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CMT Music Awards Winners

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Carrie Underwood performs "Good Girl" on the CMT Music Awards. Photo: CMT.com

Carrie Underwood was the only star to take home multiple honors at last night’s (6/6) CMT Music Awards. With five nods she was the top nominee going into the show, where she earned two of the network’s signature belt buckle trophies. Underwood won Video of the Year for “Good Girl,” and Collaborative Video with Brad Paisley for “Remind Me.”

Luke Bryan and wife Caroline on the red carpet. Photo: Alan Mayor

Hosted by Toby Keith and Kristen Bell, the fan-voted honors were presented at Nashville’s Bridgestone Arena.

Lady Antebellum and Miranda Lambert scored their third consecutive wins in their respective categories, Group Video and Female Video.

Luke Bryan took home Male Video honors, a first time win for him in the category.

Artists receiving their first belt buckles were Scott McCreery (USA Weekend Breakthrough Video of the Year), Jason Aldean (CMT Performance of the Year), and Thompson Square (Duo Video of the Year).

See winners below in bold.

Video of the Year
Jason Aldean — “Dirt Road Anthem”
Toby Keith — “Red Solo Cup””
Blake Shelton — “God Gave Me You”
Taylor Swift Featuring the Civil Wars — “Safe & Sound”
Carrie Underwood — “Good Girl”

Male Video of the Year
Jason Aldean — “Dirt Road Anthem”
Luke Bryan — “I Don’t Want This Night to End”
Eric Church — “Drink in My Hand”
Toby Keith — “Red Solo Cup”
Blake Shelton — “God Gave Me You”
Keith Urban — “Long Hot Summer”

Female Video of the Year
Sara Evans — “My Heart Can’t Tell You No”
Miranda Lambert — “Over You”
Martina McBride — “I’m Gonna Love You Through It”
Kellie Pickler — “Tough”
Taylor Swift — “Ours”
Carrie Underwood — “Good Girl”

Thompson Square celebrated their first CMT Award last night. Photo: Alan Mayor

Group Video of the Year
Eli Young Band — “Crazy Girl”
Lady Antebellum — “We Owned the Night”
Pistol Annies — “Hell on Heels”
Rascal Flatts — “Banjo”
The Band Perry — “All Your Life”
Zac Brown Band — “Keep Me in Mind”

Duo Video of the Year
Love and Theft — “Angel Eyes”
Montgomery Gentry — “Where I Come From”
Sugarland — “Tonight”
The Civil Wars — “Poison and Wine”
Thompson Square — “Glass”
Thompson Square — “I Got You”

USA Weekend Breakthrough Video of the Year
Lauren Alaina — “Georgia Peaches”
Brantley Gilbert — “Country Must Be Country Wide”
Hunter Hayes — “Storm Warning”
Scotty McCreery — “The Trouble With Girls”
Pistol Annies — “Hell on Heels”
Thompson Square — “I Got You”

Collaborative Video of the Year
Best video that featured a special collaborative appearance by artists; awarded to the artists (individual, group or duo)
Kenny Chesney Featuring Grace Potter — “You and Tequila”
Brad Paisley With Carrie Underwood — “Remind Me”
Rascal Flatts Featuring Natasha Bedingfield — “Easy”
Lionel Richie With Shania Twain — “Endless Love”
Taylor Swift Featuring the Civil Wars — “Safe & Sound”
Zac Brown Band Featuring Jimmy Buffett — “Knee Deep”

CMT Performance of the Year
Musical performance on a television show, series or variety special on CMT
Jason Aldean — “Tattoos on This Town” from 2011 CMT Artists of the Year
Lady Antebellum — “Dancin’ Away With My Heart” from 2011 CMT Artists of the Year
Little Big Town — “Fix You” from Music Builds: The CMT Disaster Relief Concert
Blake Shelton — “Footloose” from Invitation Only: Blake Shelton
Sting and Vince Gill — “If I Ever Lose My Faith in You” from CMT Crossroads: Sting and Vince Gill
Steven Tyler and Carrie Underwood — “Just a Dream/Dream On” from CMT Crossroads: Steven Tyler and Carrie Underwood From the Pepsi Super Bowl Fan Jam

Weekly Register: The Crystal Ball Didn’t See That One!

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The country music pulse is beating rapidly this week.

CMA’s MusicFest, the CMT Awards and a city swarming with press and visitors from all over the world have turned up the heat…and the fun!

Closer to the sales beat, Sony announced it has re-signed superstar Kenny Chesney and will move him to his own imprint, Blue Chair Records, just in time for his June 19 new album release, Welcome To The Fishbowl. In the process BNA Records, Chesney’s longtime home was retired with all staff and artists moved to Sony’s Columbia Nashville imprint.

Also noteworthy this week was the groundbreaking arrangement between Big Machine and Clear Channel which effectively creates a new artist/label revenue stream generated from terrestrial radio airplay. At the same time it reshuffles the royalty deck with respect to digital radio, redefining the tariff into a form that allows the digital radio industry to grow, profit and ultimately contribute even more money into the music royalty pot. Will this eventually lead to the American rights groups being able to collect reciprocal sound performance royalties from their terrestrial overseas collection counterparts? Hopefully. This agreement represents a major forward move on the path to creating a healthy future for the music industry and radio. Congrats to both parties. Perhaps one day we’ll be measuring monthly digital royalty payments in the same way we look at Nielsen SoundScan-generated sales numbers today. Wow! Didn’t see that one coming in my crystal ball, did you?

Albums
Our sales report this week pales in comparison to all the happenings listed above, but hopefully some of those events will also spur additional scans in the weeks to follow. Album sales suffered slightly for both all-genre and country compared with last week. Most other key indicators in our weekly table remained stable. The Current Country Top 75 again failed to break the 300k mark for a second consecutive week. Debuts included Opus Collection from Johnny Cash (No. 6; 11k) and Given from Texan Wade Bowen on BNA, (No. 9; 9k). Bowen album purchases were 77% in digital format.

Carrie Underwood maintained her top spot, in her fifth week, easing back to a weekly total of almost 32k and a RTD (release-to-date) of 517k. Luke Bryan, whose career is as hot as his smile, enjoys the No. 2 spot in this, his 42nd week. Luke’s Tailgates and Tanlines scanned over 24k this week for a RTD of 1.124 million. Filling out the Top Ten Current Country Albums for this week ended 6-3-12 are Lionel Richie, Eric Church, Jason Aldean, Johnny Cash, Kip Moore, Lee Brice, Wade Bowen and Lady Antebellum.

Tracks
Luke, Eric, Kip, Carrie and Hunter Hayes own the first five spots on the country tracks chart this week. Luke’s “Drunk On You” sold over 101k downloads. Church, in the No. 2 position with “Springsteen” downloaded almost 79k. Country tracks are up 17% YTD over last year and when coupled with album sales (up 6% YTD) the numbers show some real strength for country artists at the cash register. It also shows that country consumers, in increasing numbers, are using the mouse to click their way to new music. This evolution has likely been sped up by the difficulty of finding physical albums in the marketplace. Have you walked into a Target or Walmart lately? Looked for your favorite album? Then you know what I mean. The music racks are probably further in the back than you remember and a whole lot smaller.

Coming up next week we’ll see some new entries from Alan Jackson, Colt Ford and Jana Kramer. We should also feel some lift from the CMT Awards and the MusicFest crowd…

As usual, post your Weekly Register comments below, tweet ‘em out or send me a note, and thanks for reading…

DISClaimer Single Reviews (6/06/12)

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We went wandering off the beaten path this week to see what we could see. Or rather “hear.”

First of all, despite a plethora of unknowns, Miss Willie Brown muscled everyone aside to grab an utterly uncontested DisCovery Award. These gals are playing both Bonaroo and the CMA Music Festival, so look out, world.

The duo’s “You’re All That Matters to Me” was also in contention for Disc of the Day, as were “Crying on a Suitcase” by Casey James and Steele’s “Do You Really Have to Go.” But I went with the most stone-country performance of the week, “She Did” by veteran Clinton Gregory.

MAGGIE ROSE/I Ain’t Your Mama
Writer: Judson Spence/Candy Cameron; Producer: James Stroud; Publisher: Music of RPM/Dumb Dog/Dixie Stars/Sounds of RPM, ASCAP; RPM (www.maggierosemusic.com)
—Bluesy and groovy. She oozes sultry sex appeal in this performance of a come-on lyric. Sounds good. Send more.

CASEY JAMES/Crying on a Suitcase
Writer: Lee Thomas Miller/Tom Shapiro/Neil Thrasher; Producer: Chris Lindsey & Casey James; Publisher: Writers of Sea Gayle/Itchy Baby/EMI Blackwood/Little Dooey/Songs of Peer/Team Thrash, BMI/ASCAP; BNA/19 ()
—The song is quite unusual, in that it doesn’t ever really rhyme anywhere. The track is a pulse pounding delight, and Casey James one of those rare American Idol kids who sounds like he could have a real future. Recommended.

PHIL HAMILTON/Bad
Writer: Phil Hamilton/Beau Bedford; Producer: Beau Patrick Bedford; Publisher: Phil Hamilton/Beau Patrick Bedford/North Patrick, BMI; Winding Road (www.philhamiltonmusic.com)
—This has a lazy, loping quality that is quite appealing. He has a dusty, dry delivery, and the band keeps it slow, steady and simple. It will probably sound “underproduced” to some, but I think that’s part of its charm.

TONY KERR/Dig Deep
Writer: Tony Kerr/Steven Sheehan; Producer: Steven Sheehan; Publisher: Doreen/Scared Stiff, ASCAP/BMI; Barking Turtle (track) (www.tonykerrmusic.com)
—Kerr is a native of Ireland who has called Nashville home for more than a decade. He’s had a good bit of songwriting success in his homeland. This is the title tune of his second American CD. It is typical of the whole record in that it is a straightforward, acoustic-guitar-and-vocal presentation. His tenor voice is strong and supple, and Sheehan’s guitar work is exemplary. Song-wise, you could dress this up in a full Music Row production with a star warbling and easily have a hit. Also check out “Whiskey and Wood” and “The Prayer.”

MISS WILLIE BROWN/You’ve All That Matters to Me
Writer: Robert John “Mutt” Lange; Producer: Nathan Chapman; Publisher: Out of Pocket/Universal, no performance rights listed; A&M/Octone ()
—Don’t let the name throw you: Miss Willie Brown is a duo comprised of Amanda Watkins and Kasey Buckley. They’re the first artists on the new A&M/Octone imprint. Based on this throbbing bopper, I’d say they have quite a future. They harmonize perfectly, the guitars and steel chime right where they should and the song is as catchy as all get out. Play it again.

LONNIE SPIKER/You Can Go to Hell, I’m Going to Texas
Writer: Lonnie Spicher; Producer: Justin Trevino; Publisher: none listed, ASCAP; LS (888-455-5504)
—This regular visitor to the “DisClaimer” column is back, singing a hard-country ode with “Lone Star State” stamped all over it. Despite the twin fiddles and shuffle beat, there’s no escaping the utter dullness of the melody. Not to mention his rather limited vocal ability.

CLINTON GREGORY/She Did
Writer: Craig Martin; Producer: Jamie Creasy & Clinton Gregory; Publisher: Melody Roundup, BMI; Melody Roundup (CDX) (www.melodyroundupmusic.com)
—We still remember him fondly for 1991’s “(If it Weren’t for Country Music) I’d Go Crazy.” This comeback single is a heartbreak ballad demonstrating how much grace, style and finesse he has retained vocally. Caution: This is real country music: “They say you can’t take it with you/But she did,” when she died, taking his love with her. Prepare to blubber.

STEELE/Do You Really Have to Go
Writer: Karen R. Staley/Timothy P. Henneberry; Producer: Kent Wells; Publisher: Tim Henneberry/Jake and Vegas, SOCAN/BMI; Steele (CDX) (902-221-2340)
—He’s a strong singer, with plenty of lung power, range and feeling. The “open” production of this mid-tempo outing gives him plenty of room to strut his stuff. Promising.

COREY WAGAR/Take Ya Back
Writer: Corey Wagar/Cece Dubois/Beau Fuller; Producer: Kent Wells; Publisher: none listed, BMI/ASCAP; GTR (CDX) (www.coreywagar.com)
—It’s a sprightly “party” ditty that name-checks Tim McGraw, Shania Twain and such while telling its tale about songs prompting fond memories. Hang on for the delightful vocal counterpoint at the finale.

BOBBY LEWIS/Love Me and Make it All Better
Writer: E. Rabbitt; Producer: Jim Loessberg; Publisher: none listed, BMI; Heart of Texas (track) (325-597-1895)
—Bobby’s new Then & Now CD contains recreations of his old United Artists Records hits such as 1966’s “How Long Has It Been,” 1968’s “From Heaven to Heartache” and 1970’s “Hello Mary Lou,” as well as some new material. As this revival of his melodic 1967 hit reminds us, he was also among the first to recognize the songwriting ability of future star Eddie Rabbitt. At age 70, Bobby still sings well, and the slight echo chamber, Floyd Cramer style piano and sighing vocal background singers do an excellent job of conjuring up the classic Nashville Sound recording style. Nice job.

Bobby Karl Works The Room

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Chapter 398

Tim McGraw and CAA's Rod Essig (R) celebrate the new CAA Nashville offices at the 20th Annual CAA BBQ on June 4, 2012 in Nashville, Tennessee. Photo: Rick Diamond/Getty Images for CAA

For a moment, I thought I’d walked onto the set of Mad Men.

But it wasn’t Sterling Cooper Draper Pryce; it was the spotless new office headquarters of CAA. Which is, in fact, even more pristinely corporate than the television stage set.

The occasion was the grand-opening gala for the CAA HQ on Monday evening (6/4). The elevator at 401 Commerce takes you up to the Penthouse (high above both UMG and SunTrust). The cream-and-white lobby/reception area looks directly into a massive, glass-walled conference room. The eight-feet-wide, white granite table seats at least 30. The exterior wall commands a vista of SoBro, including the stunning, evolving Music City Center.

A U-shaped corridor wraps around the opposite side of the Penthouse level. At each corner is an executive office with a jaw-dropping view. But even the offices along the hallways have glass walls overlooking something. Woodwork throughout is light walnut. Chairs are black moderne.

There is a break room the size of a small cafeteria. A sitting room, presumably for visiting artists, has a deep-cushioned white sectional, cream colored lounge seats and, of course, a glass wall overlooking Tune Town.

Did I mention that flutes of champagne were arrayed along the receptionist’s counter? So as not to soil the flawless décor, the actual food, drink and mob were on the ground floor on the building’s patio.

And I do mean mob. “EVERYONE is here,” Lori Badgett correctly observed. “If you can’t find someone, they’re here.” “And we’ll see them all again next year,” added Gillie Crowder, referring to the fact that the opening did double duty as CAA’s 20th annual Fan Fair industry “barbecue.”

CAA's Marc Dennis (second to left) and Edens Edge attend the 20th Annual CAA BBQ at the new CAA Nashville offices on June 4, 2012 in Nashville, Tennessee. Photo: Rick Diamond/Getty Images for CAA

“Everyone” included Scott Siman, Susan Stewart, Royce Risser, Hunter Hayes, John Grady, John Dorris, John Esposito, John Huie (I assume; I never actually saw him), Rod Essig (ditto), Randy Scruggs, Ron Cox, Rob Dennis, Scott Clayton, Martin Clayton, Steve & Ree Guyer Buchanan, Steve Moore and Kip Moore, who is riding high at No. 1 with “Something ‘Bout a Truck.” “I wish you could see these clubs we’re filling,” said Kip with a grin. “They sing along with the words to every song on the album.” “That’s the same thing that happened with Eric Church,” I told him. “I am so, so happy for you.”

But I digress. “Everyone” also included Drew Alexander, Daniel Hill, Dwight Wiles, Alan & Beth Raebeck Hall, Melinda Scruggs Gales, Hank Adam Locklin, Chuck Mead, Elizabeth Cook, Mayor Karl Dean, Barry Coburn, Tracy Gershon, Teri Brown (who has moved here), Mike Vaden, Justin Levenson, Nancy Shapiro, Heath Owen (who is working with/for his Hall of Fame dad Randy), Larry Fitzgerald, Christina Winslow, Kathleen O’Brien, Sally Williams and — from A to Z — everyone from Alison Jones to Nicole Zeller.

Nearby, the Country Music Hall of Fame was offering a special media preview of its new exhibit, “Taylor Swift Speak Now: Treasures from the World Tour.”

The party was staged in the Hall of Fame Rotunda. Exotic, lavender-hued roses in glass bowls were centered on each maroon-clad cocktail table. Trays of h’ors d’oeuvre circulated.

Snacking and sipping were Lucas Hendrickson, Rob Simbeck, Kay West, Sherod Robertson, crutch toting Lorianne Crook nursing a knee injury, Charlie Chase, Brian Mansfield, Phyllis Stark, Jimmy Harnen, Ed Morris, Vernell Hackett and Scott Borchetta, taking a rare pause from making music-industry news every day.

“We expect this exhibit to have wide appeal to the fans in town this week,” said the Museum’s Kyle Young. He described Ms. Swift as “an old friend.” I guess so. Her recent $4 million donation, “made international headlines,” said Kyle. “It is the largest donation from an artist in our 45-year history.”

Swift’s Speak Now tour was 111 shows in 82 cities, 19 countries and four continents. It sold more than 1,579,885 tickets and was the top-grossing country tour of 2011. Some 130 people traveled in 21 trucks and 13 buses from date to date. The stage took more than five hours to construct at each venue. There were 350 lights, 116 speakers and 158 motors. A total of 62 tons of equipment hung from the rigging above the stages in the arenas.

The first tour artifact on display is the “Juliet” balcony on which Swift flew around the arena at the finale of each show. Arranged along the glass walls encasing the museum’s archival area on both the third and second museum levels are various set pieces from the show.

There’s the dress with the gold bugle beads worn during “The Story of Us,” the snug gleaming black number form “Long Live,” the red-on-red creation worn for “Better Than Revenge” and the vintage “hillbilly” frock from “Mean” and “Our Song.” Each is displayed with a faux tree, a glamorous chair, a frame, a railing or another prop that originally accompanied it. There’s a video station, too.

Also on view are the “Speak Now” wedding ensemble, the violet “Fearless” cocktail dress, that wafting pale-blue piano gown from “Back to December,” the wild crimson “gypsy” dress from “Haunted” and the climactic “Juliet” gold-and-ivory gown. Were you counting? Yes, Taylor had nine costume changes during each show. Including dancers and instrumentalists, 150 costumes were involved. Wait. Double that. Each one of them had a “spare” that could be worn while the other was being cleaned and/or repaired.

The verdict: Your daughters are going to LOVE this exhibit. Oh, and so will you.

BMLG Will Share in Clear Channel Revenues Under Landmark Agreement

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Big Machine Label Group will become the first record company to directly participate, along with its artists, in Clear Channel’s terrestrial broadcast and digital radio revenues. This development is part of a landmark agreement between the companies to align their business interests and accelerate growth in digital radio.

Traditionally, when a song is played on terrestrial radio, a performance royalty is paid to the songwriters and/or publishers, but not to the artist who recorded the song. This has been a source of contention between radio and record labels in recent years, as labels sought out more revenue streams in the wake of declining sales.

In digital radio, royalties are typically paid on the sound recording to the artist, and a separate royalty is paid to the songwriter. But digital radio royalty rates are often based on individual song plays, which isn’t a viable business model.

BMLG CEO Scott Borchetta designed a royalty payment model for digital and terrestrial songs plays that allows labels and artists to share in a percentage of Clear Channel’s advertising revenue. There are several advantages to this strategy, including the predictability of payments, incentive to grow digital radio offerings, and artists receiving compensation.

“Today, 98 percent of our listening is terrestrial broadcast and 2 percent digital – with record labels and artists only paid for the 2 percent,” explained John Hogan, Chairman and Chief Executive Officer of Clear Channel Media and Entertainment. “This new agreement expands label and artist participation from just digital to terrestrial broadcast radio revenues in one comprehensive framework that will give all of us a great incentive to drive the growth of the digital radio industry and allow everyone to participate financially in its growth.”

“For years, record companies and media companies have looked for a new way to do business together that would bring our interests into line,” said Borchetta. “In Clear Channel, I found partners who shared my big-picture view of how we could structure an agreement to benefit all involved. Not only does this partnership enable Big Machine to participate in terrestrial broadcast revenues, but we are also helping to grow digital radio—a great opportunity for all of us and a breakthrough opportunity for Big Machine artists.”

“Scott Borchetta has reinvented the music business in many important ways over the years, from distribution and artist development to promotion and advertising,” added Bob Pittman, Chief Executive Officer of Clear Channel. “Focusing that same creativity on how best to grow the music business, Scott has developed this new model with us to let his labels and artists participate in the revenue of broadcast radio immediately and in digital radio as it builds. This is a big step, but we think this investment is an opportunity worth taking to align our interests in all of our revenue streams and grow digital listening to its full potential with record labels and their artists as our partners. This landmark agreement creates a structure that makes sense for both our companies, but most of all for music fans.”

Clear Channel will bypass SoundExchange and pay digital royalties directly to BMLG. The label group’s Republic Nashville imprint is not included in the new deal. Artists with Big Machine’s wholly owned labels who will benefit from this agreement include Big Machine Records artists Taylor Swift, Tim McGraw, Rascal Flatts, Edens Edge and Ella Mae Bowen and Valory Music Co. artists Reba McEntire, Justin Moore, Brantley Gilbert, The Mavericks and Thomas Rhett .

Radio stations and their trade group the National Association of Broadcasters have been fighting the artist performance royalty, arguing that playing the artist’s music is free advertisement for the act, which in turn drives sales. Meanwhile, record labels and artists have been arguing to have the performance royalty instituted, arguing that without music to play, radio stations wouldn’t attract as many listeners.

Chesney Extends Agreement With Sony Music Nashville

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Sony Music Nashville has extended its recording agreement with country superstar Kenny Chesney, who has sold over 30 million albums and scored 23 No. 1 hits during his time on the label group’s roster.

(L-R): Jess L. Rosen, Esq. (Greenberg Traurig, LLP), Gary Overton (Sony Music Nashville Chairman & CEO), Chesney, Clint Higham (President Morris Artists Management), Dale Morris (CEO Morris Artists Management). Photo: Rick Diamond/Getty Images/WireImage

“We are very happy to be renewing our worldwide partnership with Kenny Chesney,” said Sony Music Entertainment CEO Doug Morris. “He is a tremendous superstar with a unique creative vision and we look forward to sharing continued success with him in the years ahead.”

“This is Kenny’s recording home and I couldn’t be happier to say that Kenny and Sony will continue to make records together for many years to come,” remarked Sony Music Nashville Chairman & CEO Gary Overton. “And his new album Welcome to the Fishbowl may be his finest record yet!”

Under the arrangement, Chesney’s future recordings will bear his Blue Chair Records imprint, which will now be affiliated with Columbia Nashville. Concurrently, Sony Music has announced that it will retire the BNA Records imprint, Chesney’s former label home. All BNA artists and employees will now be assigned to Columbia Nashville.

Chesney’s thirteenth album Welcome to the Fishbowl is due for release June 19, and includes his current hit single “Come Over.” On June 2, Chesney kicked off the Brothers of the Sun Tour with Tim McGraw at Tampa’s Raymond James Stadium. The opening show, with guests Jake Owen and Grace Potter & the Nocturnals, lasted nearly seven hours and featured numerous surprises and an abundance of new music.

Photo: Jill Trunnell

Weekly Chart Report (5/31/2012)

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Flying Island Entertainment artist and The Voice contestant Gwen Sebastian recently visited with Billy Kidd of WBEE (L) in Rochester live from the city’s Lilac Festival. Gwen’s new single, “Met Him In a Motel Room,” is at No. 87 on MusicRow’s CountryBreakout Chart this week.

SPIN ZONE
There’s a new No. 1 song at the top of MusicRow’s CountryBreakout Chart, as Eli Young Band’s “Even If It Breaks Your Heart” jumps up from No. 3. Things in the Top 5 could get messy pretty soon—Brantley Gilbert’s “You Don’t Know Her LIke I Do,” Toby Keith’s “Beers Ago,” and Dierks Bentley’s “5-1-5-0” are in positions 3-5 and still adding considerable spins.

New to the top 10 is Gloriana with “(Kissed You) Good Night,” likely getting a push from the group’s recent appearance on the Bachelorette. Moving inside the top 20 is Blake Shelton’s “Over,” which lands at No. 15. Kenny Chesney’s “Come Over” is a rocketship, gaining 606 spins in its third week charting to hit No. 22.

MCA’s Kip Moore stopped by to visit with WGAR/Cleveland this week. (L-R): Keith Abrahms (WGAR GM/OM) and Moore

Shelton’s wife Miranda Lambert recently gave newcomer Rachel Holder a big shout out on Twitter, after hearing her song on one of MusicRow’s reporting stations in Tishomingo, OK. “I heard this song by @RachelHolder called ‘In Your Arms’ on KKAJ. Gave me chills. What a great singer.  3 modulations. :)” said Lambert in the post. “In Your Arms” is currently at No. 17 and still gaining spins. Other new faces in the top 20 include Thomas Rhett’s “Something To Do With My Hands” at No. 13 and Jana Kramer’s “Why Ya Wanna” at No. 14.

Things are a little slower in the second half of the chart, with only three new songs debuting. Big & Rich’s “That’s Why I Pray” leads the bunch at No. 49. Also joining the top 80 this week are Taylor Made’s “Some Things You Never Grow Out Of” at No. 78 and Marty McIntosh’s “Looking For Reasons” at No. 80.

Frozen Playlists: KDOL, KFAV, KVAY, KZTL, WAAG, WBYZ, WDKN, WKWS, WTCM, WTHO, WYVY

Upcoming Singles
June 4
Corey Wagar/Take Ya Back
Matt Gary/City Lights/17/Quarterback
Rodney Atkins/Just Wanna Rock N’ Roll/Curb
Bill Gentry/That Kind of Life/Tenacity

June 11
None listed

June 18
Gwen Sebastian/Met Him In A Motel Room/Flying Island
Craig Morgan/Corn Star/Black River
Casey James/Crying On A Suitcase/19/BNA

• • • • •

New On The Chart—Debuting This Week
Artist/song/label — chart pos.
Big & Rich/That’s Why I Pray/Warner Bros. – 49
Taylor Made/Some Things You Never Grow Out Of – 78
Marty McIntosh/Looking For Reasons/Nashville America – 80

Greatest Spin Increase
Artist/song/label — spin+
Kenny Chesney/Come Over/BNA – 606
Big & Rich/That’s Why I Pray/Warner Bros. – 469
Rascal Flatts/Come Wake Me Up/Big Machine – 316
Lady Antebellum/Wanted You More/Capitol – 273
Blake Shelton/Over/Warner Bros. – 261

Most Added
Artist/song/label — New Adds
Kenny Chesney/Come Over/BNA – 18
Rascal Flatts/Come Wake Me Up/Big Machine – 15
Lee Brice/Hard To Love/Curb – 13
Hank Williams Jr./That Ain’t Good/Blaster Records – 12
Jake Owen/The One That Got Away/BNA – 10

On Deck—Soon To Be Charting
Artist/song/label — spins
Mark Wayne Glasmire/I Like You/Traceway – 183
Lathan Moore/Nothin Like A Woman/Render Records – 168
JB & The Moonshine Band/Beer For Breakfast/Average Joe’s – 167
Lisa Matassa/Wouldn’t You Like To Know/LMA – 157
TJ Maddux/Hotter Than Fireworks – 155

Jason Aldean played Louisiana State University’s Tiger Stadium on Memorial Day weekend and invited some local radio personalities out for the event. (L-R): Don Gosselin (WNOE/New Orleans), Dave Dunaway (WTGE/Baton Rouge), Aldean, Mac Daniels (KSKS/Fresno), Sam McGuire (WYNK/Baton Rouge), Jim Malito (Broken Bow)

Cold River Records artist Katie Armiger stopped by WPLZ/Chattanooga as a guest DJ on May 25. Pictured (L-R): Longneck (afternoon personality), Armiger, Erica Taylor (midday personality), Josh Weber (PD/morning host), Mary Lynne O'Neal (Cold River)

Earls and Molinar To Lead Big Machine Publishing Venture

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The Big Machine Label Group has announced the launch of Big Machine Music, an expansion and re-branding of the label’s existing publishing company Super 98 Music. Music publishing veterans Mike Molinar and Martha Earls will lead the new venture, overseeing songwriter signings, artist/writer and catalog growth.

“Mike & Martha are perfectly aligned with our strategy of development and vision on how to build out Big Machine Music. I’m really thrilled that they are bringing their passion and expertise as they join us and put our company squarely into the publishing world,” said Big Machine Label Group President and CEO Scott Borchetta.

Earls and Molinar have a combined 30-plus years experience with Nashville publishing companies. Most recently, the two partnered in the boutique publishing and writer/artist management company Effusion Entertainment, which developed Republic Nashville’s Greg Bates through a joint venture with Super 98 Music.

Prior to Effusion, Molinar and Earls were partners in Elevation Music Publishing, which generated the hit “Easy” by Rascal Flatts with Natasha Bedingfield. Additionally, the company placed songs with Brantley Gilbert, Brad Paisley, Blake Shelton, and more.

“Martha and I are honored to extend Scott’s vision into our incredible songwriting community. With the horsepower of the entire Big Machine team, we look forward to the opportunities that we can collectively offer our current and future songwriters and artist/writers,” says Molinar, who will serve as Vice President of Creative.

Big Machine Music Publishing artist/writers include The Valory Music Co.’s Justin Moore, Republic Nashville’s Sunny Sweeney and Greg Bates and Broken Bow’s Dustin Lynch. Additionally, Effusion’s writer management clients will be represented through Big Machine Music Publishing.

Earls will also continue day to day management duties for Bates.

This is the latest in a series of big announcements for BMLG, following the recent addition of superstar Tim McGraw to the roster, and the company’s sponsorship of Indianapolis 500 winning driver Dario Franchitti.

Weekly Register: Sales Departments Are A Worrisome Lot

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This week’s chart data sums the first five months of 2012, a significant time span. And, as our grid chart shows, country album sales (+6.5%) are outperforming the overall industry (-2.6%). That’s welcome news, but sales departments are a worrisome lot, always measuring what lies around the corner and how it might compare with the previous year’s offerings.

Last year during June and July 2011 we had a busy release schedule. June featured releases from Randy Travis (19k), Ronnie Dunn (45k) and Justin Moore (65k). In July 2011 we saw offerings from Lauren Alaina (20k), Scotty McCreery (40k), Chris Young (73k), Blake Shelton (116k) and Eric Church (145k). All added together that accounts for about 525,000 debut week units. Add in a few of the unmentioned lower scoring debuts and we can round up safely to 550k. Will we find half a million plus debut week units on deck for 2012 during the same time period?

Our 2012 calendar shows June/July headliner releases scheduled from Kenny Chesney, Alan Jackson and Zac Brown Band. Considering that only a few weeks ago Carrie Underwood blew onto the charts with a 267k debut week, it appears that the three upcoming projects could average about 166k each and contribute enough to keep debut sales mostly constant with last year. Still, when you look at this week’s Country Current Top 75 chart (down 2% compared with last week), and see positions 28-75 are all under 2,000 units, for the second consecutive week, it is worrisome.

Another factor is that we had eight major June/July debuts last year vs. the three now on our radar for 2012. Debut week totals are a nice SoundScan shorthand for estimating, but don’t forget week two sales also swell totals and cash coffers. So this writer would opine that unless we see a few more last minute offerings appear on the 2012 schedule, we should expect country’s 6.5% sales lead to shrink and move closer to the overall industry number by around the end of July.

But take heart, January through August sales are really only like foreplay. The real sales lovemaking begins during the last four months of the year when labels line up to take advantage of holiday fever.

Albums
Debuts this week from Ronnie Dunn (No. 14; 6k) and the venerable Oak Ridge Boys (No. 29; 1.9k) couldn’t keep the Top 75 total from slipping under 300k. (Actually, Mr. Dunn’s debut was more of a re-release through Cracker Barrel with two new tracks.) Study the two grids and you will note a gradual erosion of gains mostly across the board for Country and All-Genre, but no strong swings. As we often repeat in this column, release schedules are the single largest factor in the sales game but seldom match up exactly from year to year.

Glancing at the Top 200 Albums chart, John Mayer caps the list with a debut of almost 220k units, 67% of which was in digital format.

Tracks
Yes, albums bring in the biggest revenues, but tracks are often the first place to study consumer trends with respect to new songs. Did you notice that country consumers have boosted track sales up 18% this year? (Can we all raise our hands and say Apple, Android, Smartphone…)

For example, platinum and almost platinum songs from Luke Bryan and Eric Church have been landing near the top of the list for weeks. So should we be surprised to see their albums also Top 5? (Of course not.) But you can also get out ahead of the album sales curve by studying the tracks chart. Gloriana has a new song, “Good Night,” that jumped from No. 14 to No. 3 climbing 162% in unit sales in one week. (They performed it on the Bachelorette.) Something happening there for sure. And Little Big Town’s latest “Pontoon” debuts at No. 11 with 32k units. Let’s see how that does next week.

As usual, post your Weekly Register comments below, tweet ’em out or send me a note, and thanks for reading…

CMA Music Fest Global Showcases; Q&A with Jeff Walker

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MusicRow recently sat down with Jeff Walker, CEO/President of The AristoMedia Group/Marco Music Group to discuss this year’s Global Events showcases, as well as the often overlooked growth in the international country music market.

The 2012 Global Events showcases, held June 4-5 during 2012 CMA Music Festival week in downtown Nashville, will feature 22 Country artists from five different countries and territories.

The CMA Global Artist Party, presented by Chevrolet, takes place 6 – 10:45 pm Monday, June 4 at The Stage on Broadway and The Aristo Global Show will be held Tuesday, June 5 from 12:30 – 3:45 pm at The Second Fiddle. Check here for a complete lineup of both shows.

How are the artists selected for the international shows?
We have agreements for some of the performance slots in the Monday night show. The New Zealand Country Music Association Horizon Award Winner, the country artist scholarship winner from Commercial Radio Australia, and the Songwriter Award winner from Australia’s Tamworth Country Music Awards will all be performing at the show. The remaining participants were judged using criteria of relevance in the international market, quality of music, and whether that artist would have the ability to get a deal here in the United States. There’s a committee that judges the applicants, and there’s a balance given between territories.

What is the difference between the two shows?
While the Monday night is a full band show, the Tuesday show is more of an acoustic show with the last performance being a full band. I’m proud of the fact that this has grown and we now have around 22 acts. Both shows reflect the artists in different areas. One act that did really well last year and made a strong impression on the Monday night show is Raintown. They are coming back to do the Tuesday show this year. This is our ninth anniversary of the Monday night show. The Tuesday show came about three years later due to receiving so many submissions.

What do you think propelled that growth?
I think it’s a new era in Country Music. The whole world is becoming a smaller place. The fact that iTunes is worldwide and people now have instant access to country music. You can push a button and have your music delivered to Mexico, South America, Australia, Scandinavia, the UK, Canada, and more. International artists are now recognizing that what they need to do is focus on Nashville or come to Nashville. We are also seeing a big trend in writers coming from territories like Australia, Canada and other territories to write with Nashville songwriters. For example, Phil Barton moved here from Australia and co-wrote Lee Brice’s No. 1 song, “A Woman Like You.” He has been coming to Nashville since 2005 building his network. The whole market is opening up. I think the labels here are looking to have a more global footprint much like the movie industry. It really helps that Canada and Australia, in particular, have networks like Country Music Television in Canada and a country music channel in Australia. You can pre-sell an artist when they go over there or you can establish a Canadian artist in their own domestic territory giving them relevance before coming to the U.S.

Do you see these two shows as an opportunity for the industry to see new acts they otherwise would not be exposed to?
Definitely. We see both of these events as great A&R opportunities.

What are some of the benefits international artists receive by attending the events?
It’s a chance for the artists to broaden their horizons by performing in Nashville to a packed house. When acts stay in their own territory, they seem to get a little insulated. But when they go outside their territory, they realize this business is very competitive. They go home with their bars raised a little higher.

Most people are aware of the Country Music presence in Australia and Canada, what other countries do you see gaining traction?
Ireland comes to mind first. We are also seeing a lot of things happening in Scandinavia, particularly Norway where a lot of fairs and festivals are being produced. Those are the key ones. In terms of Americana, there’s a lot of UK interest and there’s a fine line between Americana and Country music overseas since they often do not distinguish between the two.

What do you see in the future related to international presence in Country Music?
The CMA is very committed to international presence and recently formed a group in the organization to push towards those goals. The future will continue to build on the momentum and availability of technology that’s really helping spur this growth in international opportunities. When people can tap into country music on YouTube, Facebook, Twitter, Spotify, etc. and interact with these artists from all over the world, this is where I see the growth coming from. I think there’s lots of opportunities and I’m very bullish about it.