April 29, 2013, Issue 343 Power Gold: 2013’s Ins & Outs For the second consecutive year, Country’s Top 100 Power Gold list displays a lot of turnover from the previous 12 months. This year’s Top 100 boasts 22 new titles, compared to a whopping 33 in our April 2012 analysis and 13 new tunes in July 2011. This year’s Top 10 Power Gold is culled from Mediabase 24/7 and the Country Aircheck/Mediabase reporting panel for the week of April 21-27: 1. Kid Rock/All Summer Long 2. Zac Brown Band/Chicken Fried 3. Keith Urban/Somebody Like You 4. Alan Jackson & Jimmy Buffet/It’s Five O’Clock Somewhere 5. Dierks Bentley/What Was I Thinkin’ 6. Zac Brown Band/Toes 7. Rodney Atkins/Watching You Keith Urban Man, What Are You Doing Here? Rodeowave’s Phil Vassar (c) invites KSON/San Diego’s John & Tammy on stage while he 8. Rascal Flatts/Life Is A Highway plays “Piano Man” at the Stagecoach Country Music Festival in 9. Joe Nichols/Gimmie That Girl Indio, CA Saturday (4/27). 10. Rodney Atkins/If You’re Goin’ Through Hell New to the Top 10 are the ZBB, Flatts and Atkins tunes. Pope Finds Her Voice Sliding out of the Top 10 were Darius Rucker’s “Alright” She brought a pop-rock background and sound to The (16); Carrie Underwood’s “Before He Cheats” (15) and Voice’s Team Blake, but Cassadee Pope is now readying James Otto’s “Just Got Started Lovin’ You” (20). her Republic Nashville country debut. The season-three This year’s highest new entry is Jerrod Niemann, winner and label President Jimmy checking in at No. 19 with “Lover, Lover.” The “biggest leapers” Harnen explain her artistic evolution and include Urban’s “Better Life,” No. 68 to No. 11; Toby Keith’s the country launch plan, which includes “American Ride” from No.72 to No. 21; Bentley’s “Free And another television series that will also Easy” from No. 76 to No. 31; Luke Bryan’s “All My Friends Say,” shine a spotlight on Country radio. from No. 73 to No. 43; Kenny Chesney’s ”Summertime,” from “When I sang [Miranda Lambert’s] No. 89 to No. 46; Montgomery Gentry’s “Something To Be ‘Over You’ on the show, the reaction was Proud Of,” from No. 91 to No. 48; and, Chris Cagle’s “What so incredible and I really connected with Cassadee Pope Kinda Gone,” from No. 84 to No. 50. (continued on page 7) the lyrics, so it just kind of happened ©2013 Country Aircheck™ — All rights reserved. Sign up free at www.countryaircheck.com. Send news to [email protected] April 29, 2013 Page 3 naturally,” Pope says. “It’s funny, people say because PAGE THREE PIC Blake’s a country singer that he pushed me to do it, but it’s something that I started on my own and it naturally progressed.” BMLG President/CEO Scott Borchetta, VP/A&R Allison Jones and Harnen were already watching Pope with great interest. “We loved Cassadee,” Harnen says. “Scott made a phone call to [Universal Republic President] Monte Lipman and said, ‘If she ever wants to do this, let me know.’” Universal Republic, which partners with BMLG for Republic Nashville, has recording rights for the show’s winners. At the point at which she won, Pope explains, “I had dabbled in both country and the pop rock genres and they came together in a really cool way. So when [Universal Republic] asked me what I wanted to do, I told them I wanted to take the country route. They said, ‘Well, Scott Borchetta has expressed an interest in you for a while now, so this is perfect.’” Arrangements to bring her to Nashville for a signing Later, Cake Was Served: As Willie Nelson celebrates his 80th birthday (4/30), we crank up the way-back photo and meetings proved insufficient. “We started to machine to 1983, courtesy of then WWWW/Detroit PD book the travel to have her stay the week, but she didn’t Barry Mardit (l). The station threw a 50th birthday party want to leave,” Harnen says. Pope adds, “I wanted to dig for Willie, complete with a giant, 4x8 ft. cake decorated in and start writing. I knew momentum with a larger than life-size likeness of Mr. Nelson. Send would be a huge part of this and I pics to: [email protected]. wanted to keep it going. I stayed in Nashville for a solid two months, Chart Chat writing five days a week.” Congrats to Thompson Square, Pope will debut her country Carson James, Chris Loss and the single June 4 on The Voice, and will entire Stoney Creek promotion team be the subject of a new CMT series on scoring this week’s No. 1 with T2’s Jimmy Harnen documenting her country career. “If I Didn’t Have You.” The song is the first single from their second album Just “The show will cover the writing and Thompson Square recording of the album, and they will be with her on her Feels Good. first radio tour,” Harnen says. The series will air in September, and Pope will go on News & Notes tour with Rascal Flatts in the fall, as well. “As someone that The Alan Kabel Radio Network’s Alan Kabel Show has a career now because of The Voice, I’m excited to have has picked up KGY-FM/Olympia, WA as an affiliate. The my journey documented in more of a personal way,” Pope show will airs from 7pm to midnight weekdays. says. “I want people to see what I’ve been up to and all the Show Dog-Universal’s Trace Adkins will play the title work that’s gone into the roll out of my album and single.” character in The Virginian. There’s no release date set for the film, –John Ritchie but Adkins is set to star alongside Victoria Pratt and Ron Perlman. ©2013 Country Aircheck™ — All rights reserved. Sign up free at www.countryaircheck.com. Send news to [email protected] April 29, 2013 Page 5 Martina McBride will perform MY TUNES: MUSIC THAT SHAPED MY LIFE the National Anthem at the Kentucky Southern Ground President Ken Robold Derby May 4. Additionally, Arista’s Kix discusses his most influential artists, songs, Brooks and Republic Nashville’s Greg albums and concerts: Bates will perform at the Fest-de-Ville 1. KISS, Nassau Coliseum, 1977: My first concert. I was in sixth grade and my parents Derby Eve Jam May 3. dropped me off me with my two older sisters The Patsy Cline: Crazy For Loving You and a couple of friends. I was just getting into Martina McBride exhibit at the Country Music Hall Of rock and roll after a youth filled with vinyl 45s Fame Museum will close June 9 with a and top 40 hits. It was their Rock And Roll Over Tour. If my parents only knew what we were series of Cline-related film screenings and a special May 11 Ken Robold getting into. concert featuring Kristen Kelly, Lorrie Morgan, Pam 2. Led Zeppelin, Houses of the Holy: My friends’ older sister Tillis and more. Info here. put this record on and that was my intro to them. I was hooked. Songwriter Tom Douglas will be honored at the While they’re known as arguably the best hard rock band of all Country Music Hall of Fame and Museum May 18 time, it’s still their acoustic and melodic songs that I gravitate toward just as much as their harder music. for Poets and Prophets: Legendary Country Songwriters. 3. The Clash and The Who, Shea Stadium, 1982: My first More here. stadium show. It was my senior year in high school. I was packed into a group of fans in the outfield, 20-feet from the stage. I vividly remember looking back at 55,000 people screaming during The Week’s Top Stories The Who’s set and feeling pretty overwhelmed … an amazing Full coverage at countryaircheck.com. experience. • Country Music Hall of Fame member George Jones 4. Shania Twain, The Woman In Me and Come On Over: I transferred from Polygram/Mercury Records in New York to Nashville passed away. (CAT 4/26) in 1994 to work with Luke Lewis and the team at Mercury. These two • Cox Media VP Bill Hoffman was upped to president as records changed a lot of peoples’ lives and careers. To experience the company realigned its executive team. (CAT 4/23) runaway smashes like those from a professional standpoint was an • Warner Music Nashville VP/Publicity Tree Paine was immeasurable experience. Especially with the worldwide fame she promoted to Sr. VP. (CAT 4/24) achieved. Phenomenal run. 5. Lee Ann Womack, There’s More Where That Came From: • Clear Channel’s KSD/St. Louis PD Steve Stewart Simply an incredible record, start to finish. One of the best singers added Mgr./Regional Programming responsibilities for the I’ve ever heard, at her very best. Quite deserving of the 2005 CMA Wichita, St. Louis and Springfield, MO markets. (CAT 4/29) Album of The Year. • Simmons KEGA/Salt Lake City APD/MD/morning co- • A highly regarded album you’ve never heard: Willie Nelson’s Red Headed Stranger. I’ve heard so much about it host Jon Watkins was upped to Brand Manager for the during my years in Nashville, but just haven’t sat down and station, succeeding Alan Hague, who left to launch a listened to it yet.