Author Archive: Sarah Skates
Sarah Skates has worked in the music business for more than a decade and is a longtime contributor to MusicRow.
Live Nation/TM Merger Faces UK Roadblocks
The proposed Live Nation/Ticketmaster merger is facing opposition from the U.K.’s Competition Commission (CC). The organization made a provisional ruling against the merger and released a statement saying it could, “severely inhibit the entry of a major new competitor – CTS Eventim – into the U.K. ticketing market….This could lead to higher net prices (eg […]
Category: Featured, Financial/Legal
Nashville Music Awards Honor Swift, Other Locals
Taylor Swift was the big winner at the Nashville Music Awards last night (10/7), collecting three trophies during a reception at the Cannery Ballroom. The 19-year-old Big Machine recording artist was named Artist of the Year and Songwriter/Artist of the Year, with her album Fearless earning Country Album of the Year honors. Presented by Leadership […]
Category: Artist, Featured, Organizations
Swift Extends “Fearless” Run
As Taylor Swift plans for this weekend’s final shows of her sold-out Fearless 2009 Tour, she revealed that she will extend the outing into 2010. She will kick off the Fearless 2010 Tour on February 4th in Brisbane, Australia and play five shows Down Under, presented by Michael Coppel Presents, before beginning her North American […]
Lifenotes: Music Industry Entrepreneur Shelby Singleton
Music Row entrepreneur Shelby Singleton died today, October 7, 2009, at age 77. The record executive, producer, and publisher is perhaps best known for purchasing the Sun Records catalog in 1969. The Texas native was a Mercury regional sales rep when the label brought him to town as part of its Nashville team. He ended […]
Category: Featured
Sony Musical Chairs
Sony’s revolving door has Lauren (L.T.) Thomas replacing Kates Rogers as Arista Nashville’s new National Promotions Coordinator. Thomas joins the label on Mon., Oct. 12. Her most recent job was Associate Director of Promotion for Golden Music Nashville, and her background also includes a five-year stint as Promotions Manager for KMLE Phoenix. Rogers exited on […]
Lifenotes: BMI Board Member Don Thurston
Don Thurston, a former BMI Board member who was instrumental in developing the organization’s Nashville office, has died at age 79 after a battle with Parkinson’s Disease. During his 60-year career he founded and served as President of Berkshire Broadcasting. In addition to the BMI board, he was the National Association of Broadcasters Joint Radio-TV […]
Category: Featured, Organizations, Radio
Premiere Radio Picks Up Crook And Chase
Premiere Radio Networks has added The Crook & Chase Countdown to its lineup of nationally syndicated radio programs. The company will assume distribution rights to the four-hour weekend radio program on October 10, 2009, and it will be available for air between 6 a.m. and 12 a.m. local time. The Crook & Chase Countdown will […]
Category: Featured, Radio, Sales/Marketing
McGraw to Film In Nashville
Tim McGraw and Gwyneth Paltrow will star in a movie that will be filmed in Nashville in January and February. The soundtrack will reportedly be comprised of all Nashville artists, and some possible locations for the shoot include McGraw’s farm. Eighty percent of the film is set to be shot here. The only reason that […]
Category: Artist, Featured, Sales/Marketing
Good Reasons To Get Out: Free Music, Fundraisers, and More
Michael W. Smith and Jeremy Camp have added their voices to the “Hope For Samoa” free benefit concert being organized by The Katinas to aid their homeland battered by the recent 8.2 magnitude earthquake and ensuing tsunami. The concert is tonight, Wednesday, October 7, 7 PM at Fellowship Bible Church in Brentwood, Tenn. Natalie Grant […]
Nashville Music Awards Return Tomorrow
The Nashville Music Awards return tomorrow night (10/7) through a partnership between Leadership Music and the Next BIG Nashville conference and festival. Recognizing outstanding contributions in all genres of music, and celebrating the diversity and quality of artists and music professionals who call Nashville their home, awards will be handed out at the Cannery Ballroom […]
Category: Featured
Lee Ann Womack Works The Windy City
Lee Ann Womack spent the weekend performing in Chicago at three different events. Friday night, Oct. 2 she represented Nashville alongside hitmaking tunesmiths Bob DiPiero (“If You Ever Stop Loving Me”), Scotty Emerick (“I Love This Bar”) and Dean Dillon (“The Chair”) as part of the Country Music Association’s Songwriter Series at Joe’s Bar. Saturday […]



