MEDIA NEWS:
Two weeks after Lee Brice’s “Rumor” climbed to Number One on the Billboard and Mediabase Country Airplay charts, the internationally-acclaimed song has officially gone RIAA Platinum, earning Brice another well-deserved milestone. “Rumor” has resonated with fans across the globe, racking up more than 200 million on-demand streams worldwide while also peaking at Number One on Australia’s CMC (Country Music Channel) Top 50 Chart. Back home in the U.S., the song has become an enduring staple on Billboard’s Hot Country Songs chart, where it’s remained for nearly 45 weeks. Brice recently surpassed 14 million career certifications by the RIAA, and he maintains his position as one of Pandora’s most-listened-to artists. Lee’s “Rumor” is the current single from his fourth studio album, Lee Brice, released November 3, 2017 on Curb Records. More info and tour updates at leebrice.com.
MUSIC NEWS:
Riders In The Sky have served as trusted keepers of “The Cowboy Way” flame for more than four decades. Affectionately dubbed “America’s Favorite Cowboys,” the iconic quartet — who celebrated their 37th Opry Induction Anniversary in June — have played more than 7,430 shows across the globe, served up 41 albums to date, and lassoed two GRAMMY Awards along the way. Ken Burns leaned on Riders’ Western music expertise for his latest documentary series, Country Music — set to premiere on September 15 at 8 PM Eastern on PBS. Ranger Doug will appear on the first and second episodes of the eight-part, 16-hour series, sharing the storied legacy of traditional cowboy music. Riders In The Sky have been instrumental in influencing the early years of many country artists, including six-time GRAMMY-winner Kacey Musgraves and ACM/CMA Award-winner Suzy Bogguss. Riders will celebrate their 42nd band anniversary in November, and their legendary brand of “Comedy & Western” continues to rope in new generations. In June, they reached their 7,422nd show milestone at Bonnaroo, where enthusiastic Roo-ers sang every word to their Toy Story 2 hit, “Woody’s Roundup.”
MUSIC ROW NEWS:
A historical marker was unveiled to honor Belmont Church, Koinonia Coffeehouse and the Contemporary Christian Music (CCM) genre on July 25, recognizing their decades of musical impact on the city of Nashville. The location at 1000 16th Ave S is in the heart of Nashville’s Music Row. The timing of this historical marker installation was elevated as Music Row is now on the list of most endangered historical landmarks by The National Trust for Historic Preservation. Mayor David Briley, Dove and Grammy Award winning, multi-platinum artist Amy Grant, Dove, Grammy and American Music Award winning artist Michael W. Smith, and President and Executive Director of the Gospel Music Association Jackie Patillo were among the celebrities attending and speaking at the unveiling of the historical marker.
NAMM NEWS:
Summer NAMM 2019 is now one for the history books, but once again, it was a three-day ‘Musical Mecca’ for anyone whose life revolves around the world of music. Although I have attended Summer NAMM many times, it was a joy to experience the excitement through the eyes and ears of the emerging singers and songwriters who accompanied me to this year’s event. NAMM is a trade-only business show catering to domestic and international dealers and distributors. However, for the second year running, Saturday was designated the ‘Make Music Experience,’ an all-day, all-access event for music enthusiasts to demo the latest music and pro audio gear from top manufacturers. Once again, the Make Music Experience was a ‘Who’s Who’ of Nashville’s musical talent with well-known recording artists and musicians mingling with the non-pro visitors who were able to get a taste of what the music industry is all about. Next year’s Summer NAMM will return to Nashville July 9-11, 2020. Details at www.namm.org.
NUMBER ONE NEWS:
It was celebration time last month, for the Eli Young Band and three of America’s hottest songwriters. They were joined by record label executives, music publishers and other music industry bigwigs at the Sutler in Nashville. The reason? A Number One party for Eli Young Band’s fourth career chart-topper, “Love Ain’t.” The guys in the Eli Young Band are some of Nashville’s most respected musicians with a career together stretching back more than twenty years. “Love Ain’t” is their first No. 1 song in six years. “Love Ain’t” was written by three songwriting superstars: Shane McAnally, Ashley Gorley and Ross Copperman. It was the 42nd No. 1 for Gorley and the 19th No. 1 for Copperman, a two-time BMI Country Songwriter of the Year. With numerous No. 1 credits, McAnally is also one of the on-screen talent producers for the NBC-TV reality series ‘Songland.’ “Love Ain’t” was produced by one of Nashville’s top hitmakers, Dann Huff. Eli Young Band’s new single, “Break It In,” also produced by Huff, dropped in June. “Break It In” was written by Benjy Davis, Brandon Day, Daniel Ross and Michael Whitworth. The celebration was co-hosted by ASCAP, BMI and GMR, the performing rights organizations representing the three songwriters. Music and tour info at Eli Young Band’s website and on Facebook.
NATD NEWS:
The latest session for “BREAKING ARTISTS” Speaker series is Tuesday, August 6 at 6:00pm at the CMA Event Space on Music Row. This is the next installment of the Breaking Artists Speaker Series, focusing on the various pathways available to artists in the country music space, both signed and independent. The Featured Speakers are: Leslie Fram from CMT, Phil Guerini from Radio Disney Networks and Jordan Pettit from the Grand Ole Opry. The panel will be moderated by Todd Cassetty of Cassetty Entertainment. This promises to be an immensely informative and entertaining conversation. More info at www.n-a-t-d.com or nashvilletalentdirectors.com.
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