Author Archive: Sarah Skates
Sarah Skates has worked in the music business for more than a decade and is a longtime contributor to MusicRow.
Tour News: Swift’s Millionth Ticket; Reba’s Surprise Guests
Taylor Swift and Reba excited fans with big surprises at their respective tour stops last week. Swift welcomed the 1 millionth fan to her Fearless Tour Thursday (4/1) at the Intrust Bank Arena in Wichita, Kansas. College student Rachel was attending her third Swift show when she was surprised at her seat and notified she […]
Photos: Tin Pan South Wrap Up [Updated 4/6]
A few highlights from Tin Pan South’s Thursday (4/1), Friday (4/2) and Saturday night shows. Thursday: BMI offered a stout lineup of storytelling guitar-slingers as part of the annual Tin Pan South songwriters’ festival. A deep crowd filled the Rutledge as Big Al Anderson, Shawn Camp and Pat McLaughlin delivered an acoustic set of originals […]
Category: Artist, Featured, Organizations
Amy Grant Returns With New Release
Amy Grant released her first new album in six years last week (3/30). Somewhere Down the Road, out on EMI/Sparrow, reached No. 1 on the iTunes Christian & Gospel iTunes chart; SoundScan numbers will be out this week. Her first radio single since 2003, “Better Than A Hallelujah,” is already climbing the charts and being […]
CMT Awards: Aldean, Lady A, Sugarland Lead First Round Noms
Jason Aldean, Lady Antebellum and Sugarland scored four first-round nominations each to lead the pack for the 2010 CMT Music Awards. Garnering three each were Brooks & Dunn, Kenny Chesney, Brad Paisley, Taylor Swift, Carrie Underwood and Zac Brown Band. Beginning today, Monday, April 5 at 11:00 a.m., ET, fans can vote on CMT.com for […]
Category: Artist, Awards, Featured, Sales/Marketing
Sony/ATV Promotes Abbey Burkhalter
Troy Tomlinson, President/CEO of Sony/ATV Music Publishing Nashville, has announced the promotion of Abbey Burkhalter to Creative Director. Formerly Creative Manager, Burkhalter joined Sony/ATV in February 2006. In the past four years, she has been responsible for a significant number of major recordings and singles, and has played an integral role as liaison between Sony/ATV’s Nashville roster and the publishing company’s Los Angeles and New […]
Category: Featured, Publishing
BMI Expands Duties For Sr. Execs Esworthy, Conlon, O’Neill
BMI President & CEO Del Bryant today (4/5) announced a new alignment in the company’s senior management team, with elevated responsibilities for Nashville based Bruce Esworthy, and New York based Richard Conlon and Michael O’Neill. BMI Chief Financial Officer Esworthy adds new duties as Senior Vice President, Finance & Administration, overseeing Human Resources and Facilities […]
Category: Featured, Organizations
EMI Nashville Builds Promotion Staff
Senior Vice President Promotion Steve Hodges announces three new EMI Records Nashville staffers today: Chuck Swaney (Director of Promotion, Mid/Southwest), Trudie Daniell (Director of Promotion, Southeast) and Ron Bradley (Director of Promotion, West Coast). Beginning Monday, April 5 all three will work as a liaison between the label and country radio stations across the U.S. […]
Treehouse Hires Nate Ritches; Compass Adds Emilee Warner
Compass Records Group has tapped Emilee Warner as Director of Publicity and Promotions. She started the role earlier this month and can be reached at emilee@compassrecords.com, W: 615-320-7672, or M: 615-418-4846. Compass Records has also signed Richard Julian and will release his album Girls Need Attention May 4. The project was recorded at Norah Jones’s […]
Category: Featured, Label, Radio, Sales/Marketing
MP3 Players Plug In To More Cars
Listening to an iPod or other MP3 player via connection to a car stereo is growing in popularity. Just released information from an Arbitron/Edison Infinite Dial national survey shows that 24 percent of persons over age 12 have ever listened to an iPod, iPhone or other MP3 player while connected to a car stereo. The […]
Category: Featured, Radio, Sales/Marketing
Gretchen Wilson Release Via Redneck Records
Gretchen Wilson’s first album for her recently launched Redneck Records, I Got Your Country Right Here, hits stores today (3/30). Among the promotional stops is a performance of her hit single “Work Hard, Play Harder” tomorrow on the CBS Early Show. Wilson produced the album with Blake Chancey and John Rich. She co-wrote two songs […]
ACM, Muzak To Host Music Camps
ACM Lifting Lives™ and the Vanderbilt Kennedy Center for Excellence in Developmental Disabilities today announced plans for the ACM Lifting Lives Music Camp. The Camp will have a dual purpose of studying Williams syndrome and other developmental disabilities, and providing music enrichment through performance and education. The camp will be located in Nashville, and will […]
Category: Featured, Organizations



