Nashville School of the Arts sophomore Duncan McPherson performs at the CMA’s donation announcement. Photo credit: John Russell/CMA

CMA has announced it will donate all net proceeds from the 2010 CMA Music Festival to support music education and flood relief in Metro Nashville, for a record sum of $2,924,936. The donation will be split between CMA’s “Keep The Music Playing” campaign and the Community Foundation of Middle Tennessee. CMA Board member Kix Brooks made the announcement.

“When we started this program several years ago, the success of the Music Festival itself and the opportunity to have an ongoing contribution to aid in the music programs of our local schools, was just a dream – today we have a reality that’s has far exceeded our imaginations,” said Brooks. “It’s working and I can’t thank my fellow artists and all the other CMA volunteers enough. Considering the year our community has had, the faithful support from the fans of Country Music could not have come at better time. Big time thanks to everyone!”

“Every cent of the net proceeds from CMA Music Festival is going right back into this community to support causes important to everyone in the industry – music education and aiding recovery in the aftermath of the floods,” said Steve Moore, CMA Chief Executive Officer. “We are thrilled to make a donation of this size and we have confidence that the funds will be put to immediate and good use reaching the hands of the people who need it most.”

With the announcement, CMA has contributed $4,774,521 to support music education. This money has been used to build music labs and purchase nearly 4,000 instruments in Metro Nashville Public Schools through a partnership with the Nashville Alliance for Public Education. The total also includes an annual endowment gift for the Country Music Hall of Fame and Museum’s Words & Music program, which assists language arts and music teachers with classroom instruction in the basics of songwriting.

Ellen Lehman, President of The Community Foundation of Middle Tennessee, received a check on behalf of her organization to benefit flood relief.

“Thanks to the kindness of the CMA’s fans, performers and the CMA itself, there is now additional money to help our neighbors rebuild their lives,” said Lehman. “Through grants to local nonprofits which are counseling, rebuilding homes, and feeding, this gift will assist The Community Foundation and our nonprofit partners as we work toward restoring every corner of our community until the task is completed. Our sincerest thanks to the CMA and its performers and fans.”

CMA is donating all net proceeds – a record $2,924,936 – from 2010 CMA Music Festival to support music education and aid flood relief in Metro Nashville. (L-R): CMA CEO, Steve Moore; CMA Board Member and singer/songwriter/radio personality, Kix Brooks; CMA Board Member and member of Little Big Town, Karen Fairchild; Executive Director of the Nashville Alliance for Public Education, Pam Garrett; Country Music Hall of Fame and Museum Director, Kyle Young; Nashville Mayor Karl Dean; Community Foundation of Middle Tennessee President, Ellen Lehman; CMA Board Member and artist, Luke Bryan; and CMA Board President and Gaylord Entertainment Senior Vice President of Media and Entertainment, Steve Buchanan. Photo credit: John Russell/CMA.

Album artwork from The Boot. Click for more.

Curb is planning the Nov. 30 release of a Tim McGraw hits package, boasting all the singer’s No. 1’s, starting with his first trip to the top of the charts with the tear-jerker “Don’t Take The Girl.”

Number One Hits will be a double-disc package covering his double-decade long career, reports The Boot. Among the 24 tracks are “Live Like You Were Dying,” “It’s Your Love” (with Faith Hill), “Just to See You Smile,” “Something Like That,” “My Next Thirty Years,” “I Like It, I Love It,” “Real Good Man,” “Where the Green Grass Grows,” and “Southern Voice.”

The Boot reports that the compilation will include two bonus tracks: a dance mix of “Indian Outlaw,” and McGraw’s latest single, “Felt Good on My Lips.”

The superstar’s sales tally has pushed past the 41 million album mark.

Black River Entertainment has added Gordon S. Kerr as Chief Operating Officer. The New York state native will oversee all leadership functions and business affairs of Black River Entertainment and its subsidiaries which include Black River Music Group, Black River Publishing, Black River On-Line, Ronnie’s Place Studio and the newly acquired Sound Stage Studios. His background is in corporate and educational administration.

“I am humbled to be a part of such an outstanding organization,” says Kerr. “It is the desire of Black River Entertainment to demonstrate a healthy respect for the past, to recognize and understand the present and then through incredible teamwork and some unbelievable creativity, demonstrate a collective vision for our future!”

Kerr will report directly to Terry and Kim Pegula, owners of Black River’s parent company East Resources, Inc. He plans to divide his time between Nashville and Orchard Park, NY.

ACM Lifting Lives® has donated $800,000 this year to programs that improve lives through the power of music. Among its newest beneficiaries are the Nashville Symphony, Sophia’s Heart Foundation and Stars for Stripes.

Throughout 2010, the organization has supported flood relief in Middle Tennessee, the Diane Holcomb Emergency Relief Fund for music industry professionals in need, and artists’ favorite causes through a monthly “My Cause” web feature.

“These gifts can ultimately be attributed to the support ACM Lifting Lives has received from the music industry and the artist community, who give of their time for ACM endeavors that raise our corpus,” said Erin Spahn, Executive Director of ACM Lifting Lives. “In a year of economic recovery, we are thrilled to be in a position to increase our giving and support these deserving organizations.”

“Our goal has been to grow ACM Lifting Lives through our grant cycle – to expand our reach and help people in need all over the country through the power of music,” said Gayle Holcomb, Chairman, ACM Lifting Lives Board of Directors. “In addition to serving our home bases of Los Angeles and Nashville, we are now funding programs in New York, Austin, Washington, DC, Charleston and even on a Native American reservation in Boulder. The need for healing and learning through music is widespread, and we’ve taken great strides toward meeting that need, nationally.”

Among the 20 beneficiaries are:

• Holston Home in East Tennessee, a favorite of Rodney Atkins who lived there as an infant, prior to being adopted.
• Lollipop Theater Network in Los Angeles, CA and Nashville, TN received funding for music sessions for pediatric patients at the local children’s hospitals.
• Musicians On Call received funding to launch a chapter in Washington D.C. to bring music to the bedsides of military hospital patients.
• Nashville Symphony received funding to provide musical instruments and services for at-risk youth.
• Sophia’s Heart Foundation in Nashville, founded by Danny Gokey in memory of his late wife, received funding for an after-school music and arts program for children.
• Stars for Stripes in Nashville received funding for an overseas celebrity entertainment tour for the troops.
• Vanderbilt Kennedy Center’s ACM Lifting Lives Music Camp in Nashville, for the second consecutive year, received scholarships for children and complete funding for a camp that studies Williams Syndrome and provides music therapy through performance and education.