Music News 7/29/2010

>>Big Machine President/CEO Scott Borchetta announced today (7/29) that Rascal Flatts would be the latest addition to the Big Machine family. A new album called Nothing Like This, produced by Dann Huff, is due out November 16. The first single “Why Wait,” written by Neil Thrasher, Tom Shapiro and Jimmy Yeary, is being released to radio today.

The trio’s most recent album, Unstoppable, was their last with Disney-owned Lyric Street Records. The Rascal Flatts catalog will remain with the Disney Music Group. There is no official word on the status of remaining Lyric Street staff.

“We are extremely excited about our new partnership with Big Machine Records,” says Rascal Flatts bassist Jay DeMarcus. “We believe that Scott Borchetta and all of the folks over there are a perfect fit for what Rascal Flatts is trying to accomplish over the next few years. The last 10 years have been amazing but we are even more excited out the next phase of our career; Scott understands us, he knows what we’re about and it’s always a wonderful thing to have someone who believes in you and your music that much in your corner.”

Tom Baldrica

>>Radio-Info’s Phyllis Stark is reporting that Tom Baldrica, Sony Music Nashville VP Marketing has exited the label.

Baldrica was elevated to VP Marketing in Sept. 2006 after joining the organization’s promotion department in 1993. His current role was to oversee artist development, media, creative services and strategic marketing for the label groups imprints which include Arista Nashville, BNA Records, RCA Records and Columbia Records.

>>DMX, Inc., a leading provider of commercial music services, has won a rate court proceeding against performing rights organization BMI. On Monday (7/26), a federal district judge in New York ordered BMI to provide DMX with an adjustable fee blanket license that allows DMX to license music directly from music publishers and writers.

The decision could portend a shift of many more music performances out of the hands of ASCAP, BMI and SESAC and into direct licensing deals with publishers and writers. The decision could potentially change the landscape of performing rights in the US. The majority of music users currently use a blanket license from from either BMI, ASCAP or SESAC. The adjustable fee blanket license gives copyright owners the ability to directly license their own content and is expected to put pressure on performing rights organizations to reduce their fees and increase transparency in the face of this new competition.

Attorney R. Bruce Rich, who represents DMX, describes the court’s decision as “a gratifying affirmation of the role of the rate court as a means of establishing meaningful alternative license structures to the blanket license. The Court’s implementation of a sensible crediting mechanism against blanket license payments otherwise owing where a user such as DMX has made significant investments in direct licensing should have broad application for other industries.”

“We strongly disagree with the court’s decision in the DMX case, which ignores the long history of Performance Right Organization (PRO) licensing agreements in the background music industry,” BMI said in a statement. “We are examining the decision in depth and evaluating the basis for an appeal.”

For more on this decision…from Digital Music News

Rod Riley

>>Warner Music Nashville (WMN), the Nashville-based music operations of Warner Music Group Corp., has announced that Rod Riley has been named President and CEO of Word Entertainment, WMG’s Christian music division. 
In his new role, Riley will oversee Word’s entire operation, including A&R, sales and marketing, music publishing, distribution, church resources and artist services. Riley succeeds Mark Bright and will report directly to John Esposito, President and CEO of Warner Music Nashville. Bright, one of Nashville’s most acclaimed producers, will continue to work with WMN under the terms of his existing production deal with Warner Bros. Nashville.

Riley has served as Chief Operating Officer of Word Entertainment since 2008, and has been responsible for all the business operations of Word Label Group, Word Music Publishing, Word Distribution and Word Music. Since joining Word Entertainment in 2005 as Senior Vice President of Marketing, he has been instrumental in revitalizing the company’s staff and artist roster, as well as aggressively expanding Word’s artist services business, including launching or acquiring businesses in merchandising, e-commerce, artist booking, touring, brand management and sponsorship.

Prior to joining Word, Riley served as Senior Director of Sales at Provident Music, Sony Music’s Christian music label. In 1999, while still with Sony, Riley and his wife, Susan, launched Fervent Records, a record label and music publishing company that is home to such acclaimed artists as BarlowGirl, Francesca Battistelli, Group 1 Crew, Sidewalk Prophets, pureNRG and Big Daddy Weave. Originally distributed through Sony, Riley sold Fervent to Word Entertainment in 2005.

Autumn House

>>Capitol Records Nashville has promoted Autumn House to Vice President, A&R. House will report directly to Mike Dungan, President/CEO, Capitol Records. She will continue to act as the A&R department’s liaison with producers, publishers, management and artists on behalf of Capitol Records Nashville and EMI Records Nashville.

House has been with Capitol Records Nashville since 2000. She was promoted to Sr. Director, A&R in 2006. Prior to joining Capitol Records Nashville, House was a Professional Manager at both Maverick Music and Starstruck Entertainment. While at Capitol Records Nashville, Autumn has been key in the signing of several artists including Dierks Bentley, Jennette McCurdy, Walker Hayes, Emily West and EMI Records Nashville flagship artist Troy Olsen. She continues to find breakthrough songs for the label’s roster which includes Bentley, Luke Bryan, Eric Church, Walker Hayes, Lady Antebellum, Little Big Town, Darius Rucker, McCurdy, Olsen, Keith Urban and West.

A native Nashvillian, House graduated from Arizona State University with a degree in Communications/Broadcasting. After college she returned to Nashville to intern at the management firm, Moress, Nanas Entertainment, working with Clint Black, Lorrie Morgan and Donna Summer. In 1995 she joined Starstruck Entertainment as an administrative assistant and was soon promoted to Professional Manager. In 1998 she took a position as Professional Manager at Maverick Music. Over the course of her career she has secured cuts for such artists as Reba McEntire, Lee Ann Womack, Lonestar, and Deana Carter.