Archive for March, 2009

(Nashville, TN - March 24, 2009) Legendary Nashville radio station 650AM WSM will continue its “Intimate Evening” series on Monday, April 6 with the star of “Always… Patsy Cline,” Mandy Barnett.

Hosted by night-time personality Eddie Stubbs, the show will feature one-on-one interviews with both singer Barnett and Cline’s widower, special guest Charlie Dick.

“Our ‘Intimate Evening’ series with Eddie Stubbs is a rare opportunity for WSM listeners to get up close and personal with the legends and superstars that we play on the air,” says WSM Program Director Joe Limardi. “You can’t buy tickets to this series, so the only way to see the show is to win passes over the air or online through our website.”

The April 6 show with Mandy Barnett will broadcast live from 7 p.m. - 9 p.m. CST at the Ford Theater inside the Country Music Hall of Fame in Nashville, Tenn. It will also be available for online streaming at the WSM website, www.WSMonline.com.

WSM’s “Intimate Evening” series is a monthly program that first began broadcasting in November 2005. Previous artists that have appeared on the series include Emmylou Harris, Patty Loveless, Dierks Bentley, Brad Paisley, Porter Wagoner and more.

About WSM:
650 AM WSM’s first official broadcast day was October 5, 1925. The Nashville-based station is the radio home for the Grand Ole Opry, which has been broadcast live over the airwaves on WSM since its inception. The 50,000-watt, low frequency station can be picked up in 38 states on 650 AM and heard worldwide at www.WSMonline.com.

26
Mar

Hear/Say Magaine Unveils Their New Online Site

   Posted by: mwatkins    in Publishing News

Hear/Say(TM) Magazine, America’s free monthly college music newspaper, is proud to present their newly updated online music magazine hearsay.cc.

Like the long-respected print magazine, hearsay.cc features exclusive artist interviews, reviews of the latest CDs, concerts, books, movies and DVDs, as well as contests featuring great prizes such as a Sony PS3, iPods, autographed guitars & other artist-signed memorabilia and much more. But Hear/Say’s online presence goes well beyond both the printed page and their target demographic of music-loving college students - with fresh content updated daily, including streaming audio and video from some of today’s cutting-edge artists, hot upcoming releases and their new Editor’s Blog (where Hear/Say’s industry insiders keep their ears-to-the-ground in order to break the latest news from the movers-and-shakers in the music and entertainment worlds). Along with the Editor’s Blog, two other new unique music columns, Campus Correspondents and Concert Connection, feature college students from around the nation giving their own views and news on music acts and concert reviews. In addition, the new Review DIY feature also lets viewers submit their own reviews on new releases (thus giving college students with a penchant for both music and journalism a unique voice within the music media industry).

Distributed through over 1,100 independent music retailers and college bookstores nationwide since it was first published in 1996, Hear/Say Magazine continues to be a strong supporter of both. Their most recent issue is proof of this as they have in-depth features on not only the second annual Record Store Day (where music stores throughout the U.S. will celebrate with various in-store sales, live musical performances and other related fun on April 18th), but also how brick-and-mortar music shops are adapting to the changing times with candid interviews from indie retailers across the country. In addition, hear/say.cc also has a weekly column called Indie Music Store News, which features the top selling CDs and vinyl LPs for the week, as well as interviews from select music store owners. This month Campus Correspondents from colleges coast-to-coast will also be sharing their own stories about their favorite record shops.

Also as a direct result of the renewed interest and sales in new vinyl releases, hearsay.cc has also kicked-off their new Vinyl Answer column in their blog, which discusses current trends of the format as well as new vinyl releases in the pipeline - such as the latest from U2, Neko Case, Handsome Furs and the deluxe vinyl packaging of Beastie Boys’ Paul’s Boutique, complete with t-shirt and eight-foot wide poster of the album art, and Beck’s The Information that comes on four slabs of 180-gram vinyl and includes 10 sticker sheets and a 24-color pen set.

Along with Hear/Say’s current contests to win a Numark Turntable, autographed memorabilia pack from English indie-pop duo The Ting Tings and new releases from Andrew Bird and White Lies, they’re also offering a very special contest in conjunction with Warner Music Group to win two 3-day passes to this year’s Lollapalooza music festival in Chicago with $300 cash to spend on food, drink and band merch at the fest.

As a long-time educated voice for music-loving college students across the U.S. and beyond, Hear/Say Magazine and their new online presence hearsay.cc give their audience everything they’re looking for in a music publication… and more.


ASCAP Golden Note Award to Be Presented to Songwriter/Performer/Producer Jeff Lynne

Los Angeles / New York, March 23, 2009: ASCAP (the American Society of Composers, Authors and Publishers) is pleased to announce that some of the biggest names in music, both on the creative and business side, will convene at the 4th Annual ASCAP “I Create Music” EXPO next month to share their knowledge and expertise on a broad range of topics of great importance to today’s music creators.  The three-day event will take place at the Renaissance Hollywood Hotel, April 23-25, 2009.

The ASCAP “I Create Music” EXPO is the premier conference for songwriters, composers and producers.  It covers all genres of music and includes panels, workshops, master classes, keynotes, One-on-One sessions, song critiquing, networking events, product displays, state-of-the-art technology demonstrations, performances, and more.  All music creators, producers, publishers and executives — regardless of their performing rights organization affiliation — will benefit from this unique creative event, which is designed around personal interaction, education and networking.

Programming highlights include:

“I Create Music” Interview with Jeff Lynne on Friday, April 24, focusing on his incredible 40-year career as a songwriter, producer and leader of the Electric Light Orchestra (ELO), co-founder of The Traveling Wilburys and producer of such artists as The Beatles, Roy Orbison  and Tom Petty.  Prior to the interview, ASCAP will present Lynne with its prestigious Golden Note Award in recognition of his extraordinary contributions to music.  Previous honorees include Tom Petty, Quincy Jones, Stevie Wonder, Sean “Diddy” Combs and Garth Brooks, to name a few.

“I Create Music” Interview with Ann & Nancy Wilson on Thursday, April 23, focusing on their 35-year career as songwriters and leaders of rock group Heart, the 30th anniversary of their classic multi-platinum album Dog & Butterfly, and their 14th studio album which will be released next year.  The Wilson sisters will be honored with ASCAP’s Founders Award during the organization’s Pop Music Awards ceremony, held the previous evening, in recognition of their pioneering contributions to music by inspiring and influencing their fellow music creators.

“We Create Music” - a super panel featuring songwriter, musician and producer Wyclef Jean, country songwriter Craig Wiseman, OneRepublic’s Ryan Tedder, and others to be announced.  These successful songwriters from across the musical spectrum will share their in-depth knowledge about building a life in music.

A conversation with Chaka Khan, who will be interviewed by singer-songwriter and actress LeToya Luckett.

A series of Master Sessions featuring top songwriters and composers representing a cross-section of genres, including composer Paul Chihara, songwriter Richard Marx; composer-producer Marcus Miller; film/tv composer James Newton Howard; rapper-producer Pete Rock; songwriter, producer, performer Ricky Skaggs; and songwriter Billy Steinberg.

Round Up: The Writer-Producers Jamfeaturing The Hooters’ Eric Bazilian and Rob Hyman, Holly Knightand Narada Michael Walden.  This successful group of songwriters and producers will share their fascinating stories behind their work and will perform them live in a fun, stripped down, in-the-round setting.

More than 250 panelists are scheduled to participate in this year’s EXPO.  For more details, including a regularly updated list of panelists, please visit www.ascap.com/expo.

The 4th Annual ASCAP “I Create Music” EXPO is part of “ASCAP I Create Music Week” — an entire week of events being held in Los Angeles to celebrate the voice of the music creator.

Members of the press may apply for credentials at www.ascap.com/press/pressroom/expo/.

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 350,000 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

2
Mar

ISC 2008 Finalists Announced

   Posted by: mwatkins    in Publishing News

The International Songwriting Competition (ISC) is excited to announce its 2008 finalists and semi-finalists. ISC received over 15,500 entries from almost 100 countries worldwide, representing a great depth and diversity of talent. Congratulations to all finalists and semi-finalists! Click here to see the complete list.

From now until March 31, 2009, you can take part in the People’s Voice - an online voting contest that allows you to listen to and vote for your favorite ISC finalist. The winner of the People’s Voice is in addition to, and completely separate from, the regular winners who will be selected by the prestigious ISC judging panel. The People’s Voice is judged solely by public vote, and the winner will receive lots of cool prizes and bragging rights!

Visit http://www.songwritingcompetition.com/PVWelcome2008.htm to listen to all the ISC finalists’ songs and cast your vote daily!

ISC is now accepting entries for the 2009 competition. Enter now and save $ on entry fees! Go to www.songwritingcompetition.com.

In the meantime, all 2008 finalists’ songs have been sent to the ISC judges who will select the winners (other than the People’s Voice winner which is selected by you). All winners will be announced at the end of April, 2009, as soon as the results are in. Stay tuned…

ISC Sponsors: Luna Guitars, Berklee College Of Music, Shure, D’Addario, M-Audio, Griffin Technology, Hear Technologies, Po Boy Drums, Thayers, Disc Makers, ASCAP, Phase One Studios, Stuph Merch, Sonicbids, Sam Ash, Alphabet Arm Design, Shari’s Berries, Taxi, George Stein, Esq., The Music Business Registry, SongU.com, Sibelius, and Onlinegigs.

(Nashville, TN - Mar. 1, 2009)  Country Radio Broadcasters, Inc. has announced that free, full-length video clips of the seminar’s daily panels will be made available for same-day viewing at their website, www.CRB.org.

The following panels will be posted online after 4 p.m. on Thursday, March 5.

Talent with a Capital “T” (8:30 a.m. - 9:50 a.m.) - This one is for the record books folks.  Who says you can’t have it all?  CRS-40 will bring you four of the greatest air talent coaches the industry has ever known, and all in the same room!  We have assembled Valerie Geller, Randy Lane, Tommy Kramer and Paul Connell to teach you how to motivate and develop today’s talent.  Come learn to be a better communicator and storyteller from the best of the best.  Moderator: Mike McVay - McVay Media; Panelists: Randy Lane - The Randy Lane Company; Valerie Geller - Geller Media International; Tommy Kramer - Tommy Kramer Talent Coaching; Paul Connell - PMC Brand Management

40 Great Programming Ideas in 40 Minutes (10:00 a.m. - 10:50 a.m.) - The name says it all. A group of PDs will share their great programming ideas and give you some great thought starters for your station, and you don’t even have to worry about writing em’ down. We will do it for you!  Moderator: Bruce Logan OM Clear Channel Charlotte/PD WKKT; Panelists: Mike Kennedy - VP of Programming & Operations Wilks Broadcasting/PD KBEQ Kansas City; Steve Geofferies - Operations Manager Clear Channel Greenville/PD WSSL & WESC; John Paul - CBS Radio/PD KUPL Portland; Ken Boesen - Beasley Broadcasting Miami/PD WKIS

40 New Media Ideas (11:00 a.m. - 11:50 a.m.) - This panel will teach you how to embrace and incorporate technology into all aspects of your business model and show you how to improve effectiveness while educating you on the hottest tech trends.  Moderator: Andy Denemark/ USRN; Panelists: Joel Burke/ KYGO; Dawn Gates/Capitol Records; Jennie Smythe/Girlilla Marketing; Rob Tiisler/Tampa Digital Studios

The following panel will be posted online after 4 p.m. on Friday, March 6:

Music Scheduling for Dummies: Better Music Logs in Less Time (11:00 a.m. - 11:50 a.m.)
This panel will educate and illustrate how respected music programmers make the decisions they do when scheduling and editing music logs. Each will bring a sample of their log that has been “anointed” to show why songs are scheduled the way they are.  Moderator: John Shomby - Max Media Hampton Roads; Panelists: Gwen Foster - KMLE; Keith Hill - Keith Hill Consulting; Greg Frey - KILT.

The following panel will be posted online after 7 p.m. on Friday, March 6:

40 Promotional Ideas to Rev Up Your Revenue (2:00 p.m. - 2:50 p.m.) - Buckle up and hold on as this fast-paced, track-driven panel paves the way for you to take 40 workable ideas to the street on Monday. Get out of the pace car and take your promotions to the next gear! Moderator: Annie Sandor - WKIS; Panelists: Candace Price - Clear Channel; Craig Cohn - KPLX; Dave Demer/Clear Channel.

CRS-40 will be held March 4-6, 2009 at the Nashville Convention Center in Nashville, Tenn.  Complete seminar information may be obtained by contacting CRB, Inc. at 615.327.4487 or by visiting www.CRB.org.  On-site registration is $699.

About CRS:
The Country Radio Seminar is an annual convention designed to educate and promote the exchange of ideas in the country music industry.  Country Radio Seminar is a registered trademark of Country Radio Broadcasters, Inc.