Troy Tomlinson Accepts Belmont University Award Of Excellence

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Troy Tomlinson

Troy Tomlinson gives a speech after accepting the Robert E. Mulloy Award of Excellence. Photo: Belmont University/Evan Davies

Publishing executive Troy Tomlinson was presented the 2016 Robert E. Mulloy Award of Excellence from Belmont University’s Mike Curb College of Entertainment & Music Business on Tuesday (April 26).

Tomlinson is the President/CEO of Sony/ATV Music Publishing Nashville. He serves as the Chairman of the Tennessee Entertainment Commission and is on the boards of the Country Music Association, Nashville Songwriters Hall of Fame Foundation, Country Music Hall of Fame and Museum, Music City Music Council and Belmont University’s Board of Trustees.

Pictured (L-R): Troy Tomlinson and Doug Howard

Pictured (L-R): Troy Tomlinson, President/CEO, Sony/ATV Nashville; Doug Howard, Dean, Belmont University’s Mike Curb College of Entertainment and Music Business. Photo: Belmont University/Evan Davies

The event was held at Belmont University’s Wedgewood Academic Center and was attended by Tomlinson’s industry peers, songwriters, Belmont faculty, friends and family. Curb College Dean, Doug Howard, presided over the event.

Howard commented, “Troy has worked with an unmatchable list of legendary songwriters, recording artists and music executives throughout his three-decade career on Nashville’s Music Row. His rise to the top is a product of hard work, great musical instincts and his universal reputation for serving the business community with honesty and integrity.”

Pictured (L-R): Sylvia Tomlinson, Troy Tomlinson, Katie Douglas and Tom Douglas. Photo: Belmont University/Evan Davies

Pictured (L-R): Sylvia Tomlinson, Troy Tomlinson, Katie Douglas and Tom Douglas. Photo: Belmont University/Evan Davies

Longtime music executive Jerry Bradley and Nashville Songwriters Hall of Fame songwriter Tom Douglas shared stories related to Tomlinson’s career and their experiences with him. Also included were video tributes by a number of Tomlinson’s songwriters including Luke Bryan, Kenny Chesney, Brett Eldredge,Taylor Swift and Cole Swindell.

Tomlinson accepted the award by paying tribute to his many mentors from the past 30 years.

Pictured (L-R): Joe Galante and Troy Tomlinson

Pictured (L-R): Joe Galante, Mentor-In- Residence, Nashville Entrepreneur Center; Troy Tomlinson. Photo: Belmont University/Evan Davies

Tomlinson remarked, “Bob Mulloy loved songwriters, artists, musicians, engineers, producers and Belmont University. To receive an award named for him brings me great pleasure. I appreciate Dr. Fisher, Dean Howard and the entire Belmont team for their desire to equip and prepare young people for careers in the entertainment industry. Nashville is a better music center because of Belmont’s presence here.”

Live Nation Taps Dierks Bentley For National Concert Day Show

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Dierks Bentley

Dierks Bentley will be among the performers for Live Nation’s second annual National Concert Day show, set for May 3 at Live Nation’s Irving Plaza in New York City.

Other performers on the lineup include Wiz Khalifa, Joan Jett & The Blackhearts, and Cheap Trick, as well as special appearances from Nick Jonas, AWOLNATION, Goo Goo Dolls, Corey Taylor & Shawn “Clown” Crahan of Slipknot, Simon Kirke of Bad Company, and Chris Carrabba of Dashboard Confessional, among others. Hoda Kotb of Today will also return as host of this year’s event.

Live Nation has also announced a $20 summer concert ticket offer, running from May 13 through May 20. Live Nation will off a special $20 ticket offer for nearly 1,o00 summer concerts. According to Live Nation, artists and concerts included in this offer will be announced in coming weeks through social media.

Industry Pics: Florida Georgia Line, Eric Paslay, Trailer Choir

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Florida Georgia Line Gear Up For American Country Countdown Awards

Pictured (L-R): FGL’s Tyler Hubbard; Executive Producer Richard Godfrey; FGL’s Brian Kelley; Executive Producer Tom Forrest; Executive Producer Mark Bracco.

Pictured (L-R): FGL’s Tyler Hubbard; Executive Producer Richard Godfrey; FGL’s Brian Kelley; Executive Producer Tom Forrest; Executive Producer Mark Bracco.

Florida Georgia Line will perform their latest single, “H.O.L.Y.” for the first time on live television Sunday evening, as part of the American Country Countdown Awards on FOX. The duo rehearsed for their performance on Thursday evening.

ACM Welcomes Eric Paslay

Pictured (L-R): Amanda Good, UMGN; Eric Paslay; Bob Romeo, Academy of Country Music; Rachel Silver, Red Light Management. Photo: Michel Bourquard/Courtesy of the Academy of Country Music

Pictured (L-R): Amanda Good, UMGN; Eric Paslay; Bob Romeo, Academy of Country Music; Rachel Silver, Red Light Management.
Photo: Michel Bourquard/Courtesy of the Academy of Country Music

The Academy of Country Music welcomed EMI Records Nashville recording artist Eric Paslay to the office while he was in Los Angeles recently. While at the Academy, Paslay performed his current single, “High Class,” and also previewed songs from his upcoming album Dressed in Black set to be released this summer.

Trailer Choir Visits SiriusXM

Pictured (L-R): S/XM's The Highway's PD JR Schumann, Trailer Choir's Big Vinny, S/XM's Buzz Brainard, Trailer Choir's Butter.

Pictured (L-R): S/XM’s The Highway’s PD JR Schumann, Trailer Choir’s Big Vinny, S/XM’s Buzz Brainard, Trailer Choir’s Butter.

Average Joes Entertainment’s Trailer Choir stopped by the Sirius/XM studios yesterday in Nashville to record this weekend’s “On The Horizon” show with Buzz Brainard. “On The Horizon” airs on Siriux/XM’s The Highway channel throughout the weekends.
Trailer Choir’s single, “Ice Cold Summer,” can be heard now on Sirius/XM’s The Highway.

Dan + Shay Release Track Listing, Album Art For ‘Obsessed’

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Dan + Shay Obsessed

Dan + Shay have revealed the 10 songs to be included on their sophomore album, Obsessed, to be released June 3 on Warner Bros. / Warner Music Nashville. The announcement coincides with the Obsessed pre-order date and the unveiling of the album’s cover.

The duo of Dan Smyers and Shay Mooney co-wrote eight of the album’s 10 tracks with collaborators like busbee, Jesse Frasure, Nicolle Galyon, Martin Johnson, Shane McAnally, Jimmy Robbins, Liz Rose and more. They co-wrote the lead single, “From the Ground Up,” with Chris DeStefano. In addition, Smyers co-produced the bulk of the album with Scott Hendricks. Smyers also co-produced two tracks with Johnson and one with Frasure.

The studio band included Bryan Sutton and Danny Rader on acoustic guitar, Jimmie Lee Sloas on bass, Gordon Mote on keys, piano and string arrangements, Derek Wells on electric guitar, Russ Pahl on pedal steel and Jim Horn on saxophone.

“There are still nights where I spend hours online or digging through stacks of albums to study the album liner notes,” said Smyers. “There were so many moments when we had these amazing musicians in the studio and I would find myself so immersed in the note or the moment that I would honestly find my fingers on autopilot recording the takes without me even remembering I had done so. We both have the upmost respect for these players and the fact that we could convince them to come play on this record made it an even more memorable experience.”

Dan + Shay will be the special guest on Darius Rucker’s tour this summer. Singles from the duo’s 2014 debut album, Where It All Began, include “19 You + Me,” “Show You Off” and “Nothin’ Like You.”

Track Listing For Obsessed:

1. “All Nighter” (Nicolle Galyon, Jimmy Robbins, David Hodges)
2. “Road Trippin’” (Dan Smyers, Shay Mooney, Martin Johnson)*
3. “From The Ground Up” (Dan Smyers, Shay Mooney, Chris DeStefano)
4. “Already Ready” (Dan Smyers, Shay Mooney, Shane McAnally, Jimmy Robbins)
5. “How Not To” (Adam Hambrick, Paul DiGiovanni, Kevin Bard)
6. “Lipstick” (Dan Smyers, Shay Mooney, Nicolle Galyon)
7. “Round The Clock” (Dan Smyers, Shay Mooney, Jesse Frasure, David Hodges)**
8. “Lately” (Dan Smyers, Shay Mooney, Martin Johnson)*
9. “Sway” (Dan Smyers, Shay Mooney, Liz Rose, busbee)
10. “Obsessed” (Dan Smyers, Shay Mooney, Nolan Lambroza, Breyan Isaac)

Obsessed was produced by Dan Smyers and Scott Hendricks
*Produced by Dan Smyers and Martin Johnson
**Produced by Dan Smyers and Jesse Frasure

Jerrod Niemann Issues Single With Curb Labelmate Lee Brice

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Jerrod Niemann and Lee Brice cover

Jerrod Niemann released “A Little More Love,” a duet with Lee Brice, on iTunes on Friday (April 29). The duet will be the lead single from Niemann’s upcoming album on Curb Records, which is also Brice’s label home. Curb Records announced in March that Niemann has signed to the label.

Niemann is co-producing the album with Jimmy Lee Sloas. “A Little More Love” was written by Shane McAnally, Ross Copperman, Natalie Hemby and Kristi Neumann.

Brice and Niemann have been friends since 2002 and written songs together, including the track “Shinin’ on Me” from Niemann’s Free The Music project, as well as “You’ll Always Be Beautiful,” recorded by Blake Shelton). However, the recording marks the first music they have released collaboratively.

“Lee and I have always talked about recording some music together,” Niemann said. “We hope this tune will have our fans smiling and singing along with their windows down and the radio up all summer long!”

IEBA Elects Jbeau Lewis To Board, Appoints David Boyer As Treasurer

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Pictured (L-R): Jbeau Lewis, David Boyer

Pictured (L-R): Jbeau Lewis, David Boyer

Members of the International Entertainment Buyers Association (IEBA) have elected Jbeau Lewis, Agent at United Talent Agency (UTA), to their Board of Directors.

In addition, David Boyer, Associate Business Manager at Flood Bumstead McCready & McCarthy, has been appointed IEBA Treasurer.

Lewis is a music agent at UTA, where he represents established and emerging recording artists. Lewis works with a broad range of UTA music and touring clients that spans multiple genres and includes Mariah Carey, Kanye West, DJ Khaled, Rachel Platten, Flo Rida, LANY, and The Smashing Pumpkins. In addition, Lewis played a key role in UTA’s 2015 acquisition of The Agency Group, the world’s largest independent music agency.

Prior to UTA, Lewis spent 11 years in the music department at CAA. He is a graduate of the University of Virginia, where he earned a Bachelor’s degree in English.

Lewis will serve the remainder of the term of outgoing director Kevin Neal of WME.

Boyer is a business manager at Flood Bumstead McCready & McCarthy, where he guides the business and financial affairs of The Black Keys, Eli Young Band, Sam Hunt, Scotty McCreery, and Andrew Bird, among others.

Before beginning his work at FBMM in 2001, Boyer was a signed recording artist. He is a graduate of the University of Mississippi, where he earned a Bachelor’s degree in Accountancy. He has served as Treasurer for the Nashville Film Festival and was a member of Leadership Music’s Class of 2013.

IEBA will host its 46th Annual Conference from Oct. 9-11 at the Omni Nashville and Country Music Hall of Fame and Museum.

Nashville Symphony, AFM Local 257 Musicians Ratify New Contract

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Musicians Union and Symphony

The Nashville Symphony and the Nashville Musicians Association, AFM Local 257, have ratified a new contract, completing the restoration of musicians’ salaries to their 2013 levels by early 2018. The agreement was reached three months ahead of schedule and will go into effect Aug. 1.

“Over the past three years, our institution has made tremendous strides in restoring the Nashville Symphony to fiscal vitality,” said board chair James C. Seabury III. “None of this would have been possible without the collaboration and cooperation of our orchestra musicians, who have made enormous sacrifices on behalf of the entire institution.”

The new agreement provides for a 4.5 percent increase to the musicians’ base salaries for the 2016-17 season and provides two additional increases totaling 5.3 percent for the 2017-18 season. In addition, the contract provides for restoring one second violin position to the ensemble in the second year of the agreement.

“The musicians of the Nashville Symphony have worked very hard over the past few years and continue to excel,” said AFM Local 257 President Dave Pomeroy. “This agreement is a step in the right direction as we continue to work toward getting the Nashville Symphony musicians to the pay level their artistic achievements deserve.”

Nashville Symphony President and CEO Alan Valentine said, “Together we have achieved things that many would never have thought possible: the building of a world-class concert hall, eight Grammy Awards, two critically acclaimed Carnegie Hall performances, and much more. Working with the musicians of our orchestra is one of the most gratifying parts of my job, and I am utterly thrilled about the possibilities that lie ahead.”

Laura Ross, violinist and union steward, affirmed the cooperative spirit between the orchestra musicians and management. “The cordial atmosphere during negotiations was welcome, and this agreement is validation that our hard work and continued excellence are appreciated. We are proud to represent Music City, and it is gratifying to know that our community supports our efforts.”

Eric Church Unveils “Record Year” Video, Gibson Hummingbird Dark Customized Guitar

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unspecifiedEric Church released the video for his latest single, “Record Year,” on Friday (April 29). For the clip, he again enlisted directors John Peets and Reid Long, as well as actor McKinley James, the teenager who starred in the video for “Mr. Misunderstood” and also appears on the cover of Church’s album of the same name.

The video, which was shot in an abandoned schoolhouse near Nashville, features Church’s new, signature customized edition of the Gibson Hummingbird acoustic guitar, which Church has dubbed Hummingbird Dark.

The instrument offers translucent ebony burst lacquer finish, dark mother of pearl fingerboard inlay, black body binding, and a matching new Hummingbird Dark pickguard. Upgraded performance features include a more slender body depth for a superior tonal balance and an LR Baggs VTC pickup for completely natural acoustic sound reproduction when amplified.

Church can be seen performing on his Hummingbird Dark during the Stagecoach Festival today (Friday, April 29) in Indio, California.

Weekly Chart Report (4/29/16)

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Click here or above to access MusicRow‘s weekly CountryBreakout Report.

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Old Dominion’s “Snapback” Succcess Leads To LIDS Deal

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Old Dominion

Old Dominion has partnered with sports retailer LIDS and headwear manufacturer New Era for a strategic partnership coinciding with the country band’s latest hit, “Snapback.”

The announcement of a hat design contest represents LIDS’ first-ever music partnership, as well as Old Dominion’s first with a corporate brand.

From now until June 20, shoppers are encouraged to design a hat for the band and submit their design image via Twitter or Instagram by tagging LIDS and Old Dominion while including the hashtags #OldDominionLids and #contest. A design image can also be uploaded through LIDS’ dedicated contest microsite. Old Dominion is supporting the design contest through continuous social promotion to fans and recorded vignettes now playing in participating stores.

A winning hat design will be selected each week for the duration of the contest, and the entrant will receive two free tickets to a show agreed upon between the winner and LIDS to see Old Dominion on Kenny Chesney‘s 2016 Spread the Love Tour. After eight weeks of design selections, those eight designs will be put forward for a fan vote to determine the grand prize winner. The winning fan will receive a VIP ticket and travel package to a tour stop complete with an Old Dominion meet-and-greet backstage.

With the help of New Era, LIDS will also put the grand prize winner’s design into production on a New Era snapback to be sold at participating stores throughout the country. LIDS will also carry the New Era hat that appears in Old Dominion’s “Snapback” music video.

“Working with a company like LIDS just makes sense for us,” said Old Dominion’s lead singer Matthew Ramsey. “Every night we play a song we wrote that has now become a hit and was inspired by seeing so many of our fans wearing Snapbacks. Our fans are LIDS customers and we are excited to partner up and bring them into the Old Dominion family.”

“We are excited to partner with a group of musicians that exemplify the core values of our brand,” said LIDS co-founder Glenn Campbell. “This band is known for its passion and commitment to the music, the same way our patrons are known for their dedication to their favorite sports teams. Their ambition and love of ‘snapbacks’ makes Old Dominion the perfect partner for LIDS.”