Tag Archive for: featured-2

Weekly Chart Report (10/04/11)

/by

Mark Wayne Glasmire recently visited with WATZ/Alpena, MI and performed his new single “Going Home”. After hearing about the Michigan Legend of The Michigan Dogman (seriously, Google it), Mark announced he was ready to go home. (L-R) WATZ MD Susie Martin, Mark Wayne Glasmire

RADIO NEWS
El Dorado Broadcasters KTTI/Yuma, AZ morning co-host Misty Smith has taken over PD duties following the departure of Jay Walker, who left the station to pursue a career in the restaurant industry. Smith has been with the station five years, and will segue to the midday airshift. Reach out to her here.

SPIN ZONE
Nashville’s hottest new country stars populate the top of this week’s CountryBreakout Chart, with Lady Antebellum’s “We Owned The Night” taking over the No. 1 spot. Miranda Lambert’s “Baggage Claim” moves up to No. 2 ahead of Brantley Gilbert’s recent No. 1 “Country Must Be Country Wide.” Jason Aldean’s “Tattoos On This Town” is in the hunt at No. 4 and being chased by Eric Church’s “Drink In My Hand” at No. 5.

Always reliable George Strait leaps onto the chart with his new single “Love’s Gonna Make It Alright,” debuting at No. 57. Also making their first chart appearances are David Bradley’s “If You Can’t Make Money” at No. 71, Mark Wayne Glasmire’s “Going Home” at No. 75, Erica Nicole’s “Shave” at No. 76, Burns & Poe’s “I Need A Job” at No. 77, Bill Gentry’s “This Letter” at No. 79, and Joanna Mosca’s “Where Does Good Love Go” featuring Richie McDonald at No. 80.

Frozen Playlists: KITX, KYKX, KYYK, KZTL, WAKG, WTCR, WYBL

Upcoming Singles
November 7
Rodney Atkins/He’s Mine/Curb
George Strait/Love’s Gonna Make It Alright/MCA

November 14
Wade Bowen/Saturday Night/Sea Gayle/BNA
Love and Theft/Angel Eyes/RCA
Mark Cooke/Any Way The wind Blows/CVR/Quarterback

• • • • •

New On The Chart—Debuting This Week
Artist/song/label — chart pos.
George Strait/Love’s Gonna Make It Alright/MCA — 57
David Bradley/If You Can’t Make Money/Gecko Music Productions — 71
Mark Wayne Glasmire/Going Home/Traceway — 75
Erica Nicole/Shave/Heaven Records — 77
Burns & Poe/I Need a Job/Blue Steel — 78
Bill Gentry/This Letter/Tenacity Records — 79
Joanna Mosca w/ Richie McDonald/Where Does Good Love Go?/Dolce Diva Music — 80

Greatest Spin Increase
Artist/song/label — spin+
Toby Keith/Red Solo Cup/Show Dog-Univeral — 409
Keith Urban/You Gonna Fly/Capitol — 408
George Strait/Love’s Gonna Make It Alright/MCA — 355
Trace Adkins/Million Dollar View/Show Dog-Universal — 288
Brad Paisley/Camouflage/Arista — 265

Most Added
Artist/song/label — New Adds
George Strait/Love’s Gonna Make It Alright/MCA — 31
Trace Adkins/Million Dollar View/Show Dog-Universal — 17
Keith Urban/You Gonna Fly/Capitol — 16
Scotty McCreery/The Trouble With Girls/19 Ent./Mercury — 10
Toby Keith/Red Solo Cup/Show Dog-Univeral — 10
Lee Brice/A Woman Like You/Curb — 10
Rodney Atkins/He’s Mine/Curb — 9

On Deck—Soon To Be Charting
Artist/song/label — spins
McGuffey Lane/Bartender/Lick — 120
Shane Yellowbird/Bare Feet On The Blacktop/On Ramp — 118
Mockingbird Sun/Lucky Guy/Toomey Starks — 114
Bryan Cole/Pride & Passion — 109
Gloriana/(Kissed You) Good Night/Emblem/WMN — 104

CMT Radio Live With Cody Alan landed in Dallas for the second stop on the show’s tour, and visited with local CMT Radio affiliate, KPLX-FM 99.5 The Wolf. They broadcasted live and hosted a free concert featuring Rodney Atkins, JT Hodges and Ashley Gearing at Billy Bob’s in Ft. Worth (L-R): Cody Alan, JT Hodges, Stephen Linn, Ashley Gearing, Mark Phillips, Rodney Atkins

Buddy Jewell has been out visiting country radio in support of his new single “Jesus, Elvis, and Me,” which is now at No. 44 on MusicRow’s CountryBreakout Chart. (L-R): Jewell, Al Brock (Spin Doctors Promotions), Jason Aldridge (WYVY/Union City TN)

Cold River Records artist Katie Armiger performed at WGH/Norfolk-Virginia Beach’s “Up Close & Personal” concert series yesterday at the station’s own venue, the Eagles’ Nest Rockin’ Country Bar. (L-R): Mark McKay (WGH APD/MD/afternoon), Katie Armiger, and John Shomby (WGH PD), Mary Lynne O’Neal (Cold River)

Charlie Cook On Air

/by

Next Wednesday (Nov. 9) is the CMA Awards show. It is always a special night for the artists, the fans, and for ABC for years to come. I thought that this would be a good time to look at the format as it stands right now. I’ll do this again in the Spring just before the ACM show.

These ideas make coming up with topics for this column easy. Coming up with ideas is the hardest part of writing this column. So now and in the Spring. Two down, 50 to go.

To make it even easier I reached out to some friends to give me their perspective of the format as of November 4, 2011. Really, the ideas are the only hard part if you have any friends at all.

I asked them only one question. “What is the state of the format days before the CMA Awards show?”

I reached out to label bigwigs (major and indie), a disc jockey, programmers and other trade organizations. I did not ask Steve Moore, CEO of the CMA, or CMA Board Chairman Steve Buchanan because they are going to get enough print this weekend.

First to weigh in is Tom Baldrica, president of Average Joe’s Entertainment. “From my perspective, there is an excitement and vibrancy in country music right now—with authentic, real music (and musicians) being discovered, shared and evangelized by the younger demo. In addition to what they hear on the radio, they are scouring YouTube, attending live shows, sharing files and engaging with other fans of similar tastes.”

Having a level of excitement about the music and the acts is about all we can ask for. From Brad and Carrie to The Band Perry we do have exciting acts. It isn’t every year that a group in the New Category goes Triple Platinum the month before the award is passed out.

Paul Freeman, afternoon disc jockey at KKGO/Los Angeles is excited about the energy in today’s country music. “American Idol, The Voice, and the Apprentice (are) all giving Country Music national exposure along with really great upbeat music coming from Nashville this year.”

It seems like passion and appeal beyond the genre is important for radio personnel. “The format has done a great job in adding very vibrant talent to an already strong roster of artists,” says KEEY/Minneapolis Programmer Gregg Swedberg. “Our stars are stars, no matter whether we get proper credit from the rest of the world (and we don’t). Our audience is passionate about many artists. Sales are great, concert business is great, ratings are generally great, and there is an obvious path forward. We cross over into other formats and young people are interested in what we do.”

The CMA and ABC gotta love the “stars are stars” part of Gregg’s comment. In the past and today the format got boosts from TV and movies. The film Urban Cowboy gave the format a lift many years ago and there was a time when Country acts were on TV every week with Barbara Mandrell’s  show, Reba and Billy Ray Cyrus with some young lady named Miley. Or was it Hannah?

Today Trace Adkins is quickly recognized from his appearance on The Apprentice. Reba will be back on weekly TV next year and Taylor has acted on TV and in the movies. Brad and the Flatts were on the little screen in high profile situations.

Programmer extraordinaire Becky Brenner put her thoughts to music. You’ll have to hum along in your head. “Country is country wide, in fact it is worldwide and sizzling hot. Whether you’re a family man, a farmer’s daughter, a homeboy or an all American girl you can feel that fire! We should be proud of this house we built. I got a feelin’ we must be doin’ something right. Welcome to the Future. God bless the USA, we’ve all gone Country!”

Really! I asked you to hum along IN YOUR HEAD.

Echoing what Gregg said, Becky continues, “There has never been a more exciting time in the country format. Country music is connecting with more people worldwide than ever before.”

The recent announcement that the Wembley Festival is being resurrected in Great Britain is great news for Country fans in Europe and all around the world. Needless to say, it is also good news for Music Row.

Though John Anthony of WKWS in Charleston, WV, has some concerns about the broad appeal. “I’m excited to see the success of new artists such as Chris Young, The Band Perry, Zac Brown Band and Miranda Lambert,” he says. “But (I’m) concerned for the amount of Country songs that are crossing over to our sister AC station. Today alone, Jason Aldean, Rascal Flatts, Taylor Swift, Lady Antebellum, Carrie Underwood, The Band Perry and Diamond Rio.”

The debate over whether Country Music should be played on non-country stations is one only going on in radio stations. I have heard record people say, “We don’t want (fill in the blank) changing his music to get on AC radio.” Hogwash. They tell Country radio that while NY is dialing and smiling to AC and CHR radio.

Arista Nashville VP National Promotion Lesly Tyson has a more solid position on the issue. She was asked a couple of weeks back in All Access, and she told me the same things, on the topic of whether she is concerned about Country acts crossing over and losing their identities. Lesly said, “I’m really not. Brad and Carrie, for example, are both Country artists. They have built incredible fan bases of people who love their music and love who they are as people. Exposing them to more people through their music when it works in another format does not change that in any way.”

Lesly makes a great point about the fan base loving them as people and what they stand for. We would never catch Carrie dressed like Rihanna (darn!) or Lady GaGa. I don’t think we’ll ever hear Brad Paisley and Chris Brown in the same sentence. (Now watch Robert Deaton put them together on the show next week).

I didn’t exactly go to anyone who would say anything overly negative about the format but what I heard here is that radio wants energy and tempo and records want diversity and more exposure.

Me, I want Carrie to rethink those Rihanna outfits.

Wynonna Tour Brings “Thanks & Giving”

/by

Wynonna is picking up right where The Judds left off. The country star has a run of solo dates that commence today in the same city The Judds concluded their tour, Phoenix, AZ.

In 2010, OWN followed the country duo on their tour, The Judds: Final Encore. The six-episode docu-series premiered on the network in April with the highest ratings outside of OWN’s launch week. With the success of the show and the farewell tour behind her, Wynonna is back touring solo. In gratitude of the loyal support of her fans over the years, Wynonna will also host a “Thanks & Giving” meet and greet at every stop along the tour.

“It means a lot to me to have such dedicated and hardworking fans that have been with me throughout my journey. Thanking each person is always hard to do, but I’m going to meet as many fans as possible and express my appreciation to them in person,” shares Judd.

Before closing out the year, Wynonna will return to the studio in December to continue working on her eighth studio album for Curb Records.

Wynonna’s fall tour will visit the following cities:
11/03/11 – Phoenix, AZ – Celebrity Theatre
11/04/11 – Palm Desert, CA – McCallum Theatre for the Performing Arts
11/05/11 – Yuma, AZ – Paradise Casino
11/06/11 – Northridge, CA – Valley Performing Arts Center
11/08/11 – Yountville, CA – Lincoln Theater
11/09/11 – Lemoore, CA – Tachi Palace Hotel & Casino
11/11/11 – Reno, NV – Silver Legacy Hotel
11/12/11 – Turlock, CA – Turlock Community Theatre
11/13/11 – San Luis Obispo, CA – Christopher Cohan Performing Arts Center
11/15/11 – Arcata, CA – John Van Duzer Theatre
11/17/11 – Snoqualmie, WA – Snoqualmie Casino Ballroom
11/19/11 – Aberdeen, WA – D&R Theatre

Visit www.wynonna.com for more info.

Blackburn Introduces Bill To Help Songwriters/Publishers

/by

Pictured shortly after introducing the bill (L-R): Jennifer Purdon (NSAI), Steve Bogard (President, NSAI), Bart Herbison, Congressman Marsha Blackburn, Mickey Kelley (singer/songwriter), Bob Regan

According to materials provided by National Songwriters Association, a bill to reinstate the “five year amortization” of investment for publishers and songwriters will be introduced today (11/3) by Tennessee’s U.S. Congressman, Marsha Blackburn.

This bill encourages investment in song catalogs and songwriters because such investments can be written off, or amortized, over a short five years, instead of a longer time period.

The “Five Year Method” was authorized by Congress in 2005 for five years to begin in tax year 2006. It expired on Dec. 31, 2010 when it was grouped in with a number of measures during the tax extension reauthorization process. Business models have been underway, based on this legislation, for five years.

Previously music publishers utilized either a “straight-line” 15-yr amortization or the “income-forecast” method which resulted in 90% or more amortized over 2-5 years.

15-Year Method
The 15-year amortization method allows a 6.6% annual straight-line amortization. Unfortunately this method does not encourage potential investors within the music industry or from outside the music industry to invest. (Investment is defined by the signing of songwriters to publishing agreements that involve song catalogs and the outright purchase of song catalogs.)

Income Forecast Method
The “income-forecast” method allowed for much quicker amortization…as much as 90% within two to five years but required projecting every song’s income for the tax year. Prior to the widespread digital distribution of music and all the micro royalties it produces this was relatively simple. Today it is not practical.

NSAI explains the need to re-enact this five year method saying:

Business models have been underway, based on this legislation, for five years. While we must maintain the value of America’s historic songs, we must likewise encourage the creation of the new songs that will mark the moments of our lives. The sale of a song catalog often serves as the retirement fund for a songwriter or composer. If the five-year amortization alternative is not reauthorized, the purchase of American song catalogs will practically stop and the actual value of song catalogs will likely decrease. Investors simply can find better alternatives if they cannot choose to amortize their investment quickly. Music delivery systems are changing and evolving every day. They are instant. This method also encourages investment on songwriters and composers. Music publishing deals for songwriters are often based, in part, on accompanying song catalogs. Such deals help publishers recoup their investment from the income the song catalog generates. A 15-year amortization schedule will serve as a disincentive on these types of songwriter-publisher contracts. A number of publishers have expressed alarm at this situation and stated that without reauthorization investments will make little business sense. Ideally the reauthorization would happen prior to December 31, 2011 for investment options to remain viable.

 

Click HERE to read the bill.

CMA Honors Nominees and Broadcast Awards Winners

/by

(L-R): Moore and Urban, who is nominated for CMA Entertainer and Male Vocalist of the Year.

The 45th Annual CMA Awards is a week away, but the nominees were already celebrating Tuesday night (11/1) at a dinner in their honor at The Pinnacle at Symphony Place in Nashville.

“Keith Urban proposed the idea of CMA hosting a private event to honor all of our nominees,” said Steve Moore, CMA Chief Executive Officer. “It was a great idea and an excellent opportunity for our nominees and CMA Broadcast Awards winners to celebrate in a relaxed setting with members of the CMA Board of Directors without the pressure of a live TV broadcast.”

Each nominee was presented with a commemorative trophy.

The 45th Annual CMA Awards, hosted by Brad Paisley and Carrie Underwood, airs live from the Bridgestone Arena in Nashville, Wednesday, Nov. 9 (8:00-11:00 PM/ET) on the ABC Television Network.

Class of 2011 (L-R): Teresa Davis/KCLR (CMA Small Market Station of the Year); Kix Brooks (CMA National Broadcast Personality of the Year); Charissa Loethen/KCLR (CMA Small Market Personality of the Year); Dann Huff (CMA Musician of the Year nominee); Trey Fanjoy (CMA Music Video of the Year nominee - Director "Honey Bee"); Scott Hendricks (CMA Album of the Year nominee- Producer All About Tonight); Keith Urban (CMA Entertainer and Male Vocalist of the Year nominee); Jim Shea (CMA Music Video of the Year nominee - Director "Old Alabama"); Clay Cook of Zac Brown Band (CMA CMA Vocal Group, Album, Single, and Musical Event of the Year nominee); Sam Bush (CMA Musician of the Year nominee); David McClister (CMA Music Video of the Year nominee- director "If I Die Young"); Karen Fairchild, Jimi Westbrook, Kimberly Schlapman, and Phillp Sweet of Little Big Town (CMA Vocal Group of the Year nominee); Joe Don Rooney, Gary Levox, and Jay DeMarcus of Rascal Flatts (CMA Vocal Group of the Year nominee).

Sales Report: Blame It On Taylor And Sugarland

/by

Whooooa! Are you feeling dizzy from the slide this week? 

As a quick look at our graph shows, country YTD sales tumbled from 9.3% ahead last week to a more modest 5.6% now. Why?

It’s all Taylor Swift’s fault. And Sugarland.  🙂

If Taylor hadn’t sold over a million albums during the same week last year, and Sugarland almost 90k (debuted the week before) then country sales wouldn’t have had a such a high bar to be measured against today. (Although, last year we all cheered because Taylor’s incredible debut was such a country sales game changer.)

So here’s how it all came down. This week we had Top 10 debuts from Toby Keith (No. 1; 69k), Vince Gill (No. 4; 21k+) and the Casey Donahew Band (No. 10; 11k+; 64% digital).

Shifting > 15k units was Scotty McCreery (No. 2; 42k), Lady Antebellum (No. 3; 31k), Jason Aldean (No. 5; 18k), Lauren Alaina (No. 6; 16k+) and Luke Bryan (No. 7; 15k+). Total country album sales for the week were, according to Nielsen SoundScan, about 742k. Last year’s total sales for the week ended 10/31/10 were 1.72 million!!!

It’s not that hard to figure out what just happened. More complex is trying to calculate what will happen between now and the end of the year. To end the year flat, we must sell 11.8 million additional albums over the remaining nine weeks. That equates to an average of 1.311 million albums per week. Powerhouse releases yet to arrive include Miranda Lambert next week, a Rascal Flatts Live edition and a Taylor Swift live edition. Added sales momentum will be felt from CMA and ACA Awards exposure, plus the holiday lift, but it’s going to be pretty hard to match that 1.3 million per week number. So I’m saying it now, in print, I predict country will end up flat or lower for 2011.

Tracking
The brief tracks story shows country downloading 120 million tracks YTD and about 2.16 million this past week. Congratulations to Toby the Keith who vanquished all other tracks on the country list this week, matching his No. 1 album performance. His track “Red Solo Cup” downloaded about 61k copies. The next two closest tracks were Blake Shelton’s “God Gave Me You” (46k) and Luke Bryan’s “I Don’t Want This Night To End” (41k).

Check back next week, same channel, same station…

DISClaimer Single Reviews (11/2/11)

/by

Who ARE all you people?

The woods are crawling with indies this week. Some of them are downright scary. But others are delightful surprises.

Love and Theft, Mark Cooke and Russell Moore & IIIrd Tyme Out all made a run for the Disc of the Day prize. But the good folks at Carnival have the winner. It’s Alabama native Adam Hood. I guarantee that you will fall in love with his record. He’s wicked good.

A Michigan fellow named John Maison is here with his debut single. He wins this week’s DisCovery Award.

MARK COOKE/Any Way The Wind Blows
Writer: Marty Dodson/Jennifer Hanson/Mark Nesler; Producer: J. Gary Smith & John Smith; Publisher: Nashvistaville/Nez/I Hope Momma’s Listenin/Black to Black/Ole/Sony-ATV, BMI; CVR (track)
—The track is superbly breezy, and he sings with earnest baritone authority. The song has a sing-along quality that sweeps you right up into the middle of it. In short, if this isn’t radio-ready, I’ve never heard it.

JOHN MAISON/Fast Enough
Writer: Kyle Jacobs/Joe Leathers/Kris Bergsnes; Producer: Ray Barnette; Publisher: Curb/Jacobsong/Fortune Favors the Bold/Song Garden, ASCAP/BMI; Big High Five
—The track is a rumbling, gripping, open-road rocker with a lot of “bottom” in the production. The song is cool, too. The mix almost overwhelms his vocal, so you have to listen extra hard to hear that he has the goods.

LOVE AND THEFT/Angel Eyes
Writer: Jeff Coplan/Eric Guderson/Eric Paslay; Producer: Josh Leo; Publisher: EMI April/Sunboy/Rockapop/Hate and Purchase/Cal IV, ASCAP; RCA
—She’s a flirty sinner on Saturday night, and a choir girl on Sunday morning in this merry bopper. The team’s Everly-style harmonies are totally excellent. Love and Theft was formerly a trio on Lyric Street’s Carolwood imprint. Now it is down to the duo of Stephen Barker Lyles and Eric Gunderson and moved to RCA.

JOHNNY SOLINGER/Livin’ Out A Country Song
Writer: Atkins/Stover/Maher; Producer: none listed; Publisher: EMI Blackwood/EMI April/Song of Country Wood/Red Stripe Plane, ASCAP; Red Dirt (www.reddirtmusiccompany.com)
—It’s another one of those songs that strings along redneck cliches. This time, the vocal bellowing is more irritating than usual.

CODY ROWE/Little White Lies
Writer: C. Rowe; Producer: Randy Miller & Eric Anonsen; Publisher: none listed, BMI; CR (www.codyrowe.com)
—He stays on pitch, barely. The track is so plodding it is like wading through molasses.

RUSSELL MOORE & IIIRD TYME OUT/If Your Heart Should Ever Roll This Way Again
Writer: Mark Irwin Abramson/Paul Austin Cunningham; Producer: Russell Moore & IIIrd Tyme Out; Publisher: Ten Ten/Universal, ASCAP; Rural Rhythm (track) (www.iiirdtymeout.com)
—Formerly a 1989 single for Jo-El Sonnier, this ultra melodic song is now a lilting bluegrass single with a high-lonesome lead vocal, slippery fiddle work, mandolin and guitar ripples, cool vocal harmonies and a banjo that skips along throughout. Delightful. The CD is titled Prime Tyme. If you dig bluegrass, you can’t do much better.

KIMBERLY DUNN/I’d Rather
Writer: none listed; Producer: none listed; Publisher: none listed; Up & Out (track) (www.kimberlydunnmusic.com)
—No wonder there are no credits. She’s a vocal catastrophe.

ADAM HOOD/Flame And Gasoline
Writer: none listed; Producer: Matthew Miller & Oran Thornton; Publisher: none listed; Carnival (track) (www.adamhood.com)
—The Shape of Things is Hood’s just-released third album. This track showcases the pent-up energy in his delivery, the punchy production work and the excellent song craftsmanship that is evident throughout it. I have given this guy favorable marks in the past, and I remain a fan of his fiery style. If you haven’t lent him your ears before, do so now. Essential listening.

T.J. BROSCOFF/Wrong Side Of The Tracks
Writer: T.J. Broscoff; Producer: Bill Green; Publisher: Bill Green, BMI; BGM  (www.tjbroscoff.com)
—The meandering song could use some tightening up, but he delivers it with raspy conviction. Worth a listen.

ANDY VELO/Southern Thing
Writer: Andy Velo; Producer: none listed; Publisher: Suwanee Creek, BMI; Red Dirt (www.reddirtmusiccompany.com)
—Guess what? He’s a true-blue country boy on a dirt road in a truck, blasting Southern rock with beer and a babe. Wow. What a novel idea for a song!

Australia Attracts Growing Number of Country Tours

/by

Lady Antebellum joined Australia native Keith Urban on tour Down Under in 2011.

During 2011 a swarm of country stars ventured out on Australian tours for the first time. Numerous factors are driving the trend explains Jeff Walker, President of The AristoMedia Group, who spearheads many international country music initiatives.

Australia’s rural landscape is home to a significant country fan base who relate to the genre’s subject matter—the same reason tour buses have been crossing the northern border to Canada for years. Yesterday Dierks Bentley announced runs through both countries in early 2012.

Similarly, both countries also have country music television networks helping fuel the frenzy. “The concert promoters can build up a pent-up demand in those territories by use of music videos,” explains Walker. “Plus, the growing impact of social networking and its ability to engage fans worldwide helps the artists feel more confident about going over there.”

Talk about pent up demand, earlier this year Alan Jackson’s first tour Down Under sold out six dates within minutes, turning into the biggest country outing to visit Australia in 20 years.

In 2012 Tim McGraw and Faith Hill are hitting the road together for the first time in five years, in a run that will be the couple’s first Australian tour. The March tour includes a two-night residency in Brisbane and headlining the CMC Rocks the Hunter festival.

Walker notes that two-night stands are commonplace in Australia because many of the venues are smaller than their American counterparts. Festivals are also attractive to artists who want to journey to Oz. “They can go down for the festival and also play another four or five venues,” he explains. “They have a good infrastructure there. A lot of artists have to scale down their shows from what we’d see here in America, but they still have great venues, and festivals.”

Joe Nichols headlined CMC Rocks the Hunter in March 2011, and returned in May for a multi-city tour.

A favorable exchange rate is also enticing artists. “Nowadays it is a lot easier for Australian promoters to come over here and make offers to artists, because the artists can earn as much as they do in the States,” says Walker. “Plus, sometimes they’ve saturated the markets here by touring the same cities over and over. In Australia, they can take three weeks, have a mini-vacation and work at the same time.” Sounds like a win-win.

Major merch sales are another big plus, thanks to the untapped market. Carrie Underwood made her first tour of Australia when she was promoting the international release of Play On: Deluxe Edition.

Among others who performed in Australia in 2011 are native Keith Urban, Lady Antebellum, and Montgomery Gentry. Taylor Swift’s world tour stops there in March.

“You can build a career by going back and back and back,” sums Walker. “Because artists like Don Williams, Charley Pride, Tom T. Hall, Dolly Parton, and Kenny Rogers have fostered that fan base, they are able to book successful international tours every two or three years.”

Alan Jackson's first Australian run. (L-R): Storme Warren, GAC TV and Sirius/XM Radio Show Host; Rob Potts, CEO, Rob Potts Entertainment Edge; Jackson; Michael Chugg, Exec. Chairman, Chugg Entertainment; Matthew Lazarus-Hall, CEO, Chugg Entertainment. Photo: John Huber

ACAs Announce Show Performers

/by

Co-hosts Trace Adkins and Kristin Chenoweth, along with country music’s Blake Shelton, Pistol Annies, Thompson Square, Eli Young Band and The Band Perry, are set to perform at the American Country Awards. The second annual ACAs will air live on FOX from the MGM Grand Garden Arena in Las Vegas Mon., Dec. 5 (8:00-10:00 PM ET live/PT tape-delayed.)

The two-hour event will also feature appearances by Lauren Alaina, Rachel Bilson, Miranda Lambert, Scotty McCreery and the men of “Pawn Stars” (Richard Harrison, Rick Harrison, Corey Harrison and Austin Russell.)

Voting for all categories remains open for fans until Friday, Nov. 11 at www.theacas.com. Voting for Artist of the Year continues until Friday, Dec. 2.

American Country Awards is executive-produced by Bob Bain (Teen Choice 2011, Kids’ Choice Awards). Fletcher Foster, Paul Flattery and Tisha Fein serve as producers; and Greg Sills is supervising producer. Michael Dempsey will direct the special.

How To Get A Job (In The Music Business)

/by

Many companies in the music industry are small and those that are not, run like they are. They are efficient and lean with everyone wearing many different hats. These days, it’s not optional. I’ve learned this first-hand taking the reigns of MusicRow.

When I read an article this morning, I knew I needed to share it with you. With unemployment at 9.1% and our music industry continuing to tighten its collective belt, the following is a valuable read for both job seekers and job creators.

This is an article about getting a job. It’s not specifically about the music biz…but then again, it is.

• • • •

How to Get a Job with a Small Company

By Seth Godin (posted with Seth’s permission, of course)

Most advice about job seeking is oriented around big companies. The notion of a standard resume, of mass mailings, of dealing with the HR department–even the idea of interviews–is all built around the Fortune 500.

Alas, the Fortune 500 has been responsible for a net loss in jobs over the last twenty years. All the growth (and your best chance to get hired) is from companies you’ve probably never heard of. And when the hirer is also the owner, the rules are very different.

1. Learn to sell. Everyone has sold something, some time, even if it’s just selling your mom on the need for a nap when you were three years old. A lot of people have decided that they don’t want to sell, can’t sell, won’t sell, but those same people need to understand that they’re probably not going to get a job doing anything but selling.

Small businesses always need people who can sell, because selling pays for itself. It’s not an expense, it’s a profit center.

2. Learn to write. Writing is a form of selling, one step removed. There’s more writing in business today than ever before, and if you can become a persuasive copywriter, you’re practically a salesperson, and even better, your work scales.

3. Learn to produce extraordinary video and multimedia. This is just like writing, but for people who don’t like to read. Even better, be sure to mix this skill with significant tech skills. Yes, you can learn to code. The fact that you don’t feel like it is one reason it’s a scarce skill.

Now that you’ve mastered these skills (all of which take time and guts but no money), understand the next thing about small businesses–they aren’t hiring to fill a slot. Unlike a big company with an org chart and pay levels, the very small business is an organism, not a grid. The owner is far more likely to bring in a freelancer or someone working on spec than she is to go run a classified help wanted ad.

And many small businesses are extremely bad at taking initiative that feels like risk. They’d rather fill orders than take a chance and go out prospecting for a person who represents a risk. And that’s your opportunity.

When you show up and offer to go prospecting on spec, offer to contribute a website or a sales letter or some sales calls–with no money on the table–many small business people will take you up on it, particularly if they are cash-strapped, profit-oriented and know you by reputation. (Please don’t overlook that last one).

Hint: don’t merely show up and expect a yes. It’s something you earn over time…

The rest is easy. Once you demonstrate that you contribute far more than you cost, now it’s merely a matter of figuring out a payment schedule.

This is probably far more uncertainty and personal branding than most job seekers are comfortable with. Which is precisely why it works.