Category: Label
Universal Republic, Big Machine Launch Republic Nashville
Big Machine Records and Universal Republic have combined resources to form the new label Republic Nashville, which will be run by President Jimmy Harnen and headquartered on Music Row. Republic Nashville’s inaugural roster will include honky tonkin’ singer/songwriter Sunny Sweeney and new country duo Fast Ryde, among other artists. A major staff announcement regarding the [...]
R&R to Cease Publication
According to Inside Radio, “Nearly three years after being purchased by Nielsen Business Media, the 36-year old Radio & Records becomes the latest victim of the media downturn. The magazine will print its final edition Friday. Its website will also cease to exist, in a move that will lead to the layoff of roughly 40 [...]
Category: Featured, Label, Sales/Marketing
Dierks and CMT Partner For Charity Events
Dierks Bentley’s annual “Miles & Music For Kids” fundraiser is expanding beyond Nashville with the help of CMT One Country. The motorcycle ride and concert featuring Bentley and friends will grow to include six markets in 2009 and 2010, with proceeds benefiting Children’s Miracle Network hospitals. As part of CMT’s involvement, “Miles & Music For [...]
Rucker Reaches Out via iPhone
Darius Rucker’s new iPhone/iPod touch app is the first from a country music artist to reach this writers desk. Downloadable for FREE, the nifty 35 MB code works much like a personal web browser dedicated to one site. Navigation is divided into seven categories: Welcome, Latest News, Tour Dates, Music Videos, Song samples/purchase links, Darius [...]
Category: Artist, Featured, Financial/Legal, Label, Radio, Sales/Marketing, Touring
Borchetta and Big Kenny Judge Duets
Big & Rich’s Big Kenny and Big Machine Records President and CEO Scott Borchetta will join Naomi Judd as judges on the second season of CMT’s Can You Duet. Hosted by CMT’s Lance Smith, the weekly music competition series is looking to find country music’s next great duo and award them a record deal with [...]
Category: Featured, Label, Sales/Marketing
WMG/EMI—Here Comes The Bride, again??
What do Clear Channel and Terra Firma have in common? They both purchased assets that have declined greatly in value and as a result are struggling to satisfy debt loads that are difficult to support given the current business climate. Terra Firma, which purchased EMI two years ago for $4.7 billion is under stress to [...]
Post Holiday Sales Drag Totals
Let’s view our SoundScan update this week from 10,000 feet and then drill down into a few areas for a closer look. The addition of the Hannah Montana soundtrack to the country albums chart, plus recent releases from Rascal Flatts, Jason Aldean and Keith Urban worked wonders to prop what earlier in the year was [...]
Americana Awards Nominees Announced
The Americana Music Association announced the nominees for the trade organization’s 2009 Honors and Awards ceremony today (5/20), at its annual celebration at BMI Nashville. The show, in its eighth year, will be held September 17 at the Ryman Auditorium in Nashville, Tennessee. Legendary Mandolin virtuoso Sam Bush, joined by rising star Phoebe Hunt, member [...]
Category: Artist, Featured, Label, Organizations, Publishing, Touring
WSM AM To Air “This Is My America” Special
650 WSM AM will celebrate Memorial Day by airing a This Is My America Special celebrating the writers and performers from This Is My America, including Billy Dean, Jenny Gill, J Fred Knobloch and Sarah Majors. An epic concept album, This Is My America is a three-disc set of original material that captures the spirit [...]
Category: Artist, Featured, Label, Sales/Marketing
Holly Williams Readies Debut
Holly Williams‘ Mercury Nashville debut, Here With Me, is scheduled for release June 16. Williams, the granddaughter of Hank Williams, Sr. and daughter of Hank, Jr., penned the majority of the album’s 11 tracks and co-produced with Justin Niebank and Tony Brown. Current single, “Mama,” was written for her mom as a Mother’s Day gift. [...]
Shea Fisher Signs With Stroudavarious
James Stroud, CEO of Stroudavarious Records, has announced the signing of Australia native Shea Fisher to a recording agreement covering worldwide territories outside her home country. Fisher’s self-titled album, produced by Richard Landis and Steve Forde, debuted in the Top 10 on Australia’s ARIA Country Chart last month. The Trey Fanjoy-directed music video for her [...]
Industry News: Time Jumpers, Chesney, Montgomery Gentry and More
Time Jumpers In the Times Sunday’s (5/16), New York Times ran a feature story on Nashville’s Time Jumpers and the band’s legendary Monday night shows at the Station Inn. Times writer Peter Applebome profiled the stellar players and packed houses that distinguish this weekly musical gathering, referring to the Station Inn as a “low-ceilinged dive” [...]
Category: Artist, Featured, Label, Organizations, Sales/Marketing
Steve Pleshe Joins RCA Promotion Team
Steve Pleshe has become the newest member of the RCA Records Nashville promotion team today as Keith Gale, Vice President, National Promotion, welcomes Pleshe as Manager, Regional Promotion. Based in Fresno, CA, he begins his new role immediately, working with stations in the Pacific Time zone. Pleshe comes to RCA from Country Thunder Records, where [...]
Gettin’ Set For The Three Day Weekend
As another work week begins, the skies over Music Row have cleared. And while “the many” are focused on the coming long weekend, “the experienced few” can’t help but feel a sixth sense tug that says something is going on. Picture a duck swimming like a big machine across a pond…on the surface it is [...]
RCA Names Elizabeth Sledge Mgr. Regional Promotion
Keith Gale, Vice President, National Promotion, for RCA Records Nashville has announced that Elizabeth Sledge is the new Manager, Regional Promotion for RCA Nashville. Based in Nashville, Sledge is on board immediately, working the territory previously helmed by Norbert Nix, who was promoted in April to National Director. Most recently Mid-Atlantic Regional Manager for Montage [...]
Get Ready To Cast Your Vote
21st Annual Music Row Awards Underway Music Row’s 21st Annual Awards will be announced in the publication’s June/July issue and plaques presented at ASCAP on June 30. Featured will be the Top Ten Album All-Star Musician accolades which are based upon the actual number of Top Ten CDs that each musician appeared on during the [...]
