Newsflash: Teens Love Taylor, Miley and Carrie

Taylor Swift, Carrie Underwood and Miley Cyrus are among the nominees for the popular Teen Choice 2009 Awards. The star laden show catering to the coveted demographic will air Aug. 10 on Fox, honoring everything from music, TV, and film, to favorite athletes, celebrity babies and celeb pets. There isn’t a Country category, so the […]

Canyon, Farrell, Pritchett To Play Canadian CMA Awards

George Canyon, Jessie Farrell and Aaron Pritchett will perform at this year’s Canadian Country Music Awards, to be held Sept. 13 in Vancouver, BC. This year’s CCMA Award nominees will be announced at a media conference in Toronto, ON, on Wed., July 29. Canyon is a multiple CCMA Award winner, and two-time JUNO Award winner […]

DISClaimer (5/22/09)

It’s a holiday weekend and we’ve got a lot of ground to cover, so let’s just get on with it. Memorial Day is the traditional kick-off of summer. It will come as no surprise to any of you that Kenny Chesney’s Disc of the Day is the season’s first soundtrack tune. We had a lot […]

Tech Tidbits: MySpace, Twitter, Godin

MySpace has announced layoffs of approximately 30% of its staff totaling about 420 workers. After the cuts, the social networking site, owned by Rupert Murdoch’s News Corporation, will retain a staff of almost 1,000. “Simply put, our staffing levels were bloated and hindered our ability to be an efficient and nimble team-oriented company,” stated Chief […]

Bonnaroo Attendance Up From 2008

Early estimates project that 75,000 people attended Bonnaroo last weekend in Manchester, Tenn. This is an increase from 70,000 in 2008, and just shy of the 80,000 tickets that would sell out the festival. Producers Ashley Capps of A.C. Entertainment, and Jonathan Mayers of Superfly Presents, arranged for about 125 acts this year, and are […]

Paisley, Swift Big Winners At CMT Music Awards

Brad Paisley and Taylor Swift emerged as the biggest winners with three and two trophies, respectively, at last night’s 2009 CMT Music Awards. Paisley took home top honors for Male Video of the Year (“Waitin’ On A Woman”), Collaborative Video of the Year (“Start A Band” with Keith Urban), and CMT Performance of the Year, […]

Legends Toast Hank Cochran

Living legends gathered to salute iconic songwriter Hank Cochran Monday, June 15 at BMI’s Music Row offices. Merle Haggard, Bobby Bare, Dean Dillon, Jamey Johnson, Lee Ann Womack, Gene Watson, Red Lane, and Whitey Shafer took turns delivering acoustic versions of Hank Cochran classics, while guests including Elvis Costello, Cowboy Jack Clement, Jeannie Seely, Dallas […]

2009 CMT Music Awards Street Closures

2009 CMT Music Awards street closures: –5th Avenue (Broadway to Demonbreun): This section of 5th Avenue will remain closed from 8:00 PM on Sunday, June 14th through 6:00 AM on Wednesday, June 17th. –Demonbreun (West bound from 4th to 6th Avenues): This section of Demonbreun will be closed from 10:00 AM on Monday, June 15 […]

Updated: Nashville Prepping For Tonight’s CMT Awards

Updated 2:15 PM: Jamey Johnson will be presented the inaugural Rhapsody Music Without Limits Award on the red carpet at the CMT Awards. The honor is for artists who have the ability to push boundaries with their artistry, exhibiting a willingness to explore and introduce new sounds into an existing music genre. Randy Houser’s hit […]

Sugarland To Debut CD/DVD Set Exclusively At Walmart

Sugarland will release a special CD/DVD set called Live On The Inside Aug. 4 at Wal-Mart and walmart.com. The package will retail for $12. The DVD, consisting of 16 live tracks and performance footage from their Love On The Inside Tour, was filmed in high-definition in Lexington, Kentucky by director Shaun Silva. Fans will find […]

Philanthropy Is A Big Part of CMA Music Festival

The “Be Instrumental” used band instrument drive, organized by the Nashville Alliance for Public Education and CMA during CMA Music Festival, drummed up lots of support for deserving music students and programs in Metro Nashville Public Schools. The level of interest from the community compelled the Country Music Hall of Fame and Museum to offer […]

Treehouse Records Launches Blaine Larsen

Blaine Larsen will be the flagship artist of Treehouse Records, the new label launched by Morris Management Group’s Dale Morris, Clint Higham and Mike Betterton, through a partnership with Front Line Management and TicketMaster CEO Irving Azoff. “This is a labor of love for Blaine, because we believe in him,” Higham explained today. Larsen, 23, […]

Music Festival Hits All-Time Attendance High

Despite a troubled economy and falling festival ticket sales across the nation, the 2009 CMA Music Festival reeled in its best attendance numbers ever, notching a 7.2% increase over the previous year. Average 2009 daily attendance was 56,000. In 2008 the average daily attendance was 52,000. According to the CMA, a great deal of the […]

Bobby Karl Works CMA Music Fest (6/14)

Chapter 312-C SUNDAY, JUNE 14 Sunday Fan club activities began in the morning for Jo Dee Messina at The Belcourt Theater and concluded with Pam Tillis at The Wildhorse Saloon that evening. In the Sports Zone downtown, we had the fourth annual Michael Peterson Celebrity Tractor Race, sponsored by New Holland. The man to beat […]

Bobby Karl Works CMA Music Fest (6/13)

Chapter 312-B SATURDAY, JUNE 13 This was our first really hot day of the fest. Boaters were out in force on the Cumberland behind the Riverfront Stage, and kids were frolicking in the Metro Courthouse fountains. I took Miss Mary with me downtown. “Don’t walk too fast,” she implored. I laughed: “Don’t worry: There are […]

Bobby Karl Works CMA Music Fest (6/12)

Chapter 312-A FRIDAY, JUNE 12 Friday always seems, to me, to be the busiest day of the CMA Music Festival. On Wednesday and Thursday, the faithful gather. On Saturday and Sunday, they disperse to various Fan Club parties or find other ways to amuse themselves in Nashville “off campus.” But on Friday, they’re still fresh, […]

Lifenotes: Nelson Andrews

Respected civic and business leader Nelson Andrews passed away on June 13 after a battle with leukemia. He was 82. As the founder of Leadership Nashville, he was also a  great supporter of Leadership Music. On the business front, he was very successful, including being founder and chairman of the board of real estate firm […]

Artists Step Up To Help Charity

Several Nashville stars marked the launch of a new charity initiative for injured veterans on June 8 in Washington D.C. Amy Grant and Vince Gill hosted and performed at the musical event at The John F. Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts and were joined by Alison Krauss, Michael McDonald, Darius Rucker, Melinda Doolittle and […]

Darren Kozelsky

“Seven Vern Gosdins Ago” Major 7th/Nine North “Seven Vern Gosdins Ago” is the latest single from Texas-bred singer Darren Kozelsky. The heartfelt ballad is from his album Arrivals & Departures, which was released digitally May 29. Kozelsky was also named Breakthrough Artist of the Year at the 2008 New Music Weekly Awards. His sound has […]

CMA Industry InSite Debuts Artist Management Segment

This month’s installment of “CMA Industry InSite,” the online educational series for CMA members, is available starting today (6/15). The second episode on Artist Management can be found at www.My.CMAworld.com. The series was developed by CMA’s Artist Relations Committee, chaired by Kix Brooks of Brooks & Dunn, to lay a foundation for how the various […]

Friday Night Music Fest 09

Music Fest09: Friday Night’s show, unlike the previous evening’s heavy storms, enjoyed cool, dry breezes and provided a perfect LP Field “country concert” climate. Performers included Luke Bryan, Rodney Atkins, Lady Antebellum, Jason Aldean, Jake Owen, Little Big Town, Zac Brown Band and surprise guest Kid Rock who closed it down. Your Humble Scribe was […]

Law Firms Recognized, Steve Wariner Honored, 2 Staffers Leave rpm

The Tennessee State Legislature honored Steve Wariner on May 28 with Senate Joint Resolution 469. The resolution recognizes Wariner as “a Renaissance man by any standard…a recording artist, touring performer, songwriter, publisher, producer, record executive, an avid painter and a true humanitarian” and commends him “for the significant contributions he has made to the growth […]

More From CMA Fest

Gretchen Wilson kicked-off CMA Music Festival 2009 Thursday at the Riverfront Park Daytime Stage. The show was delayed an hour due to weather but the sun was out by the end of the concert. ———————- Gary Allan performed to a sold out crowd of over 800 fans at his Fan Club Party, held Tuesday (6/9) […]

Friday Photo Spread

Rascal Flatts, Charlie Allen, John Rich, Robin Meade and KingBilly

Nashville On The Web: Marci Cardwell, Lefsetz on Barry Beckett

Read music biz blogger Bob Lefsetz’s memorial tribute to the late Barry Beckett here. You can also read reactions to the article, including a note from Kenny Chesney here. ––––––––––––– Elsewhere online, MAC Presents owner Marci Cardwell is the subject of an extensive article and interview here.

Lifenotes: James D. Walbert

Pianist James D. Walbert has died at the age of 91 near Birmingham, Alabama. He began his career as the teenage accompanist for the famed Vaughan Quartet of Lawrenceburg, Tennessee. The quartet was among the acts recorded at Nashville’s very first recording sessions, in 1928. He was the grandson of the group’s founder, James D. […]

Bobby Karl Works Music Fest (6/11)

Chapter 311 Both the start and the finish of Thursday’s CMA Music Festival concerts were marred by weather, but in between it was a blast. Thunder rumbled, and an ominous black cloud descended on Music City as things were about to get underway at Riverfront Park. About 10 minutes before the 10:00 AM show time, […]

Ticketmaster Strands echo Clients

String Theory Media reporter Craig Havighurst reports that Ticketmaster Entertainment’s echomusic will shut down sites of “between 100 and 200 clients” on June 15-18. Most of those artists involved are independent and/or developing artists. echo has said there will be no refunds and most upsetting to many of the clients, there is no pathway to […]

Country Benefits For Musicians On Call, Juvenile Diabetes

Musicians On Call, which brings live and recorded music to the bedsides of patients in healthcare facilities, has benefit auctions going on now, including memorabilia and concert experiences from Rascal Flatts, Taylor Swift, The Jonas Brothers, Carrie Underwood and more on www.ebay.com/moc. From June 10-21 fans can also visit http://www.cmtauctions.com/ to bid on items from […]

In Color: Jeffrey Steele, Nashville In Napa, and Dierks Bentley

Perennial hitmaker Jeffrey Steele carved time out of his busy schedule to celebrate the success of his No. 1 single “Here” at a private dinner hosted by BMI at Fleming’s on Monday, June 8. Recorded by Rascal Flatts, “Here” marks Steele’s eighth No. 1 hit, four of which have been recorded by the band. Steele […]

Evergreen: Barker Leaves, Drops ICG Moniker

John Barker resigned his position as President of Integrated Copyright Group (ICG) and Vice President of Evergreen Copyright Administration on Monday. Following that, today Evergreen co-CEOs David Schulhof and Richard Perna announced that ICG has formally changed its company name to EverGreen Copyrights. All ICG remaining staff will continue as employees of EverGreen. ICG, the […]

Bobby Karl Works Music Fest (6/10)

Chapter 310 The CMA Music Festival always starts before it’s supposed to. There has already been plenty of activity, including a superstar sighting. Alan Jackson isn’t “officially” playing the fest this year, but Wednesday night (6/10) he took over Cadillac Ranch on Lower Broadway to celebrate his 20th anniversary. It was this month in 1989 […]

Lifenotes: Barry Beckett

Renowned producer Barry Beckett (1943-2009) passed away peacefully at his home last night, June 10, surrounded by family. His storied career ranged from Muscle Shoals musician to Nashville producer. We will post arrangements as they become available. Beckett was born February 4, 1943 in Birmingham, Alabama. He spent many years as part of the house […]

Save The Date: Leadership Music Awards

Leadership Music will honor Country Music Hall of Fame member/legendary label executive Jim Foglesong, superstar artist Garth Brooks, and Brooks’ longtime producer Allen Reynolds with its 6th annual Dale Franklin Awards, to be given out Sun., Aug. 23 at the Renaissance Hotel. Cocktails start at 5:30 PM, followed by dinner at 6:30 PM. Invitation only.

Miranda Lambert Starting A Revolution

Miranda Lambert will unleash her third album, Revolution, on Sept. 29. For the project she reunited with producers Frank Liddell and Mike Wrucke who are putting the final touches on the release. She wrote three songs on the album alone, and co-wrote a majority of the other tracks with writers including Blake Shelton, Ashley Monroe, […]

RIAA Under Fire, Beaming Up Bonnaroo, World Copyright Summit

Minnesota lawyer Kiwi Camara and Harvard Law professor Charles Nesson have signaled their intention to file a class action lawsuit against the recording industry demanding the return over $100 million that the RIAA supposedly has collected as penalties from file-sharing cases with consumers. Camara is also in a high-profile Minnesota RIAA case later this month. […]

Country Sales Outpace Overall Industry

SoundScan’s inner numerics held few surprises this week as sales on Country’s Current Top 75 remained flat (-2% to be precise). For the week ended 6/7/09 country sales are down 3.3% Y/Y which continues to compare favorably with the industry overall now down 14%. Lost Highway’s Ryan Bingham debuts on the country list at No. […]

Early Music Fest Events: Radio Remotes, Bowling, Fishing And More

Reba McEntire was the surprise guest at last night’s (Tuesday) orientation session for the radio stations participating in the Premiere Radio Networks’ Official CMA Music Festival Radio Remote. During CMA Music Festival, McEntire will perform on the Nightly Concerts on the VAULT™ Concert Stage at LP Field on Thurs., June 11.  That afternoon she will […]

Kellie Pickler, Gretchen Wilson Have USA Weekend Covered

CMT has once again partnered with USA Weekend to present the USA Weekend Breakthrough Video of the Year award at the upcoming CMT Music Awards, premiering live on Tues., June 16 at 7 PM/CT. In celebration, the publication is featuring Kellie Pickler and Gretchen Wilson on its Sun., June 14 cover, because both are former […]

MR Launches Twitter Chart

Country music trade publication MusicRow and New Media marketing group AristoWorks have formed a chart to track Country music artists’ popularity among Twitter users. Now in beta mode, the rankings are based on the number of users “following” each artist. Currently, there are 72 chart positions. Miley Cyrus and Taylor Swift occupy the No. 1 […]

SOURCE Reveals 2009 Foundation Award Winners

SOURCE has announced the recipients of its 2009 Foundation Awards, honoring the pioneering women of the music industry. The select list comprises Joyce Jackson (Jim Reeves Enterprises, Floyd Cramer, Dottie West, Mae Axton, Ernest Tubb Record Shop, Writer); Peggy Lamb (Music City News, Hickory Records, Inc., Acuff Rose, Opryland Music, Sony/ATV Music Publishing); Pat McCoy […]

Republic Nashville Hires Bobby Young

Bobby Young has joined the newly formed label Republic Nashville as Director of National Promotion. With more than 20 years on Music Row, his stints include VP of Promotion & Artist Development at River North Nashville; VP of Promotion at Jeff McClusky & Associates, Inc; VP of National Country Promotion at Mercury Nashville; Partner/GM of […]

Celebs Set For Softball Challenge

Adam Gregory, Carrie Underwood, Chuck Wicks, Titan Craig Hentrich, Josh Turner, Justin Moore, Titan Kerry Collins, Luke Bryan, Montgomery Gentry, Carter Twins, Trailer Choir and Whitney Duncan have been drafted by the Grand Ole Opry team for the 19th Annual City of Hope Celebrity Softball Challenge, presented by People Country, and Gibson Foundation. The Opry […]

Wy Joins Beatles Themed Benefit For Music School

Wynonna will appear with The WannaBeatles, former Apple Records executive Ken Mansfield,  contemporary Christian artist Phil Keaggy, country singer David Ball, guitarist Jonny Lang and other celebs tonight (6/9) to celebrate the 42nd anniversary of The Beatles’ Sgt. Pepper album. The “With a Little Help From My Friends benefit” will include performances and storytelling at […]

New Music Update: Paisley, Gretchen, Gary and More

Starting today (6/9) iTunes users can purchase tracks from Brad Paisley’s new album, American Saturday Night, prior to its June 30th release date. One new song will be made available each week for the next three weeks, beginning with “Water.” The first single from the album, “Then,” is already a radio hit. American Saturday Night […]

Black River Announces New Staffers

Black River Music Group has added former echomusic staffers Shay Boone and John Gusty to its team. They will be spearheading comprehensive new media efforts for the Nashville-based music group with a heavy focus on fan engagement, community building, data-capture and overall monetization of all BRMG initiatives. Additionally, Boone and Gusty will be launching Black […]

CMA Music Fest Draws Near: Chesney To Close Week, Street Closures

With CMA Music Festival opening this week, the big announcements just keep coming. A set by Kenny Chesney will be the grand finale of the 2009 CMA Music Festival on Sunday when he closes out the Nightly Concerts at LP Field. In addition to Chesney, Jason Michael Carroll, Heidi Newfield, and Jimmy Wayne will be […]

Alan Jackson To Play Europe For First Time in 19 Years

Alan Jackson is set for his first string of European dates since 1990. He will perform in Denmark, Sweden and Norway, on August 13, 14 and 15, respectively. These will be his first-ever shows in Scandinavia. In Norway, where where his latest release Good Time has already sold Platinum, fans snapped up 14,000 tickets within […]

CMA Awards Voting Schedule

The Country Music Association has alerted members of the voting schedule for the 2009 CMA Awards. The ballot schedule is: Nominating Ballot (round 1): Email sent/polls open Tues., June 30 and close Wed., July 16 at 5:00 PM/CDT Second Ballot (round 2): Will be sent Tues., Aug. 11 and close Mon., Aug. 24 at 5:00 […]

Twitterific: MusicRow Debuts Chart, Twitter Stops Fake Accounts

Ever been duped into following a celeb imposter on Twitter? You’re not alone. So the brains behind the microblogging site have begun working on a new feature called “Verified Accounts.” The beta version will debut this summer, with a special seal to help users differentiate between the real and fake Oprah, Brad Paisley, etc. First […]