Luminaries Set For Leadership Music Awards

Leadership Music will present the organization’s prestigious Dale Franklin Awards to legendary label executive Jim Foglesong, superstar artist Garth Brooks, and Brooks’ longtime producer Allen Reynolds during a gala fundraising dinner on Sunday, August 23 at Nashville’s Renaissance Hotel. Roy Clark, Cowboy Jack Clement, Crystal Gayle, Bruce Lundvall, Steve Wariner and Trisha Yearwood are Honorary […]

Twitter Bridges Fan/Artist Connection

Twitter is becoming an increasingly common way for artists to communicate with fans. Stoney Creek Records’ Megan Mullins has been using it and other popular social networking sites for her “Total Request Video” extravaganza. Keeping within the weekly theme (ex. classic country), fans log onto Mullins’ Facebook, MySpace or Twitter account and request a song. Each week, […]

Nashville Music Awards Noms End 7/15

Next Big Nashville and Leadership Music are working together to revive the Nashville Music Awards (NMA), which were originally produced by Leadership Music from 1995-2000. The NMAs recognize all genres of music, and celebrate the diversity and quality of artists and music professionals who call Nashville home. Winners of this year’s awards will be announced […]

Media Moguls At “Summer Camp”

Allen & Co., a New York-based investment bank, is hosting its annual conference of the top national entertainment and technology leaders in Sun Valley, Idaho this week. The brainstorming and socializing event, often described as “summer camp” for the media world, is closed to the press though some are attending as guests and others remain […]

MJ Memorial, MCN Fan Club Concerts, Much More

Almost 31 Million viewers tuned into Michael Jackson’s memorial service on Tuesday (7/7). It aired on 19 networks from approximately 1-4 p.m. By comparison, the most recent season finale of American Idol drew just under 29 million pairs of eyes. ————— Copyright Office fees for various services concerning the registration of claims are increasing starting […]

Cyrus, Swift Score Spots on Forbes’ Under 30 List

Taylor Swift and Miley Cyrus ranked among Forbes’ new list of the top 12 highest-earning celebrities under 30. The powerful group, with an average age of 23, collectively pulled in $410 million between June 1, 2008 and June 1, 2009. Cyrus, 16, banked $25 million to tie for No. 7 along with the Jonas Brothers, […]

Country Stars Align For Ft. Campbell Troops

Carrie Underwood, John Rich, Rodney Atkins and Jake Owen will perform Aug. 14-15 as part of nearby Ft. Campbell’s Week of the Eagles to welcome home troops from overseas deployment. The free event, celebrating the homecoming of the 101st Airborne Division “Screaming Eagles,” is open to the public. Week of the Eagles is held every […]

Underwood, Love And Theft, Randy Rogers Band

Love And Theft’s Brian Bandas, Eric Gunderson and Stephen Barker Liles recently spent the day shooting a video in Memphis for their debut single, “Runaway,” with director Kristin Barlowe. The day wasn’t without challenges—Liles had food poisoning, and the engine of the 1971 Mustang Mach 1 featured had to be rebuilt—but everything turned out okay. […]

Capitol Signs Teen From TV

Jennette McCurdy, the 17-year-old actress who plays on the Nickelodeon TV show iCarly, has signed with Capitol Records Nashville. She has two songs available on iTunes: “So Close” and “Homeless Heart.” In a blog on her website www.jennettemccurdy.com, she tells fans, “I am in the Capitol Family along with such unbelievable greats as Keith Urban, […]

Michael Jackson: Detailing The Sales

The following slides were created by Nielsen Soundscan to show the enormity of the impact of Jackson’s recent sales.

Dailey & Vincent Sign With Columbia Artists

Columbia Artists Management, Inc. (CAMI) has signed Rounder Records bluegrass duo Dailey & Vincent to represent them for bookings in North American performing arts venues. Don Light Talent will continue to manage Dailey & Vincent and book them for all other venues, including bluegrass festivals. The duo is made up of Jamie Dailey, former lead […]

1st Annual Pink Trash Ball

Women Rock For The Cure (WRFTC) will sponsor it first annual Pink Trash Ball on Sat., July 25 at Mad Donna’s Restaurant in East Nashville (1313 Woodland St.). All proceeds from the evening will benefit the Susan G. Komen foundation which helps support breast cancer grants, meritorious awards and community outreach programs. The Pink Trash […]

TV/Video: Paisley, Duncan, Wayne, and Another McGraw

Arista Nashville’s Brad Paisley was in New York last week to promote his new album, American Saturday Night, and his trip to the Big Apple included a performance on a Reege-free edition of Live with Regis and Kelly. After the three-week #1 success of the new album’s first smash, “Then,” Paisley’s new single, “Welcome to the […]

Lifenotes: Mel McDaniel Hospitalized; More

Mel McDaniel has been hospitalized in Nashville after suffering a heart attack, reports the Tennessean. The Grand Ole Opry member is known for hits including “Baby’s Got Her Blue Jeans On,” “Stand Up” and “Louisiana Saturday Night.” –––––––––––––––– Pam Green, Westwood One’s Director/Artist Relations, has been released from the rehabilitation center and is back home […]

Free, Weekly Concerts Return Downtown

Mayor Karl Dean and Lightning 100 owner Lester Turner, Jr. today announced “Live On the Green,” a free, environmentally-friendly concert series to take place over six consecutive Thursday nights on the Public Square in front of the Metro Courthouse this fall. Live On the Green starts Thursday, Sept. 3 at 6 p.m. The concert series […]

Strait Moves Up “Twang” Release Date

George Strait‘s “Living For The Night,” the first single from his upcoming album Twang, hit the Top 15 mark in just three weeks making it one of the fastest rising singles of his career. The song, written by Strait, his son Bubba Strait and legendary songwriter Dean Dillon sits at #15 this week on Billboard’s […]

Pickler Strikes Gold Again

Kellie Pickler‘s current single, “Best Days Of Your Life,” was recently certified Gold by the RIAA for sales in excess of 500,000. Pickler was surprised with a plaque from the Sony Nashville/BNA Records staff that also celebrates the gold certification of her debut single, “Red High Heels.” Pickler co-wrote both songs.

New Underwood Album Coming Nov. 3

Four-time Grammy winner Carrie Underwood has set a November 3 release date for her yet-to-be-titled third album. Her first two records have sold more than 10 million units. Released on 19 Recordings/Arista Nashville, Underwood’s upcoming album will continue her collaboration with producer Mark Bright, who helmed 2007’s hit-filled Carnival Ride, as well as seven tracks […]

Industry Celebrates Vince Melamed Album

On June 25 hit songwriter Vince Melamed celebrated the release of his debut solo album with music industry friends. The party was hosted by Adroit Recrods at the Green Hills home of Vince and his wife, Meredith. Melamed wrote or co-wrote “Walkaway Joe,” “What Mattered Most,” “I’ll Take That As a Yes,” and “She’d Give […]

Updates: Gina Hilburn, Laura Huie, Heather and Bobby Young, Beckett Service

Songwriters Patrick Davis, Harley Allen, Lisa Carver and Marv Green came together for a recent benefit show to help longtime Warner Music Group employee Gina Hilburn in her fight against cancer. The event took place Friday, June 26 at the Bluebird Café, and raised nearly $4,000 which included contributions from friends and co-workers, ticket sales, auction […]

Updated: BMI Moving Jobs From NY To Nashville

BMI will move about 30 jobs from its New York office to Music Row starting this fall and continuing for the following 6-8 months. Only a few employees who currently hold the mostly administrative functions will be given the option of relocating. Hiring to fill the positions could start as soon as late summer. Robbin […]

Songwriters Series Take Nashville Nationwide, Plus GMA and IBMA

CMA Songwriters Series: Now in its fifth year, the popular CMA Songwriters Series will revisit New York City. Joe’s Pub will host another night spotlighting several of Nashville’s finest songwriters on Thursday, July 30 (6:30 and 9:30 PM/ET). Hosted by Bob DiPiero (“Take Me As I Am” recorded by Faith Hill, “You Can’t Take the […]

“Soundstage” On GAC, Kid Rock’s Beer, SheDaisy, and Rascal Flatts

GAC To Present The Best of Soundstage: Great American Country (GAC) is pleased to present the best of the legendary music television series, Soundstage, and will air nine Country episodes beginning with Sugarland on July 12 at 7 PM/CT. The groundbreaking series aired from 1974–1985 before returning in 2003 and continues to feature outstanding high definition […]

AristoVideo & Travis Television Form DownCast

AristoVideo and Travis Television Productions have formed an alliance that bundles the two companies’ specialized video services into one consolidated package, named DownCast. The arrangement integrates broadcast-quality video content with a distribution network that services an extensive list of radio, television, national and regional video programs, newspapers, trade publications, celebrity and entertainment shows, wire services, closed-circuit partners, […]

Atkins and Waltrip On GAC’s “Drafting Partners”

Rodney Atkins and NASCAR driver Michael Waltrip were featured on GAC’s Drafting Partners, which premiered July 2 and was taped at Lowes Mother Speedway. The new GAC series combines one of country’s hottest stars and one of NASCAR’s coolest drivers for an insider’s look at the colliding worlds of country music and motorsports.

Plugger Group Meets Blake Chancey

The Perfect Pitches Plugger Group recently met with noted producer Blake Chancey at the cocktail lounge The Patterson House on Division Street.

R.J. Curtis Is Arista’s New Reg. Promo. Mngr.

R.J. Curtis will be Arista Nashville’s new Regional Promotion Manager, Midwest beginning July 20. He will relocate to Music City to serve the region previously helmed by Tyler Waugh, who segues to the Southeast territory.

Glamorous Tidbits

Taylor Swift is on the cover of the August issue of Glamour magazine. In an article titled Taylor Swift: Bomb-Shell in Blue Jeans, she dishes on her favorite career moments (Saturday Night Live, Rolling Stone cover), future goals (a world tour, moving out of her parents’ house), and where she sees herself in the future. […]

Williams Riley Celebrates William Morris Endeavor Signing

An industry crowd gathered at Nashville’s 12th & Porter yesterday (7/1) for a Cajun lunch and showcase hosted by Golden Music, William Morris and Jim Havey PR on behalf of new band Williams Riley. The seven piece outfit, fronted by singer/songwriter Steve Williams, charged through an energetic set including its current single “I’m Still Me,” […]

IBMA Members Elect Leadership To Board

Professional members of the International Bluegrass Music Association (IBMA) recently elected several positions on the organization’s board of directors. Two new faces will be added and three were re-elected to new terms. Those elected and the membership categories they represent are: * Alison Brown, an executive with Compass Records and an award winning artist from Nashville, Tennessee […]

Photo Ops: Costco Queen, Winans, Walker, and Wayne

Jimmy Wayne takes a camera with him everywhere he travels, and this week his label Valory Music Co.  launched a weekly series spotlighting some of his favorite photos from the road. See below.

Revisiting The New Rules Of Engagement

In August 2007 MusicRow released a special report entitled Embracing Change: The New Rules of Engagement. Its content was the result of a series of think-tank sessions with Jim Beavers, David Gales, Scott Heuerman, Todd Cassetty and David Ross—tech devotees with group experience in virtually all aspects of the music industry. Now, two years later, […]

New Music Rundown

Larry Gatlin—the man Johnny Cash called “Pilgrim”—and the Gatlin Brothers are working on the upcoming release of The Pilgrimage, their new album on Curb Records. On it the Gatlins celebrate their love and respect for Mr. Cash and collaborate with his son John Carter Cash as producer. The lead single “Johnny Cash is Dead and […]

Photos: Rascal Flatts, Rhonda Towns, Colt Ford

Rascal Flatts visited a JC Penney store in a Washington, D.C. suburb prior to their show at the Nissan Pavilion on June 27. The band created a little “fan fare” when their secret visit was leaked by a local radio station and hundreds of fans showed up to greet them. The retailer’s American Living clothing […]

How Artists Are Spending the 4th

Here’s a list of what a few artists are doing this weekend. What is your artist up to? Add a comment below and let us know. Nashville always celebrates the 4th of July with style and this year’s 25th anniversary event will be better than ever with headliner Wynonna Judd performing alongside the Symphony Orchestra. […]

Toby K., Holly W., Luke B. and Aaron T.

Toby Keith‘s sixth annual golf and music fundraising weekend to benefit Ally’s House raised more than a half-million dollars to help children with cancer and their families in Keith’s native Oklahoma. The $550,000 raised brings the to-date total to nearly $3 million. The dinner, music and auction saw several big ticket items drawing huge bids. […]

Jackson Sales Surge But Country Lags

The week ending 6/28/09 saw week-over-week (w/w) country sales drop 24% and overall music sales fall 8%. For country it was the week after Fathers Day and the CMT Awards, plus there were no new country CD debuts to give fans an extra reason to shop. For the overall industry, it was the week that […]

CMT Ratings Continue Upward Trend

Coming off ratings wins for premieres of the 2009 CMT Music Awards and The Singing Bee series debut, CMT has wrapped its most-watched second quarter ever among total viewers. According to Nielsen Media Research, the network increased total viewers for both total day (+14%) and primetime (+13%) when compared to the same quarter in 2008, […]

New Artists Now

MCA Nashville will release David Nail‘s debut album I’m About To Come Alive on Tuesday, August 18. Produced by Frank Liddell and Michael Wrucke, Nail is credited with writing nearly half of the 11-track record. “I think every artist that moves to Nashville has a list of things they hope to achieve, and having a […]

Music Biz Whiz Kids

There are several familiar names on Music Row among the finalists for the 2009 Nashville Emerging Leader Awards (NELAs), given out annually by the Nashville Area Chamber of Commerce and YP Nashville. The organizations say the awards are proof of the demographic’s strong leadership, community impact and success. Many of the nominees are members of […]

Bobby Karl Works The MusicRow Awards

The readers have spoken, and they have class. Both Jamey Johnson and James Otto were double winners at this year’s MusicRow awards ceremony. Jamey won the Breakthrough Artist award as well as the Song of the Year prize for “In Color,” co-written with James and Lee Thomas Miller. Because James also co-wrote his big hit […]

Musical Chairs: W.A.Y. Ent., Republic Nashville

Former Sony execs. Jon Elliot and Christian Svendsen have formed W.A.Y. Entertainment, a fully integrated entertainment company. The Nashville-based outfit will specialize in artist management and marketing services, and also offer merchandise and TV production through partnerships with A3 Merchandise and Relay Productions. With combined experience of more than 30 years and backgrounds in promotion, […]

Whisperin’ Bill Still Making Noise

Whisperin’ Bill Anderson was already having a wonderful vacation when he received a phone call from Terry Wakefield at Sony/ATV that made his trip that much better. Wakefield let him know the status of two of Anderson’s co-writes: Sugarland‘s “Joey” hit the national country charts at No. 50 yesterday (6/29), and today (6/30) Brad Paisley […]

Brotherly Love w/ Bellamys & Bacons; Plus Artist LifeNotes

The Bellamy Brothers have released a new single and video with The Bacon Brothers titled “Guilty of the Crime.” The song is currently in medium rotation on CMT Pure and featured worldwide on CMT.com. Directed by Laura Lyness, the video was shot in a single day inside a prison in Memphis.  The video features both […]

Lady A Added To Now! 31 Pop Comp

Lady Antebellum’s current Top 5 single “I Run to You” has been added to the upcoming Now! 31 compilation disc scheduled to be released June 30. The Capitol Nashville trio is the only country act on this latest in a series of discs, part of the long-running Now That’s What I Call Music series that […]

Browser Battles—FireFox Launches 3.5

While it might be easy to wave aside upgrades in surf technology as being unconnected to the entertainment industry, it would be an over simplification and a mistake. The browser opens our window to the online world, the growing point of contact between artists and fans, plus buyers and sellers of; tickets, music files, merchandise […]

Artists Celebrate Summer on Field and Water

Last month’s Nashville Celebrity Softball Challenge, held each year in conjunction with CMA Music Festival, raised over $100,000 for City of Hope’s research, treatment and education for cancer and other life-threatening diseases. The Grand Ole Opry team defeated the After Midnite team. Stepping up to the plate to help the charity were notable Nashvillians and […]

Kristofferson Named BMI Icon, Awards Date Set

Kris Kristofferson will be honored as a BMI Icon at the U.S. music rights organization’s 57th annual Country Awards. Slated for Tuesday, November 10 in Nashville, the black-tie, invitation-only gala will celebrate the songwriters of the past year’s most-performed country songs from the BMI catalog. Hosted by BMI President & CEO Del Bryant and Nashville […]

821 Grows the Hollywood-Nashville Connection

821 Entertainment, the Music City company headed by Pres. Anastasia Brown and CEO Eric Geadelmann, has optioned the film rights to one of John Grisham’s biggest bestsellers. That project, along with the company’s upcoming Roy Rogers trilogy, will offer many possibilities for the use of Nashville music, says 821 COO Graham Chalfant. Grisham has been […]

CMA Fest To Rock TV, First Awards Ballot Coming

Country Music takes center stage when CMA Music Festival: Country’s Night to Rock airs Monday, Aug. 31 (8:00-11:00 PM/ET) on the ABC Television Network. Filmed in Nashville June 11-14, the special has been expanded to three hours. Kenny Chesney, Kid Rock, Lady Antebellum, Brad Paisley, Darius Rucker, Sugarland and Taylor Swift are the first performers […]