Tag Archive for: featured-2

EMI Signs Jon Pardi

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EMI Records Nashville has signed singer/songwriter Jon Pardi to its roster. Pardi is already hard at work writing and recording his debut album. He is planning to release his debut single early next year.
The northern California native has been playing guitar since he was eight years old. At 12 he began writing songs, and by age 14 Pardi had his first band.

(L-R): Standing: Managers Dan Anderson of Red Light Management, and Charlie Walker of C3; Autumn House, Capitol/EMI Records Nashville VP A&R. Seated: Mike Dungan, Capitol/EMI Records Nashville President and CEO; Jon Pardi; and Tom Becci, Capitol/EMI Records Nashville COO

New Date For "Country's Night To Rock"

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Little Big Town will perform during "CMA Music Festival: Country's Night to Rock" airing Sunday, Aug. 14, on the ABC Television Network. Photo: John Russell / CMA


The CMA Music Festival TV special is shifting dates, in a move possibly influenced by the airing of the popular Teen Choice Awards opposite the originally scheduled date.
CMA Music Festival: Country’s Night to Rock is now set to air Sun., Aug. 14 on ABC.
In related news, Dierks Bentley and Little Big Town have been added to the list of performers appearing in the three-hour, primetime concert special. They join previously announced stars including Alabama with Brad Paisley, Alan Jackson with Zac Brown Band, Jason Aldean with Kelly Clarkson, Lady Antebellum, Miranda Lambert, Blake Shelton, Sugarland, Taylor Swift, and Keith Urban.
Swift and other country faves are among the nominees at Fox’s 2011 Teen Choice Awards, where Swift scored six nods.

Chesney Tour By The Numbers

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Photo by Danny Clinch

A run-down of the 2011 Corona Presents Kenny Chesney’s ‘Goin’ Coastal’ Tour.

Here’s what it takes to make Goin’ Coastal a reality:
• 1,000,000—number of tickets sold thus far on the tour, with numerous shows left to go.
• 110—number of workers, including crew, drivers, caterers, sound and lighting techs, and musicians. For stadium shows, the number shoots up to 140.
• 23 trucks and 10 buses in Chesney’s fleet. While the trucks barrel on to the next stop, buses return home between shows along with the band and crew,
• 60,000—miles logged each tour.
• 80,000 pounds—weight of the ‘Goin’ Coastal’ stage set-up.
• 8—number of hours to set up for one show.
• 3—number of recent sold-out shows at Colorado’s famed Red Rocks Amphitheatre.
• 3—number of sides on the “periaktoi” columns which frame the stage. Influenced by ancient Greek theatre, one side features video tiles, the second features lighting and strobes, and the third is all mirrors.
• $39.50 plus fees—cheapest seat to his stadium show with ZBB in Kansas City, Missouri on July 30.
• $225 plus fees—most expensive ticket for the same show.

Weekly Chart Report (7/15/11)

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New No. 1 – Lady Antebellum “Just A Kiss”
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Easton Corbin visited with WCTK/Providence staff at Showcase Live/Foxboro, MA on July 10. Mercury recently celebrated Corbin being the first solo male country artist in 17 years to have his first two singles reach No. 1 at radio. (L-R): WCTK MD Jessica Tyler, Corbin, and Mercury’s Sally Green


SPIN ZONE
Following a record-setting heatwave in the South and many other parts of the country, it’s evident that summer is in full swing. That means a number things for all of us: vacations near water, painful sunburns, and of course, summer songs on country radio.
Every year artists try their hand at recording and releasing a summer classic, but only a special few are fortunate enough to make it happen. There are ample offerings at present, so we checked in with a few CountryBreakout Reporters to see what listeners love. Many name-checked Keith Urban’s “Long Hot Summer” (No. 19) and Jason Aldean’s “Dirt Road Anthem” (No. 7) right off the bat.
“Favorite song for the younger generation is ‘Dirt Road Anthem,’” says Susie Martin of WATZ/Alpena, MI. “After that, it’s Keith Urban’s ‘Long Hot Summer’ and Kenny Chesney/Grace Potter duet ‘You and Tequila.’”
“The new Keith Urban is firing up our phones big time,” echoes Boomer Kingston of KGKL/San Angelo, TX
“Listener favorites would have to be a toss up between Taylor Swift’s ‘Mean’ and Jason Aldean’s ‘Dirt Road Anthem,’” adds CW Simon of KMKS/Bay City, TX.
“Wolf listeners can’t get enough of ‘Long Hot Summer,’” chimes in Colby Ericson of KVWF/Wichita. “We’ve set several records for heat in the past month and of course we would latch on to this one!”
Jake Owen’s latest, which hit No. 10 this week, also received some praise for its summer theme.
“Current top requests for us is Jake Owen’s ‘Barefoot Blue Jean Night’ because it is an uptempo cooker,” says Ted Cramer of WIFE/Connersville, IN.
“Best summer song of the season is Jake Owen’s ‘Barefoot Blue Jean Night,’” agrees JR Runyon of KCNY/Conway, AR. “I just wish it was longer, but then don’t we all wish summer was too?”
Other popular tunes included Scotty McCreery, Zac Brown Band and the latest from Sawyer Brown.
“Our listeners’ favorite new summer song is without a doubt the new Sawyer Brown song ‘Smokin’ Hot Wife,’” says Heath Shelby of KWCK/Searcy, AR
“Our top requested summer song—a song that’s popular in summer even if it doesn’t sound typically summer—is ‘I Love You This Big’ by Scotty McCreery,” says Dave Spencer of WBKR/Owensboro, KY.
“Central Maine is lovin’ ‘Knee Deep’ by Zac Brown Band and Jimmy Buffett,” says Andy Capwell of WEBB/Augusta, ME. “Alan Jackson’s ‘Long Way To Go’ and Phil Vassar’s ‘Let’s Get Together’ are also getting a solid response.”
Time will reveal how enduring these songs will be. When asked about their favorite classic summer songs, a few titles invariably come up. Interestingly, the song that came up most often among CountryBreakout reporters was Kid Rock’s 2008 crossover hit “All Summer Long.”
“Can’t wait to get out the northern summer songs like Kid Rock’s ‘All Summer Long,’ which is specifically about northern Michigan,” says Susie Martin.
“Kid Rock’s ‘All Summer Long’ is still one of our most requested summer songs, and my favorite is still Kenny Chesney’s ‘Summertime,’” says Doug Rogers of WJMG/Shawano, WI.
“Alan Jackson’s ‘Summertime Blues’ is still one of my all time favorites,” suggests Boomer Kingston of KGKL.
“Older tunes getting requests include Kid Rock’s ‘All Summer Long’ and Phil Vassar’s ‘Six Pack Summer,’” says Ted Cramer of WIFE.
“As far as classics, the two we still get calls for are Kid Rock’s ‘All Summer Long’ and the ‘Summer Fun Mix’ of Alan Jackson’s ‘Good Time,’” says Heath Shelby of KWCK.
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Frozen Playlists: KTJJ, KTTI, Sirius XM, WAAG, WDXX, WHWK, WJVL, WPPL, WTRS




Upcoming Singles
July 18
LeAnn Rimes/Give/Curb
Craig Morgan/This Ole Boy/Black River
Kristin Chenoweth/I Want Somebody/Sony/CO5
Taylor Swift/Sparks Fly/Big Machine
Darren Warren/Cowboy Up and Party Down/NuCorp/Nine North
July 25
Montgomery Gentry/Where I Come From/Average Joe’s
Blake Shelton/God Gave Me You/Warner Bros./WMN
Martina McBride/I’m Gonna Love You Through It/Republic Nashville
Sonia Leigh/My Name Is Money/Southern Ground/BPG
Eric Paslay/Never Really Wanted/EMI Records Nashville
Keith Bryant/Can’t Tell Somebody Who To Love/Jordash
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New On The Chart—Debuting This Week
Artist/song/label — chart pos.
Taylor Swift/Sparks Fly/Big Machine — 48
Blake Shelton/God Gave Me You/Warner Bros./WMN — 52
Eric Lee Beddingfield/Great Depression/Rebel Dawg Music — 72
Craig Morgan/This Ole Boy/Black River Entertainment — 79
Susan Cattaneo/Girls Night Out/Jersey Girl Music — 80
Greatest Spin Increase
Artist/song/label — spin+
Blake Shelton/God Gave Me You/Warner Bros./WMN — 543
Taylor Swift/Sparks Fly/Big Machine — 413
Keith Urban/Long Hot Summer/Capitol — 408
Toby Keith/Made In America/Show Dog-Universal — 328
Brad Paisley feat. Carrie Underwood/Remind Me/Arista — 281
Most Added
Artist/song/label — New Adds
Blake Shelton/God Gave Me You/Warner Bros./WMN — 41
Taylor Swift/Sparks Fly/Big Machine — 30
Martina McBride/I’m Gonna Love You Through It/Republic Nashville — 17
Rascal Flatts f. Natasha Bedingfield/Easy/Big Machine — 14
Montgomery Gentry/Where I Come From/Average Joe’s — 12
Eric Lee Beddingfield/Great Depression/Rebel Dawg Music — 8
On Deck—Soon To Be Charting
Artist/song/label — spins
Katie Armiger/I Do But Do I/Cold River — 234
Montgomery Gentry/Where I Come From/Average Joe — 223
Cash Creek/Unlikely Angel/Ohana Music Group — 197
Big & Rich/Fake ID/Warner — 194
Martina McBride/I’m Gonna Love You Through It/Republic Nashville — 180

Columbia Nashville newcomer Bradley Gaskin made a stop at WIL/St. Louis to serve up a round of "Mr. Bartender," his self-penned, debut single. (L-R): Sony Nashville Senior VP Promotion Skip Bishop, APD/MDWIL Danny Montana and Gaskin.


Sherry Lynn filled Court House Square in Hampton, Iowa, June 28 for the Chamber of Commerce’s “Tuesday on the Town” series. Sherry’s show was selected to raise funds for the Franklin County Relay for Life. (L-R): KLMJ/Hampton, IA's Mike Betten, Sherry Lynn, Janet Betten

Spotify Launches In U.S.

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The wait is over. Popular digital music streaming service Spotify launched in the U.S. today (7/14) after long negotiations and numerous delays.
The service offers users the ability to listen for free to any track on demand, with audio advertising being served every few tracks. Users have access to “millions and millions” of tracks, plus the ability to share tracks and playlists with friends. A premium ad-free version is available for $5 per month, or an unlimited version with offline storage can be had for $10 per month.
The Stockholm, Sweden-based company has been a huge hit in Europe, but its U.S. launch has long been mired in the labyrinth of negotiations and licensing. As of today’s launch, the four major labels and Spotify have reportedly reached an agreement. Performing rights organization ASCAP also announced an agreement with Spotify for performance of over 8.5 million works in its repertory. As part of the exchange, ASCAP and Spotify will use a Digital Data Exchange standard for music use reporting.
Desktop and mobile versions of the service are currently on the market, but no tablet version exists yet. Spotify distinguishes itself from Pandora and similar offerings by adding the element of user control promised by many cloud services. Its entry to the U.S. music market could pose a problem for companies getting in the cloud game, especially Apple’s yet-to-launch iCloud service.
Currently Spotify is only available by invitation, but the website has a handy email sign up for anyone eager to try it out. For those who just can’t wait, purchasing either the $5 or $10 premium options will grant immediate access.

"Carolina" Mines Gold For Eric Church

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Shades of Gold. (L-R): Capitol VP Promotion Shane Allen; EMI VP Promotion Angela Lange; Capitol SVP Promotion Steve Hodges; Capitol COO Tom Becci; Eric Church; Capitol SVP Marketing Cindy Mabe; Capitol President and CEO Mike Dungan; Capitol VP Creative Joanna Carter and Capitol VP A&R Autumn House. Photo: Alan Poizner


EMI Records Nashville celebrated the RIAA Gold certification of Eric Church’s Carolina Tuesday night (7/12). Industry revelers and Church team members gathered at Nashville’s Whiskey Bent Saloon to mark the success of the album that produced hit singles “Love Your Love The Most,” “Hell On The Heart” and “Smoke A Little Smoke.” Producer Jay Joyce, who helmed Church’s sophomore effort, joined Capitol/EMI staffers in sporting Church’s signature shades at the event.
On the heels of winning ACM Top New Solo Vocalist, Church is gearing up for the release of his third studio album Chief on July 26. The lead single “Homeboy” has already reached No. 6 on MusicRow’s CountryBreakout Chart. Fans can pre-order the album through www.EricChurch.com and receive an instant download of “Creepin.’”

Industry Salutes Easton Corbin's Hot-Streak

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Easton Corbin and Carson Chamberlain


Easton Corbin was feted at a lunchtime celebration today (7/13) at BMI’s Music Row offices. The Mercury Records artist is the only solo male in the last 17 years to have his first two singles reach the top of the radio charts.
He broke through in a major way with debut single “I’m A Little More Country Than That,” written by Rory Feek, Don Pothyress and Wynn Varble. He followed that up with the No. 1 “Roll With It,” from the pens of David Lee, Tony Lane and Johnny Park. Some of these writers were on hand today to help mark the artist’s success.
UMG Nashville General Manager Ken Robold started the accolades, noting that Corbin’s album is nearing Gold territory with 400,000 units sold. The project has spawned 1 million single downloads.
BMI’s Jody Williams was the next presenter, exclaiming to Corbin, “There are a lot of publishers in this room who have invested in your career and boy, are they glad they did!”
Sure enough, among the publishers in BMI’s back lobby were Pat Higdon, Roger Murrah, Troy Tomlinson, Carla Wallace and Kos Weaver. Corbin is building his own songwriting career at Bug Music.
CMA’s Brandi Simms also saluted Corbin’s hot-streak. Cheering in the front row were fellow CMA staffers Bob Doerschuk and Betsy Walker. Doerschuk joked that the ladies are part of the organization’s unstoppable “plaque squad.”
Then Corbin and producer/songwriter Carson Chamberlain treated the industry crowd to an acoustic performance of the hits we were there to celebrate.
Corbin’s UMG and BMI team members were among the dozens of minglers dining on delicious veggie orzo, shrimp skewers, sliced tomatoes tossed in vinaigrette, chicken tenderloins, and miniature desserts.
On the way out partygoers received Easton-autographed posters (pictured above) commemorating the occasion.

(L-R): Carson Chamberlain (producer); Damon Moberly (Mercury VP, National Promotion); Sally Green (Mercury Director, Regional Promotion, Northeast); Joe Putnam (UMGN VP, National Road Promotion); Easton Corbin; Royce Risser (UMGN Sr. VP, National Promotion); Doug Nichols (Turner & Nichols & Associates, Co-Manager); Ken Robold (UMGN Executive Vice President, General Manager); Eddie Mascolo (Turner & Nichols & Associates).

Moore's Outlaws and Aldean's Dirt Road Lure Buyers

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With no debuts, and no holiday gifting to lure buyers to the digital and/or physical album bins, country sales slid this week. Overall country sales deflated 8% compared with last week, and Top 75 current country folded 24.6% during the same period.
Jason Aldean continues to set the sales bar for the rest of the country class, pulling another 42k units down that dirt road this week pumping My Kinda Party to almost 1.5 million total units. Yeah, that’s some party and it doesn’t look like it will end soon. Aldean’s “Dirt Road Anthem” was the No. 1 country digital track this week downloading a rockin’ rappin’ 126,000 copies for a RTD (release to date) total of 1.37 million. (Jason has 5 tracks on this week’s county digital tracks 100 chart.)
Justin Moore’s Outlaws Like Me rings registers at No. 2 on the Country album list with close to 22k unit scans down 28% in its third week of sales. Originally from Poyen, Arkansas, Moore’s “If Heaven Wasn’t So Far Away” also appears on the digital tracks chart at No. 19 with 23k downloads.
One step further down the country album list at No. 3 is Mr. Brad Paisley with slightly under 20k scans. Paisley has RTD sales of 345k units spread over 7 weeks. The guitar slammin’, singer/songwriter also has two songs on the tracks list this week, his monster Carrie Underwood duet, “Remind Me,” which logs 68k downloads for a five week RTD of 327k scanned. His other charting track is “Old Alabama,” listing at No. 25.
Wide Angle Lens
Backing the radar image out to 30,000 ft. we see the album biz overall is up 1% YTD. Country music continues to swim upstream, improving its numbers over each of the past few weeks. Presently, Nashville’s most high visibility product lags only slightly behind the business overall with its album sales down .8% YTD.
Stay tuned next week when we reveal numbers on the gallant debuts from Blake Shelton, Chris Young and Ashton Shepherd…
 

Shepherd Cultivates Where Country Grows Release

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Ashton Shepherd’s sophomore album Where Country Grows hit stores yesterday (7/12), and the young MCA singer/songwriter is making the media rounds to support it. The album’s title track and second single is currently going for adds at country radio.
Shepherd’s album launch week kicked off last Friday (7/8) with a high profile performance on The Tonight Show with Jay Leno. (See video here). This week she’s on the road in the South, visiting a different city every day to promote Where Country Grows.
On Monday (7/11) Shepherd traveled to her home state of Alabama, where she gave a live on-air performance at WDXB/Birmingham. She journeyed farther south on Tuesday (7/12) when she visited with WKSJ/Mobile before an in-store event at Wal-Mart. Today (7/13) Shepherd is in Atlanta, where she will visit both WKHX and WUBL, do an in-store signing, and be taped by AOL for an episode of their “On The Road” feature. Thursday (7/14), she’ll head to Knoxville for an in-store signing and a visit with WIVK. Later, she will perform with full band at Cotton Eyed Joe. Shepherd will return to Nashville Friday (7/15) for a WKDF listener luncheon performance at Whiskey Bent and a full band performance later that night at Tin Roof/Lexington, KY.
Early reviews for Where Country Grows have been very positive. Rolling Stone gave the album four stars and declared her an “Artist To Watch.” Entertainment Weekly awarded the album with an A-, and the Washington Post selected Shepherd as one of the five top new artists in all genres to watch in 2011. MusicRow’s Robert Oermann writes that he is “hopelessly in love with this artist” in today’s “DISClaimer” column.

(L to R): UMGN's Tom Lord, WKSJ/Mobile morning co-host Shelby, Shepherd, WKSJ PD Bill Black and MCA's Louie Newman

Flamingos Flock To MusicRow

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MusicRow staffers were greeted this morning by a flock of pink flamingos on the front lawn. As reported on Monday (7/11), organizers of the Music Row Ladies Golf Tournament, which benefits United Cerebral Palsy of Middle Tennessee, are promoting the fundraising event by placing pink flamingos in front of local businesses.