Jason Meadows stopped by KWEY/Weatherford, OK to promote his new single, "You Ain't Never Been To Texas," from his forthcoming EP. (L-R): Meadows and KWEY PD Vanessa Valli.
SPIN ZONE
In an exciting chart day showdown, Blake Shelton’s “All About Tonight” manages the rare trick of ousting a newer single from the No. 1 position. Of course, it didn’t hurt Blake’s odds that his single picked up almost 200 spins in one chart cycle. The previous No. 1, “I’m In” by Keith Urban, slips to No. 2 despite a gain of 92 spins. Still, that song has only been charting for 10 weeks and could very well reclaim the top spot.
The speed of Keith Urban’s latest is echoed in other areas of the chart. Inside the top 10 are two eight-week-old singles—Lady Antebellum’s “Our Kind of Love” at No. 7, and Billy Currington’s “Pretty Good At Drinkin’ Beer” at No. 9. Through the 20s are Toby Keith’s “Trailerhood” only six weeks old, Justin Moore’s “How I Got To Be This Way” at eight weeks, The Band Perry’s “If I Die Young” at seven weeks, Darius Rucker’s “Come Back Song” at three, and Eric Church’s “Smoke A Little Smoke” at five.
Though we’re in the middle of summer Kenny Chesney’s “The Boys of Fall” made a huge impression on programmers, who spun it enough in its first reporting week to get a No. 49 debut and a gain of 565 spins. Reba’s latest, “Turn On The Radio” debuted a mere two spins behind Chesney at No. 50. Train’s Top 40 smash “Hey, Soul Sister” is still waiting to really catch fire, but the BigChampagne Internet Chart (link below) this week might give us a glimpse of things to come. On that chart, “Hey, Soul Sister” is currently hanging at No. 2, right behind Carrie Underwood’s “Undo It.”
RADIO NEWS
Congratulations to KITX/Hugo, OK PD Will Payne and wife Brandi on the birth of their son Hayes Burgess on Monday 7/12. Hayes weighed in at 8.86 pounds, and both baby and mother are doing well. Send congratulations to papa Will at will@k955.com.
Frozen Playlists: WYVY, KJAM, WDHR, KITX, WTRS, KYEZ, KSED
Upcoming Singles
July 19
Chris Young/Voices/RCA
Joe Nichols/The Shape I’m In/Show Dog – Universal
David Adam Byrnes/Sweet Distraction/Better Angels
Reba/Turn On The Radio/Starstruck/Valory
July 26
Miranda Lambert/Only Prettier/Columbia
Sugarland/Stuck Like Glue/Mercury
Matt Kennon/You Can Still Wear White/BamaJam
• • • • •
New On The Chart—Debuting This Week
Artist/song/label — chart pos.
Kenny Chesney/The Boys Of Fall/BNA — 49
Reba/Turn On The Radio/Starstruck/Valory — 50
Katie Armiger/Leaving Home/Cold River — 70
Braden Gray/I’m Not Hungover/ATP Records — 71
Danny Gokey/I Will Not Say Goodbye/19 Recordings/RCA — 73
Hoss Howard/Dirt Road/Legends And Lyrics — 76
Veronica Ballestrini/Don’t Say/Timbob — 79
Sonny Marshall/Wanna Be Like Him/Eddie One Records — 80
Greatest Spin Increase
Artist/song/label — spin+
Kenny Chesney/The Boys Of Fall/BNA — 565
George Strait/The Breath You Take/MCA — 465
Darius Rucker/Come Back Song/Capitol — 401
Reba/Turn On The Radio/Starstruck/Valory — 343
Lady Antebellum/Our Kind Of Love/Capitol — 317
On Deck—Soon To Be Charting
Artist/song/label — spins
Martin Ramey/Twisted/Curb — 207
Chuck Wicks/Hold That Thought/RCA — 206
Blackberry Smoke/Good One Comin’ On/BamaJam — 205
David Bradley/Soak It Up/Gecko Music — 205
Amber Hayes/C’Mon/Funl Music — 201
Two Week Most Added*
Artist/song/label — New adds
Kenny Chesney/The Boys Of Fall/BNA — 41
Reba/Turn On The Radio/Starstruck/Valory — 28
George Strait/The Breath You Take/MCA — 26
Katie Armiger/Leaving Home/Cold River — 14
Darius Rucker/Come Back Song/Capitol — 13
Joe Nichols/The Shape I’m In/Show Dog – Universal — 11
UMG artist Josh Turner stopped by the CMT studios to chat with Cody Alan about his new single “All Over Me.” (L-R): MCA VP/Promo Van Haze, Turner, Alan, and UMG VP/Radio Mktg. Katie Dean.
Bucky Covington visited WPOC/Baltimore to announce his appearance on their upcoming “Sunday In The Country” show in September. (L-R): Laurie DeYoung (Mornings), Covington, PD Meg Stevens and MD Justin Cole.
Country Gold And Platinum Certifications
/by Sarah SkatesJosh Turner, Joe Nichols and Blake Shelton have all scored recent Gold single certification.
Joe Nichols (“Gimmie That Girl” Show Dog-Universal), Josh Turner (“Why Don’t We Just Dance” Mercury) and Blake Shelton (“Hillbilly Bone” Reprise) have scored RIAA Gold Digital Singles for selling more than 500,000 downloads of their recent hits.
And many other country stars have also received certifications for older songs and albums. Here’s the latest list:
Double Platinum Single
“Chicken Fried” Zac Brown Band, Atlantic
Platinum Single
“Best Days Of Your Life,” Kellie Pickler, BNA Records
“Then,” Brad Paisley, Arista Nashville
Gold Single
“I’m Alive,” Kenny Chesney with Dave Matthews, BNA Records
“In Color,” Jamey Johnson, Mercury
“Temporary Home” Carrie Underwood, Arista Nashville
Double Platinum Album
Worship Michael W. Smith, Reunion
Gold Album
Lucky Old Sun, Kenny Chesney, BNA Records
Greatest Hits II, Kenny Chesney, BNA Records
American Saturday Night, Brad Paisley, Arista
Lifenotes: Guitarist Fred Carter Jr.
/by Sarah SkatesFred Carter Jr. playing at the Station Inn in 1983. Photo by Alan Mayor
Noted musician Fred Carter Jr. passed away on July 17th from stroke-related causes at Vanderbilt University Medical Center.
The Louisiana native was born in 1933 and began his career as a professional musician in the 1950s, playing guitar for rock ‘n’ rollers like Roy Orbison. By the early ‘60s Carter had settled into the Nashville scene, where he would be a first-call player for the next two decades.
Carter’s influence branched outside of Music City, spreading into the folk world with work on Simon and Garfunkel classics like The Boxer. The multi-instrumentalist can be heard playing bass on Bob Dylan’s “Lay Lady Lay” as well as lead guitar with Joan Baez, Neil Young, and The Band. His career also included work with Muddy Waters, Waylon Jennings, Dottie Rambo, and many more.
Carter was instrumental in bringing out of town folkies to Nashville to record. He produced Levon Helm’s American Son album on MCA Records, and Bobby Bridger’s Heal in the Wisdom. As a songwriter, Carter has had songs recorded by acts as diverse as Dean Martin and Chet Atkins. He is said to have had a hand in Tanya Tucker and Dolly Parton’s first record deals.
Carter is survived by A loving husband and father, Carter is survived by his wife of 49 years, Anna; his sons, Ronnie and Jeff; his daughter, recording artist Deana Carter; and his five grandchildren. Visitation will be at Woodlawn Roesch-Patton Funeral Home (Thompson Lane) on Tuesday, July 20 from noon until 2:30 p.m., with the funeral immediately following.
Fred Carter and daughter Deana Carter, pictured in May 1998. Photo by Alan Mayor
Cold River Records Expands Promo Team; Dandy In Dual Roles
/by Sarah SkatesJim Dandy
Cold River Records has hired independent promoter Jim Dandy to share national promotion duties with Jeff Davis. Dandy, who formerly served as Regional Promotion Director for Quarterback Records and as PD of KOUL, will handle the Midwest, West and Southwest, while Davis will focus on Central, East and Southeast.
“We have worked with Jim for the past two years and his passion for our artist, Katie Armiger, is infectious,” remarked Cold River Head Pete O’Heeron. “Jim’s energy and creativity will be such a great addition to our staff, and he will hit the ground running.”
As part of the organizational changes, Kates Robinson will be shifting to a radio support role, taking on more day-to-day artist management responsibilities. Cold River is also adding radio promotion veteran Staci Schane in a new radio promotion position. Nancy Tunick continues in her role as consultant/advisor to the radio promotion team.
Dandy can be reached at jim@coldriverrecords.com or 615-483-4250. Schane can be reached at staci@coldriverrecords.com or 817-219-3389.
––––––
Updated: Jim Dandy is also working with Aria Records to promote artist Todd O’Neill’s new single, “Somethin’ With Some Attitude.” The announcement was made today (7/19) by Aria Records’ Barbara Farkas. Dandy can also be reached at jimdandy@jimdandypromotions.com.
Photo Friday: LBT, TBP, Craig Morgan
/by contributorCapitol Nashville Recording artist Little Big Town raised over $55,000 for the T.J. Martell Foundation at their 4th annual Ride For A Cure event held last Sunday (7/11). The event, which included a motorcycle ride from the Tin Roof in Nashville to the Harley-Davidson Superstore in Columbia, TN, featured pre-ride performances by Brett Eldridge, Randy Montana and Cali Rodi and post-ride performances by Little Big Town, Luke Bryan, Randy Houser, Josh Thompson and The Band Perry. (L-R): Little Big Town’s Phillip Sweet and Karen Fairchild; label-mate Luke Bryan; and Little Big Town’s Kimberly Schlapman and Jimi Westbrook. Photo: Becky Fluke
The Band Perry performed this morning (7/16) on Fox & Friends, the Fox News Channel’s morning show. The Band Perry—siblings Kimberly, Neil and Reid Perry—played with their band in the plaza outside the news channel’s offices on 6th Avenue in midtown Manhattan, as part of the program’s “All American Summer” concert series. The band’s self-titled album will be released on October 5. (L-R): Neil Perry, show host Brian Kilmeade, Kimberly Perry, show host Alisyn Camerota, Reid Perry, and show host Steve Doocy.
Cracker Barrel Old Country Store is gearing up for the latest release in its exclusive music program: Craig Morgan’s That’s Why–Collector’s Edition. The CD features 13 songs, including the top radio hits “Bonfire” and “This Ain’t Nothin,” as well as two previously unreleased songs. (L-R): Faith Quesenberry, Vector Mgmt.; Morgan; Peter Keiser, Cracker Barrel, VP Mktg.; and Julie Craig, Cracker Barrel, Mktg. Mgr.
Save The Dates: ACM Honors, End Of The Row Party
/by Sarah SkatesSPECIAL AWARDS
Jim Reeves International Award—Keith Urban
Cliffie Stone Pioneer Award— Marty Robbins and Mel Tillis
Poet’s Award—Don Schlitz and Cindy Walker
Tex Ritter Award—Crazy Heart
Mae Boren Axton Award—Rod Essig
MBI (MUSICIANS, BAND, INSTRUMENTAL) AWARDS:
Top Guitarist Of The Year – Brent Mason
Top Piano/Keyboard Player Of The Year – Michael Rojas
Top Bass Player Of The Year – Michael Rhodes
Top Percussionist/Drummer Of The Year – Shannon Forrest
Top Steel Guitar Player Of The Year – Paul Franklin
Top Fiddle Player Of The Year – Stuart Duncan
Top Specialty Instrument(s) Player – Randy Scruggs
Audio Engineer Of The Year – Justin Niebank Producer Of The Year – Dann Huff
INDUSTRY AWARDS
Nightclub Of The Year – Billy Bob’s Texas – Ft. Worth, TX
Casino Of The Year – Green Valley Ranch Resort, Spa And Casino – Las Vegas, NV
Don Romeo Talent Buyer Of The Year – Todd Boltin – Variety Attractions, Inc.
Promoter Of The Year – Brian O’Connell – Live Nation
Venue Of The Year – Sommet Center – Nashville, TN (Effective March 2, 2010, this venue was renamed The Bridgestone Arena)
•••••••••••••••••••
Derek Crownover
T.J. Martell Foundation Nashville Chapter president Derek Crownover says, “If you are a fan of suds, songwriters, and the support of a good cause, you will want to circle Sept. 16 on your calendar.”
That is the date of law firm Crownover Tisinger’s 5th annual End Of The Row party to benefit the T.J. Martell Foundation. The popular event will be held at their offices at 1701 18th Avenue South. Crownover, together with law partner Joel Tisinger who serves as pro-bono legal counsel for the Foundation, held the inaugural party in 2006. “It has become a well-attended event over the years,” said Crownover. “I think that’s because it’s just a good end of the summer hang that is low-cost for the Foundation and fun for everyone.”
Partygoers will enjoy hot food, cold beverages and cool music courtesy of some of Music Row’s finest tunesmiths. Every dollar raised from ticket sales ($20 advance, $25 at the door) goes directly to the T.J. Martell Foundation. Details on tickets coming soon.
Live Nation Ticket Sales Slide, Stock Tumbles
/by Sarah SkatesLive Nation gave the bad, but not unexpected, news to investors at a New York meeting yesterday (7/15), prompting an almost immediate reaction on Wall Street. LYV shares hit a low of 18 percent, and went on to close down 10.8 percent.
Live Nation Chief Executive Michael Rapino blamed the decline in ticket sales on a weak economy and also blamed the media for scaring artists out of touring.
Live Nation is also trying to get out of its agreement with TS Eventim, the ticketing software company it partnered with in 2007 in order to bring ticketing in house. The promoter is citing breach of contract, and TS Eventim denies the claim and says they intend to seek millions in damages.
Click here to see the full investor report.
Weekly Chart Report (7/16/10)
/by FreemanJason Meadows stopped by KWEY/Weatherford, OK to promote his new single, "You Ain't Never Been To Texas," from his forthcoming EP. (L-R): Meadows and KWEY PD Vanessa Valli.
SPIN ZONE
In an exciting chart day showdown, Blake Shelton’s “All About Tonight” manages the rare trick of ousting a newer single from the No. 1 position. Of course, it didn’t hurt Blake’s odds that his single picked up almost 200 spins in one chart cycle. The previous No. 1, “I’m In” by Keith Urban, slips to No. 2 despite a gain of 92 spins. Still, that song has only been charting for 10 weeks and could very well reclaim the top spot.
The speed of Keith Urban’s latest is echoed in other areas of the chart. Inside the top 10 are two eight-week-old singles—Lady Antebellum’s “Our Kind of Love” at No. 7, and Billy Currington’s “Pretty Good At Drinkin’ Beer” at No. 9. Through the 20s are Toby Keith’s “Trailerhood” only six weeks old, Justin Moore’s “How I Got To Be This Way” at eight weeks, The Band Perry’s “If I Die Young” at seven weeks, Darius Rucker’s “Come Back Song” at three, and Eric Church’s “Smoke A Little Smoke” at five.
Though we’re in the middle of summer Kenny Chesney’s “The Boys of Fall” made a huge impression on programmers, who spun it enough in its first reporting week to get a No. 49 debut and a gain of 565 spins. Reba’s latest, “Turn On The Radio” debuted a mere two spins behind Chesney at No. 50. Train’s Top 40 smash “Hey, Soul Sister” is still waiting to really catch fire, but the BigChampagne Internet Chart (link below) this week might give us a glimpse of things to come. On that chart, “Hey, Soul Sister” is currently hanging at No. 2, right behind Carrie Underwood’s “Undo It.”
RADIO NEWS
Congratulations to KITX/Hugo, OK PD Will Payne and wife Brandi on the birth of their son Hayes Burgess on Monday 7/12. Hayes weighed in at 8.86 pounds, and both baby and mother are doing well. Send congratulations to papa Will at will@k955.com.
Frozen Playlists: WYVY, KJAM, WDHR, KITX, WTRS, KYEZ, KSED
Upcoming Singles
July 19
Chris Young/Voices/RCA
Joe Nichols/The Shape I’m In/Show Dog – Universal
David Adam Byrnes/Sweet Distraction/Better Angels
Reba/Turn On The Radio/Starstruck/Valory
July 26
Miranda Lambert/Only Prettier/Columbia
Sugarland/Stuck Like Glue/Mercury
Matt Kennon/You Can Still Wear White/BamaJam
• • • • •
New On The Chart—Debuting This Week
Artist/song/label — chart pos.
Kenny Chesney/The Boys Of Fall/BNA — 49
Reba/Turn On The Radio/Starstruck/Valory — 50
Katie Armiger/Leaving Home/Cold River — 70
Braden Gray/I’m Not Hungover/ATP Records — 71
Danny Gokey/I Will Not Say Goodbye/19 Recordings/RCA — 73
Hoss Howard/Dirt Road/Legends And Lyrics — 76
Veronica Ballestrini/Don’t Say/Timbob — 79
Sonny Marshall/Wanna Be Like Him/Eddie One Records — 80
Greatest Spin Increase
Artist/song/label — spin+
Kenny Chesney/The Boys Of Fall/BNA — 565
George Strait/The Breath You Take/MCA — 465
Darius Rucker/Come Back Song/Capitol — 401
Reba/Turn On The Radio/Starstruck/Valory — 343
Lady Antebellum/Our Kind Of Love/Capitol — 317
On Deck—Soon To Be Charting
Artist/song/label — spins
Martin Ramey/Twisted/Curb — 207
Chuck Wicks/Hold That Thought/RCA — 206
Blackberry Smoke/Good One Comin’ On/BamaJam — 205
David Bradley/Soak It Up/Gecko Music — 205
Amber Hayes/C’Mon/Funl Music — 201
Two Week Most Added*
Artist/song/label — New adds
Kenny Chesney/The Boys Of Fall/BNA — 41
Reba/Turn On The Radio/Starstruck/Valory — 28
George Strait/The Breath You Take/MCA — 26
Katie Armiger/Leaving Home/Cold River — 14
Darius Rucker/Come Back Song/Capitol — 13
Joe Nichols/The Shape I’m In/Show Dog – Universal — 11
UMG artist Josh Turner stopped by the CMT studios to chat with Cody Alan about his new single “All Over Me.” (L-R): MCA VP/Promo Van Haze, Turner, Alan, and UMG VP/Radio Mktg. Katie Dean.
Bucky Covington visited WPOC/Baltimore to announce his appearance on their upcoming “Sunday In The Country” show in September. (L-R): Laurie DeYoung (Mornings), Covington, PD Meg Stevens and MD Justin Cole.
Tours: Judds’ Last Encore, Hank Jr’s Rowdy Friends
/by Sarah SkatesThe $500 “VIP Package” includes guaranteed seating in the first five rows, a post-show meet and greet with Wynonna and Naomi with an autographed commemorative plaque and digital photograph. A portion of the proceeds from VIP tickets will benefit St. Jude Children’s Research Hospital.
The Judds: The Last Encore tour will feature new Judds music, 25 years of fan-favorites, some of Wynonna’s solo hits and a few Christmas classics thrown into the mix.
••••••••••••••
Hank Jr.
Hank Williams Jr. announces the continuation of The Rowdy Friends Tour with a variety of special guests to join him on stage including Jamey Johnson, Eric Church, Colt Ford, Gretchen Wilson, Lee Brice, Josh Thompson, Sunny Sweeney and The Grascals. The shows will start in Evansville, Indiana, on Sept. 17, and will conclude in Raleigh, North Carolina, on Oct. 23.
The Rowdy Friends Tour 2010 is co-produced by Red Mountain Entertainment and Blue Deuce Entertainment.
Shelton Stages Online/Dance Club Contest
/by admin“The ‘All About Tonight’ Come-On Contest is a unique effort to involve fans at the club level, built around Blake’s well-known sense of humor and active fan base,” says Kelli Cashiola, VP of Brand Management, Warner Music Nashville.
As part of the dance venue promotions, clubs are hosting their own in-house “All About Tonight” Come-On Contests in August. Club-goers will have the opportunity to deliver their favorite pick-up lines in front of a live audience, who will then vote on the best submission for a chance to win an official prize pack. Details of the club contests vary from venue to venue.
The contest, organized by Marco Club Connection and held in more than 200 Country dance venues across the country, was originally geared toward club patrons, but exploded in popularity when Shelton began posting about it on Twitter and Facebook. Warner Music Nashville subsequently expanded the contest so that online fans could participate through the singer’s official website http://www.blakeshelton.com. For more info or to embed a widget visit MarcoClubConnection.com.
Syncs Help Sony/ATV Fight Slump
/by Sarah SkatesSony/ATV Music Publishing Nashville Pres./CEO Troy Tomlinson
This week’s announcement that Treehouse Records was being folded into Stroudavarious Records was the latest in a string of label changes which also included the shuttering of Lyric Street and Golden Music. In the changing environment, publishers like Sony/ATV are turning efforts to alternative income streams.
It’s not hard to calculate how the drastic drop in album sales is hurting publishers. Sony/ATV Nashville Pres./CEO Troy Tomlinson explains the chain reaction like this: “Fewer labels equals fewer artists which equals fewer albums being made, with fewer cuts and therefore fewer singles.”
In the wake of dwindling singles and sales—traditionally the biggest money makers—Sony/ATV is focusing more efforts on sync licensing as a growing income booster. Tomlinson has been building the then one-man department since he stepped into his current role about five years ago. “Now we have five people in the Nashville office who are responsible for TV, film, and commercials, as well as pitching songs for merchandising opportunities, lyric reprint opportunities, and overall marketing of our songs in more non-traditional ways,” he explains. “We’re fortunate that the Sony/ATV New York and L.A. offices work all day every day with our Nashville office. Once the makers of the film or commercial determine they need a country song to help convey their message, then I have New York or L.A. working immediately with the Nashville team to make our very best pitches for that spot.”
Tomlinson is also keeping an eye out for other burgeoning revenue streams, such as the proliferation of mobile devices. “As more people determine that they want it all in a mobile device, that has to ultimately provide us with opportunities for growth,” he says.
While music outlets and distribution methods are shifting, Tomlinson says the focus remains the same as always. “At the end of the day, we try lots of different things to stimulate revenue, but at the base of all of those, you still have to begin with a great song. You have to trust that the very best songs will be released and move people, which will result in income for the writers and publishers.”
Tomlinson relies on his passion for great music to maintain a positive outlook, but admits the current climate is bleak. “Even with all the things that we’re doing to generate more or new revenue, it won’t in any way in the near future offset what we have lost with regard to physical mechanicals. But, you can either adhere to the notion that the sky is falling, or you can make the very best of what opportunities come your way. We are blessed that we are still in a business that puts out a product that people want. And people want music more than ever, and have easier access to it than ever—although there are still obstacles to work out—I believe that in the long run it will be a positive for publishers and songwriters.”