November 11, 2019, Issue 679
Veterans DAY 2019
Women Lead Awards Week
Reba McEntire, Dolly Parton and Carrie Underwood are the standard bearers for Wednesday’s (11/13) 53rd CMA Awards and, in a larger sense, all of country music during arguably the biggest week of the year. Music business impact includes four awards shows (see ASCAP and SESAC recaps below; BMI is Tuesday), two sets of radio remotes, 64 inviteonly gatherings, 4,211 dress purchases, twice that many black socks, Reba, Carrie and Dolly 79,820 servings of alcohol and one lost wallet (to be determined). Those numbers are mostly made up, but Country Aircheck stands by its reporting. In all seriousness, the CMA hosts are touting a feel-good vibe for the week’s ABC-televised pinnacle. Scheduling prevented their attendance at the customary radio remotes orientation press conference, but audio provided to stations and EPK footage add a bit more context to the women-first approach. “The opening performance is going to be spectacular,” McEntire says. “Nobody wants to miss it, so be sure you’re in your seat, in front of the television, watching when that all happens.” “You’re going to see us up there, [and] maybe some people you haven’t seen in a while,” Underwood says. “[Viewers will] remember what is amazing about country music and women’s roles in country music – what was amazing, what could be amazing, everything in between. It’s just going to be a really beautiful night.” McEntire adds, “They will know the songs when they hear them. That’s a good enough tease, isn’t it?” “We just wanted to jam-pack the CMA Awards with women,” Underwood says, noting the bond female artists have formed in supporting each other. “We really have all banded together and made it a point to lift each other up. This night is going to represent that to a T.” Elsewhere she notes, “Artists are the ones
Bach To Bach: Broken Bow’s Dustin Lynch presents Justin Ebach with SESAC’s Songwriter of the Year at last night’s (11/10) annual Nashville Music Awards. Pictured (l-r) are SESAC’s Shannan Hatch, Lynch, Ebach and SESAC’s ET Brown and Lydia Schultz.
getting their moments ... but it’s also about all the women who work in this business as well – managers and people that work at the label, musicians, all of us. It’s going to be very uplifting.” Speaking of ... McCoy and Associates Owner/CEO Sharla McCoy is celebrating 25 years of her Music Row Live! remotes as 19 stations join her at The Tracking Room in Nashville. She tells Country Aircheck that the anniversary nearly passed without notice. “I was so busy working on getting everything together that I had no clue it was our 25th year until Facebook notified me, so thank God for that, I guess!” McCoy’s setup has remained inviting and inclusive, and she credits the ongoing success to the stations participating. “My team, the volunteers, the artists and labels who come out, and you – the amazing stations that join us every year – are what keep this going strong,” McCoy told station representatives gathered before the kickoff of CMA Awards week. The event benefits Fisher House Foundation and will host dozens of artists for station interviews and features lunchtime performances by Haley & Michaels, Chancey Williams and Rayne Johnson. –Chuck Aly, Monta Vaden
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