Industry Ink (7/7/14)

Taylor Swift’s RED Tour. Photo: Getty

Taylor Swift has penned her thoughts on the future of the music industry in an essay, titled “For Taylor Swift, The Future of Music is a Love Story,” for the Wall Street Journal. Swift offered her thoughts on maintaining a decades-long artist-fan relationship, the value of music, and the progression–and, according to Swift, the fading-of music genres.

“Another theme I see fading into the gray is genre distinction,” Swift wrote. “These days, nothing great you hear on the radio seems to come from just one musical influence. The wild, unpredictable fun in making music today is that anything goes. Pop sounds like hip hop; country sounds like rock; rock sounds like soul; and folk sounds like country—and to me, that’s incredible progress.” For the full essay, visit wsj.com.

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Singer/songwriter Justin Wilson has signed with SESAC for representation. Wilson, who is signed with Magic Mustang Publishing, visited SESAC’s Music Row headquarters to make it official.

Pictured (L-R): SESAC’s Shannan Hatch, Wilson, Magic Mustang Publishing Juli Newton Griffith and SESAC’s Tim Fink. Photo: Peyton Hoge

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Don Light

Reminder: A memorial service for veteran music industry leader Don Light is scheduled for July 9 at 6:30 p.m. in the Ford Theater at the Country Music Hall of Fame. Participants in the service will include the Oak Ridge Boys, Bill Gaither, Vince Gill, the Goodman Revival, Marty Stuart, Peter Cooper and host Ray Stevens, as well as other special guests. Valet Parking will be available.

Light established the first Gospel Music booking agency, and discovered Jimmy Buffett, among numerous career accomplishments.

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Kraig Kitchin

Kraig Kitchin has been named as successor to retiring National Radio Hall of Fame chairman Brice DuMont. Kitchin, co-founder and former president/COO of Premiere Radio Networks, is co-president of Sound Mind Inc., which offers management services to radio, television and production organizations.