Archive for February, 2009
Strait Set For Stadium Opening
George Strait will headline the grand opening of the new Dallas Cowboys football stadium on June 6. “I grew up in South Texas and have always been a Dallas Cowboys fan,” says the recent Grammy winner who will share the bill that day with Reba McEntire, Blake Shelton and Julianne Hough. The $1.1 billion facility [...]
Category: Featured
Nashville TV Ties
Four singers with Nashville connections are among American Idol‘s 36 remaining contestants this season. The Tennessean reports Ann Marie Boskovich, Kristen McNamara, Brent Keith and Ricky Braddy are either mid-state natives or currently reside here. The show airs Tuesdays and Wednesdays at 7 PM/CT on Fox. ••••• Also at Fox: Nashville’s Fox 17 WZTV is [...]
Sirius XM Receives Loan, Avoids Bankruptcy
Sirius XM Radio is avoiding bankruptcy through a $530 million loan from Liberty Media, the company which owns DirecTV and television outlets including QVC and Discovery. In exchange for the money, Sirius is giving Liberty 40 percent of its common stock as well as seats on its board of directors. The loan will be used [...]
Category: Featured, Financial/Legal, Radio
Gaylord Drops 180 in Nashville
[Update 2/16; 9 pm] Gaylord has now announced it will reduce 3.5% of its workforce nationwide, cutting about 350 jobs. 180 positions will be eliminated in Nashville. According to the Fort Worth, Texas Star-Telegram, Gaylord Entertainment laid off 30 full-time people today (2/16) from its resort in Grapevine, Texas. The property has a workforce of [...]
Category: Featured, Financial/Legal
Rates Set For Radio Station Streaming
The National Association of Broadcasters (NAB) and SoundExchange have reached an agreement on streaming rates for local radio stations that simulcast online or that have other Internet stations. For 2009-10 these rates will be reduced by about 16%, then they will gradually increase through 2015. In 2009 the rate will be $0.0015 per streamed sound [...]
Sirius XM Creditors Consider Ejecting Chief
Sirius XM Radio chief executive Mel Karmazin may be removed from his post by creditors if the company files for bankruptcy instead of making a deal to remain operational, the Wall Street Journal reports. Among the satcaster’s options to stay afloat are making deals with either EchoStar or Liberty Media Corp. The New York-based Sirius [...]
Category: Featured, Financial/Legal, Radio
Benefit Gala Honors Sweethearts Amy and James Otto
The Nashville State Community College 2009 Sweethearts for Scholarships Gala was held Friday night (2/13) honoring celebrity sweethearts Amy and James Otto. There is also an auction coinciding with the fundraiser for the school’s scholarship program going on at CMTAuctions.com. Starting at $50, and available until Feb. 20, the Love Lyrics auction includes lyrics autographed [...]
Belmont Hosts Events For Wynonna, Industry Execs.
Wynonna mentored Belmont University’s Music Business students last week as part of the school’s The Insider’s View series. Students of a Record Company Operations class produced and promoted the event which also served as a CD release party and concert for her latest release, Sing. On Sat., Feb. 21 Belmont and its music business students [...]
Category: Artist, Featured, Organizations
Derek Sholl
“But It Was” CO5 Nashville “But It Was” is Derek Sholl’s newest release to country radio. Penned by Joe Doyle and Tim Johnson, the song appears on Sholl’s album Here, which hit shelves in October 2008. His previous single “(I’ll Be) Here” charted in the top 50 of MusicRow’s CountryBreakout™ chart. Sholl’s journey from pro [...]
Category: ProgrammerPlaylist
Music Marketing Crosses Platforms
Cross-promotion and corporate tie-ins are an ever-growing part of the music business. Here are some of the latest and most creative examples, with Disney and 19 Entertainment leading the way. “The American Idol Experience,” a new attraction at Disney’s Hollywood Studios in Florida, is opening this week. Guests can audition to take the spotlight onstage, [...]
Category: Featured, Sales/Marketing
MAC Presents Hires Ruth Gonzalez
Music sponsorship specialists MAC Presents has added Operations Manager Ruth Gonzalez to its team. She brings more than fifteen years of experience as a talent agent to the Nashville-based firm, including nine years at Creative Artists Agency in Beverly Hills, where she was responsible for artists including Jesse McCartney and Ashlee Simpson. She also represented [...]
Category: Featured, Sales/Marketing
Flatts Fans Pick New Album Art
Rascal Flatts members Gary LeVox, Jay DeMarcus and Joe Don Rooney revealed the cover for their April 7 release, Unstoppable, before last night’s (2/12) sold-out show at Madison Square Garden in New York City. The guys selected four finalists for the cover art from thousands of entries submitted through the People’s Choice Awards Web site [...]
Spotify Offers Free Streaming
A new online listening service is getting rave reviews from users in Europe. Originally from Sweden and now available in the UK, Spotify allows free ad-supported streaming of personalized playlists. Because the streaming is unlimited, proponents of the system say it provides an incentive not to download illegally. Spotify reportedly has an exceptional catalog through [...]
Category: Featured, Financial/Legal
DISClaimer 2/13/09
This week, the major labels are stepping up to the plate with quality. Mercury has two excellent singles, by the Randy Rogers Band and Holly Williams. Warner Bros. Records is offering us a dandy uptempo by Jessica Harp. Columbia has the DisCovery Award winners, Caitlin & Will. But at the end of the listening session, [...]
TV Goes Country With Cable Guy Roast, New “Crossroads”
Larry The Cable Guy will be the subject of much jeering on Comedy Central’s 2009 Roast. On hand to give Larry some good-natured ribbing will be Toby Keith, Jeff Foxworthy, Drew Carey, Nick DiPaolo, Greg Giraldo, Lisa Lampanelli, Dan Marino, Jeffrey Ross, and many others to be announced. The show tapes in Los Angeles at [...]
McBride Takes Fresh Approach To New Release
Martina McBride decided it was time for a change when she started contemplating her tenth studio album, set for release March 24 on longtime label home RCA Records. She says teaming with chart-topping producer Dann Huff to record Shine forced her out of her comfort zone and rekindled her creativity. “I think it was time [...]
