The Authenticity Debate, Revisited

There’s been much discussion lately on the subject of authenticity in country music, particularly among its male stars. The subject has prompted numerous strong reactions on both sides, so here’s mine.

The Band Perry Announces New Tour

The Band Perry has announced The Purveyors of Performance Tour – a trek of approximately 75 dates that will include their own headlining shows, support dates for Keith Urban, Reba and yet-to-be-announced dates with one of Country music’s major touring forces. The tour kicks off Aug 15 and will continue into 2012 with performances at […]

Miranda On Tour: Last Leg

Miranda Lambert will kick off the last leg of her headlining tour The Revolution Continues on September 8 in Terre Haute, IN. Special guests are Justin Moore and Randy Rogers Band. On select dates Little Big Town, Charlie Worsham and Pat Green will also join the tour. “The revolution continues, but not for too much […]

Friday Fabulons: Dunn, Jackson and the New Crew Writers Round

Ronnie Dunn and BMI Celebrate 25 Years of Hits • Alan Jackson On Country Weekly Cover • ASCAP’s New Crew Writers Round

Belmont Pipeline Think Tank Helps New Artists

Earlier this summer Belmont University’s Mike Curb College of Entertainment & Music Business (CEMB) announced the launch of Pipeline, an entertainment industry solutions think tank of Belmont’s best and brightest students. With support from the CMA and Steve Moore, students began their Pipeline experience in June attending the Billboard Country Music Summit where they learned […]

Weekly Chart Report (8/05/11)

Trace Adkins’ “Just Fishin’” ascends to No. 1 by jumping over Zac Brown Band’s “Knee Deep,” and leads a whole school of fishing-related singles.

Charlie Cook On Air

The People Meter has caused concern in both radio stations and then at record companies, as so much of what we do impacts the other industry. Radio programmers in the top 48 markets in America are living with PPM measurement and many Country Stations are thriving.

UK Realigns IP Laws

The UK has announced sweeping changes to its intellectual property laws in response to a comprehensive analysis delivered last May titled, “Digital Opportunity: an Independent Review of IP and Growth.” An official UK government communication characterizes the report,

Photo Friday

Sara Evans with Taillight TV • Darren Warren visits MusicRow • Sarah Darling and Scott McCreery • Reba, Jusin Moore and the Borchettas

Leadership Music Names New Board

Lori Badgett, VP Entertainment at City National Bank, has been elected President of the Leadership Music board of directors. Additional Officers include President-Elect—Jeff Gregg, Agent, CAA Secretary—Linda Bloss-Baum, VP Public Policy, Time Warner Treasurer—Drew Alexander, Dir. of Publishing, Curb Music Group Joining them on the Executive Committee will be Past President Jamie Cheek, Business Manager/Partner […]

Hot Times At Jake On The Lake

Jake Owen treated music tastemakers to an afternoon retreat on Tuesday (8/2) at Jake On The Lake. The Nashville press corps and industry execs braved the heat and gathered on Music Row to board buses bound for Old Hickory Lake in Hendersonville, Tenn.

Thursday Thoughts

NSAI/CMT Song Contest Opens To Submissions • RPM Transportation Consultants Moves To Music Row • New industry career group, the Young Entertainment Professionals begins to make a difference

Photos: Rising Artists Making The Rounds

Mandisa Celebrates First No. 1 • UMPG Inks Striking Matches • Brett Eldredge Visits CMA

Pinky Gonzales BubblesUp In Oregon

Digital services company BubbleUp has tapped music marketer Pinky Gonzales to lead a company expansion in the Pacific Northwest. He is a former partner at echomusic and Belmont University Adjunct Professor. The new office will compliment the company’s existing operations in Tennessee, Texas and Connecticut where they handle digital services for Margaritaville, Keith Urban, Zac […]

Rascal Flatts Feted For No. 1 Single, Platinum Album

Music executives gathered last night (8/3) to celebrate the recent chart-topping success of the Rascal Flatts hit “I Won’t Let Go,” from the pens of songwriters Jason Sellers and Steve Robson. It was the band’s 13th career No. 1 single. ASCAP and the Flatts’ label home Big Machine Records hosted the evening at Nashville’s downtown Hard Rock Cafe. […]

American Idols Talk Recording, Touring

When the 2011 American Idols Tour made its Nashville stop on Saturday (7/30), Scotty McCreery, Lauren Alaina, and Paul McDonald sat down with local press to share some thoughts on life, post-Idol.

My Good Girl Music Revamps With Name Change

Stephanie Greene and Mark Bright today (8/4) announced exclusively with MusicRow a renaming of their publishing company, previously known as My Good Girl Music. Going forward the company will be known as Chatterbox Music. The publishing house will continue its joint venture with Sony/ATV, and all staff and songwriters will remain in place. Chatterbox songwriters […]

Strait Bringing The Good Time This September

George Strait has a Sept. 6 release date for his new studio album, Here For A Good Time. The title track is already No. 10 on MusicRow’s CountryBreakout chart eight weeks after release. Written by Strait, his son Bubba Strait, and revered songwriter Dean Dillon, it is the artist’s 89th career single. As if that […]

Industry Ink Wednesday (8/3/11)

News from Frances Preston, John Seigenthaler, HFA, Odie Blackmon, Woody Bomar, Martha and Mike Borchetta, Bonnie Garner, Renee Grant-Williams and Bob Weir.

Cracker Barrel Exclusives From Jason Michael Carroll, Oak Ridge Boys

Two new country offerings are hitting shelves at Cracker Barrel Old Country Store. Jason Michael Carroll—a one-time server at the restaurant in his North Carolina hometown—has released the CD Numbers exclusively through the store. The album is available now and contains 11 new songs and one previous hit “Alyssa Lies.” The Oak Ridge Boys will release their […]

CRS Sneak Peek

Country Radio Seminar organizers are giving an early look into what lies ahead at CRS 2012. The annual event will return to the downtown Nashville Convention Center Feb. 22-24, 2012. Keynote—Bob Pittman, Clear Channel’s Chairman of Media and Entertainment Platforms, kicks off CRS 2012 with the keynote address on Wed., Feb. 22. Research—CRS has commissioned […]

Church Enjoys Heavenly Sales

Capitol Chieftain Mike Dungan and his flock of the Capitol faithful have created a revival of sorts. First and foremost they receive a righteous shout out for launching Eric Church into the No. 1 spot on both the Top 200 and Country album charts with sales of almost 145,000 units. Secondly, their efforts have had […]

Richard Falken Joins Cumulus Nashville

Cumulus Radio is beefing up its Nashville team with the addition of radio vet Richard Falken. The CMA and ACM award-winning radio producer has been named Director of Promotion over all of the cluster’s local stations. Falklen makes the move from Clear Channel where he served as producer of Gerry House and The House Foundation […]

Photo Spread: James Burton, Pete Huttlinger, Pickin' On The Patio

Museum honors Burton with Nashville Cats Program The Country Music Hall of Fame® and Museum recently (7/23) honored James Burton in its quarterly Nashville Cats: A Celebration of Music City Musicians series. Throughout the program, which included rare recordings and videos, Burton discussed his experiences playing on the Louisiana Hayride, The Adventures of Ozzie and […]

Photo Spread: James Burton, Pete Huttlinger, Pickin’ On The Patio

Museum honors Burton with Nashville Cats Program The Country Music Hall of Fame® and Museum recently (7/23) honored James Burton in its quarterly Nashville Cats: A Celebration of Music City Musicians series. Throughout the program, which included rare recordings and videos, Burton discussed his experiences playing on the Louisiana Hayride, The Adventures of Ozzie and […]

DISClaimer Single Reviews (8/3/11)

It’s nice to know that country hasn’t forgotten its sense of humor. Reckless Kelly’s “Good Luck & True Love” made me smile because of its cleverness. Sam Roark found me grinning from ear to ear with her merry “Check Out Girl.” Buddy Jewell had me openly chuckling from his performance of “Jesus, Elvis & Me.” And, trust me, you have GOT to listen to “No Beer Here” by Amy Ames. It is a complete hoot.

Early Williams Recordings To See Light Of Day

A new Hank Williams CD set will be released Sept. 13. Hank Williams: The Legend Begins is a 3-CD package coming via Time Life. One disc, entitled “Rare And Unreleased,” contains the earliest recordings of a 15-year-old Williams, as well as four songs from a 1940 home recording. The other two CDs are from Williams’ […]

Luke Bryan Preps Album, Tour Launch

Luke Bryan is blazing toward a busy fall with next week’s album release, followed by the CMT On Tour run launching in September. The Capitol Nashville album tailgates & tanlines will street Aug. 9. His third studio set features 13 new tracks, eight of which were co-written by Bryan, including lead single “Country Girl (Shake […]

As Exit/In Turns 40, New Venue Coming To Nashville

Nashville’s celebrated live music hall Exit/In will mark its 40th anniversary next month. The club opened in September 1971 at its current Elliston Place location and became known as the “Rock Block.” The anniversary celebration has lined up acts from throughout the venue’s history for a series of shows kicking off the week of Sept. […]

UpDATES: Capitol Street Party and More

Plus news about CMA Awards tickets, and Women Rock For The Cure’s Pink Trash Ball.

Superstars On Set

For their latest video shoots Alan Jackson went on location in Jupiter, Florida, and Brad Paisley and Carrie Underwood teamed up in the California desert. The video for the Paisley/Underwood duet “Remind Me” was directed by award winners Robert Deaton and George Flanigen and produced by Mark Kalbfeld. Team members trekked to the El Mirage […]

Opry Pioneer Trudy Stamper Passes

Trudy Stamper, the Artists Relations executive who took the Grand Ole Opry to Carnegie Hall, has died at age 94. Stamper was also one of the first female radio personalities in the United States. Born Gertrude McClanahan in Cookville, she graduated from David Lipscomb College and moved to New York to launch her Broadway theatrical […]

Behind The Music Reveals Lambert’s Journey to Stardom

Miranda Lambert Behind The Music premiered on VH1 last month, tracing the singer’s story from humble Texas roots to Country music stardom. The episode includes numerous exclusive interviews with the artist, her family, peers, and the industry execs that helped drive her success. Blake Shelton talks openly about his wife and their love story. Fellow […]

Behind The Music Reveals Lambert's Journey to Stardom

Miranda Lambert Behind The Music premiered on VH1 last month, tracing the singer’s story from humble Texas roots to Country music stardom. The episode includes numerous exclusive interviews with the artist, her family, peers, and the industry execs that helped drive her success. Blake Shelton talks openly about his wife and their love story. Fellow […]

Crowdsourcing Engages Fans, Fuels Traffic

Crowdsourcing has been growing in popularity among marketers in recent years and offers numerous ways to engage music fans. The buzzword is derived from the concept of outsourcing a service to a crowd, instead of seeking answers internally.

Promo Change at Warner Music Nashville

Team member exiting in wake of family health issues.

Signing Stories

Corey Hunt and Chris Keaton • Trent Summar with UMPGN/Nicholson • Absolute Publicity Inks Dailey & Vincent

Next Big Nashville's Soundland Shares Line-up

Next Big Nashville Soundland is drawing top nationwide talent as well as some of the brightest up-and-comers from the Nashville scene. The recently revealed line-up includes Foster the People, Caitlin Rose, Ghostland Observatory, M Ward, Justin Townes Earle, JEFF The Brotherhood, Jason Isbell & The 400 Unit, Those Darlins, Jessica Lea Mayfield, Robert Ellis, PUJOL, […]

Next Big Nashville’s Soundland Shares Line-up

Next Big Nashville Soundland is drawing top nationwide talent as well as some of the brightest up-and-comers from the Nashville scene. The recently revealed line-up includes Foster the People, Caitlin Rose, Ghostland Observatory, M Ward, Justin Townes Earle, JEFF The Brotherhood, Jason Isbell & The 400 Unit, Those Darlins, Jessica Lea Mayfield, Robert Ellis, PUJOL, […]

Joe Nichols To Host ACM Honors

The Academy of Country Music has tapped Joe Nichols to host the 5th Annual ACM Honors, an evening dedicated to recognizing the special honorees and off-camera category winners from the 46th Annual Academy of Country Music Awards. The event will take place Mon., Sept. 19 at the historic Ryman Auditorium in Nashville. This is Nichols’ […]

Memorial Services For Kenny Baker, Jack Barlow

A memorial service is scheduled for late bluegrass fiddler Kenny Baker. The revered musician was a longtime member of Bill Monroe’s Blue Grass Boys. See the full obituary. Lance Leroy and Bobby Osborne will host the memorial service on Wed., Aug. 3 at 7 PM at the Ernest Tubb Record Shop on Music Valley Drive. […]

Hirings At Cold River, TJ Martell

Cold River Records has hired Jenelle Scott as Day to Day Manager for flagship artist Katie Armiger. Scott’s background includes time at Webster & Associates PR, handling accounts for Wynonna Judd and Lee Brice. “We’re thrilled that Jenelle chose the Katie Project as her next mission. She has layers of experience and we know she’ll […]

Black River Beefs Up Marketing Dept.

Black River Entertainment has tapped Katie McCartney as Director, Marketing. In the new role, she will handle the day-to-day marketing activities of all artists on the label’s roster. McCartney was most recently with Sony Music Entertainment as Manager of Marketing and Artist Development. Prior to that the MTSU grad held promotion and marketing posts at Lyric Street […]

Mike McVay Headed To Cumulus

Programming consultant Mike McVay has announced that he will head to Cumulus Media in Atlanta September 1, where he will become Sr. VP/Programming alongside Jan Jeffries. He will exit the consultancy he founded 28 years ago, which has grown to include divisions for syndication, new media, and Listener Driven Radio. The move should take place […]

RIAA's Bainwol In Auto Talks

According to various reports including CNET, Billboard, All Access and others, Recording Industry of America (RIAA) CEO/Chairman Mitch Bainwol may soon be “driving” away to a new job as head of the Alliance of Automobile Manufacturers. The auto-industry trade organization represents companies such as BMW, Chrysler, Ford and General Motors. Reportedly, Bainwol has not actually […]

RIAA’s Bainwol In Auto Talks

According to various reports including CNET, Billboard, All Access and others, Recording Industry of America (RIAA) CEO/Chairman Mitch Bainwol may soon be “driving” away to a new job as head of the Alliance of Automobile Manufacturers. The auto-industry trade organization represents companies such as BMW, Chrysler, Ford and General Motors. Reportedly, Bainwol has not actually […]

CCM Artist Dan Peek, Formerly of America, Dead at Age 60

Christian-music recording artist Dan Peek passed away on Sunday, July 24, at his home in Farmington, MO.

Photos: David Bradley, Chris Young, The Cleverlys

David Bradley Video Premiere • Chris Young Debuts On Kimmel • The Cleverlys Play the Grand Ole Opry

Adkins Roars With Pride on Release Week

Trace Adkins is kicking off a busy release week promoting new album Proud To Be Here. He’s set for a street-date appearance on the Today Show (8/2), followed by Fox & Friends (8/3), and visits next week to Piers Morgan Tonight and Chelsea Lately. Adkins will also perform on the primetime concert special CMA Music Festival: […]

Jake Owen Gets Gold • Shane Stevens Named Million Air • Due West Teams With Garth Fundis

Jake Owen is celebrating some summer Gold with his digital single, “Barefoot Blue Jean Night.” Officially certified by the RIAA, and with download sales of over 550,000 the song is the fastest rising single of Owen’s career. In addition, the music video for “Barefoot Blue Jean Night” debuted on VEVO just four weeks ago and […]