Eye On Idol (4/29/11)

There was no joy in Idol-ville, as mighty Casey Abrams struck out on Thursday night’s (4/28) American Idol results show. After one near elimination earlier this season, the quirky multi-instrumentalist swung and missed for good this time.

Friday Roundup: Wiseman, Gentry & Montana

Craig Wiseman at Belmont • Teddy Gentry Releases New Artist CD • Randy Montana Plays Grand Ole Opry

Voice Gets Louder, Adds Starpower

NBC’s new talent discovery show, The Voice is upping its star power with the addition of…

2Trios: TBP Gets CMT Noms; Harters Play Soundcheck Benefit

The Band Perry Get CMT nominations; The Harters set to perform at musicians benefit

Baldrica Becomes An Average Joe

MUSICROW EXCLUSIVE: Are label co-heads Shannon Houchins and Colt Ford really just a couple of Average Joe’s as the name of the label might have you believe? Not according to newly hired label President Tom Baldrica. “It feels to me like this model is the future,” says Baldrica “I like the authenticity that the artists radiate from the stage. These folks are out there touching the fans.”

Weekly Chart Report (4/29/11)

Keith Urban’s “Without You” earns a second week on top of the CountryBreakout Chart, with 96 stations on board. Closing up the gap behind him in a tight 2-3-4 configuration are Ronnie Dunn’s “Bleed Red,” Brad Paisley’s “Old Alabama” (also the greatest spin increase), and The Band Perry’s “You Lie.” Also screaming toward the top are Taylor Swift’s “Mean” at No. 8, and Luke Bryan’s “Country Girl,” which jumps to No. 11.

Music Row Executive Charlie Fach Passes

Charles Edward Fach Jr., former Mercury Records Executive VP of A&R died on Monday, April 25 at Summit Medical Center in Hermitage , TN at the age of 82. A memorial service will be held Saturday, May 7, 2PM at the Hermitage Funeral Home , Nashville, TN. Charles Fach  was born on September 10, 1928 […]

"Esquire's" Music Issue Highlights Dierks Bentley

Dierks Bentley appears in the latest issue of men’s magazine Esquire, in the publication’s annual Music Issue. For the second year in a row Bentley joined other artists from all different genres on location for a photo shoot and songwriting challenge. This year took the group to the gritty streets of Detroit for a two-day […]

Industry Ink Thursday (4/28)

Tawn Albright on the Nashville Music Council/Entrepreneur Center • DJ Miller showcase • Leadership Music gala • Jeremy Parsons inks with Jett Williams

"BMI Live" Debuts Mobile Version

BMI has debuted a mobile version of its BMI Live service, which allows artists to submit live performance information to be considered for royalty payments. The new mobile service enables songwriters to upload venue and set-list data from their smartphones into BMI’s systems. This helps the musicians submit info in a timely manner while they […]

RCA Signs Kristen Kelly

Texas native Kristen Kelly has signed with RCA Records Nashville. She recently inked her deal at the Sony Music Nashville offices.

Musicians Corner Returns With Packed Line-up

Musicians Corner, the free outdoor concert series at Centennial Park, will kick off its second season on Saturday, May 7, 3-6 p.m., with performances by Sarah Buxton, Andrew Ripp, The Westbound Rangers, Dara Tucker and Marie Hines. Musicians Corner will be held every Saturday 3-6 p.m. from May 7 through July 2, then take a […]

Country Music Marathon Draws Music Industry Support

The Country Music Marathon and Half Marathon presented by Nissan runs through Nashville the morning of Saturday, April 30 and the music industry is pitching in to make it even more memorable. RCA’s Danny Gokey has signed on to sing the national anthem before the start gun at 7 am. He will also be helping […]

Americana—Early Bird Festival Rate; Hayes Carll Honored

SESAC Awards Hayes Carll SESAC presented singer-songwriter Hayes Carll with a plaque in honor of his No. 1 Americana album, KMAG YOYO. Carll took time to receive the award and visit with SESAC executives in Nashville before his packed show at Mercy Lounge.   Americana Music Festival: Last Chance for Early Bird Rate The early […]

Reba & Blake Plan Tornado Relief Concert

Oklahoma natives Reba and Blake Shelton will host the Tornado Relief Concert on May 26 at the Choctaw Casino Resort, in partnership with the Choctaw Nation of Oklahoma. Tickets will be available beginning May 6 at 10:00 AM and may be purchased by phone at 1-800-585-3737 or online at www.choctawcasinos.com. The news of Atoka County’s recent tornado […]

Photo Spread: EMI Signs Channing Wilson

Plus the Country Music Hall of Fame’s Words & Music Night • ASCAP Music Lounge @ NaFF • BMI Road to Bonnaroo

"The Voice" Sings Its Way To Strong Ratings

Last night’s (4/26) premiere of The Voice scored strong television ratings for NBC. The singing competition featuring celeb coaches Blake Shelton, Christina Aguilera, Cee Lo Green and Adam Levine helped the network win the night in the coveted 18-49 demographic, according to Zap2It.com. According to the Hollywood Reporter, the strong showing of 11.8 million viewers […]

Sugarland Stuck on Platinum

Sugarland’s Jennifer Nettles and Kristian Bush celebrate Platinum certification for their latest effort, The Incredible Machine, at their recent sold-out concert in Nashville.  This marks the duo’s fourth consecutive release that has reached platinum or multi-platinum status with over 9 million records sold. As previously reported by MusicRow, this album has also garnered two nominations […]

Music City Pickers Launches In Nashville

Hit songwriter and artist Brady Seals (Little Texas, Hot Apple Pie) has teamed with former Gibson Guitars web editor Gabriel Hernandez to launch Music City Pickers, which will specialize in purchasing and selling vintage musical instruments.

Best Cellars Dinner Has Raised Over $2 Million To Date

Celebrities enjoyed gourmet food and world class wines at the Twelfth Annual Eco-Energy Best Cellars Dinner Monday night (4/25). The event raised more than $170,000 for the T.J. Martell Foundation’s cancer research efforts, bringing the grand total to more than $2 million since the event’s inception in 1999.

AristoMedia Celebrates 31 Years with Promotion Fest

The AristoMedia Group, now celebrating its 31st year in operation has announced seven departmental promotions.

Benefit News: Dawn Gates' Woman of the Year Campaign

Plus Bill & Gloria Gaither Tribute • ReTune Nashville • Bob Sullivan stem cell drive • Concerts by David Nail, Josh Thompson, Darryl Worley, Jars of Clay and more

Easter Puts Hippity Hop In Country Sales

According to Nielsen SoundScan, Easter sales added a 7% hip hop to Nashville’s weekly country album sales compared with the previous week, whereas all genre sales only boosted 2%. However, a lack of high profile releases has kept YTD country album sales quite a bit below the all genre benchmark.

Musical Chairs

Outback promotes Stefanie Porolniczak • Mark Montgomery joins Topspin Advisers Board • Darcy Ferris exits UMPG

DISClaimer Single Reviews (4/27/11)

It will come as no surprise to most of you that Kenny Chesney has hit another home run. “You and Tequila” is a minor masterpiece of songwriting, vocal performance and production. And it wins Disc of the Day.

Aldean Leads CMT Music Award Nominations

Jason Aldean leads the way with four nominations for the 2011 CMT Music Awards. Following closely behind with three each are Lady Antebellum, Miranda Lambert, Rascal Flatts, Taylor Swift, Zac Brown Band and The Band Perry.

Ronnie Gilley Pleads Guilty

Like a real life episode of HBO’s The Wire, the case of Ronnie Gilley and Country Crossing continues to unfold in unexpected ways. In the latest development, Gilley struck a plea deal with prosecutors Friday (4/22) and pleaded guilty to 11 counts of conspiracy, money laundering, and bribery. He was arrested in October 2010 along […]

Neal McCoy Signs With Blaster Records

Neal McCoy has signed with Cleveland based Blaster Records, the label group founded in 2007 by Blaster Chemical Chairman Tom Porter. McCoy joins break-out duo Brother Trouble as the label’s flagship country acts. McCoy’s eleventh studio project, and first for Blaster, is slated for a January 2012 release. He has most recently been working on […]

Chesney's Latest No. 1 Leads String of Hits From Sony

Kenny Chesney notched his 22nd career No. 1 with latest single “Live A Little,” creating his own milestone and one for his label group, Sony Music Nashville. On the heels of this feat, Chesney’s next single will be the Grace Potter duet “You And Tequila.”

Burns & Poe Plan Wide Release of Debut Album

Blue Steel Records’ duo Burns & Poe are planning the wide release of their self-titled debut album on May 10. A limited edition LP/CD package of the new album is already available for purchase exclusively to early-bird fans via the Burns and Poe website. The project’s current single “Second Chance” goes for adds May 16, […]

David Renzer Leaving Post as UMPG Chairman and CEO

Universal Music Publishing Group Chairman and CEO David Renzer announced today (4/26) his plans to exit the company. He has been with the publisher 15 years, starting in 1996 with MCA Music Publishing.

Mark Wills Lends Voice To Military Vets

Mark Wills and military assistance charity USA Cares, are partnering to lead a national awareness campaign about Post Traumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD) and Traumatic Brain Injury (TBI). He will be the official spokesperson and voice for the “Crazy Being Home” outreach to encourage and support veterans. His recording of “Crazy Being Home” (written by Chris […]

Fun Photo Spread

Luke Bryan on set with Shaun Silva • Steel Magnolia helps Cell Phones For Soldiers • David St. Romain visits ACM • Gretchen Wilson at Talladega

Big Machine Label Group Joins iHeartRadio Lineup

Clear Channel Radio has announced the addition of Big Machine Radio to its iHeartRadio lineup. The commercial-free, digital station offers exclusive interviews, rare recordings, and a weekly “From the Vaults” feature from the label group’s artists…

Grand Ole Opry Benefit Marks Flood Anniversary

The Grand Ole Opry will mark the first anniversary of the flood that devastated much of Nashville and temporarily displaced the Opry from the Grand Ole Opry House with a star-packed show. Play On, Nashville!, is set for Tues., May 3 at the Opry House. Among those scheduled to perform are Brad Paisley, Dierks Bentley, […]

Darius Rucker Marks Latest No. 1 With Media Rounds

Darius Rucker performed on Late Night With Jimmy Fallon last night (4/25). While in New York City he visited the Today show yesterday, and the syndicated Wendy Williams Show, set to air today (4/26). He also played a benefit concert to fight homelessness and AIDS. The Capitol Records Nashville artist recently celebrated his fifth chart-topping […]

Ronnie Dunn Reveals Solo Album Details

Ronnie Dunn has revealed the full track listing and cover art for his self-titled solo debut, set for release June 7. He has writing credits on nine of the album’s 11 tracks. The video for “Bleed Red,” the first single from Dunn’s upcoming album, premiered recently (4/22) on CMT, CMT.com, and CMT Pure as part […]

CMT's USA Weekend Breakthrough Video Noms Revealed

Details about the 2011 CMT Awards are starting to emerge with today’s (4/25) announcement of the USA Weekend Breakthrough Video of the Year Award nominees. The fan-voted awards show airs live from Nashville June 8 on CMT and cmt.com.

Industry Ink Monday (4/25)

ASCAP inks Kristy Lee • CAA ups Jim Butler • Stokes Nielson’s new company • Lori Genes Christian welcomes baby • LTC hires Brett Shumaker

CRS Names Agenda Committee

Country Radio Broadcasters, Inc.® has announced its 2011-2012 Agenda Committee for CRS 2012, to be held Feb. 22-24, 2012, at the Nashville Convention Center. The Agenda Committee is made up of volunteers from all areas of the Country radio and record industries and gathers each year to plan events for the upcoming Country Radio Seminar. […]

Hazel Dickens Passes

Renowned Appalachian vocal stylist Hazel Dickens has died at age 75. The West Virginia native was noted for her strongly feminist song lyrics, support of coal miners and participation in bluegrass and folk-music groups such as The Strange Creek Singers and Hazel & Alice. She recorded for the Rounder, Folkways and Arhoolie record labels. The […]

"Girl's Night Out" Rocks Ratings

The concert special Girl’s Night Out: Superstar Women of Country drew 8.4 million viewers on Friday night (4/22). It won the night for CBS, beating out programming on all the other major networks, according to Nielsen ratings on Zap2it.com. The two-hour program started at 9 PM/ET. It honored several of country music’s most successful women […]

BMI Promotes Darren Briggs

Darren Briggs has been appointed Vice President, Technology Innovation for BMI. Briggs will be based in BMI’s Nashville office and will report to James King, Senior Vice President of Business Technology for BMI. Briggs was previously Vice President & Chief Technology Officer for BMI’s Landmark division. In his new role he will be responsible for […]

Blake Shelton Sets Release Date, Debuts On "The Voice"

Blake Shelton is having his biggest year yet, and adding to the momentum is the announcement that he will release a full-length album this summer. He’s also prepping for tomorrow night’s (4/26) premiere of The Voice on NBC.

Jerrod Niemann Goes For The Gold

Jerrod Niemann’s “What Do You Want” is steadily climbing the charts and it has now become his second RIAA-certified Gold Digital Single. Written by Niemann with Richie Brown and Rachel Bradshaw, “What Do You Want” follows his previous Gold Digital Single and chart-topping hit “Lover, Lover.” “It is unbelievable. I have loved country music since […]

Photo Corner Friday

Country Music Hall of Fame® and Museum’s I Saw the Light • Music City Tennis Invitational Songwriter Showcase • USO of Metropolitan Washington’s 29th Annual Awards Dinner • Christmas For Kids Celebrity Golf Tournament

Will Apple Be Next To The Cloud?

The battle for cloud supremacy is about to get pretty stormy, if recent rumors are true. Late yesterday (4/21) Reuters reported that Apple had finished its online storage service and was preparing to launch it ahead of Google, also long rumored to be getting in the cloud business. The article claims that iTunes customers will […]

Eye On Idol (4/22/11)

The men are finally starting to pack up and leave American Idol, which has got to make the two remaining females feel a little better.

Hollywood Growing Pains Echo Music Industry

…as the Walrus and the Carpenter smiled at the hapless oysters [before eating them] in Lewis Carroll’s classic poem, technology has now arrived to visit the film industry. So is Hollywood managing change more efficiently than the music industry?

ASCAP EXPO to Feature Nashville Writers/Execs

Some of the biggest names in Nashville, including Rodney Crowell, Josh Kear, Chris DuBois, Ashley Gorley, Tommy Sims, Dave Berg, Ben Glover, Chris Stapleton, Darrell Brown, Jonathan Singleton and Jamie Moore are among the panelists participating in the ASCAP “I Create Music” EXPO. Nashville industry leaders including Fletcher Foster (Red Light Management), Kerry O’Neil (O’Neil […]