Category: Features

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Features Videos

Justin Moore Plays Comedian in Road Videos

Justin Moore has a lot to celebrate. His fastest rising single, ‘If Heaven Wasn’t So Far Away,’ rose to No. 1 this week on the Billboard & Country Aircheck/USA Today Country Singles charts. The song shows the Arkansas’ native’s softer, more sensitive side. But it’s his comedic side you’ll see if you search for him on YouTube.

“When I first came out, before we came out to radio, we had some underground success and a lot of it has to do with me acting like an idiot on YouTube,” Moore said with a laugh. “I’m pretty good at being an idiot, so we just turned the camera on and whatever happens happens. I’m on the road with all my best friends in the world so we get to travel around, see the country and play music together. You never know what’s going to come from conversations we have.”

For the complete article visit The Boot. Watch one of his videos below.

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Features Videos

Jason Reeves Covers Nicki Minaj

This week on Billboard‘s Mashup Mondays Jason Reeves impresses with his folk infused cover of Nicki Minaj’s “Moment 4 Life.” Watch below as he performs the track live at Billboard‘s studio and find out just why Reeves is a huge fan of Minaj. For the complete article click here and be on the lookout for Reeves’ upcoming album due out later this summer.

Related Links:
• Q&A: with Jason Reeves
• Jason Reeves Talks SXSW
• Artist You Should Know: Jason Reeves
• The Vespa Experiment Recap
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Features

The New Music Industry: 6 Tips For Navigating the Business

Predicting the future of the music industry is as uncertain as guessing what Lady Gaga will wear to her next awards show. As impossible as it may seem to navigate, panelists at the DIY Business Association Conference in Brooklyn on Sunday provided advice to help musicians stand out.

The most invaluable takeaways during DIYBAC’s “New Music Industry” panel? Power is being put back into the hands of the creators, technologist Grant Neerings of DIY Media explained. However, with this power comes more obligations. While there are no set rules to follow, panelists offered six suggestions to making it in the music business.

1. Be open to opportunities.
Touring bassist and collaborator Gregory Jackson said being a reggae bass player was never his goal. When he went on an international tour with Burning Spear, he decided to leverage the opportunity, since he didn’t know how long it would last.

“What can I get out of this moment? Using media and the Internet, I was able to go out there and get product endorsements simply because I was the new bass player for a Grammy-winning band,” he said. “Think about how you can leverage whatever your presence is on the Web or wherever you’re gigging to get residual benefit out of that moment.”

For complete coverage of DIYBAC, visit Billboard Pro.

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Features Q&A

Justin Moore Celebrates 'Outlaws' Live From the Lake

Justin Moore took a different approach to the release of his sophomore album, ‘Outlaws Like Me.’ He went fishing in New York City.

An avid outdoorsman, Justin spent six hours doing press interviews from a bass boat in the middle of Manhattan’s beautiful Central Park Lake. Fans could watch and listen live online as the singer/songwriter answered questions about his new album, released today (June 21).

I joined Justin in Central Park to find out about his favorite song on the album, the story behind his latest smash single and his approach to fatherhood the second time around.

How did you come up with the idea to host a media day in the middle of the lake?
The record label told me I couldn’t find a place to fish in New York City, so I had to prove them wrong! [laughs] This is fun. We try to get out on the road any time we can and fish, hunt or whatever we have the opportunity to do outdoors. This just proves to people that you can do it anywhere; it’s all across the country. I teamed up with Cabelas and NRA Country, and I’m trying to spread the gospel.

For my complete interview, visit The Boot.

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Features Festivals

Country Music by the Numbers

A staggering statistic, the Country Music Summit stressed on numerous occasions that 42% of the US population are country music fans. With that said, certain stereotypes about the average country music fan are still prevalent, but they shouldn’t be.

During two breakout panels at the Country Music Summit on Tuesday in Nashville, Greg Fuson, market research director of Country Music Association, let attendants know that the country music fan is not always who you think. His research was based on two separate studies: MRI data, a study of American consumers based on 50,000 respondents, and CMA proprietary research, a survey sent to CMA music festival attendees each year. Below are 8 statistics that might surprise you.

95 million listeners.

This is how many people in the United States consider themselves country music fans. For a better gauge, this number accounts to 2.5x the total population of Canada.

For the complete article, visit Billboard Pro.

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Features Festivals

The Times Are A-Changin’

42% of the American public consider themselves country music fans (42%!!). That’s according to Sheri Warnke, VP of Corporate Partnerships at the Country Music Association. With so much music saturating the airwaves, however, how can country artists–or any artists, for that matter–hope to stand out?

The first day of the Country Music Summit in Nashville stressed the necessity of community, hard work and, most importantly, the music fan. With all-star panels that included Charlie Daniels, Jason Aldean, and Carrie Underwood, as well as many of the drivers behind the industry, the summit provided tips on navigating hurdles in one’s career and advice on achieving longevity. Below are 10 takeaways every artist should heed.

Radio remains an important platform for exposure.
“65 million people a week listen to country radio,” said panelist T.K. Kimbrell of TKO Artist Management who works with Toby Keith. “If there’s one focus I want my acts concentrating on, it’s radio.”

Ken Levitan, co-president of Vector Management and manager of Trace Adkins, Kings of Leon and Hank Williams Jr., agreed. “Country radio is probably the most important tool [for country artists].”

For the complete article visit Billboard Pro.

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Features

5 Tips for Landing an Opening Slot

“Trying to find a @needtobreathe concert close to one of our tour dates– dying to see their show!” Taylor Swift tweeted last March.

These (fewer than) 140 characters led rock band NEEDTOBREATHE from performing 2500 capacity rock clubs to sold-out arenas. The band showed initiative, followed up with her management, and eight months later Swift took to Twitter once again to announce the South Carolina rockers as her tour opener. Last week they kicked off their first arena tour.

In this How To, NEEDTOBREATHE’s agent, Jeff Krones of Creative Artists Agency, explains just how the tour came about and shares advice on how artists can leverage a mention in the media and online sphere to tour advancement. While there is no set of definitive steps guaranteed to launch a musician from performing in a tiny rock club to an audience of thousands, Krones (whose other clients include Owl City, Hot Chelle Rae, David Nail, and Casey James) gives his suggestions.

For Krones’ advice and to read the rest of my article, visit Billboard Pro.

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Features

Matthew Mayfield Debuts New Video, Plus Free Track

Today, American Songwriter premiered Matthew Mayfield‘s latest music video for “Missed Me.” Additionally, Amazon is offering the singer-songwriter’s track as a free download today. Click here to download the song.

Gearing up for a tour supporting his debut album, Now You’re Free, Mayfield hits the road later this month. Complete tour dates and video below.

 

Matthew Mayfield Tour Dates

May 18 Los Angeles, CA Hotel Cafe
May 25 Mt. Pleasant, SC Village Tavern
May 26 Chapel HIll, NC Local 506
May 27 Chattanooga, TN Rhythm & Brews (supporting Erick Baker)
May 28 Louisville, KY Uncle Slayton’s
June 1 Houston, TX The Mink
June 2 Austin, TX Lamberts
June 3 Dallas, TX Prophet Bar
June 18 Columbus, OH Rumba Cafe
June 19 Grand Rapids, MI Intersection
June 22 Evanston, IL SPACE
June 23 Des Moines, IA Vaudeville Mews
June 25 Marshfield, WI Columbia Park
June 29 Milwaukee, Wi Summerfest 2011

Related Links:
• Artist of the Week: Matthew Mayfield
• Song of the Week: “Element”
• CMJ 2010: 5 Artists to Watch
• Freebie: Matthew Mayfield’s New Song
Categories
Features Videos

Happy Mother's Day!

Where would we be without our mothers? Here are a few songs that showcase appreciation for all the mom’s out there. From Boyz II Men’s classic “A Song For Mama” to  David St. Romain’s moving “20 Years Late,” each track pays tribute to mom’s everywhere. What are some of your favorites?

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Categories
Benefit Features

Rock 4 Japan Tonight at Brooklyn Bowl

Tonight, Brooklyn Bowl is hosting Rock 4 Japan, a benefit concert where all proceeds will be donated to the Red Cross Fund for Japan’s earthquake and tsunami relief efforts. Doors open at 6 p.m. and the show starts at 8 p.m. with performances by Cheap Trick Or Treat, Acey Slade & the Dark Party, The Orion Experience, High Teen Boogie, and The Young Things. For more information click here.

If you can’t make it tonight and still want to help, Songs For Japan is another worthwhile effort raising money for disaster relief. Over 30 of the biggest names in contemporary music have joined together for the worldwide release of “Songs for Japan,” a compilation of 38 chart-topping hits and classic tracks, available worldwide on the iTunes Store for $9.99. Proceeds from the album’s sale will benefit the disaster relief efforts of the Japanese Red Cross Society. Complete track listing below.

1. John Lennon “Imagine” (Remastered)
2. U2 “Walk On” (Radio Edit)
3. Bob Dylan “Shelter From The Storm”
4. Red Hot Chili Peppers “Around The World” (Live)
5. Lady Gaga “Born This Way” (Starsmith Remix)
6. Beyonce “Irreplaceable”
7. Bruno Mars “Talking To The Moon” (Acoustic Piano Version)
8. Katy Perry “Firework”
9. Rihanna “Only Girl (In The World)”
10. Justin Timberlake “Like I Love You”
11. Madonna “Miles Away” (Live)
12. David Guetta “When Love Takes Over” (feat. Kelly Rowland)
13. Eminem “Love The Way You Lie” (feat. Rihanna) [Clean Version}
14. Bruce Springsteen “Human Touch”
15. Josh Groban “Awake” (Live)
16. Keith Urban “Better Life”
17. Black Eyed Peas “One Tribe”
18. Pink “Sober”
19. Cee Lo Green “It’s Ok”
20. Lady Antebellum “I Run To You”
21. Bon Jovi “What Do You Got?”
22. Foo Fighters “My Hero”
23. R.E.M. “Man On The Moon”
24. Nicki Minaj “Save Me” (Clean Version)
25. Sade “By Your Side”
26. Michael Buble “Hold On” (Radio Mix)
27. Justin Bieber “Pray” (Acoustic)
28. Adele “Make You Feel My Love”
29. Enya “If I Could Be Where You Are”
30. Elton John “Don’t Let The Sun Go Down On Me”
31. John Mayer “Waiting On The World To Change”
32. Queen “Teo Torriatte (Let Us Cling Together)” [Remastered]
33. Kings Of Leon “Use Somebody”
34. Sting “Fragile” (Live In Berlin)
35. Leona Lewis “Better In Time”
36. Ne-Yo “One In A Million”
37. Shakira “Whenever, Wherever”
38. Norah Jones “Sunrise”