Music Industry News Archives - Page 22 of 36

Our Summer NAMM top picks

Four great music finds you should check out

Oz Guitar Works Tau-6 headless guitar
ZT ‘Lunchbox’ Amplifiers
OZZtosh gleaming aluminum guitars
WalkaBout drums: replace your cajon?

A musician at a NAMM show is like a kid turned loose for a day in a candy store. Wherever you look, there’s something that makes your mouth water. That’s true if you are a seasoned visitor or a first-time newbie.

Now the dust has settled on Summer NAMM 2018, presented by the National Association of Music Merchants, we can look back at some of the ideas and products that really stood out. NAMM’s ‘Make Music Experience’ sets aside a day each year for ‘prosumers’ to get an all-day, all access pass at a very affordable price. (See previous posts here at NashvilleMusicLine.com.)

Through the eyes and ears of a newbie

I returned this year (my 28th NAMM) for the full three-day show. But on the final day, the ‘Make Music Experience’ day, I brought along Storm, a NAMM newbie, to experience the vibe through her eyes and ears. Storm is an up-and-coming alternative songwriter, artist and musician. Here are some of the outstanding products we were able to try out.

Let’s start with Storm’s report, in her own words, about two items that caught her attention…

“I can hardly believe when I got the opportunity to attend Summer NAMM, I was so excited,” said Storm. “As an artist walking down the rows of guitars and other gear, I felt like a kid in a candy store. NAMM did not disappoint. There were so many amazing booths, but in particular a couple of products stood out to me.”

Oz Guitar Works Tau-6 headless guitar

Storm tries out the Oz Tau-6 headless guitar

The first was Oz Guitar Works Tau-6 headless guitar. The Tau-6 is a compact, yet sturdy, headless guitar that is, as a NAMM goer said, “effortless” to play. It features a wood neck and aluminum body, modular removeable pick-ups, steel nuts, dual stereo jack outputs, and a clean sheet design. William ‘Oz’ Anderson was a very chill dude and took the time to answer questions and show his guitars.

When I asked Oz about his inspiration for the Tau-6 he replied, “I wanted to make a guitar that sounded and played better but took a minimalistic view. Keep the essential, chop the rest.” Making this guitar did not come without it’s challenges. Oz states that some of his biggest challenges were making the aluminum body affordable and making the petite body attractive. Continue reading “Our Summer NAMM top picks”

Y’all Show: daily podcast for the South

‘Preshias Country’ featured every Wednesday

Hey, Y’all! Here’s a podcast you should check out. Titled the Y’all Show, it is a syndicated radio show covering the people and culture of the 16 Southern states. Hosted by Yall.com publisher Jon Rawl, the show covers news, sports, opinion, food, business, music, movies, storytelling, and more, Monday through Friday.

Every Wednesday, around 9:30 a.m., Jon calls me and we chat on-air about all things Nashville. I bring him up to date on what’s happening in music here, and we talk about the singers and songwriters – ‘the girls and boys who make the noise on Sixteenth Avenue.’

We also ask listeners a country music question of the day, taken from my book, ‘I Know Country.’ You can check out an archive of recent shows, including the Wednesday editions with my weekly music feature, here.

Jon Rawl is a long-time friend of mine from way back. A busy guy, in addition to his daily radio show/podcast, he’s also the publisher of Y’all magazine and president of CRM Sports.

Tell us what you think of Y’All Radio

I hope you – er, I mean y’all – will check out the podcasts, and maybe contact me or Jon to let us know what you think of the show. I know Jon would be interested to hear any suggestions you might have for future topics about ‘everything Southern.’

And of course, you might want to download your own e-book copy of ‘I Know Country.’ This is a direct link to the book’s Amazon page.

Preshias Harris is a music journalist and music career development consultant with the emphasis on new and aspiring artists and songwriters. Her book, ‘The College of Songology 101: The Singer/Songwriter’s Need to Know Reference Handbook’ is available at www.collegeofsongology.com Follow her blog at www.nashvillemusicline.com

Song downloads plunge, streaming rockets

How does that affect your wallet?

Song downloads are on a steep slide that shows no sign of easing up. Meanwhile, streaming figures just keep rising. So, if you’re an artist or a songwriter, it’s no big deal if streaming is picking up the slack from downloads, right? Uh, not really. Raw figures don’t tell the full story as far as your potential income is concerned.

First the figures from Nielsen Music: During the first half of 2018, song download sales were down 27.4% to 223.1 million from 307.2 million for the first half of 2017. Album downloads also fell 21.7% to 27.5 million units, down from 35.1 for the same period last year.

Meanwhile, streams jumped 41.6% to 403.4 billion, January-June 2018, a gain of 118.6 billion (a half-year record) compared with the first half of 2017. As Digital Music News pointed out in a story posted July 10, 2018, not so long ago, paid downloads were greater than one billion annually. Now, Drake’s album ‘Scorpion’ chalked up more than one billion streams in a single week.

So Drake probably doesn’t need to be too worried about the decline of downloads. But for artists who are not up in the same stratosphere as Drake, this is not good news as revenue from streams is nowhere near that of downloads. And even that isn’t very much. Single track downloads that cost 99c earn the artist around 11c on iTunes, Google Play and Amazon.

‘Fractions of one cent’

When it comes to getting paid for streaming, you receive mere fractions of one cent per stream from the major streaming services. These include Napster, YouTube, Pandora, Apple Music, Tidal, Google Play, Deezer and Spotify. In July 2017, Digital Music News posted a report titled ‘What Streaming Music Services Pay,’ available here. (Note: these figures may have changed since that report was posted.)

See the Digital Music News report for full details, but they note that Napster tops the pay-per-stream list with $0.0167 per stream for unsigned artists. Signed artists received $0.0190. In comparison, Apple Music pays unsigned artists $0.0064 per stream and signed artists $0.0073 per stream.

Meanwhile, YouTube is still the lowest payer and not improving. In 2015, an unsigned artist would earn $1,260.00 after 70,000 plays. In 2017, that artist would need to score 2.4 mullion plays to earn the same amount. However, YouTube should be seen by an artist as a promotional and marketing tool, rather than a revenue stream. (See previous post here at Nashville Music Line: ‘How to build community with YouTube.’) Continue reading “Song downloads plunge, streaming rockets”

Music Row One Sheet Early July 2018

Nashville Music News Roundup

Scroll down to read these Music Row One Sheet news items

Larry Gatlin wants his stolen GRAMMY® back
Do you have unclaimed royalties out there?
Summer NAMM attendance up 5%
US/UK country pop duo take the ‘Top Down’
Garth’s ‘All Day Long’ most-added at Country Radio

Scroll down to read these Music Row One Sheet news items

Larry Gatlin wants his stolen GRAMMY® back

Have you seen Larry Gatlin’s GRAMMY®? If you know where it is, Larry wants to talk to you. In 1977, Larry Gatlin, eldest of the Gatlin Brothers, took home a GRAMMY® Award for ‘Best Country Song’ thanks to his self-penned classic hit, ‘Broken Lady.’

In an exclusive interview with The Tennessean, Gatlin reveals his prized award was actually stolen from the Gatlin Bros. Music City restaurant in the Mall of America in the 1990s. Now, two decades later, he’s on a mission to get it back. The country legend is promising a monetary reward for the safe return of his golden gramophone, and he won’t notify authorities.

“I’ll give you a written statement that I won’t prosecute you,” Gatlin tells The Tennessean’s Cindy Watts. “You can just say you bought it at a pawn shop.” The possessor of Gatlin’s gold can email assistant@absolutepublicity.com to make arrangements to return the trophy and receive the reward.

Do you have unclaimed royalties out there?

If your recordings are out there on any of the digital platforms, it’s possible (it’s likely!) that you are owed money. Okay, it’s probably not a LOT of money, but it is legally yours and you should be able to claim it.

You might want to check out SoundExchange that collects and distributes digital performance royalties on behalf of rights owners and licensees. So far, SoundExchange has paid out about $5 billion in royalties from recordings played on digital radio including Pandora’s free tier and SiriusXM. Continue reading “Music Row One Sheet Early July 2018”

‘Make Music Experience’ set for June 30

Summer NAMM’s special day for music ‘prosumers’

It’s almost time for the once-a-year opportunity for everyone who can’t wait to get their hands (and ears) on the latest musical instruments, tech gear and accessories. The 2018 Summer NAMM Show will be in town and has a special day on the program just for you.

On Saturday, June 30, Summer NAMM will host the ‘Make Music Experience’ at Nashville’s Music City Center. It’s an all-day, all-access pass for the prosumer audience to trial the latest music and pro audio gear from top manufacturers. (Scroll down to order tickets online and save 50% off the ‘at-the-door’ price.)

You can participate in career-enhancing educational sessions, demo products and enjoy fun, interactive events and performances. You can also enjoy live music with Lillie Mae, MONA and the Delta Saints on the outdoor stage.

‘Open Mic’ at Martin Guitar booth

If you are a ukulele or guitar player (and you need a cool new tee shirt) here’s an exciting opportunity for you. On this day, Martin Guitar invites guitar and uke players of all levels to perform at Summer NAMM at the Martin Guitar and Strings Open Mic event. Attendees will be able to sign-up to perform a song during the Martin Open Mic at the convention center and everyone who plays will receive a Martin T-shirt, a set of Martin strings, and be entered to win a Martin Guitar. Martin Guitar is at booth #801.

Fender: ‘start playing in minutes’

Looking to improve your playing? Fender Play is the easiest way to learn guitar and ukulele, featuring your favorite music and the techniques you need to start playing in minutes. Watch hundreds of high-quality video lessons to master new skills. Plus join an exclusive community of like-minded players and professional instructors. Learn more here – and start a free trial. Visit Fender at the main Fender booth #943 or in the breezeway off 8th Ave.

During the ‘Make Music Experience,’ you can also attend a variety networking events, receptions and educational events. Topics include Songwriting, Recording, Marketing and PR, Licensing, Live Sound, House of Worship and Software Development.

You can save 50% off the cost of the ‘Make Music Experience’ ticket price. Buy tickets for only $10.00 online here or pay $20.00 at the door. Either way, it’s a bargain for anyone with a serious interest in music.

NAMM is the National Association of Music Merchants. More info at the NAMM Make Music Experience website.

CMA Fest 2018 a record-breaker with capacity crowds

47-year high in ‘fan engagement’

Michael Ray performs at CMA Fest 2018, Photo: Caitlin Harris/CMA

CMA Fest 2018 was a huge success by just about any standard. The Country Music Association (CMA) reported the ‘highest fan engagement’ in the festival’s forty-seven year history.

Country music fans from all fifty states, Puerto Rico and thirty-six international countries poured into Music City to attend the longest-running country music festival in the world.

Overseas fans arrived from as far away as Australia, Argentina, Brazil, South Africa and Chile. Attendance from European countries, including Germany and Poland was up. So was attendance by fans from Great Britain, possibly helped by new direct flights between Nashville and London, England, on British Airways.

Fans pack Riverfront Park at CMA Fest. Photo: Hunter Berry/CMA

This year, fans could see more than 300 acts performing on 11 official stages. Ticket proceeds go directly to helping enrich and sustain music education programs across the country through CMA’s nonprofit arm, the CMA Foundation, thanks to every artist at the festival donating their time.

Among this year’s highlights…

=>> A sold-out CMA Songwriters Series show at the CMA Theater at the Country Music Hall of Fame and Museum featuring Mary Chapin Carpenter, Vince Gill, Mac McAnally and Don Schlitz.

==> The Ultimate Fan Experiences Drawing, which offers fans special access to artists meet-and-greets and performances, saw a 36 percent increase in participants. Traffic on the festival’s official website CMAfest.com increased by more than five percent over last year.

==> Over the course of the four-day festival, Xfinity Fan Fair X welcomed 71,000 attendees, up 10% over 2017, and hosted 365 artists across meet-and-greets and three indoor stages in the exhibit hall, including the expanded Radio Disney Country Stage.

==> Fans enjoyed listening to and meeting the 51 up-and-coming artists featured on the new CMA Spotlight Stage.

CMA Fest MuttNation. Photo: Amanda Eckard/CMA

==> Miranda Lambert’s MuttNation Foundation was a “pup-ular” highlight inside Fan Fair X again with 55 dogs finding their forever homes.

==> Fan safety and security was enhanced this year. A ‘clear bag’ policy was implemented across the CMA Fest footprint. CMA ramped up safety precautions with upgraded breakaway fencing at the Chevy Riverfront Stage, which was utilized Sunday afternoon as lightning neared the area allowing fans to exit the area swiftly.

==> Fans got see some of country’s biggest stars, including Carrie Underwood, Charley Pride, Chris Stapleton, Dan + Shay, Darius Rucker, Dierks Bentley, Florida Georgia Line, Garth Brooks, Jason Aldean, Jon Pardi, Kane Brown, Keith Urban, Kelsea Ballerini, Luke Combs, Maddie & Tae, Trisha Yearwood and many more.

Emerging artists at CMA Fest

For me, and for many other country fans, CMA Fest offers an unrivaled opportunity to see and meet the rising artists who are performing here just as their careers begin to take off. Many years from now, when those acts are headlining, we’ll look back and say, “I saw them when…”

Among the emerging artists that I saw and spoke to this year were Adam Rutledge, Band Steele, Dallas Remington, Dugger Band, Harper Rae, Mags, Matt Rogers, Patrick Darrah, Shane Owens, Uncle Si and the Sicotics and Zach Stone. Many of my interviews with these artists have appeared (or will soon appear) here at this blog. Although they are all unique in their own way, each of these acts impressed me with their courage, their persistence and their resolve to do what it takes to achieve their goals. Remember those names!

CMA Fest TV Special August 8

The festival was filmed for a three-hour special, ‘CMA Fest,’ which will be hosted by Thomas Rhett and Kelsea Ballerini and airs Wednesday, Aug. 8 on the ABC Television Network. This year marks the 15th consecutive year of the broadcast.

Ready to get your tix for next year? Verified fan pre-sale for CMA Fest 2019 begins Monday, July 30, with a national on-sale Monday, Aug. 6 here.

Watch a ‘sizzle reel’ of all four days of CMA Fest 2018 at YouTube here.

CMA Fest at Nissan Stadium. Photo: Kayla Schoen/CMA

Harper Grae draws on her own life’s challenges

Loss and release find understanding through ‘Bloodline’

Harper Grae is a young lady who has faced a lot of adversity in her life. She was raised by her grandparents when it became clear that her parents were unable to take care of her. Struggling to overcome the pain and sadness, Harper found comfort in music that eventually led to writing and performing songs inspired by her difficulties and the ways she faced them.

While attending Auburn University in Alabama, studying Musical Theatre and Religious Studies, she auditioned for ‘The Glee Project 2,’ a talent program attached to the hit TV show ‘Glee.’ The audition was successful and she found herself in Los Angeles for an intense education in every aspect of the musical business.

Now settled in Nashville, she has a new EP and a new single, ‘Bloodline,’ that she sang during appearances at CMA Fest 2018. Harper and I met during CMA Fest to catch up on her career.

This is one of a series of interviews that I conducted with rising singer/songwriters during CMA Fest to find out about their new music, their musical influences and their experience at CMA Fest.

CMA Fest ‘was a whirlwind’

Preshias Harris: You made your first CMA Fest appearance this year. Can you describe that experience?

Harper Grae: Yeah, the experience was a whirlwind! I mean, starting from the artist valet pick-up, for a small-town girl from Alabama, I was like, ‘Wow, this is SO cool!’ And walking onto the stage at CMA Fest was something I always dreamed about doing. The most incredible experience was the Meet and Greet where you really get to meet the fans and talk to them. That’s what I want to do, interact with people who like my music and want to talk about my story and the songs that I have written.

PH: Was there a special song that stuck out to the fans, that they gave you feedback about?

HG: They all loved ‘Bloodline.’ They all loved it. It was the last song on the set and we really tried to ‘bring the house down’ with it. It was cool because we were on the Spotlight Stage and you can see people walk by, and they could keep walking but they didn’t! And I made note of that. I said ‘Okay, let’s make a game of this. Let’s see how many people stop and stay.’ And it was quite a few and that was cool. Because at my core I’m the girl who thinks nobody’s going to come to her birthday party, so it was really nice to see a crowd there.

PH: Where are you from in Alabama?

HG: I’m from a small town called Reeltown, near Auburn, Alabama, a really small town!

The story behind ‘Bloodline’

PH: Tell me about your single, ‘Bloodline.’

HG: ‘Bloodline’ is the first single off my EP, ‘Buck Moon Medleys,’ which was inspired by the loss of my mother in December of last year. I started to really look at the lack of relationship with my mom from a vulnerable perspective, a beginning-to-end experience. I wanted to start off talking about that in a song that really talks about ‘does the apple really fall far from the tree?’ In my case, I hope I fall very far. But then, sometimes, you don’t want to, because you don’t want to run from who you are, because at the end of the day, my mom and my dad, even though I didn’t have a relationship with them, they are why I’m here. I’d never really thought about it. I’d just harbored not-so-great feelings towards them.

PH: When did that change? Continue reading “Harper Grae draws on her own life’s challenges”

Dugger Band are ‘East Tennessee Sons’

Harmonies are in their blood

Jordan and Seth Dugger are brothers that together form the Dugger Band. Their father is a pastor of a small community in the eastern part of Tennessee. They are both graduates of the University of Tennessee and are talented multi-instrumentalists as well as singer/songwriters. Their current single, ‘East Tennessee Son,’ is also the title track from their current album.

As CMA Fest 2018 drew to a close, I met up with Seth and Jordan to talk about their music and the audience reaction to their blend of contemporary and traditional country.

This is one of a series of interviews that I conducted with rising singer/songwriters during CMA Fest to find out about their new music, their musical influences and their experience at CMA Fest.

Smoky Mountain influence

Preshias Harris: Jordan, you both grew up in Greenville in East Tennessee, close to the Smoky Mountains. Do you feel that affected how your music developed?

Jordan Dugger: I think so, for sure. Most of our family are musical. A lot of the events we attended with our family, a lot of people would always bring guitars and fiddles and mandolins and all kinds of instruments to family get-togethers. So we grew up with the family harmony stuff and everybody singing together. Of course, growing up near Gatlinburg and Pigeon Forge where Dolly Parton is from, we drew influence from a lot of her music. And there’s a big Bluegrass influence and a lot of mountain music, but also a lot of country and some of the rockin’ country as well. It’s a pretty diverse music community in East Tennessee so that definitely influenced our style today. The biggest part, I think, is the harmonies. And the first instruments we were into were guitar and fiddle.

PH: Seth, tell me about being here at CMA Fest. Is it your first time?

Seth Dugger: We’ve been for a couple of years now. But this year, we’ve performed the most at CMA Fest. It’s a great experience! It’s cool to see all the hard-core country music fans from all over the world come to Nashville for this one week. A lot of our fans came in for it to sit in on some of the fan parties that we had and hear some of our acoustic songs. So that was really humbling for us to see all those people from all over the world for this one event.

PH: What was one of your favorite performances? Continue reading “Dugger Band are ‘East Tennessee Sons’”

Adam Rutledge drops new single and EP

‘Love Kickin’ In’ high-energy anthem

Adam Rutledge has a reputation for bringing contagious high energy to the stage that quickly cranks up the audience at his live shows. Adam has appeared with hot acts such as Brothers Osborn, Chris Janson, Eli Young Band, Cassadee Pope and Phil Vassar. In fact, Adam’s career is now managed by Phil Vassar (along with Amy Millslagle of i81 Entertainment).

He has a strong presence on social media with around 12,000 Instagram followers and thousands more on Facebook. Adam was in Nashville for CMA Fest 2018, playing at Music City Light Stage, Bridgestone Arena Plaza. He has a brand new EP, RUNWAY, that includes his new single, ‘Love Kickin’ In.’

Taking a few minutes away from the CMA Fest hustle and bustle, Adam sat down with me to catch up on what’s new with him.

This is one of a series of interviews that I conducted with rising singer/songwriters during CMA Fest to find out about their new music, their musical influences and their experience at CMA Fest.

Airfield serves as video backdrop

Preshias Harris: Tell us about what’s been going on with your career since you dropped your single.

Adam Rutledge: Yeah, so it’s been exciting! I’ve shot a music video for the single which we’re really excited about. It’ll be out in a few weeks. We shot it at an old, abandoned airport on a runway. It was a beautiful backdrop for the video. And I’m promoting another record coming out June 22nd.

PH: Tell me about any radio tours you’ve got planned.

AR: We’re in the process of planning radio tours right now.

PH: You’ve got a lot of wheels moving in your career. Which is the most exciting one?

AR: Being right here with you! No, it’s all so exciting. I can’t just pick one. There’s the new record, the video and working with so many talented people. I’m just one percent of all this! It’s everybody else that makes this all work for me. I’m just thankful for all the good people on my team.

PH: How long did it take you to get the songs for your CD?

AR: Some of them I’ve had written for years. Some of them I’d released on my own, years ago, and we went back and re-recorded and re-mixed them. And some of them were pitched to me and they are pretty new, so the songs span a large period of my life, actually.

PH: I’m going to ask you something that every artist hates when I ask it but I’m going to ask it anyway. What’s your favorite song on the album? Or a special one that means more to you personally? Continue reading “Adam Rutledge drops new single and EP”

Matt Rogers knows it takes hard work to reach the top

Making new fans during CMA Fest

Matt Rogers is making sure he will reach the eyes and ears of as many potential fans as possible during CMA Fest 2018. The Eatonton, Georgia, native now calls Nashville ‘home,’ but devotes a large part of every year to touring far and wide.

His latest project is an EP titled ‘Richest Place On Earth’ and he recently released the music video for the title track exclusively on Raised Rowdy. The song recently won a top award in the Music City SongStar competition.

I caught up with Matt in between some of his scheduled CMA Fest appearances.

This is one of a series of interviews that I conducted with rising singer/songwriters during CMA Fest to find out about their new music, their musical influences and their experience at CMA Fest.

Preshias Harris: You gave up a career in the medical career to move to Nashville. Why did you do that?

Matt Rogers. Photo credit: Preshias Harris

Matt Rogers: Music has always been there for me. When I was growing up, I played in church. I was in a youth ‘praise and worship’ band, I had a garage band, I had a little group in college. I started writing in college and when I moved home, I started playing more and more often in bars and clubs and I put a band together. I didn’t really know what I wanted to do when I grew up. I was really fumbling through different careers and different jobs, things like that, until I finally got a great job and a great career. But I had a goal to move up here [to Nashville] and I had a lot of support to move up here, so I saved up some money and set my plans and my goals out. And I ‘saddled up’ and moved on up.

The move to Nashville

PH: What was your time frame for that move?

MR: I was already coming up here often, monthly or bi-monthly, to take meetings, writing sessions, things like that. But I’d made a plan. I said, ‘In a year-and-a-half, I’ll move to Nashville.’ So I made a plan and started meeting people who could help me with that transition. At the end of that year, I found a place to rent, and I haven’t looked back since.

PH: Tell me about your EP, ‘Richest Place On Earth.’

MR: It’s a personal story. For the first year-and-a-half I was up here, I wrote about two hundred songs. So I wanted to narrow it down to just a few that would really describe who I was, not only as an artist but as a person. I wanted a cohesive project that you can listen to, start to finish, and have a better idea about who I was after you got through listening to it.

PH: What made you pick that title?

MR: It’s about me leaving that full-time job in Georgia and moving up here and taking the chance to do what I was wanting to do. To do what I think I was meant to do. That’s the story. I want to live out loud and break the mold. I want to leave a story behind to be told. Continue reading “Matt Rogers knows it takes hard work to reach the top”