Archive for July, 2008

“American family farmers are what this country is built on … and they have fed us and kept us strong and healthy for how many generations?” said Chesney, who is from Luttrell, Tennessee. “Growing up in a small town outside Knoxville, it was a big part of who we were — and it’s something we as a country shouldn’t lose. If I can help be part of that — whether it’s raising money, or awareness, or just letting those family farmers know someone knows and cares — well, that’s why I’m coming to New England.”

Singer/songwriter Kenny Chesney is a four-time Country Music Association and three-time, as well as the current, Academy of Country Music’s Entertainer of the Year. He will bring his unique country sound to Farm Aid’s annual benefit concert just weeks after closing his sell-out Poets & Pirates 2008 Tour.

Tickets for Farm Aid 2008 Presented by Whole Foods Market and Horizon Organic will go on sale July 28 at 10 a.m. EDT and are available at all Ticketmaster outlets, ticketmaster.com, livenation.com or by calling (866) 448-7849. Tickets are priced at $35 for lawn, $55 for uncovered seats, $95 for covered seats and $200 for VIP plus a $7 parking and facility fee for all tickets.

The day-long festival will celebrate music and good food, featuring hands-on activities in the HOMEGROWN Village that will showcase the direct connection between who is growing our food and what we eat every day. The concert event will again feature family-farm identified, local and organic foods at concessions, setting an example of the many ways that family farm food can be integrated into the general marketplace. Other top artists will be announced.

“Farm Aid is a movement inspired not only by the passion of Farm Aid board artists Willie Nelson, John Mellencamp, Neil Young and Dave Matthews but also by the more than 300 artists who have donated their performances at our shows year after year,” said Carolyn Mugar, executive director of Farm Aid. “We are proud to again welcome Kenny Chesney to the Farm Aid stage for what will prove to be a remarkable day of music, food, awareness and action.”

Farm Aid’s mission is to build a vibrant family farm-centered system of agriculture in America. Farm Aid artists and board members Willie Nelson, Neil Young, John Mellencamp and Dave Matthews host an annual concert to raise funds to support Farm Aid’s work with family farmers and to inspire people to choose family-farmed food. Since 1985, Farm Aid has raised more than $30 million to support programs that help farmers thrive, expand the reach of the Good Food Movement, take action to change the dominant system of industrial agriculture and promote food from family farms.

31
Jul

“Crazy Days” For Adam Gregory All Summer Long

   Posted by: mwatkins    in Publishing News

(Nashville, TN — June 26, 2008) NSA/Midas recording artist Adam Gregory has led a hectic schedule this year with no rest in sight, balancing radio tours, personal appearances, media opportunities and songwriting sessions.

In between recent visits to Kansas City and Virginia Beach, Adam found some time to team up with fellow songwriter and Curb recording artist Lee Brice (pictured below). Lee was one of the collaborators on Adam’s hit single “Crazy Days,” along with Kyle Jacobs and Joe Leathers.

“We’ve got a great connection going on right now when we sit down to write,” says Adam. “Even though we’ve completed all the tracks for the new album, you never know when an idea will spark a special song. We don’t want to miss an opportunity like that.”

“Crazy Days” continues its steady push up the charts, currently at #40 on Country Aircheck and #43 on the R&R charts. It moved six more spots last week up to #28 on the Music Row charts. The video is currently receiving impressive play on a broad cross-section of national and regional outlets across the country.

Adam was a hot item at this year’s CMA Music Festival as well, trying his hand as a fashion model, celebrity baseball player, jam host/headliner and of course, country music performer. He signed autographs for hours and thrilled thousands of insatiable concertgoers with his performances on the Greased Lightning Daytime Stages at the first two days of the festival.

His current coast-to-coast radio tour has seen Adam visit over 100 stations in 37 states since March. Adam will continue burning up the road this summer, visiting radio stations and making appearances across the country into August. His debut U.S. album is set for a fall release.

31
Jul

CCMA Awards Nominees Announced

   Posted by: mwatkins    in Publishing News

(Toronto, ON) July 30, 2008 - The Board of Directors of the Canadian Country Music Association (CCMA) announced today the nominees for the 2008 Canadian Country Music Awards.

Newcomer Jessie Farrell leads the nominations with a total of seven, including Single of the Year, Album of the Year, Female Artist of the Year, CMT Video of the Year, Songwriter of the Year, Top New Talent of the Year - Female and her previously announced nomination for Fans’ Choice. She is also joining the already stellar line-up of stars scheduled to perform on the CCMA Awards.

The Honorary Chairs of Country Music Week, Doc Walker earned a total of six nods, including Single of the Year, Album of the Year, Songwriters of the Year, CMT Video of the Year, Group or Duo of the Year and a Fans’ Choice nomination.

Other multiple nominees include Paul Brandt with five, Gord Bamford with four, George Canyon, who will also be performing on the CCMA Awards and Deric Ruttan with three each and Ambush, Crystal Shawanda, Johnny Reid, Emerson Drive and Ridley Bent all up for two awards each.

One of this year’s nominees for female artist of the year and last year’s Fans’ Choice Award winner Terri Clark will host the show, which will feature performers Jessie Farrell, George Canyon alongside previously announced performers Dierks Bentley, Doc Walker, Emerson Drive and Johnny Reid on September 8 at the MTS Centre in Winnipeg, Manitoba. The show will be broadcast nationally on CBC Television at 8pm with encore broadcasts on CMT.

Tickets for the CCMA Awards are on sale now and range in price from $39.50 - $79.50. Tickets are available at ticketmaster.ca, by phone at 204.780.3333 or at any Ticketmaster location.

All CCMA Award nominees are available online at www.ccma.org.

For details about Country Music Week and the CCMA Awards, visit www.ccma.org.

30
Jul

SIRIUS And XM Complete Merger

   Posted by: mwatkins    in Publishing News

SIRIUS Satellite Radio and XM Satellite Radio announced that they have completed their merger, resulting in the nation’s premier radio company. The new company plans to change its corporate name to SIRIUS XM Radio Inc. The combined company’s stock will continue to be traded on the Nasdaq Global Select Market under the symbol “SIRI.”

SIRIUS XM Radio begins day one with over 18.5 million subscribers, making it the second-largest radio company, based upon revenue, in the country; and, based upon subscribers, the second largest subscription media business in the U.S. With under 10% penetration of the home and car market, the opportunity for continued growth is significant.

“I am delighted to announce the completion of this exciting merger between SIRIUS and XM,” said Mel Karmazin, CEO of SIRIUS XM Radio. “We have worked diligently to close this transaction and we look forward to integrating our best-in-class management teams and operations so we can begin delivering on our promise of more choices and lower prices for subscribers.”

“Every one of our constituencies is a winner. Combined, SIRIUS XM Radio will deliver superior value to our shareholders. By offering more compelling packages and the best content in audio entertainment, we are well positioned for increased subscriber growth. Our laser focus on subscribers will continue and listeners can be assured that there will be no disruption in service. We also believe that the completion of the merger will eliminate any confusion that has been lingering in the marketplace,” added Karmazin.

XM shareholders will receive 4.6 shares of SIRIUS common stock for each share of XM.

Competitive New Options for Consumers

SIRIUS XM Radio broadcasts more than 300 channels of programming, including exclusive radio offerings from Howard Stern, Oprah, Opie & Anthony and Martha Stewart, among others. SIRIUS XM Radio will offer these expanded options to consumers through arrangements with the world’s leading automakers and its relationships with nationwide retailers.

As a result of the merger, SIRIUS XM Radio will also be able to offer consumers new packages in audio entertainment, including the first-ever a la carte programming option in subscription media. In addition to two a la carte options, the new packages will include: “Best of Both,” giving subscribers the option to access certain programming from the other network; discounted Family Friendly packages; and tailored packages including “Mostly Music” and “News, Talk and Sports.” The first of the new packages will be available in the early Fall.

“One of the most exciting benefits of this transaction is the ability to offer subscribers the option of expanding their subscriptions to include the Best of Both services. Given the respective popularity of exclusive programming on both SIRIUS and XM, we expect many subscribers will upgrade their current subscription,” said Karmazin.

“The upside potential for both consumers and shareholders is huge. Consumers have the ease of adding premier programming without purchasing a new device. For shareholders, this kind of organic growth is a key part of the company’s future and the success we expect to see,” said Karmazin.

As promised when the merger was first announced, existing radios will continue to work and every subscriber has the option of maintaining their current service package.

Benefits for Shareholders Begin Immediately, Integration Already Under Way

SIRIUS XM Radio expects to begin realizing the synergies expected from this transaction immediately.

“In addition to realizing significant potential revenue growth, the management team will move quickly to capitalize on the synergies that many analysts have predicted for this combination. We expect to begin achieving those synergies without sacrificing any of the world-class programming and marketing we are known for,” said Karmazin.

The company today also reiterated guidance for the combined SIRIUS XM Radio. Based upon a preliminary analysis, the combined company expects to realize total synergies, net of the costs to achieve such synergies, of approximately $400 million in 2009; to post adjusted EBITDA exceeding $300 million in 2009; and to achieve positive free cash flow, before satellite capital expenditures, for the full year 2009. The company also expects that both synergies and adjusted EBITDA will continue growing beyond 2009.

“We have all the tools necessary to begin executing as a combined company with high aspirations for subscriber growth and greater financial performance in part from the significant synergies that we begin realizing literally today — on Day One. We are moving quickly to integrate the operations,” said Karmazin.

The corporate headquarters will be located in New York, NY and XM Satellite Radio, the company’s wholly-owned subsidiary, will remain headquartered in Washington, DC.

Best Buy, the nation’s leading consumer electronics retailer, announced that it will begin offering musical instruments and musical recording equipment at an additional 75-85 Best Buy stores across the U.S. and online at www.BestBuy.com. The diverse musical instrument and recording line-up will include more than 1,000 guitars, bass, drums, keyboards and recording equipment, as well as other musical instruments and accessories, all available at entry level and professional price points.

“The introduction of musical instruments is a natural progression for Best Buy,” explained Steve Hehir, senior vice president of musical instruments for Best Buy. “Consumers have always looked to us as a resource for music in a variety of formats. Now they’ll be able to rely on us for help with musical performance and creating too.”

Existing as a “store within a store” Best Buy musical instrument locations will feature trained musical instrument specialists. In addition to retail sales, Best Buy musical instrument stores will offer group and individual guitar lessons.

“Whether they’re just learning to play, or have been playing for years, customers can trust the knowledge and expertise of our trained musical instrument specialists,” said Kevin Balon, vice president of musical instruments for Best Buy. “Our musical instrument specialists can help anyone find the perfect instrument.”

Seven Best Buy stores in Southern California and Minneapolis participated in a successful pilot of the musical instruments store-within-a-store concept that launched earlier this year. The program recently expanded to Chicago and Washington D.C., bringing the current musical instrument store count to ten. The rollout to 75-85 Best Buy stores is expected to continue through late December. For consumers who are unable to visit a store location or who prefer shopping online, BestBuy.com will offer an expanded musical instrument assortment beginning August 1.

New York, NY – July 28, 2008 – With just two weeks in and almost one thousand impressions per show, Life Remixed Radio! has created a win-win for Saideh Browne and her peers who are forced to look at life from a different and grown-up perspective since they are now “married, with children.”

Created and hosted by former marketing executive/personal assistant to KRS-One, Saideh Browne’s daily chat-fest talks up today’s hottest topics from a faith-based perspective. By her own admission, current radio offerings don’t address who she is – a grown up HipHopper – so she launched Life Remixed Radio! to create a platform that speaks to her peers. “Life Remixed Radio! is about rethinking what GenX’ers were taught about life, love, religion, prosperity and a host of other important areas in our life; everything our parents taught us has become debatable because of the technology and globalization,” says Saideh. “My parents are amazed that my entire production team is in Atlanta and I broadcast live from New York City, that’s the very reason why this type of dialog is very necessary,” she adds.

Past guests include:
R&B icon Teena Marie (July 24th); Rapper turned born-again Christian, Christopher “Play” Martin (July 15th); Blogger Richard Ivory, the Hip-Hop Republican (July 11th); Mompreneur Kenya Pope (July 7th); author of Snith Craft, Edrea Davis (July 22nd)

Saideh’s daily Internet radio show broadcasts from her office in Times Square in New York City and can be heard on LifeRemixedRadio.com, utilizing the BlogTalkRadio platform. There are four ways to listen to her show:
1. Listen live weekdays at 12 noon EST / 9am Pacific by logging onto:
www.LifeRemixedRadio.com

2. Download the Podcast from iTunes

3. Listen on MySpace.com/Liferemixedradio

4. Through web-enabled cell phones

Dee Dee Cocheta, veteran entertainment publicist and previous Marketing Director in Radio serves as the Director of Marketing and Publicity, Shameka Gumbs, widely known for her role in the Atlanta Hip-Hop Film Festival is the Executive Producer and DeJuan Boyd of Atlanta based Rabbit Productions is the show’s engineer.

To advertise on the show or to book a guest on Life Remixed Radio! contact Shameka Gumbs, at: booking@lifeRemixedRadio.com

Performing Songwriter magazine has named the band Sister Hazel as one of their Top 100 Most Influential Independent Performers of the last 15 years in their June issue (on stands now). Sister Hazel was included in the “Organizers” category, which focuses on artists who provide opportunities for others. Said Performing Songwriter of Sister Hazel: “The Gainesville, Fla., band, known for devoting to their fans and charity events, has built an entire community of like-minded individuals. In 2001 they launched the Rock Boat, a first-of-its-kind floating festival that was the model for all fan cruises that followed. The 2009 event will feature a dozen acts including Carbon Leaf, Cowboy Mouth and Aslyn. In 2004 they created the Rock Slope, a ski and snowboarding music fest in Steamboat Springs, Colo. Sister Hazel’s 10th CD, Before The Amplifiers, Live Acoustic, will be released in June.”

“Before The Amplifiers, Live Acoustic” features sixteen tracks, including the band’s hits, fan favorites, and live concert staples, all in a stripped-down, acoustic format. The album was recorded in front of 100 lucky fans who were chosen at random from over five thousand entries. “Before The Amplifiers” is the perfect collection for both the hardcore band fans (a.k.a. Hazelnuts) and for listeners just discovering the band for the first time. It was released on June 17th. The band continues on the road this summer in support of the new album (see tour dates below).

Sister Hazel has sold over two million albums and co-founded the Rock Boat (www.therockboat.com), the world’s largest floating music festival, with Sixthman in 2001, which they also host annually. In 2001, the band established the charity, Lyrics for Life, which benefits children with cancer. Sister Hazel is: Ken Block (vocals, acoustic guitar), Drew Copeland (vocals, rhythm guitar), Ryan Newell (lead guitar), Jett Beres (bass), Mark Trojanowski (drums).

The pact covers future albums by the Rolling Stones and the single most iconic catalogue in rock & roll, including such landmark albums as “Sticky Fingers,” “Exile On Main St.” and “Black And Blue,” and such global anthems as “Brown Sugar,” “Angie,” “It’s Only Rock ‘N Roll” and “Start Me Up.”

New recordings by the Rolling Stones will be released by Universal Music Group’s Polydor label through UMG companies around the world.

The Stones commented, “Universal are forward thinking, creative and hands-on music people. We really look forward to working with them.”

Full digital and physical rights are part of the agreement, and Universal Music Group will begin planning an unprecedented, long-term campaign to reposition the Rolling Stones’ entire catalogue for the digital age.

“There is no question that the Rolling Stones are one of the most important bands in music history,” stated Doug Morris, Chairman and CEO of Universal Music Group. “Their musical style and off-stage swagger have been emulated by countless others. Having worked closely with them during my days at Atlantic Records, I am thrilled to be reunited with these seminal musicians who have set the bar for all rock bands in their paths. I couldn’t be happier that they’ve chosen UMG as their partner for what will certainly be the next chapter in their already storied career.”

Lucian Grainge, Chairman/CEO, Universal Music Group International, commented: “The Rolling Stones go their own way - always have, always will. Everyone at Universal Music feels privileged to be part of the journey.”

David Joseph, Chairman/CEO of Universal Music UK, said: “The Rolling Stones are, and will continue to be, the definition of everything that is rock and roll. It is an honour to work with them.”

In March, Universal Music Group released the soundtrack album from “Shine A Light,” director Martin Scorsese’s film of the Rolling Stones’ acclaimed 2006 performance at the Beacon Theatre in New York. The album has been a major worldwide hit.

The decision by ISPs to work with us and the rest of the UK music industry to encourage only legitimate music downloads is a hugely positive step forward says the MCPS-PRS Alliance.

The Alliance, which is responsible for collecting and distributing music royalties to 60,000 UK and international composers, songwriters and their music publishers, says that encouraging legitimate online activity could bring back the equilibrium to the UK’s music industry which is renowned to be the best in the world.

The vast majority of songwriters and composers - around 90% - earn less than £5,000 per year from royalties and those royalties are a vital source of income. The Alliance has been concerned that a continual erosion from unlicensed music usage could undermine and deter talented people from remaining in and entering the industry in the future.

Steve Porter, Chief Executive of the Alliance commented; ‘This joint industry initiative is significant as a way of redressing the balance between unlicensed and legitimate online music downloads. Together with our delivering effective online licensing solutions this provides a way to enable the growth of a wide-range of attractive music services whilst at the same time ensuring the creators of music are paid for their work.

The Mystic Orchestra’s “Flashback – The Classic Rock Experience” has named syndicated radio show, Classic Artists Today© as a media partner for their upcoming United States tour.

Flashback is a concert tour revolving around the extremely popular Classic Rock n’ Roll music of the ‘60’s and ‘70’s presented in a new way – a way that enhances the original songs by adding richer sounds, intelligent lighting, video animations and special effects that creates an environment in which audiences not only hear the songs but experience them. The first leg of the tour kicks off on August 27, 2008 in Mobile, AL and runs through November 9, 2008, playing at 46 venues in the United States.

Classic Artists Today© - “The Best Songs Today…From Yesterday’s Top Artists,” syndicated radio show is a weekly, 1-hour program carried by radio stations in the United States, Canada and the Caribbean. The “CAT” features “new” music from “classic” rock/pop/soul bands and performers. The show can be heard 7 days a week.

“We feel Classic Artists Today© is an ideal radio partner for Flashback,” states John Varesio of Mystic Music Enterprises. “Their audience are the same demographics that we feel we come out and experience the sensory journey at our concerts,” Varesio said.
R.K. White, Classic Artists Today’s managing partner agrees. “Our listeners are engaged and loyal and take the effort to support the music and artists that have played important roles in their lives,” states White. “Having an opportunity to listen to 30 of the best classic rock songs ever recorded, with over 200 moving lights, multi-colored lasers, dragon tails, multi-color flame effects, waterfalls, confetti cannons, fog and dry ice machines and snow makers are sure to give the audience, both mature and younger, an experience that they won’t soon forget,” White said.

The Mystic Orchestra is made up of 25 World-Class musicians brought together from around the world. The show stars Chuck Negron, the original lead vocalist for Three Dog Night. Other members have played with Chicago, Phil Collins, Rod Stewart, Eric Burton, The Cure, Atlanta Rhythm Section, Meatloaf and many other bands.