Tim & Faith Nominated For Four Pollstar Awards

Tim McGraw and Faith Hill's Soul 2 Soul II garnered four nominations from Pollstar including the coveted Major Tour of the Year, Most Creative Tour Package, Most Creative Stage Production and Road Warrior of the Year for McGraw Tour Manager Robert Allen.

The winners will be announced at the Pollstar Awards on February 8 at the Gibson Amphitheatre at Universal Citywalk in Los Angeles. Sould2Soul II has already garnered Pollstar’s top country tour of the year, that turns out to be, with nearly 90 million dollars gross, the biggest country tour in history.

Rumor: Soul2SoulIII is less than a year away!

Fort Worth Star-Telegram: Malcolm Mayhew's Advice To The Dixie Chicks

"Here are eight things you might consider if you want '07 to be better than your last coupla years"

Is What Happened To The Dixie Chicks Unique To Country Music? Or, To America?

Katherine Yung's Dallas Morning News story yesterday, prompted by empty seats at their recent Dallas show updates the saga and includes an interesting theory from Tom Taylor, editor-in-chief of Inside Radio:

"Country fans are very much about loyalty. This wouldn't happen in any other genre."

"Program Directors are afraid to play music by the Chicks," said Mike McVay, president of McVay Media. "They are hired and fired based on how high their ratings are." If research showed listeners clamoring for the Chicks' songs, they would be getting plenty of airplay, he said.

Radio companies and industry experts insist the stations aren't picking on the Chicks. Instead, in an industry driven by research, they're making hard business decisions. The surveys keep coming to one conclusion: Country music fans, among the most patriotic of listeners, still haven't forgiven the Chicks.

"I love the Dixie Chicks' music, but you have to know your audience and know your marketing model," said Gerry McCracken, country format coordinator for Cox Radio Inc., which owns 10 country radio stations. McCracken cited research conducted earlier this year that revealed half of country music listeners either did not want to hear any Chicks music now or never wanted to hear their songs again. "Those numbers are off the charts," Mr. McCracken said. "With those kinds of numbers, we wouldn't even play George Strait."

Meanwhile, a check of BDS and Mediabase shows the single "Taking The Long Way Around" on all 23 of the monitored Canadian country stations, ranking in the Canadian top ten today (12/10/06) on both of the charts tracking country airplay north of the 49th parallel.

Give Them The Pickle (And A Pen Too)

During a recent visit to A&O client station Pattison Radio Group's JRfm, Vancouver, I noticed a jar of pickles on PD Gord Eno's desk.

Then, it became obvious that literally every employee in the station had a jar of pickles on their desk. "What's up?" I had to know.

Eno explained that (CJJR-CKBD) GM Gerry Siemens had played customer service trainer Bob Farrell's "Give 'Em The Pickle" video for the staff (click to see and hear the story). Siemens then presented every employee with a jar of pickles to help everyone remember to 'give 'em the pickle' instead of telling listeners and customers what 'we can't do.' (i.e. limiting big fans of the station to winning only once in 30 days. Why would we do that?? Isn't the idea to encourage them to listen a lot?)

Then, Gerry told the team the story of Barcley's Bank which started as a rant on "Is It Normal":

You know the pen at the bank? Why is it on that damn chain? It drives me insane. They can leave both vaults open; sure, the MONEY, that's unimportant, but GOD FORBID someone should steal the friggin pen.

Now, JRfm contestants are permitted to win as often as they want, every member of the station's staff has a pickle jar on their desk to remind them of that attitude of "customer first service" .. and each winner, when they come into the station, gets a free pen!

Will Google Be Able To Make More Money From Radio Than WE Have?

Media Post's Shankar Gupta reports Google has started inviting search marketers to participate in an expanded test of its new radio advertising program.

Analyst Greg Sterling, principal for Sterling Market Intelligence, said that if anything, Google's participation might drive ad prices higher. "It's quite possible that you'll get a new class of advertisers trying radio advertising," he said.

Let's hope that is what happens, but Greater Media President & CEO Peter Smyth's December column on the company's home page puts this issue in a very savvy context. Radio has proven that it's a great medium for driving web usage, yet so far the majority of our sales people have been unable to turn that "1 + 1" into a 1+ 1 = 3 equation.

If Google CAN do it, we should all watch how they do it very carefully. It will be a sad commentary if DMarc/Google is able to merchandise radio more effectively than our own sellers have been able to do. For that reason, I agree with Smyth. Lets only enter into these partnerships with extreme caution.

Reba On Dolly: "A Diamond In A Business Filled With Rhinestones"

Long overdue recognition! (Photo by J. SCOTT APPLEWHITE/ MANUEL BALC, ASSOCIATED PRESS) Dolly Parton gathers with her fellow Kennedy Center honorees. Clockwise from left are Zubin Mehta, Steven Spielberg, Smokey Robinson and Andrew Lloyd Webber. Dolly Parton, Zubin Mehta and Smokey Robinson stand with first lady Laura Bush and President Bush for the national anthem at the gala at the John F. Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts.

Nashville's Tennessean picked up some wonderful testiments from other distaff country stars about Dolly's personna and influence on them. Reba was as gracious as usual. Actress Reese Witherspoon, a Volunteer State native, spoke in Parton's honor, noting that she'd always felt a kinship with the writer and performer of songs including "Jolene," "I Will Always Love You" and "Coat of Many Colors."

"She was blond, I was blond," Witherspoon said. "She was from Tennessee, I was from Tennessee. She had an amazing figure … I was from Tennessee."

OK, (now that we have the positive and uplifting stuff out of the way), let's get to the Nitty Gritty from D.C. city: where there is "The Tale Of 3 Red Dresses:"
The White House`s latest crisis came in the form of a fashion disaster when three holiday party guests arrived wearing the same dress as First Lady Laura Bush. Lots o' clever clicks...
*Laura Bush dodges fashion disaster
*Laura Bush Avoids Arrest From The Fashion Police
*Bush's Lady In Red Cloned ... Twice
*Laura Bush Wiggles Out Of Couture Crisis

Call Me A Cynic

I'll wait to finish that thought until you click here and read: Nashville FCC hearing gives locals the chance to speak out against further media consolidation.

Lessee now. Back when George Jones, Porter Wagoner and the others were emerging on the scene and reinventing country music back in the '60's and '70's, there was no media consolidation and that didn't stop the format from moving forward to serve younger demos by welcoming their music.

What the heck makes them think that halting further radio consolidation will suddenly bring back classic country music to replace today's great new country music and artists? As I recall, Faron Young, Kitty Wells and the earlier generation welcomed George, Porter, Dolly and the rest rather than trying to stop their exposure on the radio at the FCC...

Josh Gracin and Buddy Jewel Prove Decorating Christmas Trees Can Be Hazardous

Nashville Kat: "First it was Buddy Jewel falling off a ladder hanging Christmas lights and breaking his wrist and now Christmas’s latest causality is another reality TV star - Josh Gracin.

Tuesday he was hanging Christmas lights when his daughter noticed a light out. He couldn’t get the bulb out with his fingers so Josh did what the dentist said not to - he used his teeth & his veneer busted off. When I said ‘you're lucky you didn’t get electrocuted he said ‘that was the least of my worries, I’ve been electrocuted plenty of times in the Marine Corps.’

The veneer that popped off was the one he had fixed 3 years ago playing backyard football & good thing he’s a Marine cuz has to have it fixed with no Novocain – he told me it doesn’t work on him. He also debated putting in a green or red tooth for the holidays but decided not to.

Edison's Tom Webster: "30 Under 30"

Wow, what a great idea. Well worth plaigerizing Edison's blog here to be sure you know about it.

After many years of trying to get some traction, the radio industry finally seems to be serious about efforts to attract and maintain the 12-24 generation. Fred Jacobs has been agitating on this topic for years, and recently has called for a task force to address the issue. One of the biggest challenges in attracting younger people is that, frankly, radio no longer has many younger people in positions of power. Edison Media Research is proud to announce our talent search: "30 Under 30". We are in search of the 30 best young talents in radio. Do you know someone under 30 years old, working in radio in any capacity, who should be featured? If so, tell us about him or her by clicking here.

Les Moonves Plugs CBS Radio's '07 On CNBC

Highlights (click to watch CNBC News Desk Editor David Faber sit down with CBS President & CEO Les Moonves to discuss the future of radio):

* Next year CBS will have easier comps
* Just getting through this first post-Howard Stern year is crucial
* After the cash-generating selloff of ten radio markets, there's no interest at CBS in selling off the entire division.
* "Jackfm" is working in most markets
* Opie & Anthony are starting to work

Support The Troops, Wear Camouflage

..Like KMPS, Seattle's Ichabod Caine and Stephanie Lynn do!

CCMA - '07 = Regina and '08 = Winnipeg

What a great move! Thanks to the Canadian Country Music Association board for taking the annual "Country Music Week" spotlight out to the heartland and the prairies.

WINNIPEG IS HOST CITY TO CCMA EVENTS SEPTEMBER 5-8, 2008

The Canadian Country Music Association (CCMA) today announced Winnipeg as host city for the 2008 Canadian Country Music Week and Awards, to be held September 5-8, 2008. This marks the third time Winnipeg will host Canada’s largest country music event.

The Chair of the CCMA, Heather Ostertag, officially announced the awarding of Country Music Week 2008 to the City of Winnipeg, acknowledging that more than two decades had passed since the event was last held in that city (1986). Ostertag added, “The CCMA is very pleased to return to Winnipeg and the Board of Directors invites both the community and our industry to join in and help make this a wonderful celebration and a wonderful opportunity for Canada's talent.”

Music is integrated into the fabric of Winnipeg and Manitoba, and shapes the heartland of Canada’s musical tradition. Artists such as Neil Young, Doc Walker, The Guess Who, and countless others launched their careers here. “Manitoba has always been a great place for music and artists,” said Premier Gary Doer. “We were proud to host the JUNO Awards last year and just this year we hosted the Western Canadian Music Awards and the Aboriginal Peoples Choice Music Awards. With this announcement, we will show the country yet again that Winnipeg is a music town.”

Canadian Country Music Week and Awards is one of the largest music events in Canada. “The Canadian Country Music Awards will be another tremendous opportunity to showcase our city to a national audience,” said Mayor Sam Katz. “Winnipeg is certainly excited to play host to the hottest talent in Canadian country music and I know our city will once again step up to the plate and deliver a world class event.”

Winnipeg presented a strong bid to the CCMA and was awarded the event based on a combination of solid commitments from the Province of Manitoba and the City of Winnipeg, excellent host facilities, a solid track record in hosting major events, and a long established reputation as a city that embraces Canadian music and culture. Destination Winnipeg put the successful bid together for the 2008 Canadian Country Music Week and Awards in partnership with the Bid Committee, whose members included:

· Co-chair, Kevin Walters, Manitoba Film & Sound
· Co-chair, Ray Martin, Manitoba Country Music Association
· Ginette Lavack, Destination Winnipeg
· Kevin Donnelly, True North Sports & Entertainment Ltd., MTS Centre
· Sam Baardman, Manitoba Audio Recording Industry Association
· Sara Stasiuk, Manitoba Audio Recording Industry Association
· Gilles Paquin, Paquin Entertainment

Kevin Walters, Co-Chair of the Winnipeg Bid Committee with Ray Martin said, “We are thrilled to welcome Canadian Country Music Week to Winnipeg in September 2008. Our committee looks forward to working with the Canadian Country Music Association over the next two years to plan a weeklong celebration of country music in true Winnipeg style. More than 1,000 members of the country music industry will descend on our city to enjoy workshops, parties and the Country Music Awards. The people of Manitoba are in for a great event!”

“True North Sports & Entertainment Ltd. and the MTS Centre are proud to once again play a role in bringing another major event to our province. We are confident that the MTS Centre will help showcase the best in Canadian country music and give Manitobans the chance to be a part of this fantastic event,” commented Kevin Donnelly, Senior Vice President & General Manager, MTS Centre.

Several venues in the Winnipeg area, in addition to the MTS Centre who will be playing host to the 2008 Canadian Country Music Awards, will be showcasing special entertainment events that customarily accompany the annual Canadian Country Music Week. Location and programming details will be announced at a later date. “Canadian Country Music Week in Winnipeg 2008 will, like the 2005 JUNO Awards, showcase excellence in Canadian music and provide significant economic benefits and national exposure for our city,” said Stuart Duncan, President of Destination Winnipeg Inc.

About the Canadian Country Music Association (CCMA)
The CCMA is the only national voice in Canada solely dedicated to the growth and development of the evolving genre of Canadian country music. For more than three decades as one of Canada’s main advocates for country, the CCMA has become a trusted partner of the industry, a platform for artists, and Canada’s most active trade organization aggressively working to keep country music front and centre. The CCMA is a non profit trade association working to ensure the preservation of this wide ranging music genre unique to Canada, to the enactment of laws favourable to the industry, and to exploring new avenues for its continued growth. For 30 years the CCMA has marked each September with Country Music Week, a four day conference and celebration culminating in the internationally broadcast CCMA Awards (established 1983). Country Music Week is one of the largest music events in Canada each year with a combination of activities for both community and industry attendees including showcase opportunities for newcomers, educational seminars and an all day FanFest that delivers Canada’s stars to the community.

For more information contact:
Janice Tober
Manager, Media Relations & Communications
Destination Winnipeg Inc.
(204) 954-1985
janice@destinationwinnipeg.ca

Brandi Mills
Communications & Marketing
Canadian Country Music Association
(416) 947-1331 ext.211
bmills@ccma.org

Kevin Walters
Co-chair, Canadian Country Music Week Bid Committee
Manitoba Film & Sound
(204) 947-2040
kevin@mbfilmsound.mb.ca

Carrie Underwood Dominates Billboard Country Awards

In the country music categories of the annual Billboard Magazine Music awards in Las Vegas last night, Carrie Underwood won almost everything she was up for (FOUR awards!).

Excitement reigned backstage after Carrie was voted New Country Artist, Female Country Artist, CountryAlbum for Some Hearts, ALSO voted Overall Album of the year). Kenny Chesney did very well too (or is that TWO?), as he picked up the Male Country Artist, and Country Songs Artist awards.

"We-POD" .. Gosh, I Wish I Had Said That

Nettwerk Music Group CEO Terry McBride coined the phrase as he explains his new approach to marketing music, but today's radio with its "Rush Rooms" and "Loyal Listener Clubs" has every opportunity to be "WE-Pod" driven too.

Are you creating an affility group, a community based on shared values, and making your listeners feel like your brand .. on multiple platforms .. is their community center? If so, I have news for you: YOU are a "WE-pod."

Or, at least you could be, if you do what listeners need and want before you do anything else.

In spite of the first song played on MTV, video did not kill the radio star 15 years ago. I'll be surprised if the internet does either.. as long as we are smart and nimble, right now.

Country Music And A Military Band At The White House Tree Lighting This Week

On December 7, 2006, the Tree Lighting Ceremony for the Christmas Pageant of Peace will take place on the Ellipse south of the White House grounds.

The tree lighting ceremony begins each year’s 3-week Pageant. Country music's JOHN CONLEE along with a military band adds to the celebratory evening in which the President brings a message of peace to the nation and the world. The culmination of the evening is the illumination of the National Christmas Tree.President George W. Bush will continue the tradition this year, pushing the switch for the sixth time in his Presidency. And every President who follows him will be reminded of the great heritage surrounding this event by the switch box they hold, a box handcrafted in the mid 1930s and dated “1923” to mark the year President Coolidge first lit the tree on behalf of “all Americans.” For 83 years, the American tradition of lighting a national Christmas Tree has continued, interrupted only briefly in its history during moments of great national travail.

In December 1923, the first National Christmas Tree was placed on the Ellipse south of the White House. The tree was a 48-foot Balsam fir from Vermont. At 5 p.m. on Christmas Eve, President Calvin Coolidge walked from the White House to the Ellipse to light the tree from his native state. The tree was decorated with 2500 electric bulbs in red, white and green. Music for this first lighting ceremony was provided by a local choir and the U.S. Marine Band.

John Conlee Media Contact: Kirt Webster, 615-777-6995 x30

How Edgy Can A Country Morning Show Get?

For guidance on the techniques of creating buzz, but staying true to the core values, this report from Alison Bonaguro makes me think that it would be smart to really study CMT and GAC:

Does sweet little Carrie Underwood have it in her to become a vengeful vandal? Yes and no. Yes, because country videos are getting edgier every day. But no, because no matter how hard country tries to imitate its big brothers rock, rap and pop, country "Videos branch out but rarely cross the line."

In her newest video, "Before He Cheats," Underwood sings about carving her name into the leather seats of her ex's pretty little souped-up ride, taking a Louisville Slugger to both headlights and slashing all four tires. You see it all unfold, violently and in slow motion. But you never actually see Underwood doing the damage. According to Evan Kroft, music director for Country Music Television, that's the No. 1 streaming video on CMT.com and is No. 15 on launch.com. "Country is kind of PG-13," Kroft says. "Our audience doesn't want to be bored. They want an edge, but not too much."

PS: Have you ever wondered how much country videos cost? $75,000-$300,000, depending on how bankable the artist is. This, compared to about $800,000 for pop videos. Who is paying for these bigger and better budgets? The record label pays upfront, but then about 50 percent is recoupable. That means if the label spends $200,000 on video production for a single, they will take approximately $100,000 in recoupment fees out of the sales from that artist's CD.That seems like a lot for the artist to pay back, but while viewers see videos as entertainment, music executives see them as a marketing tool. When MTV came barreling into households in 1981 -- launching with the Buggles' "Video Killed the Radio Star," ironically -- these videos were merely standard promotional practice. Now that you can purchase videos to watch on your own time, albeit on a tiny screen that would make a director cringe, videos have become moneymakers in their own right.

Nashville Gets Into The God Business

.. and, according to a story in today's Boston Globe, that business is very good. "The old joke in country music was that you couldn't die and go to heaven unless you did at least one gospel album," says Wade Jessen, director of Christian and gospel charts for Billboard and Radio & Records.

With each passing year, the hand-wringing over the downturn in record sales becomes a little more desperate. But one genre continues to experience steady growth: gospel and Christian music. In July, the Gospel Music Association -- which tracks artists who express Christian ideals in their music and hands out the Dove Awards, gospel's Grammy equivalent -- reported that sales were up a hallelujah-inducing 11.6 percent over last year. Consumers aren't the only ones who have increasingly embraced a gospel message in recent years. It's become a growing trend for mainstream artists known strictly for secular music to release albums singing His praises. This year alone, superstar country acts Alan Jackson and Alabama, R&B stars Patti LaBelle and Kelly Price, and blues-rock guitarist Jonny Lang entered the sanctuary. These latest worshipers join a new-millennium flock that includes "American Idol" winner Ruben Studdard, Michelle Williams of Destiny's Child, Gladys Knight, Aaron Neville, and Smokey Robinson, as well as country veteran Randy Travis.

They're building on a longstanding tradition, of course: Country and soul artists, from Dolly Parton to Aretha Franklin, have long either sprung from the church choir or periodically joined up with it.

"I think there's just absolutely no way to have this discussion without going back to the terrorist attacks of Sept. 11, 2001," says Billboard's Jessen. "That really was a turning point in a lot of people's lives in this country. Five years ago there was a lot of noise in the consumer press about how after the terrorist attacks a lot of people were rediscovering their spiritual roots, going back to church."

"I think it has a lot to do with war and with the hurricanes and the tsunami and everything that's been happening," says LaBelle. "People have to cling to something, and you know [gospel music] is a wonderful place to cling."

"It's new. It's free. It's got variety. It's HD digital radio."

It's tempting to add "..and, it's wishful thinking!" by terrestial radio, but in fact it's real PR which, at long last, appears to be starting after the lengthy head start by satellite radio.

An important metric to watch: low long will it take to have 7,000,000 HDRadio receivers in the marketplace? How many subscribers will XM and Sirius have by that time?

Big & Rich, John Michael Headline American Legion Gulf Area Fundraiser

Big & Rich and John Michael Montgomery are scheduled to perform at a three-day country-music festival March 23-25 at South Mississippi's Harrison County Fairgrounds.

Dubbed the 2007 All Star Jamboree and hosted by the American Legion, "the event was organized to rebuild Legion posts on the Coast, and to replenish the National Legion Emergency Relief Fund, as well as to benefit Arms and Legs, prosthetics for veterans, and other Coast and national veteran's organizations and programs," said L.D. Carrico, an event spokesperson. Organizers will hold a press conference at 10 a.m. Tuesday at American Legion Post 119 in Gulfport to present details of the festival.

The festival will feature both major and minor country players, including the Bellamy Brothers, T Graham Brown, Eddy Raven, Moe Bandy, songwriter Bobby Boyd, Copper Rose and Scott Hisey.

"Every show, you want to give it everything you've got. And I'm just taking it one show at a time."

That's great radio, music and life advice from Dierks Bentley, in a very cool profile by Jon Bream of McClatchy Newspapers.