Pat Finch Forms New Publishing Venture

Publishing veteran Pat Finch has entered into a joint venture with former S1 Songs Group CEO Steve McMellon and Reynold D’Silva (founder of UK indie Silva Screen Records) to form Pat Finch Music Publishing/Southern Crossroads Music.

Dwight Yoakam Re-Teams With Warner

Dwight Yoakam has reunited with former label home Warner Music Group. The two-time Grammy winner is set to release his first studio album in seven years on Warner Bros. Records.

Stars Support ACM Lifting Lives Camp

ACM Lifting Lives Music Camp was in session last week in Nashville, with 31 campers from around the country participating in activities around Music City.  The residential camp has the dual purpose of studying Williams syndrome and other developmental disabilities, and providing music enrichment through performance and education. The camp is a partnership between ACM Lifting […]

Nashville In Hollywood

News from Blake Shelton, Chord Overstreet, and Hot Chelle Rae

Technically Speaking: SocNet War, Hootsuite and Twitter DM

Facebook and Google+ Prepare For Battle • Twitter Changes Its Rules For Direct Messaging • Hootsuite Passes Two Million Users

Songwriter Charlie Craig Passes

Charlie Craig, the songwriter behind “Wanted” and other gems, passed away on Friday, July 1. Co-written with Alan Jackson, the hit was one of several of Craig’s songs recorded by the artist. Craig was 73.

Big Machine Named Presenting Sponsor For Brickyard 400

The Big Machine Label Group has landed naming rights for the Brickyard 400, which will take place Sunday, July 31 at the Indianapolis Motor Speedway.

Swift Leads Country Nods For Teen Choice Awards

The 2011 Teen Choice Awards nominee list has been announced and Taylor Swift leads among country artists with six nominations. Swift is vying for trophies for Female Artist, Female Country Artist, Country Single (‘Mean’), Country Love Song (‘Mine’), Best Break-Up Song (‘Back to December’) and Red Carpet Fashion Icon: Female. Miranda Lambert, Carrie Underwood, Kellie […]

Benefit News: Otto, Herndon, Hayes, Foster

James Otto Benefit Show on Stageit.com • Ty Herndon and Amber Hayes Help Kevin Turner Raise $100k • Joplin Native Kenny Foster To Donate Single Sales

Connie Smith To Begin Hall of Fame Residency

Connie Smith has been named the Country Music Hall of Fame and Museum’s 2011 Artist-in-Residence and will give special performances at 7 pm August 22, August, 29 and September 12 in the Ford Theater. Smith will host the shows, which will feature her own hits as well as appearances by some of her favorite collaborators.

Jaron Brings "Sunday Suppers" To Douglas Corner in July

Jaron Lowenstein (Jaron and The Long Road to Love) and Joe Firstman, former bandleader for Last Call With Carson Daly, are hosting weekly “Sunday Supper” concerts at Nashville’s Douglas Corner throughout the month of July. The most recent show featured a surprise guest performance by Big Kenny. The week prior, singer/songwriters James Otto and Lady Antebellum’s […]

Krinik Returns to Capitol/EMI Nashville

Promotion and radio veteran Mike Krinik will re-join Capitol/EMI Records Nashville as Regional Director of Northeast Promotion for EMI Records Nashville. He will be based out of Nashville, where he will report directly to EMI VP Promotion Angela Lange and represent the label’s roster including Alan Jackson, Eric Church, Jon Pardi, Troy Olsen and Eric Paslay.

Toby Keith Sings For The Bluebird

Toby Keith headlined a benefit show for The Bluebird Cafe earlier this week at the famed venue. Joining him were hit songwriters Bobby Pinson and Scotty Emerick, who have collaborated with the star on some of his biggest hits. The event, part of the BirdSongs Series, raised $20,000 for the listening room. Contributing to the […]

Milestones For Sara Evans, Margaret Durante

Video and single milestones for singers Margaret Durante and Sara Evans.

Weekly Chart Report (7/01/11)

Becky Brenner exits KMPS/Seattle • Dierks Bentley’s “Am I The Only One” scores second week at No. 1

Photos: Gaskin, Beckett, Y.E.P., Nick 13

Bradley Gaskin at the Opry • Jordan Beckett and Sam Jaeger •  Young Entertainment Professionals Panel • Nick 13 Stops By CMA

"The Tennessean" Cuts Hit Entertainment Staff

The Tennessean was hit hard today (6/30) by lay-offs, with numerous writers exiting the newsroom of the Nashville publication. The paper cut Sr. Music Writer Peter Cooper to part-time status.

Web Traffic: Gloriana, Eli Young, Aaron Lewis

Gloriana is giving away free downloads of “Soldier Song” in celebration of Independence Day. The track was inspired by the band’s USO tour, and will be on its upcoming album. Gloriana’s Facebook page is hosting the download until Thursday, July 7, and also features fan-submitted photos in a “Soldier Song” music video. In conjunction with […]

Thursday Snapshots

CMT Helps Feeding America • Jaron and The Long Road To The ACM • CJaye LeRose Visits MusicRow • Kolby Gray In The Studio

GMA Seeks Exec. Director

The Gospel Music Association is seeking a new Executive Director. The GMA board, led by chairman Mitchell Solarek, hopes to have the new leader in place by early September 2011.

ZBB Wraps First International Tour

The Zac Brown Band just wrapped its first overseas tour, which included four dates in the UK. The group opened for Nashville based rock band Kings of Leon on three dates, and headlined its own show in London.

Luke Bryan Shakes It Straight To Gold

Luke Bryan is powering toward his August album release with hit single “Country Girl (Shake It For Me).” The lead track from Tailgates and Tanlines has been certified Gold by the RIAA, with sales totaling 615,800 digital downloads [Soundscan]. Co-written by Bryan and fellow Georgia native Dallas Davidson, the song is the fastest rising single […]

Quonset Hut Hosts Reunion Celebration

Legendary artists and musicians including Harold Bradley, Whispering Bill Anderson, Little Jimmy Dickens and Ray Stevens gathered Monday night (6/27) at Nashville’s famed Quonset Hut for a reunion, swapping stories and songs.

MySpace Purchased By Specific Media and Justin Timberlake [Updated]

News Corp. has reportedly sold social-media site MySpace to ad network Specific Media.

Songwriter News

Signing at My Good Girl • Infinity Music Expands • “The Voice” Finalist In Nashville • Ray Scott Debuts Music At Local Show • Tompkins Family Tree Growing

Industry Ink Wednesday

Rodeowave Adds To Promo Staff • Fred Steiner Passes • Leigh Nash Joins Vocal Studio • 100 Reasons to Celebrate for Doak Turner, Cody Alan • PLA Media Signing

Justin Moore Reels In Sales

Justin Moore’s sophomore effort debuted at the top of the Country album charts this week, propelled by hit single “If Heaven Wasn’t So Far Away,” and a launch event where the Valory artist held a six-hour media fest from a bass boat in the Central Park lake.

Google Goes Social With Google+

Google has revealed details of its new social networking service, Google+, which is now in limited use by invitation only. The service aims integrate seamlessly with Google’s other products like maps and images, while enriching the experience of online interaction.

BE Music & Entertainment Opens in Nashville

The company is headed by executives Michael Blanton, Carl Kornmeyer and Terry London.

New Music Coming From Milsap

Ronnie Milsap will release his first new country album in five years next month. Country Again will be available July 26, with lead single “If You Don’t Want Me To (The Freeze)” going for adds July 18. He has already finished the music video for the song, which highlights a dance called “The Freeze.” Country […]

DISClaimer Single Reviews (6/29/11)

This listening session was dominated by hit makers of yore. Ricky Skaggs, Tracy Lawrence, Sawyer Brown, Michael Martin Murphey and Roy Head with Jeff Chance are all on board with new sounds. Ricky and Tracy, in particular, are audio delights.

ACM Lifting Lives Music Camp

The 2nd Annual ACM Lifting Lives Music Camp is going on this week in Nashville, helping campers with developmental disabilities who are talented in music. Among the fun activities on the itinerary is songwriting with Gary Allan, Odie Blackmon, and Brett James; Art N’Music with Little Big Town; and karaoke with Wynonna. The week culminates when […]

Diane Warren Teams With Universal Music

Revered songwriter Diane Warren has entered into a new agreement with Universal Music Group, which includes a publishing administration component, and has her working as a global A&R consultant for the company’s artists. UMPG will handle administration of Warren’s Realsongs catalog outside of North America, while she continues to self-administer her copyrights in the U.S. […]

Chris Young's "Neon" Shining Soon

Chris Young’s third studio album Neon is due for release Tuesday, July 12 and he’s giving fans some incentive to pre-order the album’s deluxe version on iTunes.

Rucker Leads Nashville 4th of July Festivities

Darius Rucker will headline Nashville’s Independence Day celebration on the downtown riverfront. The day-long event will close with a grand finale fireworks spectacular accompanied by music from the Nashville Symphony. Lower Broad will be lined with family activities including inflatables, giveaways, food, drinks and souvenirs. The music kicks off at 1:30 p.m. with performers including […]

Shelton Wraps “The Voice,” Preps Album Release

Blake Shelton’s coaching gig on NBC singing competition The Voice is coming to a close as the star gears up for a perfectly timed album release. The two-part season finale of The Voice starts tonight (6/28), where he will team with Brad Paisley to perform “Don’t Drink The Water,” a song written by Paisley and […]

Songwriter News: Combustion Signing

Combustion Music Adds Writer • CMA Songwriter Series In Boston, New York • Music City to Showcase at Sandestin Songwriters Festival

Urban Tour Going Strong

Keith Urban’s Get Closer 2011 World Tour opened in Biloxi, MS earlier this month, embarking on a 50-plus city run. He has dates scheduled through mid-October, including a stop Aug. 6 at Nashville’s Bridgestone Arena.

Inspirational Country Awards Move To New Venue

The Inspirational Country Music Awards will be held in a new location this year, with the 17th annual event set to move to Nashville’s Schermerhorn Symphony Center. The awards show on Oct. 28 is the capstone of Inspirational Country Music Week, running October 24-28, 2011 at The Millennium Maxwell House Hotel. Returning as hosts for […]

Joss Stone Records in Nashville, Signs With Kobalt

British soul singer Joss Stone recently wrapped recording of a new album in Nashville. She has signed an exclusive, worldwide administration deal with Kobalt Music Group, who will represent the solo project LP1. The album is to be released by her newly established label, Stone’d Records, in partnership with Surfdog Records, on August 1 in […]

Artist Action: TV Spots, New Music, and More

Steel Magnolia, Marty Stuart, and Kid Rock TV Appearances • New releases from Shawna Russell, Tiffany, Eli Young Band, and Guy Clark • the JaneDear girls team with Nick Jonas and Quaker • Vassar customizes single for Arizona Rattlers

Industry Ink Monday

NSAI Visits Washington DC • RIAA Lobbying Costs • Public Relations Workshop • Songwriting Contest

CMA Awards Voting Schedule

The official ballot for the Nominating Round of voting for the 2011 CMA Awards will be e-mailed to eligible CMA members in good standing today, Monday, June 27. All voting will be conducted online. The 45th Annual CMA Awards will air Wednesday, Nov. 9 on ABC, live from the Bridgestone Arena in Nashville, Tenn.

Photo Spread

Pickin’ On The Patio • Craig Campbell And His Team • Bradley Gaskin Plays For CRB/CRS Committees

Kenny Rogers Finds New Management Home

Kenny Rogers has signed with Ken Levitan’s Vector Management for representation. The legendary singer was most recently managed by Dreamcatcher, headed by Pres./CEO Jim Mazza. Making the move to Vector with Rogers are former Dreamcatcher employees Bob Burwell and Jason Henke. Celebrating 50 years in the music business, Rogers is working on an autobiography tentatively […]

Team Toasts Urban's Latest No. 1

BMI toasted the team behind Keith Urban’s latest No. 1, “Without You,” during a packed party at Cabana on Wednesday, June 22 in Nashville. Written by BMI songwriting team Dave Pahanish and Joe West, “Without You” first captured the ears of songwriter/artist Emily West, who shared the tune with Urban. “Without You” marks the third […]

Groupon Grows Ties To Music Biz

Groupon is the latest unconventional outlet for selling music. Today the deal site is offering digital downloads of the new album from pop/rock star David Gray. Lost and Found-Live in Dublin 2011 is available exclusively on the coupon e-tailor for the deeply discounted price of $6, listed as a $13 value. Additionally, Groupon subscribers will […]

Bobby Dean – Rebound

Modern traditionalist Bobby Dean’s new country single is “Rebound,” which was produced by Grammy-nominated producer Dave Moody for Lamon Records Nashville. Dean, who owns Edgmon Trucking in Kent, Washington has juggled running a trucking business with singing in local bars for many years. He never really pursued his longtime dream to become a country singing […]

Jack Clement's Cowboy Arms Studio Suffers Fire

Sadly, The Cowboy Arms Recording Studio and Spa, owned by country legend Jack Clement suffered a fire Saturday afternoon (6/25) around 2 p.m.

Teen Media Behavior: Myths and Reality

Nielsen’s newly released study on Teen Media Behavior, proves some conventional beliefs, but also breaks a few myths about how teens spend their time in an age dominated by media choices. The study looks at multiple channels including internet, cable TV and web connected devices. Kids are the heaviest mobile phone video users, are more […]