Industry News Daily (1/11/07)

Del Reeves’ memorial service will be held Wed., Jan. 17 at 11 a.m. The public memorial for the longtime Grand Ole Opry member will take place at the Ryman Auditorium.

The 3rd Annual Country in...

Gibbons Visits Gibson Booth at CES 2007

01/10/2007

ZZ Top's Billy Gibbons (R) joined Gibson Guitar Chairman Henry Juszkiewicz (L) in striking a familiar pose at the Gibson Guitar Booth at CES 2007 in Las Vegas on Jan. 8. The two "Sharp Dressed Men" spent time in the Gibson booth visiting with guests and posing for press photos.

Dierks on DVD

Sarah Gilbert Skates – 01/09/2007

Dierks Bentley will release his first-ever live concert DVD titled Live And Loud At The Fillmore on March 20. The hi-definition DVD, directed by renowned London-based filmmaker Russell Thomas, was shot in June 2006 at Denver's Fillmore Auditorium in front of a standing-room only crowd. "Making a live DVD has been a dream of mine for a couple years now," said Bentley. "I really wanted to capture what we were doing in our live show at that particular moment, and I think Russell did an incredible job putting it on film. This is the ultimate accomplishment for me, the band and our fans." Bentley kicked off the Canadian leg of his Bud Light sponsored Locked & Loaded tour this week in Vancouver with Capitol labelmate Eric Church and Canadian artist Doc Walker.

iPhone Available In June

Sarah Gilbert Skates – 01/09/2007

Apple chief executive Steve Jobs unveiled the new iPhone today (1-9-07) at the Macworld Expo in San Francisco. The device acts as a mobile phone, widescreen iPod with touch controls, and is capable of Internet communications. The iPhone is controlled strictly with the fingers and can handle e-mail, and web browsing. Users can also enjoy all their iPod content, by syncing it from the iTunes library on their PC or Mac. iPhone has a 3.5-inch widescreen display, a 2 megapixel camera and photo management application. A built-in accelerometer detects when the user has rotated the device from portrait to landscape, then automatically changes the contents of the display accordingly. The built-in proximity sensor detects when iPhone is lifted to the ear and immediately turns off the display to save power and prevent inadvertent touches. The phone will be available exclusively through Cingular in the U.S. beginning in June. It will hit Europe in late 2007, and Asia in 2008. A 4GB model runs $499 (US) and an 8GB model is $599 (US), and will work with either a PC or Mac...Apple TV was also unveiled today, though it was initially introduced in September 2006 under the name iTV. This exterior box is not actually a television, instead it allows consumers to watch content from iTunes on a television and will automatically sync content from one machine, and can stream content from up to five computers. Apple TV also features a 40GB hard drive, an Intel processor and 720p HD video resolution. It will be available in February for $299.

Colgate Country Showdown Finalists Visit WKDF

01/09/2007

The Colgate Country Showdown National Finalists recently stopped by WKDF to visit with Lisa Manning and Eddie Foxx to promote the 25th anniversary of the Showdown. The National Final event will take place Jan. 25 at the Ryman Auditorium. Pictured (L-R): Adrienne Grove and J Juliano (representing WUSN Chicago, IL), Manning, Foxx, Lindsey Earl (representing KZUA Show Low, AZ), Hailey Stout (representing KSHR Coos Bay, OR), Jill James (representing WDNY Dansville, NY) and Megan Peeler (representing WKSK West Jefferson, NC.).

Sugar Hill Plans Nashville Move—Paczosa New A&R VP

David M Ross – 01/09/2007

According to a Sugar Hill Records spokesperson, the Durham, N.C.-based roots music label will move its headquarters to Nashville. Sugar Hill has operated a small Nashville satellite for many years. A number of staff changes are still taking place in both the Durham and Nashville offices. Some Durham staffers have been offered positions in Nashville, but many will not make the transition. Unofficial word is that VP Artist & Media Relations Kim Fowler has exited the company, as has A&R Director Steve Fishell. The company has also announced Gary Paczosa as its new VP of A&R. The Sugar Hill artist roster includes Sam Bush, Nickel Creek, Dolly Parton and many others.

Official Sugar Hill Statement: “Sr. Director Steve Fishell’s role at the label has changed; he will relinquish his office duties in order to return to independent production, while continuing to produce acts for the label and for the Welk Music Group.” Grammy winning producer Fishell commented to Music Row, “I'm looking forward to continuing relationships with all the artists I brought to Sugar Hill and Vanguard. Desk jobs are great if you can find them, however I look forward to spending more time in the studio as a musician and producer."

Club Connection’s Top Dance Hits of 2006

Sarah Gilbert Skates – 01/09/2007

Steve Holy’s "Brand New Girlfriend" was the number one most played and requested song in country nightclubs in 2006, according to Marco Promotion's Club Connection which surveyed over 200 country nightclubs and dance instructors nationwide. Trace Adkins earned the number two and number six spots with "Swing" and current radio single "Ladies Love Country Boys," respectively. The number three spot belongs to Rodney Atkins and his breakout single "If You're Going Through Hell." Adkins also appeared in the top spot of the recurrent list with the 2005 hit "Honkytonk Badonkadonk."

2006 Top Ten Dance Hits
1. Steve Holy "Brand New Girlfriend"
2. Trace Adkins "Swing"
3. Rodney Atkins "If You're Going Through Hell"
4. Rascal Flatts "Me And My Gang"
5. Brad Paisley "The World"
6. Trace Adkins "Ladies Love Country Boys"
7. Toby Keith "Get Drunk And Be Somebody"
8. PovertyNeck Hillbillies "Mr. Right Now"
9. Tyler Dean "Built For Blue Jeans"
10. Eric Church "Two Pink Lines"

“Sneaky” Pete Kleinow Passes

Jon Freeman – 01/09/2007

Legendary pedal steel guitarist “Sneaky” Pete Kleinow passed away Sat., Jan. 6, due to complications from Alzheimer’s. He was born in South Bend, Ind., on Aug. 20, 1934, and took up the pedal steel at the age of 17. A pioneer of the country rock genre, Kleinow co-founded the Flying Burrito Brothers with Gram Parsons, Chris Hillman and Chris Ethridge. In 2000, he started the group Burrito Deluxe with singer Carlton Moody and released two critically acclaimed albums during his tenure with the band: 2002's Georgia Peach, a tribute to Gram Parsons, and 2004's The Whole Enchilada. Kleinow also performed on Burrito Deluxe’s forthcoming album Disciples Of The Truth. Many recording artists, including John Lennon, Joan Baez, The Ventures, The Bee Gees, Joe Cocker, The Rolling Stones, Jackson Browne, Linda Ronstadt, and countless others enlisted the guitarist for recording sessions. "What an honor it was to represent ‘Sneaky’ in the last days of his career,” says Kleinow’s manager Brenda Cline, of NashRock Entertainment. “He was an amazing man and artist and I loved him dearly, as did everyone. Even though it is bittersweet, I am incredibly proud that his last recorded performance was with Burrito Deluxe. What a treasure we have to share." Funeral arrangements have not been finalized.

Paisley Plans Tour, Goes Double Platinum

Sarah Gilbert Skates – 01/09/2007

Brad Paisley‘s 2007 Hershey’s Presents Bonfires & Amplifiers Tour will start April 26 in Chattanooga, Tenn. with special guests Jack Ingram, Kellie Pickler and Taylor Swift. He also starts the new year with a new double Platinum record. Time Well Wasted, the 2006 CMA and ACM Album of the Year, becomes Paisley’s fourth back-to-back Platinum album, and second double Platinum – with total sales now topping 8 million. Last year Paisley’s tour played to over 750,000 fans and Pollstar ranked it No. 4 in total attendance for country tours.

Fourth Quarter Week By Week

David M Ross – 01/08/2007

The fourth quarter current country Top 75 ended the quarter with a YTD deficit of 4.4 million units according to Nielsen SoundSscan. The format established a robust third quarter 10.8% YTD lead, and kept pace through the week ending 11/12, but then faltered. When the train finally pulled into the station at year-end, country’s YTD rating was -0.5%.