Country Stars In Starring Roles

Julianne Hough is lined up to co-star in next year’s remake of Footloose says the Hollywood Reporter. She will act alongside Chace Crawford, of Gossip Girl fame, who will play the Kevin Bacon role from the 1984 original. Though some reports say Hough has scheduling conflicts, filming will take place in March 2010 with Paramount […]

Latocki Enters Web Solutions Partnership, Wins AIGA Awards

Latocki Team Creative (LTC) and Creative State, an award-winning provider of Web sites and custom Web applications, are partnering to provide custom Web solutions for Nashville corporations and the entertainment industry. “Creative State is a company we believe in,” says Luellyn Latocki, LTC owner and creative director. “We’re looking forward to working with them to […]

Skyline Signs B&D Hitmaker Don Cook

Don Cook, writer and producer of numerous hits by Brooks & Dunn, has signed with Skyline Music Publishing. Among his credits are the B&D songs “Only In America,” “It’s Getting Better All The Time,” “Brand New Man,” “My Next Broken Heart,” “That Ain’t No Way To Go,” “You’re Gonna Miss Me When I’m Gone” and […]

Twitter Users Purchase More

A recent NPD Group study suggests that Twitter users purchased 77% more digital music downloads than non-tweeting Web users. “NPD’s latest music-acquisition study shows that there are segments of consumers who are more actively integrating Twitter as a key tool for communicating and networking,” said Russ Crupnick, entertainment industry analyst for NPD. “Based on their […]

GAC Forms Partnership To Release New Music

Great American Country (GAC) has entered a partnership with Original Signal Recordings to release Lane Turner’s new album, a self-titled EP made available to digital outlets on June 9. Under terms of the joint venture, GAC will promote Turner’s music and music videos on its television and radio programs, while Original Signal will spearhead the […]

Nashville in Napa

Producer Frank Rogers is spearheading a new charity called NOTES that will fund programs that bring music, art and literacy to school age children. He co-founded the initiative with Debi Cali of Baldacci Family Vineyards in Napa Valley, CA. Tickets for the first fundraiser, Nashville in Napa, go on sale today. The event will take […]

Administrators Mark 10 Years, Black River Hires, Miley Ticket Sales

Hit songwriter and former NSAI President Bob Regan spoke at the 10 Year Anniversary Meeting of the Music Row Administrators Group on June 18. He is seated front and center, sharing a chair with the group’s co-founder Shirley Hutchins. The organization meets monthly and has a guest speaker to provide current information regarding music rights […]

CMT Awards Are Channel’s Most-Watched Show of Year

More than 9.6 million viewers cumulative* tuned in for the premiere and encore telecasts of the 2009 CMT Music Awards on Tuesday, June 16 on CMT. This makes it the network’s most-watched telecast of the year, and ranks it third in the history of the awards. Increased fan interaction online led CMT.com to a record […]

Sugarland Set For Network Primetime Special

Sugarland is getting its first network television special. Sugarland: Live on the Inside will air on ABC, Mon., Aug. 3 at 7 PM/CT, the night before the duo’s new Wal-Mart exclusive CD/DVD pack of the same name hits shelves. Producer/director Shaun Silva taped the one-hour special at Rupp Arena in Lexington, Kentucky using 20 cameras. […]

Hoyt Hughes

“Ain’t My Day To Save The World” Whirlwind Records/Lofton Creek “Ain’t My Day To Save The World” is Hoyt Hughes’ debut single for Lofton Creek Records, a song that recasts the working man as a superhero who needs a little time off. The Lakeland, Florida native is currently working on his upcoming album. Hughes was […]

Pickler OK

The latest in a series of magazine features focusing on Nashville’s lovely country artists involves Kellie Pickler in a six page spread for OK Magazine. Billed as Southern Belle, Pickler dishes about life on the road and as a member of country music family. “Of course I would love to be a member of the […]

Storysource To Fill Growing Content Need

Former Fox 17 news vets, anchor Laura Faber and entertainment reporter Miranda Cohen have formed Storysource, LLC an independent content creation company. The new venture explains itself simply; we write, shoot, edit and deliver the final story. “After long, successful careers, we looked at today’s media environment and concluded that there is a need for […]

Chesney Headlines Hard Rock Ambassadors of Rock Tour Date

Kenny Chesney will headline the New York tour stop of Hard Rock International’s 2009 Ambassadors of Rock Tour in Times Square on September 15. In its fourth consecutive year, the Ambassadors of Rock global concert series has featured other acts including O.A.R. in Orlando and an all-star lineup at Hard Rock Calling in London with […]

DISClaimer (6/12/09)

The indies are in the driver’s seat this week. The big news is that Kentucky native Clay Underwood graduates from his prior DisCovery Award win to having the Disc of the Day with the title tune to his new CD. Even more surprising is that his only real challenger is also on an independent label. […]

DISClaimer (5/29/09)

Her television show is called The Edge of Country, and she practices what she preaches. Love, Lessons & Lies, the new CD by GAC’s Kylie Harris, is a splendidly left-field listening experience. It is not only produced with imagination, it is filled with excellently written tunes. A tip of the cap and a Disc of […]

Richie Fields

“When You Love Someone That Much” Joint Journey Records “Propulsive and energetic, with a wonderfully upbeat, positive message. His vocal rides above the rocking track with admirable force and emotion. This is Richie’s third straight winner.” —Robert K. Oermann, Music Row Richie Fields‘ latest single, “When You Love Someone That Much,” is a bit of […]

Dozier Leads Songwriters Hall of Fame Master Class

Earlier this week the crowd at the Songwriters Hall of Fame Master Class was treated to a very special, intimate evening of stories about the wonder years of Motown Records and the origination of some of the many hits written by Lamont Dozier and the powerhouse songwriting team Holland-Dozier-Holland (H-D-H). H-D-H were credited with creating […]

Industry Turns Out To Support Artists At Music Fest

Ashton Shepherd celebrated her CMA Music Festival appearance last week with her team members such as reps from CAA, Cherry Heart Entertainment, and Flood Bumstead McCready McCarthy. Pictured: Rondal Richardson, Mallori Kirchenschlager, Stan Barnett, Julie Boos, Rod Essig, Ashton Shepherd, John Huie, Blake McDaniel, Rob Light, Darin Murphy, Gratton Stephens, Brad Bissell, Shelby Kennedy and […]

Country Gals Cover Shape Magazine

LeAnn Rimes, Martina McBride and Julianne Hough will be on the cover of the July issue of Shape magazine. Inside, the bikini-clad babes tell how they get (and keep) those fab bodies. Among the topics, McBride shares her fascination with nutrition and how she encourages her husband and daughters to eat healthily. She also discusses […]

String of Events Benefit Darryl Worley Foundation

Darryl Worley is hosting a series of fundraisers for his namesake charitable foundation, with the second event scheduled for July 13 at the Bumpus Harley-Davidson dealership in Murfreesboro. For “Hitmakers & Harleys” Worley will be joined by Walt Aldridge (Heartland’s “I Loved Her First,” Ronnie Milsap’s “No Getting’ Over Me”), Jim “Moose” Brown (“It’s Five […]

DISClaimer (6/5/09)

Sometimes the veterans can surprise you. Just when I thought I might be “over” Brooks & Dunn, along comes a single like “Indian Summer.” They wrote it. They produced it. And it’s the freshest sounding thing they’ve put out in years. Give those vets a Disc of the Day. Actually, there was quite a bit […]

DISClaimer (5/27/09)

You’d think everyone else would turn tail and flee the field. With a new Bob Dylan album in the Americana music mix, everyone else should pack it in, right? Well, Dylan may have the Disc of the Day, but the current collections by Buddy & Julie Miller, Eric Brace & Peter Cooper and Jesse Winchester […]

CMHF Hosts Elvis Costello Program

Elvis Costello treated patrons at the Country Music Hall of Fame® and Museum to a special interview on Monday (6/15).  Costello discussed his ties to Music City, from his 1979 pairing with George Jones to his current album, Secret, Profane & Sugarcane, which was recorded in Nashville with an all-star cast of musicians.  During the […]

Music, Film Align on NaFF Board

Members of the music industry are film fans too, with several devoting time to the Nashville Film Festival by serving on the Board of Directors. Todd Cassetty, owner of Hi-Fi Fusion, and Julie Boos, business manager at Flood, Bumstead, McCready and McCarthy, Inc., have been named president and vice-president, respectively, of the 2009-10 Nashville Film […]

Gulf Between Country Haves & Have-Nots Widens

The sales gulf between country’s “haves” and “have-nots” continues to widen. For the week ended 6/14/09 the Top 10 on country’s Top 75 Current Album chart accounted for 58.5% of the week’s charted sales, a total 404,523 units. In fact, the Top 6 titles rack up 45%! This means that sales are extremely concentrated among […]

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.