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Nashville Music Council Outlines Goals For Futureby Sarah Skates
page 1 Wednesday, June 30, 2010
The Nashville Music Council is made up of 50 of the industry’s most experienced players
who are working with Mayor Karl Dean’s office to turn the city into a “Global Music
Capital.” After a year of assessing the situation, the Mayor and Music Council leaders
presented their goals to a group assembled at the W.O. Smith Music School Tuesday
(6/29) afternoon.
The Mayor organized the council to spur communication between the industry and
the government; to work together to build Nashville’s brand as Music City. Council head
Mary Ann McCready credits him with unprecedented efforts in reaching out to the
music industry.
McCready said that the Council quickly realized one of its main functions would be as
a place for “ideas to land and be vetted and implemented.” Dean highlighted the Music
Council’s four focuses: music education, branding and jobs, live music, and creative
talent. “Nashville’s music business attracts the kind of creative people our city needs to
build a strong future,” he explained.
As co-head of the Branding and Jobs subcommittee,
Mark Montgomery is also honed in on the future. “Nashville
has the potential to be the epicenter of the new music
business,” he said. One way he wants to achieve that is to
nurture the relationship between music and technology.
Tim DuBois, co-head of the Creative Talent
subcommittee, explained his group’s initiatives which
include starting a one-stop resource center for those
interested in relocating to Nashville, and then providing them
with a support infrastructure once they arrive, such as
housing. To that end, meetings with the Metro Development
Mayor Karl Dean Photo: Alan Mayor
Wednesday, June 30, 2010
©2010, MusicRow Communications, LLC—ALL RIGHTS RESERVED [email protected]
and Housing Authority have already taken place. Helping
people maintain employment is another focus. However,
during the Q&A, a struggling musician in the crowd
questioned how the city can support an influx of more
creative types when many who are already here are
struggling to make a living.
Rod Essig’s Live Music subcommittee exemplifies
the diversity of the Council, and is made up of genre-
spanning artists like Emmylou Harris, Kix Brooks,
and Jack White and industry stalwarts such as producer
Tony Brown. Essig noted that a variety of genres already
host annual conferences and festivals here, and for three
years starting in 2011, Nashville can add the National
Folk Festival to that list. He touted the city’s desperate
need for an amphitheater for outdoor summer music, as
well as the need for a 1500-seat venue, adding that the
latter void could be filled as early as six months from
now. As for immediate progress, the Council’s Musician’s
Corner concert series opens July 10 at Centennial Park.
Essig noted that sponsorships and partnerships would
be important to many of the Council’s projects, and
Music Education subcommittee head Nancy Shapiro
has already scored in that area. She raised enough
funding to hire a consultant for her cause, which is to
make Nashville public school music education the best
in the world. “When we found the right people to achieve
this, and brought them to the table,” she said, “the energy
was palpable.” She admitted she was preaching to the
choir, but still explained the importance of music
education, specifically to lowering the drop-out rate.
One way to do this she added “is to reach kids where
their interests are, with a variety of genres and
options.”
The interested crowd represented all facets of the
industry, such as publicity guru Jeff Walker, business
manager Charles Sussman, GAC boss Ed Hardy,
publisher Tracy Gershon, manager Denise Stiff and
songwriter Bob Regan.
SESAC presented singer/songwriter Ray Wylie Hubbard with a plaque in honor of his No. 1 Americana album, A. Enlightenment B. Endarkenment
(Hint: There is no c). Hubbard received three Americana Music Awards nominations in the categories of Album of the Year, Song of the Year and Artist of the Year. (L-R): SESAC’s Amy Beth Hale, Hubbard and SESAC’s Tim
Fink. Photo: Ed Rode
Last Thursday (6/24) Warner Music Nashville hosted “Pickin’ On The Patio.” The crowd got into the summer spirit with James Otto’s “Groovy Little Summer Song.” Otto also previewed music from his forthcoming sophomore album. (L-R): Warner Music Nashville Pres./CEO John Esposito and Otto.
page 2 Wednesday, June 30, 2010
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Artist RosterTo Include More Categories The first round of listing
updates for the 2010 Artist Roster went out via
e-mail, earlier this week, to labels, managers,
publicists and talent agents who were included
in last year's edition. The new edition is scheduled
to hit streets on August 25.
This year's offering will also include free listings
for promotion companies, web developers,
online marketing firms and image consultants.
Companies that want to be included can take
advantage of the free listings by going to (http://
www.musicrow.com/artist-roster).
Ad sales for the issue are also underway. To
reserve space, e-mail [email protected] or call
615-349-2171.
The Artist Roster contains company appendices
complete with client rosters. Included artists are
drawn from the ranks of Nashville's major, mid-size
and indie country record labels. Inclusion in the
company appendices requires that a business be
Nashville-based and/or have significant Nashville
clients.
Industry News by Sarah Skates
Pomeroy NamedTo AFM Board Dave Pomeroy, President
of the Nashville Musicians
Association, AFM Local 257, was
elected to the International
Executive Board of the American
Federation of Musicians at the
organization’s convention in Las
Taylor Swift was honored with the Hal David Starlight Award last week in New York City during the 41st Annual Songwriters Hall Of Fame induction ceremony. (L-R): 2010 Inductees Johnny Mandel, David Foster, Leonard Cohen and Swift.
The 37th Annual Music City Tennis Invitational 2010 donated $47,552.64 to the Center for Child Development at Monroe Carell Jr. Children’s Hospital at Vanderbilt. (L-R): Center for Child Development’s Dr. Tyler Reimschisel, MCTI Co-Chair Patsy Bradley,
MCTI Sponsor Chair Patsy Wells, and MCTI Co-Chair Bill Riddle.Dave Pomeroy
page 3 Wednesday, June 30, 2010
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Vegas last week. Members of the AFM voted for a major change
in leadership, which resulted in turnovers in the office of
President and Vice President, as well as four of the five-
member International Executive Board.
IEB members serve three-year terms, and are responsible
for the governance of the federation of locals in the United
States and Canada. New members will take office next month.
CMA Award Nominations Official ballots for the nominating
round of voting for the 2010 CMA
Awards were e-mailed to qualifying
CMA members yesterday (6/29).
Polls will close precisely at 5:00 PM
CDT on Thursday, July 15, 2010.
The top 20 qualified vote
recipients from the Nomination Ballot will advance to the
Second Ballot in categories 2-12. In category 1 (Entertainer
of the Year), the top 15 qualified vote recipients will advance
to the Second Ballot.
Symphony FloodedWith Costs The Nashville Symphony
reports that the historic flooding
will cost the organization $42
million. These costs include
disaster response, cleanup, business interruption and
restoration of the building. The Symphony anticipates that
assistance from FEMA, along with $10 million in flood
insurance, will cover a substantial portion of the costs. In
addition, insurance will cover the replacement of certain
items lost in the flood, including two Steinway concert grand
pianos and the console of the Martin Foundation Concert
Organ. Once all of these combined sources are exhausted, the
remaining gap could be as much as $10 million. Meanwhile,
the Symphony will resume concerts at the Schermerhorn in
January 2011, and the fall schedule will be relocated to
alternate venues.
NAMM Draws 12,000 Registrants NAMM has announced final
registration and exhibitor
numbers for 2010 Summer
NAMM, held recently in Nashville.
At show close, NAMM reported
a four percent decrease in
registration from last year, with
12,463 total registrants for the
three-day event. Exhibitor
numbers were slightly up at
the Nashville Convention
Center, with 383 companies
displaying and demonstrating
products.
Frank Liddell’sFather Passes
MusicRow sends condolences
to producer Frank Liddell III
and his family on the passing of
his father Frank Liddell, Jr. on
June 27 in Houston, Texas. He
was 81. Visitation is scheduled
for 5-8 PM on Tuesday, July 6, at Geo. H. Lewis & Sons,
1010 Bering Drive in Houston. The funeral will be the following
day, July 7, 1 PM, also at Geo. H. Lewis & Sons. The
graveside service and interment will follow at Glenwood
Cemetery in Houston.
Warner/Chappell Signing Warner/Chappell Music has
signed Johnny Bulford to a
publishing deal. The Florida native
was named “Best New Act In Country
Music” at the 27th Annual Colgate
Country Showdown. He relocated
to Nashville in January 2010.
Marcus Hummon’s New Release Marcus Hummon is behind numerous
hits recorded by other artists but his latest
project is more personal. Hummon will
mark the release of Rosanna at 9PM on
Thursday, July 1 with a performance at
the Bluebird Café. Also on the bill are
special guests Darrell Scott (who
produced the project), Rickie Trudeau
and Chris Roberts.
The title track of his new album
Rosanna tells the true story of a woman who was
kidnapped into the sex slave trade as a teenager. Hummon
met Rosanna through his wife, Rev. Becca Stevens,
founder of Magdalene which helps women with a history of
prostitution and drug addiction.
Mahood PerformsAt G-8 Summit Beverley Mahood, a well
known musician and television
personality, performed at the G-8
Summit in Huntsville, Ontario last
week. She was the sole artist invited.
ASCAP featured Little Champion Music along with writer guests at the Bluebird Cafe recently. (L-R): ASCAP's Mike
Sistad; Common Thread's Justin Davis and Sarah Zimmermann; Little Champion Music writers Rachel Thibodeau and Jason Sever; Little Champion Music Sr. Creative Dir. Glenn Middleworth; NSAI Pres./songwriter Steve Bogard;
and writer Will Doughty. Photo: Julie Meirick
Johnny Bulford
Marcus Hummon
page 4 Wednesday, June 30, 2010
Beverley Mahood
©2010, MusicRow Communications, LLC—ALL RIGHTS RESERVED [email protected]
An established songwriter, she has had cuts by Celine Dion
and worked with renowned producer David Foster.
Mahood has been in Nashville for several months working
with All Entertainment on a new album that is set for fall
release in Canada and the US. She will also host CMT Canada’s
upcoming series, Pick A Puppy.
American Bang Debuts On Rock Scene Nashville rockers
American Bang are
watching their debut
single “Wild & Young,”
climb the charts; it is
currently #20 on the
BDS/Billboard charts.
The band’s major-label
debut was produced by
Bob Rock in Nashville
and Hawaii, and will be released on Reprise Records this
summer. American Bang is Jaren Johnston (singer/guitar),
Ben Brown (lead guitar), Kelby Ray (bass), and Neil
Mason (drums).
News Bits
• A two-dimensional version of Kenny Chesney: Summer
in 3D is out exclusively at Kmart. First week sales of the
film bested the No. 2 seller, available everywhere, by
almost 33%.
• Ricochet has signed with Cody Entertainment for exclusive
booking. The band’s responsible agent will be the firm’s
president, Phil Smallwood. He can be reached at
540-772-4625 or [email protected].
• New Nashvillian Nora Jane Struthers took top honors in
last weekend’s Telluride Band Competition. The roots
musician just released her self-titled debut album,
produced by Brent Truitt.
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American Bang
RCA Nashville’s Chuck Wicks (R) recently taped an episode of CMT’s Southern
Fried Flicks with Hazel Smith. (L) The episode featuring Cannonball Run II as the fried flick du jour, premiers this Sunday, July 4. Wicks is on the radio now with his new single “Hold That Thought.” Photo: Jimmy Corn
Vince Gill (L) performed Saturday (6/26) at Eric Clapton's Crossroads Guitar Festival at Toyota Park in Chicago. This year Gill hosted a set that featured his band along with Albert Lee (R), Keb Mo, James Burton and Earl Klugh. Photo: Vince Cunetto
page 5 Wednesday, June 30, 2010