Music Industry News Archives - Page 31 of 37

Americana Music Association names 2017 Lifetime Achievement Honorees

Some of the world’s major music talent to be feted at Americanafest

The Americana Music Association℠ has announced this year’s Lifetime Achievement Award Honorees. The five honorees will be celebrated at Americana’s 16th Annual Honors & Awards held at the Ryman Auditorium on Wednesday, September 13. The prestigious event serves as the official kick-off for the 18th annual AMERICANAFEST℠: The Americana Music Festival & Conference.

(L-R) Top: Graham Nash, Dave Alvin, Bruce Bromberg, Big Sandy, Larry Sloven, Chris Gaffney,
Iris DeMent (L-R) Bottom: Robert Cray, Van Morrison, Hi Rhythm’s LeRoy “Flick” Hodges, Rev. Charles Hodges, Howard Grimes, Archie “Hubbie” Turner, Mabon “Teenie” Hodges, Al Jackson, Jr. (on drums)

Robert Cray to receive Lifetime Achievement Award

This year’s Lifetime Achievement Award for Performance will go to Robert Cray. Cray has been bridging the lines between blues, soul and R&B for over four decades with five GRAMMY® wins. After bursting onto the scene as band leader for the Robert Cray Band in 1974, he and his band became responsible for bringing the timeless soul sound of their mentors John Lee Hooker, Etta James and Albert Collins to a younger audience. Throughout his expansive career, he has performed with the likes of Eric Clapton, The Rolling Stones, BB King, Bonnie Raitt and the late Chuck Berry.

The Hi Rhythm Section, this year’s recipient of the Lifetime Achievement Award for Instrumentalist, is not your average group of musicians. During the ’70s, they served as the late producer Willie Mitchell’s secret weapon for his vision of Memphis soul, providing their incomparable musicianship for hit Hi Records albums by artists like Al Green and Ann Peebles at the historic Royal Studios in Memphis, Tenn. Originally formed in the late ’60s, members include the late Mabon “Teenie” Hodges (guitar), Rev. Charles Hodges (organ), LeRoy “Flick” Hodges (bass), Howard Grimes (drums), the late Al Jackson, Jr. (drums) and Archie “Hubbie” Turner (keyboard).

Americana Trailblazer Award

Iris DeMent will be receiving the Americana Trailblazer Award and exemplifies what it means to forge your own path in the music industry. Her independently released 1992 debut Infamous Angel garnered such palpable buzz that it landed her a deal with Warner Bros. the following year without any support from mainstream country radio. Over the next two decades, DeMent never shied away from using her ethereal voice and songwriting craft to showcase introspection as well as to address more political topics such as sexual abuse, religion and government policy throughout her work. Continue reading “Americana Music Association names 2017 Lifetime Achievement Honorees”

ASCAP and YouTube Reach Multi-Year Agreement

ASCAP to combine database with YouTube’s Data Exchange

ASCAP and YouTube have signed a multi-year agreement, effective immediately, for US public performance rights and data collaboration. The mutual goal of this agreement is to work together to ensure that ASCAP members get paid more fairly and accurately for the use of their music on YouTube, according to an ASCAP press release.

As part of the P.R.O.’s negotiated, voluntary licensing deal, ASCAP will combine its database of 10.5 million musical works with YouTube’s data exchange. The evolution of the agreement between the two entities leverages YouTube’s data exchange and ASCAP’s vast database of musical works to address the industry challenge of identifying songwriter, composer and publisher works on YouTube, and demonstrates ASCAP’s commitment to building industry-leading data capabilities. This innovative collaboration will enable new levels of monetization and transparency for ASCAP and its members.

‘Higher compensation’ for ASCAP members

ASCAP CEO Elizabeth Matthews commented: “This agreement achieves two important ASCAP goals – it will yield substantially higher overall compensation for our members from YouTube and will continue to propel ASCAP’s ongoing transformation strategy to lead the industry toward more accurate and reliable data. The ultimate goal is to ensure that more money goes to the songwriters, composers and publishers whose creative works fuel the digital music economy.”

“YouTube is dedicated to ensuring artists, publishers and songwriters are fairly compensated,” said Lyor Cohen, Global Head of Music at YouTube. “As YouTube delivers more revenue to the music industry through a combination of subscription and advertising revenue, it’s great to see ASCAP take a progressive approach towards the long term financial success of its members.”

According to an article published on Billboard’s website, ASCAP and its counterparts BMI and SESAC still don’t have a choice about whether to license their music to YouTube or other licensees – they are required to grant interim licenses under the terms of their decades-old consent decrees with the Justice Department if they can’t immediately come to voluntary licensing agreements. ASCAP and BMI have been lobbying lawmakers in Washington to reform these consent decrees so that they can seek market rates for their music instead.

Other societies, such as Global Music Rights, have more freedom because they aren’t governed by consent decrees. GMR, founded three years ago by music manager Irving Azoff, does not currently license its works to YouTube because the two companies haven’t been able to agree on a price.

BMI has a direct license with YouTube and is currently discussing a new long-term agreement. BMI spokeswoman Liz Fischer said that YouTube has been “a good partner.” Read the full Billboard article here.

More at the ASCAP website and @ASCAP on Facebook.

EmiSunshine shows age is no obstacle to success

12-year-old featured in film premiered at Cannes Film Festival

I want to share this story about an amazingly talented young lady who became a global sensation when a video of her singing in a music store went viral when she was only nine years old. Now she has been featured in a movie recently screened at the Cannes Film Festival, and this week is making a personal appearance at the CMA Music Festival. She proves that talent knows no age limits: you are never too young or too old!

EmiSunshine enjoyed a special and spectacular welcome at the 70th Festival de Cannes in Cannes, France. Upon the invitation of notable film director Eugene Jarecki, the twelve-year-old from East Tennessee concluded her show at the Southgate House Revival (Newport, KY) and hopped a plane to travel to the French Riviera (some 13-plus hours) to attend one of the film industry’s most-famed and elite events, brushing elbows with Hollywood’s most decorated producers, screenwriters, directors and actors (Will Smith, Nicole Kidman, Clint Eastwood and Jessica Chastain to name a few).

‘Promised Land’ documentary

The invitation is an extension following Emi’s guest appearance in Jarecki’s documentary titled “Promised Land”—one of the featured films at the 2017 Cannes Festival world premiere screened in May. The film also highlights Emi’s performance of her self-penned/self-produced track “Danny Ray” (and the bonus track from her new CD project, RAGGED DREAMS, anticipated in August 2017).

A portrait and musical story told from the back seat of Elvis Presley’s 1963 Rolls Royce, Jarecki carries performers on a music-filled road trip across the U.S. picking up passengers (famous and not-so-famous) as they travel through an America at a crossroads in the midst of the 2016 election.

A new meaning to the word ‘jamming’!”

“We were all stuffed into the back seat of a hot car, with our instruments for more than six hours…driving the streets of Nashville. It was probably the most uncomfortable and best car ride I’ve ever had. …gives new meaning to the word ‘jammin’!” EmiSunshine said of the experience.

Other notable folks who make an appearance in the back seat include: Alec Baldwin, Ethan Hawke, Ashton Kutcher and the Stax Music Academy Singers.

The preteen has become a sought-after song crafter for film, television and books; EmiSunshine music has been featured in various films and books. Her songs “I Am Able” and “Little Blackbird” are spotlighted in the “More Than Words” documentary (produced by Grammy Winner and Founder of the Documentary Channel, Suzanne Homes); “I Am Able” also appears in the Amazon/Barnes & Noble Bestseller “The Ables.”

For tour updates and more information on EmiSunshine, visit her website here. And, according to the website, you can wish her ‘Happy Birthday.’ EmiSunshine has just turned thirteen!

Lee and Sara Brice welcome daughter Trulee Nanette

Meanwhile, new single, ‘Boy,’ climbing charts

Congrats and best wishes to Lee Brice and his wife Sara who have just welcomed their third child, daughter Trulee Nanette Brice, on Friday, June 2, at 9 AM/Ct. For those who like to get the full ‘Baby 411,’ the healthy baby girl measured 20 inches and weighed 7 lbs., 13 oz., at birth. She was born in Nashville and joins her big brothers Ryker Mobley, 3 ½, and Takoda 8 ½.

People magazine announced the birth saying: “Lee Brice has had his ‘Boy’ fix with two sons — now he’s got his girl!” Lee – whose new single “Boy” is a tribute to his sons – and Sara found out their soon-to-be family of five would include a baby girl via a sweet reveal at the end of January. In the video shared to Lee’s Instagram account, Ryker and Takoda bit into cupcakes that featured pink centers. You can see that video here.

Lee & Sara Brice with baby Trulee. Photo: People magazine

“I’m so grateful to God for the health and blessing of Trulee in our lives,” Brice, 37, told People, sharing an exclusive photo of himself with his wife and new daughter. “And I’m so amazed by Sara. She was truly courageous through this special time, and beyond beautiful from the inside out.”

Check out the official music video for “Boy” here, and follow Lee at his website and on social media.

Wade Hayes new album “Old Country Song’

…hits outlets June 9, 2017

Wade Hayes is one tough and determined guy. And he knows a lot about facing adversity, overcoming it and moving on. In December 2011, he was diagnosed with advanced colorectal cancer. Successful surgery and chemotherapy removed the cancer. A year later, Wade was devastated to learn the cancer had returned. He received additional treatments, and today he has no evidence of disease. The brush with death gave him a new outlook on life and motivated him to write and record a moving collection of songs called ‘Go Live Your Life.’

As someone who has had my own share of dealing with cancer, I can empathize with Wade and his attitude of not letting a major roadblock keep him from moving on with his life and the career he loves.

He has had a long career with no sign of letting up. I well remember seeing Wade playing guitar for country artist Johnny Lee in the early 90s. I also wrote a story about Wade in Texas Country Music magazine in the 1990s.

Traditional music roots

And now Wade is back with a new album, OLD COUNTRY SONG (conabar records), due out June 9, 2017. He’s never tried to hide his traditional music roots and the new project has him going full-on old school.

“I grew up listening to Haggard, Waylon and Willie – classic country artists – and they’ve all had a huge influence on my writing and my music,” said Hayes. “I wanted to make a record that honored them, and I’m really proud of what we came up with.”

Wade wrote or co-wrote four of the 11 tracks. He partnered with Clint Ingersoll and Mark Collie on two of the cuts. Roger Springer wrote the title cut, Jon Randall and Jessi Alexander contributed “What You Need From Me,” and Chris Stapleton penned “We Needed The Rain.” Springer also wrote “All I Know” with Tim Menzies for the album, and Wade’s first producer, Don Cook, wrote the Conway Twitty hit “Julia” with John Jarvis. The Merle Haggard/Dean Holloway tune, “Going Where the Lonely Go,” rounds out the album.

Wade Hayes at CMA Music Fest

If you’re planning on being at this year’s CMA Music Festival, you’ll have several chances to catch up with Wade. He’ll be at Storme Warren’s Nashville Navy Party at Famous Saloon, 110 2nd Avenue South, on Tuesday, June 6. His Wade Hayes Friends’ Fest is set for Wednesday, June 7, 1:30-4:30pm at the Hermitage House Smorgasbord. He will perform on the Durango Music Spot Stage inside XFINITY Fan Fair X in the Music City Center on Thursday, June 8 at 2:35pm. That evening, he will perform at Alley Taps Gin Mill in Printers Alley. Wade will be on the road through the summer performing from Texas to Michigan and from Arizona to Florida, and details on all performances can be found at www.wadehayes.com.

The past two years, Wade has organized the star-studded Country Hits Back Concert to benefit the Vanderbilt Ingram Cancer Center to help find a cure for colorectal cancer. This year’s extravaganza included performances by supergroup Alabama lead singer Randy Owen and Tracy Lawrence.

If you are a songwriter or an artist and your career seems to hit one roadblock after another, keep Wade Hayes in mind. He could have viewed that terrifying diagnosis as a sign that he needed to quit music and give up on his ambitions. Life will always throw you curve balls. Face the problems head on, fix what you can, ignore what you can’t and keep on going!

Follow Wade at www.WadeHayes.com and on Facebook at /officialwadehayes and twitter at /wadehayes1

‘Inside Track on Music Row’ now posted

Monthly column in NMG has run for more than 25 years

For more than a quarter of a century [!] I’ve written “Inside Track on Music Row,” a monthly column that runs in Nashville Music Guide and on websites around the world. The special CMA MusicFest print edition of NMG will be available in a few days. Visit NMG’s website here. You can also catch the full column at my other website, www.iknowcountry.com, and maybe buy a copy of my country music trivia Q&A book, “I Know Country.” Here’s a teaser of some of the items in the June 2017 column.

Morgan Evans [left] with WMN’s John Esposito

INDUSTRY NEWS: WMN CEO John Esposito was happily smiling for a photo opp recently. They have signed Singer/songwriter Morgan Evans to Warner Music Nashville. Evans has a power team around him. Morgan is managed by Fitzgerald Hartley in Nashville and Rob Potts Entertainment Edge in Australia. He’s currently in the studio working on new music with songwriter/producer Chris DeStefano. Find Morgan Evans’ Facebook page here.

Maren Morris receives ‘Breakthrough’ Award from Jim Donio

MUSIC BIZ 2017 AWARD NEWS: Maren Morris and Lukas Graham were the two recipients of the Breakthrough Artist of the Year Award at Music Biz 2017, presented by the Music Biz Association (formerly known as NARM), during their 4-day seminar in Nashville, May 15-18. Reba McEntire received the Chairman’s Award; the Artist of the Year Award went to Adele; Paula Abdul won the Harry Chapin Memorial Humanitarian Award; Terry Cutler of Music Millennium received the Independent Spirit Award; and the Presidential Award went to Mike Dungan of UMG Nashville. Awards were presented by Music Biz chief Jim Donio.

MUSIC BIZ 2017 NEWS: Bart Herbison Executive Director of the Nashville Songwriters Association said it best: “Music Biz 2017 is one the top Music Conferences around the globe.” Around 1,500 music pros attended the event that annually brings together the influential decision makers from the world of music. More at musicbiz.org

Miranda to host march for shelter pets, June 8

MUTT NATION NEWS: Over the top animal lover and activist Miranda Lambert will host the inaugural MuttNation March June 8, where Lambert and her rescue dogs will walk from Nissan Stadium, over the Nashville Pedestrian Bridge, and end in downtown Nashville. “So many shelter pets need a home, so we are going to march to raise awareness,” says Lambert. “Country music has the best fans in the world and together we can help so many animals find amazing homes.” Fans and their mutts are encouraged to join the walk. Details and registration info here. Additional related events include the MuttNation Foundation Adoption Drive inside CMA Fan Fair X and the MuttNation Shelter Day Sweepstakes, which gives one winner and a guest the chance to win a day with Lambert making over an animal shelter in need.

Read the entire June 2017 column at http://www.nashvillemusicguide.com and www.iknowcountry.com

Amanda Williams’ groundbreaking show at unique venue

‘A Story of Love’ unique monthly concert series

Amanda Colleen Williams, a Grammy-nominated song co-writer and a dear friend of mine, has overcome extraordinary hurdles after her breast cancer diagnosis in 2015. Now cancer free, she is emerging with a new Nashville music venue, named 7695, and a groundbreaking concert series.

‘A Story of Love’ is a one woman show performed monthly at the 7695 venue. Shows are typically the last Saturday of the month, and the next showcase is scheduled for May 27th at 7695 River Road Pike in Nashville. Gates open at 5 p.m. and the concert begins promptly at 7PM. Parking is free with attendants on site. Tickets, $20.00 each, can be purchased in advance here. Continue reading “Amanda Williams’ groundbreaking show at unique venue”

Kentucky Headhunters set U.K. Tour in Fall 2017

‘Southern rock royalty’ crossing the pond

The Kentucky Headhunters. Photo credit: Joe McNally

My good friends and FFA buds, the Kentucky Headhunters are gearing up to take their rowdy, high-energy live show across the pond, as they return to the U.K. for a string of performances this fall. If any of my British friends are reading this, take it from me: don’t miss the opportunity to see these guys who put on a great rockin’ show. Supporting the American band will be U.K. rockers Bad Touch, who will join the Headhunters on all 8 shows this October.

“We first met Bad Touch when they were chosen as our support act after my son John Fred Young’s band, Black Stone Cherry, convinced us to do our first-ever U.K. tour in 2016. In a mere week of touring, the Headhunter’s and Bad Touch became like a band of brothers,” said Richard Young of The Kentucky Headhunters. “There is a certain charm and charisma between the two bands that transcends to the fans of both bands, on stage and off. We’re proud to announce their return for this year’s October U.K. dates. Simply put, it wouldn’t be the same without them.”

On Safari

The Kentucky Headhunters have been crisscrossing North America fresh off the 2016 release of On Safari, the band’s 12th studio album. A Plowboy Records/Practice House Records joint venture, the album combines southern rock, blues, Americana and country sounds sure to captivate audiences overseas. Click here to purchase On Safari.

Hear the Headhunters on the Heartland Network

The week of May 29, tune into The Heartland Network as members of the band look back on some of their most stand-out career memories. The half-hour interview show airs all week on various affiliates, check local listings here.

The Headhunters have a packed tour schedule in the USA before heading to England. Check out the current tour schedule at their official website www.kentuckyheadhunters.com and on Facebook and Twitter.

Inside Track on Music Row, May 2017

Entire May column now posted

My column, Inside Track on Music Row, is the longest-running country music column in America. It appears in Nashville Music Guide and on websites around the world.

Here’s a brief teaser of the May 2017 edition. You can read the full column here. And while you’re there, you can read about my book “I Know Country!” with 366 day-by-day country music Q&As.

ALBUM NEWS: Lady Antebellum has revealed the cover art and track listing behind their sixth studio album HEART BREAK (Capitol Records Nashville), out June 9th. Dave Haywood, Charles Kelley and Hillary Scott had a new mission — setting aside time to put themselves in new surroundings, and concentrate on writing and exploring musical endeavors with no distractions. They rented a house in Florida, living and working under the same roof, and when the creative process proved successful, the trio set up a second retreat in southern California. Pre-orders are available now at ladyantebellum.com. The trio had a hand in writing eleven songs on HEART BREAK. “This record is really our story,” said Kelley. “They have a universal feel to them, but there’s a lot of our personal stories here.”

AMERICANA MUSIC NEWS: Chris Stapleton’s sophomore album FROM A ROOM: VOLUME 1 is set for national release May 5, but the album’s first single is already at country radio. Titled “Broken Halos,” it is a co-write by Stapleton and former SteelDrivers bandmate Mike Henderson. Stapleton told Rolling Stone that, although he has written more songs with Henderson than with anyone else, none of their co-writes appeared on Stapleton’s Grammy-winning album, Traveller. “Broken Halos” has a redemptive message even if some angels have fallen. A second set, appropriately titled FROM A ROOM: VOLUME 2, is scheduled for release later this year. Stapleton is currently on his All-American Road Show Tour. Album pre-orders and tour dates at chrisstapleton.com

BENEFIT NEWS: Darius Rucker’s eighth annual “Darius and Friends” benefit concert, sponsored by State Water Heaters, will take place Monday, June 5 and will be held for the first time at the historic Ryman Auditorium in Nashville. The event, which leads into CMA Music Festival week, has received an overwhelming response in past years, with sellouts year-after-year and more than $800,000 raised for St. Jude’ Children’s Research Hospital. The lineup for this year’s event will be announced in the coming weeks. “This concert is a real highlight for me every year,” Rucker said. “And I couldn’t do it without the support of my friends who turn out to perform, tell stories and make this a memorable night for the fans, who are here from around the world.” Tickets for “Darius and Friends” are now available via Ticketmaster.

Read the full column at my blog page at www.iknowcountry.com

Dolly Parton surprises families with $5,000 checks

Dollywood Foundation pledges at least $3 million from My People Fund to the Mountain Tough Recovery Team

There’s no question about it: Dolly Parton’s heart is in the right place. She – and her Foundation – have always been among the first to respond when ‘her’ people are in need. When the devastating wildfires tore through the part of East Tennessee that Dolly calls home, she wasted no time in making much-needed funds available to the families who lost so much.

A ‘nice surprise’ from Dolly

The Dollywood Foundation administered the final distribution from the My People Fund on Thursday, May 4, with recipients noticing an extra surprise when they received the check.

Thanks to fundraising efforts, Dollywood Foundation officials were able to provide a $5,000 check to each family as they work to recover from the Smoky Mountain wildfires which occurred last November. Beginning last December, the My People Fund provided $1,000 each month to Sevier County families whose primary residences were completely destroyed due to the fires. Continue reading “Dolly Parton surprises families with $5,000 checks”