Country Music Pride

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Ashley Monroe Continues To Roll Out Stunning Tracks From “The Blade” Posted: 18 Jul 2015 09:25 AM PDT No one does heartbreak and longing like Monroe. The new track, "Dixie," released exclusively at SouthernLiving.com, displays all of the 28 year old singer-songwriter's many gifts, from the immediacy of her songwriting to the way her East Tennessee soprano can cut right through your heart. "'Dixie' came from Justin Davis in Striking Matches. He had that idea and we were at some show in the dressing room and he played it for me and I fell in love with it," Monroe tells Southern Living. "I've always loved those old melodies like that, which sound like they were written way back in the day…I related to it, and when I sing it, I get mad. I definitely love the south and I'm never leaving. It's like, 'I'll be damned, you're not going to take me down." "Dixie" is the 4th song that Monroe has previewed from her 2nd album (Warner Bros.), which is scheduled for release on July 24th. Monroe recently played "Dixie" live for Live Nation Channel on Yahoo Screen along with other album tracks "I Buried Your Love Alive," "If the Devil Don't Want Me" and "The Blade." Monroe also has released "Bombshell" from the new album, teaming with furniture and décor designer Wayfair.com and interior designer Brad Ramsey to reimaging her Nashville writer's room. That's just a small piece of all the attention Monroe, a member of the country music super group Pistol Annies, has gotten surrounding the release of "The Blade," produced by Vince Gill and Justin Niebank. NPR calls her "Dolly Parton's rightful heir" and Rolling Stone says "The Blade" is "destined to be one of year's top albums." RS made this assertion after seeing Monroe perform an album preview show during CMA Music Festival, another triumphant moment for the singer. Fans can pre-order "The Blade" through iTunes and AshleyMonroe.com. Pre-orders will include instant downloads of the title track, first single "On to Something Good," "I Buried Your Love Alive" and now "Dixie." Monroe also plans to release one last track, "The Weight of the Load" before The Blade album hits stores. Monroe will celebrate the release of the new LP with an appearance on NBC's "The Tonight Show Starring Jimmy Fallon" on July 27, along with several other release week appearances. For more information about Monroe, please visit her website at www.AshleyMonroe.com or Facebook at www.facebook.com/ashleymonroemusic, and follow @ashleymonroe on Twitter.

Show Me The Money Posted: 18 Jul 2015 06:11 AM PDT Last week Nielsen released its mid-year report. Streams up, sales down. On-demand music streaming saw a growth of 92%.  While online album sales remained stagnant (only -.1%), digital track sales fell 10.4% and in store purchases dropped 10%. So, what does this mean for fans and artists? Well, the issue is two-fold. On one hand it's great that we live in an age where our musical whimsy is constantly catered to at each beck and call. Plus there are so many more ways for aspiring artists to deciminate their music, be heard, and earn a living. Well, not so much that last part. Which brings us to fold two. Streaming sites have a different agreement than terrestrial radio. The amount paid out is wildly in favor of the record label and ill-matched towards license agreements, i.e., the talent. The argument from streaming sites is that it gives unsigned artists an avenue to promote themselves for touring. So, what about non-touring songwriters? The industry average is $.002 per play streaming vs. $.09 on traditional radio. For example, for every 1,000 plays on iTunesRadio a song earns $1.30. On Spotify $1.00-5.00 depending on the level of subscription. $1.20 for Pandora. You get the point. This problem doesn't just affect industry newcomers. Remember, physical sales are down. Even signed talent and veteran pros are feeling the inevitable. Artists don't profit at all from radio play and writers very little.  Performers tour but the only way songwriters make any real money is through sales. It only takes a passing glance down the perpetual declivity that is album sales to see where trends are going. So, whats the answer? Should streaming sites be held to the same performing rights agreements as radio. If so, how do they juxtapose signed vs. unsigned material? Perhaps the record labels should be on the hook for compensating online plays accordingly? That would give unsigned artists/writers a goal. I mean, if we just paid everybody then what would be the incentive to use record labels? It's not like the music industry is an oligarchy, (he types with extreme sarcasm). Don't forget it's the  music<business. We have seen the talent go from using labels to gain popularity, to gaining popularity on their own in order to impress labels. The industry is stuck in a record label reliant roundabout and the only viable way to exit is technology. While organizations like NSAI ardently fight for creators rights the cause has also been expedited by powerhouse recording artist Taylor Swift pulling her music from streaming sites. As the missing revenue is barely worth her taking notice, she's sticking up for the little guys and gals who count on those menial yet essential few plays. Technology is a great tool, a great social advancement evoking monumental change in the music industry. But every time the odds even a bit… each summer vacation the little guy grows an inch, the bully grows two. The good news is, there are a lot more little guys than bullies.

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