MTSU and ASCAP Team for Fledgling Writers

/by

MTSU’s Department of Recording Industry and the Nashville office of ASCAP are helping to turn education into careers with a successful commercial songwriting partnership, “Partners in Craft.” The two-year old program, which pairs veteran songwriting and publishing mentors with students majoring in songwriting, will celebrate with a special gathering on Friday, Sept. 24. Representatives from the ASCAP and MTSU’s recording-industry program will toast the success of the partnership with a press conference at tomorrow’s (9/24) mentors’ meeting at the ASCAP building at 2 Music Square West.

Partners in Craft grew out of a long relationship between ASCAP and the Department of Recording Industry, said MTSU Assistant Professor Hal Newman. Talented students, in the past, would pass through the university’s internationally recognized program and set their own career paths. Partners in Craft, which led to the commercial songwriting concentration for recording industry majors, has provided networking and training opportunities as well as specialized courses tailored to students’ career goals. Newman’s songwriting classes also are part of MTSU’s program, which merges classroom knowledge with real-world work environments.

Hal Newman

“It’s really helped my classes learn, and it gives our students a distinct advantage,” said Newman, one of the creators of Partners in Craft and the coordinator of the department’s commercial songwriting concentration. “We’re only in our fourth full semester of this program and we already have 53 student majors. We’ve had eight successful internships, and our ninth and 10th students have their songwriting internships this semester. I’m excited about working with the new team at ASCAP and very happy with the interest in the partnership and the efforts to maintain and strengthen our relationship.”

Several MTSU graduates already have found songwriting success; one of the most recent is Eric Paslay, whose internship at Cal IV Entertainment helped refine his songwriting abilities and turned into a publishing contract. The 2005 MTSU graduate is close to signing a record deal with a major label and is now being booked by the William Morris Agency.

Tim DuBois, ASCAP Nashville’s new Vice President and Managing Executive, is “very excited about our program,” Newman said, adding that the company recently put its new Creative Manager, Ryan Beuschel, in charge of coordinating the ASCAP end of Partners in Craft.

ASCAP continues to provide mentors to guide Partners in Craft students through the songwriting process. This semester’s commercial songwriting mentors include producer-writer-artist-engineer Walt Aldridge, Greg Becker of Sony/Tree, Jon Nite of EMI, singer-songwriter Mando Saenz and MTSU alumnus Rich Karg, while the advanced-songwriting course mentors are Matthew Miller of Carnival Music, Freeman Wizer of Universal Music Publishing, MTSU alum B.J. Hill of Warner-Chappell Music, Sarah Johnson of Bug Music and Jesse Frassure of Major Bob Publishing.

ASCAP also hosts a showcase each semester, Hot on the Row, featuring MTSU student songwriters and attended by music-industry publishers. For more information visit http://recordingindustry.mtsu.edu.

Artists Visits: Sturgeon, Bice & JaneDear

/by

Jason Sturgeon On Fox
Toolpusher Records’ artist Jason Sturgeon visited Fox 17’s Tennessee Mornings to perform his new single “Rollin’ On” and to talk about his brand new album, That’s Me. Sturgeon made a stop in Nashville for this TV appearance and a showcase at The Listening Room before “rollin’ on” to Bloomington, IN for a special album release concert on Friday.

(l-r): Tennessee Mornings hosts Shane Tallant and Kelly Sutton, and Jason Sturgeon

• • •

Bo Bice Does Beantown
Saguaro Road Records artist Bo Bice recently stopped by the WKLB Boston studio for a live webcast. Bice played some tunes and answered questions with morning show host Lori Grande.

(l-r): New School Ent's Chris Borchetta, WKLB's Ashley Cook, morning show DJ Lori Grande, Bice, WKLB's MD Ginny Rogers, and WKLB's Promotions Director Dawn Santolucito.

• • •

Jane Dear Girls Get Their Kix
the JaneDear girls were in the studio recently visiting with American Country Countdown host Kix Brooks.

(l-r): Susie Brown, Kix Brooks, Danelle Leverett

• • •

Underwood Kicks Off Fall Leg Of “Play On Tour”

/by

19/Arista Records artist Carrie Underwood will kick off the fall leg of her Play On Tour this Saturday (9/25) in Portland, Oregon at the Rose Garden Arena. The tour will play 47 cities before wrapping December 19 in Calgary, Alberta. By the close of this leg, Underwood will have performed over 100 shows throughout the U.S. and Canada on the Play On Tour in 2010. Special guests this fall are Billy Currington and Sons of Sylvia.

Underwood will donate 36 cents of every ticket sold to Save the Children’s United States Programs. This initiative was inspired by the “36 cents” written in the lyrics of her album track “Change,” which addresses how even the smallest bit of spare change that one might have can add up to make a difference and help “change” the world.

The three-month spring leg of the Play On Tour was performed in front of nearly 400,000 fans and nearly sold out all 54 shows throughout North America, bringing along special guests Craig Morgan and Sons of Sylvia.

Underwood is a five-time Grammy Award winner, a member of the Grand Ole Opry, two-time reigning Academy of Country Music Entertainer of the Year, and three-time CMA and ACM Female Vocalist winner. She has amassed more than 12 million in album sales since her debut CD in 2005 and has placed 13 No. 1 singles on the charts.

Fall Play On Tour dates:
September 25               Portland, OR                Rose Garden
September 27               San Jose, CA               HP Pavilion at San Jose
September 28               Stockton, CA               Stockton Arena
September 29               Bakersfield, CA            Rabobank Arena
October 1                    San Diego, CA             San Diego Sports Arena
October 2                    Los Angeles, CA          Hollywood Bowl
October 3                    Glendale, AZ                jobing.com Arena
October 6                    Houston, TX                Toyota Center
October 7                    San Antonio, TX          AT&T Center
October 9                    Dallas, TX                    American Airlines Center
October 10                  Tulsa, OK                    BOK Center
October 12                  N. Little Rock, AR       Verizon Arena
October 13                  Nashville, TN               Bridgestone Arena
October 15                  Moline, IL                    i Wireless Center
October 16                  Kansas City, MO         Sprint Center
October 17                  Omaha, NE                  Qwest Center
October 19                  Wichita, KS                 INTRUST Bank Arena
October 20                  Oklahoma City, OK     Ford Center
October 22                  Memphis, TN               FedExForum
October 23                  Mobile, AL                  Mobile Civic Center
October 25                  Tampa, FL                   St. Pete Times Forum
October 26                  Jacksonville, FL          Jacksonville Veterans Memorial Arena
October 27                  Duluth, GA                   Arena at Gwinnett Center
October 29                  Greensboro, NC          Greensboro Coliseum
October 30                  Charlotte, NC              Time Warner Cable Arena
November 1                 Cleveland, OH             Wolstein Center
November 3                 Toronto, ON                Air Canada Centre
November 5                 Long Island, NY           Nassau Coliseum
November 6                 Manchester, NH           Verizon Wireless Arena
November 12               Roanoke, VA               Roanoke Civic Center
November 13               University Park, PA      Bryce Jordan Center
November 15               Newark, NJ                 Prudential Center
November 16               Baltimore, MD             1st Mariner Arena
November 29               Auburn Hills, MI           The Palace of Auburn Hills
December 1                 St. Louis, MO              Chaifetz Arena
December 2                 Evansville, IN               Roberts Stadium
December 4                 Des Moines, IA            Wells Fargo Arena
December 5                 Sioux Falls, SD             Sioux Falls Arena
December 7                 Rapid City, SD             Rushmore Plaza Civic Center Ice Arena
December 8                 Casper, WY                 Casper Events Center
December 10*             Bismarck, ND              Bismarck Civic Center
December 12               Bozeman, MT              Brick Breedan Fieldhouse
December 14               Yakima, WA                Yakima Valley SunDome
December 15*             Penticton, BC               South Okanagan Events Centre
December 16               Vancouver, BC            Rogers Arena
December 18               Edmonton, AB             Rexall Place
December 19               Calgary, AB                 Pengrowth Saddledome

Gloriana Join Quaker’s After School Campaign

/by

Emblem/Warner Music Nashville artists Gloriana have teamed up with Quaker Chewy Granola Bars and the nonprofit organization, Afterschool Alliance, to help raise awareness about the importance of after school programs through the Quaker Chewy Afterschool Rocks campaign.

“Gloriana was a natural fit as a featured artist for the Quaker Chewy Afterschool Rocks campaign because of their personal experiences with — and support for — after school programs,” said Bill Fiely, Senior Manager of Quaker Snack Bars. “We hope Gloriana’s music and behind-the-scenes videos will help to inspire and energize a new generation of after school activities.”

The Quaker Chewy Afterschool Rocks campaign builds support for affordable, quality after school programs that give children opportunities to learn and grow. To help energize after school activities, Quaker Chewy has pulled together a must-see music library at www.quakeroats.com/afterschoolrocks, which features more than 250 songs from over 70 artists, including Gloriana, Jordin Sparks, and Jason Derulo. Parents can get codes for two free song downloads from the Afterschool Rocks music library by purchasing specially-marked boxes of Quaker Chewy Granola Bars.

Gloriana, who were chosen to represent country music for the Quaker Chewy Afterschool Rocks campaign, recorded several exclusive videos that give fans an inside look into how they each stay active, how they came to be in a group together, and much more. Parents can check out these videos with their families as well as download five featured Gloriana tracks including “How Far Do You Wanna Go?,” “If Your Leavin’,” and “ The Way It Goes” by visiting www.QuakerOats.com/afterschoolrocks.

The Quaker Chewy Afterschool Rocks campaign will help more than 25,000 after school programs nationwide get access to vital resources. The Afterschool Alliance is the nation’s leading voice for after school programs, and is dedicated to ensuring that all children have access to quality programs, especially in under served communities. While 8.4 million children participate in after school programs, more than 15 million children are alone and unsupervised after the school day ends due to a lack of affordable programs.

Gloriana is out on their Long Hot Summer Tour 2010 through the fall. The foursome have started working on their second album. For more information on Gloriana visit www.gloriana.com.

Fighting Hunger With “Stars For Second Harvest”

/by

Craig Wiseman

The Second Harvest Food Bank of Middle Tennessee is gearing up for the 6th annual Stars For Second Harvest benefit on September 28 at 7:30 PM at the Nashville’s Ryman Auditorium. Hosted by acclaimed songwriter Craig Wiseman, the concert will feature an unplugged acoustic style performance by some of music’s brightest stars including Uncle Kracker, Chris Young, Josh Thompson, Sam & Ruby, esteemed songwriters Mac McAnally and Tony Mullins and comedian Henry Cho. Sponsored by O’Charley’s, the evening will help raise awareness of hunger issues in the Nashville community and will close out the food bank’s four-week run of activities in recognition of September as Hunger Action month.

In the last five years, this event has raised $326,695 to feed the hungry in Middle Tennessee. Because each dollar provides four meals, the funds raised from the concert provided Second Harvest with the funds to supply 1,306,780 meals.

“Second Harvest is one of the best charities that I’ve ever been involved with, Wiseman says. “We thought an unplugged night of songwriters and artists at the historic Ryman would be great. It is hard to believe we’re in our 6th year. Thanks to O’Charley’s sponsorship it allows every penny to go to Second Harvest of Middle Tennessee and feed the hungry in our community. I’m so excited for this year’s lineup. We’ve got pop, country, indie, comedians and who knows who else will show up. It will be a great night!”

In light of this year’s post-flood shortages, Wiseman is upping the ante to motivate the giving public with some additional offers. For anyone who steps up this week with donations, the hit songwriter is offering some special bonuses.

• Bonus #1: Donate any amount and you’ll receive some sample cans of 2nd Harvest’s private label soups and chili.

• Bonus #2: Donate $250 and get two premium tickets to Tuesday night’s benefit show.

• Bonus #3: Write a really big check and they will get you tickets and “other goodies.”

For more details or to donate contact Amy@bigloudshirt.com

Event tickets are on sale now for $35 at ticketmaster.com. For preferred seating please contact the Second Harvest Food Bank at 615-329-3491. Proceeds from the concert go to the Second Harvest Food Bank of Middle Tennessee in their efforts to feed hungry people and work to solve hunger issues in our community.

For more information contact Leigh Clark at 329.3491 or visit Second Harvest’s website at www.secondharvestmidtn.org.

Luke Bryan and BMI Bring On The “Rain”

/by

Well-wishers gathered in BMI’s Music Row lobby on Tuesday (9/21) to toast the chart-topping collaboration of longtime friends and BMI affiliates Luke Bryan and Dallas Davidson. “Rain is a Good Thing,” which Bryan recorded and the pair co-wrote, marks Bryan’s second consecutive chart-topper and gold digital single and Davidson’s fifth No. 1.

To cap off the celebrations, Bryan was surprised by Capitol Records Nashville label head Mike Dungan with the proclamation that his current album Doin’ My Thing has been certified Gold by the RIAA for sales of 500,000.

“Discovering the album had reached the half-million mark in album sales at the #1 party was just icing on the cake,” Bryan said. “My life is so good right now with great career highs like this and a growing family at home.”

(l-r): BMI’s Perry Howard, Bug Music’s Roger Murrah, producer Jeff Stevens, Luke Bryan, co-writer Dallas Davidson, EMI Music Publishing’s Ben Vaughn, Red Light Management’s Kerri Edwards, Capitol Records’ Mike Dungan, and BMI’s Jody Williams. Photo: Steve Lowry

Farm Aid One–25 Years Ago

/by

Tony Conway (L) and Buddy Lee (R) at the University of Illinois stadium at 2 a.m. just after Bob Dylan and Tom Petty finished sound check. The event was Farm Aid One. It attracted a sold out crowd of 80,000 fans, featured over 60 artists and was broadcast live on TNN. Note the TV interview happening on the right.

(L-R) Tony Conway and Buddy Lee

Chesney Heads To CMT’s “Invitation Only”

/by

Kenny Chesney is the latest star headed to the Invitation Only stage when an all-new episode of the show premieres Monday, September 27 at 9:00 PM-10:00 PM/CT on CMT. Taped before a small studio audience in Nashville, the Invitation Only series features artists performing their biggest hits and new favorites, as well as answering questions from fans during an informal question and answer session.

In this one-hour special, Chesney performs some of his biggest hits including “When The Sun Goes Down”, “Out Last Night,” and more. He also debuts five new songs from his forthcoming album, Hemingway’s Whiskey, including the title track and his latest single, “Boys of Fall”. While answering questions from fans, Chesney reveals the strangest gift he has ever received from a fan, gives his advice to new artists and discusses what stands out about his new album.

(l-r): Paul Barnabee, SVP, Finance & Operations, Sony Music Nashville; John Hamlin, SVP, Music Events & Talent, CMT; Margaret Comeaux, Sr. Director, Music Events & Production, CMT; Brian Philips, President, CMT; Kenny Chesney; Laurissa Ryan, Sr. Director, Talent Relations, CMT; Gary Overton, CEO, Sony Music Nashville Photo: Rick Diamond/WireImage.com

New Book Chronicles CMA Awards History

/by

The glamour, history, backstage stories, and memorable moments from more than 40 years of the annual CMA Awards are collected in a new, unique book, The CMA Awards Vault, now available nationwide.

Author Deborah Evans Price traces the show’s 43-year run from a one-hour, radio-only broadcast in 1967 to the glittery three-hour, network television spectacle of today. Evans Price interviewed dozens of country music’s biggest stars, from Sonny James, the host of the first CMA Awards Banquet and Show, to Brad Paisley and Carrie Underwood, who will host The 44th Annual CMA Awards for the third time in November. In the process, the author takes the reader behind the scenes and recalls the greatest performances, the famous – and sometimes infamous – fashion trends, and the art of putting together a top-rated network gala.

Deborah Evans Price

“As someone who grew up watching the CMA Awards, and was then privileged to go to the Awards for the past 25 years, I couldn’t think of anything that would excite me more than doing a book on the institution,” said Evans Price.

What really sets this book apart from other Country Music histories, however, is the unique “scrapbook” approach. The CMA Awards Vault contains never-before-published photographs, artwork, and memorabilia. Tucked into dozens of pockets throughout the book are replicas of such items as a program from that first CMA Awards in 1967; a note to the CMA from the Charlie Daniels Band in 1980; a ticket to The 40th CMA Anniversary show; and the set-design blueprint from the 2009 CMA Awards.

“I’m thankful for the wonderful journey this book provides through the history of the CMA Awards,” writes Barbara Mandrell in the book’s afterword. “Reading it makes one feel so ‘behind the scenes,’ ‘inside,’ and as though they’re having conversations with many of the great artists in country music.”

With a foreword by four-time CMA Entertainer of the Year Kenny Chesney, The CMA Awards Vault is published by Whitman Publishing, LLC, of Atlanta. The 144-page hardcover 12-inch by 10-inch book with slipcase is available for $49.95 in bookstores and online retailers. The book can also be ordered at www.CMAawards.com and www.WhitmanVaultBooks.com. CMA members can purchase the book for $35 at the CMA office.

Memorial Set For Engineer Bill Porter

/by

Chet Atkins (left) and Bill Porter at the mixing console

A memorial service for pioneering Music Row studio engineer Bill Porter will be held at 5:00 PM on Friday, Sept. 24, at RCA Studio B. He died at age 79 on July 7 of Alzheimer’s disease in Ogden, Utah. Porter was the long-time engineer at the famous RCA Studio B. As such he was behind the board for the giant hits of such stars as Roy Orbison, The Everly Brothers, Eddy Arnold, Elvis Presley, Chet Atkins, Dolly Parton, Dottie West and many more.

It is said that during one week in 1960, recordings that he engineered accounted for 15 of the top pop records in the nation. After leaving studio work, Porter became Presley’s live sound engineer on the road and during the superstar’s Las Vegas extravaganzas.

He developed the first college curriculum for audio engineering for the University of Miami School of Music and taught at the University of Colorado and at Webster University in St. Louis. Porter retired in 2005.

Click here for a more comprehensive obituary, reported in MusicRow on July 9.