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Bobby Karl Works The Grammy Block Party

The Academy’s Susan Stewart, Luke Bryan, and Nashville Chapter President Jon Randall Stewart. Photo: Courtesy of The Recording Academy/WireImage.com/Rick Diamond

Chapter 396

Has there ever been a more perfect evening for a Grammy Block Party?

The Tuesday soiree (5/8) at Owen Bradley Park at the head of Music Row was blessed by balmy breezes. The newspaper predicted thunderstorms, but the Grammy mojo evidently vibed them away.

The park was set up like a welcoming patio bistro, with café tables and umbrellas scattered beneath its trees. Barbeque, weenies, cole slaw, chips, cookies and libations were stationed back by the ASCAP side of the green space. The stage was opposite on a closed Music Square East/16th Avenue South on the BMI side.

Recording Academy members checked in on that same street (the Musica/Roundabout side was fenced off). Not a member? No problem: There was a sign-up table right there. Cough up the dough, and you, too, could hang with Nashville’s groovesters. Plus, you could chit-chat with charming sign-up booth volunteers like David Corlew, Pat McMakin, LeAnn Phelan, Dan Hill, Chris Farren, Scott McDaniel, Jeff Walker, Woody Bomar or Lisa Harless.

Once inside, you could schmooze along with Anthony Martin, Jon Randall, Harold Bradley, Trent Summer, Victoria Shaw, Marc Beeson, Larry Weiss, Eric Paslay, Rich Fagan and Deborah Allen.

Spring zephyrs caressed the brows of such fabulons as Al Bunetta, Ben Fowler, Doug Howard, Chuck Ainlay, Ronna Rubin, Robert Frank, Blake Chancey, Kira Florita, Scott Siman, Walter Campbell, Thomas Cain, Andrew Kintz, Ralph Murphy, Clay Myers, Debbie Linn and Melinda Scruggs Gales. There are about 2200 members of the Nashville chapter of the Recording Academy, by the way.

The talent line-up had to have been at least as much of a draw as the weather and the fellowship. The party began with Music City’s tuneful indie/pop duo Elenowen (husband-and-wife Josh & Nicole Johnson) and the CCM band Tenth Avenue North. In between the acts, the music piped in by “Nashville’s premier electronic artists” KDSML and Sham Shacklock was totally excellent. Keep these guys next year.

The headliners booked for the five-hour extravaganza were bluesman Keb’ Mo,’ the reunited Mavericks, soul diva Wynonna (busting out her harmonica chops) and country’s Luke Bryan. The always-bopping Storme Warren hosted. WSMV’s Jimmy Carter and WTVF’s Chris Cannon gave the gig TV exposure.

This was the 14th annual Grammy Block Party. For Nashville musical diversity, you can’t beat it.

Wynonna on stage. Photo: Courtesy of The Recording Academy/WireImage.com/Rick Diamond

Weekly Register: Underwood Sales Cover The Charts

Carrie Underwood has Blown Away everyone on the charts this week with her album debuting at No. 1 Country, No. 1 Current Digital Albums and No. 1 Top 200. Underwood’s sales of over 267k units were 40% in digital format, higher than usual for country product and reflecting her pop culture following. (Norah Jones debuted this week at No. 2 on the Top 200 chart with sales of 110k.)

The Idol alum’s last outing, Play On, hit sales bins the week of 11/08/2009 and shifted a total of 317.7k units, 20% of which were digital. The 16% drop in debut sales from 2009 to 2012 is a stark reminder of the overall trend in music sales across the board.

Cover art certainly effects and affects sales which is why I have to ask about the cover of Blown Away. Really? Ms. Underwood is one of the most stunning artists in country or any other format. The camera simply loves her. Look at the cover of Play On, for example. See how she effortlessly exudes both sophistication and girl next door approachability? Am I wrong? Leave your comment below.

And while we’re discussing Carrie’s chart topping debut, isn’t it an interesting coincidence that this was finale week for The Voice? The four Voice finalists stood on the stage whimpering about how much winning this contest means, but truthfully, over the last decade or so we have seen just how difficult it is to pick real stars. Precious few multi-album careers have come from reality TV winners, which makes Underwood’s success and her vocal talent all the more exceptional.

Albums
This week we include the current and previous week’s grid report for easy comparison. The YTD 7.1% gain in country album sales continues to grow as does the format’s digital album sales now up 42.3%.

The week’s Country Top 20 holds a few surprises worth noting. Lionel Richie continues his hot streak adding about 64k units to the claim No. 2 position and a total 680k actual sales plus an RIAA Platinum designation for shipments totaling over one million. Lady Antebellum’s Own The Night continues to remain inside the Top 10 (No. 9) adding 11k units for a 34-week total of almost 1.6 million units. In positions 4 and 5 we find newcomers Lee Brice and Kip Moore, enjoying robust second week sales. Interestingly, they both dropped off less than expected, 48% and 43% respectively. Other new faces inside the Top 20 include Brantley Gilbert (No. 11), Scotty McCreery (No. 14), Josh Abbott Band (No. 16) and Hunter Hayes (No. 20).

4-29-2012

Tracks
Country track sales remain ahead of last year, currently up 20.8%. This leads to a fat Albums + TEA increase of 10.84% (track equivalent albums; 10 tracks = 1 album). All genre track sales are only up 7.1% and all genre TEA + Albums only 1.23%.

Eric Church’s “Springsteen” completes its climb into the top spot on the Country Tracks chart with 78k downloads. Carrie Underwood’s title track “Blown Away” entered the list at No. 4 with almost 68k downloads.

Visit this link to see the upcoming albums so you can get an idea of how the next few weeks might play out for country’s album sales. Can the Music City sound remain in positive territory YTD? Will it stay ahead of the all-genre numbers… Keep your eyes here on the Weekly Register to find out!

DISClaimer Single Reviews (5/9/12)

Disc of the Day goes to Lady A; and the DisCovery Award goes to Grady Skelton

It might be optimistic and springtime outside, but it’s sad-ballad day here at Music Row.

Blake Shelton, Heidi Newfield, Chris Webb and Lady A are all singing downbeat fare on their latest singles. But only one of them is essential listening. That would be Lady Antebellum, nailing the Disc of the Day award with ease.

Of our more upbeat entries, Mark Collie, Grady Skelton, the Agave Posse Band and Rodney Atkins are all worth some spins. Texan Grady Skelton wins the DisCovery Award with his “Girl I Love.”

MELISSA BROOKE/Sticky Situation
Writers: Minnie Marianne Murphy/Pat Murphy/Ted Hewitt; Publishers: Montage/Machinafree/Pakimo/Ted Hewitt, ASCAP; Producer: Bill Green; Label: BGM (www.melissabrooke.com)
—This Texas teen takes the tune at a plodding, march-like tempo. It’s about a blind date that goes wrong, thanks to a girlfriend’s mix-up. Brooke’s pert singing needs some seasoning to sound more womanly.

RODNEY ATKINS/Just Wanna Rock n’ Roll
Writers: Rodney Clawson/Chris Tompkins; Publishers: Big Red Toe/Amarillo Sky/Big Loud Songs/Angel River/Big Loud Bucks, BMI/ASCAP; Producers: Ted Hewitt & Rodney Atkins; Label: Curb
—Despite the title, it’s a lilting, attractive invitation to party, country style. Well produced and highly listenable.

TJ BROSCOFF/Bigger, Better Than You
Writers: TJ Broscoff, Bill Green, BMI; Producer: Bill Green; Label: BGM (www.tjbroscoff.com)
—His singing and the band’s playing seem to be in different time signatures. A mess.

MARK COLLIE & HIS RECKLESS COMPANIONS/One More Second Chance
Writers: Mark Collie/T Graham Brown/Steve Schuffert; Publishers: Daniel Island/EMI Blackwood/Leipers Fork/River of Time, BMI; Producers: Tony Brown, Mark Collie & David Z; Label: Wilbanks (www.markcollie.com)
—In 2001, Collie went to the notorious Brushy Mountain State Prison with a batch of tunes about crime and punishment. His show, which also featured Kelly Willis, was recorded, but not released until this month. The Tennessee prison closed in 2009, but its energetic, in-concert album has found new life. It kicks off with this snappy, rockabilly romp that has the inmates whistling and shouting in appreciation. Alive at Brushy Mountain also includes versions of “Folsom Prison Blues,” “Why Me, Lord” and “Gospel Train,” but the bulk of the repertoire was freshly penned by Collie and his collaborators. Highly recommended.

GRADY SKELTON/Girl I Love
Writer: none listed; Publisher: none listed; Producer: Clayton Corn; Label: Gamagrass (www.gradyskelton.com)
—The current single from Skelton’s Live Simply CD is a hearty, drawling, endearing and irresistibly jaunty ditty that rumbles along with such good will that you can’t help smiling. Feel-good Texas music, tailor made for summertime. Producer Corn is Pat Green’s keyboard player and Skelton has also worked with folks associated with Robert Earl Keen, Jerry Jeff Walker, Ray Wylie Hubbard, Eli Young Band and other mainstays of the Lone Star State.

LADY ANTEBELLUM/Wanted You More
Writers: Dave Haywood/Charles Kelley/Hillary Scott/Jason Gambill/Matt Billingslea/Jonathan Long/Dennis Edwards; Publishers: Warner Tamerlane/DWHaywood/Radiobulletspublishing/EMI Foray/Hillary Dawn/Songs to Make Out To/Christina Marie/Ebug/Donelson/Sussman & Associates, BMI/SESAC/ASCAP; Producers: Paul Worley & Lady Antebellum
—Swirling and magical, this has a deeply sensual vibe. The multi-layered percussion, midnight-hour vocal echo, super strings and full-throttle production make this one fabulous listening experience. Co-writers Gambill, Billinslea, Long and Edwards are in the Lady A band, so that’s extra cool.

CHRIS WEBB/D.J. Please
Writer: Chris Webb; Publisher: none listed, BMI; Producer: Gary Sadker: Label: Red Ridge (www.chriswebbcountry.com)
—It’s a plea to a D.J. to play a tune about romance. His smooth, baritone vocal on this ballad is solid, but the tempo is taken so slowly he’s practically having to drag his knuckles along the ground

BLAKE SHELTON/Over
Writers: Paul Jenkins/David Elliott Johnson; Publishers: Sony-ATV Cross Keys/Touch My Music, ASCAP/BMI; Producer: Scott Hendricks; Label: Warner Bros.
—The amped-up choruses on this power ballad are thunderously over the top. He’s a country singer, so give him a country song.

AGAVE POSSE BAND/We’ll Get It On
Writer: Chad Beedy; Publisher: Agave, BMI; Producer: none listed; Label: Agave Posse (www.agaveposse.com)
—Garage country, sounding like it was recorded live in a shed made of corrugated metal. That said, the rhythm-happy band sounds like a raucous good time, and the vocalist has a slap-on-the-back friendliness that’s hard to deny. Worth a spin around the dance floor.

HEIDI NEWFIELD/Why’d You Have to Be So Good
Writers: Jeffrey Steele/Jeremy Popoff; Publisher: Jeffrey Steele/BPJ/EMI April/Jagermaestro, BMI/ASCAP; Producer: Blake Chancey: Label: Sidewalk/Curb
—Her vocal performance burns the house down. The song puts a wet blanket on the blaze.

Church Brings Blood Sweat and Beers To Nashville

Pyro blasts were a key part of Eric Church's show at Nashville's Bridgestone Arena.

Smoke rolled across the stage Saturday night (5/5) at Nashville’s Bridgestone Arena, parting to reveal a chest-thumping Eric Church performing “Country Music Jesus.” Pyro spewed skyward as he sang “there’ll be fire on the mountain.” Raucous energy leads Church’s onstage agenda. He told the sold-out audience he didn’t care if he died, he was going to give us one hell of a show.

Partying is a top priority at a Church concert. Appropriately, dozens of kegs lined the sparsely decorated stage and Chief was never far from the red solo cup situated firmly in a cup holder on his mic stand. In fact, his Blood Sweat and Beers tour gladly revels in party-hearty, self-destructiveness with songs from latest album Chief: “Hungover & Hard Up,” “I’m Getting Stoned,” and “Jack Daniels.” But he didn’t spend all night celebrating his drinking habit, he also devoted much of the set to older hits including “Guys Like Me,” “Hell On The Heart,” and “How ‘Bout You.”

Church bonded with the crowd during his acoustic set.

Chief is an incredible album; one of the best out of Nashville in recent years. It’s a showcase for Church’s unique lyrical perfectionism, and Jay Joyce’s superior hard rock production. Unfortunately a lot of the production nuances that make the album so spectacular got lost in translation from studio to stage.

Thankfully Church’s songwriting fared better in person, particularly when he braved the spotlight solo. Armed with just an acoustic guitar, Church bonded with the crowd on a singalong of “Love Your Love The Most,” and a return to his first album with “Two Pink Lines” and “Sinners Like Me,” which he dedicated to an unnamed Nashville exec who told him early on to pack up and go back to North Carolina. Church more warmly recalled his first tours when he played acoustic sets to crowds of 20. This part of the show was authentic and relatable—it was where he shined.

He should strip away the bravado more often. Instead he has embraced his outspoken and aggressive public persona, even selling merch that says Eric F*%&*n Church.

His stage set is reminiscent of a rock club, offering minimal production save for the sky-high pyro and a few backdrop scrim changes. Had the venue in fact been a smaller club, there’s no doubt that Church would have fulfilled his screaming mid-set promise which was met with wild enthusiasm from the audience: “I am pissed off and I intend to burn this son-of-a-bitch to the ground tonight. Bridgestone Arena give me everything you got.” For a club run energy may be all that’s required, but major arena tours need complex production—video elements, elaborate sets, or a venture into the crowd—to meet the entertainment quota.

Eric Church is Chief.

Toward the end of the night Church upped the performance ante, offering a verse/chorus of “A Country Boy Can Survive,” switching to an upright piano to pick out the notes to latest hit “Springsteen,” and, for the grand finale, shooting smoke from guitars while playing “Smoke A Little Smoke.”

Church and opener Brantley Gilbert are cut from a similar rock-bred rebel cloth. As far as arena headliners go, Church has had somewhat limited radio success. Still, the fans that filled the arena knew every Church hymn and every Gilbert anthem. It was a reminder of the popularity of albums and that artists can build strong careers by steady touring.

Gilbert, who also shares some rock similarities with fellow Georgian Jason Aldean, primed the crowd with the Aldean hit he co-wrote “Dirt Road Anthem.” He was ready to fight on “Take It Outside,” and then cooled down for “You Don’t Know Her Like I Do.” Near the end of his set he left the stage and reappeared at the rear of the arena for a run through the crowd on the floor.

Before the concert, Gilbert was surprised with a Gold plaque to mark shipments of over 500,000 copies of Halfway To Heaven. The Valory Music Co. and CAA hosted the pre-show celebration. After the concert, Capitol Records Nashville hosted a soiree at the arena’s Patron Lounge.

Church performs "Springsteen" on piano.

Weekly Chart Report (5/4/12)

Average Joes Entertainment recording artist Matt Stillwell (R) visited with WJVL/Janesville, WI's Justin Brown promoting his new single, "Ignition." WJVL listeners were also treated to a short acoustic set at Wiggy's Saloon in downtown Janesville.

RADIO NEWS
• Longtime WATZ/Alpena, MI Music Director Susie Martin has retired after 18 years with the station and her last day was April 30. Going forward she can be reached at susie-martin@charter.net. Taking over her music duties is Phil Wenzel, who can be reached at pgwenz@gmail.com or 989-354-8400 x 304. Music call times are Tuesdays 1:30 – 4 pm ET and Wednesdays 2 – 4 pm ET.

• WQNZ/Natchez, MS Operations Manager Mark Porter has taken over Music Director duties following the exit of Mickey Alexander. Reach him at countryboy@95country.com.

Rob Grayson has been named Program Director for WKBQ/Covington, TN after the departure of Jimmy Hicks. He can be reached at rob.grayson@us51country.com or 901-619-2468.

SPIN ZONE
There’s no need to apologize for this one: Eric Church has earned his second CountryBreakout No. 1 song with “Springsteen,” on the day after his birthday. Jason Aldean’s “Fly Over States” flies over a couple spots to land at No. 2, followed by Luke Bryan’s “Drunk On You.” Also muscling for top of the chart status are Carrie Underwood’s “Good Girl” and Zac Brown Band’s “No Hurry.” And everyone’s on the move: Eli Young Band, Brantley Gilbert, Kip Moore, Toby Keith all benefit from some extra spins.

It looks like one of those good weeks to be a promotion rep. A big section of songs is earning triple digit spins, positions are mostly improved, and newcomers are buzzing toward the Top 20. Rachel Holder’s “In Your Arms” is now at No. 20, followed by Thomas Rhett’s “Something To Do With My Hands” at No. 21, Jana Kramer’s “Why Ya Wanna” at No. 24, and Dustin Lynch’s “Cowboys and Angels” at No. 26. Also making big gains are Keith Urban’s “For You” at No. 19, and George Strait’s “Drinkin’ Man” at No. 43.

Blake Shelton had (literally) a zero to 60 week with his new single “Over.” Right in his wake at No. 61 is “Pontoon,” the latest from Little Big Town. Lee Brice is coming off a huge hit with “A Woman Like You.” It’s currently outside the Top 80, but get ready for a big debut from “Hard To Love” next week.

Frozen Playlists: KIAI, KYKX, WBKR, WJVL, WKWS

Upcoming Singles
May 7
Randy Houser/How Country Feels/Stoney Creek
Michael Dean Church/That’s How We Roll/MDC Records
Bucky Covington/I Wanna Be That Feeling/eOne/New Revolution
Lewis Copeland/She’s Got It Going On/Phull/Jeff McClusky/Turnpike
Jason Thomas/Roll On/MD Records

May 14
Jessie James/Military Man/Show Dog-Universal
Due West/Things You Can’t Do In A Car/Black River
Lee Brice/Hard To Love/Curb

• • • • •

New On The Chart—Debuting This Week
Artist/song/label — chart pos.
Blake Shelton/Over/Warner Bros. – 60
Little Big Town/Pontoon/Capitol – 61
Neal McCoy/Shotgun Rider/Blaster – 66
Scotty McCreery/Water Tower Town/19/Mercury/Interscope – 76

Greatest Spin Increase
Artist/song/label — spin+
Blake Shelton/Over/Warner Bros. – 390
Dierks Bentley/5-1-5-0/Capitol – 388
Keith Urban/For You/Capitol – 377
Toby Keith/Beers Ago/Show Dog-Universal – 307
George Strait/Drinkin’ Man/MCA – 295

Most Added
Artist/song/label — New Adds
Blake Shelton/Over/Warner Bros. – 30
George Strait/Drinkin’ Man/MCA – 21
Little Big Town/Pontoon/Capitol – 21
Neal McCoy/Shotgun Rider/Blaster – 15
Edens Edge/Too Good To Be True/Big Machine – 14
Lee Brice/Hard To Love/Curb – 13
Jon Pardi/Missin’ You Crazy/Capitol – 12
Greg Bates/Did It For The Girl/Republic Nashville – 12
Kelly Clarkson/Mr. Know It All/19-RCA – 12
Montgomery Gentry/So Called Life/Average Joe’s – 11
Jerrod Niemann/Shinin’ On Me/Sea Gayle/Arista – 10
Keith Urban/For You/Capitol – 10

On Deck—Soon To Be Charting
Artist/song/label — spins
Lee Brice/Hard To Love/Curb – 199
Lucas Hoge/Give A Damn/Animal House – 197
Adam Gregory/High On You/Calusa Entertainment-GMV Nashville – 191
Jaida Dreyer/Guy’s Girl/Soundstream – 178
Clinton Gregory/Bridges/Melody Roundup – 164

Don Gosselin (WNOE/New Orleans OM/PD) joined The Band Perry during the filming of the trio’s new music video for, "Postcard From Paris." Gosselin is pictured behind the wheel, Kimberly riding shotgun, and Neil and Reid in the backseat.

UMG Nashville’s Lauren Alaina appeared with label mate Easton Corbin at KFDI/Wichita’s Listener Appreciation Show. (L-R): KFDI’s Carol Hughes, Lauren Alaina, Mercury regional Jill Brunett

Kellie Pickler recently stopped by WSIX Nashville to co-host the morning show and promote the title track from her album 100 Proof. (L-R): WSIX morning show host Billy Greenwood, Pickler, WSIX midday personality Amy Paige, and BNA/Columbia's David Friedman

Weekly Register: Discounters Create Sales Iceberg

This week’s quick take away is—the sky is not falling (any faster than it was last week); physical sales are weakening while digital sales get stronger; and Lionel Richie remains country’s newest and best seller.

Unfortunately, the real story, like an iceberg under water, is hidden from view. That real story is a too familiar parable of revenues and costs which is being redefined by retailers like Google with its regular $3.99 album specials. For example, this week a quick search for country in the $3.99 digital bin found found Taylor Swift’s Fearless, Sugarland’s Incredible Machine, Martina McBride’s Eleven, Alison Krauss A Hundred Miles.. and more. We’ve been told that discounters like Google, Amazon and others are still paying labels the normal wholesale value, but this activity is a ticking time bomb sure to redefine music pricing going forward which can’t be good for record label bottom lines, long term.

Average Joes Entertainment CEO Shannon Houchins, in this week’s two-part MusicRow interview says he believes music sales will no longer be a revenue stream in as soon as a few years. [Click HERE to read.] It’s hard to accept that vision might become reality in the country industry. However, as music sales from all formats converge into a single handheld mobile device, it seems likely that what happens in one format will quickly spread to all. Imagine how the Nashville landscape might look if the revenue landscape were to alter itself that dramatically!

Albums
For the week ended 4/29/12 we see the overall industry struggling to remain even with last year, and falling .9% behind. As the grid shows, if one includes YTD TEA numbers, then sales are up slightly, 1.3%. Nashville-based Jack White debuts Blunderbuss this past week and sees it sit on top of the Top 200 list with sales of almost 138k.

In the world of country, Lionel Richie remains at No. 1 scanning an additional 78k units to push his 5-week total above 615k and YTD country album sales ahead 5.9%. Debuts take spots No. 2 and 3 on the country list; Curb’s Lee Brice sells 46k with Hard 2 Love and MCA’s Kip Moore scans 37k with Up All Night.

Carrie Underwood’s Blown Away just hit bins and next week’s debut numbers will surely bump up and keep country album sales in positive territory.

Tracks
Digital track sales are ahead for all genre and for country which explains why YTD TEA album numbers are higher than pure album sales. On the country list we see the usual suspects holding court in the Top Ten; Taylor, Eric, Luke, Carrie, Kip, Jason, Lee, Miranda, a Kenny/Tim duet and Eli Young Band. Eric Church’s “Springsteen” moves up a spot to No. 2 notching sales of almost 79k units.

Church’s tough-edged attitude brought him a few media lessons this past week when he dissed TV singing contests in a Rolling Stone interview and then incurred the Twitter wrath of Miranda and Blake. Church later apologized saying it was about the shows and “not the artists themselves.” We’ll watch next week for any chart fallout.

Country track sales are doing nicely passing the 54.7 million mark and up a robust 21.7% YTD.

See you next week!

DISClaimer Single Reviews (5/2/12)

(L-R): Ice Cream Sundae, Jack White

It looks like Nashville is going to continue to rule the top of the pop album charts, with Jack White predicted to replace Lionel Ritchie at No. 1 next week in the U.S. and knocking even Adele from that perch in the U.K.

Jack’s Third Man Records label is in the spotlight of this week’s pop/rock “DisClaimer” column. His debut solo disc is here, as are such company products as Jeff the Brotherhood and Karen Elson. Naturally, all of them are available on vinyl.

As good as they are, they have plenty of competition from such Music City pop-rockers as Dave Barnes, Etta Britt and our DisCovery Award winning Ice Cream Sundae.

But as for Disc of the Day? That one has to belong to Jack White alone.

ICE CREAM SUNDAE/Video Games
Writer: Zak Monnet; Producer: Bryan Clark; Publisher: none listed; Rainfeather (track) (www.icecreamsundaemusic.com)
—Ice Cream Sundae is singer-songwriter and Belmont grad Zak Monnet, aided and produced by his former college professor Bryan Clark. This track from their debut We’re Just As Sweet CD is a frothy, electro-pop chamber tune featuring synth blurps, twizzles, strings and wooshes, plus percussion hiccups and an airy, wafting tenor vocal that pleads to be allowed to play, yes, video games. Definitely different.

DAVE BARNES/Mine to Love
Writer: Dave Barnes; Producer: John Fields & Dave Barnes; Publisher: No Gang/Razor & Tie, ASCAP; Razor & Tie (track) (www.davebarnes.com)
—Fresh from his across-the-board success with “God Gave Me You,” Barnes returns with a new collection titled Stories to Tell. Its beautifully melodic lead-off single finds his engaging, earnest tenor soaring above a churning, rhythmic track with insistent, jangling guitar work, softly sighing strings and a percussive pulse that just doesn’t quit. If this doesn’t make your heart beat a little faster, you haven’t got one.

RON BRUNK/Dance Floor
Writer: Ron Brunk; Producer: Paul Allen; Publisher: Ugly Brunk Dog, no performance rights listed; RB (track) (www.ronbrunk.com)
—This veteran Nashvillian returns with a 13-tune batch called Funk the Brunk. He exhorts listeners to “let it burn” out on the dance floor while an electric guitar grinds out the repeated riff and electronic beats propel the track. It’s maniacally repetitive but somehow weirdly likable.

JACK WHITE/Sixteen Saltines
Writer: Jack White; Producer: Jack White III; Publisher: Third String Tunes, BMI; Third Man  (www.jackwhiteIII.com)
—Yes, we loved The White Stripes, The Raconteurs and The Dead Weather, but what we’ve wanted all along is a Jack White solo album. Now we have Blunderbuss, and lo-and-behold, it’s a chart-topping hit. Some are saying that Nashville is rubbing off on White via his incorporation of Fats Kaplan’s fiddle and steel into some of its tracks. But this kick-off single (available as a 45 rpm, just as the album is available on vinyl) rocks with as much snark as anything he’s ever recorded. Plus, it’s short and snotty, like a Ramones tune. There are actually two singles available from the new collection. The other is the haunting, minor-key “Love Interruption,” featuring Ruby Amanfu’s harmony singing.

CHRISTINA RECKARD & RAUL MALO/Each Other
Writer: Alan Miller/Raul Malo; Producer: Eddie Perez & Christina Reckard; Publisher: EMI Blackwood/Toto Tunes/Winning Circle, no performance rights listed; Velvet Fusion (track) (www.christinareckard.com)
—Christina is a pop-Latin Nashville singer and dancer who puts on quite a show, I am told. Her CD is titled Kaleidoscope. The esteemed Mr. Malo offers both his vocal and composing talents on this steamy slow samba while trumpets and guitars trill along. Elsewhere on the set, the salsa beats are even more throbbing and frenetic. Music City’s diversity rules!

ETTA BRITT/Dog Wants In
Writer: Don Von Tress/John Brannen; Producer: Bob Britt; Publisher: War Pony/Savannah Son/Harry Barker, BMI/SESAC; Wrinkled (track) (www.ettabritt.com)
—Etta and her rock-guitarist hubby Bob have been heating up Nashville nightspots for years, both with her solo shows and her gigs with fellow Kentucky Thunder members Vickie Carrico, Sheila Lawrence and Jonell Mosser. Her new solo CD is Out of the Shadows. This single from it perfectly captures her blue-eyed, soul-sister style. “Out of the shadows,” my eye: This is straight outta the swamp. The album’s cast includes not only Mosser, Lawrence and Carrico, but Delbert McClinton, Bekka Bramlett, The McCrary Sisters, Jimmy Hall, Scat Springs, John Jarvis, Chad Cromwell and Tom Bukovac. Yowsah.

JEFF THE BROTHERHOOD/Whatever I Want
Writer: Jake Orrall/Jammin Orrall; Producer: Jack White III; Publisher: Infinity Cat/Automatic Bzooty/Otissery, ASCAP; Third Man (www.thirdmanrecords.com)
—After years of making their mark on the Nashville pop/rock scene on their own Infinity Cat imprint, the alt-rock Orrall brothers have been taken on by Jack White’s Third Man label. Jeff the Brotherhood’s Jack-produced single is a minimalist, buzzy  guitar grinder with the act’s typically quirky lyrics and shifting tempi.

ERISA REI/Black Ball
Writer: Erisa Rei Kopp; Producer: Mike Kyle, Neil Kyle & Trey Gray; Publisher: Pesky Fly, no performance rights listed; Pesky Fly (track) (www.erisareimusic.com)
—Erisa is showcasing her new CD on Saturday at 5 p.m. at the Hard Rock Cafe. Its title tune is a dark thumper that spotlights her throaty lower register as well as her piercing upper tones. Passionate sounding.

KAREN ELSON/Vicious
Writer: Lou Reed; Producer: Jack White III; Publisher: Spirit One/Oakfield Avenue, no performance rights listed; Third Man (www.karenelson.com)
—Jack produced a surprisingly fine LP called The Ghost Who Walks for his fashion-model-turned-songwriter wife in 2010. Now amicably divorced, the couple re-teamed for this superbly rocking single as well. The band cooks with gas, and Karen has a born-to-rock voice full of attitude, elan and natural rhythm. Buy this at once at the Third Man Record Shop (623 7th Avenue South, behind the Union Mission). While you’re there, check out the label’s fine offerings by everyone from The Greenhornes and The Black Belles to Wanda Jackson and Jerry Lee Lewis.

JAS PATRICK/I Know
Writer: Jas Patrick; Producer: Jas Patrick; Publisher: Tiny Lion, BMI; Tiny Lion (track) (www.jaspatrick.com)
—This Nashvillian’s five-song EP is titled Tributaries. It seems to be a real d.i.y. affair, since he writes, sings, produces and plays drums, guitar and keyboards on it. The lead-off track features a Winwood-type, blue-eyed-soul vocal on a cool, catchy, pop/rock tune. It manages to be simultaneously relaxed and almost jazzy, yet urgent and forceful. Promising.

Part 2: Houchins Busts Average Joes Out Of The Box

Shannon Houchins quietly moved Average Joes Entertainment into the Music Row neighborhood a few years ago. 

But unlike most newcomers, Houchins (pronounced How-chins) had already achieved a lot, especially for someone in his early 40s. He arrived with a portfolio of hits, fresh ideas and a track record of success. There was only one problem, he didn’t know exactly how it worked on the Nashville side of the tracks. (Read Part 1 HERE)

MR: Do you really believe that music sales might stop generating revenue in a few years?
Shannon: I want people to buy music for as long as possible, but music sales are shrinking. For us it’s now all about the profitability of each project, not just record sales. So we look at touring numbers, too. An artist might only break even on record sales, but if the music drove up touring receipts from $3,000 to $120,000 per month, then that’s a big success. That’s how we look at it. For the majors, as long as they are getting more money out than they put in, it will remain a good business. But the majors only have Plan A, a full blown radio campaign, there is no Plan B. We rarely start with Plan A. Most of our acts start slowly and build their story.

MR: Do you see the country format as an album or a single business?
Shannon: Obviously we’d rather sell albums, even though we are in a single business because it’s a larger sale. I look first at the album chart when it comes in, but we are headed toward a single business, we see it in the numbers every day.

MR: Hiring Tom Baldrica made some people take notice of AJE for the first time. How did it happen?
Shannon: I was in the process of building my radio team and read Tom had left Sony. I thought, “This guy looks like he knows what he is doing.” I called Tony Morreale and he said, “Yeah, I know Tom we worked together at Sony. Everyone and their brother will try to hire Tom.” I asked, “Can we at least meet with him?” I meet with everybody, because you never know what can happen, it’s a relationship business. Tom wanted some time to decide his next move, so we checked in with each other for about three months. Ultimately he decided he liked the way we did business. Tom can pitch the Average Joes story about a million times better than I can. He understands our model 100%. It couldn’t have been a better situation for us and not just because of what Tom’s done in his past life, but for the person he is and how he operates from within our business model.

MR Has the move to Nashville matched your expectations?
Shannon: I like the people and the Nashville way of doing business. You can’t go to lunch or breakfast without running into somebody, because people are just on top of each other. Where I came from everything had a price tag on it. If you called somebody and said, “I’d like you to jump on this record with this other artist,” you better be ready to work out the deal or have some cash on you that day. Here it’s like, “I’ll jump on this, you jump on that. Sure, I’ll show up at your golf tournament.” It’s a people-based atmosphere and I love that about this town. If I had a choice about where to launch the label from and start all over again, I’d say Nashville.

(L-R) Colt Ford and Shannon Houchins

MR: Colt Ford’s music is such a hybrid body of work—with traditional country instruments and lyrics, but also hip-hop stylings.
Shannon: How we make a Colt Ford record changes constantly. Sometimes we start with the music and build off that, then sometimes Colt has co-written with someone and we’ll listen back and figure what we want to do from the song demo. It’s a combination. We may use live drums, loops or combine the two. It may sound rock heavy or softer. We’ll use fiddle, steel or banjo. Noah Gordon (AJE A&R) and I went in with just a guitar and wrote choruses for four of the songs on the upcoming record. We sent them to Colt, who said, “Yeah I love em.” Then we built and structured the song without any live instrumentation, just loops and acoustic guitar. Finally we went in the studio and cut over the top of it. By mix time I have a bunch of stuff from which to decide what stays or goes. I compare it to shooting a movie because you shoot a lot and decide what gels later. Dann Huff is producing four songs on Colt’s new record, too. I’m having just as much fun getting Dann’s perspective on what Colt Ford does as I do making the record myself. I’ve already heard some of what they’ve done and it’s awesome. He’s doing a great job.

MR: What about all the guest artists on Colt’s records that sing the choruses?
Shannon: For his first record we thought the only way to get people to understand it’s a country record was to soften the blow by getting somebody country to participate. But we didn’t know anybody. We met John Michael Montgomery and after about three months of courting he agreed to cut “Ride Through The Country.” Then the Jamey Johnson thing happened. Jamey wasn’t even in a deal at the time. He wrote “Tailgate” with Colt. A lot of people think that Jamey appears on the album singing the song he wrote, but actually he’s singing a song I wrote, “Cold Beer.” Then before we put out the record Jamey’s career blew up so we then had two country guests on the record. In between the first and second album, Colt became more integrated into the Nashville scene and we were able to attract different folks. Now it’s just kind of a thing.

It was tough in the beginning, but I told Colt, “Look at this guest process like the Michael Keaton Batman movies, where the big star was really Jack Nicholson.” I said, “Pretty soon you’ll be able to shine on your own.” And that is what the series did because it’s cool now to be on a Colt Ford record. Of course we’ve been respectful of people’s releases and not doing singles that conflict. It’s about the creative process. If having two people on a song makes something special that the fans are going to love, then do it. And we’ve returned the favor ten times over because people call and ask, “Can I get Colt?” and zoom he’s right over there.

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Houchins Busts Out Of The Box With Average Joes Biz Model (Part 1)

Shannon Houchins quietly moved Average Joes Entertainment into the Music Row neighborhood a few years ago. 

But unlike most newcomers, Houchins (pronounced How-chins) had already achieved a lot, especially for someone in his early 40s. He arrived with a portfolio of hits, fresh ideas and a track record of success. There was only one problem, he didn’t exactly know how it all worked on the Nashville side of the tracks.

(L-R) Shannon Houchins, AJE's Rachel Atcheson and Colt Ford

This multi-talented executive’s first music business experience was working for Jermaine Dupri’s So So Def Productions where he produced and mixed songs for multi-platinum acts such as T.L.C., Usher and Jagged Edge. His next move was to form 11th Hour Entertainment with partner Doug Kaye which spawned success with record and marketing deals.

In 2006 Houchins formed Average Joes Entertainment Group with partner Colt Ford and a third “silent” partner who is happy now to be “cashing checks, instead of writing them,” says Houchins. The company, whose staff numbers almost 100 employees, has been in Nashville about three years and also has Atlanta offices.

Despite the company’s moniker there is nothing average about Average Joes Entertainment’s flow chart or its “within the four walls” strategy. Maintaining control of all career aspects has led to the creation of label, publishing, management, touring, concert, merchandise and promotion divisions, plus marketing and most recently a film division that is working on its first feature film and several TV pilots. Management clients include musicians and sports figures such as Rob Bironas. For staff and client listings see the sidebar.

“Bottom line we have a great brain trust of people going non-stop,” smiles Houchins. “Real hustlers. Everybody is working 150%. There’s about 40 or so in Nashville, plus the Atlanta group. We also have a number of people working on the road without offices, like a West Coast rep and road managers. Considering we’re only three years old, we’ve created lots of jobs.”

MR: What moved you to expand from production and writing into running a full service company?
Shannon: When I first started producing I’d just lock myself away in the studio and work on the music. We’d turn in a record, get paid and move to the next project. It became frustrating because I’d envision the marketing side and think, “This should be the single or I see the video like that.” But often times it went a completely different way. When it works you can say, “Wow, maybe that was a better plan.” But it’s super frustrating when it doesn’t work. If the project’s going to fail I’d rather it be wrong my way, not someone else’s plan. That was part of why I wanted a label—to create and see how people respond. Creating was the easy part, but having a label meant assembling a team to market the music and connect the sound to the people. It just happened that the first thing we did was Colt Ford.

MR: How did Colt become AJE’s flagship artist?
Shannon: Colt Ford was an artist/writer with Jermaine Dupri and my first So So Def project. That’s how we met, back in ’93, so we’ve been friends for almost 20 years. My first experience involving country elements within hip-hop was on a Bubba Sparxxx record in 2000. But it had no country business connection. People familiar with both Bubba and Colt often compare their similarities and differences. To me, Bubba Sparxxx is a rapper from the country, and Colt Ford is a country artist that raps. So there is an overlap between the two despite the fact they’ve gone in completely different directions. It comes down to a vocal thing more than anything. When I finished the first Colt record for Average Joes I remember sitting at my desk thinking, “We are going to have to come to Nashville.” But I didn’t know one person there. We had to start from scratch.

MR: Did moving from Atlanta to Nashville cause any culture shock?
Shannon: We had to learn to adapt. For example, in Nashville if you put three songwriters in a room they split the song ownership evenly. In Atlanta, the producer normally makes 20 or 30 tracks and plays them for people who pick one to add lyrics to it. For that the producer gets 50% of the song. Whoever writes the chorus or hook gets 25% because it is so important. The other 25% is split up among whoever wrote the verses. Sometimes a guy walks in, writes just half a line and you just have to work something out. It’s a lot easier to just divide it up by the number of people in the room. We had to adapt to the new system and explain it to some of my Atlanta guys when they were involved. Nashville is also so radio driven. I knew it would be a street viral build with Colt, but also wanted to establish it within Nashville because it was a country record. We began with one artist and one title and knew we had to get that off the ground before anything else mattered.

MR: Average Joes Entertainment has a modern 360-style flow chart which includes records, touring, publishing, management divisions plus merchandise and more. How does it work?
Shannon: Our model is old school from the standpoint we feel like touring is key. People respond better to our artists when they see them live. At the same time our Internet use is new school. So we started leveraging databases and finding ways to bring people to the music. When Myspace was alive and well we used that as a tool. Next came the touring and putting out a record. People responded and we kept building and sharing the databases in creative ways as we brought in new artists. We don’t cross things unless there’s a tie-in and it makes sense. With respect to 360 deals, we don’t have any requirements. For example, we don’t have to manage you to be on the label and if we do manage you, you don’t have to be on our label. A 360 deal says, “Give me a percentage of your touring on top of everything,” but you still need a manager and agent. We actually service these things. In the next few years music may become more like music video— something you give away to get people to come to the shows. That’s why we are in the concert promotion business and have full touring and management companies. We’re never thinking in terms of how just many records we can sell, we focus on the touring numbers. Record sales to us is just data for finding touring markets.

MR: Does that mean you will be handling my touring if I sign with Average Joes?
Shannon: At this point in our evolution probably yes. We love outside promoters, but we don’t wait on them. For the Colt Ford Declaration of Independence tour I have a staff of guys to find and lock down the venues. We obtain the sponsors, do the alcohol, manage the inside and outside merch, everything. Our circus of five buses and a semi-truck can go anywhere and set up like a field of dreams. We’ll build it if they’ll come. This approach also gives us control over how we market. We can take a bigger act plus two or three of our baby bands and build a story right there. I want to be able to run the business within the four walls of the business whenever possible. That allows us to execute our ideas to the fullest. When we started the label the whole point was to be able to operate regardless of what radio does. That’s why we have artists who will never see the light of day on radio, but regardless are making over $2 million a year. These guys have full-on careers and don’t need radio. Yes, they’d love to have it, it’s the career accelerator, but the last thing we want to do is spend a million dollars running a record up the charts to find that nobody cares, which happens every single day in the music business. We want to find out if they care, first.

Check back tomorrow for part 2 of David Ross’ exclusive interview.

Daniel Lee Joins BMG Chrysalis

BMG Chrysalis's Nashville team. Pictured (L-R) back row: Kevin Lane, Darrell Franklin, John Allen, Daniel Lee. Front row: Taylor Lindsey, Kim Hylick, Sara Johnson.

BMG Chrysalis US has tapped Daniel Lee to serve as Creative Director at the company’s Nashville operation. He will report to Darrell Franklin, Executive Vice President, effective immediately. Lee’s responsibilities will cover the full spectrum of creative duties including signing and development talent, and songplugging.

“Daniel Lee is going to be a strong complement to our already outstanding creative team,” said Franklin. “He brings a great deal of experience and is well respected throughout the music community. Nashville is an increasingly important hub for the company and we are very excited to have him on board.”

Lee previously worked as Creative Director at Ten Ten Music, a post he held since 2007. Prior to that he spent two years at Island Bound Music.

He joins BMG’s growing Nashville team which includes Vice President John Allen, Sr. Creative Directors Sara Johnson and Taylor Lindsey, GM Kim Hylick, and Creative Manager Kevin Lane. The publisher’s recent hits include “Home” (Dierks Bentley), “Banjo” (Rascal Flatts), “A Little Bit Stronger” (Sara Evans), “Let It Rain” (David Nail), “Reality” (Kenny Chesney), and “Fly Over States” (Jason Aldean).