New York, NY, July 19, 2010:  Responding to a flood of applicants from around the world, the American Society of Composers, Authors and Publishers (ASCAP) has selected 12 emerging composers to participate in this year’s 22nd annual Television andFilm Scoring Workshop.  Selected participants have the rare opportunity to record their own music using similar resources afforded Oscar-winning composers while receiving advice, practical experience and insiders’ access from some of the industry’s leading professionals - all of this at no cost.  The internationally recognized workshop, which takes place in Los Angeles, CA, July 19 - August 12, 2010 is one of the most successful and prestigious programs offered by ASCAP, and it is widely known as a major educational and networking opportunity for emerging composers.

Participants will benefit from the mentorship of Emmy Award-winning composer and arranger Richard Bellis.  Author of The Emerging Film Composer and member of ASCAP’s Board of Directors, Bellis has coached the workshop for the past twelve years, and led a panel selection of the twelve workshop participants, who were selected from several hundred applicants worldwide.

“With this program, ASCAP introduces these 12 talented composer participants to Hollywood’s elite, including award-winning film and television composers, orchestrators and top-tier business professionals,” said Bellis.  “In addition, participants receive a rare glimpse of what it’s like to be an A-list film composer.  They are given a scene to score from a major motion picture and then surrounded by every benefit and luxury afforded a big budget music score - music editor, scoring mixer, contractor, copyists and a 60 piece L.A. studio orchestra on one of the largest recording stages in town. There is nothing like this workshop anywhere else in the world.”

This year’s workshop is partially supported by The ASCAP Foundation with an additional contribution from ole, one of the world’s largest independent, full-service music publishers.  “One of ole’s core endeavors is to support and develop promising talent and our creator community,” says David Weitzman, director of Business Development at ole.  “We’re pleased to join ASCAP in the ASCAP Television and Film Scoring Workshop with Richard Bellis for the 3rd year.”

With an ideal combination of state-of-the-art facilities and access to some of the industry’s most renowned professionals, the four-week power-packed workshop assigns each participant a three-minute scene from a well-known feature film.  They have 9 days to compose an original score to fit the scenewhich concludes with a scoring session with L.A.’s finest session musicians from the Recording Musicians Association on the legendary Eastwood Scoring Stage at Warner Bros. Studios.  Armed with state-of-the-art tools, the participantshave the benefit of working with a team of professionals, including a music editor and Pro Tools operator, recording engineer and booth recordist, music librarian and prep service, and a musician’s contractor.  On the last day of the workshop, ASCAP screens all of the clips, complete with effects and dialogue, in a theater at the Directors Guild of America.  Each composer will walk away with an impressively competitive top-of-the-line demo, invaluable resources, and a head start to launching a career as a composer.

The workshop has guided talent in taking their craft to the next level, and has produced a large number of success stories.  In previous years, the workshop has featured top ASCAP composers as speakers including:  Sean Callery (24, Bones, Medium), John Debney (Predators, Iron Man 2), Michael Giacchino(Star Trek, Up, Lost), Mark Isham (The Secret Life of Bees, Bobby) Randy Newman (Toy Story 1, 2 & 3, Leatherheads), James Newton Howard (Salt, The Dark Knight), Mark Snow(Ghost Whisperer, The X-Files), Brian Tyler (The Expendables, Fast & Furious, Eagle Eye) and Hans Zimmer (Inception, The Dark Night).

Industry veterans who regularly contribute their time and talent to the program include: music editor Michael Ryan co-founder of Mad 4 Music, Jo Ann Kane Music Services, legendary recording engineer Armin Steiner, contractor Peter Rotter, RMA International President Phil Ayling, orchestrator David Slonaker, scoring mixer John Rodd and concert master Endre Granat.

Information about the 22nd annual ASCAP Television and Film Scoring Workshop participants is available here:
http://www.ascap.com/press/2010/00719_workshop.aspx

About ole
In 2007, ole joined as a title sponsor.  ole is a globally competitive, Canadian-owned, full-service music publisher. They boast a team of over 30 experienced industry professionals focused on acquisitions, creative development and administration worldwide. The ole catalog includes over thirty-five thousand songs and thirty thousand hours of TV music across all genres. ole is an expert in administrating television music copyrights and in licensing songs for TV & Film. They are committed to being the best and most innovative global destination for world-class songwriters, composers, and management talent, and the first choice music source for creators in all media. ole has offices in Toronto, Nashville and Los Angeles.  For more information on ole, go to www.majorlyindie.com.

About The ASCAP Foundation
Founded in 1975, The ASCAP Foundation is a charitable organization dedicated to supporting American music creators and encouraging their development through music education and talent development programs. Included in these are songwriting workshops, grants, scholarships, awards, recognition and community outreach programs, and public service projects for senior composers and lyricists. The ASCAP Foundation is supported by contributions from ASCAP members and from music lovers throughout the United States.  www.ascapfoundation.org

About ASCAP
Established in 1914, ASCAP is the first and leading U.S. Performing Rights Organization (PRO) representing the world’s largest repertory totaling over 8.5 million copyrighted musical works of every style and genre from more than 380,000 songwriter, composer and music publisher members.  ASCAP has representation arrangements with similar foreign organizations so that the ASCAP repertory is represented in nearly every country around the world where copyright law exists.  ASCAP protects the rights of its members and foreign affiliates by licensing the public performances of their copyrighted works and distributing royalties based upon surveyed performances.  ASCAP is the only American PRO owned and governed by its writer and publisher members.  www.ascap.com

SESAC’s Songwriter’s Bootcamp is a FREE day-long educational forum for artists and songwriters to receive feedback on their work and interact with award-winning writers, producers and music supervisors. Registration is REQUIRED to attend.

To Register click here: http://www.sesac.com/Events/seminars/bootcamp10.aspx

SESAC along with Leadership Music hosted an informal discussion led by SoundExchange Executive Director John Simson who outlined the digital copyright distribution process and how recording artists and master rights owners can register for royalties.  The reception, which was held at SESAC’s Nashville headquarters, also featured an informative question and answer session with the music industry audience.
SoundExchange is an independent, non-profit performance rights organization that collects statutory royalties from satellite radio, internet radio, cable TV music channels and similar platforms for streaming sound recordings.  The Copyright Royalty Board, which is appointed by the U.S. Library of Congress, has entrusted SoundExchange as the sole entity in the United States to collect and distribute these digital performance royalties on behalf of featured recording artists, master rights owners (such as record labels) and independent artists who record and own their masters.

Beverly Hills,  CA –SESAC, the nation’s fastest growing performing rights organization, honored its stellar roster of top film and television composers with the annual SESAC Television & Film Composers Awards Dinner. The invitation-only event was held at Chaya in Beverly Hills, CA, celebrated the composers of music featured in 2009’s biggest films, primetime television shows and cable programs. The festive event commemorated an incredible year for SESAC’s composers.

“SESAC is proud to host our annual “Television & Film Composers Awards” and devote a night celebrating our very gifted composers” said Pat Collins, SESAC’s President/COO. “The music the television and film composers create are an essential part of the overall emotional experience of a show or film and SESAC is honored to be associated with such talented people.”

The SESAC event bestows awards to music composers in the categories of Network TV, Local TV, Cable TV and Film Composing.   With over 60 awards given during the evening, some of the most highly rated shows acknowledged were Two And A Half Men, Grey’s Anatomy, House, Boston Legal among many others.

http://www.sesac.com/News/News_Details.aspx?id=1152

ASCAP (the American Society of Composers, Authors and Publishers) today announced that it has filed 21 separate infringement actions against nightclubs, bars and restaurants in 13 states.

In each of the cases filed today, the business or establishment has either publicly performed the copyrighted musical works of ASCAP’s songwriter, composer and music publisher members without obtaining a license from ASCAP to do so, or had signed a license agreement with ASCAP but failed to comply with the license’s payment terms. In every instance, the establishment refused to obtain a license or pay the fees owed under the license, but continued to perform ASCAP members’ music without permission, resulting in the filing of the infringement actions.

ASCAP protects the rights of its members by licensing and distributing royalties for the non-dramatic public performances of their copyrighted works.  Those licensed by ASCAP include any establishment or business that wants to perform copyrighted music publicly.

“ASCAP is passionate about music, and we only use legal action as a last resort - after many attempts at an amicable resolution have failed,” said Vincent Candilora, ASCAP Senior Vice President of Licensing.  “Just as a bar needs a liquor license, they also need a license to play copyrighted music.  Having music in an establishment is an enhancement that draws many patrons to these venues.  A music license is a basic cost of business recognized in hundreds of thousands of bars, restaurants and other venues across the U.S.”

Any business using copyrighted music has the opportunity to obtain permission to do so lawfully, through acceptance of a license covering the use of the more than 8.5 million copyrighted songs and compositions in the ASCAP repertory.  Nearly 90% of the license fees ASCAP collects are paid as royalties directly to songwriters, composers and music publishers.  The balance covers ASCAP’s operating costs, which are the lowest of any performing rights organization in the world.

“ASCAP not only has a right to collect license fees from the users of music, but it also has a responsibility to its songwriter and composer members, the smallest of small business people, to ensure they are adequately compensated for their hard work,” added Candilora.  “The 21 cases filed today aim to heighten awareness among music users and the public that it is a Federal offense to perform copyrighted music without permission.”

Frequently Asked Questions about licensing can be found on ASCAP’s website at http://www.ascap.com/licensing/licensingfaq.html

The establishments listed below have performed publicly the copyrighted musical works of ASCAP’s songwriter, composer and music publisher members without receiving their permission to do so, resulting in lost income for these music creators.

Establishment, City, State
Law’s Lunch & Dinner, Riverside, CA
The Vibe, Riverside, CA
Mad Dogs & Englishmen, Tampa, FL
Empire Dine & Dance, Portland, ME
Doug’s Burger Bar (f/k/a Twister’s Iron Bar Saloon), Imperial, MO
Foxy Lady Club, Raleigh, NC
Vanishing Point Bar and Grill, Mt. Airy, NC
Ron’s Landing, Hampton, NH
Bolero Resort & Conference Center, Wildwood, NJ
Bacchus, New Paltz, NY
Bamboo, East Hampton, NY
Barking Frog, Beacon, NY
The Eagle, New York, NY
Jessie’s Roadhouse, Merrick, NY
Deuces 2, Columbus, OH
Cross Eyed Moose, Oklahoma City, OK
Isla Verde, Philadelphia, PA
Nephew’s, San Marcos, TX
Sister’s Edge II (f/k/a The Cockpit), Austin, TX
The Candy Bar, Richmond, VA
Secrets Restaurant Tavern, Virginia Beach, VA

About ASCAP
Established in 1914, ASCAP is the first and leading U.S. Performing Rights Organization (PRO) representing the world’s largest repertory totaling over 8.5 million copyrighted musical works of every style and genre from more than 380,000 songwriter, composer and music publisher members.  ASCAP has representation arrangements with similar foreign organizations so that the ASCAP repertory is represented in nearly every country around the world where copyright law exists.  ASCAP protects the rights of its members and foreign affiliates by licensing the public performances of their copyrighted works and distributing royalties based upon surveyed performances.  ASCAP is the only American PRO owned and governed by its writer and publisher members.  www.ascap.com

The Nashville Songwriters Association International (NSAI) has extended office hours this summer to better serve the songwriting community. Each Saturday (except July 3) songwriters of all levels and genres are invited to stop by (1710 Roy Acuff Place, Nashville) from 10AM – 2PM for fun & excitement during Saturday Sessions! Participate in special performances, take a tour, network to find a co-writer, let our staff answer your questions or book a Writers’ Room for the afternoon.

At Saturday Sessions, NSAI will be open for business as usual and pro songwriter R.C. Bannon (“I Don’t Have To Be Me (Til Monday)” – Steve Azar) will often host intimate rounds with audience Q&A in the studio. Hit writer John Schweers (“I Left Something Turned On At Home” – Trace Adkins) and TV Personality/Music Mogul/Chef Big Fella recently shared their talents and advice. Other familiar faces like Jeff Bates (“Long, Slow Kisses”), Roger Brown (“We Must Be Loving Right” – Barbra Streisand), Steve Dean (“Round About Way” – George Strait), Beckie Foster (“For The Weekend” – Steve Wariner), The Writer’s Den Music Group’s performing/writer Trent Jeffcoat, Bill LaBounty (“Rock My World (Little Country Girl) – Brooks & Dunn”), Clay Mills (“Don’t Think I Don’t Think About It” – Darius Rucker), Thom Shepherd (“Redneck Yacht Club” – Craig Morgan), Anthony Smith (“What About Now” – Lonestar), Danny Wells (“These Days” – Rascal Flatts), Brian White (“Watching You” – Rodney Atkins) and Better Angels Music’s performing/writer Mike Willis will also join the lineup. Stay tuned for more surprises!

To learn more about NSAI and Saturday Sessions, visit nashvillesongwriters.com. Stay connected via facebook.com/NSAIofficial and twitter.com/NSAIoffical.

John A. LoFrumento, CEO of ASCAP (the American Society of Composers, Authors and Publishers), today announced the launch of a dramatic new feature for its secure Member Access online portal that will allow writers and publishers of film and television music to effortlessly view and manage cue sheet data.

“As we prepare to celebrate ASCAP’s 25th Anniversary Film & Television Music Awards next week, we are pleased to launch this major enhancement to our Member Access service,” said LoFrumento.  “We have added an innovative feature that will allow composers, songwriters and publishers instant access to their cue sheet data.  America is the leading source of film and television production and ASCAP is the first American performing rights organization to offer this type of cue sheet benefit.  It is another example of how we are leveraging technology to provide the best possible service to our members.”

A cue sheet is a document that lists data on all the music performed in a particular film or television program and constitutes the basis of payment of royalties for performances of music in audio-visual programming.  Cue sheets are the most reliable and cost-effective source for musical content in a particular film or television program.   ASCAP processes hundreds of thousands of cue sheets every year, and continues to explore advances in technology that could streamline and enhance the identification of musical content in audio-visual programming.

Previously, composers, songwriters and publishers would have to request cue sheet data from production companies in order to verify their performances.  ASCAP’s new service eliminates this need.  Some of the benefits of Cue Sheet Member Access are:

*The ability for members to view cue sheets on which they are a participant
*Multiple search options by series, episodes, non-series, specific works, co-written works or a combination
*Sort options by non-series, series or episodes in a series
*Ability to navigate between cue sheet details and their catalog information

Commenting on Cue Sheet Member Access, Richard Bellis, an Emmy Award-winning composer, author of The Emerging Film Composer and member of ASCAP’s Board of Directors, said:  “For decades, music creators for film and TV have had to fight for access to cue sheets –  in a sense, our ‘invoices.’  Since Member Access came online, ASCAP has made cue sheet availability a priority and now it’s here.  This is huge!”

Launched in October 2009, Member Access is a secure, online portal giving ASCAP’s songwriter, composer and music publisher members 24/7 access to their membership, catalog, performance and royalty information.  Member Access allows ASCAP members to conveniently conduct their business with the performing rights organization from anywhere in the world.  To date, over 50,000 ASCAP members have activated their accounts.  Member Access is available at http://members.ascap.comor via ASCAP’s website at www.ascap.com.

About ASCAP
Established in 1914, ASCAP is the first and leading U.S. Performing Rights Organization (PRO) representing the world’s largest repertory totaling over 8.5 million copyrighted musical works of every style and genre from more than 380,000 songwriter, composer and music publisher members.  ASCAP has representation arrangements with similar foreign organizations so that the ASCAP repertory is represented in nearly every country around the world where copyright law exists.  ASCAP protects the rights of its members and foreign affiliates by licensing the public performances of their copyrighted works and distributing royalties based upon surveyed performances.  ASCAP is the only American PRO owned and governed by its writer and publisher members.  www.ascap.com

25th Annual Awards Celebration Salutes Top Film & Television Composers of 2009

Los Angeles / New York, May 24, 2010:  Composers Bruce Broughton and Dennis McCarthy will be honored at the 25th annual ASCAP Film and Television Music Awards, taking place June 24, 2010 at the Beverly Hilton Hotel in Los Angeles, California.  Broughton will be presented with the distinguished ASCAP Henry Mancini Award and McCarthy will receive the prestigious ASCAP Golden Note Award.  The composers of the most performed film and television music of 2009 will also be honored at the invitation-only event.

“As we celebrate the 25th anniversary of our Film & Television Music Awards, we are especially proud to spotlight the achievements of Bruce Broughton and Dennis McCarthy,” said ASCAP President and Chairman Paul Williams.  “Bruce’s sterling compositions are featured in a stunning variety of media, and he brings a tireless spirit to his work as both a teacher and an ASCAP Board member.  It’s especially gratifying to give the prestigious Henry Mancini Award to a creator whose success is matched by such selfless commitment to education and service.  Dennis has composed scores for beloved TV series and films for over three decades, and he is still at the top of his craft.  His music for Star Trek has earned him industry accolades and captured the hearts of multiple generations of Trekkies.  We are proud to give the Golden Note Award to Dennis in recognition of his long and illustrious career.”

The ASCAP Henry Mancini Award is awarded to composers in recognition of their outstanding achievements and contributions to the world of film and television music.  Previous recipients include Carter Burwell, John Debney, Mark Isham, Quincy Jones, Michel Legrand, Randy Newman, James Newton Howard, Johnny Mandel, Marc Shaiman, Howard Shore, Alan Silvestri, and Hans Zimmer.

The ASCAP Golden Note Award is presented to songwriters, composers, and artists who have achieved extraordinary career milestones.  Past recipients include Mark Snow, Andre Previn, Garth Brooks, José Feliciano, Alan Jackson, Jimmy Jam and Terry Lewis, and Jay-Z, Tom Petty, and Stevie Wonder.

Among those being honored in the Top Box Office Films category are James Horner for Avatar, Michael Giacchino for Up, Hans Zimmer for It’s Complicated, Angels & Demons and Sherlock Holmes, and Randy Newmanfor The Princess and the Frog.  Some of the honorees in the Top Television Series category include David Vanacore (Survivor: Samoa and Tocantins, Ghost Hunters), Ramin Djawadi(FlashForward), Dan Foliart (Secret Life of the American Teenager), Sean Callery (24), and Ed Robertson of Barenaked Ladies (Big Bang Theory).  Also being honored at the black-tie gala are the composers of the most performed themes and underscore on television from 2009.  The complete list of winners will be announced on June 24th.

Bruce Broughton works in many styles and eclectic venues, but is best known for his film scores to Silverado, Tombstone, Lost in Space, The Presidio, Miracle on 34th Street, the Homeward Bound adventures; his television themes to JAG, Dinosaurs andTiny Toon Adventures; TV mini-series (Roughing It, The Blue and Gray, True Women); TV movies (Warm Springs, the two Eloisefilms) and countless episodes of TV series such as Dallas, Quincyand Hawaii Five-O. He has been nominated for an Oscar, a Grammy and 22 Emmys, having won the latter award a record 10 times. He has composed music for many of the Disney theme park attractions throughout the world, and wrote the first orchestral score for a CD-ROM game, Heart of Darkness. He conducted and supervised the recording of Gershwin’s Rhapsody in Blue for Fantasia 2000, and has recorded critically acclaimed performances of classic film scores by Miklos Rozsa and Bernard Herrmann.  As a composer of concert music, he has composed many works for orchestra, among them a popular tuba concerto, a piccolo concerto, the children’s fantasy The Magic Horn for narrator and orchestra, and has had his works commissioned and performed by the Cleveland Orchestra, the Chicago Symphony Orchestra, the Los Angeles Chamber Orchestra, the National Symphony and by members of the San Francisco Symphony. In addition he has numerous published works for band and chamber groups.  He is chairman of the music branch of the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences, a past President of The Society of Composers and Lyricists and a former governor of the Academy of Television Arts and Sciences. He is a lecturer in music composition and orchestration at UCLA and has taught film composition at the University of Southern California. Bruce currently serves on the ASCAP Board of Directors.

One of today’s most in-demand composers for film and television, Dennis McCarthy got his first major breakthrough when country/pop star Glen Campbell asked him to play keyboards on hits “Gentle On My Mind” and “By The Time I Get To Phoenix.”  Campbell eventually brought McCarthy on board as an “on the road” arranger/conductor, then hired him as musical director on the Glen Campbell Goodtime Hourvariety show for four years.  McCarthy served as musical director for The Barbara Mandrell Show for several years, then acted as scoring assistant to legendary composer Alex North before embarking on his own composing career in the early 1980s.  McCarthy’s first Hollywood scoring job was for the Dukes of Hazzard spin-off Enos in 1981.  Warner Bros. hired him to score V: The Final Battle, the new incarnation of The Twilight Zone, Dynasty, MacGyverand a slew of movies-of-the-week.  In 1987, McCarthy got his most prominent job to date when he became a regular composer for Star Trek: The Next Generation; he has since contributed music to every subsequent Star Trek series, and scored the Star Trek: Generations film in 1994.  McCarthy’s musical versatility brought him numerous feature films and made-for-TV movies, including Overkill: The Aileen Wuornos Story, McHale’s Navy and Letters from a Killer.  He recently jumped into theatre work, composing music for numerous plays for South Coast Repertory in Costa Mesa, CA.  McCarthy is a seven-time Emmy nominee, and won the award in 1993 for his theme to Deep Space Nine and again in 1996 for his music for the Star Trek: The Next Generation episode “Unification, Part 1.”  Among his latest projects, McCarthy is scoring the sitcom Related for Warner Bros.

Members of the press may apply for credentials by contacting Bobbi Marcus at bobbi.marcus@bobbimarcuspr.com.

About ASCAP
Established in 1914, ASCAP is the first and leading U.S. Performing Rights Organization (PRO) representing the world’s largest repertory totaling over 8.5 million copyrighted musical works of every style and genre from more than 380,000 songwriter, composer and music publisher members.  ASCAP has representation arrangements with similar foreign organizations so that the ASCAP repertory is represented in nearly every country around the world where copyright law exists.  ASCAP protects the rights of its members and foreign affiliates by licensing the public performances of their copyrighted works and distributing royalties based upon surveyed performances.  ASCAP is the only American PRO owned and governed by its writer and publisher members.  www.ascap.com

Saturday Night Recap

Music City Unsigned, Otterball.com & WLRT sponsored both shows at 3rd & Lindsley on the final evening of the 18th Annual Tin Pan South Songwriters Festival Presented by Regions Bank. Taking the stage early on were some of Nashville’s greatest rising talent, who each recently released albums that captivated critics and audiences alike: Butterfly Boucher (Scary Fragile), Thad Cockrell (To Be Loved), Katie Herzig (Apple Tree), Daniel Ellsworth (Daniel Ellsworth & The Great Lakes) and Matthew Perryman Jones (Swallow The Sea). Eager fans packed the house to enjoy their songs and stories. Ellsworth didn’t disappoint, kicking off the round with his upbeat song “Electric In Love.” Cockrell slowed things down a bit and displayed some impressive harmonica skills on “Rosalyn,” before Boucher enlisted the audience to sing along during “For The Love Of Love.” Jones, whose songs have been featured on The Hills, Private Practice, One Tree Hill and Eli Stone, entertained with “Rain Or Shine.” Herzig, whose music was featured on Grey’s Anatomy, took the crowd on an emotional ride with the heart-wrenching “Wish You Well.” Music City Unsigned’s John Tuminello introduced the second show, which highlighted Dave Barnes, Don Chaffer, Jennifer Knapp, Charlie Peacock and Amy Stroup. These popular performers have found success in a diverse group of genres. Contemporary Christian music sparked the careers of Knapp and Chaffer, while veteran songwriter/producer Peacock has won awards for his work in pop, jazz, gospel and country. Barnes’ and Stroup’s songs have landed on TV and in film. Philanthropic Barnes, who’s worked with Mocha Club’s efforts in Africa, performed “Grace’s Amazing Hands,” before Peacock knocked out his Amy Grant hit, “Every Heartbeat.” Knapp shared two new songs “Dive In” and “Letting Go,” and Stroup’s set included “Chin Up” and “Hold Onto Hope, Love.” The relatively new-to-Nashville Chaffer sang “Sympathy for Jesus” and various other inspiring tunes.
Over at The Listening Room Café, Keith Burns, Jen Foster, Jess Leary, Alissa Moreno, Karen Staley and guest Jill Colucci entertained to a packed-house. Colucci played “No One Else On Earth” and “Anymore,” recorded by Wynonna and Travis Tritt, respectively. Leary performed Tim McGraw’s #1 smash hit, “Where The Green Grass Grows.” Staley performed Faith Hill’s “Take Me As I Am,” while former Trick Pony guitarist, Burns, played their hit “Pour Me.” Moreno showcased Lifetime’s Army Wives theme song, “Away From Here,” which she wrote with Jeffery Steele. NSAI Board Member Foster played “Taking Bob Dylan,” “Second Hand Love” and “Venice Beach.” During the late show Jim Beavers sat in for Rodney Clawson, who wasn’t able to make it. Beavers kept the audiences laughing all night when he wasn’t singing serious hits like “Don’t,” “Trying To Stop Your Leaving” and “Watching Airplanes.” Phillip White sang “He Gets That From Me” and “I’m Movin’ On” before asking his wife, played “It Just Comes Natural” and “Wasted.” Newly-signed EMI Records’ Troy Olsen debuted his first single, “Summer Thing,” as well as “I’ll Just Hold On” recorded by Blake Shelton. At the request of the entire round, Tommy Barnes hopped on stage for a song.
Mark D. Sanders, who acted as host at The Rutledge Live Music Venue’s early show, played his hits “Heads Carolina, Tails California,” “I Hope You Dance” and “Daddy’s Money” before thanking NSAI for getting him started when he first came to town. Angaleena Presley sang her Heidi Newfield cut, “Knocked Up” and expressed gratitude for Sanders who was, “the first hot songwriter that would agree to write with me and this [“Dry County Blues] is the first one we wrote together.” Next up, Nashville Star’s Travis Howard played a mix of songs written with Miranda Lambert “Famous In A Small Town” and “Heart Like Mine,” as well as a some of his own like “Highway 10.” Megan Mullins, who’s toured with Shakira and was a part of the Nashville Star house band, sang “My Brother’s Keeper” and brought her husband, John Bollinger, on stage for “You Can’t Stop Loving Me.” The crowd was lined up for the Rock Night Show, which kicked off with Meghan Kabir introducing the round and applauding NSAI’s Legislative efforts for songwriters. Ross Copperman’s fiancée and mom were perched in the front row to show their support while he sang “Only Water” and “I’ll Be What’s Missing.” Madi Diaz and duo partner Kyle Ryan complimented each other’s talents on the first song they ever wrote together, “Love You Now,” and throughout the night. Before singing a tune from Mainstream, Matchbox Twenty’s lead guitarist Kyle Cook said, “We kinda started this tradition last year when did Tin Pan South, so you’ll probably see us next year.” In her edgy yet delicate voice, Kabir played mostly new songs like “Pretty Boy” and “Go Back Home” throughout the show. The group wasn’t afraid to shake things up with their powerful vocals and bold lyrics.

Jeffrey Steele & Band kept things rockin’ until the wee hours of the morning at the Hard Rock Café during the night’s only show there. Going through Steele’s catalogue of hits and more, the band performed “I’m Tryin’,” “My Town,” “These Days,” “Speed,” “Hell Yeah,” “Gone,” “What Hurts The Most,” “Every Time I Hear Your Name,” “Me And My Gang,” “My Wish” and “Brand New Girlfriend.” Also appearing were surprise guests LoCash Cowboys, who sang “Friend” and “Summer.” Steele gave his wild following of fans their moneys’ worth and more throughout this high-energy show.