Author Archive: Sarah Skates
Sarah Skates has worked in the music business for more than a decade and is a longtime contributor to MusicRow.
Nashvillians Help Revive Fame Studios
Muscle Shoals, Alabama’s renowned Fame Studios, its publishing company, and record label are experiencing a revival. Hit Nashville songwriter Brad Crisler has signed with House of Fame Publishing, where Music Row veteran Steve Williams has been hired on as Creative Director. For Crisler, it is a return the publishing company where he had early success. […]
Category: Featured, Label, Publishing
ole Piques Interest With Liz Rose’s Notebook
With budgets and playlists getting smaller by the day, the Nashville music publishing scene has grown increasingly competitive, forcing songwriters and publishers to become more innovative and resourceful in their efforts to get songs recorded. Ole, one of Nashville’s most successful independent publishers, is leading the charge for creative catalog promotion by handing out copies of songwriter Liz Rose’s notebook.
Category: Featured, Publishing
Country Co-hosts on “Today”
Country stars are filling-in as co-hosts on NBC’s Today show this week. Yesterday (8/23) Blake Shelton joined Hoda Kotb while regular co-host Kathie Lee Gifford is out on vacation. Amid jokes about the need for a five-second delay and his notorious Tweets, Shelton serenaded Kotb, showed off his cooking skills, and talked about his fashion […]
Luke Bryan Scores Back-to-Back Gold
Capitol Records Nashville recording artist Luke Bryan has just scored his second consecutive RIAA certified Gold digital single for “Rain Is A Good Thing.” In the last nine months, Bryan has been at the top of his career game. He celebrated his first No. 1 with “Do I,” which was Gold® certified. Then he had […]
Dolly Heads Back To The Big Screen
Dolly Parton is set for a return to the silver screen. She’ll star alongside Queen Latifah in Joyful Noise, a musically driven feature about an unlikely partnership between two strong-minded women who are forced to work together to save a small town choir from budget cuts. Joyful Noise is expected to include musical contributions from […]
Marty Stuart’s “Ghost Train” Rides Today
Marty Stuart has a new album out today (8/24) on Sugar Hill Records. Ghost Train: The Studio B Sessions is already garnering praise from outlets like No Depression. He’ll tour in support of the release, kicking off the run tomorrow night (8/25) at Nashville’s Belcourt Theatre. Tonight at 6:30 PM Stuart will make an appearance […]
Promo Update: Big Machine; Quarterback
Big Machine Label Group has named Mandy McCormack National Director, Radio Marketing, and added Kris Lamb to fill her former West Coast Regional post. In the newly-created role, McCormack will work with Sr. Director, New Media & National Promotion Strategy John Zarling in managing national promotion campaigns for artists on the Big Machine and Valory […]
Chesney Shares Details of Deluxe Edition
Kenny Chesney will release a deluxe edition of his upcoming album Hemingway’s Whiskey. The CD-plus-DVD set will be out September 28, just like the regular package. The expanded set’s CD includes two bonus tracks and an in-depth conversation with Chesney about each of the songs. The DVD’s half-hour of content includes a thank you from […]
The Country Network To Air Via Sinclair
The new music video channel The Country Network (TCN) has been picked up by Sinclair Broadcast Group and will be available in some markets by October. Tammy Genovese joined TCN’s Music Row office as Pres. TCN Nashville in April. TCN and Sinclair have entered into an agreement to launch TCN’s star-hosted music video programming on […]
Category: Artist, Featured, Sales/Marketing
Stars At Christmas 4 Kids and Buds-N-Suds Benefits
Montgomery Gentry, Jake Owen, and Sawyer Brown will perform at the Charlie Daniels Band’s annual Christmas 4 Kids concert. The show will be Monday, November 22 at Nashville’s Ryman Auditorium. The accompanying Tour Bus Show/Artist Meet and Greet will take place on Monday, December 13 in Hendersonville, TN. Ticket details at www.christmas4kids.org ••••••••••••••• Jerrod Niemann […]
One Group of Moderators For All CRS Panels
In a departure from the usual format for Country Radio Seminar, all of the panels at the 2011 conference will be moderated by the same group of country radio veterans. The five individuals chosen by the CRB Board of Directors as the inaugural class of CRS moderators are Charlie Cook (McVay Media), Erica Farber (The […]
Category: Featured, Organizations, Radio



