30 June 2014

British singer-songwriter Sam Hollyman debuted his eclectic style and showcased his song-writing talent at Nashville’s annual CMA Music Festival. The 18 year old performed a full-band set on the Samsung Galaxy Stage which attracted enthusiastic supporters and gained a buzzing interest from new fans. Sam delivered a milestone performance of his young career with a mix of country and Americana styles. The only visiting British artist to be featured at CMA Festival this year, Sam also performed two sets at the Bridgestone Arena Glass Tower Stage as part of the CMR Nashville International Showcases. Hollyman is excited to be a part of country music’s increasing international success and he has recently completed a radio tour in Ireland which included an appearance on the country’s largest radio broadcaster RTE1. His new single ‘One Minute More’ has just been released to UK radio where it has received a great reception from program directors. The song has already smashed its way to number 5 on the UK and Irish Country Charts. Sam’s new album ‘The Red Reel Sessions’ was recorded across the UK and US and is already generating a buzz among fans and industry in both markets. Sam’s inspirations include Hunter Hayes, Alison Krauss and Taylor Swift. This multi-talented teenager has mastered an impressive list of instrument skills including drums, violin, guitar, keyboard and ukulele. A highlight of his young career includes an onstage performance with Canadian crooner Michael Buble which has gained almost 8 million YouTube views. Hollyman also appeared as a contestant on the second season of The Voice UK which further increased his star profile. Hollyman resumes his UK Radio tour now back from Nashville, until mid-July being interviewed and live sessions at various FM and AM stations around the country.

Dolly Parton, has received, yet, another accolade for RIAA gold, platinum, and multi-platinum career sales of more than 100 million albums worldwide. While attending the historic Glastonbury Music Festival, Dolly took time to speak to journalists before hitting the Pyramid stage in front of a crowd exceeding 100,000 music loving fans. During Dolly’s press event, BBC2 Radio’s Lauren Laverne introduced CTK Management CEO and Dolly Records President Danny Nozell and Glastonbury owner Michael Eavis who made the special plaque presentation which commemorated her sales of 100 million albums worldwide. “I’ve been so busy making records for the past several decades, I didn’t realise I had racked up so many sales. What a great honour to know that I have so many fans that have supported me through the years. Thanks to the RIAA for the acknowledgment and the plaque I feel very honoured and proud,” says Dolly Parton. 2014 has continued to bring Dolly career milestones as her 42nd studio album, BLUE SMOKE , is her highest charting solo album ever in both the United States (landing at number 6 on Billboard Top 200) and in the United Kingdom (landing at number 6 on the UK official chart). Parton’s chart history on the Top Country Albums chart is more befitting of her living-legend status: She’s notched 42 top 10 albums, with six of them going to number one. On the Hot Country Songs chart, she holds the record for the most number among women, with 25.

Rosanne Cash – GRAMMY® and Americana Award winning singer-songwriter/artist testified before the House Judiciary Committee Wednesday, June 25 in Washington, D.C. on behalf of the Americana Music Association. The hearings, titled “Music Licensing Under Title 17 Part Two,” is Congress’s chance to hear from those directly impacted by their decisions. “I am honoured to have been asked by the Americana Music Association to represent musicians, songwriters and recording artists in these hearings. As a singer/songwriter who has been in the music business for 35 years, I look forward to sharing with Washington leaders some of the deep concerns all musicians share in the new digital economy. Creative people deserve fair compensation when their work is used by others.” “Rosanne is speaking for our creative community when she takes the stand this week. We hope her testimony will help Congress understand the impact of its decisions for those who make a living through music,” adds Jed Hilly Executive Director of the Americana Music Association, who will accompany Ms. Cash to Capitol Hill. Cash’s father, the late Johnny Cash, testified in 1997 before the same committee regarding the Digital Millennium Copyright Act.

Warner Music UK has launched a Spotify app, under the company’s brand PlaylistMe, that invites people to listen to playlists based on the line-ups of key festivals in the UK and beyond. Created to help people navigate the abundance of music events on offer, fans can use the app to discover festivals based on their location, preferred genre or favourite artists. With festival season well underway, now is the perfect time to locate your perfect festival playlist. The playlists feature songs by a selection of the acts appearing at each festival and are updated throughout the season. The app is intended to create a fun and interesting tool for fans who find it difficult to keep on top of who is playing where, and whose interests vary from headliners to up-and-coming artists of different genres. Festivals highlighted vary from the big names of Glastonbury and Reading & Leeds to the more niche such as Slam Dunk and Bloodstock. There is also a ‘Past’ tab that celebrates a selection of classic festivals from years gone by, including Live Aid 1985, Monsters Of Rock 1988 and Isle Of Wight 1970. The app will drive awareness for all the artists featured, who are also invited to share playlists they feature in to boost excitement throughout the season. There is also an opportunity for festivals and their promoters to get involved thanks to the ‘Featured’ section for key partners to share bespoke branded playlists. Reading & Leeds promoters Festival Republic are already on board: “PlaylistMe offers a great way for us to reach Reading & Leeds fans with songs by artists on the Festival line up. The app gives those already holding tickets a chance to discover bands as they’re added the bill, and also allows us to reach a new audience based on their music preferences.” Melvin Benn, MD of Festival Republic.

Taking a page from classic western film sagas like‘Tombstone’ and ‘Arizona’, chart-topping country star Randy Houser’s new music video for his single, ‘Like A Cowboy’ is as visually epic as Houser’s vocal performance is powerful. The project was helmed by the acclaimed Film Director, Dustin Rikert. Houser spent a week shooting at multiple locations in Tucson, Ariz., including famed Old Tucson Studios, where many major western films have been shot including ‘Arizona’, ‘McLintock!’, ‘Three Amigos’,’ Tombstone’ and more. Under Rikert’s direction, a cast and crew of more than 75 people (including William Shockley of ‘Dr. Quinn, Medicine Woman’ fame and Tim Murphy from ‘Sons of Anarchy’) and 50 head of cattle came together for the multi-day shoot, bringing the 1800s period piece to life with ‘Like A Cowboy’ as its soundtrack. You can watch the “Like A Cowboy” video trailer now at http://smarturl.it/likeacowboytrailer. “I really wanted to give [fans] as much as I could possibly give them for a music video and I feel like this song really leant itself to do something unique and special, something that looks just a little beyond where we’ve been,” said Houser. ‘Like A Cowboy’ is the fourth single from Houser’s Stoney Creek Records album HOW COUNTRY FEELS, which has yielded three consecutive number one smashes with the title track, ‘Runnin’ Outta Moonlight’ and ‘Goodnight Kiss.’ Houser is currently touring with Brad Paisley on the ‘Country Nation World Tour’ and continues to perform his own headlining dates across the country.

June 24 marked the launch of the seventh annual UK Music Video Awards, almost 50 years since the release of the film which is considered the forerunner to the music video: Richard Lester’s ‘A Hard Day’s Night’ on July 6th 1964. Last year, some of the UK’s most exciting young directing talent picked up awards for outstanding music videos including Rudimental’s Not Giving In, London Grammar’s Wasting My Young Years, and Naughty Boy’s La La La featuring Sam Smith. International winners included the video for Yeah Yeah Yeahs’ Sacrilege, and French techno artist and DJ, Gesaffelstein’s, video for the track Pursuit (which has since collected the D&AD video award), while video of the year went to Flying Lotus for Until The Quiet Comes which includes a performance by street dancer, Storyboard P. Awards were also presented last year to Led Zeppelin’s Celebration Day for Best Live Coverage, and legendary film, documentary and music video director Julien Temple was honoured with the Icon Award receiving it from The Kinks’ Ray Davies. This year’s UK Music Video Awards, which is set to return to the Southbank Centre in London on Monday November 10, offers more opportunities than ever for individual directors, producers, and commissioners of music videos to gain recognition for an impressive body of film work over the past 12 months. Entries are now open. There will also be a brand new award for the Best Video Artist for a band or individual artist who has delivered an outstanding set of 3 or more videos in the past year. The UK Music Video Awards editorial director, David Knight, says, “This year’s UK Music Video Awards will celebrate the gamut of music video creativity over the past year, and show how music video continues to nurture new talent in every department of filmmaking. The 50th anniversary of A Hard Day’s Night highlights how the art of music film and video in Britain has a fantastic heritage, which the MVAs does more than anyone to recognise.” The UK Music Video Awards 2014 is now open and accepting entries in over 30 separate categories, including genre-led awards, as well as specific technical and craft awards. Entries can be made via the MVA website www.ukmva.com and the deadline is August 6.