Inside Track in Music Row Archives - Page 28 of 48

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

For Dustin Collins, ‘It’s Been Awhile’

New album follows Number One hit

Music is a way of life for Dustin Collins. Growing up in a family where music was always present, it was a natural progression for Dustin to focus on a musical career. His music-savvy parents weren’t quite so sure, but, as he told me during our interview, he knew he had to be involved some way with music for the rest of his life.

Coming off a Number One hit, this Kentucky boy is back with a new album, due out in August. IT’S BEEN AWHILE was produced and mixed by Bill McDermott and mastered by Noah Gordon. Dustin invests much of his time touring throughout the Midwest and his home state of Kentucky, including a slot on Aaron Watson’s Vaquero Tour, as well as opening for Chris Janson, Granger Smith, Kane Brown, The Kentucky Headhunters and many more.

He took time away from a hectic tour schedule to sit down with me and talk about his music. Knowing he shares my love for Kentucky basketball, the first thing I asked him was, “Does your blood run Kentucky blue?” With a wide grin, he replied, “You betcha life it does!” I knew it was going to be a great interview!

This is one of a series of interviews with emerging artists in which I ask about their creative process and approach to the music industry.

Touring Road Warrior

Preshias Harris: You are quite a road warrior. You’ve driven hundreds of thousands of miles playing everything from honky tonks to fairs and festivals. What are the pros and cons of touring like that?

Dustin Collins: Money! [laughs] That’s the ‘pro.’ And the ‘con!’ The pro is, you make enough money to stay on the road. The con is, you don’t make enough money to pay your car insurance. It is what it is. But I love it. I’d rather be on the road. I sleep better in my bunk than I do in my bed. I love getting out to meet new people, to see new people, play my songs for people who never heard of ‘em. It’s what I’ve always wanted to do, so I love being out there. So anytime we get a chance to take a road trip, all my guys are the same. They’re like, “Let’s Go!” By week two, they’re like, “Let’s go back home!”

PH: ‘Cold Dead Hands’ was your first Number One. Can you remember where you were when you heard the news? Continue reading “For Dustin Collins, ‘It’s Been Awhile’”

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”

How to build community with YouTube

Official Artist Channels ‘pull it all together’

YouTube wants artists and musicians to build a home on their platform. And they’re telling you how to do it.

YouTube made a concerted effort to reach music creators with PowerPoint presentations at both Music Biz 2018 and Summer NAMM in recent weeks. The company is aware that both music creators and music listeners/viewers are increasingly seeing YouTube as a go-to music platform. In the presentation titled ‘Creating a Home for Music on YouTube,’ the company showed how artists and songwriters can effectively showcase their work and connect and engage with fans.

Benefits of your own Official Artist Channel

The key, according to YouTube’s Nathan Sheppard*, is building and maintaining your Official Artist Channel (OAC). Most music creators probably have some kind of presence on YouTube, perhaps even their own channel. But YouTube believes that your OAC can be your prime marketing tool – if you take advantage of all its possibilities.

Among the benefits of a fully-functioning OAC:

‘Direct to Fan’ features: Your OAC unites your full body of work under one banner. Your fans and followers now have a single place to subscribe.
Attribution: Visitors will see a music note icon next your name (or your OAC name) so they know everything posted here comes officially from you.
Search optimization: When visitors search for any of your output on YouTube, your OAC shows up at the top.

The parts of an OAC

As Nathan pointed out, an OAC isn’t a new channel. It is a new layout that can be used on any channel that is owned and operated by you the artist, your management or your record label. He showed the ‘parts’ of an OAC: Continue reading “How to build community with YouTube”

Patrick Darrah’s music tells a ‘Northern Truth’

The story behind ‘I Never Got Over You’

Small towns seem to breed great country singers, and those small towns aren’t always located in America’s southern states. Patrick Darrah grew up in the small rural town of Bloomingdale, NY, where he joined his father’s auto body shop when he left school. He looked set to carry on the tradition as the fourth generation technician in the family business.

But music was calling. Earning a college degree in music production and audio engineering, he moved on, first to New York City and then further afield. He is now settled in Nashville to focus on his career as a singer and songwriter.

His new album, NORTHERN TRUTH, dropped a few weeks ago and the lead-off single from the album, ‘I Never Got Over You,’ is now at country radio. We met during CMA Fest 2018 to talk about his music.

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.

From Punk to Country

Prehias Harris: What was the music you listened to, growing up in Bloomingdale, New York?

Patrick Darrah: A wide, wide variety. My dad was born in the 1950s so I heard all that 60s and 70s rock and roll; Roy Orbison, Temptations, all that kind of stuff. He was in a band so I heard him practicing. And my mother’s interest was country and things like the Allman Brothers, Marshall Tucker, Asleep At The Wheel… all those good quality, full bands that made some of the greatest songs, I think, ever written. So all of that, but I was in a punk rock band actually, growing up, if you can believe that!

PH: I can’t see that! I’m sorry!

PD: Yeah, that tends to be a bit of a shocker when I tell people that. But, you know, going through your ‘teenage angst’ years, and all that. But everyone in the town loved country and the musicians played it, so we’d play ‘bar band’ music and punk rock music and I was playing my country music on the side. So it was a mix of everything.

PH: Who have been some of the biggest influences on your career? You’ve moved around a lot, too.

PD: I was in Pennsylvania in a little town called Richland. Oddly enough, I was going through a particularly strange but good part of my life at that time. Kind of sorting out my own personal demons, figuring out my direction musically. I don’t know it was necessarily the music around me more than the town itself and the people that were there. But playing in smaller bars there and meeting people did a lot to help shape the sound and the style of my music. Continue reading “Patrick Darrah’s music tells a ‘Northern Truth’”

The Band Steel catch Moon in a Mason Jar

Creating Country that rocks

Bo Steele and Ben Rubino are the Band Steele. They’ve been friends since they met in high school in Winston County, Alabama. After a video of Bo singing in a hospital waiting room went viral, they became celebrities appearing on local television and the nationally-syndicated Rick and Bubba radio show. They are now signed to indie label Fire River Records.

Bo and Ben are currently touring to support their new album, MOON IN A MASON JAR. ‘Good Times,’ one of the tracks on the album, is featured in the movie ‘Life on the Line’ starring John Travolta, Kate Bosworth and Sharon Stone. (Bo also secured a role in the movie!)

The Band Steele sat down to talk with me just after Fan Fest 2018. Or rather, Ben could talk, but Bo, who was suffering from strained vocal cords, was under doctor’s order to have complete vocal rest. Ben spoke for both of them while the normally talkative Bo wrote some notes that he could share with Ben and me during the interview.

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.

Playing on Broadway

Preshias Harris: Tell us what was one of the highlights of CMA Fest 2018 for you? And did you get to see any of your favorite artists?

Ben Rubino: We were too busy to see any of our favorite artists. But my highlight would be that we got to play down on Broadway at The Valentine. Just playing on Broadway, that’s what Nashville’s all about. So that was my highlight for sure.

PH: Was there any moment this year, interacting with fans, that stood out for you?

BR: So hard for me to pinpoint a moment. But the reaction from everybody, it was just amazing. I remember we were playing Alley Taps in Printers Alley and there was this table off to our left. We were jammin’ and they were just loving it! They were complete strangers and they were in that moment where I was at and it was just awesome!

PH: So the stars just lined up?

BR: Yeah, it was just a good feeling!

PH: Was this your first CMA Fest?

BR: It was our first time performingat CMA Fest.

PH: What were your main influences when you were growing up?

The influence of Lynyrd Skynyrd

Continue reading “The Band Steel catch Moon in a Mason Jar”

‘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.