Robbins Closes Nashville Offices; Stark Departs

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Phyllis Stark

Phyllis Stark

[updated 4/13/2009]

Robbins Entertainment president Cory Robbins has issued the following statement clarifying information released last Thursday:
“Robbins Nashville is not closing. It is correct that we are closing our Nashville office, but we are continuing in the country format with the same commitment.”We will be partnering with an outside promotion firm to work our records.

“Details about our next release, Ward Davis’ ‘Don’t Open That Door,’ will be announced in the coming weeks.”

Robbins Nashville will close its Music City office at the end of April and VP A&R Phyllis Stark will exit her position. About one month ago the label’s decision  to outsource its promotion department resulted in the departure  (3/11) of promo executives VP Tony Benken  and Dir. National Promotion Joe Redmond. Label President Cory Robbins was in Nashville during CRS, (3/5) meeting with independent promotion companies and announced the label had signed artist Ward Davis. The New York-based label intends to release another country single during this quarter.

Stark will continue to work with Robbins Nashville as a part time consultant, but is searching for her next career opportunity and freelance writing work. (p.stark@comcast.net). She joined the label in April 2007 and previously serving as Billboard Nashville Bureau Chief.robbins

Darryl Worley To Headline Benefit Concert

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darrylHeadliner Darryl Worley will be joined by fellow country artists Marty Raybon, Billy Yates, Ken Mellons, Randy Kohrs and Billy Ryan at 6 PM on Friday, April 24 for the Erica Carmen Droze Memorial Benefit Concert at the Boaz VFW Fairgrounds in Boaz, Alabama. For up-and-coming country artist Ryan, the benefit concert has a very personal meaning. Boaz native Ryan, whom locals know as Billy Ryan Droze, lost his sister, Erica Carmen Droze, age 24, earlier this year to a domestic homicide when her husband shot her to death in front of their two children and Ryan himself, who was in his hometown visiting her. Heroically, Ryan grabbed the children and ran with them to safety. Overwhelming support from several members of the Nashville music community, especially the aforementioned artists, led to the upcoming benefit. All proceeds from the concert will go into a special fund for the two children who were left with no financial security after the funeral costs. Tickets for the event are $15.00 and may be purchased by clicking here. Tickets are also available at the studios of WQSB radio in Boaz. For more information on the benefit concert, visit www.myspace.com/billyryand.

Jack Ingram Conquers Cuba

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ingramBig Machine artist Jack Ingram has returned from a four-day, three-show USO tour of Cuba. The tall Texan chose to visit the isolated island nation to spend time with soldiers stationed at Guantanamo Bay, because, he said, he wanted to sing for the soldiers serving our country that maybe nobody notices. The singer/songwriter spent hours signing autographs after playing various military venues including the “Goat Locker,” a sort of makeshift officer’s club and an intimate venue for Ingram and his three-piece band. On his final night in Cuba, Ingram played for the general population at Guantanamo Bay’s community center with a raucous set that saw people up and dancing. “It felt like any Friday night in Anytown, U.S.A. with a bunch of kids and people looking for an escape from their everyday problems,” Ingram said. “It was certainly fun to play for them – it’s always fun, especially with audiences like those – but this was a special kind of honor, too.”

Opry To Open “Shop On Broadway”

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opryoriginalsOpry Originals: The Shop On Broadway, a Grand Ole Opry-themed retail store, is set to open on Nashville’s Lower Broadway area at 300 Broadway on Thursday, April 16. A rhinestone-studded ribbon-cutting ceremony is scheduled for Monday, April 20 followed by a week of grand opening events. With a design sensibility dubbed “Country Archeology,” the free-standing, 5,000 square-foot store will bring together the roots of the Grand Ole Opry and country music’s contemporary culture in a collection of old and new, brought to life through media, graphic imagery, and re-claimed materials and finishes. Reminiscent of a market, the space will encourage hands-on interaction and invite guests to discover and take home their own piece of the Opry lifestyle. The store will showcase an extensive line of lifestyle products including Opry-branded clothing; local artisan merchandise; a new Opry Country Kitchen line of food products; dinnerware and home furnishings. The store will also feature artist appearances and book/record signings as well as listening stations, photo opportunities, and food and beverage offerings. Included among the store’s apparel offerings will be an “Opry by Manuel” collection of jackets, shirts, and jeans designed exclusively for the Opry by legendary clothier Manuel. The 300 Broadway structure was built circa 1911 as the home of the Broadway National Bank. It housed banking institutions until 1987 and has been occupied by R.C. Mathews and The Mathews Co. since 1991.

Kate and Kacey

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“Dreaming Love”

Big Machine

katekacey-playlist41309“Dreaming Love” is the debut single for Big Machine’s twin sisters Kate and Kacey, who combine country music’s best traditions with its future. Family harmony has always been an integral part of country music and it is clear the sisters have that special vocal magic that runs in the blood.

Prior to inking a deal with Big Machine Records, Kate and Kacey had already garnered an enthusiastic legion of fans as contestants on the CMT series Can You Duet? where they made it to the semi-finals. “It was one of the most difficult things in our career and one of the most rewarding,” says Kacey. “We are here today because of it, and I think it made us so much stronger.”

In addition to the television exposure, they have also gained notice on Music Row for their songwriting skills. Signed to EMI Music Publishing, the twosome has already obtained every songwriter’s dream—a George Strait cut. “House with No Doors,” which the twins co-wrote with Jamey Johnson, is on Strait’s current album Troubadour.

Kate and Kacey initially moved to the West Coast to attend college at USC, courtesy of music scholarships, and though they had begun to make inroads as songwriters/background vocalists in Los Angeles, they wanted to make country music, so a move to Nashville was inevitable. “It just absolutely fit for us,” says Kacey. “It felt like home.”

Adds Kate, “The values and traditions that country music stands for is exactly in line with Kacey and I, as performers and artists and daughters and sisters and friends. Like she said, it’s always felt like home. There’s a place to still believe in those traditions, have hope and a sense of family.”

Kate and Kacey will join the Corona Sun City Tailgate Experience with Kenny Chesney for 11 dates this summer.

http://www.myspace.com/kateandkacey

Music City Walk Of Fame Names Inductees

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fameA new class of inductees to the Music City Walk of Fame has been announced. The new inductees include National Baptist Publishing Board founder Dr. Richard Henry (R.H.) Boyd, pioneering producer/songwriter/performer “Cowboy” Jack Clement, record executive and songwriter Mike Curb, and performers Marty Stuart, Josh Turner and CeCe Winans. The inductees, the sixth class to be named, will be honored April 19 at 2:30 PM in the Hall of Fame Park in downtown Nashville. The ceremony, which is sponsored by Great American Country (GAC), is free and open to the public. The Music City Walk of Fame is an official project of Music City, Inc., the charitable foundation of the Nashville Convention & Visitor Bureau. The April 19 inductions bring the total number of Walk of Fame honorees to 37.

CISAC Announces World Copyright Summit

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cisacCISAC (the International Confederation of Societies of Authors and Composers) has announced the second World Copyright Summit for June 9 and 10 in Washington, DC. The Summit will provide a forum for influential creators, rights organizations and guilds, content service providers, broadcasters, telecommunications operators, hardware manufacturers, legal experts and policy-makers to exchange ideas and discuss issues linked to intellectual property and creative content online. More than 100 speakers will emphasize the need for constructive dialogue about the importance of copyright protection and the distribution of creative works in the digital era. CISAC President Robin Gibb will be joined at the Summit by artists including world renowned painter and sculptor Frank Stella, Motown songwriting legend Lamont Dozier, French visual artist Hervé Di Rosa, and Mexican composer Armando Manzanero. The slogan for the World Copyright Summit, “New Frontiers for Creators in the Marketplace,” reflects the four main themes to be addressed during this two-day conference: New Visions for Creative Industries; Challenges for Creators and Rights-Owners in the Digital Era; Weather Forecast on Copyright Climate; and Valuing the Creative Eco-System.

“The voices of creators are seldom heard on copyright issues in the digital age, their participation is what makes the World Copyright Summit a unique event,” added Gibb, member of Rock and Roll Hall of Fame members the Bee Gees. “The Summit in Washington, D.C. will ensure that creativity is recognized as a vital part of the economic, cultural and social landscape.”

Universal and Google To Launch Video Service

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umg-logoThe Washington Post is reporting that Universal Music Group and Google have finalized a deal to create a new music video service called Vevo, a site billed as a “premium online music hub built for consumers, advertisers, and content owners,” which is expected to launch before the end of the year. The two companies will share advertising revenue generated by the site. Under the agreement, Vevo will exist as a central repository of all UMG video content, including music videos, interviews, concert footage and so on, with YouTube providing the technology behind it. The two companies say that at launch the site will have more traffic than any other music video site on the web. Users will be able to access the content through the main hub at VEVO.com or through a VEVO channel on YouTube through a VEVO branded player. Vevo will service the googlecontent to other streaming video services online, starting with YouTube. As its existing licensing deals with others such as Yahoo, MTV and AOL expire, those too will syndicate their content from Vevo. UMG CEO and chairman Doug Morris is charged with bringing the other major and independent labels on board.

Miranda Lambert Joins Cotton Ad Campaign

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mirandaWe always knew that, underneath that tough exterior, Miranda Lambert was a softie. And now the hit Columbia artist is a softie on the outside as well. Lambert is one of three artists (R&B songstress Jazmine Sullivan and indie rocker/actress Zooey Deschanel are the others) who will offer their interpretations of the familiar “the touch, the feel of cotton” music in a new advertising campaign for Cotton Incorporated, the research and promotion company for U.S. cotton growers. The melody for the well-known jingle, which was retired in 2001, was revived because “It’s the right message at the right time,” says Glenn Sciachitano, Director of Consumer Advertising at Cotton Incorporated. The television commercials, created by DDB New York, began airing on April 5 as part of a The Fabric of My Life advertising campaign that also includes print and Internet components. The print campaign shows stills from the commercial shoot and highlights cotton wardrobe worn by the vocalists, along with notes from the singers about what that garment means to them. Internet components are slated to roll out in late May and will include an interactive look inside Lambert’s closet. “My style in three words is comfortable, funky, my own,” Lambert said. “Cotton is a big part of that style so I was very excited to be part of this campaign.”

Amazon & WalMart Adopt Multi-Tier Pricing

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The jury is still out on how pricing changes at iTunes will affect digital track sales. However, one development has been the adoption of the new multi-tier pricing by Amazon.com which includes an 89¢ price point in addition to the three prices available on iTunes; $1.29, 99¢ and 69¢. Wal-Mart also seems to have raised some of its online track prices changing them to $1.24, 94¢ and 64¢.

According to the L.A. Times, “Far fewer of their [Amazon] top-100 tracks made the jump to $1.29.” Because it is so easy for consumers to surf to whatever site has the best price, labels may be hoping to further erode iTune’s dominance which has been estimated to be about 80% of marketshare. However, a quick tour of the three sites shows iTunes to be light years ahead of the others in terms of organization and ability to instantly find everything.

Some quick comparison shopping found that  iTunes’ top 10 country tracks were all priced at 99¢ with the exception of the following at $1.29—”Unstoppable,” Rascal Flatts; “Then,” Brad Paisley; and “It Happens,” Sugarland. A quick check showed that Amazon offered the Flatts and Sugarland tracks for 99¢, but the Paisley song was also $1.29. Wal-Mart had “Then” for $1.24 and Sugarland for 94¢. [This writer was never able to find the Rascal Flatts track “Unstoppable” on Amazon.]