After an eight year hiatus from the entertainment business, Chip Peay has returned to Nashville to re-open Chip Peay Entertainment, LLC along with three music publishing companies. Peay was recently joined by songwriters, producers and industry leaders as he announced his new endeavor at a party held at Regions Bank Music Row. Peay managed Alan Jackson from 1995 to 2000 and oversaw all facets of his career. Prior to that time he managed the careers of Ricky Skaggs, The Bellamy Brothers, Don Williams, Steve Wariner, Ronnie Milsap, Restless Heart, Michael Johnson, Baillie & The Boys, Kim Richey and others. He began his music industry career as a talent agent and worked with Crescent Moon Talent, United Talent, Inc., and with Top Billing, Inc.
All three of Peay’s new publishing companies, Big Wide Pants Music (ASCAP), Blue Canary Music (BMI) and Bogey Blue Music (SESAC), will focus on single song deals. In the late ‘70s, prior to his success as an artist manager, Peay dabbled in music publishing, scoring two big hits with Alabama’s “Close Enough to Perfect” and “Love’s Gonna Get You Someday” with Skaggs. When his management career took off, Peay sold his catalog to Welk Music. Returning to Music Row after an eight year absence, Peay found a drastically different landscape, where “big publishing deals are a thing of the past, and great writers are not having their deals renewed.” With so many hit writers and catalogs out of circulation, Peay decided the time was right to try something different. He’s currently working with a group of writers including Christina Aldendifer, Kathie Baillie, David Ball, Michael Bonagura, Dede Day, Jim McBride and Michael Spriggs, going through catalogs, dusting off the great songs and getting them back out on the street.
“There’s all kinds of ways to skin a cat,” Peay said. “And right now there are a lot of great songwriters and great catalogs in this town laying dormant. We’re trying to find the right deal for everybody involved.”
(l-r) Michael Spriggs, Christina Aldendifer, Chip Peay, Dede Day, David Ball, Jim McBride, Kathie Baillie and Michael Bonagura (photo: Chris Hollo)
BIGWish Gala to Feature Rascal Flatts
/by LB CantrellScott Siman Comments on McGraw Exit
/by LB CantrellMac McAnally Donates Single Royaties
/by LB Cantrell“The Writer’s Share” Goes To Cancer Research
/by LB CantrellCountry Star Vern Gosdin Dies at 74
/by LB CantrellIndustry Comments on the death of Vern Gosdin:
George Strait: “We will all miss Vern. He was one hell of a country singer and helped me out a lot on my very first tour. Our thoughts and prayers are with his family.”
Rory Feek (of country duo Joey & Rory: “Joey and I were so saddened to hear this morning that Vern Gosdin passed away. He truly was one of the greatest country voices of all time, and his songs like “Chiseled In Stone” set the bar for all of us and showed us what a great song is. We had the opportunity to meet Vern last year while we were on the CMT reality show “Can You Duet”…and we’re so thankful that we did. We had to live at Opryland Hotel for about 6 weeks while the show was taping and one morning we walked across the street to Cracker Barrel to have some breakfast. We saw a man walk by our table that looked like Vern. Both Joey and I were/are huge fans, so when he sat down, we walked over and said, ‘Excuse me…but are you Vern Gosdin?’ He looked up and with a big smile answered, ‘No, I’m Charlie Pride… pull up a chair, and sit for awhile.’ We spent the next hour just visiting with him and hearing stories about some of our favorite songs that he’d recorded over the years. He was so funny, inspirational and full of life. We were just honored to meet him and get to spend some time with one of our heroes….especially because at the time we were right in the middle of taping a TV show where we were doing all we could to lift up traditional country music and songs.”
Jack Ingram: “You can’t go into a bar room that plays real country music without hearing Vern Gosdin. ‘Chiseled In Stone’ is as sad a country song as ‘He Stopped Lovin’ Her Today,’ and ‘Set’Em Up, Joe’ is a call to anyone who’s ever had a reason to be in a bar like that to begin with…Vern Gosdin’s voice was truth… the hardcore country kind… and any time I heard him on jukebox, my car radio or my old tape of Chiseled in Stone, I knew there was a lot about life and loss and love left to learn.”
McGraw Moves To Red Light Management
/by bossrossNASHVILLE– Coran Capshaw has signed megastar Tim McGraw to his Red Light Management artist roster. McGraw will be joining Dave Matthews Band and Phish as Capshaw’s primary focus.
“I am very impressed with the level of resources and creativity that Coran brings to the table,” says McGraw. “I have been blessed with an incredible career and look forward to breaking new ground with him.”
“I’m honored to have the opportunity to work hand-in-hand with a visionary artist such as Tim,” said Coran Capshaw, founder and owner of Red Light Management. “He’s a leader who shares our entrepreneurial spirit, a natural pioneer who embraces the cutting edge in everything he does.”
Tim McGraw is one of the most prolific entertainers of his time. His multi-faceted career encompasses recordings, touring, music publishing, film, television, books, as well as branding and licensing. Since his career began in the early 1990’s McGraw has scanned over 40 million records and dominated the charts with 30 #1 singles. McGraw has won 14 Academy of Country Music Awards, 11 Country Music Association Awards including the coveted Entertainer of the Year, 10 American Music Awards, three GRAMMY®s, three People’s Choice Awards and numerous other awards. His enduring status as a respected performer has seen his concert tours consistently rank at #1. He and wife Faith Hill hold the record for the biggest consecutive multi-year tour in country music history with a box office gross of $142 million dollars for their “Soul2Soul Tour” outings in 2006 and 2007. McGraw has also launched an impressive acting career with 2004’s “Friday Night Lights,” 2006’s “Flicka,” followed by “The Kingdom” in 2007 and “Four Christmases” in 2008. He is currently filming a co-starring role in “The Blind Side” with Sandra Bullock.
Red Light Management was founded in 1991 by Coran Capshaw at the beginning of his 18-year role as the personal manager of Dave Matthews Band. The company has grown into one of the premier artist management companies in the industry. Sister company Starr Hill Presents promotes live music on a regional and national level, and together with its partners, Starr Hill Presents produces large-scale music festivals nationwide including Bonnaroo Music and Arts Festival, San Francisco’s Outside Lands Music and Arts Festival and the Mile High Music Festival in Denver. The fully independent ATO Records Group, which was co-founded by Capshaw and includes its namesake label and the TBD Records label, also exists alongside Red Light Management.
More Layoffs at Clear Channel
/by LB CantrellToday’s layoffs hit country radio hard, with on-air positions being eliminated from coast to coast at many mainstream stations. While January’s layoffs focused mainly on sales, this round focused on programming, a result of local PD decisions to replace under-performing dayparts with syndication, voicetracking and/or offerings from the company’s Premium Choice program.
The sad news is bound to have a strong effect on the operation of the network and perhaps raises more questions than it answers. Unofficial reports are that many of the remaining programmers will be responsible for music in a variety of markets, many of which are monitored and report to MediaBase. Mainstream country music singles charts are sure to reflect the extent to which these music programmers are able to create independent local stations—or not. In fact, were a number of reporting stations to adopt a syndicated approach it could seriously compromise the usefulness of the current chart spin data.
*Peter Cronin with reporting assistance from David M. Ross
Big Success For T.J. Martell’s Best Cellars
/by LB Cantrell“The Best Cellars Dinner is one of the best events in Music City and it has raised more than $1.5 million for cancer research.” said Joe Galante, Chairman of Sony Music Nashville and Co-Chairman of the Best Cellars Dinner. “The dinner is a wonderful example of how artists give freely of their time and energies and, along with many other caring people, come together for a special evening of food and wine to help make a difference in the lives of others. I am proud of our success over the past ten years and look forward to another great event in 2010.”
For more information about the Best Cellars Dinner and the T.J. Martell Foundation, click here.
(l-r) Big Kenny Alphin; Bill Hearn, President and CEO of EMI Christian Music Group and Co-Chairman of Best Cellars; Billy Ray Hearn, Co-Chairman of Best Cellars; Joe Galante, Chairman of Sony Music Nashville; Phran Galante; Chef Dean Fearing of Fearing’s at The Ritz-Carlton, Dallas; Dr. Hal Moses, Director of the Frances Williams Preston Laboratories at the Vanderbilt-Ingram Cancer Center; Laura Heatherly, Executive Director of the T.J. Martell Foundation – Nashville Division; RCA Artist Jake Owen; Jennifer Pietenpol, Director of the Vanderbilt-Ingram Cancer Center. (Photo: Alan L. Mayor)
Chip Peay Returns to the Row
/by LB CantrellAll three of Peay’s new publishing companies, Big Wide Pants Music (ASCAP), Blue Canary Music (BMI) and Bogey Blue Music (SESAC), will focus on single song deals. In the late ‘70s, prior to his success as an artist manager, Peay dabbled in music publishing, scoring two big hits with Alabama’s “Close Enough to Perfect” and “Love’s Gonna Get You Someday” with Skaggs. When his management career took off, Peay sold his catalog to Welk Music. Returning to Music Row after an eight year absence, Peay found a drastically different landscape, where “big publishing deals are a thing of the past, and great writers are not having their deals renewed.” With so many hit writers and catalogs out of circulation, Peay decided the time was right to try something different. He’s currently working with a group of writers including Christina Aldendifer, Kathie Baillie, David Ball, Michael Bonagura, Dede Day, Jim McBride and Michael Spriggs, going through catalogs, dusting off the great songs and getting them back out on the street.
“There’s all kinds of ways to skin a cat,” Peay said. “And right now there are a lot of great songwriters and great catalogs in this town laying dormant. We’re trying to find the right deal for everybody involved.”
(l-r) Michael Spriggs, Christina Aldendifer, Chip Peay, Dede Day, David Ball, Jim McBride, Kathie Baillie and Michael Bonagura (photo: Chris Hollo)
Jason Aldean to Meet Bryan Adams at Crossroads
/by LB Cantrell