Danny Gokey begins his Best Days

Nashville, TN – 19 Recordings/RCA Nashville recording artist Danny Gokey powers his way into the chart record books this week, as his March 2 debut album, My Best Days, brought out the fans, with first-week sales of more than 65,000 copies, according to Nielsen SoundScan. The accomplishment nets Gokey the best opening-week sales by a debut country male since 1992.

The soaring success of My Best Days includes a sizzling digital album tally in excess of 19,000 downloads, according to Nielsen SoundScan, earning Danny a #1 berth in chart history with the best first-week digital album sales ever recorded by a debut country act.

The album’s total sales also earn My Best Days this week’s highest chart entry by a debut artist, landing at #3 on Billboard’s Top Country Albums chart and #4 on the all-genre Billboard 200.

After crossing the country with an event-packed release week filled with in-store appearances, concerts, radio visits, and television – including a Thursday return to American Idol to sing his hit, “My Best Days Are Ahead of Me” – Gokey will be in Nashville this weekend for a March 13 performance on the Grand Ole Opry.  Gokey made his Opry debut earlier this year and will play both Opry shows this Saturday, in addition to meeting fans at a CD signing from 5:30 PM – 6:30 PM at The Opry Shop.

About Danny Gokey: Danny Gokey became a favorite of millions of fans nationwide as a finalist on Season Eight of American Idol, and on March 2, the Milwaukee native and 19 Recordings/RCA Nashville recording artist released his debut album, My Best Days.  Danny credits his late wife, Sophia, with the inspiration to pursue his musical dreams on Idol, and he continues to honor her with the charitable work of the Sophia’s Heart Foundation, founded in her memory.  For more information on all things Danny, visit him online at www.dannygokey.com.

Anthony Smith

Award winning singer-songwriter and critic’s favorite, Anthony Smith, is joining the ranks of artists like Big Kenny, Gretchen Wilson and Toby Keith by launching his own record label, Krankit Records, LLC.

With an established team of industry veterans to guide the label, Krankit Record’s first album release will be Smith’s Sunshine with the lead single and video “Love Is Love Is Love.”

“This is a special record and I want to put my own stamp on country music with its release. We are very proud of Krankit and what it stands for and feel strongly that this will be the first of many successes that the label enjoys,” Smith said.

Krankit Records, LLC is a joint venture with Artist Garage, LLC who distributes through Fontana which is a wholly owned subsidiary of Universal Music Group. Mike Regan will serve as the director of operations for the label while Larry Pareigis and Nine North are the radio promotions partners . Jules Wortman of Wortman Works Media and Marketing as well as Nicole Cochran of Nic of Time Communications will run public relations and media for the label.

“The first single, ‘Love Is Love Is Love’ is vintage Anthony Smith with creative lyrical content and his unique vocals that can be duplicated by no other,” says Larry Pareigis who is working the radio promotion. “I believe ‘Love is Love is Love’ has the unmistakable Anthony Smith sound and at the same time is the most commercial single he’s sent to Country radio,” said Pareigis. “Nine North is honored to be partnered in the launch of Anthony’s label Krankit Records.”

About Anthony Smith:
Anthony Smith has had over 200 songs recorded by other artists including “Run” and “Cowboys Like Us” by George Strait, “Kristofferson” by Tim McGraw, “Chrome” and “I’m Trying” by Trace Adkins and “Who Invented the Wheel” by Trisha Yearwood. This is Smith’s sophomore record, the first being That Ain’t Country for Mercury, which he calls a “songwriters record”. The eagerly anticipated follow-up, Sunshine is poised to be an extraordinary collection of music that in Smith’s words, “is not Nashville”.

Blake Shelton is slowly clawing his way onto the A List.  He’s started gaining real traction in the hit making department and has developed a long list of concert songs.  Plus with a few high profile TV stints he’s becoming a big name.

Just when he gets there it looks like they change the game.   His latest album isn’t really an album.  It’s a download collection of songs.  Packaged as a Six Pack and out 3/2/10.  It looks like the smaller packages of music are potentially more lucrative.   That’s surprising to most outside the music biz who don’t realize that the cost of printing physical disks and cases are not the big cost.  A substantial cost is publishing rights and royalties.

Expect to see more of this as the music biz shifts to an itunes-singles focused world.

Blake Shelton

In fact , Hillbilly Bone will drive a lotof the sales for Shelton’s SixPack, but there’s some other – mostly fun – stuff on the collection to make it worth your download.  From Can’t Afford To Love you to Kiss my Country Ass he continues to showcase his funny side.  In fact – after hearing several different versions of Kiss My Country Ass  – Shelton’s is the only one I’ve heard that really works.

You can see a preview and special performance via Walmart’s SOUNDCHECK – Click HERE

Overall Grade B+

Download – Everyone will be downloading the big hit HillbillyBone
Shop at the iTunes Music Store.

Kix and Ronnie took to a live stream on their website (and below) to make a special announcement Thursday.

The last stop on Brooks & Dunn’s Last Rodeo tour, their last concert ever, will be Aug. 10 at Nashville’s Bridgestone Arena.

Announced at Thursday’s (2/25) Country Radio’s Sony/Nashville Luncheon, the show will benefit the Country Music Hall of Fame and Museum’s All For The Hall initiative. All tickets will be $25, go on sale Saturday (3/6) and will be available at livenation.com,

ticketmaster.com and brooks-dunn.com.

Keith Urban did a similar (notlast) show for the Hall in 2009 and webcast it live.

Live video by Ustream

And a Grammy... good week.

Hats off (no pun intended for hat act lovers) to Lady Antebellum’s Charles, Dave and Hillary on topping the overall and country album sales charts with 481,000 debut-week sales for the group’s Need You Now. The Nielsen SoundScan total is the biggest debut by a country artist since Taylor Swift’s Fearless bowed with 592,000 units in November 2008.

A large percentage is suspected to attributed to massive downloads of the smash multi week title track. Combined single downloads are figured into the tally. Christmas iTunes cards must’ve helped here. Record breaking January sales.

Dave Tweeted -”We’re Absolutely stunned!”

The band used their weekly webisode to thank the fans — see the brilliant thank you below…

Jessica Harp's Tat

Thanks to the crew at Warner Nashville for zipping over this new pix of Jessica Harp (formerly of The Wreckers) and her new tattoo!   Full story below:

NASHVILLE – Jan. 25, 2010 – Jessica Harp, one-half of the GRAMMY nominated duo, The Wreckers, releases the music video for her new single, “A Woman Needs,” exclusively on AOL’s The Boot today. The single was released to radio last Tuesday, January 19th. Inspired by the video, Jessica got a tattoo of three stars as a reminder of the significance the song’s message had on her own life.

The music video, directed by Kristin Barlowe, chronicles the story of three girlfriends throughout their childhood, teenage and adult years. In each stage of their life, the girls carry a tradition of a star symbol on their hand – first with stickers, then a pen drawing and lastly as a tattoo imprint.

“I wanted to get the tattoo because this song means more to me than any other song on the record,” Jessica says. “Every time I look at this, I’ll think of that song, I’ll think of my first solo record that I’m really proud of and I’ll think of the message of ‘A Woman Needs,’ which is to follow your dreams.”

Jessica Harp

“A Woman Needs” making of the video webisodes are currently featured on TheBoot.com. The webisodes run in correlation with a contest where fans can obtain a code at the end of each websiode to enter on the sweeps page. The sweeps page is located at www.jessicaharp.com/awomanneeds and the winner will win a weekend getaway to Nashville and a meeting with Harp. Fans have until February 1^st to enter and a winner will be announced on February 4^th.

The single, “A Woman Needs,” is the title-track off of Harp’s forthcoming solo debut album, A Woman Needs.

You can watch the video for “A Woman Needs” here: http://www.theboot.com/2010/01/25/jessica-harp-a-woman-needs-video/.

2009's Summer In 3D

Los Angeles:   He knew when he decided to start shooting in 3-D, his stadium shows were something special. Even more than the high energy, good time celebrations of life the way people really live and love it, Kenny Chesney sensed that what he was sharing with his fans… what he had built with his band, crew and management team… was more than one great big rock show.

And then he got to Sony Studios in Los Angeles to work on placing the various audio tracks in the surround sound and look at the color-adjustments for the 3-d edit, which is done on a full-sized cinema screen. That was when it, “Kenny Chesney: Summer in 3-D,” really hit the 4-consecutive Academy of Country Music and 4-time Country Music Association Entertainer of the Year.

“All of a sudden, I’m hearing the music all around me… and then when I saw the images up on that giant screen… all I could think of were all the lives that had come together to get me to that point,” the obviously moved singer/songwriter from Luttrell, TN said standing outside the soundstage. “I’ve been looking at this footage for months now… in both 2-D and 3-D, so I know it pretty well. But when you see it like that, especially when you see the fans’ faces looking out from the screen…

“Well, you see the people singing along, reaching up, clapping along – and it just hits you: these aren’t people who’re here because they like the songs. They’re here because they believe in what we’ve built, too… because they were a big part of this: telling their friends, coming back, playing me in their trucks, on the way to things that were such a part of their lives.

“To see that kind of passion… To be able to really see those faces where I can just stand there and take it all in… Now that is something I don’t see very much, and I go to a lot of shows, and watch a lot of crowds, but the folks who come out for us, well, it’s something I can’t explain, but I can’t wait for the fans to get to see themselves, to get to see what me and the guys get to see every night! It’s cool…”

With a national opening April 21, Chesney is under the gun to get all the editing and sweetening done in time for the prints to be manufactured. Though the process can be tedious, Chesney says that his time in California has really kicked him into overdrive.

“Anyone who knows me knows I’m not afraid of the work – and I very much care about the quality of what I do,” he explains. “Some things are harder than others… Some things take more time… But honestly, I can’t think of very many things I’ve been as fired up about finishing and getting out to the fans. The places these cameras go, the way the songs and the people are captured… This truly is closer than you can get with a ticket, but it’s also the chance to see things from a perspective that’s not just mine, but where none of us could ever go…”

We Hear He Puts The Beer On The Table

From Sony Nashville:

Josh Thompson fans anxiously awaiting the February 23^rd release of Way Out Here can now pre-order their copy of forthcoming debut album on Thompson’s official website.

Fans who pre-order the album on Thompson’s official website will also receive an autographed booklet. Visitors to the site can also view videos and upload photos, follow Josh on Twitter, check on upcoming events, interact in forums, and compete for the top score on the “Whack-A-Beer” online game. Fans also have the ability to stream and purchase all four tracks already available on Thompson’s self-titled digital EP.

While critics have already pegged Thompson as the artist to watch in the New Year, country music fans have also voted Josh Thompson as the ”artist they are most excited about for 2010,” in a recent poll taken on gactv.com.   Thompson won the fan voted poll with a staggering 56% of the votes!  To see the full gactv.com poll results, click here. With Way Out Here available in stores on February 23^rd, his debut single, “Beer on the Table,” climbing up the airwaves and landing at MediaBase’s #18 spot this week, and his 32-date Jagermeister Country Tour kicking off next month, Thompson has a lot forward to in the upcoming year.

For 24/7 info on Josh Thompson, be sure to check out www.joshthompsonofficial.com.

Paltrow Plays The Singer

Used to be Tim McGraw would joke about his second job as an actor. As recently as a few weeks back during a visit to the Jay Leno Show he said it didn’t pay enough (compared to his singing). One wonders if all that has changed after the major success of “The Blind Side” that is already accumulating Oscar Buzz for Sandra Bullock. She already won a People’s Choice award.

Now McGraw starts filming Love Don’t Let Me Down with Oscar winner Gwyneth Paltrow. Production starts this week and some of the filming is said to be taking place on the McGraw property.

With the production announcing a $15 Million dollar price tag it is doubtful this one is Tim’s big payday… but Paltrow is a heavy hitter so his next role may be even bigger.

Check the official details below via TN.gov.

NASHVILLE – Tennessee Film, Entertainment and Music Commission Executive Director Perry Gibson announced that production begins this week in Nashville on the Screen Gems feature film Love Don’t Let Me Down. The $15 million project stars Oscar-winner Gwyneth Paltrow, country music superstar Tim McGraw, Leighton Meester (Gossip Girl) and Garrett Hedlund (Friday Night Lights).

The production company is aiming to hire local residents for almost 75 percent of the film’s crew and 90 percent of the film’s cast. More than 50 Tennessee crew members have already been put to work in a variety of jobs such as camera operators, assistant directors, grips, electricians, sound mixers, casting directors, location managers, stuntmen, set decorators, prop masters, hair and make-up artists, costumers and transportation coordinators.

“I am thrilled the director and producers of Love Don’t Let Me Down have chosen Nashville and its residents to help bring their story to life,” said Gibson. “Having a production of this magnitude in our state will provide a significant number of jobs for our production community and the project’s spending will provide a real boost to the local economy.”

Pre-production began in November of 2009 and principal photography is expected to last through the first week of March. Post-production will continue through April 1.

A significant number of Tennessee companies stand to benefit during Love Don’t Let Me Down’s five month stay in Middle Tennessee. Office space has been rented since November, along with rehearsal and recording studio space. Other businesses to be utilized include office supply companies, rental car agencies, grocery stores, caterers, dry cleaners, florists, printers, security firms, waste management and more.

The project is expected to qualify for a 32 percent refund of qualified expenses incurred in the state through a combination of incentives offered by the Film Commission and the Tennessee Department of Revenue. To qualify, at least $1 million must be spent by the production on Tennessee residents and Tennessee vendors. The production company hopes to spend $7-8 million during its stay and budgets must be audited before incentive payments can be released.

Writer and director Shana Feste describes the film’s story as one revolving around “a rising young singer-songwriter (Hedlund) who becomes involved with a fallen country singer (Paltrow). As they embark on a career resurrection tour with her husband and manager (McGraw) and a beauty queen-turned-singer (Meester), romantic entanglements and old demons threaten to derail them all.”

The movie’s producers include actor Tobey McGuire.

Gloriana - Grammy Nominated

By any measure, Gloriana has become one of country music’s hottest young artists. Critics have raved about their sound, with Billboard calling them “a sonic delight” and People predicting they are “destined for glory.” Their peers have embraced them, with Taylor Swift calling on the four-member group to open her Fearless 2009 tour, and Jason Aldean, Dierks Bentley, Brooks & Dunn, Alan Jackson, LeAnn Rimes and the Zac Brown Band all choosing them for opening slots this year. In addition, they have appeared on Good Morning America, The Today Show, Access Hollywood and Sirius/XM, to name a few. On the cusp of the band’s Top 10 debut single “Wild At Heart,” they also won the fan-voted “Nationwide On Your Side Award” at the 2009 CMT Awards.

The ultimate key to any artist’s success lies with the fans, and it’s the fans who have made Gloriana one of 2009’s hottest new artists in country music and the Breakthrough Artist of the Year at the 2009
American Music Awards in November. Gloriana’s self-titled Emblem Music Group/Warner Bros. Records debut premiered at #3 on Billboard’s Top 200 and at #2 on the Billboard Country Album Chart. The album had the best first-week sales of any new country artist in 2009, and “Wild At Heart”
is the best-selling song by a new country artist in 2009, selling over
375,000 copies to date. The breadth and diversity of their appeal can be
seen in the fact that they have appeared both on the Grand Ole Opry and
in the pages of several magazines aimed at teens, with Rachel and
Cheyenne appearing on the cover of Justine magazine.

Tom Gossin, Mike Gossin, Rachel Reinert and Cheyenne Kimball perfectly
captured the soaring four-part harmonies that have led to comparisons
with the Eagles and Fleetwood Mac and gave fans a taste for the sheer
excitement Gloriana brings to songs whether on stage or in the studio.
The 13-track album was produced by Grammy Award-winner and Emblem Music
Group label owner Matt Serletic (Rob Thomas, Willie Nelson, Aerosmith),
and mixed by Justin Niebank (Keith Urban, Rascal Flatts) and Chris
Lord-Alge (Faith Hill, Tim McGraw). It reflects both the sheer talent of
the foursome and the level of commitment they have brought to making
every note count.

That talent and that commitment have been winning Gloriana supporters
virtually since the beginning. The band got its start in the winter of
2007, when brothers Tom and Mike, who had moved to Nashville after
sweating it out in clubs in North Carolina, discovered Rachel.

“We had never combined our duo with a female voice before,” says Mike,
“but singing with her gave us that high harmony and opened us up to
something new.”

It wasn’t long after seeing the group perform at 3rd and Lindsley that
Cheyenne fell in love with Gloriana. “When I saw them perform for the
first time, it renewed my passion for music,” said Cheyenne.  So
immediately after the show, she asked the trio if she could get together
with them and jam. When they did, it was magic.

“The three of us definitely felt we had something special,” says Rachel,
“but when Cheyenne came into the picture, the four-part harmony
completed us.  Her skills on the mandolin, combined with the guys’
guitar talent helped us to replicate the group’s live sound. It felt
complete.”

From that point on, commitment was everything.  ”We spent the next six
months getting our songs and our live sound together,” says Tom. “We
accomplished a lot, working non-stop, playing shows, making sure we were
tight and ready to go.”

The band sent a demo to Emblem Music Group, an evolution of Melisma
Records, Serletic’s Diamond and multi-Platinum award-winning label, with
over 50 million album sales to its credit.

An intense creative process got underway. “Emblem helped to introduce us
to some of the best that Nashville has to offer,” says Rachel. In the
early stages of the album’s development, Serletic began writing with one
of Nashville’s finest songwriters, Jeffrey Steele (Rascal Flatts, Trace
Adkins, Tim McGraw, etc.) and co-wrote the group’s debut single “Wild At
Heart” with Josh Kear and Stephanie Bentley. At the same time, Gloriana
was collaborating with a talented array of Nashville songwriters
including Trey Bruce, Kyle Cook, Ben Glover, Chuck Jones, Kevin Kadish,
Wayne Kirkpatrick, and Danny Myrick.

The band members moved in together and secluded themselves to begin
making their mark on the songs. “We spent an intense month putting our
stamp on the songs,” says Tom. “In our minds it’s critical; it’s what
makes the music authentic, heartfelt and true.”

One at a time, they worked up songs, and performed them before the best
critics that any artist has…the fans.

“Playing for a live audience helped us to know what worked and what
didn’t work,” said Cheyenne. “It really was valuable to do that before
entering the studio.”

“By the time we went into the studio we knew exactly what we were doing
and how we wanted the songs to sound,” adds Rachel. “Guess you could say
that the fans helped us make this record.”

That sense of assurance and the hard work they put in are evident in
every track of their debut CD. The feels vary from “The Way It Goes” and
the second radio single, “How Far Do You Wanna Go?,” which display the
four-part harmonies, energy and big sound that make the group so
exciting on stage, to “Lead Me On” and “All The Things (That Mean The
Most),” songs whose passion and intimacy are undeniable.

“I know how much music has impacted all of our lives,” said Tom. “It
connects us all, it moves us and it can change a person,” added Mike.
“We hope that our music will do that for others for a long time to
come.”

FOR MORE INFORMATION PLEASE VISIT http://Gloriana.com