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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
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”
Tuesday was a celebration of music milestones for Luke Brian and co-writers Sammy Mitchell, Steven Battey and Robert Williford. ‘One Number Away’ was the reason for the celebrations, and for the standing-room-only crowd at the Number One party at the Sutler Basement in Nashville. ‘One Number Away’ is Luke’s third Number One and the third cut from his debut full-length album, ‘This One’s For You.’ The party was hosted jointly by ASCAP, BMI and SESAC.
In a previous interview Luke said, “We aren’t supposed to be here yet.” Hmmmm… let’s check out the stats. In the last 30 days: Recognized the success of Luke’s three number one singles. Debut single ‘Hurricane’ has been certified 3x Platinum while the next follow-up, ‘When It Rains It Pours’ was certified 2x Platinum. Meanwhile, ‘One Number Away’ was certified Platinum and album track ‘Beautiful Crazy’ was certified Gold by the Recording Industry Association of America (RIAA).
Artists and bands who value the concept of ‘old school’ recording are finding what they need at a unique studio in Huntsville, Alabama. It’s the new home of both Muscle Shoals Sound Studios (MSSS) and Chess Records, and its owner Noel Webster.
See previous post here for more about the history of MSSS and the unique, historic, recording equipment still in use there today.
Artists who come here to record say they achieve a unique tone; a sound they have not been able to find anywhere else. Noel will tell you that comes from the equipment that he rescued and restored back to its peak performance. Consoles, microphones, amps, speakers and control boards from the Hit Factory, Abbey Road, Capitol Records and Motown.
But much of that unique tone must be due to the man at the controls, Noel Webster. A musician himself, he put in twelve years on the road as the ‘sound man’ for acts like the Rolling Stones and Pink Floyd at major venues from arenas to stadiums. He developed the skill of making an act sound great at live gigs. He fleshed out that skill with his next venture when he bought and renovated the iconic Muscle Shoals Sound Studios.
“The music is always going to change, but it all still comes down to the song and the singer. If we can capture them in the most realistic way, the results are astounding.” – Noel Webster
‘It changed their lives’
Thinking back to those days, Noel said, “It started to develop where people would come in and record, but it changed their lives in the way they made records because we didn’t edit everybody in. Such as put a drum and bass down then have everybody build on top of it. We wanted everybody, at the same time, playing together, a core. Then you build on that.”
As we walked through Noel’s studio in Huntsville, his passion for the music and the craft of recording was evident in his voice.
“When we record these [artists], we like to record them ‘live’ on the floor,” he said. “We get as much as we can on those passes. The techniques that we use are based on history. We’ve got our twists and our tools, what we call tradecraft. The little things we like to do.
“At the end of the day, I’m not out to replicate what was done in the past. I just like to keep it alive. The techniques, the way that people record. The music is always going to change, but it all still comes down to the song and the singer. If we can capture them in the most realistic way, the results are astounding.”
Artists who come to this studio will find a refreshing change from many producers they have previously worked with who might have wanted to retain a financial interest in the recordings.
Noel Webster knows what it takes to upkick a recording from just sounding good to sounding great. He did it for thirteen years as owner and producer of Muscle Shoals Sound Studios. Today, he continues to do that with the reincarnation of another iconic musical brand that today’s artists can be a part of.
Chess Records – along with Motown and Stax – has a special place in the history of popular music. These were studios where dedicated people found a way to bring the sound of R&B to the ears of America and the world. Noel has saved the iconic Chess name from oblivion and is set to create recordings again under the Chess logo.
Noel found that all the copyrights relating to Chess Records, its name and its logos had been abandoned and allowed to lapse. He formed a corporation under the name Chess Records LLC and copyrighted the name and the original logo.
Noel now provides artists with an all-in-one studio recording experience that combines tracking, mixing and mastering in one place. (More about that later.)
‘Music history’ in every piece
Noel Webster and I have been friends for many years and we got together to catch up and talk about his latest ventures. We met at his studio in Huntsville, Alabama, that is unlike any studio I have ever seen. Set in a craggy hillside and surrounded by trees and vegetation, it is private without being remote. As Noel told me, artists can sit out on the wraparound porch to work out a few licks without worrying about annoying the neighbors. However, some curious deer sometimes stop by to listen as they drink from the water trickling over the rocks out back.
Inside, it has an ultra-modern vibe with an open plan and hardwood floors. But then you see all the gear and realize this is ‘old school.’ As we walked through the studio, it seemed that every piece of equipment had its own story.
“All the music stands and all the speakers in the main room and the control room came from Capitol Records, said Noel. “The console’s parts came from Capitol Records. Capitol had ‘mirrored’ consoles, identical consoles, in both Los Angeles and New York.”
The Capitol console dates from the early 1960s and Noel devoted a lot of time to refurbishing and rewiring it. We also looked at some of the musical instruments in the studio.
Hammond organ signed with a screwdriver
“Bobby Whitlock from Derek and the Dominoes donated his Hammond organ,” said Noel. Whitlock had signed it and dedicated it to Noel, not with a pen but by scratching the scrawl into to the organ’s cover with a screwdriver!
“The drum set came from Mark Herndon [who played with the band Alabama]. I think that was his ’85 tour kit. The Ampeg Fliptop amp over there came from Bob Babbitt of Motown. Different speakers and microphones have a lot of historical significance. The mastering room came from the Hit Factory in New York City. A lot of the processing pieces are from Bill Putnam of Universal Audio. There’s Les Paul’s test equipment. Everything here had done famous things prior to us getting them.”
Back then, the labels gave [artists] the ability to make two, three, four, five albums. They let them develop on their own, to come into themselves, basically, instead of ‘we’re gonna chase what’s on the radio now and try to do the Nashville thing.’ Artists now need the same ability to develop. If we can get them on the right path and get them their sound and get them some cool stuff to make them original audio-wise, that’s what I see. – Noel Webster
But these aren’t simply museum pieces. Noel has no interest in just putting them behind silk ropes for people to look at. Every piece is fully working and is used as part of his recording process. Artists who come to Noel’s studio discover a sound that is impossible to replicate using only modern, all-digital, equipment. Even when played back over digital devices, the difference in audio quality is noticeable.
‘Singles You Up’ goes Platinum; tops 200 million streams
Jordan Davis and his co-writers got together with music industry colleagues and friends to celebrate a Number One. But it was a unique celebration in more ways than one. ‘Singles You Up’ topped Billboard’s Country Airplay charts in April, triggering the Number One party. The bash, co-hosted by ASCAP and SESAC, was held Monday, July 30, at Nashville’s Fat Bottom Brewery.
Additionally, Davis was presented with a plaque marking RIAA’s certification of the song’s Platinum status. During the ceremony, it was also noted that ‘Singles You Up’ has already chalked up more than 200 million streams. Adding a cherry to that sundae, Country Aircheck stated that ‘Singles You Up’ was the ‘most played’ track on country radio for the first half of 2018.
Remarkably, this was his first single release, making all the song’s achievements even more unique.
Davis was joined by his co-writers, Justin Ebach and Steven Dale Jones, during a press session prior to the presentation. I asked all three of them if they had left the writers’ room knowing they had a hit with ‘Singles You Up.’ And could they have imagined scoring 200 million streams?
‘You know you’ve got something’
“When I had my first hit, they didn’t have streams,” said Steven. “I remember loving it [‘Singles You Up’]. I remember getting the demo and playing it for my wife, and that’s usually the key. I play her five songs a year and I write a hundred and fifty. So that’s when you know you’ve got something.”
Justin had a similar story. “I think I was telling my wife last week,” he said. “I wrote ‘Sleep Without You’ for Brett Young which was a big hit and, once again, a first single on a new artist. And I literally told her last week – I was playing a [writers’] round – and I was like, ‘Singles You Up’ is bigger than ‘Sleep Without You.’ I mean both are great, I’m grateful for both of them. But this song has just taken on a crazy life. The speed of it and just how much people are holding on to it… So, no, I don’t think I imagined this! [laughs] You asked if it had happened before and I’m like, kinda, but not like this.”
“I was nervous. I was up early. I was trying to come up with something to bring to the room and show that I’m not just in there for him to write me a song.” – Jordan Davis
‘I didn’t want to screw it up’
Jordan had vivid memories of the writing session. “That day, that write was, A., getting to see Justin again, because we’ve written before. And B., trying not to have [Steven] notwrite with me again. I didn’t want to screw it up,” he recalled.
“I knew the name Steven Dale jones and I was nervous. I was up early. I was trying to come up with something to bring to the room and show that I’m not just in there for him to write me a song. I’ve never told him this, but that was the goal of that write. And what came out of it was ten times more than me just walking in and being, like, ‘all right dude, show Steven Dale Jones that you can write a song. Please, just do that.’ So definitely, it exceeded my expectations.”
Justin noted that he writes with a lot of artists but it’s great to work with artists who know their phrasing, they know their lyrics they want to say. “Not every artist can do that, and that’s just a testament to him,” said Justin. “As much as ‘Singles You Up’ was a collective and a group thing and may not be totally always the lyric he would say, it’s definitely come out that, looking across the album, his phrasing is in there. His melodies are in there, his lyric is in there. That doesn’t happen for a lot of artists.”
‘Take It From Me’ climbing charts
The follow-up single, ‘Take It From Me,’ is already charting. (#38 for the week of August 4, Billboard Country Airplay chart.) Jordan recalled that there was a lot of discussion about which song would be his first single: ‘Singles You Up’ or ‘Take It From Me.’
“I’ve said this from day one, I fought pretty hard for ‘Take It From Me,’” said Jordan. “That’s why we have people that we trust in our corner. I’ve got people that I trust like crazy and they were a hundred percent right. I think ‘Take It From Me’ is a little bit more ‘me’ lyrically, and I think you can see a few more of my influences on some of those lyrics.”
“The artist thing was something that came along, I think, after struggling to get a publishing deal.” – Jordan Davis
Songwriter first, then artist
This may be Jordan’s first Number One, but it is no overnight success. He came to Nashville to be a songwriter and spent several years co-writing and honing his craft. “The artist thing was something that came along, I think, after struggling to get a publishing deal to be honest with you,” he admitted. “I felt that I had a specific way that I wrote songs and a unique way that I delivered them. It just so happens that I found some people that wanted to take a chance on me and make a record.”
Both ‘Singles You Up’ and ‘Take It From Me’ are taken from Jordan Davis’ debut album, ‘Home State (MCA Nashville). The album, produced by Paul DiGiovanni, was released in March 2018. Jordan co-wrote all twelve tracks. Music and more at Jordan’s website. See the official ‘Singles You Up’ video at YouTube here.
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
Sneak peek at August’s ‘Inside Track on Music Row’
Zach Stone to host ‘Country Fix’
Cledus T. Judd is back with new song parody
Scotty McCreery shares wedding video with fans
Michael Ray’s shoes helping animals in need
You’ll read more than forty music news items in the August 2018 edition of my column, Inside Track on Music Row, when it is posted at Nashville Music Guide. The column is the longest-running Country music column in America. Scroll down for a sneak peek at just a few of the items in the August column.
Meanwhile here is a link to my July 2018 ‘Inside track’ column posted at Nashville Music Guide, complete with photos and graphics. Thank you NMG editor Amanda Andrews! You always make the column look SO good.
Zach Stone to host ‘Country Fix’
Jetpack Artist Ventures’ flagship recording artist, Zach Stone, will host ‘Country Fix‘ on Heartland-TV in late July and again in early August. Stone makes a guest appearance in Episode 208 and Episode 209 slated to air the weeks of July 30, 2018 and August 6, 2018. Stone makes a guest appearance in Episode 209 slated to air the week of August 6, 2018. (Check listings for air dates/times here.)
The ‘Country Fix’ audience, country music fans and the media have applauded Stone’s work time and time again. His ‘Four Letter Word’ music video aired as a ‘Country Fix’ exclusive premiere earlier this year. Hosted by up-and-coming and established country music artists, ‘Country Fix’ is a half-hour program that airs on Heartland-TV. The segments feature new music video releases, interviews, news segments and in-depth coverage of happenings in the country music scene. In addition to Heartland-TV, “Country Fix” airs internationally on Keep It Country (UK), Country TV (NZ) and Cayman 27 (Cayman Islands). More about Zach at his website at Facebook and Instagram.
Cledus T. Judd is back with new song parody
Six years after hanging up his overalls, Cledus T. Judd is “strate outta retarment” and funnier than ever with ‘My Weight’s Goin’ Up Down.’ It’s a parody of Morgan Wallen’s #1 Country single ‘Up Down’ featuring Florida Georgia Line. In the music video, Cledus scarfs down fried chicken, hot dogs, burgers, ice cream, sweet tea and more, while the kids are forced to eat mystery health food. He saved on casting enlisting the same kids – including his daughter – to star in several scenes.
The song is currently available at iTunes, Spotify, Amazon and all download and streaming services. Cledus walked away from writing, touring and releasing music in 2012. The life of stardom had a downside for him, as constant partying led to drug addiction. He credits the birth of his daughter, now 14, for leading him to a clean life and a dedication to spending more time with his family. More at Facebook.
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 28thNAMM) 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
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”
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”
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”
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”