TV Appearances: Adkins, Lewis, Thompson Square, and Ford

Trace Adkins on CMT and GAC • Aaron Lewis on Jimmy Kimmel Live • Thompson Square on The Country Vibe • Colt Ford on MTV

Garth Brooks, Leon Russell To Join Songwriters Hall

Garth Brooks, Leon Russell, John Bettis, Billy Steinberg & Tom Kelly and Allen Toussaint will become the newest members of the Songwriters Hall of Fame at the organization’s 42nd Annual Induction and Awards Dinner. The event is set for Thursday, June 16 at the Marriott Marquis Hotel in New York City. Certified by the RIAA […]

Industry Ink: Latocki Takes Home ADDYs

Plus, the “Billboard” Country Music Summit, Cold River Records, WSM-FM PD exits, and “The Atlantic” loves Nashville.

Underwood Makes Film Debut In "Soul Surfer"

Carrie Underwood’s first major motion picture, Soul Surfer, will premiere April 8. She plays a church youth group leader in the real-life story of teen surfer Bethany Hamilton who lost her arm in a shark attack. The trailer is available on EW.com. AnnaSophia Robb (Bridge to Terebithia) plays Hamilton, and her parents are played by […]

Hot Schatz PR and Noise New Media Join Forces

Hot Schatz PR and Noise New Media are teaming up to expand their service offerings. The new partnership will combine Hot Schatz PR’s 18 years of experience in traditional media with Noise New Media’s web design, social media and fan engagement campaigns. The companies say it will help clients bring a consistent message to fans […]

Twitter Retaliation

Social media is an excellent tool for nurturing the celebrity-consumer relationship, but as this filter-free communication system becomes ubiquitous, it is also influencing star’s business dealings.

Is Product Placement Coming To Tune Town?

Taking advantage of the product placement revenue stream in pop music videos is actually becoming almost the norm for those stars high enough on the food chain to attract such offers. In recent months Avril Lavigne, Lady Gaga and others have benefitted in this way. But what about country music? Is product placement on its way to Music City?

Lambert's Record-Setting Sell-out

Miranda Lambert kicked off The Revolution Continues tour over the weekend with two sold-out shows at the famed Billy Bob’s Texas in Ft. Worth. She is the first artist to ever sell out back-to-back nights at the venue. Tickets for both nights were gone in a record breaking 30 minutes. According to Billy Bob’s Entertainment […]

Jessica Ridley

“Flaming Red” Executive/Universal/Nine North “Flaming Red” is the debut single for Executive Music artist Jessica Ridley. To help country radio promotion efforts, Ridley has teamed up with Nashville’s Nine North Records. “Flaming Red” is from Ridley’s debut album Fit To Be Tied, which features 13 tracks showcasing her distinctive vocal style. Jessica co-wrote four of […]

Benefits: Victoria Shaw & Friends and Lyrics For Lyric

>>The Nashville Music Guide and Picks Nashville have announced that February’s Lyrics for Lyric show is set for Feb. 23. This will be the fourth installment of the series to benefit Lyric Alana Frizzell, whom was diagnosed with a rare, aggressive form of Leukemia at 10 months old. It will be hosted by Mark Newton […]

Artists Testing The Country Waters

They may have gotten their starts in the pop/rock world, but The Doobie Brothers and Uncle Kracker are among a group of artists warming up to country. As reported earlier this month, The Doobie Brothers have been working their single “World Gone Crazy” at country radio. Now comes the news that the band will make […]

More Vehicles Add Streaming Radio

A growing number of automobile makers are partnering with streaming radio services, and other entertainment apps for upcoming models. The latest addition is Pandora streaming radio teaming with GM. The offering is expected to debut in the car manufacturer’s Chevrolet Volt and Equinox 2012 models. Users will be able to control Pandora via the car’s […]

Industry Ink: Black River Celebrates

Plus a critical open letter to NARAS, and news from Warner, BMG, Spotify, GammaBlast, Mac McAnally, exec Ted Wagner, and journalist Jewly Hight.

Swift Leads Country Money Makers

Taylor Swift netted more money than any other country entertainer last year, according to Billboard’s Money Makers 2011 issue (Feb. 19). The recently released list is based on net earnings derived from U.S. touring, music sales, and music and video streams. 21-year-old Swift saw her bank account swell by about $20.7 million, and ranked No. […]

Radio Host Danny Winchell Passes

WAMB radio show host Danny Winchell has died at age 84. He was also a pop singer, magazine publisher, record producer and music promoter.

Industry Voices Criticizing iTunes; Google Applies Pressure

A few years ago iTunes looked like the music industry’s knight in shining armor. Unfortunately, today with the added inventory of apps, books, movies, TV shows and more, plus some new rules, stakeholders are beginning to feel the relationship getting strained.

Television Roundup: Chesney Doc, Judds Series

Chesney Football Documentary Airing Sunday • The Judds Docu-Series To Premiere On OWN Many football luminaries turned out for the orange carpet premiere of the ESPN film The Color Orange: The Condredge Holloway Story in Knoxville last night (2/17). Kenny Chesney served as Executive Producer and narrates the film, which documents the life and career […]

Community Benefits

Operation Yellow Ribbon Artist Lineup • Jimmy Wayne’s Meet Me Halfway • Todd Cerney Benefit • Jason James

Friday Cluster: Artists and Benefits

Ronnie Dunn In Dallas • Joe Nichols Media Appearances • Randy Travis Unlocks History • The Blind Boys of Alabama’s Country Gospel Album • Honky Tonk TV Sponsors Ebay Auction

Tech Bits n' Bytes

>>Fast Company, a magazine which describes itself as “the world’s leading progressive business media brand, with a unique editorial focus on innovation in technology, ethonomics (ethical economics), leadership, and design” has announced its 2011 Ranking of the World’s Most Innovative Companies. In the publication’s music category the top three companies were Pandora—for bringing its custom-curated […]

Weekly Chart Report (2/18/11)

SPIN ZONE You knew this was coming, right? Following a huge night at the Grammys, Lady Antebellum’s anthemic “Hello World” ascends to No. 1 on the CountryBreakout Chart and holds off Taylor Swift’s “Back To December” by a mere 32 spins. Brad Paisley’s “This Is Country Music” is close at No. 3, and Jason Aldean’s […]

CMA Songwriter Series Invades LA; Music Festival Unveils Photo Contest

The CMA Songwriters Series returned to Los Angeles on Feb. 15 with a stellar performance at Club Nokia • CMA Music Festival photo contest helps celebrate 40th anniversary

Tennessee's Incentives For Filmmakers Can't Compete

Tennessee is missing out on a boost to the economy by not doing more to attract filmmakers. The Nashville Scene’s latest cover story looks at why films don’t come to the Volunteer state, including a lot of missed opportunities for Tennessee stories to be filmed on local soil. Among the toughest blows was when Memphis […]

Artist Ink

Luke Bryan earns third No. 1 • Gretchen Wilson performs dramatic new song • Hazel Smith Joins radio cast • JaneDear girls go video crazy

Cumulus In Talks To Buy Citadel

Cumulus Media is in exclusive negotiations to purchase Citadel Broadcasting for about $2.5 billion. The companies released an official statement this afternoon acknowledging the negotiations were taking place. Under terms of the proposed agreement, Cumulus would pay $37 per share in a combination of cash and Cumulus stock. Cumulus is the second largest radio broadcaster […]

Curious About Qriocity? Sony Debuts Music Service

Sony’s cloud-based Qriocity launched stateside today, offering more than 6 million songs.

Music Stars Set For Secret TV Taping Today

Kid Rock, Sheryl Crow, Luke Bryan and Gretchen Wilson are among the stars taping a television special today (2/17) in Nashville, and even though fans are invited, there has been no official announcement about who is organizing the event. Many of the artists have been spreading the word about the show through their social media […]

Artist Action: Gloriana Heads to White House

Plus news from Zac Brown, Randy Montana, Darius Rucker, Miranda Lambert, Craig Morgan, Keith Urban, Jason Aldean, Lee Brice and Gretchen Wilson.

The Band Perry Debut Certified Gold

The Band Perry’s self-titled debut album has been certified Gold by the RIAA for shipments exceeding 500,000 units. Released in October 2010 by Republic Nashville, the album continues to hold steady at No. 7 on the Billboard Country Albums Chart. The sibling trio’s sales were driven by breakthrough hits “Hip To My Heart” and “If […]

New Smartphone Apps Connect Consumers To Artists

The booming smartphone market is providing new opportunities for fans to connect with artists, and tech-savvy companies are leading the way with cool new apps. Kenny Chesney has partnered with digital syndicator Qello for the release of his 2009 concert film Kenny Chesney: Summer in 3D. The Chesney App is Qello’s debut product and gives […]

Sales Chart—Music Biz's Fickle Mistress

Valentine’s shoppers shared some love with the music biz, but hold the bubbly—it’s not all champagne and roses in sales land.

Mathew Knowles Joins GMA Board

Mathew Knowles, the founder, President and CEO of Music World Entertainment, has been appointed to the Board of Directors for the Gospel Music Association (GMA). The working board is comprised of 35 board members who are leaders in the industry. Ed Leonard is President and Chairman of the GMA Board. Music World Entertainment has had […]

Chris Tomlin, TobyMac Lead Dove Nominations

Nominations for the Dove Awards were revealed this morning in Atlanta, with Chris Tomlin and TobyMac scoring six nods each.

Billy Ray Cyrus Tells "GQ" About the Pitfalls of Fame

Billy Ray Cyrus sat down with GQ magazine in December, just days after pictures of daughter Miley smoking out of a bong were leaked, becoming the latest controversy surrounding the young singer. In the lengthy interview, Billy Ray says that her rise to fame on the Disney show Hannah Montana “destroyed [his] family.” He says […]

Industry Ink Wednesday

Curb writing retreat • BigChampagne • Anthony Corder Anchor’s Down • McLachlan/McBride split • Nathan Chapman and Anna Nalick • Moraine/Nettwerk ink Gareth Dunlop • JKMusicwerks • “Idol” singer at Pacific Int’l

DISClaimer Single Reviews (2/16/11)

Contemporary country music sounds wildly diverse this week. We have bluegrass flavored The Roys, outlaw sounds from the George Brothers, rollicking pop-country by Kenny Chesney and southern, guitar-slinger rock via Frankie Ballard. How’s that for variety?

CRS Updates, Deadlines, and Panels

>>Friday, Feb. 18, is the deadline to purchase $399 CRS registrations, to be held March 2-4, 2011. The current CRS registration price was cut back to its $399 Early Bird Rate after the New Faces of Country Music Show sold out in January. As a result, all registrations purchased after Jan. 24 through the opening […]

YouTube Videos Lead Dupre To Deal With Warner

An interesting path led James Dupre to Warner Bros. Records. He was working as a paramedic in Louisiana, singing in bars and making music at night. Eventually one of his many YouTube videos caught the attention of the team at Ellen, who invited him to come on the show. Last March Dupre visited the fellow […]

Bonnaroo Line-Up Revealed On Vevo

Bonnaroo revealed its 2011 festival line-up this morning exclusively on music video site Vevo. Conan O’Brien helped with the big announcement.

Faith Hill Set For Symphony Fashion Show

Wynonna, Kathy Mattea, and Steve Wariner will perform with the Symphony’s Pop Series.

Grammy Party Pics [updated 2/16]

JaneDear at the Warner bash, Chris Young at the Sony party, Keith and Nicole at EMI event, and a Bigger Picture celebration.

ACM Reveals Radio Winners

ACM radio award winners were announced this morning (2/15). They will not be televised due to time constraints during the live telecast of the ACM Awards on April 3. Winners in radio categories will be invited to receive their awards at a private reception in Las Vegas on Saturday, April 2. This marks the third […]

New Paisley Project Coming In May

It’s the first major release date revealed this year, but SoundScan watchers will have to wait until May to see a sales boost. Reigning CMA Entertainer of the Year Brad Paisley is slated to release his new album, This Is Country Music, on May 24 via Arista. Paisley once again teamed with longtime producer Frank […]

Matraca Berg Plans New Release

Plus news on projects from George Jones, Ralph Stanley, Jeff Bates and Kenny Rogers.

TV Round-up with Red, Steel Magnolia, Aaron Lewis

>>Nashville-based rock group Red performed “Faceless” on Conan last week (2/8). The Provident Label Group act will also perform on NBC’s The Tonight Show with Jay Leno tomorrow (2/16). Red’s latest release, Until We Have Faces (2/1/2011) was the highest debut in the country, claiming the No. 2 spot on the Billboard Top 200 its first […]

Morning News From The Web

Post-Grammy sales bump • Pandora IPO • Apple streaming music service • AC Entertainment • CAA, Qualcomm team for Creative Mobile Labs

Grammy Reaction Around The Web

Nashville is on a Grammy winning streak. Last night’s wins by Lady Antebellum marked the third year in a row that a Nashville act has been the show’s top winner. Last year Taylor Swift scored big, and in 2009, the most trophies went to Alison Krauss and Robert Plant. It is a testament to the […]

Benefits: BAMS, W.O. Smith, Children's Hospital

Clay Walker wins golf tournament • Birdhouse Thing Benefit March 10 • Music City Tennis Invitational Pre-tournament Songwriter Showcase

Grammys Score Best Ratings In A Decade

Last night’s (2/13) Grammy Awards were the show’s most viewed telecast since 2001, drawing 26.6 million total viewers and securing a win for CBS. The show’s ratings have been on a steady rise in recent years, with a 3 percent increase over last year’s broadcast which attracted 25.8 million viewers. In the key adults 18-49 […]

Grammy Ads Feature Growing Number of Celebs

Nearly one out of four advertisements during last night’s (2/13) Grammy Awards featured a celebrity endorsement, according to a report by Greenlight, a company specializing in licensing and rights clearance. Among the other findings of the GreenLight Ad Gauge: • celeb ads were up 47% over last year, and up more than 250% from 2009 […]