Stacy’s Music Row Report- Music Row Report

Music Row's residents of Nashville's 20th state senate district are taking note that one of our own (not me, though on June 17, 1998 I was sworn in as a member of the Davidson Country Democratic Party Executive Committee, representing voters of Nashville's 25th council district) is seeking to become our district's next state senator: Oak Hill Mayor HEIDI CAMPBELL.

Mayor Campbell's music business career r�sum� dates back to the 1990s when "I was the lead singer and writer for a band called The Keep."

The Nashville band had a "Triple-A rotation on our music, toured the Eastern U.S. and Germany and opened for the DAVE MATTHEWS BAND, CAKE and a lot of other really cool alternative acts. Our music also got picked up for several TV shows, and I started getting interested in licensing music to film and television through that.

"I started a company called All About Music and we licensed music for other independent artists, and on a consultation basis for Vanguard Records and Warner Brothers' alternative division. While I was doing this I also was pursuing a full-time MBA at Vanderbilt.

"After I got my MBA, I moved to St. Paul for a period to be with my husband while he finished his JD/MBA, and to have a couple of kids, and worked with Innova Records, the record label of the American Composers Forum.

"As with most people in the music industry, I wore various hats during this period of my life- I actually managed a band called Big House (amazing band) for a couple of years and was the promotional director for a Warner Brothers project called Groovegrass (a funk/bluegrass hybrid).

"And I wrote a lot of songs and played a lot of gigs" before moving on to a career of public service.

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You may have read where TIM McGRAW and FAITH HILL made a much-maligned list of prominent recipients of the U.S. Treasury Department's Paycheck Protection Program, thought not to need their share of the $520 billion in loans doled out by the Small Business Administration (SBA) with the goal of helping businesses to keep their employees employed as we all weather the COVID-19 pandemic.

The list also includes The Country Music Foundation, Starstruck Entertainment, Big Loud Records, GARY ALLAN Tours, LORETTA LYNN's Ranch, RASCAL FLATT's Touring Inc., OAK RIDGE BOYS, Inc. and Show Dog, LLC.

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Stacy's Music Row Report premium members know that a paid subscription has its perks. Most recently, amid the COVID-19 pandemic pandemonium, I was glad to point the way for gig workers, independent contractors, freelancers etc., and those of us taxpayers who were ineligible to receive a stimulus check to receive free money, (or a loan if needed) that purposely wasn't publicized because the feds realized simple word-of-mouth would exhaust the supply of Benjamins available.

Now when does the government (or most people, for that matter) offer free money (if you're in the tax bracket I'm in, it's actually your own money) with no strings attached? Glad everyone who responded to my alert got their checks or loans as needed.

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From the Music Row Report job bank: If you've dreamed of becoming a senior producer for RFD-TV, here's your chance: The network seeks to fill this "senior editorial position" with a "true renaissance person" who has a degree in journalism or agricultural communications (a "Master's Degree is a plus") and who has four (4) years' experience in agribusiness.

The successful candidate must have the "ability to work non-traditional hours... in a fast paced, high pressure environment" and will be producing
"5 1/2 hours of stellar content."

This "natural leader" must, as a condition of employment, be willing to submit to a background investigation and find a salary of $40,000- $60,000 acceptable.

Interested? Let me know and I'll provide further details and contact information.

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What would HARLAN HOWARD have said about this?

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Does GEICO's use of the opening bars of RICKY SKAGGS' recording of Heartbroke (written by GUY CLARK), in the company's current ad campaign, constitute a big pay day for anyone other than WARREN BUFFETT and the Oracle of Omaha's favorite insurance company?

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For those who are paying attention (BOBBY BARE is probably not among them), I have not heard from AUSTIN RICK and SANDY BOONSTRA nor further from JESSE KNUTSON and ZACH FARNUM.

It is imperative that I do if any of the four want to be represented in what began as an effort to make some sense of limited media handling of one music industry scandal that seems to be turning into media suppression of quite another.

On a related note, it's amazing to me that coverage of massive staff reductions at the Country Music Hall of Fame do not finally bring attention to the culture that contributed to its board's determination of salaries and essential employees.

The investigation continues.

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Column's congrats to OSM Audio and WNYC Studios (WNYC) - the latter, flagship station of one of my favorite radio programs, On the Media- on their prestigious (GEORGE FOSTER) PEABODY Award nomination for "DOLLY PARTON's America."