Industry News Thursday (5/15/08)
Sarah Skates
Nashville Mayor Karl Dean, BNA Records artist Kellie Pickler and CMA CEO Tammy Genovese were at Thurgood Marshall Middle School recently for a special delivery, a truckload of musical instruments and equipment courtesy of “Keep the Music Playing” and the CMA Music Festival. Photo: Donn Jones
Kenny Chesney's “Better As A Memory” has entered the Top 10 on the Billboard/R&R Country Chart, marking his 24th straight Top 10. It is also the longest consecutive run of Top 10 hits this millennium. He has spent 14 weeks at No. 1 in 2008—6 weeks with “Never Wanted Nothing More,” 5 with ACM Song, Single and Video of the Year nominee “Don't Blink” and 3 with his self-penned “Beer In Mexico.”
Tonight’s (5/15) SOLID Crawfish Boil has been relocated to the parking deck at 54 Music Sq. E., across 16th Ave. from the previously scheduled location at SESAC’s parking lot. The event was moved in case of rain.
As reported above in the “Nashville Bids Farewell to Eddy Arnold” article, RCA Records is releasing Arnold’s single “To Life” today, from his 2005 After All These Years album. RCA is encouraging radio to play the single during the morning show today, which would have been Arnold’s 90th Birthday. The idea is that if enough stations play the single, the song could appear on the country charts and give Arnold a record-breaking seventh decade of charting songs.
Storme Warren, host and co-executive producer of GAC’s Country Music Across America, will also take on afternoon duties for XM Highway 16. His show starts June 9, airing from the satcaster’s new Nashville home at the Sommet Center.
Organizers of the annual All About Music TV and Film Retreat have lined up several top-notch music supervisors for the June 11-13 event. Attending will be Chris Jackson (E-Entertainment), Tony Von Pervieux (Disney ABC), Andrea Von Foerster (Oprah’s Big Give), Chris Moller (ABC’s Family TV), Marianne Goode (VP of Music Lifetime Television), Josh Rabinowitz (SVP-Director of Music at Grey Worldwide advertising agency) and more. The private networking event is a platform for major label and indie artists to showcase their talents for 10-15 music supervisors who are looking for songs. A few artist spots remain for the 2008 installment. If you are interested in participating, please contact Emmit Martin at emmit@allaboutmusic.tv or 615-429-6215.
An EMI spokesperson earlier this week stated that the company’s restructuring is almost complete and that there will not be another round of job cuts. This following a report in the Daily Telegraph newspaper predicting up to 1000 more layoffs. The spokesperson said that the reorganized EMI will be up and running by the end of June, with about 2700 employees in the recorded music division.
Cumulus Media will no longer merge with an investor group led by the company’s Chairman/President/CEO Lew Dickey. The parties couldn’t reach an agreement on terms.
Casting Crowns recently wrapped The Altar and The Door Tour, the best-attended and highest-grossing tour in Christian music for the 2007-08 season, according to Pollstar magazine. The tour, which kicked off in September, included 83 markets and tallied more than 450,000 in attendance nationwide.
Royalty Logic has filed a motion with the federal Appeals Court in Washington, D.C. seeking permission to challenge the constitutionality of the law under which the U.S. Copyright Royalty Board was created. The CRB, which sets rates for compulsory licenses, recently denied Royalty Logic the authority to compete with SoundExchange.
BENEFIT NEWS
Songwriter Regie Hamm will hold the first annual Bella Bash Benefit on Sat., May 17 at 3rd & Lindsley. He will perform with Mila Mason, Mike Reid, Luke Brown and other special guests. All proceeds will go to the Angelman Syndrome Foundation, in conjunction with the National Angelman Walk that afternoon. Hamm's daughter, Isabella, has Angelman Syndrome, a complex genetic disorder that affects the nervous system.