Keith Urban made a grand exit at the end of his tour earlier this week. Now Brad Paisley’s American Saturday Night outing is winding down. Meanwhile, Sara Evans is planning a Christmas tour, and Taylor Swift is already selling out her 2010 outing.
One of Paisley’s dreams came true this week when he played at Madison Square Garden in New York City, where he gave a 9/11 tribute during the performance of “When I Get Where I’m Going.” The tour completes the 2009 run with weekend shows in Baltimore, MD; State College, PA; and Uncasville, CT. Paisley says, “To play Madison Square Garden has been on my wish list of accomplishments for a long time and to finally achieve it is unbelievable. I love New York—there are more country music fans in New York City than most people think.”
The first round of tickets for Swift’s Fearless 2010 tour went on sale this morning, and all 15 shows sold out within minutes, including four dates in the New York area selling out in two minutes. Joining her for 37 concerts in North America, plus seven shows in Australia will be Kellie Pickler and Gloriana. Swift is set to host Saturday Night Live on Nov. 7, and will be one of the few artists to also serve as the musical guest that evening. Next week Swift visits Dancing with the Stars (Oct. 27) and Ellen (Oct. 29).
Sara Evans has a new holiday release and tour in the works. Her four song collection, I’ll Be Home for Christmas, will be released digitally Nov. 3 and has traditional favorites as well as “New Again,” a song she wrote with Sony labelmate Paisley. Evans will kick off her Celebrate the Season tour Nov. 27 in Worley, Id. The outing spans a dozen West Coast dates through Dec. 14. Each show will contain a set of holiday music as well as a set her hits.
Jo Dee Messina Plans New Album, Single
/by Sarah SkatesJo Dee Messina is planning her first new studio album in five years. Unmistakable is on track for a spring release and lead single “That’s God” will hit radio in January 2010. The Curb artist co-produced the album.
Messina is busy on the “Music Room Series Tour” which wraps Nov. 29 with three nights in Reno, NV. She has been debuting “That’s God,” which she wrote with Brent Rader, along the tour.
Since breaking onto the music scene in 1996, Messina has scored nine No. 1 country singles, sold over five million records, received CMA and ACM awards, and Grammy nominations. Her hits include “Heads Carolina, Tails California,” “Bye Bye,” “I’m Alright,” and “Bring On The Rain” (a duet with Tim McGraw).
Jo Dee Messina spoke at the recent meeting of the Women's Music Business Association (WMBA). About 125 guests turned out at the NSAI studio to hear Messina and learn about the organization's open enrollment. WMBA will be accepting applications until Jan 19, 2010. Pictured WMBA Officers & Chairs (L-R) Stephanie Mundy-Self, Kasey Cleckler, Holly Ashby, Brandi Simms, Jo Dee Messina, Penny Dionne, Lindsay Puddy, and Kama Upton. Photo by Kat Speer
Industry Items: CMT Awards Date, CRS Panel
/by Sarah Skates——————-
The popular consumer focus group panel will return to Country Radio Seminar® 41 when the event hits Nashville Feb. 24-26, 2010. This will be the first time a live focus group has been held at Country Radio Seminar since CRS 35. “Normal People: From the Mouths of the Consumer” is scheduled for Friday, Feb. 26 at 10 AM/CST. The live focus group provides a candid glimpse into the minds and opinions of the Country music consumer, from high school students to career-oriented professionals. Panelists will represent a generous cross-section of regional Country radio markets of varying sizes.
Several other events that have not been featured in recent years are also expected to return for CRS 41. As previously announced, Taylor Swift will perform at the Music City Jam, and financial expert Dave Ramsey will deliver the Keynote Address. The early bird rate of $499 expires Friday, Oct. 30.
McGraw’s Early Sales Numbers And 2010 Tour
/by Sarah SkatesTim McGraw has more than 60 dates on the books for his Southern Voice Tour, opening Feb. 11, 2010 in Omaha. The album of the same name was released on Tuesday (10/20), so first week sales tallies aren’t in yet, but HitsDailyDouble’s building chart has it as the top selling Country title. It is McGraw’s tenth collaboration with producer Byron Gallimore and his first studio effort since Let It Go was released in 2007.
McGraw has loads of summer dates scheduled, currently going through Aug. 15 in Virginia Beach, VA. The tour will feature support from Lady Antebellum for the whole run, with the opening slot being filled by The Lost Trailers for the first leg, and Love And Theft for later dates.
For the arena run, McGraw has partnered with Outback Steakhouse, giving restaurant patrons special access to offers and events surrounding the tour. The “Outback’s Rewards Program” will launch in January 2010, giving away points that can be redeemed for McGraw merchandise, concert tickets, VIP passes, music downloads and an opportunity to register for the text and win sweepstakes. Sweepstakes winners will receive a trip for two to a McGraw concert in Australia.
Armiger Sets Chart Record
/by Sarah SkatesCold River Records’ Katie Armiger with WLLX’s Dan Hollander, following her recent Country Cafe performance at the station.
Katie Armiger’s single “Trail of Lies” recently landed at No. 19 on the MusicRow Country Breakout Chart, making her the highest charting independent female of 2009. The song is from her second album, Believe, on Cold River Records. Now she is working the charts with the follow-up single “Gone.”
Armiger, who co-wrote “Trail of Lies” with Lisa McCallum and Quinn Loggins, has set records on the MusicRow chart before. Her 2007 debut single “17 In Abilene” peaked at No. 22, making it the highest charting debut for a solo independent artist since 2003.
She was also the first artist chosen for the just launched “Fresh Catch” segment on Premiere Radio Network’s After MidNite With Blair Garner.
Armiger has been working on her third album with several well known Nashville songwriters and it is expected to be released early next year.
Paisley Run Ends; Swift and Evans Gear Up
/by Sarah SkatesKeith Urban made a grand exit at the end of his tour earlier this week. Now Brad Paisley’s American Saturday Night outing is winding down. Meanwhile, Sara Evans is planning a Christmas tour, and Taylor Swift is already selling out her 2010 outing.
The first round of tickets for Swift’s Fearless 2010 tour went on sale this morning, and all 15 shows sold out within minutes, including four dates in the New York area selling out in two minutes. Joining her for 37 concerts in North America, plus seven shows in Australia will be Kellie Pickler and Gloriana. Swift is set to host Saturday Night Live on Nov. 7, and will be one of the few artists to also serve as the musical guest that evening. Next week Swift visits Dancing with the Stars (Oct. 27) and Ellen (Oct. 29).
CMA Songwriter Series Hits Nashville
/by adminBob DiPiero
The CMA Songwriter Series continues Tuesday Nov. 10 with a special Nashville performance at Limelight. Scheduled to appear are Bob DiPiero, Randy Houser, Brett James, Rivers Rutherford and Victoria Shaw. Among the performers who have benefited by recording songs from this elite group of songwriters are artists such as George Strait, Brooks & Dunn, Trace Adkins, Garth Brooks, Tim McGraw, Trisha Yearwood, John Michael Montgomery, Kenny Chesney and many more.
DiPiero will host the event. Tickets can be purchased for $10 at http://www.limelightnashville.com or call 615-780-3098.
Jake Owen Hosts on ABC.com
/by adminOwen is set to escort fans backstage and behind the scenes offering a glimpse of the events which lead up to the show. The singer/songwriter is also nominated this year in the New Artist of the Year category and his single “Eight Second Ride” is now No. 21 on the Country Breakout™ chart.
This year’s Award show will be hosted by Brad Paisley and Carrie Underwood live from the Sommet Center in Nashville. Robert Deaton is the Executive Producer, Paul Miller is the Director, and David Wild is the writer. The special will be shot in high definition and broadcast in 720 Progressive (720P), ABC’s selected HDTV format, with 5.1 channel surround sound.
Twitter Usage Hits 19%
/by adminPewResearch has released new findings pertaining to Twitter usage. According to the research, 19% of Internet users are using Twitter or another similar service to “share updates about themselves, or to see updates about others.” Previous April 2009 surveys showed only 11%. The growth was fueled mostly by three distinct groups—social network website users, those connecting via mobile devices and users under age 44.
The report also concludes that owning a wireless internet device makes users “significantly more likely to Tweet” and is a factor in predicting whether someone uses Twitter or another status update service. “As of September 2009, 54% of internet users have a wireless connection to the internet via a laptop, cell phone, game console or other mobile device. Of those, 25% use Twitter or another similar service, up from 14% of wireless users in December 2008.”
According to a Harvard Business School report referenced in the research, “the top 10% of prolific Twitter users accounted for over 90% of tweets.”
For more details regarding age, other demo info, mobile access and more visit pewresearch.org.