Underwood Sets Primetime Special, iTunes Preview

Carrie Underwood will headline her own variety television special set to air Dec. 7 on FOX at 7 p.m. CT. While the exact title of the primetime special has not been announced, the two-hour event will include appearances by guests Dolly Parton, Brad Paisley, David Cook and others. Underwood will perform music from her upcoming […]

CMA Broadcast Awards Revealed

Jamey Johnson called several special radio stations on-air this morning (10/13) to tell them they won CMA Awards for Broadcast Personality of the Year and Radio Station of the Year. The winners, covering all market sizes, will be recognized during the The 43rd Annual CMA Awards, airing live Wednesday, Nov. 11 (8:00-11:00 PM/ET) on the […]

IEBA Honors Touring Industry Leaders

The 2009 Annual International Entertainment Buyers Association Honors Ceremony was held last night (10/12) at the Ryman Auditorium to honor the live entertainment industry’s elite. The show was hosted by actor Luke Perry and guests were treated to performances from Jamey Johnson, Jessie James, Lorrie Morgan, Randy Houser, Jud Laipply, Chris Young and Chubby Checker. […]

Wynn Will Garth Play Las Vegas?

Rumors are swirling the media landscape that Country music hero Garth Brooks is about to set up shop in Las Vegas. Speculation from Las Vegas Review-Journal, the city’s Fox affiliate, Extra, celebrity blogger Robin Leach, and other sources say that Brooks is going to do a 16-week stand at the Encore theater, part of the […]

The Latest From Gretchen, Shania, Reba, And More

Gretchen Wilson played at Willie Nelson’s annual Farm Aid fundraiser, held recently in her hometown St. Louis. The only female on the bill for the day, her set included all the hits and new single “Work Hard, Play Harder.” Wilson has started her own Redneck Records and is planning a new album. ———————– Ontario native […]

Markland Moves To Warner/Chappell

Veteran music publisher Steve Markland has joined Warner/Chappell Music as Vice President of A&R, Nashville. He will report to Tracy Gershon, Senior Vice President and Head of A&R, and they will work together on signing emerging and established songwriters, catalog acquisition, and song placement. Markland most recently served as VP/GM of Crossfire3, the publishing venture […]

Awards Highlight 15th Annual ICM Week

Craig Morgan, Point of Grace and Halfway to Hazard are among the artists confirmed to perform at the 15th Annual Inspirational Country Music Awards Thursday, October 15. The show takes place 7pm at the Trinity Music City USA Auditorium in Hendersonville and tickets can be purchased for $45 from www.icm-awards.com. Additional performers confirmed for the […]

Musical Chairs: Writer’s Den, 17 Music Ent.

Music businessman John Nagara has joined 17 Music Entertainment as General Manager and will be in charge of overseeing the day-to-day activities for the independent label. He will focus on marketing and promotions for flagship artist Matt Gary. Nagara’s 23-year career history includes nine years as Music Director/Assistant Program Director at WKDF, time as a […]

CMA Sessions; Symphony CD Release Party

Last week during their October meetings, the CMA Board of Directors was treated to “CMA Sessions,” a private event featuring discussions between legendary superstars about their careers and lives. Participating in this installment of “CMA Sessions” were Bobby Bare, Little Jimmy Dickens, Brenda Lee, and Earl Scruggs. The event, held in the Ford Theater at […]

Industry Items: Release Schedule, Signings, New Business

Robin Ball and Todd Bradley have opened Burning Blue Music, a full-service entertainment company dedicated to artist management, recording, producing, songwriting, performance, media training and artist development. The pair will continue operating Red Current Recording studio in Brentwood, TN which has hosted sessions by James Otto, Lady Antebellum and the Muzik Mafia, to name a […]

Artists Score TV Slots: Adkins, Flatts, More

Trace Adkins will appear on ABC’s Extreme Makeover: Home Edition Sunday, October 18 (8 pm/ET). For the episode, he volunteers as a builder and travels to Lancaster, Texas to meet Carlton Marshall, who lost most of his mobility and all of his hearing after being shot while leading a Dallas Police Department SWAT team. ————————– […]

IEBA Opens With Performances, Panels

The International Entertainment Buyers Association Conference opened in Nashville last night (10/11) with showcases by Point of Grace, Heartland and others in the ballroom of the downtown Hilton, the hotel serving as headquarters for the three-day event. Later in the evening a group including Ricky Skaggs, MercyMe, and Eli Young Band was set to take […]

Gwen Sebastian

Gwen Sebastian’s debut single “Hard Rain” on Open Road Record/Lofton Creek Records is being released to country radio Oct. 12. She’s currently at work on her upcoming album, and she also has a holiday release available now called Christmas In July. Born to a ranching family in Hebron, North Dakota (pop. 800), Sebastian’s childhood summers […]

Keith Takes “American Ride” To The Streets

Toby Keith’s new studio album, American Ride, hit stores this week, with the title track/lead single planted firmly at the top of MusicRow’s Country Breakout chart for two weeks in a row. He kicks off his prime time appearances on The Jay Leno Show (10/14), where he will be racing an electric car in the […]

ShortNotes: Darryl Worley, George Jones, Lifenotes

Darryl Worley has recorded “Bring It On,” the new theme song for the Titans Radio Network. The song was co-written by Worley, Jim “Moose” Brown and the Titans’ own starting quarterback, Kerry Collins. Prior to the Titans game this Sunday, October 11 against the Indianapolis Colts, Worley and Collins will be featured guests on Titans […]

“People Country” Special Issue Out Today

Brad Paisley graces the cover of the new People Country issue, available exclusively on newstands today (10/9). Dedicated to the Country music scene and lifestyle, the magazine is the fourth of five special Country issues to be published by People this year. Inside, Paisley talks about lessons learned from his dad, as well as wife […]

Updated: Hear McGraw’s New Album

Tim McGraw will celebrate his new album Southern Voice with a concert for select fans in Chicago on release day, Oct. 20. It is one of a handful of fall dates on the singer’s schedule, with other stops including Las Vegas (10/23) and Highland, CA (11/19). But fans can listen to the release a week […]

Musicians Hall Inductions Set For Monday

The Musicians Hall of Fame Award Show will take place Monday, Oct. 12 at Nashville’s Schermerhorn Symphony Center, with an all-star class of inductees and performers. Joining the Hall this year are some of the most influential and highly regarded musicians, producers and arrangers of their generations including Chet Atkins, Billy Cox (Jimi Hendrix Experience), […]

Underwood Preps Album Release With Hot Single

Carrie Underwood is building up to the Nov. 3 release of her new album, Play On, with hot lead single and video “Cowboy Casanova,” and a re-designed Web site, carrieunderwoodofficial.com, with its own music download store. “Cowboy Casanova” is sizzling on the radio, landing at No. 12 on the Country Breakout Chart, and debuted last […]

Luke Bryan’s Farm Tour Kicks Off

Luke Bryan kicked off his Farm Tour earlier this week (10/5) to an audience of 3,500 at the Hurricane Branch Plantation just outside of Statesboro, Georgia. The show, opened by Colt Ford, helped benefit a scholarship fund for students at Georgia Southern University, Bryan’s alma mater. The show was the start to Bryan’s Doing My […]

Book Offers Cultural Bill Of Rights

Book Review Arts, Inc.: How Greed and Neglect Have Destroyed Our Cultural Rights Bill Ivey (University of California Press, 2008) Bill Ivey is one of the most articulate commentators on art and culture in America. He served as head of the National Endowment for the Arts during the Clinton Administration and prior to that was […]

Lambert Scores No. 1 Debut

Miranda Lambert’s third album Revolution debuted at No. 1 on the Billboard Country Albums chart with first week sales of almost 66,000 units, according to Nielsen SoundScan, a division of The Nielsen Company. She also brought in the highest debut week digital sales for a country female this year. With the release of Revolution, she […]

Live Nation/TM Merger Faces UK Roadblocks

The proposed Live Nation/Ticketmaster merger is facing opposition from the U.K.’s Competition Commission (CC). The organization made a provisional ruling against the merger and released a statement saying it could, “severely inhibit the entry of a major new competitor – CTS Eventim – into the U.K. ticketing market….This could lead to higher net prices (eg […]

Nashville Music Awards Honor Swift, Other Locals

Taylor Swift was the big winner at the Nashville Music Awards last night (10/7), collecting three trophies during a reception at the Cannery Ballroom. The 19-year-old Big Machine recording artist was named Artist of the Year and Songwriter/Artist of the Year, with her album Fearless earning Country Album of the Year honors. Presented by Leadership […]

Swift Extends “Fearless” Run

As Taylor Swift plans for this weekend’s final shows of her sold-out Fearless 2009 Tour, she revealed that she will extend the outing into 2010. She will kick off the Fearless 2010 Tour on February 4th in Brisbane, Australia and play five shows Down Under, presented by Michael Coppel Presents, before beginning her North American […]

Lifenotes: Music Industry Entrepreneur Shelby Singleton

Music Row entrepreneur Shelby Singleton died today, October 7, 2009, at age 77. The record executive, producer, and publisher is perhaps best known for purchasing the Sun Records catalog in 1969. The Texas native was a Mercury regional sales rep when the label brought him to town as part of its Nashville team. He ended […]

Lady A Unveil New Album, Celebrate Platinum Debut

Capitol trio Lady Antebellum has announced release information for its sophomore album. Titled Need You Now, the album is scheduled for a January 26, 2010 release. The title track and lead single is the fastest rising of their career, pushing into both the Billboard and MusicRow Top 10 in under 10 weeks. “This song, and […]

CMA Songwriters Series Returns To New York

The CMA Songwriters Series will return to New York City’s Joe’s Pub on Nov. 5, after successful shows in Los Angeles and Chicago. The concert will once again be hosted by hit tunesmith Bob DiPiero and will feature songwriters such as Jessi Alexander (“The Climb” recorded by Miley Cyrus, “Baby Don’t You Let Go” recorded […]

Sony Musical Chairs

Sony’s revolving door has Lauren (L.T.) Thomas replacing Kates Rogers as Arista Nashville’s new National Promotions Coordinator. Thomas joins the label on Mon., Oct. 12. Her most recent job was Associate Director of Promotion for Golden Music Nashville, and her background also includes a five-year stint as Promotions Manager for KMLE Phoenix. Rogers exited on […]

Lifenotes: BMI Board Member Don Thurston

Don Thurston, a former BMI Board member who was instrumental in developing the organization’s Nashville office, has died at age 79 after a battle with Parkinson’s Disease. During his 60-year career he founded and served as President of Berkshire Broadcasting. In addition to the BMI board, he was the National Association of Broadcasters Joint Radio-TV […]

Premiere Radio Picks Up Crook And Chase

Premiere Radio Networks has added The Crook & Chase Countdown to its lineup of nationally syndicated radio programs. The company will assume distribution rights to the four-hour weekend radio program on October 10, 2009, and it will be available for air between 6 a.m. and 12 a.m. local time. The Crook & Chase Countdown will […]

Paisley Extends Tour

If you were feeling bummed about missing Brad Paisley on tour this summer, fret not: you now have a chance to redeem yourself. The hotshot singer, guitar-slinger, songwriter and all around superstar has extended his successful American Saturday Night Tour into 2010 with 19 additional dates. Joining him for the 2010 dates, which start Jan. […]

McGraw to Film In Nashville

Tim McGraw and Gwyneth Paltrow will star in a movie that will be filmed in Nashville in January and February. The soundtrack will reportedly be comprised of all Nashville artists, and some possible locations for the shoot include McGraw’s farm. Eighty percent of the film is set to be shot here. The only reason that […]

Good Reasons To Get Out: Free Music, Fundraisers, and More

Michael W. Smith and Jeremy Camp have added their voices to the “Hope For Samoa” free benefit concert being organized by The Katinas to aid their homeland battered by the recent 8.2 magnitude earthquake and ensuing tsunami. The concert is tonight, Wednesday, October 7, 7 PM at Fellowship Bible Church in Brentwood, Tenn. Natalie Grant […]

Nashville Music Awards Return Tomorrow

The Nashville Music Awards return tomorrow night (10/7) through a partnership between Leadership Music and the Next BIG Nashville conference and festival. Recognizing outstanding contributions in all genres of music, and celebrating the diversity and quality of artists and music professionals who call Nashville their home, awards will be handed out at the Cannery Ballroom […]

Lee Ann Womack Works The Windy City

Lee Ann Womack spent the weekend performing in Chicago at three different events. Friday night, Oct. 2 she represented Nashville alongside hitmaking tunesmiths Bob DiPiero (“If You Ever Stop Loving Me”), Scotty Emerick (“I Love This Bar”) and Dean Dillon (“The Chair”) as part of the Country Music Association’s Songwriter Series at Joe’s Bar. Saturday […]

Rocketown Expands To Florida

Rocketown, the Nashville hangout geared toward teens, is opening a second location in Pompano Beach, Florida. The South Florida Sun-Sentinel says the venue will provide a safe, fun, and free atmosphere for middle and high school students, offering cool learning opportunities about things like photography, music composition, digital recording and film editing. Tutoring will also […]

Performers Added To Dierks’ Sunday Event

Dierks Bentley announced today (10/6) that members of multi-platinum rock band 3 Doors Down (lead vocalist Brad Arnold and guitar player Chris Henderson), will join his fourth annual “Miles & Music for Kids” charity motorcycle ride and concert this Sun., Oct. 11 in Nashville. The already star-studded lineup of performers includes Darius Rucker, Eric Church, […]

Next Big Nashville Emphasizes Broad Musical Landscape

What started as a small, one-off event in 2006 is working to change the perception of Music City. Next Big Nashville, holding its fourth annual event Oct. 7-10, offers a mix of music festival and business conference that spotlights our town’s thriving non-country constituency. NBN has grown and evolved at a staggering rate with attendance […]

Opry Goes Pink To Fight Breast Cancer

On Oct. 2 the Grand Ole Opry joined the fight against breast cancer with a special “Opry Goes Pink” performance. Opry member Carrie Underwood was on hand to flip the giant light switch, turning the show’s signature red barn backdrop pink for the night. ABC’s Good Morning America’s Robin Roberts—herself a breast cancer survivor—traveled to […]

Nashville Scene: Women’s profiles in bluegrass have risen

Generation by generation, women’s profiles in bluegrass have risen By Jewly Hight Funny how straightforward Rhonda Vincent sounds proclaiming herself an “All American Bluegrass Girl” in the song of that title—until you listen past the hook. Read more.

Touring Updates: Paisley, U2, and More

Brad Paisley just completed the west coast run of his American Saturday Night tour by selling over 100,000 tickets for shows in Bakersfield, San Francisco, Sacramento, Phoenix, San Diego and Irvine. He will take this week off from touring before heading to Florida for shows in Jacksonville, Tampa, and West Palm Beach, then it’s off […]

Holly Williams Weds, Swift Sings With Mayer

Singer Holly Williams wed drummer Chris Coleman on Sunday, Sept. 27 in an evening ceremony at Nashville’s Cedarwood mansion. The bride wore a gown by Vera Wang, and the all-star guest list included Kid Rock, Rascal Flatts’s Jay DeMarcus, and of course, her father Hank Williams Jr. who walked her down the aisle. Among musician […]

SAE Will Host Nashville Music Business Camp

Nashville Music Business Camp (NMBC) will be held Thurs., Oct. 15 through Sat., Oct. 17 at The Listening Room. Sponsored by SAE Institute-Nashville, NMBC is an educational music workshop organized by a forum of industry leaders to offer aspiring artists, songwriters, musicians and persons interested in careers in the music industry an intimate learning experience. […]

Matchless Music Plans Release; Herndon Inks New Deals

Shawn Pennington has opened Matchless Music Group with David St. Romain as the flagship artist. The company’s debut album is due in the first quarter of 2010, and St. Romain’s lead single, “That’s Love,” goes to radio Oct. 19 with David Haley’s EdgeHill Music handling promotion. Pennington and St. Romain met during Season 5 of Nashville […]

TV Guide: Country Edition

From left: Vince Gill, Emmylou Harris and “The Office’s” Steve Carell backstage at “The Jay Leno Show” (9/30/09). Gill and Harris were in Los Angeles to perform at a benefit for The Country Music Hall of Fame at Club Nokia. Photo: Rique Nashville musicians are making the media rounds. See where your favorite artists are […]

McBride And Adkins Announce Tour

Martina McBride and Trace Adkins are gearing up for their Shine All Night Tour, starting Nov. 20 and covering 40 cities across the U.S. through the spring of 2010. The tour is sponsored by SunnyD, and marks the beverage company’s first music partnership. The outing is also sponsored in part by GAC, and will feature […]

CMA Awards Schedule Superstar Performances

The superstar line-up of CMA Awards performers includes co-hosts Brad Paisley and Carrie Underwood. This first round of artists, given exclusively to People.com by the CMA, also lists all of the Entertainer of the Year nominees: George Strait, Taylor Swift, Kenny Chesney, Keith Urban, and Paisley (this year’s most-nominated artist with seven nods). The 43rd […]

Gretchen Wilson Launches Redneck Records

Gretchen Wilson has announced her own Redneck Records, with distribution, staff and other team members already in place. A new single is coming next week and will be followed by an album early next year. Operating from Studio 27 in Lebanon, Tenn. Wilson will act as President, overseeing label operations with the support of her […]

Nashville Rose Garden In Full Bloom

The Nashville Music Garden took root in the Hall of Fame Park, located at the corner of Fourth Avenue and Demonbreun (across from the Country Music Hall of Fame® and Museum), yesterday with the help of celebrity hosts Barbara Mandrell and Lynn Anderson as well as emcee Ralph Emery in an all-star ceremony befitting a […]