The Academy of Country Music has announced its new board of directors for 2010 in six categories elected by the Academy members. Director-at-large positions have also been named by Chairman John Grady, President Bill Mayne and Vice President Sarah Trahern. Each director serves staggered two-year terms, with half the board membership changing each year. Additionally, ACM Lifting Lives is announcing its new full board of directors for 2009-2010. Full list here.
New Additions to ACM Board of Directors (by category):
Affiliated
Tony Brown, TBE
John Briggs, ASCAP Nashville
Artist/Entertainer/MBI
Craig Morgan
Dave Pomeroy, American Federation of Musicians
Blake Shelton
Club/Casino/Venue Operator
Ed Warm, Joe’s Bar
Manager
Mark Hartley, Fitzgerald Hartley
Music Publisher
Pat Higdon, Universal Music Publishing
Record Company
Fletcher Foster, Universal South
Butch Waugh, Sony Music Nashville
Newly Appointed Directors At Large
Scott Borchetta, Big Machine Records/The Valory Music Co.
Duane Clark, Flood, Bumstead, McCready & McCarthy
Benson Curb, Curb Records
Steve Dahl, PARADIGM
John Esposito, Warner Bros. Records
Matt Fischer, iTunes
Pete Fisher, Grand Ole Opry
Gary Gilbert, Manatt, Phelps & Phillips, LLP
Gary Haber, Haber Corporation
Gayle Holcomb, William Morris Endeavor
Wade Jessen, Billboard
Bill Lardie, Anderson Merchandisers
Ken Levitan, Vector Management
Eddie Montgomery, Montgomery Gentry
Fran Romeo, Romeo Entertainment Group
Ben Vaughn, EMI Music Publishing
New Additions to ACM Lifting Lives Board of Directors
Full list here.
Lori Badgett, Sun Trust Bank
Debbie Carroll, MusiCares
Mike Dungan, Capitol Nashville
Ann Edelblute, 19 Entertainment
Fletcher Foster, Universal South
Gary Gilbert, Manatt, Phelps & Phillips, LLP
Stephen Allen Davis, Mark Brown Start Publishing Co.
/by Sarah SkatesPictured are (l-r): BMI’s Jody Williams, Stephen Allen Davis, and Molet Music’s Mark Brown. Photo by Drew Maynard
Longtime Music Row publisher Mark Brown and songwriter Stephen Allen Davis recently stopped by BMI to affiliate their new publishing venture, Molet Music. While the two were in the organization’s Music Row offices, BMI’s Jody Williams surprised the Grammy-nominated Davis with a Million-Air certificate recognizing more than 3 million performances of his composition “Stand Beside Me,” recorded by Jo Dee Messina. The song marks just one of Davis’s accomplishments as a songwriter: The impressive list of artists who have recorded his work also includes Frank Sinatra, Joe Cocker, Meatloaf, Tom Jones, Alabama, Reba McEntire, and Charlie Rich.
Video Sites: Vevo Launching, Hulu Expanding
/by Sarah SkatesM
usic video site Vevo has set a Dec. 8 launch date, while the already popular Hulu, which offers mostly films and TV shows, is gearing up to become a music destination.
Hulu already shows some music videos, but a new agreement with EMI is the site’s first wide-ranging deal with a major label. Exclusive material from EMI’s Norah Jones will be the first content featured under the new arrangement.
Superstar Strait Tour With Lee Ann Womack And Reba
/by Sarah SkatesT
he upcoming George Strait tour will be a huge outing, with Lee Ann Womack just added to the dates, alongside previously announced superstar Reba McEntire. The arena tour kicks off in early 2010 and continues through late Spring. On the schedule are more than 20 nationwide dates, starting in late January, and going through April.
“’Does Ft Worth Ever Cross Your Mind’? ‘Whoever’s In New England’? ‘The Fireman’? ‘Little Rock’? ‘Wrapped’? ‘The Last To Know’? We’re talking classic country from the source,” praises Womack. “I can’t
imagine a better tour to be on than George Strait and Reba McEntire — and now I’m not imagining!”
2010 TOUR DATES
Date City
22-Jan Baltimore, MD
23-Jan Greensboro, NC
29-Jan Knoxville, TN
30-Jan Charlottesville, VA
5-Feb Phoenix, AZ
6-Feb Las Vegas, NV
18-Feb St Louis, MO
19-Feb Wichita, KS
20-Feb Tulsa, OK
25-Feb Atlanta, GA
26-Feb Orlando, FL
4-Mar Memphis, TN
5-Mar New Orleans, LA
6-Mar Little Rock, AR
26-Mar Portland, OR
27-Mar Tacoma, WA
8-Apr Omaha, NE
9-Apr Kansas City, MO
10-Apr Des Moines, IA
File Sharing Harms Paid Music Purchases
/by Sarah SkatesSome observers believe that music file sharing can fuel paid purchases because it exposes listeners to new music they might not have heard otherwise. To test this theory, Jupiter Research surveyed 5000 European consumers to see how illegal trading affects music spending and found that the overall impact of file sharing is negative.
The results show that a majority of illegal music sharers do not buy music, and were deemed “freeloaders” because they showed little willingness or ability to pay for music. Jupiter said this group would be a good target for ad-supported “free” music services and subsidized “feels like free” offerings.
Elsewhere, the survey showed that physical CDs still dominate over digital product and that converting physical-format buyers to digital buyers, rather than losing them as paying customers, is a key goal for the future of the industry. Physical-only buyers represent 44% of European consumers.
Other findings show that a third of those who pay for digital music also share files illegally, spending an average of €98 per year, or $165.
Clay Walker Helms Soundtrack For Flick Ft. Lee Ann Womack
/by Sarah SkatesWalker’s EL Music released the soundtrack which contains 14 never before heard songs from the EL Music catalog. Together with Noble Things supervising music producer, songwriter and fellow Texas native, M. Jason Greene, Walker co-wrote and recorded the song “Double Shot of John Wayne,” which appears in the film. Their collaboration also resulted in the song “A Lotta Good Beer Went Down,” which appears on the soundtrack performed by Tracy Byrd and Zona Jones. Elsewhere on the album are Country mainstays such as Tracy Lawrence, Mark Chesnutt, and Pam Tillis, joined by up-and-comers Bo Bice, Lane Turner, The Drew Davis Band, Dobie Gray, The Rachels, Blaine Larsen, Nikki Williams, Brock Goodwin and Jenny Gill.
Walker is also working a new studio album for longtime label home Curb Records. The lead single, “She Won’t Be Lonely Now,” will be out in December, with the album to follow in 2010.
Jeff Walker, Gail Davies–Int’l Country Ambassadors
/by Sarah Skates(L-R): Brazilian artist Rodrigo Haddad, singer/songwriter/producer Gail Davies, AristoMedia President Jeff Walker and international promoter Judy Seale. Photo: Patricia Presley
AristoMedia Group President and CMA board member Jeff Walker, and singer, songwriter and producer Gail Davies were honored with the 2009 International Country Music Ambassador Awards last week during events surrounding the CMA Awards. Davies received her award from Brazilian Country artist Rodrigo Haddad, and Walker received his award from international Country music promoter Judy Seale.
Walker and Davies were first announced as award recipients at International Country Music Day, hosted by the Country Music Association of Spain annually on Sept. 17 to honor the birth of Hank Williams.
Hall of Fame Salutes Mary Martin
/by Sarah SkatesLast night (11/17) the Country Music Hall of Fame and Museum presented an in-depth interview with visionary music industry executive Mary Martin. The program was the 2009 installment of the Museum’s Louise Scruggs Memorial Forum, made possible by the Gibson Foundation. Martin spoke with host Jay Orr for nearly two hours, sharing highlights of her storied career, including encouraging Bob Dylan to work with The Band, signing Leonard Cohen to his first management deal, signing Emmylou Harris to her first record deal at Warner Bros., and managing Van Morrison and Rodney Crowell, among many other achievements. The annual program was established in 2007 to honor music industry leaders who are legatees of pioneering manager and booker Louise Scruggs.
Pictured (L-R): Gary Scruggs, VP of Museum Programs Jay Orr, Martin, Earl Scruggs, Randy Scruggs and Gibson Foundation Executive Director Nina Miller. Photo: Donn Jones
Chesney 3D Movie Trailer Out Today
/by Sarah SkatesThe 3-D movie is slated for national theater release in April 2010 via Sony Pictures Entertainment’s The Hot Ticket. It was directed by Joe Thomas who used twenty-two 3-D camera rigs, a blimp and several ancillary cameras for filming at sold-out stadium shows in Pittsburgh, Philadelphia, Seattle, Boston and Indianapolis.
“It’s amazing to me how intense this footage is,” says Chesney. “It’s me in a way I’ve never seen myself – and I can’t wait to share it with my fans…This film captures every little detail in a way that makes it even more important than I thought it was when we were working on it, and it makes my fans even more in my face than when I’m onstage, which is great!”
The Rolling Stones and U2 are the only other artists who have had 3-D film events in theaters.
ACM Announces Additions to Board of Directors
/by FreemanNew Additions to ACM Board of Directors (by category):
Affiliated
Tony Brown, TBE
John Briggs, ASCAP Nashville
Artist/Entertainer/MBI
Craig Morgan
Dave Pomeroy, American Federation of Musicians
Blake Shelton
Club/Casino/Venue Operator
Ed Warm, Joe’s Bar
Manager
Mark Hartley, Fitzgerald Hartley
Music Publisher
Pat Higdon, Universal Music Publishing
Record Company
Fletcher Foster, Universal South
Butch Waugh, Sony Music Nashville
Newly Appointed Directors At Large
Scott Borchetta, Big Machine Records/The Valory Music Co.
Duane Clark, Flood, Bumstead, McCready & McCarthy
Benson Curb, Curb Records
Steve Dahl, PARADIGM
John Esposito, Warner Bros. Records
Matt Fischer, iTunes
Pete Fisher, Grand Ole Opry
Gary Gilbert, Manatt, Phelps & Phillips, LLP
Gary Haber, Haber Corporation
Gayle Holcomb, William Morris Endeavor
Wade Jessen, Billboard
Bill Lardie, Anderson Merchandisers
Ken Levitan, Vector Management
Eddie Montgomery, Montgomery Gentry
Fran Romeo, Romeo Entertainment Group
Ben Vaughn, EMI Music Publishing
New Additions to ACM Lifting Lives Board of Directors
Full list here.
Lori Badgett, Sun Trust Bank
Debbie Carroll, MusiCares
Mike Dungan, Capitol Nashville
Ann Edelblute, 19 Entertainment
Fletcher Foster, Universal South
Gary Gilbert, Manatt, Phelps & Phillips, LLP
Christmas News From Sugarland, Wynonna, Joey And Rory
/by Sarah Skates———————
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J
oey+Rory are offering their take on holiday traditions with the new single “It’s Christmas Time,” as well as a unique children’s album from The Song Trust, entitled Merry Kidsmas. The couple is partnering with CMT One Country for both projects. A portion of the proceeds from the sales of “It’s Christmas Time” will be donated to The Second Harvest Food Bank of Middle Tennessee, and a portion of the proceeds from Merry Kidsmas will benefit the USO through the end of 2009.