The RIAA’s January 2011 report names several Nashville artists. Earning Gold certifications (500k shipped) are Keith Urban (Get Closer) and Tim McGraw (Number One Hits). Albums by Jason Aldean (My Kinda Party) and Miranda Lambert (Crazy Ex-Girlfriend) joined the Platinum ranks (one million shipped). In the digital single arena, fans of Taylor Swift (“Mine”), Carrie […]

The Alan Lomax Archive and IODA, the Independent Online Distribution Alliance, have partnered to make thousands of traditional and vernacular music recordings available worldwide. As part of the campaign, Lomax and IODA will disseminate Lomax’s recordings digitally to an international network of retailers. The partnership comes on the heels of the recently released biography, Alan Lomax: […]

Rodney Crowell’s new memoir, Chinaberry Sidewalks, (Knopf) offers a look at his childhood and his parent’s often rocky marriage, set against the backdrop of 1950’s Houston, Texas. Crowell, the only child of a hard-drinking father and a Holy Roller mother, shares wild anecdotes such as the time he broke up his parents’ raucous New Year’s Eve […]

A private reception hosted by country music legend Larry Gatlin will pay tribute to the life and memory of music executive Merlin Littlefield, who died from pancreatic cancer in 2008. Lisa Niemi Swayze, who lost her husband Patrick to pancreatic cancer in 2009, will be a special guest speaker. The private fundraising event, which takes […]

Online buzz about Doug Morris, Twitter, Gaylord, and Warner.

WMN execs at SOLID event • GAC and High Five Entertainment win Emmy • Gloriana and Grammys takes students to studio • New artist Chris Cavanaugh

The newly elected IEBA Board of Directors held their first board meeting of the year January 25 at the new host hotel for IEBA’s annual conference, the Sheraton Downtown Nashville. The board participated the previous day in several committee meetings followed by a cocktail reception. As previously announced, the dates for the 2011 conference are […]

McBride on the Grammys • Paltrow on Oscars • Paisley at Daytona • Plus new releases from Thompson Square, Steve Wariner, Con Hunley, and Waylon Tribute

The Garth Brooks Nashville concert series at Bridgestone Arena, spearheaded by Brooks and Trisha Yearwood, raised $5 million to support Tennessee flood recovery through The Community Foundation of Middle Tennessee. To-date, The Community Foundation has collected $4.35 million of the $5 million from its concert sales or from amounts pledged toward this effort. The nine sold-out concerts, […]

Ramsey Casteel, an associate manager at Mike Robertson Management, passed away in his hometown Dallas on February 3, 2011. He was 29 and had fought courageously through an 18-month battle with cancer. Friends and family say he was blessed with support and kindness throughout the illness, which he faced with patience, courage and dignity. Casteel […]

Dailey & Vincent were the big winners at the 37th Annual SPBGMA [Society for the Preservation of Bluegrass Music of America] Bluegrass Music Awards, held over the weekend at Nashville’s Music City Sheraton. The duo took home Bluegrass Band of the Year, Entertaining Group of the Year, and Album of the Year (for Dailey & Vincent […]