Paisleys • Nashville Rescue Mission • Chris Cagle and Saddle Up! • Alive at The Bluebird • Y108 Soldier Salute • Henry Paul helps fight cancer


Brad & Kimberly Paisley


Valentine’s Day/Nashville Film Festival Benefit with the Paisleys

The Nashville Film Festival is hosting its second annual La Fete du Cinema fundraising dinner on February 14. This year’s theme, “Shaken Not Stirred,” celebrates all things James Bond. Special agents Brad Paisley and Kimberly Williams-Paisley will again serve as hosts, joined this year by co-hosts ice skating legend Scott Hamilton and his wife Tracie. BRAVO and Top Chef All-Star Chef Richard Blais will prepare a Bond-inspired menu, and Tom Black will pair the courses with wines from his celebrated collection. Tickets are $2500/couple or $8000/table. Learn more at www.lafeteducinema.com or call 615-742-2500.
The Nashville Film Festival takes place April 14-21 at the Regal Green Hills Cinemas.

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Kirk Whalum and Friends Concert for Nashville Rescue Mission

Kirk Whalum will host a benefit concert for Nashville’s homeless community on Sunday, January 9 at Visions Production Studio. A pre-concert reception will be held at 5:00 p.m. and the show begins at 6:00 p.m. Proceeds go to the Nashville Rescue Mission. Other performers include James Otto, Michael Card, Rod McGaha, John Stoddart, The Wailin Canes and Marcus Finnie. Details at www.kirkwhalum.com.

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Chris Cagle

Chris Cagle Celebrates Saddle Up! 20th Anniversary with Benefit Concert

Chris Cagle will perform at TPAC’s War Memorial Auditorium on February 12 at 7:30 p.m. The show benefits Middle Tennessee’s oldest and largest recreational therapeutic horseback riding program and the only one exclusively serving children and youth who have disabilities.
The benefit concert kicks-off Saddle Up!’s year-long 20th anniversary celebration. For more information and to purchase tickets visit www.tpac.org or call 615-782-4040. For sponsorship inquires visit www.saddleupnashville.org or call 615-794-1150.

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Alive at The Bluebird Concert Series Benefits Alive Hospice

The 18th Annual Alive at The Bluebird concert series kicked off January 1. The series benefits Alive Hospice and will help those facing the end of life receive the care and support they need. A full calendar of shows and performers is available at www.aliveatthebluebird.org. The series runs Tuesday through Saturday nights in January at The Bluebird Café.
Participating artists include Amy Grant, Vince Gill, John Oates (Hall and Oates), Bill Lloyd (Foster and Lloyd), Kim Carnes, Craig Wiseman, Matraca Berg, Rivers Rutherford, Jeff Black, Sam Bush, Kent Blazy, Cory Batten, Tom Kimmel and more.
The January 1 show featured Todd Cerney (writer of “Good Morning Beautiful” and “I’ll Still Be Loving You”), Wood Newton, Rich Fagan, Liz Hengber, Tim Buppert and Bob Regan.

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Y108 Soldier Salute Show Benefits Operation Troop Appreciation

Zac Brown Band and Craig Campbell performed recently at the Y108 Soldier Salute Show at the Pepsi Roadhouse in Burgettstown, Pennsylvania. Proceeds benefited Operation Troop Appreciation a Pittsburgh-based charity that supplies necessities and creature comforts to our forces overseas. The Soldier Salute raised $10,000.

(L-R): Jack Christopher, Bigger Picture Group; WDSY’s Jane O’Malia; Zac Brown Band’s John Hopkins; WDSY’s Stoney Richards; Zac Brown Band’s Clay Cook; Zac Brown, and WDSY’s Monty.

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Henry Paul of BlackHawk Presents Donation to Vanderbilt-Ingram Cancer Center

Henry Paul, frontman for BlackHawk, presented a check for $10,000 to the Vanderbilt-Ingram Cancer Center on behalf of the late Van Stephenson, former member of BlackHawk. Paul and Dave Robbins established the Van Stephenson Memorial Cancer Fund just after Stephenson passed away and have been contributing to the fund through money raised from concerts and various events. This year Chad Raymon and Chadd Charles, promoters for The Tricky Hoedown, helped BlackHawk raise money for the cause with their annual fall concert event in Tennessee.

Pictured with Henry Paul are Dr. Hal Moses, Vanderbilt staff members and Chad Raymon and Chadd Charles.

Sugarland's Incredible Machine Tour Steams Into 2011

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Sugarland has announced plans to continue its successful The Incredible Machine Tour in 2011.
Jennifer Nettles and Kristian Bush will return to the road this spring with guests including fellow country band and longtime tourmates Little Big Town, hit pop songstress Sara Bareilles, and pop/rocker Matt Nathanson. Guest openers will vary by city.
The tour will kick off March 3 in Houston and travel to over 59 cities nationwide. It will make a April 16 stop in Nashville.
The Incredible Machine Tour was one of Pollstar’s Top 50 North American Tours of 2010, bringing in gross box office receipts of $19 million.

News Items: George Jones Resting In Hospital

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Jones to be released from hospital • Gibson Guitar indictments • Emily Hester hired at Hall of Fame • Radio Nectar debuts • A Thousand Horses EP • Fred Eaglesmith in Nashville
>>George Jones spent last night (1/5) in a Nashville hospital following a routine check-up. His reps report he is resting comfortably and will be released today (1/6). He jokes, “I just decided I didn’t want to drive back to Franklin in this cold weather. So I guess I’ll stay here overnight and go home tomorrow!”
>>The Nashville Post reports that indictments are likely in the investigation of potentially illegal wood seized from Gibson Guitar.
>>Emily Hester has joined the Country Music Hall of Fame® and Museum as media relations coordinator. She can be reached at (615) 291-8406 and ehester@countrymusichalloffame.org.
>>Nectar Media has launched Radio Nectar, a remnant advertising service to help radio stations with unsold advertising inventory. Nectar Media is headed by President Marcus Rowe.
>>Nashville quintet A Thousand Horses has released a self-titled EP through DCG/Interscope/Vanhowes Records. They play 12th & Porter on Jan. 29.
>>Fred Eaglesmith will make a stop in Music City at The Basement on 1/23. His latest album, his 18th, Cha Cha Cha, was released in June.

Rimes To Host Colgate Country Showdown

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LeAnn Rimes will return as host of the 29th Annual Country Showdown National Final Television Special on January 13, 2011, at the Ryman Auditorium. The country music talent search has five regional winners competing for $100,000 and the title “Best New Act in Country Music.” The one-hour special will be taped for television and air in the spring.
Country Music Hall of Fame member Charlie McCoy will also return as the Showdown Musical Director, a role he’s had for 29 years.
Sitting on the judging panel will be Brian Mansfield, music journalist for USA Today; BJ Hill, Sr. Dir. of A&R for Warner/Chappell Music; Lisa Ramsey-Perkins, Sr. Dir. of A&R for Sony Music Nashville; John Ozier, Director of A&R for Curb Records; and, Rod Essig, agent from Creative Artists Agency.
Past local, state and regional winners of the Colgate Country Showdown include Brad Paisley, Garth Brooks, Tim McGraw, Martina McBride, Billy Ray Cyrus, Sara Evans and Miranda Lambert.
The public is invited to the show on January 13 at 7 p.m. Tickets are free and can be picked up at the Ryman Box Office or by calling 615-889-3060.  For more information contact your local radio station or log onto www.countryshowdown.com.

People's Choice Awards Tonight

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Here’s a recap of some of the Nashville nominees headed into tonight’s (1/5) People’s Choice Awards. The show airs live from L.A.’s Nokia Theater at 8 PM/CT on CBS.
Favorite Country Artist
Carrie Underwood
Keith Urban
Lady Antebellum
Rascal Flatts
Taylor Swift
Favorite Male Artist
Eminem
Enrique Iglesias
Michael Bublé
Tim McGraw
Usher
Favorite Female Artist
Carrie Underwood
Katy Perry
Lady Gaga
P!nk
Taylor Swift
Underwood is also up for Favorite TV Guest Star for her appearance on How I Met Your Mother.
Representing Nashville’s pop/rock set among tonight’s nominees are Paramore and Ke$ha. Paramore is up for Favorite Rock Band and lead singer Hayley Williams is in the running for Favorite Song for her guest vocals on B.O.B.’s “Airplanes.” Ke$ha is nominated for Favorite Breakout Artist