April 2018

The key country music event of the year is set to kick off today, as the Stagecoach Country Music Festival in California is ready to begin. Described by some as the Coachella of country music, once again the SCMF has a gigantic line-up, which will see Florida George Line headline the Friday, Keith Urban the Saturday, and Garth Brooks with Trisha Yearwood closing the weekend. There will also be sets from Kelsea Ballerini, Brothers Osbourne, Lacey Musgraves, Lindsay Ell, Jake Owen, Brett Young and Kane Brown throughout the weekend, along with a host of other country stars. For those unable to make the event, Sirius XM will be broadcasting select sets, while Yahoo will do the same, but with video. Their stream will start at 5pm on Friday PDT.

Michael Ray, Lauren Alania, Love and Theft, Trent Tomlinson and Charles Esten will all perform at the Shine for Susie ALS Charity Fund event, which takes place at Clarksville’s Wilma Rudolph Event Center on the 16th July. The event was formed by. the Burchett and Liles family in order to raise funds is the battle to combat ALS after Susie Burchett – a wife, mother, and grandmother in the family – unfortunately was diagnosed in March 2017 with ALS. The night will be hosted by Love and Theft member Stephen Baker Liles, who is the son of Susie. “I’ve had the privilege of helping with many charities through the years, but when the cause touches your life, it changes everything,” Liles said. “When my mother was diagnosed with ALS, March of last year, I was devastated. But I also felt called to make a difference to help her and others through my musical platform. I’m incredibly grateful for some of my dear friends who are joining me to shine light through our music and bring hope to millions.” Tickets for the concert go on sale Friday, May 4, at 9 a.m. via concert website, shineforsusie.org. Tickets are $150, $75 and $50.

Streaming giants Spotify have taken the decision to expand their immensely popular Hot Country playlist by adding original video content to it, which will go live on the 27th April. The first people who will be involved in video content are Keith Urban and Kacey Musgraves, while there will also be a special performance from Justin Timberlake and Chris Stapleton. Spotify’s decision to boost the Hot Country playlist puts it in the same bracket as Rap Caviar and ¡Viva Latino! for having original video content, and it also suggests that Spotify are still taking their commitment to both country music and Nashville very seriously. Aside from the video content, what makes the enhanced playlists special is that they combine both music and video into a single view, which means that users can listen to their favourite tracks, and also watch interviews and music videos from a host of other artists, should they choose to. The playlists are constantly refreshed throughout the week, while every Friday there will be new and original country video interviews to get stuck into.  

The organisers of the Carolina Country Music Fest and the City of Myrtle Beach are being sued by Nathan’s Famous, a restaurant in Myrtle Beach, who are claiming that their sales ands profits are being wiped out when the festival takes place, as customers can’t access their restaurant. According to court documents, organisers have closed off and either severely or entirely restricted access to the public along 8th Avenue North between Ocean Boulevard and Highway 17 Business over the last three years, and they have done this by implementing a 6-foot tall, chain-link fence.   In addition, customer access is further hampered and restricted due to “allowing the parking of numerous large trucks, buses and other vehicles operated by bands and other groups participating in the Festival,” according to the lawsuit. This has caused the attorneys of Nathan’s Famous to claim that sales have dropped, and that any potential customers have very difficult access to the restaurant. Their claim is that the CCMF organisers shouldn’t be allowed to close down – and then use – a public street as a parking lot, for what marks the restaurant’s busiest time of the year. Nathan’s Famous claimed in the lawsuit that they’ve lost $30,000 worth of revenue during the festivals over the last three years.   Also, in 2016, Nathan’s Famous contracted with CCMF to have a concession space on the festival grounds at no cost, and as per CCMF policy, turned the restaurant into the same cashless system used by the festival, on the basis that they would be paid promptly. According to the lawsuit however, that didn’t happen as the system didn’t work, meaning that they didn’t pick up any sales figures until the festival was over, and thrones they did get were disputed as Nathan’s Famous claimed they fell grossly short of actual sales. As such, they claim that CCMF owe them $25,171.40, and that CCMF have refused and failed to pay that.   With this lawsuit, Nathan’s Famous are asking a judge for the money owed to them in 2016, plus interest, as well as the money they’ve lost over the last three years. They are also asking the judge for a permanent injunction to be put in place, which will not allow the festival organisers to restrict the public’s access to that street.  

Carrie Underwood has made history, as her new single, ‘Cry Pretty’, is the first country song to hit the top of the Digital Song Sales Chart since 2014. Underwood released the track on the 11th April, and it has gained significant traction – partially due to the fact she performed the song at the 53rd Academy of Country Music Awards on the 15th April. The news means that Underwood is the first country leader of the all-genre charts since Jason Aldean topped the list in August 2014, with ‘Burnin’ It Down’. It’s also the first country song by a female singer since Taylor Swift released ‘Begin Again’ in October 2012. ‘Cry Pretty’ also marks Underwood’s 27th total and consecutive Hot Country Songs top 10 entry, which initially began in 2006 with ‘Jesus, Take the Wheel’ in 2006 – a song that became the first of her 14 number ones. By doing so, Underwood has successfully extended her streak of top 10 promoted singles from a career’s start on Hot Country Songs, which is the longest ever in the genre.