Rockhouse Partners (l-r): Tawn Albright, Kevin Brown, and Joe Kustelski
Former echo/Ticketmaster executives Tawn Albright, Kevin Brown and Joe Kustelski have formed sponsorship agency Rockhouse Partners, which officially launches today (2/2) with a full slate of clients. The Nashville based company will focus on connecting sponsor brands to consumers in the music and sports industries through digital marketing strategy, online/offline activation programs, and new digital products, along with data aggregation and analysis.
Rockhouse Partners’ initial clients include C3 Presents (Lollapalooza and Austin City Limits Music Festival), Lance Armstrong and the RadioShack Pro Cycling Team, Next BIG Nashville, the Tennessee State Fair, Nashville agencies like redpepper, and other entities across the entertainment vertical. The company’s target clients are sponsorship brokers, live entertainment properties, brands and their agencies, sports entities, advertising/marketing firms, and media companies.
In addition to Rockhouse Partners’ initial clients, the company has formed partnerships with Nashville entities including American Songwriter magazine and email marketing firm Emma; along with Austin-based design/development shop Smith & Robot.
Co-founders Albright, Brown, and Kustelski bring to Rockhouse Partners over 40 years combined experience in technology, digital media, consumer products, ticketing, live entertainment, artist management, promotions, start-ups, advertising, and Fortune 500 brands. The trio met at Echo, Ticketmaster Entertainment’s digital marketing firm, where Albright served as CEO, Brown led Strategic Marketing, and Kustelski was Vice President of Product & Technology. While collaborating at Ticketmaster/Echo, the Rockhouse Partners founders fine tuned their eye toward data by managing 15 million consumer database relationships, 200,000 paid fan club subscriptions, one million mobile fan records, and more than $25 million in ticket sales annually.
“From my days at The Coca-Cola Company in corporate development to Ticketmaster and Echo where we managed the digital presence for more than 250 artists, festivals, and properties; sponsorships have become the glue in connecting brands to the entertainment industry. The way the industry is moving, brands are demanding more value in the form of measuring data and proving ROI. We see a major opportunity to activate brands and fans in a meaningful, relevant, and interactive way,” stated Albright.
“We launched this venture hell-bent on not creating just another digital marketing firm. We’re creating scalable technology products that address specific business opportunities, we understand the value of data, and we bake measurement into everything we do,” said Kustelski.
“The response so far to our unique model has exceeded all expectations. We’re busy growing the team, building out our technology platform, and we’re beyond excited to take this next step,” said Brown. “2010 looks bright as we’ll be focusing on business development, with programs planned at South by Southwest (SXSW) in Austin and the annual IEG Sponsorship Conference in Chicago.”
“We can’t say enough great things about Rockhouse,” offers Courtney Graber, Director of Sponsorships for C3 Presents. “They have the unique ability to grasp digital strategy and technology at the highest level, combine that knowledge with an in-depth understanding of brand sponsorships, all the while being able to manage and measure the most critical success metrics.”
Contact Rockhouse at hello@rockhousepartners.com or 615-772-4326. The Rockhouse offices are located at 2120 8th Ave. S., Nashville, TN 37204.
Sanford And Nichols At Sound Kitchen; Celeb Softball
/by MichelleChas Sandford
Tim Nichols
Chas Sandford, Tim Nichols and friends will perform at Strings and Stories: A Night of Songwriter’s Tales on Feb. 20 at the Sound Kitchen in Franklin. The event will benefit the children of High Hopes Inclusive Preschool and Pediatric Therapy Clinic, and in addition to the performances, will include a “Meet the Artist” session with wine, beer and hors d’oeuvres. To make reservations please send a check for $125 per person payable to High Hopes, Inc., c/o High Hopes Fund Development, 1647 Mallory Lane, Suite 103, Brentwood, TN 37027. You may also make reservations by phone at (615) 522-5611.
••••
The 20th annual City of Hope Celebrity Softball Challenge is set for June 7 at Greer Stadium in Nashville. Considered as an unofficial kickoff to the CMA Music Festival, this high-profile game features country stars, athletes and celebrities taking the field to represent team sponsors Grand Ole Opry Live and After MidNite with Blair Garner. Carrie Underwood, Vince Gill, Clint Black and many others have all stepped up to the plate in past years to help raise funds and awareness for City of Hope’s lifesaving mission.
Carrie Underwood at a past Celebrity Softball Challenge.
Underwood Video Debut; No Shoes Radio Live From Miami
/by FreemanUnderwood will be at South Florida’s Sun Life Stadium Sunday (2/7) to sing the national anthem at Super Bowl XLIV between the Indianapolis Colts and New Orleans Saints. Queen Latifah will also be present to sing “America The Beautiful.” The performances will be broadcast live on CBS Sports prior to kickoff.
===============
“Miami is strictly VIP, invitation only,” says Chesney. “But we’re gonna take my friends to hang out by way of No Shoes Radio. There’ll be people stopping by… a party going on… and all of the post-long-day-in-the-sun vibe that is South Beach in full swing. I can’t get you in, but that doesn’t mean I can’t bring you along.”
Chesney’s latest single “Ain’t Back Yet” will be arriving at country radio February 8, and fans across America will soon be able to experience his national film release Kenny Chesney: Summer in 3-D.
Former Echo Execs Launch Sponsorship Agency
/by Sarah SkatesRockhouse Partners (l-r): Tawn Albright, Kevin Brown, and Joe Kustelski
Former echo/Ticketmaster executives Tawn Albright, Kevin Brown and Joe Kustelski have formed sponsorship agency Rockhouse Partners, which officially launches today (2/2) with a full slate of clients. The Nashville based company will focus on connecting sponsor brands to consumers in the music and sports industries through digital marketing strategy, online/offline activation programs, and new digital products, along with data aggregation and analysis.
Rockhouse Partners’ initial clients include C3 Presents (Lollapalooza and Austin City Limits Music Festival), Lance Armstrong and the RadioShack Pro Cycling Team, Next BIG Nashville, the Tennessee State Fair, Nashville agencies like redpepper, and other entities across the entertainment vertical. The company’s target clients are sponsorship brokers, live entertainment properties, brands and their agencies, sports entities, advertising/marketing firms, and media companies.
Co-founders Albright, Brown, and Kustelski bring to Rockhouse Partners over 40 years combined experience in technology, digital media, consumer products, ticketing, live entertainment, artist management, promotions, start-ups, advertising, and Fortune 500 brands. The trio met at Echo, Ticketmaster Entertainment’s digital marketing firm, where Albright served as CEO, Brown led Strategic Marketing, and Kustelski was Vice President of Product & Technology. While collaborating at Ticketmaster/Echo, the Rockhouse Partners founders fine tuned their eye toward data by managing 15 million consumer database relationships, 200,000 paid fan club subscriptions, one million mobile fan records, and more than $25 million in ticket sales annually.
“From my days at The Coca-Cola Company in corporate development to Ticketmaster and Echo where we managed the digital presence for more than 250 artists, festivals, and properties; sponsorships have become the glue in connecting brands to the entertainment industry. The way the industry is moving, brands are demanding more value in the form of measuring data and proving ROI. We see a major opportunity to activate brands and fans in a meaningful, relevant, and interactive way,” stated Albright.
“We launched this venture hell-bent on not creating just another digital marketing firm. We’re creating scalable technology products that address specific business opportunities, we understand the value of data, and we bake measurement into everything we do,” said Kustelski.
“The response so far to our unique model has exceeded all expectations. We’re busy growing the team, building out our technology platform, and we’re beyond excited to take this next step,” said Brown. “2010 looks bright as we’ll be focusing on business development, with programs planned at South by Southwest (SXSW) in Austin and the annual IEG Sponsorship Conference in Chicago.”
“We can’t say enough great things about Rockhouse,” offers Courtney Graber, Director of Sponsorships for C3 Presents. “They have the unique ability to grasp digital strategy and technology at the highest level, combine that knowledge with an in-depth understanding of brand sponsorships, all the while being able to manage and measure the most critical success metrics.”
Contact Rockhouse at hello@rockhousepartners.com or 615-772-4326. The Rockhouse offices are located at 2120 8th Ave. S., Nashville, TN 37204.
Editorial: Nashville Connects Grammy Dots
/by contributorTaylor Swift, Zac Brown, Kings of Leon….
The biggest and brightest Grammys all have a thread that at least a few thousand of us should be smiling about this morning. NASHVILLE!
Now we all knew Ms. Swift was going to need a valet to help her get all of hers to the limo. She is a true phenomenon and is getting just rewards for making music that millions of people love and want—I’m one of them. But, frankly Nashville has always thrown out a gem every generation or so that reaches dizzying heights. So, you can almost dismiss that to “blind pig, truffle” cynicism if that makes you more comfortable—more comfortable in a high rise office in a city where the bar b cue sucks, that is.
by Craig Wiseman
But just to look back up at those three names and think about the scope of music that is there—Contemporary pop/country at its finest. New traditional, college town, party band gun slingers and then, well frankly, one of the best pure rock bands to come along in years.
Once again, cynicism might come in and look for threads to connect them—that one label, one a&r person is really hitting the premium koolaide and it all teeters on one fragile stack of luck, timing and marketing and promotion. All gone with the slightest shift.
But, no. The only thing more varied than their music is their completely different journey up the mountain. In fact, I can’t think of ONE place where their paths crossed even in some way-back-in-the-boiler-room industry way.
Well, I can think of one thing that connects these souls barely within light years of one another—NASHVILLE. Not so much that everyone lived here as much as they found what they needed to do what they do here—and they needed nothing more. What they found here was people who still believed in great music and did all they could to get it out there. Now, that is not to take away from all of the people who are very involved all over America to get acts up there on the stage thanking the academy—but, at the same time, I will not stand by and have NASHVILLE minimized as these entities step forward either.
What was going on at the Grammys last night was only what me and some of my friends have been seeing for the last few years breaking the surface. It really is all coming to NASHVILLE. I went to dinner a few months ago with a multiple Grammy winning, LA rock star—certified, type guy who was in town working. When I got to the table and saw that he had his wife with him I jokingly leaned over and said, “So, when are you moving to town?” His eyes got big and he leaned in and whispered, “Man, who told you? I’m trying to keep it under the radar since I have a record coming out—but my wife came with me this time to look at houses.”
That conversation in various forms has been happening a lot in recent years and after the Grammys last night I’m charging up my phone cause I know it’s gonna be blowing up this week with people calling asking for a placement in advanced hillbilly lessons from their lil’ country mouse buddy, Craig. The difference being 5 years ago it was guys who had cooled off in the pop world hoping they could learn how to rhyme window and fender. Now days its pop and rock writers and producers who are going to keep on doing what they do—they just see they need to do it in a place where music is alive and players play and, well….people thank the academy.
In this last month alone—Kara Dioguardi, The Academy Is, Hinder, The Plain White T’s, Mike Elizondo, (M&M’s producer and writer- dude!!!), Joy Williams, just to name a few have all been in my building—writing and loving NASHVILLE. amen.
Least we forget—Keith and Carrie and Kenny and Brad and Darius and Lady A and Toby and Rascal F and B&D and Alan and Tim and Faith and Jason and so many others that have long held the flag high. No one can speak of the success of our fair city without mentioning some of the ones that made it amazing already. Dig you guys and proud to know you.
Take heart my friends—this truly is music city. The industry is shrinking—but it is shrinking to us—and I can’t help but see more and better. I can’t help but look up at those names at the top of this and see that people stopped over-thinking it and just put out great music and the world responded. I am SO proud of us and excited about the days ahead. I am SO convinced that we have all we need to do anything we want to do.
Blessings to you all.
Craig Wiseman
Nine North Staff Additions
/by Freeman“Both Stephanie & Dave were part of an excellent team that most recently broke Love & Theft Top 10 in a very challenging environment,” says Nine North/Turnpike Music President Larry Pareigis. “I look forward to them bringing their professionalism and magic to Nine North 2.0.”
Reach Collins at dave@ninenorthmail.com and Keshe at stephanie@ninenorthmail.com.
This news follows last week’s announcement that Pareigis has opened a new division of the company called Turnpike Music that will focus on promoting to secondary country radio. Existing Nine North staffers Greg Stevens (greg@turnpikemusic.com) and Ryan Barnstead (ryan@turnpikemusic.com) have shifted over to handle respective West and East regional duties for Turnpike, which opened for business today. Roster announcements are forthcoming.
Lifenotes: Tom Howard
/by Sarah SkatesLocal musician Thomas L. Howard passed away suddenly on January 29, 2010. He was 59 years old. Howard was an accomplished pianist, composer, arranger, and producer, mainly on the Christian circuit. He also recorded under the name Dorian.
Howard is survived by his wife, Dori; children, Katie and Joseph; and sister, Susann (John) Anderson.
A memorial service will be held at 2 p.m. on Wednesday, Feb. 3 at St. Bartholomew’s Episcopal Church (4800 Belmont Park Terrace, Nashville, TN 37215). In lieu of flowers, the family requests donations be sent to St. Bartholomew’s. Arrangements by Marshall Donnelly Combs, (615) 327-1111.
Zac Brown Band Tours, Sells Cookbooks
/by FreemanConcertgoers will get the full ZBB experience: eat-and-greets for a few lucky fans, as well as performances by the Atlanta-based artists signed to Brown’s Southern Ground Records: Sonia Leigh, Levi Lowrey and Nic Cowan. Special guests Joey + Rory will emcee the shows.
Those not fortunate enough to attend an eat-and-greet catered by Brown and friends can still purchase his Southern Ground cookbook, which is available at the ZBB webstore. The volume boasts 27 recipes like Southern Fried Chicken, Hearty Brunswick Stew, Farmer’s Fried Green Tomatoes and Revival Peach Cobbler.
ZBB Tour Dates:
March 2 – Sports Arena San Diego, CA
March 3 – Dodge Theatre Phoenix, AZ
March 4 – Pan American Center Las Cruces, NM
March 5 – World Arena Colorado Springs, CO
March 6 – The Rail Salt Lake City, UT
March 9 – Fox Theatre- Oakland, CA
March 10 – Event Center San Jose, CA
March 11 – Arco Arena Sacramento, CA
March 12 – Gibson Amphitheater Los Angeles, CA
March 13 – The Joint Las Vegas, NV
March 17 – Arlington Theatre – Santa Barbara, CA
March 18 – RaboBank Theater Bakersfield, CA
March 19 – Redding Convention Center Redding, CA
March 20 – Armory Auditorium Salem, OR
March 21 – Comcast Arena Everett, WA
With Dave Matthews Band:
July 3 & 4 – Alpine Valley Music Theatre – East Troy, WI
July 9 – Hersheypark Stadium Hershey, PA
July 10 – PNC Park – Pittsburgh, PA
July 16 & 17 – Citi Field New York, NY
July 23 Nationals Park – Washington, DC
ACM Noms. Coming Soon; AMA Sets SXSW Show
/by Sarah Skates••••••••••••••••••
The Americana Music Association is also busy planning its 11th annual Festival & Conference, running Wednesday, Sept. 8 through Saturday, Sept. 11, 2010 in Nashville.
Brenda Lee, Marty Stuart, Tanya Tucker To Discuss Child Stardom
/by MichelleThe panel is presented in conjunction with the exhibition Brenda Lee: Dynamite, Presented by Great American Country Television Network, which will run through June 13, 2011 and be accompanied by an ongoing series of programs.
Industry Helps Children’s Hospital With Concert, Tennis Tourney
/by Sarah SkatesThe MCTI tennis tournament regularly recruits recording artists, celebrities, songwriters and music executives. It is the only fundraiser that directly benefits the Center for Child Development at the Monroe Carell Jr. Children’s Hospital at Vanderbilt. The Center provides screening, evaluation and referral services for children who are developmentally delayed or who suffer from such conditions as autism, intellectual disability and attention deficit hyperactivity disorders.
Since publisher Wesley Rose and Helen Farmer of the American Cancer Society founded the MCTI in 1973, it has raised $1,189,556. MCTI is the longest-running music-related charity tennis tournament in the country. The tournament is open to tennis players of all levels. Registration for one player is $235, or $195 for United States Professional Tennis Association’s (USTA) members. More information on sponsorship, volunteer opportunities, and player registration can be found at www.musiccitytennis.com. MCTI was recognized as the USTA Southern Charity Tennis Event of the Year for 2008 and the USTA 2008 Charity Tennis Event of the Year.
MCTI committee members (L-R): Patsy Bradley, MCTI Co-Chair; Bill Riddle, MCTI Co-Chair & Tournament Director; Kathy Ashworth, MCTI committee member; Phran Galante, MCTI Co-Chair; and Richard Falken, MCTI committee member.