Gossip Girl star Leighton Meester found inspiration in country stars Carrie Underwood and Taylor Swift in preparation for her role in the upcoming movie Country Strong. “I tried to make it my own, but I was definitely inspired by Carrie Underwood and Taylor Swift,” Meester explains. “I went to the Grand Ole Opry and saw […]
Leon Russell Signs Deal with UMPG for Elton John Collaboration Legendary songwriter and artist Leon Russell has signed a worldwide co-publishing deal with Universal Music Publishing Group (UMPG) for The Union, his collaboration with Elton John and lyricist Bernie Taupin. The Union was released on October 19th. Russell, John and Taupin co-wrote the album, which […]
Taylor Swift’s Speak Now is officially in the wild and on sale. The 14-song set hit bins and digital download locations on Monday (10/25) giving it one day longer than the usual 6-day release schedule to log what seems destined to become a record breaking debut week.
Sugarland topped both album charts this week as its Incredible Machine churned out sales of almost 203k units with about 19% sold in the digital format. Nashville rockers Kings of Leon earned the No. 2 spot on all genre album sales with its fifth album, Come Around Sundown, which shifted about 184k copies. Also new […]
Garth Brooks and Trisha Yearwood will hold a flood relief concert on Friday, Dec. 17th at Bridgestone Arena in downtown Nashville. Governor Phil Bredesen, Mayor Karl Dean, Senator Lamar Alexander, Senator Bob Corker, Congressman Jim Cooper and State Rep. Marsha Blackburn were in attendance at a press conference this morning, October 28th, at the State […]
Broken Bow Records CEO/President Benny Brown has named Rick Shedd Senior Vice President of Operations for Broken Bow Records and Stoney Creek Records, effective immediately. Shedd has been a longtime consultant for the label and will report directly to Brown. Exiting the label is Executive Vice Pres./General Manager Jim Yerger. “Over the last decade, Rick […]
The Dixie Chicks released a 2-disc career anthology this week. The Essential Dixie Chicks has 30 of the band’s most popular songs, including six No. 1 hits. The collection covers all four studio albums recorded for Sony Music, which have resulted in more than 30 million in career sales. With an armful of 2007 Grammys, […]
Web agency Music City Networks, LLC, has acquired merchandiser Zambooie, which will now operate under the name MerchMo. The two companies combine expertise in digital strategies, web design, and merchandising to offer solutions for online promotion, merchandise creation, and tour merchandise management. Collectively, they serve a varied client roster, including Lady Antebellum, Kelly Clarkson, Brad […]
The launch of Taylor Swift’s Speak Now, included a live streaming event, Speak Now: Taylor Swift Live From New York City, hosted by CMT and MTV Networks this past Monday (10/25). Contest winners from around the globe attended the party and heard Swift perform songs from the new album. James Otto met former Green Bay […]
Jewel and Kara DioGuardi are the first celebrities on board for a new songwriter competition series on Bravo. Jewel will host and occasionally join DioGuardi as part of the judging panel. Going Platinum is expected to premiere in 2011. Judging will be based more on the contestants’ songwriting ability than their singing and performance prowess. […]