Debut Music From Paltrow/McGraw Flick

The first music from the much talked about movie starring Gwyneth Paltrow and Tim McGraw appeared in insider in-boxes today (7/26), courtesy of RCA Records. The label is handling radio promotion for Paltrow’s recording of the film’s title track, “Country Strong,” which features background vocals from Vince Gill and Patty Griffin. The song was written […]

Blogroll: Larry Wayne Clark, Wynonna, Google Music

•••• MusicRow contributor and songwriter Larry Wayne Clark and his wife Maggie Ross have started a blog to keep in touch with Nashville friends while they are living in New Brunswick, Canada for Clark to undergo cancer treatment. Maggie says, “We’re so grateful for everyone’s support.” •••• The New York Post reports that Google Music […]

Lifenotes: Margaret Ann Rich

Margaret Ann Rich, songwriter and widow of country singer Charlie Rich, died on July 22 at her Memphis home. She was 76 and had been battling Alzheimer’s disease. One of the best-known songs from Margaret Ann Rich’s pen was the 1991 Ricky van Shelton hit, “Life’s Little Ups and Downs.” Her husband, who passed away […]

RAM Writer’s Group Signs Will Rambeaux

Doug Merrick has formed a new music publishing company called RAM Writer’s Group and has signed hit songwriter/producer Will Rambeaux as the flagship writer for the outfit. “Will and I have been associates for years, and when I decided to form RAM Writer’s Group I knew he would be a great asset to the new […]

Noms Open For Country DJ and Radio Halls of Fame

Country Radio Broadcasters, Inc. is now accepting nominations for the 2011 Country Music DJ and Radio Hall of Fame. The induction ceremony will be held Tuesday, March 1, 2011, at the Nashville Convention Center. Nominations can be submitted at www.CRB.org. Country Radio Broadcasters, Inc. will provide each nominee with an official application, which may include […]

McCartney In Music City Tonight

Tonight (7/26) when Paul McCartney‘s Up and Coming 2010 Tour stops in Nashville it will mark his first concert appearance in town, but not his first visit to Music City. McCartney and his family spent six weeks in Nashville in 1974, a visit he told the Nashville Banner at the time was to “relax, ride […]

CMA Board Visits Fontanel

The CMA Board of Directors were invited to experience Fontanel, the former home of four-time CMA Award winner Barbara Mandrell, by current co-owners Dale Morris and Marc Oswald. A reception was held on Wednesday, July 21, during which the Board toured the mansion and learned about the latest developments of Nashville’s newest entertainment complex.

Ryman Named “Best Music Venue”

Nashville’s historic Ryman Auditorium has once again been voted Best Music Venue by Tennessean readers choice poll, Toast of Music City. The announcement was made last night (7/21) during a special ceremony held at the War Memorial Auditorium. “We continue to be humbled by the amount of love and support the citizens of Nashville have […]

Union Station Bassist Bows Instructional Video

Barry Bales, longtime bass player for Grammy award winners Alison Krauss & Union Station, is releasing first-ever bass instructional video through AcuTab Productions. To celebrate the release, Bales and AcuTab have teamed up for a contest involving bass players and Bales fans. The contest allows fans to get involved in a fun and entertaining way […]

Gill Featured in Clapton’s “Crossroads” Film

On July 27, in 475 select theaters, the film version of Eric Clapton’s Crossroads Guitar Festival 2010 will debut. Country Music Hall of Fame member Vince Gill will be one of the artists featured. Also included in the film are performances from Clapton, Jeff Beck, Z.Z. Top, John Mayer, B.B. King, Sheryl Crow, Bill Murray and many […]

Franklin-Based Naxos Adds Positions

Franklin, Tennessee-based Naxos, the No. 1 independent classical music distributor in the U.S, is getting ready to move some its IT operations from overseas in Manila back to the company’s Franklin headquarters. The company cites the need to move these positions closer to the its North American markets. Currently, Naxos global has around 80 employees […]

Weekly Chart Report (7/23/10)

SPIN ZONE It’s a tennis match at the top of the CountryBreakout Chart and the latest volley comes from Keith Urban, whose “I’m In” recovers its No. 1 positioning after being displaced last week. Blake Shelton’s “All About It” slips back to No. 2, only nine spins behind Urban. Both records are young, and anything […]

Westwood One Offers Urban’s Backstage Experience

Westwood One is taking country radio listeners backstage for a personal experience with Keith Urban in a unique 1-hour radio show from August 7-15. Recorded on location at several shows around the country, Urban answers fan questions and talks about his 2010 Summer Lovin’ tour. The fans themselves will be a part of the show, and […]

Friday Photos – Artists on the Road

Republic Nashville’s Sunny Sweeney was in Sacramento recently where she paid a visit to one of the city’s top rated TV morning shows, Good Day Sacramento. Sweeney performed two songs from her upcoming album, including her current single “From A Table Away.” Warner Music’s James Otto recently visited with WGH staff before his performance in […]

Pandora Reaches Major Listener Milestone


Personalized online radio service Pandora announced at this week’s New Music Seminar that 60 million people have registered as listeners. Pandora CEO and President Joe Kennedy spoke at the Seminar’s New Media Movement where he shared the milestone news with influential players of the music industry. “Pandora plays the music of tens of thousands of artists […]

Bentley Brings Bluegrass to Late Night TV

With every track on his new, bluegrass-infused album Up On The Ridge being praised by the nation’s music critics, country music maverick Dierks Bentley will treat television audiences to the debut of two new tracks on late night TV next week. The award-winning singer/songwriter will perform the aching ballad “Fallin’ For You” on the Late […]

Jamie O’Neal Partners With Cripple Creek

Nashville based Brand N Music Partnerships has announced that Cripple Creek, a division of Sidran, and country recording artist Jamie O’Neal have entered into a long-term brand partnership and endorsement agreement. This strategic integrated marketing campaign includes product endorsements, retail appearances and digital components. “Jamie O’Neal does a tremendous job representing the face of country […]

Toby Keith Readies “Bullets In The Gun”

Show Dog-Universal’s Toby Keith will release Bullets In The Gun, his 15th full-length studio album, on October 5. The collection has been preceded at radio by lead single “Trailerhood,” which is currently one of the fastest-rising singles on the charts, jumping five spaces this week to No.31 just three weeks after its official release. From […]

Borman Ent. Announces Staff Additions, Promotions

Los Angeles and Nashville based Borman Entertainment has added Michael Corcoran as an Associate Manager responsible for the day-to-day duties of Alison Krauss, and Doug Aitken as Manager, Tour Marketing. Additionally, after six years with the company, Randy Brown has been promoted to Associate Manager responsible for Universal Music’s Randy Montana. “We’re delighted to see Randy […]

BMI, ASCAP and Songwriters Hall Set Awards Dates

Nashville’s annual country music awards season is beginning to take shape with BMI, ASCAP and the Nashville Songwriters Hall of Fame announcing dates for their annual awards events. BMI announced today (7/21) that the 58th annual BMI Country Awards will take place Tuesday, November 9 at the company’s Music Row offices in Nashville. The black-tie, […]

Sandestin Festival To Benefit Gulf Wildlife

A cross-section of country and rock’s most acclaimed songwriters and performers will come together on Florida’s gulf coast during the weekend of August 13 and 14 for the inaugural Sandestin Music Festival. Sponsored by BMI, TrustCore, Sandestin Golf and Beach Resort, The Village of Baytowne Wharf, Sunquest Cruises and Southwest Airlines, the festival is all […]

Gwen Sebastian Hits the Road and the Charts

Recently singled out by Country Weekly magazine as an “artist to watch in 2010,” Open Road/Lofton Creek Records artist Gwen Sebastian is starting to see her dreams come true. Her new single, “V.I.P. (Barefoot Girl),” moves up from No. 37 to No. 33 on MusicRow’s CountryBreakout chart. Raised in rural Hebron, North Dakota, and now […]

Gretchen Wilson Speaks Up For Education

Grammy Award-winning artist Gretchen Wilson has joined forces with the Advertising Council and the Dollar General Literacy Foundation to launch a national public service advertising (PSA) campaign designed to provide high school dropouts with access to information that will get them started on the road to a GED Diploma. According to the US Census Bureau, […]

Rocket Club Completes Nashville Showcase Trifecta

Minneapolis-based country act, Rocket Club, will conclude its three-night run of Nashville showcases tonight (7/21) with a 6:00 PM performance at 12th & Porter. The band’s current single, “One Thing Beautiful,” debuted at No. 59 on the Billboard Hot Country Songs Chart last week and climbed to No. 57 this week without the support of […]

BigChampagne Unveils “Ultimate Chart”

BigChampagne Media Measurement has announced the release of the Ultimate Chart (www.ultimatechart.com), a ranked list of the week’s most popular artists and songs. Integrating data from categories including Song and Album Sales, Radio Airplay, Online Audio and Video Plays, and Fans/Friends/Followers, the Ultimate Chart is the first and only chart that looks at all of […]

DISClaimer Single Reviews (7/21/10)

With temperatures on Music Row soaring into the upper 90s this week, I’m taking every opportunity to stay here at my desk. Including penning today’s roundup of new country sounds.

End In Sight For Wayne’s 1700 Mile Walk

Some doubted, but the faithful have been rewarded as Jimmy Wayne’s 1,700 mile walk from Nashville to Phoenix, Arizona draws close to a successful completion. The country artist traveled through one of the coldest winters and hottest summers on record visiting states such as Arkansas, Oklahoma, Texas and New Mexico along his pathway. Wayne’s Meet […]

Fontanel Hosts “Songwriters Sing For Nashville”

The inaugural event at Nashville’s newest music venue, the Woods at Fontanel, was christened by some of Nashville’s most influential songwriters Saturday night (7/10) during Songwriters Sing for Nashville. Patrons gathered to hear music directly from the men and women who created songs recorded by some of the biggest names in music history. The day […]

“All for the Hall” Fundraiser Returns to LA

The Country Music Hall of Fame® and Museum’s All for the Hall fundraiser will return to Los Angeles for a second consecutive year. The event, which will take place on Thursday, September 23 at Club Nokia, will again follow a “guitar pull” format featuring performances by Country Music Hall of Fame members Emmylou Harris and Kris […]

Jerrod Niemann Debuts at No. 1

Sea Gayle/Arista Nashville artist Jerrod Niemann has the No. 1 country album in the nation as Judge Jerrod & The Hung Jury tallies first-week sales approaching 34,000 copies, according to Nielsen SoundScan, breaking Lady Antebellum’s six-month streak atop Billboard’s Top Country Albums chart. Judge Jerrod & The Hung Jury is only the second country album […]

Hall of Fame Honors Tammy Wynette

The Country Music Hall of Fame® and Museum will honor one of American music’s most indelible stars, Tammy Wynette, in Tammy Wynette: First Lady of Country Music, Presented by Great American Country Television Network, a biographical exhibit opening Friday, August 20 for a 10-month run in the Museum’s East Gallery. The exhibit will run through […]

Brumley Publishing Signs Jill King

Artist/songwriter Jill King has signed an exclusive publishing deal with the Brumley Music Group. King, who enjoyed indie success with her 2003 single, “One Mississippi,” is currently touring in support of her latest release, Rain on Fire.

Swift’s “Fearless” Follow-Up Coming Oct. 25

Taylor Swift’s third studio album Speak Now will be released Oct. 25 via Big Machine. Fans will get the first taste of the project when lead single “Mine” debuts on August 16. The superstar revealed these details and more during a live web chat this afternoon (7/20). Known for writing or co-writing her own material, […]

Josh Gracin

“Cover Girl” Average Joes Entertainment “I want to sing. I want to write. I want to produce. I want to put myself on the chopping block,” admits Josh Gracin, newly signed to hot independent label Average Joes Entertainment. Signing with an indie has allowed the singer to grow and challenge himself while still providing an […]

Top Earners: Kenny Chesney And Toby Keith

Forbes’ just released list of Top-Earning Musicians includes Kenny Chesney and Toby Keith from the country set. Chesney ranked No. 9 on the Top 10 list, by bringing in $50 million between June 2009 and June 2010. Like most of the other top money makers, a significant portion of his earnings came from the box […]

The New Normal: Recalibrating The Sales Compass

But with prices dropping and margins shrinking how do we really determine where we are? What about revenue? To help calibrate our compass we contacted Show Dog-Universal veteran and VP Marketing Sales and New Media, Bill Kennedy.

Greene Becomes Pres./Owner of Modern Mgmt.

Modern Management partner Ted Greene has taken over as President/Owner of the firm which represents Josh Turner, Diamond Rio, Raquel Warchol and NASCAR Nationwide Series Driver Willie Allen. Brenner McDonald, a partner in the company since its 2002 inception, has sold her interest in Modern Management. She can be contacted at [email protected] or (615) 594-3550.

Songwriters In New York, Napa, Nashville

Singer/songwriter James Otto, songwriters Robert Ellis Orrall and Chris Wallin, and host/songwriter Bob DiPiero hang out backstage between two sold-out shows of the “CMA Songwriters Series” at Joe’s Pub in New York City last Thursday, July 15. The popular series, which showcases many of Nashville’s top songwriters, will continue at Joe’s Pub on Sept. 8 […]

Jerrod’s Release Party; Jaron On “Tonight Show”

Over 400 fans packed Knoxville’s Tin Roof last week for Jerrod Niemann’s CD release party. He performed for two hours, followed by a marathon two-and-a-half hour CD signing session. More than 550 copies of his new album Judge Jerrod & The Hung Jury were sold that night. •••••••••• Jaron of Jaron And The Long Road […]

Warner Continues Pickin’ On The Patio

Warner Music Nashville is gearing up for this month’s Pickin’ On The Patio party (industry-only) on Thursday, July 22. The event starts at 5:00 PM and will feature performances by Atlantic Records newcomers Brett Eldredge and Jesse Lee. The label is hosting Pickin’ On The Patio at its Music Row offices on the fourth Thursday […]

Exclusive Premieres From The Grascals, Amy Grant

The video for The Grascals’ version of the Monkees’ ’60s pop smash, “The Last Train To Clarksville,” premiered worldwide on AOL Music / The Boot yesterday (7/19), marking the first time the website has debuted a bluegrass video. Directed by Marcel Chagnon, who also recently shot Clay Walker’s “She Won’t Be Lonely Long,” the video […]

Reba Album Due Nov. 9

Reba has set a November 9 release date for her second album for The Valory Music Co. The as-yet-untitled project will be the follow-up to the gold-certified Keep On Loving You, released less than a year ago. The lead single from her upcoming album, “Turn on the Radio,” is already at No. 50 on MusicRow’s […]

10 Billion Videos Streamed Last Month In U.S.

The latest data from the Nielsen company shows that in June 2010 more than 10.2 billion videos were streamed in the U.S. This marks a slight 1.3% increase over the number of streams last year and nearly a 4% jump over last month’s figures. Other results show that the top three sites for video streams […]

Concert News: Don Williams, Brooks And Dunn, Buddy Miller

Don Williams is set to come out of tour retirement for a two-night stand at Nashville’s historic Ryman Auditorium on October 20 and 21. The shows are in celebration of WSM-AM’s 85th anniversary and fall just days before he will be inducted into the Country Music Hall of Fame on October 24. Known as the […]

Country Gold And Platinum Certifications

Josh Turner, Joe Nichols and Blake Shelton have all scored recent Gold single certification.

Lifenotes: Guitarist Fred Carter Jr.

Noted musician Fred Carter Jr. passed away on July 17th from stroke-related causes at Vanderbilt University Medical Center. The Louisiana native was born in 1933 and began his career as a professional musician in the 1950s, playing guitar for rock ‘n’ rollers like Roy Orbison. By the early ‘60s Carter had settled into the Nashville […]

Cold River Records Expands Promo Team; Dandy In Dual Roles

Cold River Records has hired independent promoter Jim Dandy to share national promotion duties with Jeff Davis. Dandy, who formerly served as Regional Promotion Director for Quarterback Records and as PD of KOUL, will handle the Midwest, West and Southwest, while Davis will focus on Central, East and Southeast. “We have worked with Jim for the past two […]

Photo Friday: LBT, TBP, Craig Morgan

Capitol Nashville Recording artist Little Big Town raised over $55,000 for the T.J. Martell Foundation at their 4th annual Ride For A Cure event held last Sunday (7/11). The event, which included a motorcycle ride from the Tin Roof in Nashville to the Harley-Davidson Superstore in Columbia, TN, featured pre-ride performances by Brett Eldridge, Randy […]

Save The Dates: ACM Honors, End Of The Row Party

The date for the 4th Annual ACM Honors has been changed to Monday, September 20 at the Ryman Auditorium. The invitation-only evening of musical tribute performances and special presentations celebrates the off-camera winners of the 45th Annual Academy of Country Music Awards. SPECIAL AWARDS Jim Reeves International Award—Keith Urban Cliffie Stone Pioneer Award— Marty Robbins […]

Live Nation Ticket Sales Slide, Stock Tumbles

Ticket sales for Live Nation’s top 100 tours slid 9 percent to $822 million in the first half of 2010, and the year’s second half isn’t looking much better, expected to fall as much as 15 percent. The entire touring industry has taken a 17 percent hit so far this year. Live Nation gave the […]