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Coming Soon: ‘MusicRow’ Country Radio Meet & Greet and CountryBreakout Awards

January 5, 2016/by Eric T. Parker

MusicRow magazine has begun accepting RSVPs for its invitation-only Country Radio Meet & Greet and CountryBreakout Awards. The ceremony will welcome MusicRow subscribed members and radio executives to downtown Nashville on Monday, Feb. 8, 2016, beginning at 1 p.m. To receive your invitation, please join us as an annual member.

The afternoon will include the presentation of the MusicRow CountryBreakout Awards. Given annually, these honors recognize artists who earned the most airplay on the MusicRow CountryBreakout Chart during the preceding year. For 14 years, the CountryBreakout Chart has led the market for country radio’s secondary stations. Additionally, the event will feature performances from rising stars of country music.

“The value of the MusicRow chart is greater than it has ever been before,” says MusicRow Publisher/Owner Sherod Robertson. “We are proud to pay homage to this important segment of our radio industry. Not only does the MusicRow CountryBreakout Chart give insight to radio’s future trends, but it provides a fluid platform for established artists to expand success and allows new artists to begin their careers and create initial momentum.”

In-depth profiles of the winners will be included in the February/March 2016 edition of MusicRow magazine, set to debut at the awards ceremony. Copies of the print issue will be available for attendees. MusicRow paid subscribers will receive copies by mail. Magazines are also available for purchase at musicrow.com or the magazine’s headquarters at 1231 17th Ave S. in Nashville.

Opening ceremonies for Country Radio Seminar (CRS) will begin on Feb. 8 at 3 p.m. This year’s conference will take place through Feb. 10 at the Omni Hotel.

Read more about last year’s exciting event:

Bobby Karl Works the 2015 Country Radio Meet & Greet

Bobby Braddock Adds Original Demos To His Website

January 4, 2016/by Craig_Shelburne

Songwriter Bobby Braddock has posted 48 of his original demos to his website in conjunction with the publication of his new memoir, Bobby Braddock: A Life on Music Row.

BobbyBraddock.com now features the original demos of some of his biggest hits including “D-I-V-O-R-C-E,” “Golden Ring,” “He Stopped Loving Her Today,” “Time Marches On,” “I Wanna Talk About Me,” and “People Are Crazy,” as well as obscure titles like “Dead,” “Cocaine Crazy Country Boy,” and “Blackabilly” (about the birth of rock ‘n’ roll).

“I’ve always been a fan of hearing original demos of other writers’ hit songs, no matter how good or bad they might be,” Braddock wrote on his Facebook page. “I’ve included not only the original demos of hits, but also demos of other songs of mine that were mentioned in the book, plus a few of my pet obscure songs or some weird things I thought people might get a kick out of. There are 48 demos in all, in chronological order from 1966 (I think I was about seven, tee hee) to 2015.”

The website also includes a very condensed version of the book, written in Braddock’s words. Also featured are reviews from celebrities, authors, and the media, as well as testimonials about the memoir that he has received from friends and strangers alike. A gallery of the book’s many classic pictures is also included. Braddock is a member of the Country Music Hall of Fame.

Bobby Braddock: A Life on Nashville’s Music Row was published in October by Vanderbilt University Press and Country Music Foundation Press.

Read an exclusive interview with MusicRow.

Weekly Register: Chris Stapleton, Cam Take Charge of the Chart

December 21, 2015/by Craig_Shelburne

Chris Stapleton’s Traveller makes another trip to No. 1 on the country albums chart with 54K units sold. That puts his year-to-date sales at 568K.

Just behind is Cam’s debut album, Untamed. The “Burning House” singer enters the country album chart with 37K.

Rounding out the Top 5 country albums are Carrie Underwood’s Storyteller (29K), Luke Bryan’s Kill the Lights (25K) and Sam Hunt’s Montevallo (22K).

New albums on the chart are Jon Langston’s self-titled EP (No. 25), The Voice contestant Emily Ann Roberts’ The Complete Season 9 Collection (No. 55), and the cast of Nashville’s compilation, Nashville: On the Record Vol. 3 (No. 58).

On the country digital tracks chart, Roberts’ rendition of “Burning House” enters at No. 1 with 83K. In addition, she appears at No. 4 (45K) with “Islands in the Stream” (performed with Blake Shelton) and No. 10 (18.5K) with “Blue Christmas,” along with six other spots in the Top 75.

Other top country digital tracks include Thomas Rhett’s “Die a Happy Man” (No. 2, 57.5K), Cam’s “Burning House” (No. 3, 46.5K) and Cole Swindell’s new “You Should Be Here” (No. 5, 45K). Hunt’s “Break Up in a Small Town” officially surpasses the 800,000 mark, landing at No. 6 with 35.5K units.

Meanwhile, “Die a Happy Man” makes another appearance (No. 7, 28K), this time sung by Barrett Baber, also a contestant on The Voice. Baber and Roberts were both on Shelton’s team, but ultimately the crown went to Jordan Smith. His rendition of “Mary Did You Know?” is atop the overall digital singles chart with 161K.

The real champion, though, continues to be Adele. She’s still No. 1 on the overall chart with 25. This week, she moves 825K units (790K album only) and surpasses the 6 million mark.

MusicRow Podcast Episode 6: Bob DiPiero

December 18, 2015/by Sherod Robertson

Bob DiPiero

One of Nashville’s most prominent and popular songwriters, Bob DiPiero can claim more than 50 million spins at country radio−with the BMI “Million-Air” Awards to prove it. His major cuts include Neal McCoy’s “Wink,” Reba McEntire’s “Little Rock,” Tim McGraw’s “Southern Voice,” The Oak Ridge Boys’ “American Made” and George Strait’s “Blue Clear Sky.”

To say he’s prolific is an understatement. In fact, he’s had more than a thousand of his songs recorded. One of his newest tunes is “Boys Like You,” recorded by pop newcomer Who Is Fancy, featuring Ariana Grande and Meghan Trainor. And there’s more to come, as DiPiero signed a new publishing agreement with Kobalt this year.

In this conversation with MusicRow Publisher/Owner Sherod Robertson, DiPiero reveals his favorite place to write, explains the feeling of hearing artists interpret his songs, and offers some really smart advice to someone thinking about becoming a songwriter.

Sponsored by SunTrust Bank’s Sports & Entertainment Group, this episode of the MusicRow podcast is the sixth in a series. All of the MusicRow podcasts are available on iTunes.

Click here to listen to episodes online.

Click here to listen on iTunes.

About the MusicRow podcast:
From Nashville’s leading music industry trade publication, The MusicRow Podcast features in-depth conversations with artists and the key industry members behind their music. Hosted by MusicRow Magazine Publisher Sherod Robertson, the series offers unique perspectives from iconic legends and rising talent to key decision makers and gatekeepers in the Nashville music industry.

Weekly Chart Report (12/18/15)

December 18, 2015/by Troy_Stephenson

Click here or above to access MusicRow‘s weekly CountryBreakout Report.

DISClaimer: Indie Artists Offer Sterling Holiday Tunes

December 17, 2015/by Robert K Oermann

Maiden Dixie

The indie acts are sending holiday wishes today.

There was, in fact, a bumper crop of seasonal singles by indies this year. In addition to these 10, Eric Durrance, J. Michael Harter, Troy Johnson, The Sarah Dunn Band, Emily Vance, Stephanie Thompson, C.J. Garton, Allie Louise and more put out Christmas singles this year.

Of those in today’s column, Maiden Dixie wins a DisCovery Award. The band is base in Minneapolis, and I’d sure like to hear more from it.

There were several new novelty tunes in this stack of platters, such as “Motorcyle Santa,” “Cowboy for Christmas” and our Disc of the Day winner, “That Better Be Santa Claus” by a witty cowboy named Greg Sterling.

SARABETH/Cowboy For Christmas
Writers: Sarabeth Swagerty/Glen Mitchell/Tim Morgan; Producer: Glen Mitchell; Publishers: Delta Pearl/Mathis Mountain/Ameribrit, BMI/ASCAP; Circle S (CDX)
– It’s a western swinger, with loads of fiddle and steel. A cool, yule toe tapper.

TEEA GOANS/Christmas Time Is Here
Writers: Vince Guaraldi/Lee Mendelson; Producer: Terry Choate; Publisher: Lee Mendelson Film, BMI; Crosswind (CDX)
-One of our finest traditional country singers shows off her jazz chops on this dreamy ballad. Soothing and swaying.

HALEY & MICHAELS/The Very Merry Little Christmas Medley
Writers: none listed; Producers: Haley & Michaels/Brad Hill; Publishers: none listed; H&M (CDX)
-This male-female duet scampers over eight standards in less than three minutes. For the listener with attention-deficit disorder.

STEPHANIE RABUS/That Red Nosed Reindeer
Writers: Justin Peters/Steven Rupe; Producer: Justin Peters; Publishers: Justin Peters/ABET, BMI; Platinum Planet
-She sings well, but the song is too wordy.

LEE ANNA McGUIRE/You and Me and the Christmas Tree
Writers: Constance/Lee Anna McGuire/Justin Peters; Producer: Justin Peters; Publishers: ABET/Platinum Planet/Justin Peters/Songs For The Planet, BMI; Platinum Planet
-Young sounding, with sprinkles on top.

THE NICKEL SLOTS/A Shot and a Beer for Christmas
Writer: Tony Bruska; Producer: The Nickel Slots; Publishers: Highway 113, ASCAP; Nickel Slots (CDX)
-This is a rockabilly romp with a bellowing vocal and a roaring track. Get up and jitterbug.

SKYLAR ELISE/Motorcycle Santa
Writers: Skylar Elise/Erik Halbig; Producer: Krik Halbig; Publishers: none listed, BMI; Lexi Dale (CDX)
-Rollicking contemporary country with a slammin’ beat and a offbeat lyric. Listenable.

MAIDEN DIXIE/O Come, O Come, Emmanuel
Writers: traditional; Producer: Makoa Johnson; Publisher: public domain; Navigator (CDX)
-Nicely done. The ooomphy, echoey track surrounds the performance with drama. The male and female voices are equally strong and compelling on this imaginatively arranged standard. Send more.

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Greg Sterling

GREG STERLING/That Better Be Santa Claus
Writers: Chick Rains; Producer: Brandon Epps & Sam Martin; Publishers: Sony ATV Tree, BMI; Greg Sterling Music
-He surprises his wife by coming home early on Christmas eve in this irresistible tempo tune. She’s in a negligee he’s never seen before, and there’s a strange noise coming from the backyard. Very country. Very hilarious. Absolutely play it.

RUSTY RIERSON/The Reason for the Season
Writer: Nolan Kroeker; Producer: Rusty Rierson & Carter Green; Publisher: none listed, BMI; Record Ranch
-He doesn’t have much of a voice, and the track plods.

CMA Announces New Board of Directors

December 16, 2015/by Jessica Nicholson

Pictured (L-R): John Esposito, incoming Chairman of the CMA Board and President and CEO of Warner Music Nashville; Sarah Trahern, CMA Chief Executive Officer; Frank Bumstead, outgoing CMA Board Chairman and Chairman of Flood, Bumstead, McCready & McCarthy, Inc.; Sally Williams, incoming CMA Board President and General Manager of Ryman Auditorium; and Bill Simmons, incoming CMA Board President-Elect and Vice President at The Fitzgerald Hartley Company. (Not pictured: Jessie Schmidt, returning CMA Board Secretary/Treasurer and President of Schmidt Relations.)
Photo: Christian Bottorff / CMA

The Country Music Association announced Wednesday (Dec. 16) its newly elected Board of Directors. The appointments are effective Jan. 1, 2016.

Frank Bumstead completes his term as Chairman of the CMA Board and current CMA Board President John Esposito, President and CEO of Warner Music Nashville, assumes that post. CMA President-Elect Sally Williams, General Manager of Ryman Auditorium, will become President. Bill Simmons, Vice President at The Fitzgerald Hartley Company, has been named President-Elect. Jessie Schmidt, President of Schmidt Relations, returns as Secretary/Treasurer of the CMA Board.

It’s been an honor to be Chairman of the CMA Board,” said Bumstead. “Serving an industry I love, with people I respect, has been a career highlight. I may be stepping down as Chairman, but I’m not stepping away from the critical work of this Board and the important goals of this organization and I am very confident in John Esposito and Sally Williams to continue this important mission.”

“Chairing the CMA Board at this important point in our history is a privilege,” said Esposito. “2016 is a pivotal time as we celebrate the 50th Anniversary of the CMA Awards, expand the footprint of Country Music internationally, and develop ways to keep CMA Music Festival fresh for our fans. I’m thankful to my tenacious and passionate colleague Frank Bumstead for his valuable tutoring and look forward to working alongside President Sally Williams as we tackle new, exciting opportunities that will hopefully benefit the entire industry.”

Following is a list of 2016 CMA Directors and Directors at Large:

Directors By Membership Category
Carryover Directors, who are serving the second year of a two-year term, are followed by newly-elected Directors (indicated in bold).

Advertising/Public Relations/Media
Lon Helton, Country Aircheck

Affiliated
Joe Galante, Galante Entertainment Organization
Bill Mayne, Country Radio Broadcasters, Inc.

Artist
Brett Eldredge
Kix Brooks

Composer
Jim Beavers
Bob DiPiero, Love Monkey Music

Entertainment Services
Stacey Schlitz, SchlitzLAW
Frank Bumstead, Flood, Bumstead, McCready & McCarthy, Inc.

International
Ted Ellis, CMT Canada, Toronto, Ontario, Canada
Maria Molin Ljunggren, Capitol Music Group Sweden

Marketing/Digital
Jennie Smythe, Girlilla Marketing
Sally Seitz, iTunes

Music Publisher/Performing Rights Organization
Troy Tomlinson, Sony/ATV Music Publishing
Michael Martin, ASCAP

Musician
Kenny Greenberg, Greenberg Music
Biff Watson, Biff-Bangs Productions, Inc.

Personal Manager
Kerri Edwards, KP Entertainment
Ann Edelblute, The HQ

Producer/Engineer/Studio
Mark Bright, Mark Bright Productions

Radio
Kurt Johnson, Townsquare Media, Dallas, Texas
Jeff Garrison, Cox Media Group, San Antonio, Texas

Record Company
Mike Dungan, Universal Music Group Nashville
Randy Goodman, Sony Music Nashville

Talent Agent
Rob Beckham, William Morris Endeavor Entertainment, LLC

Talent Buyer/Promoter
Brian O’Connell, Live Nation Nashville
Tony Conway, Conway Entertainment Group

Touring Personnel
Scott Scovill, Moo TV, CenterStaging, and Moo Creative Media
Terry Calonge, Richards & Southern

Venue
Ed Warm, Joe’s Bar, Chicago, Ill.

Lifetime Directors
J. William Denny, Denny Properties
Ralph Peer II, peermusic

Ex-Officio Members
Jim Free, The Smith-Free Group, LLC, Washington, D.C.
Kyle Young, Country Music Hall of Fame and Museum
Butch Spyridon, Nashville Convention & Visitors Corporation

Directors at Large:
Marcie Allen, MAC Presents, LLC, New York, N.Y.
Becky Brenner, Albright & O’Malley & Brenner Country Radio Specialists, Seattle, Wash.
Scott Borchetta, Big Machine Label Group
Luke Bryan
Steve Buchanan, Opry Entertainment Group
Pat Collins, SESAC
Gil Cunningham, Neste Event Marketing
Ansel Davis, Martingale Entertainment, LLC
Virginia Davis, G-Major MGMT
Jay DeMarcus, Rascal Flatts
Chris DuBois, Sea Gayle Music
Kent Earls, Universal Music Publishing Group Nashville
John Esposito, Warner Music Nashville
Karen Fairchild, Little Big Town
John Hamlin, Switched On Entertainment
Ed Hardy, Hardy Media and Entertainment Group
Clint Higham, Morris Higham Management
Mary Hilliard Harrington, The GreenRoom
John Huie, Creative Artists Agency
Clay Hunnicutt, Big Loud Records
Brett James, Cornman Music
Marion Kraft, ShopKeeper Management
Vivien Lewit, YouTube
Jon Loba, BBR Music Group
John Marks, Spotify
Shane McAnally, Smack Songs, LLC
Deb McDermott, Media General
Ebie McFarland, Essential Broadcast Media
Mike McVay, Cumulus Media, Atlanta
Mike Moore, Entercom Communications, Portland, Ore.
Charlie Morgan, Emmis Communications, Indianapolis, Ind.
Jim Ed Norman, The Curb Group
Milly Olykan, AEG Europe, London, United Kingdom
Jason Owen, Sandbox Entertainment
Brian Philips, CMT/MTV Networks
Rod Phillips, iHeartMedia, Cincinnati
Rob Potts, Rob Potts Entertainment Edge, Five Dock, Australia
Sherod Robertson, MusicRow Enterprises
David Ross, BossRoss Media
Darius Rucker
Jessie Schmidt, Schmidt Relations
Victoria Shaw, Songalicious Publishing
Bob Shennan, BBC, London, United Kingdom
Bill Simmons, The Fitzgerald Hartley Company
Clarence Spalding, Maverick
Jeff Stevens, Jeff Stevens Music
Larry Vallon, AEG Live, Los Angeles, Calif.
Ben Vaughn, Warner/Chappell Music, Inc.
Troy Vollhoffer, Premier Global Production Company, Inc.
Dwight Wiles, Smith Wiles & Company
Jody Williams, BMI
Sally Williams, Ryman Auditorium
Chris Young

Big Deal Music Acquires Administration Company Words & Music

December 16, 2015/by Jessica Nicholson

Pictured (L-R): Pete Robinson, Sr. Vice President/GM Nashville; Kim McCollum-Mele, President, Words & Music; Kenny MacPherson, President, Big Deal Music

Big Deal Music has acquired Nashville-based administration company Words & Music. Words & Music will continue to provide independent administration services, and will assume most of Big Deal Music’s domestic administrative duties beginning January 1, 2016. Big Deal’s extension with BMG will remain in effect for territories outside North America.

Big Deal’s Kenny MacPherson stated, “The foundation built in Nashville by Kim McCollum-Mele and her staff are a testament to those classic old-fashioned values we treasure: tenacity, independence, honesty and hard work. We have a unique opportunity to expand upon the base they’ve built, while continuing the steady, organic growth that Big Deal has enjoyed our first three years. While such a move was a natural and inevitable step in our evolution as full service publishers, we’re very fortunate to be able to take such a critical next step with Words & Music.”

Kim McCollum-Mele, President of Words & Music, commented on the acquisition, “I am very excited to be joining forces with Kenny and his amazing team at Big Deal. At Words & Music, we have always prided ourselves in our service and honest relationships with our songwriters and publishers. This move allows us to expand upon that foundation in new and creative ways, growing what we’ve built over the past 13 years into a vibrant new business.”

Dierks Bentley To Join Luke Bryan As Co-Host For 2016 ACM Awards

December 15, 2015/by Jessica Nicholson

Pictured: Luke Bryan, Dierks Bentley

Luke Bryan and Dierks Bentley will co-host the 51st Academy of Country Music Awards next year.

The ACM Awards will return to Las Vegas’ MGM Grand Garden Arena and broadcast live on Sunday, April 3, 2016 at 8 PM ET/delayed PT on the CBS Television Network.

The show, produced by dick clark productions, will mark reigning ACM Entertainer of the Year Bryan’s fourth consecutive turn hosting the Awards, and Bentley’s first time hosting a live televised event.

“When we found ourselves searching for a new co-host I didn’t have to look much further than my own circle of friends so Dierks was a natural choice,” said Bryan. “We have a lot of fun together and I know the fans will be in for something special.”

“I think everyone knows Luke is the guy you call when you want to have a good time,” said Bentley. “If we have half as much fun hosting together as we do backstage, it’s going to be a great night.”

Tickets for the ACM Awards will go on sale Dec. 18 at ticketmaster.com.

Adele Bringing Tour To Nashville in 2016

December 14, 2015/by Jessica Nicholson

Adele

Adele announced her Adele Live 2016 North American tour dates this morning (Dec. 14), and the trek will include two shows at Nashville’s Bridgestone Arena.

The British singer-songwriter will perform on Oct. 15 and 16 in Music City. Tickets for both shows will go on sale Dec. 17 at 10 a.m. CT.

Adele’s album 25 has sold 5 million units in the United States since its Nov. 20 release, according to Billboard. The album spends its third week atop the Top 200 albums tally this week.

The Adele Live 2016 tour will begin July 5 at St. Paul Minnesota’s Exel Energy Center, and will wrap Nov. 14 and 15 with two shows in Mexico City, DF. The tour also includes six shows at New York City’s Madison Square Garden, as well as six shows at Los Angeles’ Staples Center.

For a full list of tour dates, visit live.adele.com.

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