MUSIC NEWS: TUESDAY, MARCH 1, 2016
Country Music Week in Nova Scotia Exceeds Economic Estimates,
Brings $11.8 Million to the Province
The Canadian Country Music Association (CCMA) announced that Country Music Week 2015, hosted in the City of Halifax, exceeded economic impact estimates, delivering $11.8 million in economic activity to the Province of Nova Scotia. The event generated a total of $5.5 million in new money (GDP).
An economic impact assessment of the event, administered by the Canadian Sport Tourism Alliance, shows that more than 14,500 attendees took in one or more of the Country Music Week marquee events between September 10 and 13, 2015. Overall, the event attracted over 3,800 people from outside of the province, of which 38 per cent were first-time visitors. Those fans made a special trip to Nova Scotia to take in Canada’s largest annual combination of industry conference and music festival dedicated to the genre of country music.
Nearly 10,000 attendees packed the newly renovated Scotiabank Centre for the culmination of Country Music Week, the 2015 CCMA Awards Show, with a broadcast reach on CBC-TV and CMT (Canada) of over 3.1 million viewers.
“As we celebrate the CCMA’s 40th anniversary this year, we’re thrilled to be able to continue the tradition of bringing Country Music Week and the CCMA Awards Show to cities across Canada,” said Don Green, President of the CCMA. “To have the ability to deliver our mandate of educating, elevating and celebrating country music and to also bring significant economic value to our host city and province shows the cultural value of our CCMA initiatives – initiatives we hope Canadians from coast to coast will join us in embracing and celebrating.”
“FACTOR is very pleased to support the CCMA and we’re particularly gratified to see that the event is not only an important cultural attraction for Canada’s many country music fans, but continues to generate important economic benefits for hosting cities and regions. Everyone wins, well done,” said Duncan McKie, President of FACTOR.
“Congratulations to the Canadian Country Music Association, its board, the local host committee and the hundreds of volunteers on the success Country Music Week 2015, which brought hundreds of delegates and thousands of country music fans to visit Nova Scotia from across Canada and around the world, ” said Tony Ince, Nova Scotia’s Minister of Communities Culture and Heritage. “Hosting Country Music Week in Nova Scotia provided exposure for our local musicians on the Canadian and world country music stage.”
“Halifax continues to demonstrate that it is one of Canada’s best event cities, lending its East Coast enthusiasm to the recognition of country music’s finest, and drawing new people and new spending to our city in the process,” said Mike Savage, Mayor of Halifax.
The economic impact assessment of Country Music Week 2015, administered by the Canadian Sport Tourism Alliance, can be found in full HERE.
Country Music Week 2016 will be held in London, Ontario, September 8 – 11.
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CMT CROSSROADS
Jason Derulo and Luke Bryan will shake up ``CMT Crossroads'' when the singers appear on the musical mash-up series this summer.
CMT made the announcement Tuesday. Rock and Roll Hall of Fame 2016 inductees Cheap Trick and country singer Jennifer Nettles will kick off the series on March 24.
Grammy-winning singers and songwriters Rob Thomas and Charles Kelley of Lady Antebellum will pair up in an episode to air this spring. Pop singer Nick Jonas and country singer Thomas Rhett will join up in an episode to air this summer.
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PHIL COLLINS
Imagine having a band and getting free advice from a multi-Grammy winner? This is the position Phil Collins' sons are in, but they're not always ready to listen. Collins has two sons, Sam who's 39 and Simon, a 14-year-old. Collins says both his sons have bands. Collins says he encourages them and offers advice.
Collins adds he's like the elder statesman. But while he offers his musical wisdom, Collins says his sons usually go their own way.
Collins also has a daughter Lilly who is an actress.
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JIMMY BUFFETT BEACH
You soon might be able to sunbathe in ``Margaritaville'' on Buffett Beach. Mississippi legislators are working to name a Gulf Coast beach for the native son, Jimmy Buffett. The state House passed the measure 119-1 yesterday. The Mississippi Senate will now take up the issue. Buffett Beach would be in Pascagoula, where Buffett was born.
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BLAKE SHELTON-GWEN STEFANI AT OSCAR PARTY
No tuxedo for Blake Shelton. He was super casual at Vanity Fair's Oscar party Sunday night. Main squeeze Gwen Stefani looked like Hollywood royalty in a sheer, red gown. But the New York Post reports Shelton was wearing an untucked button-down shirt with dark jeans and scuffed cowboy boots. Shelton did wear a dark jacket for the occasion, but no tie.
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IGGY POP POSES NUDE
It's probably more of Iggy Pop than you would ever want to see. Rolling Stone reports Pop posed nude for a life drawing class at the New York Academy of Art last month. Twenty-one artists took part in the ``Iggy Pop Life Class'' project. Their portraits of the 68-year-old rocker are set to debut at the Brooklyn Museum this fall. Pop and Josh Homme will release their ``Post Pop Depression'' album on March 18th. They will also tour to support the project.
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LORETTA LYNN DOCUMENTARY
We get to learn a lot more about the ``Coal Miner's Daughter'' in a new P-B-S documentary. The ``American Masters'' series debuts ``Loretta Lynn: Still a Mountain Girl'' Friday. Lynn says she's been singing since she was born. Lynn recalls growing up in Butcher Hollow in Kentucky in the 1930s, with her daddy playing the banjo and her mama playing the guitar. She was one of eight kids in the family. She says nearly everyone in her ``holler'' could sing or play as well. Lynn's first new studio album in a more than a decade, ``Full Circle,'' also debuts Friday.
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BLIND WILLIE JOHNSON COVERS
Tom Waits and Lucinda Williams contribute two songs each to ``God Don't Never Change _ The Songs of Blind Willie Johnson.'' The album is a stirring homage to the Texas gospel singer who last recorded in 1930. Blind Willie's slide guitar and vocals motivated rockers from Eric Clapton to the Grateful Dead. Blind Willie is sampled on the Cowboy Junkies' take on ``Jesus Is Coming Soon'' on the new L-P. Sinead O'Connor, the Blind Boys of Alabama and Maria McKee also are among those contributing to God Don't Never Change.
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'THE VOICE' RETURNS
Remember ``Curly Sue?'' ''The Voice`` coaches do. Alisen Porter was a kid actress and starred in the Curly Sue movie from the early 1990s. Now, she's a mom and says she's nearly eight years sober. Last night, Porter blew away the coaches as Season-10 of The Voice debuted. All four coaches wanted her, but Porter goes with team Xtina. Each of the coaches picked up at least two singers last night. Tonight, the blind auditions continue.
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(The Associated Press)