Raises hundreds of thousands of dollars with celebrity friends
It was Craig Campbell‘s Celebrity Cornhole Challenge time in Nashville on Tuesday, June 5. The celebrities – and hundreds of fans – turned out at the City Winery to enjoy a warm, pre-CMA-Fest afternoon of fun for a good cause: to raise aware and funds for Fight Colorectal Cancer (Fight CRC). This is a cause very close to my own heart. My brother Shannon died from colorectal cancer at the age of 39 and his death could have been prevented simply by a colonoscopy.
In case you are not familiar with cornhole, it is a game in which small bags filled with dried corn or beans are tossed at a target consisting of an inclined wooden platform with a hole at one end. Points are scored when a contestant tosses his or her corn bag into the hole (3 points) or onto the board (1 point). The game was said to originate in Germany in the 14thcentury and was revived by settlers in Kentucky in the 19thcentury.
Craig’s new single: ‘See You Try’
The annual Celebrity Cornhole Challenge is organized by Craig Campbell who is recognized for his ‘new-school’ take on classic Country. On June 8, Craig released his first new collection in five years, an EP titled SEE YOU TRY (Broken Bow Records). The title song, ‘See You Try,’ is also Craig’s new single, written by Tyler Hubbard (Florida Georgia Line), Bart Butler, James McNair and Jordan Schmidt.
Craig was joined by LOCASH, Walker Hayes, Brett Kissel, Russell Dickerson, Jerrod Niemann, Brett Young, Lindsay Eli, Tegan Marie, Morgan Mills, Taylor Phillips, Dee Jay Silver, The Cadillac Three and other celebrities who tried their cornhole skill (or lack of it) to entertain the fans who cheered them on.
During a break in the action, I asked Craig, how did this event come about?
“Six years ago, I wanted an event that honored my dad,” said Craig. “He was 36 years old when he died of colon cancer, so I thought, what can I do to honor him? And to have fun and do something different, you know? A lot of people are having free concerts, golf tournaments, fishing tournaments. But no-one is having a cornhole tournament. So then, I thought it was a pretty cool play on the whole corn hole / colon, that sort of thing! So that’s how it all started. Now we’re at year number six and I feel it’s just getting bigger and better.”
Brett Kissel talks about Garth and Brad
As Brett Kissel took a break to grab a bottle of cold water, I asked him how it felt when he opened for Garth Brooks, the dream of every singer and songwriter.
“It was the best thing I’ve ever been able to do in my career,” he said. “I’ll tell you, every night that I got to step out on stage to perform and open the show, and then a few times when I got to be on stage and sing with Garth in front of his crowd, I’m telling you Preshias, that was exactly what Cloud Nine feels like! I believe that there are moments that are similar to what heaven could feel like, and that was like a heavenly moment.” Continue reading “Craig Campbell fights colorectal cancer with Cornhole Challenge”
If you are a recording artist or songwriter and you believe that your precious copyrighted intellectual property – e.g. your songs – are being utilized illegally online, you might want to know about a company called 
If you are an Amazon Prime member, stand by for a rate hike. Membership increases to $119.00 annually for new subscribers; existing subscribers will be notified of the increase when their membership is due for renewal after June 16. Amazon does not anticipate a drop in membership as a result of the increase. Purchases by non-Prime members actually decreased year-over-year while Prime purchases increased. Amazon is investing more in digital video and music available only to Prime members with 2018 spending estimated at $5 billion. See more at Variety 
MusicBiz 2018 is only days away and 2,000+ attendees are expected to be here in Nashville for what organizers call ‘the four most important days on the music industry calendar.’ Scheduled for May 14 – 17, 2018, the seminar will cover topics such as Career Development Workshops, Entertainment Technology & Law, Indie Artist and Songwriter Forum, Music Business Educators Meetup, Music and Money, and more. Presenters will include some of the most respected and successful people in the music industry. If you’re interested in attending (I’ll be there!) you’d better hurry! Find out more or register to attend 
…and hot on the heels of MusicBiz 2018, It will be time for the National Association of Music Merchants’ Summer NAMM in Nashville. On Saturday June 30 at Music City Center, Summer NAMM will host the inaugural 
The vinyl sector of the music business continues to spin upwards. In 2017, vinyl album sales rose 9 percent to 14.3 million units in the USA. This was the twelfth straight year that album sales increased and the 2017 increase was the greatest since Nielsen Music began tracking album sales data. Understandably, growing interest in vinyl has resulted in increased sales of turntables. But demand has also meant more business for record pressing plants, including Jack White’s Third Man Records vinyl pressing facility in Detroit. Many more current artists are now releasing vinyl versions of new albums. More details plus a list of the top selling vinyl albums in 2017, courtesy of Billboard, 
For nearly a decade, Darius Rucker has spearheaded an event focused on amazing music, memorable collaborations and heartfelt stories resulting in over $1 million-and-counting raised for St. Jude Children’s Research Hospital. Rucker continues that tradition this summer with his 9th Annual “Darius and Friends” benefit concert.
The vinyl album, with only 2,500 copies pressed, is available only at participating record stores and includes Church’s covers of eight songs by Soundgarden, Billy Joel, Little Feat, Bob Seger and more.
Thomas Rhett’s autobiographical anthem “