Music News (5/16/13)

Google yesterday (May 15) announced a new streaming music service, Google Play Music All Access, during its sixth annual I/O developer conference for software programmers in San Francisco.

Expected to compete with rapidly growing music companies including Pandora and Spotify, the pay-by-month service allows users to blend their current music collections with its licensed library of songs from major labels UMG, Sony and Warner. Additionally, customers can create radio stations based on any song or artist, browse recommendations from an expert music team or explore by genre. Free storage for up to 20,000 songs is available in the cloud for listening alongside the All Access catalog.

The new service will be available in the U.S. on smartphones, tablets and Web browsers with a free 30-day trial, then for $9.99 a month for millions of songs on demand. Trials beginning by June 30 will pay only $7.99 a month.

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Kobalt Music Group is rolling out a new interactive system for tracking royalties. The Kobalt Portal includes usage data and royalties earned on YouTube user-generated content and allows clients to watch the associated video. Kobalt plans to offer this level of transparency for all key digital service providers globally.

Via the portal, clients can also follow the synch process in real time, including tracking the income generated, and the videos of their music when licensed for advertising, TV, film trailers, games and other media. Among other new features are a real-time, customizable global activity feed and action center that notifies clients of key events and items to address in their catalogue.

Clients can enter new works and product data, allowing for two-way communication. The new portal is also customizable; each client can set their own reporting preferences and choose which activity alerts and notifications they receive.

Read more at MusicRow.com.

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Universal Music Publishing Group (UMPG) has acquired Criterion Music Corporation and affiliated entities, it was announced May 7 by Zach Horowitz, Chairman & CEO, UMPG, and Bo Goldsen, President of Criterion.

Goldsen, who was responsible for signing Rosanne Cash (“Seven Year Ache”), Lyle Lovett (“If I Had a Boat”) and Rodney Crowell (“Shame on the Moon”), will continue as President of the company his father Mickey Goldsen founded in the 1950s.

On the same day that UMPG announced its acquisition of the music corporation, 16-year-old The Voice contestant Danielle Bradberry propelled one of Criterion’s catalog hits to No. 1 on the iTunes country chart by performing a show-stealing cover of “Maybe It Was Memphis.” The song, made famous by Pam Tillis in 1992, experienced an overnight resurgence with Bradberry’s version becoming the No. 1 Country track on iTunes, and Top 5 on iTunes overall. “…Memphis” lands at No. 9 on the Digital Genre Country list selling over 49k units!

Read more about the Criterion announcement here, and MusicRow.com subscribers can read more of this week’s sales here.

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The Nashville Songwriters Association International (NSAI) hosted a No. 1 Party on Monday, May 13 to honor the writers of songs reaching the top spot between January and March 2013. The event, sponsored by Bill Lynch of Lynch Wealth Management, also featured several make-up presentations to writers who were unable to attend when their songs were honored previously. Read more at MusicRow.com.

Pictured L-R: (Front row, seated): Billy Montana, Jessi Alexander, Josh Kear, Trevor Rosen, Brandy Clark, Hillary Lindsey, (Second row, standing): Colby Robbins of Lynch Wealth Management, Jonathan Singleton, Chris DuBois, Kelley Lovelace, Neil Thrasher, NSAI Executive Director Bart Herbison, Mark Irwin, Shane McAnally,
(Back rows, standing): Brian Dean Maher, Jeremy Stover, David Lee Murphy, Jim Beavers, Jon Randall, Matt Warren, Ben Hayslip, Brett Beavers, Jimmy Robbins, Rodney Clawson. (Not pictured): Recipients Delta Maid, Wendell Mobley, NSAI President Lee Thomas Miller

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The Association of Independent Music Publishers (AIMP) Nashville chapter and Fifth Third Bank sponsored the informative panel “Successful Independent Publishers: Competing With and Outsmarting The Big Boys.” Participants included Ree Guyer Buchanan (President/Owner of Wrensong Publishing), Pat Higdon (President/Owner of Patrick Joseph Music) and Dan Hodges (Owner/GM of Dan Hodges Music). Heather Cook, CEO of Cook’n Up Music Publishing and Administrative Director of AIMP Nashville served as moderator.

Pictured (L-R): Anson Lewis (5/3 Bank), Cheryl Martin (5/3 Bank), Pat Higdon (Patrick Joseph Music), Ree Guyer Buchanan (Wrensong), Dan Hodges (Dan Hodges Music), Brad Peterson (5/3 Bank), Heather Cook (Admin. Director/AIMP)

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THiS Music and Warner/Chappell Music have signed a publishing agreement with up-and-coming songwriter and recording artist Leah Turner. Turner is currently in the process of writing and recording her debut project for Sony Music Nashville.

Pictured (L-R): Front Row: Connie Harrington (This), Janine Appleton (This), Leah Turner, Ben Vaughn (WC), Tim Nichols (This). Back Row: Phil May (WC), Rusty Gaston (This)

Pictured (Back Row, L-R): Tyler Hubbard and Rodney Clawson, Steven McMillian, Craig Wiseman, Heather Buresh, Seth England, Joey Moi, and Brian Kelley. (Front Row, L-R): Chris Tompkins, Kevin Noble, Amy Allmand and Kimberly Gleason. Photo: Justin Mrusek for Big Loud Shirt