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Music Modernization Act inches closer
Irish artist Mags launches ‘Strong Enough’ radio tour
Garth goes ‘Triple Live’ with free album downloads
Randy Houser launches ‘Magnolia’ tour, new album
Kenny Chesney surprises one millionth fan
Listen to Preshias on Y’All Radio
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Music Modernization Act inches closer
Some encouraging news for songwriters and publishers emerged a few days ago. The Music Modernization Act (MMA) had passed the House unopposed but appeared to hit a potential roadblock as it moved toward a Senate vote.
In May, Senator Ron Wyden (D-Ore.) introduced an alternative bill that conflicted with key parts of the MMA bill. The Recording Industry Association of America (RIAA), with the backing of Nashville Songwriters Association International (NSAI) and National Music Publishers Association (NMPA) has been negotiating with Sen. Wyden to reach a compromise. The RIAA stated that they have reached a ‘handshake’ deal with Sen. Wyden, according to an article in Billboard magazine posted August 28.
However, SiriusXM is still lobbying against the bill that would not require terrestrial radio stations to pay royalties on pre-1972 recordings. Earlier, proponents of the MMA – a bill that is seen as beneficial to songwriters and music publishers – overcame objections to the bill lodged by Blackstone, owners of SESAC and the Harry Fox Agency.
Irish artist Mags launches ‘Strong Enough’ radio tour
Mags McCarthy
Irish-born, singer-songwriter and international recording artist, Mags recently celebrated her debut at country radio here in the USA with the original tune ‘Strong Enough.’ Last week, Mags kicked off the first leg of her radio promotion tour making her way through the Midwest visiting radio stations in Illinois, Iowa and Wisconsin. Continue reading “Music Row One Sheet October 1, 2018”
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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
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Larry Gatlin wants his stolen GRAMMY® back
Larry Gatlin
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”
Garth Brooks will likely remember Saturday, December 9, 2017 for a number of reasons. When he and wife Trisha Yearwood picked up their mics at the afternoon press conference, he told us it was something of a homecoming for them: the first time they had played Nashville since the fundraiser following the ‘great Nashville flood’ of 2010.
Garth Brooks, Trisha Yearwood at press conference. Photo: Preshias Harris
As Trisha said, after three years on the road, it was pleasant to realize they didn’t have to pack a suitcase. After each of their Nashville shows, they could simply drive to their home in Goodlettsville. Garth smiled at said, “Welcome to the end of the journey.”
December 9 also marked the official announcement that Garth’s latest single, ‘Ask Me How I Know,’ reached Number One on Billboard’s Country Airplay chart. It was his first Number One since 2007’s ‘More Than A Memory.’ To add poignancy, December 9, 1989, was the date that Garth reached the Number One spot for the first time with ‘If Tomorrow Never Comes.’
Oh, and Saturday was the eve of Garth and Trisha’s wedding anniversary: they were married December 10, 2005. A memorable weekend in so many ways.
Garth’s pre-show celebration
Garth Brooks on stage at Bridgestone Arena. Photo: Preshias Harris
At a backstage party prior to Saturday’s show at Bridgestone Arena, Garth and Trisha celebrated their return to Nashville following an incredible tour that shattered every record for attendance and ticket revenue. Awards were presented to Garth, one after another, marking so many milestones in a unique career. Among his astonishing achievements: he is the best-selling solo artist in the United States with over 148 million domestic units sold, and over 160 million records sold worldwide.
He is also the only artist to have released seven albums that reached diamond status, according to RIAA. (This is an even greater achievement when you remember that he took a hiatus from recording between 2001 and 2009 to focus more fully on being with his family.)
At the pre-show party, it was also announced that Garth also tops the Nielsen BookScan chart with the Number One non-fiction book, ‘The Anthology, Part One: The First Five Years.’
Mitch Rossell at the Bridgestone. Photo: Mike Harris
And then it was showtime. A packed Bridgestone Arena was treated to a superb show that opened with a solo set from singer/songwriter Mitch Rossell who wrote Garth’s current chart-topper, ‘Ask Me How I Know.’ That song is Rossell’s first commercially released cut as a songwriter, making it a memorable night for him, too. Rossell was followed by a set by Karyn Rochelle, a fine songwriter who co-penned ‘Red High Heels’ with Kelly Pickler.
Two+ hours of high energy
Garth at Bridgestone Arena. Photo: Preshias Harris
When Garth finally hit the stage, the sold-out crowd erupted as he roared into ‘Let’s Lay Down and Dance,’ the beginning of more than two hours of faultless high energy. Garth is a master of handling a crowd. At one point, without saying or singing a word, he virtually ‘conducted’ the audience like a mime. For several minutes, he urged different sections of the crowd to compete in the volume of the noise they could produce, building to a deafening crescendo.
As he had pointed out at the press conference, he understands an audience’s desire to hear the familiar hits and he knows how to finesse the performance of lesser-known or current material into his set. He didn’t disappoint, performing a string of crowd favorites, including ‘The Thunder Roars,’ ‘Rodeo,’ ‘If Tomorrow Never Comes,’ and many more. Trisha joined him onstage with some of her own hits including ‘She’s In Love With the Boy’ and ‘Memphis.’
With all the records that Garth has already broken, he isn’t done yet. Although the current World Tour is finally coming to an end, there’s no end in sight to his unique and remarkable career, as much a tribute to his mastery of marketing as to his amazing musical talent. There’s more to come.
photo: facebook.com/mitchrossellofficial
Footnote:Mitch Rossell, who opened for Garth and also wrote the current Number One, may be finding his first taste of chart success as a writer, but he is no newcomer to the music business. As he told the audience during his set, he’d been playing music and writing songs as long as he could remember. He’d been in Nashville for about five years, determined to make music his career. He looked around the packed arena and said that before these tour dates with Garth, “I was playing Tootsie’s bar at the Nashville Airport.” Aspiring artists and songwriters need to remind themselves that ‘Nashville is a five-year town’ – or maybe a ten-year town for some. Patience and perseverance win out in the end.
Garth Brooks is undeniably one of the most enduring artists in Country music with a career that continues to set and break records.
This week, he is once again celebrating a chart-topper as his poignant ballad, “Ask Me How I Know,” hits Number One, landing the top spot on Billboard and Country Aircheck/Mediabase Country Airplay charts. The track is Brooks’ 20th No. One and the first songwriting cut by newcomer Mitch Rossell. The feat also marks a full-circle moment for Brooks, as this week is the 28th anniversary of his first No. One with “If Tomorrow Never Comes,” which summited the charts on Dec. 9, 1989.
First cut for Mitch Rossell
Brooks expressed his congratulations to the team at his record label and to songwriter Rossel. “I’m so proud of the Pearl Records team for working so hard for this No. One,” said Brooks. “Congrats to Mitch Rossell on his first cut…so happy for you, pal! And to country radio…four decades later, thanks for still believing. I’m humbled and very grateful.”
Brooks is on the final run of the Garth Brooks World Tour with Trisha Yearwood this week. He starts a seven-show run at Nashville’s Bridgestone Arena on December 9 to mark the end of the tour. (Personal note: I will be in the audience for the Saturday show, December 9th!) In a little over three years, the tour has sold over 6.4 million tickets, making it the biggest North American tour in history and the biggest American tour in the world. For tickets, click here.
Six-time CMA Entertainer of the Year
Garth Brooks just won Entertainer of the Year at the CMA Awards for a sixth time, a first for any artist. He is also the first artist in history to receive 7 Diamond awards for the now seven albums certified by the RIAA at over 10 million album sales each and remains the #1-selling solo artist in U.S. history certified by the RIAA with over 148 million album sales. He has received every accolade the recording industry can bestow on an artist.
Brooks has been inducted into the International Songwriters Hall of Fame in New York, the Nashville Songwriters Hall of Fame, Country Music Hall of Fame and most recently, the Musicians Hall of Fame. He has also launched Inside Studio G, a weekly Facebook Live series. It airs every Monday on Garth’s Facebook page at 7:00 PM EST. You can follow him at: https://www.facebook.com/GarthBrooks, https://twitter.com/garthbrooks and http://instagram.com/garthbrooks.
Hall of Famer Gary Burr’s advice to rising songwriters
“You have to go to work every day. You just have to go to work. I went to the office every morning, I went to the office every afternoon. If I had something good, it wasn’t going to be good enough ‘til I went over it with a fine-tooth comb several times. You just work hard. The ones [songwriters] who are making it today are just working really, really hard.”
Gary Burr. Photo: Nashville Songwriters Hall of Fame
Those words came from Gary Burr, a member of the Nashville Songwriters Hall of Fame during an interview on the Public Television show, The Songwriters, produced the Nashville Songwriters Hall of Fame in conjunction with Middle Tennessee State University. MTSU professor Robert Gordon Jr. directs the episodes, which are filmed by students from the school’s College of Media and Entertainment. Ken Paulson, Dean of MTSU’s College of Media and Entertainment, hosts the new show and interviewed Burr during a recently televised episode.
Songs for Garth, Ringo, Skynyrd and more
Gary Burr backstage with Ringo Starr. Photo: Mark Mirando
Burr has been honored with Songwriter of the Year Awards from Billboard Magazine and ASCAP in addition to the Hall of Fame recognition. In a 40+ year career, he has written or co-written literally hundreds of songs that have been cut by major artists including Garth Brooks, Collin Raye, Kenny Rogers, Randy Travis, Tim McGraw, Lynyrd Skynyrd, Ringo Starr and more. Many of those cuts are also Number One hits. Take a look at the Discography at his website.
In his interview with Paulson, he emphasized that there’s no ‘trick’ to songwriting. As with any other creative enterprise, it takes a commitment to working at it every day, just like a ‘regular’ job because it is your job. You can’t wait for inspiration, said Burr. You simply sit down, either alone or with your co-writer and start work. That’s where hits are born.
‘The Songwriters’ currently airs in Nashville on WNPT Channel 8 on Saturday evenings. Check local TV schedules for air dates and times in other areas.
‘Downtown Jam’ added to Nov 12 Bridgestone Arena show
Although the original Bridgestone Arena show sold out fast, a SECOND show has been added. Country Rising: Downtown Jam will take place at Nashville’s Ascend Amphitheater, Nov 12. Tickets are on sale now but going fast at ticketnaster.com.
The Downtown Jam will be hosted by Storme Warren, with performances by Bobby Bones & The Raging Idiots, Bailey Bryan, Lindsay Ell, Chris Janson, Jon Pardi, Eric Paslay, Carly Pearce and Drake White, with more artists to be announced.
Aldean, Dierks, Garth, Lady A and more
As for the ‘sold out’ event at Bridgestone Arena, country music’s biggest stars have rallied for COUNTRY RISING, a benefit concert to support those in Texas, Florida, Puerto Rico and additional Caribbean islands who have been impacted by the recent hurricanes. The star-studded lineup at Nashville’s Bridgestone Arena on Nov. 12 will include performances by Jason Aldean, Dierks Bentley, Garth Brooks, Sam Hunt, Lady Antebellum, Little Big Town, Martina McBride, Reba McEntire, Chris Stapleton, George Strait and Carrie Underwood. Updates at CountryRising.org.
The original Bridgestone Arena show, now sold out
The Nashville music community has also stepped on board, with AEG and Live Nation teaming up as the official show promoters working alongside organizer Red Light Management, Bridgestone Arena and the Nashville Predators. COUNTRY RISING will benefit The Country Rising Fund of The Community Foundation of Middle Tennessee, which was established to support charitable initiatives to help victims of the September 2017 hurricanes — Hurricanes Harvey, Irma, Jose and Maria. In the course of rebuilding lives disrupted by these devastating storms, there are immediate needs and there also will be long-term needs. This fund will strategically support both as they emerge.
About The Community Foundation of Middle Tennessee
The Community Foundation exists to promote and facilitate giving in the 40 counties of Middle Tennessee and beyond. It does this by accepting gifts of any size from anyone at any time and by empowering individuals, families, companies, nonprofits, and communities to respond to needs and opportunities that matter. The Community Foundation works with people who have great hearts, whether or not they have great wealth, to craft solutions that reflect their intentions and goals. For more information, call 615-321-4939 or visit www.cfmt.org.
Note: Proceeds from the show will go to support victims of the Las Vegas shooting in addition to those in Texas, Florida, Puerto Rico and additional Caribbean islands who have been impacted by the recent hurricanes.
Tracy Lawrence & Friends Mission Possible, Garth Brooks, LANCO and more
My column, ‘Inside Track on Music Row,’ is America’s longest-running monthly country music column, published monthly at Nashville Music Guide That’s where you can find the November column. It is also posted at my other website, I Know Country. Meanwhile, here’s a taste of a few items from the column…
Get ready for Tracy Lawrence’s turkey fry concert
After raising more than $135,000.00 with the music event last year, Tracy Lawrence is back with his 3rd Annual Tracy Lawrence & Friends Mission: Possible Turkey Fry Concert on November 21st at the Wildhorse Saloon, with doors opening at 6pm, following his 12th Annual Turkey Fry, all benefiting Nashville Rescue Mission. Scheduled to appear: Luke Combs, Clay Cormier, Ben Gallaher, Halfway to Hazard, William Michael Morgan, Jamie O’Neal and host/headliner, Tracy Lawrence. Ticket & show info at turkeyfry.org. Lawrence is gearing up for the release of his new album GOOD OLE DAYS on November 10th featuring collaborations with Jason Aldean, Brad Arnold, Big & Rich, Luke Bryan, Luke Combs, Easton Corbin, Craig Morgan, Dustin Lynch, Tim McGraw, Justin Moore, Kellie Pickler and Chris Young. Music and tour info at tracylawrence.com.
Garth Brooks launches book & CDs anthology
‘The Anthology from Garth Brooks Part 1: The First Five Years’ is now available for pre-order. Garth has launched a new website for the book: anthology.garthbrooks.com. The Anthology can also be pre-ordered at amazon.com. Promising to be a massive 5-part anthology, Part 1 is a detailed look at the first 5 years of his career. It is told by Garth himself and those involved with the creating, recording, and promotion of the first five albums. Not only that but Garth has packaged 5 CDs inside the first book he has ever written. The 5 CDs contain music that has never been heard, songs written long before the debut album, outtakes, first takes, demos, over 150 never before seen photos, sessions charts, tracking sheets, all in a 240 page hardcover complete package written by Garth Brooks. It will be on sale November 14. Follow Garth at facebook.com/GarthBrooks and on Twitter and Instagram.
Solo-writer hit for LANCO’s Brandon Lancaster
LANCO
Songwriter/lead singer Brandon Lancaster of Sony Music Nashville’s breakout band LANCO is earning his stripes in Music City songwriter circles as the sole lyricist behind the band’s hit, “Greatest Love Story.” It has been 10 years since a country artist/writer has penned a chart topping hit alone. A look back in time to the early 2000’s reveals that the last artists able to make that claim are Taylor Swift (“Our Song”), Zac Brown (“Free”) and Jennifer Nettles’ (“Stay”). That success has propelled Lancaster to the No. One spot on the Top 60 Country Songwriters Chart this week, based on streams, sales and airplay. “I wrote a song alone in my bedroom one night about the girl I wanted to marry, and then she actually said yes,” said Lancaster. “Now our story is resonating with people all over the country… it all feels too good to be true.” More information on LANCO and upcoming Fall tour dates, visit LANCOMusic.com.
Plus … news about Jason Aldean’s ‘Won’t Back Down’ Las Vegas fundraiser, Billy Burnette’s book and CD, Mark Chesnutt’s Trailblazer Award, Kip Moore, David Lee Murphy, the Bluebird Café documentary and more.
Read the complete column at www.nashvillemusicguide.com or find the latest column and an archive of many previous columns at www.iknowcountry.com and check out my music Q&A book, “I Know Country!”
Garth at SiriusXM’s studio at the Bridgestone Arena
Garth Brooks took a short break from his three year “Garth Brooks World Tour with Trisha Yearwood” to launch his new channel on SiriusXM Satellite Radio. He kicked it off with a press conference September 8, at Sirius XM’s studios at Bridgestone Arena on Broadway in Nashville, in front of an ‘invitation only’ group of print and broadcast media, before performing a concert at the Ryman Auditorium.
Garth started out by saying, “I got to step inside the [Ryman] yesterday. That’s a cool place, man. Feels good. Don’t know if I deserve to be there but it treated me like welcome. It welcomed the band and everybody. I hope it knows its heart and soul, because you might have said it in front of as big a country fan [as me], but you’ll never say it in front of a bigger one.”
He went on to describe how it would feel, walking on to that historic stage with his guitar for his first ever concert at the Ryman. It’s amazing to think this was to be a ‘first’ for Garth.
“The only time I got to stand on the Ryman stage was at Loretta Lynn’s Lifetime Achievement Presentation and I had to stand in for Conway on “Cold As Ashes,” said Garth.
Representing ‘those who’ve been before’
I asked Garth to compare the difference between two milestones in his career, playing Central Park and playing at the Ryman. Garth said, “Probably feeling the same good anxiety, good fear, all those good things. Central Park was cool for its size and stuff. I wanted to represent Country music, I wanted to represent the flag of Country music, your family and God the best you can. Everybody is in their seats. Tonight you think about, this ain’t a million people, there has been about a hundred names that played that house that – you – want – to – represent…” (He slows he speech down with emotion as he finished the sentence.)
He continued, “To represent those people who have been there before. The biggest thing between this and Central Park is just that the Central Park show was representing Country music as it was. Here [Ryman], I think we’re trying to represent Country as it is, as it was and of course – as always like a family moving together – hopefully for the future of it.”
Like a homecoming
All throughout the press conference he would turn every few minutes and look out the window at the Ryman Auditorium with evident emotion in his voice and his eyes welling up, referring to the Ryman as “The House”. This seemed almost like a homecoming, just to listen to his sincerity and honestly as he spoke his thoughts and heartfelt emotions.
He was asked what song he was going to start the concert with and he said that he couldn’t even tell us what song he was going to start off with or end with, and assured those present that he was being totally upfront with the media.
Garth fields questions at the SiriusXM press briefing
Immediately following the press briefing, Garth crossed the street to Nashville’s historic Ryman Auditorium for a soundcheck preceding his performance at the special concert in front of invited guests. The concert aired live on the Garth Channel, SiriusXM channel 55 and via SiriusXM apps on smartphones and other connected devices.
His appearance marked the first time in Garth’s career that he has put on a full concert at the Ryman Auditorium, known as “The Mother Church of Country Music.”
Additionally, Garth recently launched Inside Studio G, a weekly Facebook Live series that will give fans a behind-the-scenes look at the making of his next album. It airs every Monday on Garth’s Facebook page at 7:00 PM EDT.
The final leg of his and Trisha’s North American Tour resumes on Monday, September 12.
My monthly column, ‘Inside Track on Music Row,’ is published in magazines and on websites worldwide. To read archived columns, go to www.iknowcountry.com and click on the ‘Blog’ link. You can also find out about my new e-book, “I Know Country!” – a collection of 366 country music Q&As – and follow a link to where you can buy your own copy.
Send me music stuff, I love to get it! / Preshiaswriter@hotmail.com TN/USA. Google “Preshias”
VERSE OF THE MONTH
“When I am afraid, in you I place my trust.” – Psalm 56:4
ALBUM NEWS
New album from John McEuen
John McEuen, the Grammy-award winning producer, songwriter and musician, has announced his plans to release his sixth solo album titled MADE IN BROOKLYN (Chesky Records). The 16-track collection was created in similar fashion to the landmark ‘Will the Circle Be Unbroken’ that McEuen initiated in 1971. The new album is scheduled for a September 30, 2016 release. McEuen convened an exceptional group of musicians, all of whom have been instrumental in molding American Music in their own right, for a project produced to give the listener an “in-studio experience.” The album is part of Chesky’s Binaural + Series: the live performances were captured in high-resolution (24-bit/192kHz) with the single “Dummy Head” microphone system. The dummy head’s ear microphones are specially calibrated to recreate the spatial characteristics of human hearing to offer a spacious, lush and multi-dimensional listening experience. More at chesky.com
ARTIST NEWS
Without a doubt, Dolly Parton continues to be one of the most aggressive artists in music when it comes to marketing themselves, and the Country Music Hall of Fame member continues that trend with the upcoming August 19 release of her new disc Pure & Simple – with four different pre-order bundles to help promote the album. The bundles range from the Standard Bundle ($40) to the Commemorative Bundle ($400). Fans can go to shop.dollyparton.com for more information regarding the bundles. In other Dolly news, the entertainment icon has just released the title track lyric video, which can be viewed at dollyparton.com.
BLUEGRASS NEWS
Ronnie Reno, host of ‘Reno’s Old Time Music’
Many of the top nominees for the 2016 IBMA awards are among the featured guests on “Reno’s Old Time Music” show throughout the month of August. This year’s Entertainer and Vocal Group of the Year nominee, Balsam Range will kick off the month with a “Reno’s Old Time Music” full-performance show, followed by the “Queen of Bluegrass” and Female Vocalist of the Year nominee, Rhonda Vincent. Rhonda returns as to guest co-host the “best-of” series, “Hats Off to Bluegrass,” as does Sierra Hull, who is poised to be the to take home Album of the Year and Mandolin Player of the Year honors. To fill out the month, “Reno’s Old Time Music” has compiled all of the fan-favorite performances from its popular “Front Porch Gospel” series. For a full schedule and show times visit ronniereno.com.
BOOK NEWS
Singer, songwriter, author Jimmy Wayne
Jimmy Wayne’s three-time New York Times best-selling book, Walk to Beautiful, has celebrated a milestone as it crossed the 100,000 sales mark for print copies. Jimmy’s memoir, released in October of 2014, has not only captivated readers, it has inspired positive change in the foster care system and compelled individuals to get involved in helping at risk foster kids. “I wrote Walk To Beautiful with best-selling author Ken Abraham after walking from Nashville to Phoenix to raise awareness for at-risk foster children,” says Jimmy. “When I was 16, I was given a home by Bea and Russell Costner, and I wouldn’t be here today if not for their kindness and generosity.” More at jimmywayne.com.
CD NEWS
Shooter Jennings’ new album
Shooter Jennings and BCR Los Angeles will re-release his 2010 album, Black Ribbons, in a limited-edition package that includes vinyl, cd and unreleased tracks. The reissue comes in at the perfect time for the genre-breaking, dystopian concept album… Election Day, November 8, 2016. Narrated by famed horror author Stephen King, Black Ribbons is a concept album set in the near future, when the U.S. Government has control over the airwaves, and a lone radio DJ vows to play the one band the authorities don’t want him to play. Along with the re-release, Jennings announced a limited series entitled “Beyond The Black,” which takes music lovers song by song through the story of Black Ribbons and how the concepts and theories behind the project still ring true today. Album info and tour dates at shooterjennings.com.
CD RELEASES
Kiefer Sutherland
Kiefer Sutherland’s second music video, “Can’t Stay Away,” premiered during CMT’s Hot 20 Countdown in late July. The track is the latest release from Sutherland’s debut album Down In A Hole, which will be released August 19 by Warner Music Nashville/Ironworks Music. Down In A Hole will be available for pre-order August 5. Sutherland, who co-wrote every song on the upcoming 11-track album with producer Jude Cole just wrapped up a North American tour that included sold-out dates across the U.S. and Canada. Updates at kiefersutherland.com.
CMT NEWS
Michael Tyler’s debut single
Reviver Records recording artist Michael Tyler is providing a glimpse of his Missouri roots in a CMT premiere of his debut single “CRAZY LAST NIGHT,” available now through digital retailers. The song was recently selected as one of Billboard’s Country Songs of the Summer Picks and is currently playing on country radio. Tyler, already a No. 1 songwriter, co-penned Dierks Bentley’s two-week No. 1 smash “Somewhere on a Beach” as well as cuts by Jason Aldean and LOCASH and the Aldean/Kelsea Ballerini duet “First Time Again.” See the video and check out tour dates at themichaeltyler.com.
CMH of FAME NEWS
Charlie Daniels
The Country Music Hall of Fame® and Museum will examine the life and career of 2016 Country Music Hall of Fame inductee Charlie Daniels in the exhibition Charlie Daniels: Million Mile Reflections, opening Sept. 23, 2016, and running through March 2017. Featuring musical instruments, stage wear, manuscripts, awards, childhood mementos and previously unpublished photographs from Daniels’ personal collection, the exhibit will describe his significant impact on American entertainment and explore the new musical style and image he brought to country music. Daniels moved to Nashville in 1967 at the urging of Columbia Records producer Bob Johnston, who hired him to play on albums by Bob Dylan, Leonard Cohen and Marty Robbins. See countrymusichalloffame.org.
DUO NEWS
Dailey & Vincent
Fans of American music superstars Dailey & Vincent will get an up-close and personal experience as the award-winning duo hits the road throughout 2016 with a jam-packed tour schedule which includes stops throughout North America. Fans will get the opportunity to meet the multi Grammy-nominated group during autograph sessions at venues and festivals. The Springer Mountain Farms sponsored tour kicked off earlier this year, with additional stops recently added. The dynamic duo will also host additional episodes of their hit music-driven television show, “The Dailey & Vincent Show.” The 30-minute program appears weekly on RFD-TV, which is available in 63 million households across all 50 states. For update tour dates and TV show info, go to daileyandvincent.com.
DVD NEWS & RELEASES
Brian Wilson & Friends: ‘Live’ DVD & CD
Music legend Brian Wilson and BMG, in collaboration with the groundbreaking television series “Soundstage” (PBS) have released Brian Wilson and Friends, a new live CD/DVD set and Blu-ray. Filmed live at the Venetian Theatre in Las Vegas on December 12, 2014, the 19-track CD and 26-track DVD/Blu-ray editions feature many of the top hits and fan favorites spanning Wilson’s 54-year career with The Beach Boys and as a solo artist. Brian Wilson & Friends originally aired on PBS nationwide throughout 2015. Details and track listing at BrianWilson.com.
INDIE NEWS
Kenny & Amanda Smith
Kenny and Amanda Smith have released the first single, “You Know That I Would,” from their forthcoming album, Unbound. The CD, the 7th release from the Smiths and their band, is set for release on September 23, 2016, and is available for pre-order now. Unbound features 13 remarkable cuts from some of today’s most prolific writers, including Ed Williams, Ronnie Bowman, Dennis K. Duff, Roger Helton, Barry Bales, Lisa Shaffer, Elli Rowe, Jason Burleson, Tim Stafford, Thomm Jutz, Kylie Sackley, Lacy Green, and Craig Market. The collection is described as “a warm and winning musical journey.” Kenny is a two-time IBMA Guitarist of the Year award winner, and Amanda won the 2014 IBMA Female Vocalist of the Year Award. More at kenny-amandasmith.com
INDUSTRY NEWS
Singer-songwriter Kelsey Waters
Little Extra Music singer/songwriter Kelsey Waters has signed with booking powerhouse William Morris Endeavor Entertainment (WME) for representation. Raised in the 30-A region of the Florida panhandle, Kelsey was playing bars before she could even drive. She moved to Nashville at 20 and quickly began making inroads in the music scene. After signing her publishing deal with Little Extra Music, she was soon hard at work with some of her songwriting idols like Lori McKenna (“Girl Crush”, “Humble & kind”) and Tia Sillers (“I Hope You Dance”, “There’s Your Trouble”, “Blue On Black.”) She’s built a growing catalog of songs that are both universal and reflective of her unique slant on life. See LittleExtraMusic.com.
INSPIRATIONAL MUSIC NEWS
Hillary Scott and the Scott Family
Hillary Scott & The Scott Family gathered with over two hundred of their closest friends and family at Nashville’s The Bell Tower, as they introduced music from their new album LOVE REMAINS (EMI Nashville). The album, a 13-track collection of faith-based songs, is a combination of hymns Hillary grew up singing in church, newly-written originals and songs made popular by other artists. With the help of producer Ricky Skaggs, the album blurs the lines between gospel, bluegrass, country and pop. It follows more than 11 million album sales worldwide for Hillary Scott as one-third of the one of the world’s most popular groups, Lady Antebellum. For more information on new music, a full list of upcoming tour dates and more, visit hillaryscott.com.
LABEL NEWS
(UMG) Dierks Bentley has announced the extension to his 2016 SOMEWHERE ON A BEACH TOUR with the addition of arena dates following two nights at Colorado’s Red Rocks Amphitheatre (9/26 & 9/27). Beginning Oct. 13 in Ft. Wayne, IN, the tour will continue through the end of October with Randy Houser and special guest Drake White & The Big Fire. Fans can now purchase presale tickets to first announced dates at Dierks.com. “We’re about 30 shows in so far, and I feel like we are just getting started…the songs from the new album are really connecting like nothing I’ve experienced before, the band and crew are in a great groove and we’re having the time of our lives out there,” said Bentley.
MEDIA NEWS
Chesney & Pink: “Setting the World on Fire”
‘Noise’ set a milestone for Kenny Chesney when the song became his ‘most added’ first week single ever; ‘adds’ indicating a song being added to country radio station playlists. The song was co-written by Chesney with Shane McAnally, Ross Copperman and Jon Nite. Chesney’s album, with the working title of ‘Some Town Somewhere,’ originally scheduled for a July 8 release, has been pushed to October 28 due to a collaboration with Pink on ‘Setting the World on Fire.’ Additionally, Chesney announced a change to the title of his new album. It will now be titled ‘Cosmic Hallelujah.’ Chesney said that album titles are around for a very long time and he tries to have titles that give people a sense of what the music is, and what the album is all about. He added, “When I pulled back and listened: these songs are all about taking ‘The Big Revival’ to the next level; that level is Cosmic Hallelujah.” Tour info, etc, at kennychesney.com.
MUSIC NEWS
Caitlyn Smith’s debut album, due out early 2017
Songstress Caitlyn Smith has spent the last several years behind the curtain, penning songs for artists such as Garth Brooks, Dolly Parton, Cassadee Pope, Kenny Rogers, Meghan Trainor and more. She has now released five tracks from her Paul Moak-produced, full-length debut album, Starfire, expected early next year. The five tracks, each co-written by Smith, are a sampling of what’s to come from the expectant mother’s full-length album. The five songs, available everywhere digital music is sold and streamed. More at caitlynsmith.com.
SINGLE NEWS
The Trinity River Band’s new album
When you win a whole mantle full of awards – from both fans and critics – you must be doing something right. In the case of the Trinity River Band, they’re doing a whole lot of things right. Now, the Trinity River Band have released their brand new album titled Things We Do For Dreams (Orange Blossom Records). The first single from the album, “Come Back Train,” written by Jerry Salley and Cassidy Lynn Alexander, has already entered the Bluegrass Today Top 20 Chart and the Roots Music Report Top 50 Bluegrass Singles chart. The new project presents the band’s popular mix of inspirational country, acoustic roots and bluegrass that has created a loyal following of fans nationwide. For a current list of tour dates and more details about their albums, visit www.thetrinityriverband.com.
TOUR NEWS
Jason Aldean on the road with his Six String Circus Tour
Jason Aldean’s SIX STRING CIRCUS TOUR launched May 19th in Rogers, AR, with support from Thomas Rhett and A Thousand Horses (A few dates with DJ Silver). As the first-ever Country artist to take the stage at Boston’s Fenway Park, Aldean will route the tour to the home of the Red Sox on Sept. 9 to co-headline with multi-Platinum award-winner Kid Rock. The tour is a 27-city run. The last date listed to catch his 2016 show is October 1st in Bristow, VA. **MUSIC NOTE EXTRA** “Lights Come On” marks the 17th career chart topper for Jason. Landing the # 1 position on the Billboard Country Airplay and Mediabase radio charts, Aldean also announced his seventh studio album THEY DON’T KNOW (Broken Bow Records) will be available Sept. 9th (Same day as album drops) and fans can pre-order the album at all available digital retailers. Aldean is currently headlining his Six String Circus Tour. For more information on new music and for a full list of upcoming tour dates, visit www.jasonaldean.com.
VINYL NEWS
Dierks Bentley’s album on vinyl
Dierks Bentley’s BLACK will be released on vinyl, available on Aug. 12. Bentley’s most personal record yet has already delivered a one-two punch of critical and commercial muscle with the multi-week No. one smash of the summer anthem “Somewhere On A Beach,” and the provocative and vulnerable “Different For Girls,” featuring 2x Grammy nominated friend Elle King. “When we created this album, I kept imagining the flow of this record being told with an ‘A’ side and ‘B’ side,” said Bentley. “With BLACK, every little detail has mattered to me and I can’t wait for fans to hear the whole album this way.” Details at dierks.com
From the “Time Flies When You’re Having Fun” Department… Can it really be 18 years since Garth and Trisha played San Antonio, Texas? The answer is ‘Yes!’ The Garth Brooks World Tour With Trisha Yearwood World Tour will include two concerts in San Antonio Friday July 22 at 7:00 pm and Saturday July 23 at AT&T Center.
Tickets go on sale Friday June 3 at 10:00 am CDT. There’s an eight-ticket limit per purchase, and tickets can only be purchased at ticketmaster.com or ticketmaster.com/garthbrooks. Tickets (including taxes, facility fees and service charges) are $74.98.
BTW, Garth’s most recent album, 2014’s ‘Man Against Machine’ has been certified platinum by RIAA, making him once again the #1-selling artist in US History with 136 million sold. More about Garth here including latest tour dates
Some encouraging news for songwriters and publishers emerged a few days ago. The Music Modernization Act (MMA) had passed the House unopposed but appeared to hit a potential roadblock as it moved toward a Senate vote.
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.
Garth Brooks just won Entertainer of the Year at the CMA Awards for a sixth time, a first for any artist. He is also the first artist in history to receive 7 Diamond awards for the now seven albums certified by the RIAA at over 10 million album sales each and remains the #1-selling solo artist in U.S. history certified by the RIAA with over 148 million album sales. He has received every accolade the recording industry can bestow on an artist.
The Community Foundation exists to promote and facilitate giving in the 40 counties of Middle Tennessee and beyond. It does this by accepting gifts of any size from anyone at any time and by empowering individuals, families, companies, nonprofits, and communities to respond to needs and opportunities that matter. The Community Foundation works with people who have great hearts, whether or not they have great wealth, to craft solutions that reflect their intentions and goals. For more information, call 615-321-4939 or visit 
After raising more than $135,000.00 with the music event last year, Tracy Lawrence is back with his 3rd Annual Tracy Lawrence & Friends Mission: Possible Turkey Fry Concert on November 21st at the Wildhorse Saloon, with doors opening at 6pm, following his 12th Annual Turkey Fry, all benefiting Nashville Rescue Mission. Scheduled to appear: Luke Combs, Clay Cormier, Ben Gallaher, Halfway to Hazard, William Michael Morgan, Jamie O’Neal and host/headliner, Tracy Lawrence. Ticket & show info at turkeyfry.org. Lawrence is gearing up for the release of his new album GOOD OLE DAYS on November 10th featuring collaborations with Jason Aldean, Brad Arnold, Big & Rich, Luke Bryan, Luke Combs, Easton Corbin, Craig Morgan, Dustin Lynch, Tim McGraw, Justin Moore, Kellie Pickler and Chris Young. Music and tour info at 
‘The Anthology from Garth Brooks Part 1: The First Five Years’ is now available for pre-order. Garth has launched a new website for the book: anthology.garthbrooks.com. The Anthology can also be pre-ordered at amazon.com. Promising to be a massive 5-part anthology, Part 1 is a detailed look at the first 5 years of his career. It is told by Garth himself and those involved with the creating, recording, and promotion of the first five albums. Not only that but Garth has packaged 5 CDs inside the first book he has ever written. The 5 CDs contain music that has never been heard, songs written long before the debut album, outtakes, first takes, demos, over 150 never before seen photos, sessions charts, tracking sheets, all in a 240 page hardcover complete package written by Garth Brooks. It will be on sale November 14. Follow Garth at 
My monthly column, ‘Inside Track on Music Row,’ is published in magazines and on websites worldwide. To read archived columns, go to 
artists in music when it comes to marketing themselves, and the Country Music Hall of Fame member continues that trend with the upcoming August 19 release of her new disc Pure & Simple – with four different pre-order bundles to help promote the album. The bundles range from the Standard Bundle ($40) to the Commemorative Bundle ($400). Fans can go to 
From the “Time Flies When You’re Having Fun” Department… Can it really be 18 years since Garth and Trisha played San Antonio, Texas? The answer is ‘Yes!’ The Garth Brooks World Tour With Trisha Yearwood World Tour will include two concerts in San Antonio Friday July 22 at 7:00 pm and Saturday July 23 at AT&T Center.